THE DIVINE CORE: civil war in the dark

Null-Beasts

The sky tore open as the first iron-clad monster slammed into the earth ten paces from Japh.

The impact detonated the muddy village square, throwing up a blinding curtain of rock and scorched soil. Japh didn't think. He tackled Lira to the ground, using his own back to shield her from the whistling debris. A jagged piece of hot iron grazed his shoulder, but the divine electricity coursing through his blood instantly cauterized the wound.

He stood up, shoving Lira behind a fallen stone pillar.

Out of the smoking crater rose a Null-Beast. Standing eight feet tall, the quadrupedal terror was encased in dull black, magic-dampening armor. Glowing crimson runes flickered along its spine, and its hollow, faceless helmet shifted toward Japh.

Two more meteors crashed into the mud right behind it. Three Null-Beasts now blocked the exit of Kornite village.

"Die, anomaly," a distorted, synthetic voice hissed from the lead beast's throat.

Japh raised his glowing right palm. "Get away from my home!"

He thrust his hand forward, unleashing a thick, roaring beam of golden-blue lightning. The strike hit the lead Null-Beast square in the chest—but instead of obliterating the creature, the electricity dissipated harmlessly across its black plating. The metal absorbed the raw voltage, channeling the energy harmlessly into the muddy ground.

The beast didn't even flinch. It lunged forward, armored claws tearing through the air toward Japh's throat.

Japh threw himself sideways, rolling through the mud as the claw shattered the stone pillar behind him. Lira gasped, scrambling backward into the shadow of a ruined wall.

Brute force won't break dark iron, fool, Zeus’s voice thundered, echoing inside Japh's skull like a war drum. Stop throwing thunder like a child throwing rocks. Concentrate it. Pierce, do not blast. Target the unarmored joints!

Japh scrambled to his feet. The second and third Null-Beasts circled around, trapping him in a tight perimeter. Their magic-dampening plates hummed, actively suppressing the divine aura radiating from his skin.

He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, focusing on the pulsing core near his heart. Instead of letting the lightning burst wildly outward, he forced the energy down his arms, compressing the electricity into thin, needle-like needles around his fingertips.

The heat was suffocating, but the voltage became razor-sharp.

The lead Null-Beast pounced, mouth opening to reveal a rows of jagged steel teeth.

Japh ducked beneath the snapping jaw. Moving with divine speed, he thrust two fingers directly into the beast's exposed neck joint where the heavy armor met the helmet.

Crack!

The concentrated spark drove deep past the magic-dampening layer, frying the creature’s internal core. The Null-Beast stiffened mid-air, black smoke pouring from its eyes, before crashing lifelessly into the mud.

The remaining two monsters roared, rushing him together.

Japh darted between them, a blur of golden light. He dodged a sweeping claw, ducked under a tail swipe, and drove a lightning-infused palm strike directly into the rear leg joint of the second beast. The joint exploded in a shower of sparks, dropping the monster to its knees. Before the third could react, Japh leapt onto its back, ramming his electricity-charged fist straight down into its unshielded spine.

The creature collapsed beneath him with a heavy thud.

Silence briefly settled over the scorched square, broken only by Japh’s ragged breathing. His forearms burned, the runic marks glowing brightly beneath his skin.

"Japh! Look up!" Lira screamed from the shadows.

Japh snapped his head toward the sky. High above the mountain pass, the three massive war vessels of the Iron Syndicate weren't dropping any more troops. Instead, their central cannons were glowing with an ominous, dark purple light. A high-pitched whine echoed across the valley.

They were charging an orbital bombardment spell. They weren't just trying to kill him—they were going to vaporize the entire village to ensure the divine anomaly was destroyed.

"No..." Japh breathed.

If he stayed here, everyone in Kornite would die. The Syndicate didn't care about the village; they only cared about erasing him.

Elder Tomas stumbled out from a half-collapsed hut, clutching a wooden staff. Japh grabbed the old man by the shoulder and pushed Lira toward him.

"Take her into the deep cellars under the eastern ridge," Japh ordered, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Keep everyone underground!"

"Japh, what about you?" Lira cried, tears cutting tracks through the mud on her face. "Don't leave me!"

"I have to draw them away," Japh said, looking back at her one last time. "They want the spark. I'm going to give it to them."

He turned away from his sister and sprinted toward the ridge facing the dark, uncharted ruins of the Lost City.

Reaching the highest peak of the mountain pass, Japh raised both hands toward the heavy storm clouds. He pulled every drop of divine energy from his core, unleashing a colossal, blinding pillar of golden lightning straight into the heavens.

The sky split with a deafening roar that shook the mountains. The golden beacon was visible for fifty miles—an unmistakable target painted against the dark sky.

High above, the warships immediately halted their charge on the village, their turrets pivoting in unison toward the mountain ridge.

"Come and get me!" Japh yelled at the sky.

Without looking back, Japh leaped off the edge of the cliff, plunging solo into the foggy, monster-infested ruins of the ancient core, with the entire army of the Iron Syndicate descending upon him.