The Glitch Sovereign: Neural Forge

Chapter 10: One Breath, One Death

The orbital beam slammed into the estate, but the dust hadn't even settled before Zeryth screamed in a frenzy. He shoved his father aside, his veins glowing a lethal, pulsating orange.

"I will not let a glitch destroy my legacy!" Zeryth roared. "I am a Solari! I am the sun!"

"You are a flickering candle, Zeryth," I said, stepping through the flames. "And the wind is picking up."

"You think your little vacuum tricks can save you now?" Zeryth shrieked. "I’ll burn the very atoms out of the air! Supernova! Maximum Output!"

The air in the Grand Hall began to ripple. The heat was so intense the marble floors turned to liquid glass. A sphere of pure, white-hot plasma expanded from Zeryth’s chest.

"Zeryth, stop!" Lord Solari cried from the rubble. "You’ll incinerate the entire sector!"

"Let it burn!" Zeryth laughed hysterically. "If I go down, the world goes with me!"

"Vaxien, we have to move!" Nyxra screamed, shielding her face. "That energy... it’s reaching critical mass! There’s nowhere to run!"

"I’m not running, Nyxra," I said.

I planted my feet and opened my mouth. I didn't summon a shield. I didn't use the Nirvana Engine to harden my skin. I simply tilted my head back.

"What are you doing?" Zeryth gasped, the plasma sphere wobbling in his hands. "Are you praying? It’s too late for that!"

"I'm not praying," I replied. "I'm hungry."

[System: Initiating Universal Intake.]

[Warning: Energy density exceeds lung capacity.]

"Force the synthesis!" I commanded. "Convert the heat into compressed soul-matter!"

I took a massive, rattling breath. The fire didn't hit me. It flowed toward me like water down a drain. The massive Supernova sphere began to stretch, its light being sucked directly into my throat.

"No!" Zeryth screamed, his eyes wide with horror. "That’s impossible! That’s a Tier-S Sovereign move! You can't just... you can't just eat it!"

"Watch me," I said through gritted teeth.

The room went dark as the plasma was drained. The only light remaining was the emerald and gold glow pulsing in my own chest. I felt my lungs expanding, my ribs groaning under the pressure of a harnessed star.

"He swallowed it," a noble whispered from the shadows. "He actually swallowed a Supernova."

"Impossible," Lord Solari stammered. "His Soul-Code should have melted instantly!"

I exhaled a small puff of silver smoke. I felt more powerful than I ever had in the Wastes.

"Is that all you have, Zeryth?" I asked. My voice sounded like grinding metal. "I'm still a little hungry."

"You... you monster!" Zeryth fell to his knees, his hands charred and smoking. "What are you? What kind of freak are you?"

"I’m the guy you thought was dead," I said, walking toward him. "Thanks for the fuel, Zeryth. It was exactly what I needed for the next step."

"Stay back!" Zeryth scrambled away on his haunches. "Guards! Someone kill him! I'll give you anything! Half the Solari fortune!"

"The guards are gone, Zeryth," I said. "Your father is hiding. It’s just us. Just like the Sky-Bridge."

"I was just doing what I had to!" Zeryth wailed. "The Academy only takes the best! You were in my way!"

"And now you're in mine," I said. "Let me show you what a real star looks like."

I raised my hand. A tiny, violet spark appeared at the tip of my finger. It didn't look like much, but the moment it appeared, the remaining walls of the estate began to crack.

"What is that?" Nyxra asked, her voice trembling. "Vaxien, that energy... it feels wrong."

"It's not wrong, Nyxra," I said. "It's concentrated. One breath, one death."

"Please, Vaxien!" Zeryth sobbed, his face a mess of tears and soot. "I'll admit everything! I'll go to the Council! Just don't kill me!"

"You already admitted it," I said. "The world knows what you are. Now they get to see what I’ve become."

I pointed my finger at his chest. The violet spark began to whistle.

"Wait!" A voice boomed from the sky.

A massive shockwave hit the estate, throwing everyone to the ground. A figure in golden armor descended from the hole in the ceiling. He carried a heavy broadsword that dripped with white light.

"The Commander of the Archon’s Guard," Nyxra whispered. "General Valerius."

"Stand down, Candidate Vax," Valerius commanded, his voice shaking the earth. "The Archon has seen enough."

"Has he?" I asked, not lowering my hand. "I’m just getting started."

"You have committed high treason," Valerius said, raising his sword. "You have revealed state secrets and attacked a Sovereign family."

"I revealed a murderer," I snapped. "Is that a crime in this city now?"

"In this city, the Archon’s word is the only law," Valerius replied. "And he has ordered your immediate execution."

"Then you’re going to need more men," I said.

"I didn't come alone," Valerius sneered.

Dozens of S-Rank Enforcers appeared on the edges of the ruined roof. They all aimed their high-frequency rifles at my head.

"Vaxien, we can't fight them all!" Nyxra cried out. "There are too many!"

"They're just more fuel," I said.

I looked at Zeryth, who was grinning through his fear. "You think they're here to save you? They're here to clean up the evidence."

"As long as you're dead, I win!" Zeryth laughed hysterically.

"I don't think so," I said.

I snapped my fingers. The violet spark expanded into a massive wave of gravitational force.

"Fire!" Valerius roared.

The rifles discharged at the same moment my energy exploded.

"System," I whispered as the world turned purple. "Initiate the final synthesis."

[Processing... Warning: Total System Overload Imminent.]

"Do it," I ordered.

The entire estate vanished in a flash of violet light.