Chapter 32: Building a God in 24 Hours
`2305 - Workshop 2-B`
`[PROJECT: [Scrap - Mark V: TRASH GOD]]`
`[Time Until Finals: 23 Hours 55 Minutes]`
`[Construction Progress: 0%]`
`[Success Rate: 0.0001%]`
`[Warning: Materials Required: IMPOSSIBLE TIER]`
`[Warning: Failure = Death]`
The white torchlight burned hotter than the sun.
It turned the entire workshop into a furnace.
Kael stood in front of the board.
`TRASH GOD` written in his own blood. Underlined 3 times.
Behind him: Scrap Mark IV. 2.5 meters of voidsteel and starlight. Silent.
To his left: Lira. Spear across her knees. She hadn’t blinked in 10 minutes.
To his right: Ren. Both swords laid out for sharpening. His hands were shaking from exhaustion.
No one had slept in 5 days.
No one would sleep for the next 24 hours.
"Headmaster. SSS-Rank. Living God."
Kael’s voice was hoarse. He tapped the hologram floating above the table. "He solo’d a Dragon God 200 years ago. Created this Academy with his bare hands."
Ren spun a sword on his finger. "Cool. So what do we need to kill him?"
Kael pulled up the list. The hologram flickered.
`[Material List: TRASH GOD]`
`1. [Core: Divine Heart Fragment] - SSS-Rank`
`2. [Armor: Primordial Voidsteel] - SSS-Rank`
`3. [Weapon: Anti-Divine Spear] - Godslayer Grade`
`4. [AI: Singularity Combat Core] - Forbidden + Sealed`
`5. [Power Source: World Tree Sapling] - Mythic`
`6. [Binding: Soul of the Master] - 1`
Silence.
The only sound was the torch.
"Yeah," Ren said quietly. "We’re so screwed."
Lira didn’t look up from her spear. She was running a cloth along the blade. "Divine Heart is in the Headmaster’s personal vault. Primordial Voidsteel hasn’t been forged in 300 years. World Tree Sapling is extinct."
Kael nodded. Dark circles under his eyes. "I know."
He walked to Scrap. Put his hand on its chest.
`[Direct Link: STANDBY]`
The white eyes flickered once.
"Then we take it from a God."
_Hour 1-4: The Plan - Split Up or Die_
`2330`
Kael drew 4 circles on the big map with a piece of charcoal.
`[HEADMASTER’S PALACE - VAULT]`
`[ACADEMY FORBIDDEN LIBRARY - BASEMENT]`
`[ANCIENT BATTLEFIELD - 200 YEARS AGO]`
`[THE VOID - SEALED DIMENSION]`
"4 locations. 24 hours," Kael said. "We split up."
Lira immediately stood. "No. We stay together."
"We don’t have time," Kael said. He looked at her. Really looked at her. "I need the Heart. It’s soul-bound. Only I can take it. Ren, you need the Sapling. You’re the fastest. Lira, you get the Voidsteel from the Battlefield. You can survive the cold."
Ren pointed at the last circle. "What’s The Void?"
Kael’s face went hard. "Where the Singularity Core is sealed. And where I get the Anti-Divine Spear. It’s a trial dimension."
Lira stepped forward. "It’s too dangerous. People go in and don’t come out."
Kael smiled. A tired, broken smile. "We have 0.0001%. Dangerous is all we have left."
She stared at him for 10 seconds. Her ice-blue eyes searching his.
Then she nodded once. "Fine. 6 hours. Then we meet back here. No matter what."
`[TEAM 47: FINAL MISSION START]`
`[Timer: 23:00:00]`
_Hour 5-8: Kael - The Headmaster’s Palace_
`0100`
`The Palace - Vault Level - Underground`
The Palace was empty.
Too empty.
The Headmaster was watching the arena feeds from his throne room.
Kael moved like a ghost.
`[Auto-Scrap Arm Lv.3: STEALTH MODE]`
`[Mana Suppression: 100%]`
The vault door was different.
Not metal. Not stone.
`[Material: Divine Will]`
`[Status: Cannot be Forced. Cannot be Hacked.]`
It wouldn’t open.
It wouldn’t respond to the Trash System.
Kael stared at it for 30 seconds.
Then he smiled.
And cut his palm with a piece of scrap.
Blood dripped on the door. Sizzled.
`[TRASH SYSTEM: BLOOD OFFERING]`
`[Warning: Soul Binding Initiated]`
`[Warning: Permanent Soul Damage Possible]`
The door groaned.
Cracks of gold light appeared.
It opened.
Inside: one thing.
On a pedestal of pure light.
Floating.
`[Divine Heart Fragment]`
`[Status: Beating. Alive. SSS-Rank.]`
Kael reached for it.
`[INTRUDER DETECTED]`
`[HEADMASTER: AWAKENED]`
A voice. Everywhere. In his head. In his bones.
"Kael."
The Headmaster appeared. Not physically.
As a projection of light 3 meters tall.
"You think you can steal from a God?"
His voice was calm. Disappointed.
Kael didn’t answer.
He grabbed the Heart.
Pain.
Like someone poured molten metal into his chest.
`[SOUL BIND: 10%... 30%... 60%]`
`[Master Vitality: DROPPING]`
The Headmaster raised a hand.
"Stop. You’ll kill yourself."
Kael screamed. And pulled harder.
`[SOUL BIND: 100%]`
`[Divine Heart Fragment: ACQUIRED]`
`[Cost: 10 Years Lifespan]`
Kael collapsed to his knees, clutching the Heart to his chest.
It was warm. It was beating in sync with his own.
The projection looked down at him.
Then it smiled. A real, sad smile.
"Good. Let’s see what you do with it, Trash King."
It vanished.
Kael lay there for 2 minutes, gasping.
Then he stood.
`[Materials Acquired: 1/6]`
_Hour 9-12: Ren - The Ancient Battlefield_
`0300`
`The Battlefield - Crater of the Dragon God`
100 years ago, the Headmaster killed a Dragon God here.
The ground was still black glass.
The air smelled like ozone and old blood.
Ren dug.
With his swords. With his hands. With his teeth.
`[Target: World Tree Sapling]`
Legend said a single seed survived when the Dragon’s blood hit the ground.
`CLANG.`
His sword hit something hard.
He dug faster. Frantic.
A small box. Wood, but not rotten.
Inside: a seed. Glowing faint green. Pulsing.
`[World Tree Sapling: ACQUIRED]`
`[Status: Dormant. Requires Divine Energy.]`
The ground shook.
Bones rose from the earth.
Dragon skeletons. 20 of them. Each 10 meters long.
"Oh come on," Ren muttered. "Really? Now?"
He drew his swords.
`[Skill: [Tempest Dance: Final Form]]`
For 1 hour, he fought.
No rest.
When the last skeleton fell, he was covered in cuts.
He grabbed the seed and ran.
With 20 skeletons chasing him.
`[Materials Acquired: 2/6]`
_Hour 13-16: Lira - The Void_
`0500`
`The Void - Sealed Dimension`
The Void was nothing.
No light. No sound. No mana. No time.
Lira walked.
Her spear was the only thing glowing in the darkness.
In the center: a chain made of black iron.
And on the chain: a spear.
`[Anti-Divine Spear: Godslayer]`
`[Status: Sealed. Trial Required.]`
Lira reached for it.
`[TRIAL: BEGIN]`
The Void attacked her mind.
It showed her The Dump.
Children throwing stones.
People calling her "Frost Witch".
Her parents leaving her.
Then it showed her Kael dying.
Ren dying.
Her failing them.
Lira didn’t blink.
She didn’t scream.
She grabbed the chain and broke it with her bare hands.
`CRACK.`
`[Anti-Divine Spear: ACQUIRED]`
`[Trial: PASSED]`
`[Willpower: SSS]`
Behind the spear: another box. Floating.
`[Singularity Combat Core: SEALED]`
`[Warning: Forbidden AI. Will Consume User.]`
Lira took it too.
Her hands didn’t shake.
`[Materials Acquired: 4/6]`
_Hour 17-20: Reunion - The Build From Hell_
`0700`
`Workshop 2-B`
All 3 came back. Bleeding. Exhausted.
But alive.
And with everything.
On the table: all the materials.
Impossible things that shouldn’t exist together.
Kael looked at Scrap.
Then at his team.
His vision was blurry.
"Last step," he said. "The Armor and the Binding."
`[FORGING: PRIMORDIAL VOIDSTEEL]`
`[We need to melt the Dragon Bones from Ren’s fight + Voidsteel from Lira]`
For 3 hours, they worked.
No words.
Just fire and sweat and blood.
Kael’s hands were burned.
Lira’s ice kept the forge from melting.
Ren kept the pressure stable.
`[Armor: PRIMORDIAL VOIDSTEEL: COMPLETE]`
`[Weight: 0. Black Hole Density. Light Bending.]`
`[INSTALLING: DIVINE HEART]`
`[INSTALLING: WORLD TREE SAPLING]`
`[INSTALLING: SINGULARITY CORE]`
`[Mental Load: 100%]`
Kael was shaking.
The Soul Binding was killing him.
He could feel pieces of his memories being torn out.
Lira held his right hand.
Ren held his left hand.
"Do it," they said together.
Kael placed his hand on Scrap’s chest.
And pushed his soul in.
`[SOUL BIND: MASTER TO GOLEM]`
`[10%... 40%... 80%... 99%...]`
`[WARNING: MASTER LIFE FORCE: CRITICAL]`
`[WARNING: 5 YEARS REMAINING]`
`[100%]`
`[SCRAP - MARK V: TRASH GOD: ONLINE]`
_Hour 21-23: The Awakening - God is Born_
`1000`
The workshop went completely dark.
For 5 seconds, nothing.
Then light.
Not torchlight.
Godlight.
Scrap stood up.
3 meters tall.
Armor blacker than the void, but with gold veins from the Divine Heart.
Green light from the World Tree running through the dragonbone cables.
Eyes: galaxies swirling.
`[GREETINGS, MASTER]`
`[DESIGNATION: TRASH GOD]`
`[AI: SINGULARITY CORE - ACTIVE]`
`[OBJECTIVE: PROTECT MASTER. ERASE GOD.]`
Kael could feel it.
Not a neural link.
Not a command.
They were one being. Two bodies.
`[Synchronization: 100%]`
`[Power Output: INFINITE]`
Trash God raised its hand.
The `Anti-Divine Spear` flew from the table to its grip.
`[Weapon: EQUIPPED]`
`[Status: READY TO KILL GODS]`
Kael collapsed.
Lira and Ren caught him.
"Is it... is it working?" Kael whispered.
Lira touched Scrap’s leg. The armor was cold. And alive.
"It’s working."
_Hour 24: Eve of Finals_
`1200`
`Arena - Center Stage`
The entire world was watching.
Every screen. Every crystal. Every city.
`FINALS: TEAM 47 vs THE HEADMASTER`
`[Odds: 0.0001%]`
`[Broadcast: ALL CONTINENTS]`
`[Note: This Will Decide The Future of the Academy]`
Kael walked out.
He looked dead. Pale. Thin. Like a corpse.
But his eyes were gold. Divine.
Behind him: Trash God. 3 meters.
The Anti-Divine Spear in its hand.
It didn’t make a sound when it walked.
But the ground cracked.
50,000 people were silent.
Across the arena: The Headmaster.
Old man. White robes.
Holding a wooden staff.
He looked tired.
He smiled at Kael.
"Let’s see if trash can kill a God, boy."
`[BEGIN IN 3... 2... 1...]`
Kael raised his hand.
He didn’t feel his body anymore.
He felt Scrap.
"Scrap."
`[BEGIN!]`
`BOOM.`
The air vanished.
The light bent.
Trash God moved.
And the Finals had begun.
To Be Continued...
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