Chapter 325: The Dominator
On the city outskirts, beneath the abandoned overpass.
Sora supported the blood-soaked Falcon, struggling to trudge through the mud
toward the road.
"Falcon... stay with me," Sora whispered, her voice a forced attempt at levity.
"Remember when Bochi first processed a strawberry cake? Its eyes actually flared
with light. It stated this world wasn't a total statistical failure."
"It even claimed it would bring a sample back for its Master."
"The next cycle, the cake was gone. The brat pretended he had zero data on its
location—blaming it on a 'Rodent Manifestation'."
Sora let out a small, sad chuckle. But Falcon didn't process the words. Her
focus was entirely external, scanning the darkness for the next variable. The
image of the two Tier 3s being liquidated by a single foot-strike was still
repeating in her mind.
The gargantuan Skeleton King. The descent of the ghost-legions. The crushing
Pressure...
Does humanity possess a future?
"Do not fear," Sora said, noticing the tremor in Falcon's hand.
"The skeleton from earlier was an ally."
"An ally?" Falcon rasped, her head turning slowly. "Logic for that assessment?"
"Because we are still active," Sora stated as if it were a law of physics.
"Furthermore, did you not perceive the precision? When it processed those
Anomalies, it intentionally avoided our coordinates. If liquidation was the
objective, we would be ash."
Falcon went silent. She couldn't refute the math. Against a unit of that
caliber, accidental collateral damage would have been trivial. The fact they
were breathing was a deliberate choice.
Just then, space groaned.
A pitch-black transit portal tore open behind them. Falcon's frame coiled
instantly, her arm moving to shield Sora, but she froze.
Two silhouettes stepped from the rift.
Chief Lyra Frost. And... the entity that radiated an aura of absolute stillness.
"Chief!" Falcon gasped, her relief almost causing her to collapse.
But then, she saw the hierarchy. Chief Frost was walking behind the skeleton,
her posture one of profound reverence, bordering on apprehension.
"Falcon," Lyra said, stepping forward to catch the swaying Watchman. She lowered
her voice, her eyes darting to the skeleton. "This is the Sovereign of the
Evernight Empire. The Dominator of All Races."
"And... Lord Bochi's Master."
Falcon's logic circuits nearly experienced a hard-reboot. Bochi's Master? The
one that little slime called 'The Strongest' every five minutes?
Despite her trauma, Falcon gritted her teeth and dropped to one knee.
"Magnanimous Sovereign... I offer my highest gratitude for the preservation of
our frames."
Kaito looked at the kneeling woman, noting the catastrophic lacerations across
her tactical gear. His soulfire flickered with a clinical assessment.
I wonder if I brought enough Emerald's Respite... he mused.
He had retrieved an extra five vials before his departure. He projected that
should suffice for the immediate sector. Kaito raised a bony hand, and a crystal
vial wreathed in green light manifested in his palm.
"Consume this."
Kaito handed the vial to Falcon. The girl blinked, her hands shaking as she took
the relic. The liquid inside was a vibrant emerald, radiating a warmth that
seemed to anchor her failing Od. She didn't hesitate, tilting her head back to
drain the contents.
A micro-second later, Falcon's eyes turned into saucers.
She could feel her shattered bones knitting together. Severed muscle
reconnected. The terminal fatigue evaporated, replaced by a surge of biological
vitality.
In less than ten seconds, her "Damage-Status" was reduced to zero. She stood up,
flexing her limbs with a look of pure, unadulterated disbelief.
"This... what manner of alchemical tier is this?"
"Emerald's Respite," Kaito said flatly. "Standard Imperial recovery-issue. It
processes trauma, disease, and most low-to-mid tier curses."
Standard issue? Falcon's jaw worked. A miracle that could resurrect a terminal
unit in seconds was considered standard equipment in the Evernight?
"My Lord," Sora finally found the courage to speak. "Where is Bochi? Why did he
not achieve transit with you?"
Kaito turned his skull toward her. "He is occupied currently."
"Occupied?" Sora blinked. "Objective?"
"The 'Re-education' protocol," Kaito stated, his tone carrying a note of
parental finality. "He committed a series of behavioral deviations. Consequences
were mandatory."
"Therefore, he is prohibited from exiting the Evernight Academy for the current
cycle."
Sora visualized Bochi being locked in a classroom, staring miserably at a Gomoku
board. A small, involuntary smile touched her lips.
But she also caught the subtext. The Sovereign was not a doting owner.
Discipline was an absolute constant in his Empire.
"And... when will his containment be lifted?" Sora asked tentatively.
"Once he demonstrates a fundamental understanding of Protocols."
Kaito turned toward the horizon, where the city lights of the Federal Core were
visible. "The extraction is complete. Proceed to the Federal Headquarters."
Federal Headquarters. Bunker Perimeter.
The Skeleton King stood as still as a mountain, his greatsword anchored in the
dirt. The blue soulfire in his sockets watched the horizon with a calm,
predatory discipline.
Two hundred Night Watchmen stood behind him, their breathing shallow. They were
terrified to even move a muscle. In the distance, thousands of Anomalies were
huddled in the streets, shivering under the pressure he radiated.
Kenji stood in the crowd, his palms slick with sweat. He drew a long breath and
stepped toward the armored titan.
"Pardon the query," Kenji rasped. "Are you the Sovereign? The Dominator of All
Races?"
The Skeleton King tilted his skull down, sparing the Minister a singular, flat
glance.
"Negative."
The voice was a resonant vibration. "I am merely a Recruit of the Sovereign's
host."
"Punishment Legion. Unit Designation: D-0177."
A RECRUIT?
Kenji's pupils contracted with a sharp, clinical shock. An entity that had
effortlessly suppressed thirty thousand nightmares... was a trainee?
What manner of apocalypse is the Sovereign himself?
"The Master's arrival is imminent," the Skeleton King continued. "Maintain
absolute stillness. Await the Sovereign's Decree."
"Am I clear?"
"A-Affirmative..." Kenji nodded, his frame feeling heavy with dread. He turned
back to the Watchmen. "All units: hold position. Zero deviations."
Just then, a secondary teleportation array ignited beside the Skeleton King.
The scale was significantly smaller than the Legion-transits.
A single figure stepped from the light.
A skeleton.
Every individual in the sector felt the shift. This entity was fundamentally
different from the soldiers. He radiated zero pressure. Zero bloodlust. Zero
threat-signature.
He walked like an ordinary pedestrian. But it was that absolute, terrifying
stillness that made every heart in the radius hit its threshold.
Because they knew.
This was the Sovereign of Evernight.
The Master.
The God of the Blue Orb.
☆☆☆
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