Chapter 35: The Threat From Beyond
`Year 2 - Day 1 - 0600`
`[Status: Headmaster Kael]`
`[Lifespan Remaining: 9 Years]`
`[Academy Stability: 95%]`
`[Alert: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE - CLASS SSS+]`
The alarm didn’t ring.
It screamed.
`WOOOOOOONK! WOOOOOOONK! WOOOOOOONK!`
Red emergency light flooded the Headmaster’s Tower.
Painted everything in blood.
Kael was already on his feet.
No crown. No robes.
Just black work pants, a torn shirt, and grease on his forearms.
He’d been in Workshop 0 until 3am.
Lira was pulling on her white advisor coat, hair still wet.
Ren was already in full black and gold armor, both swords drawn.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: CRITICAL ALERT]`
`[Threat Level: SSS+ - BEYOND MEASUREMENT]`
`[Origin: INTERDIMENSIONAL - BEYOND CONTINENT]`
`[Distance: 100km North]`
`[Time Until Impact: 2 Hours 13 Minutes]`
Kael ran to the floor-to-ceiling window.
And stopped.
In the sky, tearing reality apart like paper:
A rift.
1 kilometer wide.
Purple and black, bleeding void energy.
Lightning that wasn’t lightning.
And from inside it, shadows were moving.
"Scrap," Kael said. Voice low.
`[Scrap - Mark V.1: WAR GOD]`
`[Status: ONLINE]`
`[Moving to Intercept Position]`
Outside the tower, 3 meters of Primordial Voidsteel launched into the sky.
Galaxy eyes locked on the rift.
_Hour 1: The First Contact - The Hollow_
`0645 - Northern Border Wall`
100,000 people were already there.
Soldiers. Mages. Civilians.
All staring up.
The rift had grown to 2 kilometers.
And from it, ships were emerging.
Not wooden ships.
Not crystal magic ships.
Metal.
Black.
Shaped like spears 500 meters long.
No engines. No sails.
Just... void.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: ANALYSIS]`
`[Designation: UNKNOWN]`
`[Tech Level: ERROR - BEYOND CURRENT UNDERSTANDING]`
`[Energy Signature: VOID ENERGY - CORRUPTIVE]`
`[Threat Assessment: EXTINCTION]`
The first ship touched down.
No sound.
No boom.
The ground 1 kilometer around it turned to smooth black glass.
The side opened.
A ramp lowered.
Out walked a man.
8 feet tall.
Armor made of bone and swirling void.
4 arms.
No eyes. Just a smooth bone mask with 3 slits.
Behind him: 10 more. Identical.
`[TRASH SYSTEM]`
`[Species: UNKNOWN]`
`[Individual Power: SSS-Rank Minimum]`
`[Warning: Do Not Engage]`
Kael appeared on the wall with Lira and Ren.
10,000 students behind them.
"Who are you?" Kael shouted. His voice amplified by Scrap.
The tall one tilted his head. 90 degrees.
Then it spoke.
The voice didn’t come from its mouth.
It came from the sky. From the ground. From inside your head.
`[TRANSLATION PROTOCOL: ACTIVE]`
`[TRANSLATION: WE ARE THE HOLLOW. WE CLAIM THIS WORLD IN THE NAME OF THE VOID LORD.]`
Ren drew both swords. The sound was loud in the silence.
"Like hell you do."
The Hollow raised 2 of its 4 arms.
`BOOOOM.`
No attack.
Just a pressure wave.
The entire 100,000 army was thrown back 1 kilometer.
Tanks flipped.
Buildings cracked.
No one died.
But the message was clear: We could kill you all.
The Hollow pointed one finger directly at Kael.
`[TRANSLATION: YOU. YOU KILLED A GOD. YOU USED GODSLAYER. WE WANT YOU. SURRENDER AND THE WORLD LIVES.]`
Then the ships lifted off.
Flew back into the rift.
The rift shrank to 100 meters and closed.
Silence.
Then 100,000 people exhaled at once.
_Hour 2-6: The Council of War_
`0800 - War Room - Headmaster’s Tower`
Every professor.
Every Head of House.
Every S-Rank in the Academy.
50 people. All sweating.
On the big table: a hologram of the Hollow.
`[Data Compiled:]`
`[1 Ship = Estimated 10,000 Soldiers]`
`[1 Hollow Warrior = SSS-Rank +]`
`[Estimated Full Force: 1 Million]`
`[Estimated Time Until Return: 30 Days]`
Instructor Garrick slammed his fist on the table.
"We can’t fight that! We barely beat the Headmaster! This is 1000 times worse!"
A professor stood. "We should surrender Kael. Save the continent!"
50 people turned and stared at him.
Ren took one step forward.
The professor sat down.
Kael hadn’t spoken yet.
He was watching the footage of the Hollow on repeat.
Lira spoke first. "They’re not here to conquer."
Everyone looked at her.
"What do you mean?" Garrick asked.
"Look," Lira pointed at the screen. "They didn’t kill anyone. They didn’t destroy anything. They came, made a statement, and left. They’re here to collect."
"Collect what?" Ren asked.
Kael stood up.
His chair scraped.
"Me."
He walked to the hologram.
"They said ’You killed a God. We want you.’ The old Headmaster wasn’t just strong. He was a warden."
`[TRASH SYSTEM: SEARCHING FORBIDDEN ARCHIVES]`
`[Found: File - PROJECT GODSLAYER]`
`[Access: HEADMASTER ONLY]`
The wall opened.
A hidden vault.
Inside: one journal.
`[Property of Headmaster Aldric]`
Kael opened it.
Page 1:
`300 Years Ago. I found a Gate. On the other side: The Hollow. They worship a Void Lord. They want the Godslayer Weapon I created. I sealed the Gate with my life force.`
Page 50:
`I built this Academy. Not to make strong mages. To make one person strong enough to kill a God. It took 300 years.`
Page 100:
`Kael. If you’re reading this, you killed me. Good. Now you have to finish it. The Gate is weakening. They will come. You must go to them and destroy the Core.`
At the bottom of the last page: a map.
Coordinates.
`[Location: The Hollow Homeworld]`
`[Note: The Core powers everything. Destroy it, the army falls.]`
Kael closed the book.
"We have 30 days," he said. "Then they come back with everything. And if we don’t go to them... they come here."
_Day 2-7: Week 1 - The Academy Becomes a War Machine_
`[Project: Scrap - Mark V.2: WORLD DEFENDER]`
`[Status: INITIATED]`
`[Time to Completion: 3 Weeks]`
The entire Academy changed overnight.
The courtyard became a forge.
F-Ranks mined scrap from 200km away.
S-Ranks became blacksmiths.
Professors taught `Engineering 101` to everyone.
`[Defense Project 1: Anti-Void Barrier]`
Lira’s design. 100km radius.
`[Progress: 10%]`
`[Defense Project 2: Anti-Divine Turrets]`
200 turrets around the Academy.
`[Progress: 5%]`
`[Training Project: 10,000 Student Army]`
Ren’s job.
"They have 4 arms! Aim for the shoulder joints! They regenerate!"
Kael didn’t sleep.
`[Lifespan: 8 Years 11 Months]`
Every night at 3am, Lira would find him in Workshop 0.
Asleep on blueprints.
On Day 7:
The sky turned purple for 10 seconds.
Then words appeared, burned into the clouds.
`[TRANSLATION: 23 DAYS. PREPARE YOUR GOD. WE ARE HUNGRY.]`
_Week 2-3: The Truth_
Kael spent 14 days in the vault.
He found more.
`[The Void Lord]`
`[Status: GOD TIER - ABOVE SSS]`
`[Goal: Consume All Worlds]`
`[Weakness: The Core]`
`[The Godslayer Weapon]`
`[Status: Incomplete]`
`[Requires: Divine Heart + World Tree + Soul of Warden]`
Kael looked at his hands.
Soul of Warden. That was him.
On Day 20:
`[Scrap - Mark V.2: WORLD DEFENDER: 80% Complete]`
6 meters tall now.
Armor: Primordial Voidsteel layered with World Tree Bark.
Weapons:
1. `2x Anti-Divine Cannon` on shoulders
2. `1x Godslayer Spear` that could grow
3. New: `Void Jump Drive` - can travel dimensions
`[AI: SINGULARITY CORE + STRATEGIC AI FUSION]`
`[Status: AWAKE]`
Kael did the final Soul Bind.
`[Soul Bind: 150% - OVERCLOCK]`
`[Pain Level: 9/10]`
`[Lifespan: 8 Years 6 Months]`
He screamed for 5 minutes.
Then stood up.
_Day 29: The Eve_
The Academy was ready.
10,000 students in armor.
200 Turrets.
Anti-Void Barrier at 90%.
Kael stood on the wall.
Lira on his right.
Ren on his left.
Scrap behind him.
6 meters. Glowing.
`[Scrap - Mark V.2: WORLD DEFENDER]`
`[Status: READY FOR INTERDIMENSIONAL WAR]`
At midnight:
The sky tore open again.
But this time it was 10 kilometers wide.
And 1000 ships came out.
_Day 30: The Battle of Azure Academy_
`0000 - The Invasion Begins`
`[ANNOUNCER, VOICE BREAKING]`
`[THE HOLLOW HAVE RETURNED!]`
`[ALL STUDENTS TO DEFENSE POSITIONS!]`
`[THIS IS NOT A DRILL!]`
The lead ship opened.
The same 8-foot Hollow stepped out.
The Commander.
`[TRANSLATION: WHERE IS THE GODSLAYER?]`
`[TRANSLATION: SURRENDER OR WE TAKE YOUR WORLD PIECE BY PIECE.]`
Kael stepped forward. Off the wall.
Onto the glass ground.
"I am the Godslayer."
`[Battle of Azure Academy: BEGIN]`
##### _Phase 1: The Defense - 0:00 to 0:30_
The Hollow dropped soldiers.
100,000.
All SSS-Rank.
All 4 arms.
`BOOM BOOM BOOM`
They hit the barrier.
`[Anti-Void Barrier: 90% -> 80% -> 60%]`
`[COMMAND: ENGAGE]`
10,000 students charged.
Mages. Swordsmen. Engineers with scrap weapons.
`[Scrap - Mark V.2]`
`[Skill: [Anti-Divine Cannon: WIDE BEAM]]`
`VWOOOOOM`
A beam of white light 1 kilometer wide.
1000 Hollow vaporized instantly.
But 99,000 remained.
`[Barrier: 60% -> 40% -> 20% -> 0%]`
The barrier broke.
Hand to hand.
##### _Phase 2: The Duel - 0:30 to 1:00_
The 8-foot Commander came straight for Kael.
`CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!`
4 arms. 4 swords.
Vs Kael’s 1 spear.
Kael was losing.
`[Armor Integrity: 90% -> 70% -> 50%]`
`[Kael: Broken Ribs]`
`[Soul Bind: 200%]`
`[Lifespan: 8 Years]`
Scrap appeared.
Caught 4 swords with 2 hands.
`[Scrap: MASTER IN DANGER. PROTOCOL: PROTECT.]`
What followed was 30 minutes of hell.
Scrap vs the Commander.
6 meters vs 8 feet.
God Machine vs Hollow Champion.
They leveled a mountain.
Then another.
`[Scrap: VICTORIOUS]`
`[Commander: DESTROYED]`
##### _Phase 3: The Counterattack - 1:00 to 1:30_
`[Singularity Core: ANALYSIS COMPLETE]`
`[The ships are powered by the Core]`
`[The Core is in the Homeworld]`
`[Objective: ENTER THE RIFT]`
Kael made a decision.
"Ren! Hold them!"
"Where are you going?!" Ren shouted.
"To end this!"
Kael ran.
Past the battle.
Into the 10km rift.
`[WARNING: INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVEL: 99% FATALITY]`
He didn’t care.
##### _Phase 4: The Hollow Homeworld - 1:30 to 2:00_
Inside: a planet.
Not a planet.
A machine.
The entire surface was black metal.
And in the center:
`[The Core: GODSLAYER WEAPON]`
A sphere 100km wide.
Pulsing with void energy.
Powering the 1000 ships.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: NEW OBJECTIVE]`
`[DESTROY THE CORE]`
`[Method: Godslayer Spear]`
10,000 Hollow surrounded Kael.
`[Scrap - Mark V.2]`
`[Skill: [Godslayer Spear: TRUE FORM]]`
The spear grew to 10 meters.
Glowing white.
`[Skill: [Void Jump: FINAL]]`
Kael teleported to the Core.
And drove the spear in.
`BOOOOOOOOOOM!`
The Core cracked.
Light poured out.
The entire planet shook.
`[The Hollow Homeworld: CORE DESTROYED]`
`[The Invasion Fleet: POWER DOWN]`
`[The Hollow Army: RETREATING]`
_The Aftermath: 1 Week Later_
Kael woke up in the hospital.
Again.
`[Lifespan: 7 Years Remaining]`
`[Status: CRITICAL BUT STABLE]`
`[Status: SAVED THE CONTINENT]`
Lira was asleep in a chair holding his hand.
Ren was asleep on the floor.
Scrap sat in the corner.
1 arm missing. Cracked.
On the TV:
`[BREAKING: THE HOLLOW HAVE RETREATED]`
`[HEADMASTER KAEL ENTERED THEIR WORLD AND DESTROYED THEIR GOD]`
`[THE TRASH GOD ERA: YEAR 2 BEGINS]`
`[GLOBAL APPROVAL: 99%]`
Kael looked at the ceiling.
"We’re not done yet."
`[TRASH SYSTEM]`
`[New Threat Detected: THE VOID LORD]`
`[Status: AWAKENED]`
`[Time Until Arrival: UNKNOWN]`
He smiled. Tired.
"Good. Let’s build something bigger than a God."
Outside the window:
The Academy.
10,000 students training.
And Scrap, starting to rebuild itself.
`[END OF ARC 1: THE HOLLOW WAR]`
To Be Continued...
Thanks for reading!
If you’re enjoying the story, please consider adding it to your Library and giving it a Power Stone. Your support helps the novel grow. Thank you!