[Midnight — Capital's Outer Wall]
A gaping hole tore through the palace's outer defenses.
The Harbinger, tall and monstrous in its perfect, silent armor, advanced — unaffected by arrows, unaffected by magic.
The guards fell back, fear biting into their bones.
Until—
The world itself shifted.
[In Phantom Nexus]
Arden stood beneath the Great Tree, his crimson gaze sharpening.
[Engaging Tactical Plan: Harbinger Subjugation Protocol.]
Initiating deployment of Rapid-Type Clones…
Activating Mind Spire Link...
Overclocking Phantom Defense Grid...
"Umbra. Nova. Go."
WHOOM!
In an instant, hundreds of Arden's clones materialized into reality — invisible to most mortal eyes, yet very much real.
They burst into existence like shadows caught in a storm.
[Real World]
For the first time, the Harbinger paused.
Its data-driven senses screamed warning.
Incoming anomaly: 350+ hostile nodes detected.
But it was already too late.
Shadow spears rained from every direction, slicing into its outer shell.
[DAMAGE: 3%]
[DAMAGE: 5%]
The Harbinger retaliated — releasing shockwaves of pure annihilation energy.
Ten clones vaporized instantly.
But for every clone lost, five more replaced them.
Mind Spire fed real-time battlefield data directly into Arden's mind — he felt every movement, every pulse, every threat.
[ Inside the Palace ]
King Darius sat beside Althea, wiping her forehead with a cool cloth.
Althea's breathing slowed, her hand resting protectively over her belly.
"I feel... our son," she whispered, "protecting us."
Darius smiled, though confusion flickered behind his eyes.
"Perhaps the gods have blessed us."
"No..." she said softly, "not gods."
Darius tilted his head. "Then who?"
Althea kissed his hand.
"Our child."
The Harbinger roared — a soundless burst of null-force energy rippling out.
Buildings shattered like paper.
Earth ruptured.
Yet still, the clones advanced.
Nova, now designated Vanguard Unit, struck first — piercing the Harbinger's leg actuator with a crystalline lance.
[DAMAGE: 15%]
Movement Impairment Applied!
Umbra flickered behind it, dragging serrated shadow-blades across critical joints.
[DAMAGE: 10%]
Functionality Disruption Applied!
Arden observed everything.
He calculated weaknesses, timelines, optimal force ratios — everything in real-time.
It was…beautiful.
It was…war.
And it was his domain.
[Interface Updates for Nova and Umbra]
[Level Up!]
Nova: LV 2 -> LV 4
Umbra: LV 2 -> LV 3
New Abilities Unlocked!
Nova: Flash Step (short-range teleport)
Umbra: Dagger Bloom (multi-hit finisher)
[New Title Earned: Arden's Blade]
Both Nova and Umbra felt Arden's approval flowing through the Mind Spire.
They fought harder, faster, smarter — evolving mid-battle.
[Meanwhile — Celestial System ]
Far beyond mortal comprehension, Celestial Executors watched the feed with growing dismay.
"Deviation exceeds 0.01%."
"Probability matrices collapsing."
"Initiate Quantum Suppression?"
"No," said a higher voice.
"We watch.
We adapt.
We learn."
But even they could not hide the growing fear in their cold, mechanical tones.
This child was not just an anomaly.
He was something worse:
A predator among gods.
Arden raised his tiny hand again.
He imbued his command through the Mind Spire.
—Bind it.
Nova and Umbra executed the capture plan flawlessly.
Blades pinned the Harbinger's arms.
Spectral chains — forged by Arden's Phantom Nexus — wrapped around its form.
Then, with a final burst of stolen celestial code (secretly absorbed during his last life's death), Arden initiated the final move:
[Skill: Data Extraction (Hidden)]
Begin Deconstruction and Assimilation?
[YES]
The Harbinger shuddered — its code unravelling into sparkling tendrils that Arden siphoned into Phantom Nexus.
Knowledge flowed into him like a river:
Celestial combat patterns
Harbinger construction blueprints
Dimensional breach algorithms
All of it was now Arden's.
The Harbinger collapsed — empty — a hollow statue under the palace gates.
[Aftermath — Real World ]
The royal guards cautiously approached the fallen giant.
"What in the gods' name...?" one whispered.
King Darius, carrying Queen Althea in his arms, stared at the battlefield with wide eyes.
Something — someone — had protected them.
But who?
[Back in Phantom Nexus]
Arden sat beneath the Great Tree, his clones kneeling in a circle around him.
The Phantom Nexus itself began to expand — fueled by the harvested Celestial energy.
He smiled — a rare, soft smile — only for himself.
Innocents would never feel fear while he ruled.
But to his enemies, his name would become synonymous with extinction.
He placed his hand over his tiny heart, whispering into the forming stars above:
"Protect the kind.
Punish the cruel.
Shape the multiverse."
And somewhere far away — in hidden corners of the multiverse — ancient beings shuddered.
For a new force had risen.
And his name was Arden.