Chapter 17: The Spoils of War
The H.S.S. Leviathan didn't so much land as it did rewrite the geography of the mountain slope. The massive vessel plowed through a kilometer of ancient stone, coming to a rest as a broken, smoking spine of blackened steel.
Leo stood on the tilted flight deck, his boots crunching on shattered glass. Grim stood behind him, his solar-shimmering shell casting long, distorted shadows against the wreckage.
General Vane crawled out from a heap of debris, his Platinum-rank armor cracked and sparking. His Cyber-Dragon Chimera lay nearby, its mechanical wings twitching in a pool of leaking hydraulic fluid and blue blood.
"You... you're a monster," Vane wheezed, his cybernetic eye dangling by a wire. "You've declared war on the entire Coalition. There is no corner of the Earth they won't burn to find you."
"Let them burn," Leo said, his voice cold. "I'm not the one hiding in a bunker sending others to die."
Leo walked toward the General, but he didn't raise his blade. Instead, he activated the Eye of Truth, scanning the wreckage of the bridge. Deep beneath the floorboards, in a lead-lined containment unit, something was pulsing with a rhythmic, heartbeat-like energy.
The Hidden Cargo
"Jud! Kaelin!" Leo shouted.
Jud arrived shortly after, riding his Continental Toad, which looked remarkably clean for having just downed three airships. Kaelin dropped from the smoke, her Gorilla carrying a bundle of captured Bureau documents.
"Open that hatch," Leo pointed to the floor.
Jud's Toad used a single, heavy tongue-flick to rip the reinforced steel plating away. Inside sat a crystal stasis pod. Within the pod was an egg—though 'egg' was a poor description. It was a sphere of swirling nebular gas, encased in a shell of transparent diamond.
[Pet Encyclopedia: Identifying...]
[Target: ??? (Divine-Rank Potential)]
[Species: Void-Star Hatchling (Extinct/Mythical)]
[Status: Dormant / Requires 'Sovereign's Warmth' to Hatch.]
"Vane," Leo turned back to the General. "Where did you get a Void-Star egg? These haven't been seen since the first portal opened 1,100 years ago."
Vane let out a hacking laugh. "We didn't 'find' it, boy. We built it. It's a synthesis of every S-Rank core the Bureau has collected for a century. It was meant to be the ultimate weapon—a pet for the President himself."
"It's not a weapon," Leo said, his eyes flashing. "It's a living being."
The Message
Leo picked up the pod. He could feel the tiny heartbeat inside syncing with his own. The Breeder's Domain hummed in response, a new "Celestial Nest" area forming in the center of the Jade-Essence Lake.
"I'm letting you live, Vane," Leo said. "Take an escape pod. Go back to your 'Coalition.' Tell them that the era of treating beasts as batteries is over."
"They won't listen," Vane whispered.
"I know," Leo replied, turning away. "That's why I need the practice."
Sorting the Loot
While the fires of the Leviathan died down, the group gathered on a ridge to evaluate their gains.
The Spoils of the Leviathan:
The Void-Star Egg: The crown jewel.
10,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones: Enough to fuel the Domain's expansion for a year.
The 'Slave-Core' Schematics: Kaelin handed these to Leo. "If we study these, we can build a device to break the Bureau's control over other beasts."
The General's Cape: A 'Cloak of Shifting Sands' (Legendary Grade) that provides 50% physical damage reduction.
"Leo," Jud said, looking at the diamond egg. "If that thing hatches... you'll have a pet that can eat stars. The government won't just send airships next time. They'll send the 'Pillars'—the Top 10 S-Rank Evolvers."
"Let them come," Leo said, placing the egg into the Breeder's Domain. "By then, the Academy's 'Misfit' pets will be ready to meet them."
The Birth of the Guild
Leo looked at Jud and Kaelin. "We can't keep running. We need a base. This mountain, the Aerie of Chronos... it's ours now. We're going to build a sanctuary here. A place where any beast, broken or 'trash,' can find its true path."
"What are we calling it?" Kaelin asked.
Leo looked at his first partner, Grim, who was currently watching the sunset with his massive, draconic head held high.
"The Heart-Fire Sanctuary," Leo decided. "The first True Breeder's Guild."
[DING!]
[Global Announcement (Primal Realm Only):]
[A New Power has Risen! The 'Heart-Fire Sanctuary' has been established!]
[Effect: All 'Wild' beasts within 100 miles have increased loyalty toward the Host.]
In the distance, across the vast expanse of the Primal Realm, several high-level roars answered the announcement. Some were curious. Others were predatory.
The real game had just begun.