2026-04-16 00:23:05
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
chapter 70
Chapter 70 Zarek stood on the cracked steps of the central tower and looked down at the crowd. The morning air felt heavy. Over six hundred people filled the square, some still bandaged from the last void attack, others carrying tools or weapons. He had called this meeting to make things official. A minor council. A way to share the daily decisions and stop the whispers that he was turning into a tyrant. He kept his voice steady. "From today, the council will handle food, housing, and trade inside the city. My word still stands on the core and the defenses. That does not change." The moment he finished, Draven stepped forward. Tall, broad shouldered, with a voice that carried across the square like he owned it. "And who decided that? We bled the same as you in the last war. The core belongs to all of us now. I call for a vote. Limit the Architect's control. Let the council decide how the power is used." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some nodded. Others shouted back in anger.
chapter 69
Chapter 69 The morning after the fourth attack felt like the city was holding its breath, waiting to see who would break first. Zarek woke before dawn, his chest still burning from the tendril wound. The bandage Mira had tied was already soaked through with blood and black residue. He sat up slowly, careful not to wake her. Kael was curled up between them, small body pressed close as if afraid Zarek would disappear in the night. He slipped out of bed and walked to the balcony. The Sanctuary City stretched out below him under the weak golden-purple glow of the core. New houses stood half-finished. Golems moved silently through the streets, repairing what they could. But the eastern district was a ruin — collapsed buildings, black scars on the ground, and the smell of death still hanging in the air. Population had dropped to six hundred and forty-three overnight. More people had left through the gate before sunrise, taking supplies and whispering that the city was cursed. Zarek’s h
chapter 68
Chapter 68 Zarek stood in the flickering light of the damaged Planetary Anchor Core, his arms wrapped tightly around Mira and Kael. The boy was still shaking against his chest. Mira’s face was pressed into his shoulder, her breath warm but ragged. Blood from his chest wound slowly soaked through her shirt, but neither of them moved. The core’s golden-purple glow was weak now, pulsing like a tired heart. Thirty-one percent stability. The healing field barely worked. Wounded survivors groaned in the shadows around them. The air smelled of smoke, blood, and burnt earth. Outside the tower, the city was quiet for the first time in days. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that came after a storm when everyone was waiting to see what would break next. Mira pulled back just enough to look up at him. Her eyes were red and fierce. “You drew the line,” she whispered. “They won’t forget that. Draven, Vara, Harlan… they’ll use it. They’ll tell everyone you threatened to kill your own people.” Zare
chapter 67
Chapter 67 The fourth attack came at midnight, only two days after the third. No warning. No slow widening of the crack. The sky simply tore open like wet paper and four massive tendrils slammed down at once, thicker and faster than before. They struck like living lightning — one at the farms, one at the eastern district, one at the central tower, and the largest one straight toward the Planetary Anchor Core. The entire city woke to screaming. Zarek was already moving before the first impact. He had barely slept, the hidden whispers keeping him awake. He burst out of the tower with Mira right behind him, Kael clinging to his back. “Everyone to the inner ring!” he roared. “Mira — full turret power! Lirien, Rylan — hit the weak points!” Domain Expansion exploded across the city at maximum strength. Purple chains erupted from the ground like angry snakes, wrapping every tendril. Spikes shot upward, stabbing deep into the black energy. The advanced mobile fortress rolled forward on
chapter 66
Chapter 66 The dead were buried before the sun went down. Forty-seven new graves joined the others near the core. The ground was soft from all the digging lately. Zarek helped carry the bodies himself, even though his wounds from the tendril fight still burned. Mira worked beside him, silent and grim. Kael followed behind, carrying small flowers he had picked from the few patches of grass that still lived. No one spoke much. The air felt thick with grief and anger. After the last grave was covered, Zarek stood in front of the growing cemetery and looked at the survivors who had gathered. Over seven hundred people now stared back at him. Some faces were loyal. Many were scared. Too many looked at Draven, Vara, and Harlan with hope. Zarek’s voice came out rough but loud. “We lost more today. Good people. Families. Friends. The thing in the sky is getting stronger. It wants the core. It wants to drain every one of us dry. If we keep fighting each other, it will not have to try hard
chapter 65
Chapter 65 The scar in the outer territory stayed black and dead for days. No grass grew back. No golems could repair it. The tendril’s touch had sucked the life out of everything it touched, leaving a long, ugly wound across the land. Twenty-three more graves were dug. Twenty-three more names added to the growing list of people the city had lost. Zarek stood at the edge of the dead zone every morning, staring at the blackened ground. The Planetary Anchor Core still glowed strong behind him, but it felt heavier now, like it was calling the hunger closer. The city kept growing on the surface. New houses rose. More survivors arrived — almost eight hundred people now. But underneath, the split was getting worse. Draven, Vara, and Harlan had turned the eastern district into their stronghold. They held daily meetings. They promised “fair shares,” “real voices,” and “safety without one man’s mistakes.” More and more people drifted toward them, especially the newer arrivals who had not
You may also like
The Ultimate Talent Adam Spencer
ShadowKatake35.3K viewsDivine Sword Art System
Rafaiir_21.5K viewsValkyrie Black
Drew Archeron23.0K viewsSkythunder System
Scoco21.5K viewsSilent Power: Rise Of the Hidden Heir
Sueños692 viewsTHE BILLIONAIRE REBATE SYSTEM
Okoye257 viewsMY RIDER SYSTEM
RogueHalo471.2K viewsThe All Consuming-Self
UnknownUnknown492 views