Chapter 427 Ancient Enemy

Kai reached the central district just as an entire section of road lifted from the ground.

He stopped at the edge of the damaged avenue, watching the pavement rise several meters before turning sideways. The vehicles resting on it slid toward the edge, crashing into the abandoned buildings below.

Above the district, enormous rings surrounded the central ancient structure. They rotated at different speeds, drawing streams of blue energy from the remaining towers across Nexus.

Each rotation distorted the space between them.

Kai could see parts of buildings suspended inside the openings, but their positions made no sense. A window appeared upside down above the street, while a section of road hung vertically between two rings. For a moment, he even saw what looked like another city beyond one of the openings.

Then the ring moved, and the image disappeared.

A group of emergency workers was retreating from the perimeter when one of the distortions opened beside them. The ground beneath their vehicle twisted, lifting its front wheels into the air.

"Get out of there!" Kai shouted as he rushed forward.

He reached the vehicle before it could overturn and forced it back onto stable ground. The workers hurried out, dragging their equipment with them.

One of them looked toward the suspended rings with a pale expression. "What happened to the road? It was right there a second ago."

Kai glanced at the distorted pavement. "The structure is changing the space around it. Get everyone away from the perimeter and don’t follow any road that passes beneath those rings."

The worker nodded and immediately called the others toward the safer streets.

Kai watched them leave before approaching the central structure.

The closer he came, the stronger the distortion became. The distance between the surrounding platforms seemed to change whenever the rings rotated, making some passages appear shorter while others stretched farther than they should have.

He placed a hand against Starbreaker.

The relic remained quiet, but its surface gave off a faint glow.

Tiamat, have you seen anything like this before? Kai asked privately.

Tiamat did not answer immediately.

I’ve seen structures that could interfere with space, she eventually replied. But I wouldn’t assume this one is functioning as intended.

You know something about it?

Not enough to tell you what will happen next.

Kai frowned slightly. He had become accustomed to Tiamat withholding information, but the uncertainty in her response was unusual.

Before he could question her further, Lily contacted him.

"Kai, I’ve finished comparing the central structure’s readings with the ruins we explored. I think I’ve found something important."

"I’m listening."

"The architecture matches the ancient network, but the activation pattern doesn’t match the intended sequence. Several mechanisms are operating beyond the limits shown in the old records."

Kai looked toward the rings. "What does that mean?"

"It means the structure wasn’t designed to operate like this under normal conditions. The energy channels are carrying more power than their original configuration should allow."

"Could the incoming signal be forcing it to activate?"

"Possibly, but I can’t confirm that. It could also be an emergency protocol, or damage to the control system could be causing the wrong mechanisms to activate together."

Kai examined the connections between the rings. Several enormous channels carried energy toward the central structure, while smaller ones branched toward the surrounding platforms.

"If I destroy the central structure, would that stop the power flow?"

Lily hesitated. "It might, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Some of those connections also support the ancient barriers around the district. If you destroy the wrong section, we could lose the barriers that are still preventing the distortions from spreading."

Kai looked toward the streets beyond the perimeter. The evacuation teams were still moving civilians away from the surrounding buildings.

"Then find a way to interrupt the activation without destroying everything."

"I’ll keep looking. Aren is helping me compare the structural records, and Elden is checking the power distribution."

"Good. Let me know if you find anything I can safely disable."

Kai ended the call and continued toward the central platform.

...

The central structure began to change before he reached it.

A section of its outer wall separated from the surrounding rings, revealing a passage filled with pale blue light. The rotating mechanisms slowed, and the energy flowing through the nearest channels gathered around the opening.

Kai stopped.

Something stepped out.

It had the general shape of a human, but its body was formed from overlapping plates of dark ancient material. Thin lines of light moved between the plates, forming patterns that resembled the signals traveling through the surrounding network.

Its face was smooth, with no visible mouth or nose. Two narrow lights occupied the place where its eyes should have been.

Unlike the creatures that had emerged from the dimensional fractures, it did not attack immediately.

It stood at the entrance and looked directly at Kai.

Kai tightened his grip on his weapon. "Are you controlling this structure?"

The entity remained motionless.

Then its attention shifted toward Starbreaker.

The relic suddenly grew warm in Kai’s hand.

Several symbols appeared across its surface, and a faint pulse traveled through the weapon.

Kai looked down in surprise. He had not activated any of Starbreaker’s abilities.

The entity took a single step forward.

"PREPARATION FAILED."

Its voice was deep and strangely mechanical, as though several overlapping sounds had been forced into the same words.

Kai raised his gaze. "Whose preparation?"

The entity looked directly at him.

"YOURS."

Kai felt his expression tighten.

"What preparation? Are you talking about the System Disasters?"

The entity did not respond.

Instead, the lights between its plates brightened, and the nearest ring began rotating faster.

Kai shifted his stance.

"Then I’ll ask something simpler. Are you responsible for what’s happening to Nexus?"

The entity raised one arm.

The space in front of it folded inward.

Kai moved before the attack reached him.

A crushing force passed through the place where he had been standing, tearing several fragments from the surrounding platform. The fragments twisted together and disappeared into the distortion.

Kai landed several meters away, his eyes narrowing.

The entity had barely moved, yet its attack had reached much farther than its arm.

"So that’s how you fight."

He activated Distortion and changed his approach, moving toward the entity from an angle that avoided the unstable space in front of it.

Starbreaker struck its exposed side.

The impact shattered several overlapping plates, revealing a network of glowing channels beneath them.

Kai immediately followed with another attack, but the damaged plates separated and shifted around his weapon. Before he could strike the exposed channels again, the pieces closed and restored the entity’s outer armor.

A wave of force erupted from its body.

Kai crossed his arms and endured the impact, sliding backward across the platform.

He looked toward the repaired section.

The damage had disappeared.

It is connected to the structure, Tiamat observed.

I noticed.

Then stop treating it like an ordinary opponent. You’re attacking something that can draw on the entire network to restore itself.

Kai glanced toward the glowing channel extending from the entity’s back to the nearest ring.

Then I’ll cut the connection.

...

The entity attacked again, sending a distorted wave across the platform.

Kai avoided it and rushed toward the nearest ring. He struck the glowing channel connecting the entity to the surrounding structure.

The connection flickered.

For the first time, the lights between the entity’s plates dimmed.

Its movements slowed, and several damaged sections of its armor failed to close completely.

Kai immediately turned toward it.

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

He struck the entity’s shoulder, breaking through another layer of armor.

The entity staggered.

However, before Kai could continue, the central structure released a powerful surge of energy through the surrounding rings.

The damaged connection brightened.

The entity’s armor restored itself, and the lights beneath its plates returned to their previous intensity.

Kai jumped backward as another spatial attack tore through the platform.

Lily’s voice suddenly entered his communicator.

"Kai, stop attacking that connection!"

He glanced toward the channel. "Why? It weakens the entity."

"I know, but that ring also supports one of the barriers keeping the surrounding district stable. Every time you damage it, the barrier’s energy output drops."

Kai looked toward the edge of the platform.

Beyond it, a large section of the surrounding street was beginning to bend toward the central structure. Several abandoned vehicles slid across the pavement as the distortion spread.

Kai immediately moved away from the connection.

"Can you identify another one that doesn’t support the barriers?"

"I’m trying, but the network keeps changing its power routes. Elden is helping me separate the defensive connections from the structural ones."

Aren’s voice joined the conversation. "Kai, there’s another problem. The rings aren’t rotating independently. They’re following a repeating sequence, but the timing changes whenever the central structure receives more power."

"Can you predict the next movement?"

"Not reliably yet. I need to observe another rotation."

Kai looked toward the entity, which had begun approaching him again.

"Then keep watching. I’ll buy you some time."

He ended the call and raised Starbreaker.

The entity stopped several meters away.

Its attention moved from Kai’s face to the relic in his hand.

For a brief moment, the lights along its body changed pattern.

Kai noticed the hesitation.

"You recognize this weapon, don’t you?"

The entity remained still.

"Then tell me what it is. Why does it react to your network?"

The entity tilted its head slightly.

Kai waited, but no answer came.

Instead, Starbreaker suddenly released another pulse.

A new reading appeared before him.

[ANCIENT SYSTEM RECOGNIZED.]

[IDENTIFICATION: INCOMPLETE]

[CONNECTION STATUS: ACTIVE]

[AUTHORITY: LOCKED]

Kai stared at the information.

Starbreaker had recognized something within the ancient network, but the identification remained incomplete. Its combat authority was still locked, and the reading offered no explanation of what the connection meant.

The entity’s lights brightened.

"RECOGNITION CONFIRMED."

Kai looked up. "What exactly did you recognize?"

The entity raised its arm.

Kai immediately prepared to evade, but the attack did not come toward him.

Instead, the entity struck the platform beneath its own feet.

A deep crack spread across the ancient surface, separating the central platform from the surrounding passage.

Kai jumped toward the nearest stable section, but the entity moved to intercept him.

Its arm extended, and the space between them folded inward.

Kai twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the attack. The force struck the platform behind him, tearing away another section of the floor.

He landed on a narrow piece of stone that was already beginning to tilt.

The entity advanced without hesitation.

Kai looked toward the surrounding rings.

The nearest one was rotating toward him, carrying several glowing channels across the open space. Beyond it lay the passage he had used to enter, but the distance between them had become distorted.

He could no longer tell how far away it was.

Aren’s voice sounded through the communicator. "Kai, the ring sequence just changed again! Something is forcing the outer platforms out of alignment."

Kai glanced toward the central structure.

The entity was standing between him and the only visible route back.

"Can you find another path?"

"I’m looking, but the outer passages are separating faster than I expected."

Lily interrupted. "Don’t jump toward the eastern platform. Its connection is unstable, and it could disappear before you land."

Kai examined the surrounding structures while the platform beneath him continued breaking apart.

The entity raised both arms.

Several rings began rotating toward the central core, drawing the remaining energy into the space around Kai.

He tightened his grip on Starbreaker.

Any suggestions? he asked Tiamat.

Don’t trust the distance you see, she replied. The space between those rings is changing.

Kai looked toward the nearest opening.

The passage beyond it appeared to be only a few meters away, but the distorted buildings visible through the gap suggested otherwise.

Behind him, the platform split again.

The entity stepped forward, and the remaining section of stone began falling toward the central structure.

Kai jumped toward the nearest ring just as the platform collapsed beneath him.

The ring shifted.

The passage he had been aiming for disappeared, replaced by a wall of rotating ancient machinery.

Kai twisted in midair, searching for somewhere to land.

Below him, the central structure opened another layer of its mechanisms, revealing a deep shaft filled with flowing blue energy.

The entity stood on the opposite platform, watching him fall.

And the only remaining route through the structure led directly into the rotating rings.