Chapter 54 — The Western Node

The journey west began before dawn.

Kael moved through the forest with the Verdant Fallen Guardian several dozen meters behind him.

Neither spoke much.

The Guardian had spent thousands of years beneath the mountain.

Kael had spent most of his life knowing almost nothing about the world beyond his family.

They were both learning how to move through a world that had changed around them.

Kael checked his status.

Kael Darven

Level: 31

Strength: 27

Agility: 36

Vitality: 34

Intelligence: 34

Mana: 35

Metal Control: Mastery III

Bloodline Progress: 13%

Beast Path Compatibility: 4%

Darven Armament: 3/3

Fourth Path: 1/4

Ancient Seal Integrity: 79%

His eyes stopped on the final number.

Seventy-nine percent.

It hadn't dropped since the transfer.

That was good.

But not good enough.

The Guardian had warned him.

The enemy would not stop.

Kael looked ahead.

“Tell me everything you know about the western section.”

The Guardian continued walking.

“The western section was once a reinforcement route.”

“What does that mean?”

“When the eastern network was damaged, pressure was supposed to be transferred west.”

Kael frowned.

“Meaning?”

“If the western route breaks…”

The Guardian looked toward the horizon.

“…the eastern route receives the full burden.”

Kael's expression hardened.

“So whoever is attacking it doesn't need to destroy the whole network.”

“No.”

“They can weaken one section and force the others to carry more.”

“Yes.”

Kael thought about the recent seal fluctuations.

That explained the pattern.

The enemy wasn't simply attacking random nodes.

They were creating imbalance.

And imbalance would gradually force the network toward failure.

“How far?”

“Two hours.”

Kael increased his pace.

The western section began at a valley Kael had never explored.

It was strangely barren.

No large trees.

No powerful monsters.

Only gray stone and twisted roots.

Kael stopped at the boundary.

He immediately activated Metal Sense.

Nothing.

His brow furrowed.

“No metal?”

The Guardian shook its head.

“Look beneath it.”

Kael expanded his perception.

The surface remained empty.

Then—

he found it.

Deep underground.

A massive metallic structure.

Almost completely buried.

Kael crouched.

“It's below the entire valley.”

“Yes.”

“Why so deep?”

The Guardian's expression became serious.

“Because the western route was designed to survive destruction at the surface.”

Kael looked at the barren landscape.

“So this place is the node.”

“No.”

The Guardian pointed toward the valley floor.

“This place is the lock.”

Kael stared.

“The node is beneath it.”

“And the attackers?”

“Already there.”

Kael's expression changed.

He could sense them now.

Not through Metal Sense.

Through mana.

Three.

No—

five.

Several signatures below the ground.

All hidden.

Kael immediately activated Darven Armament.

PR-02 appeared beside him.

AR-03V followed.

His katana slid into his hand.

The Guardian's armor glowed faintly.

“They are waiting.”

Kael smiled.

“So are we.”

The ground exploded.

Five figures rose from below.

Dark armor.

Black weapons.

Crimson markings.

Not the same hunters from the mountain.

But the same symbol.

The Severance Order.

Kael immediately opened Threat Analysis.

[Target detected.]

Target 1: Level 34 — Commander

Target 2: Level 35 — Commander

Target 3: Level 36 — Commander

Target 4: Level 33 — Commander

Target 5: Level 37 — Commander

Kael's eyes narrowed.

Five Commanders.

The leader stepped forward.

“You actually came.”

Kael raised PR-02.

“You knew I would.”

“We knew the Guardian would lead you here.”

The Guardian stepped forward.

The leader's attention shifted.

For the first time, surprise appeared in his eyes.

“You freed it.”

The Guardian said nothing.

The leader slowly raised his weapon.

“Then our estimates were wrong.”

Kael smiled.

“That's unfortunate.”

The leader's expression hardened.

“Kill the Administrator.”

The five attackers moved.

Kael didn't stay in the center.

He immediately moved left.

PR-02 fired.

BANG!

The round struck the weapon of the nearest attacker.

The man's firearm spun away.

Kael didn't pursue.

He had already identified the larger threat.

The Level 37 commander.

That man's weapon was different.

A long black spear surrounded by rotating rings.

Severance technology.

Kael couldn't let him reach the Guardian.

The commander charged.

Kael met him.

CLANG!

The spear struck the katana.

The impact forced Kael backward several steps.

Strong.

The commander attacked again.

Kael blocked.

Again.

Kael twisted.

The spear scraped his side.

A thin line of pain spread through his ribs.

Kael didn't retreat far.

He had already noticed something.

The spear wasn't simply a weapon.

Each time it struck his katana—

the crimson energy around the blade weakened.

Severance effect.

Kael stepped back.

The commander pursued.

“Your bloodline won't save you.”

Kael fired M-02.

The commander tilted his body.

The shot missed.

Kael smiled.

“That isn't what I'm relying on.”

The spear came down.

Kael dropped low.

His katana disappeared.

The commander expected a counterattack.

Instead—

PR-02 appeared above Kael.

BANG!

The shot struck the spear.

The commander blocked.

Kael used the opening.

He swept the man's legs.

The commander stumbled.

Kael's katana reappeared.

SHING!

The strike hit the armor at the shoulder.

The commander was forced backward.

But four other enemies attacked.

Kael immediately moved.

A projectile struck the ground.

BOOM!

Kael jumped.

A blade passed underneath.

He twisted in midair.

AR-03V fired.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

One attacker was forced behind cover.

Another raised a shield.

Kael landed.

The Guardian moved.

A green wave spread across the valley.

The ground itself responded.

Roots erupted from the stone.

One attacker jumped.

Another cut through the roots.

The third was caught.

Kael fired.

BANG!

The weapon flew from his hand.

The Guardian pulled the root tighter.

The attacker fell.

Kael didn't waste the opportunity.

He rushed toward the central valley.

The leader shouted.

“Stop him!”

Kael ignored them.

He had noticed something.

The attackers weren't trying to surround him.

They were defending the center.

That meant the objective was there.

Kael slammed his hand into the ground.

Metal Control.

The stone cracked.

Ancient metal appeared beneath it.

Kael's eyes sharpened.

The Western Lock.

He could feel the network.

Four pathways.

One damaged.

Three stable.

And something else—

black energy.

Someone had already attached a foreign device.

Kael stared.

A metallic mechanism had been driven directly into the node.

It was not destroying the network.

It was redirecting it.

Kael's expression hardened.

“This is how you've been doing it.”

The leader appeared behind him.

“You understand quickly.”

Kael turned.

The Severance spear was already coming toward his chest.

He moved.

The spear struck the ground.

Kael stepped around it.

The commander attacked again.

Kael blocked.

The spear's rings activated.

His Armament Bonds flickered.

PR-02 dropped slightly.

AR-03V lost stability.

Kael immediately broke the connection himself.

The weapons fell.

The commander smiled.

“You cannot rely on them here.”

Kael held the katana with both hands.

“Then I won't.”

The commander was faster than Kael expected.

The first thrust came toward his shoulder.

Kael deflected.

The second toward his side.

Kael stepped away.

The third was a sweep.

Kael jumped.

The spear changed direction in midair.

Kael twisted.

It passed under him.

He landed.

The commander immediately struck again.

CLANG!

Kael blocked.

His arms trembled.

The man's physical strength was superior.

Kael wasn't going to win a contest of force.

So he changed the rhythm.

One step forward.

Two back.

Short strike.

Retreat.

The commander followed.

Exactly as Kael wanted.

The terrain around the Western Lock was narrow.

Stone pillars surrounded the node.

Kael began moving between them.

The commander pursued.

Thrust.

Dodge.

Thrust.

Step.

Sweep.

Duck.

Kael was learning the weapon's timing.

The spear was strong.

But it was long.

Its greatest advantage became a weakness once the distance collapsed.

Kael waited.

The commander thrust.

Kael stepped inside the spear's range.

The attack couldn't be redirected quickly enough.

Kael struck the shaft with his katana.

CLANG!

The weapon moved aside.

Kael's shoulder slammed into the commander's chest.

Both staggered.

Kael stepped behind him.

The spear was now between them.

Kael kicked the back of the man's knee.

The commander dropped.

Kael raised the katana—

but stopped.

He saw something beneath the man's armor.

A black metal plate.

The same material as the device in the Western Lock.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

He didn't strike.

Instead, he grabbed the plate with Metal Control.

The commander realized what he was doing.

“No!”

Too late.

Kael ripped the plate free.

The black energy around the spear vanished.

The weapon became ordinary metal.

The man's eyes widened.

“What did you do?”

Kael stepped away.

“I removed the part that mattered.”

The instant the foreign device was removed—

the Western Lock activated.

The entire valley shook.

The System flashed.

[Foreign interference removed.]

[Western Node attempting self-repair.]

The remaining four commanders looked at each other.

Their leader shouted:

“Destroy it!”

They charged.

Kael raised his hand.

The ancient metal beneath the valley answered.

For the first time, Kael wasn't controlling his own weapons.

He was controlling the network metal.

A wall rose.

Two attackers slammed into it.

The Guardian unleashed another wave.

Green roots surged from the ground.

One commander was trapped.

Kael fired AR-03V.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

The weapon fell.

Another attacked from the side.

PR-02 moved independently.

BANG!

The attack was interrupted.

Kael's katana struck.

SHING!

The final commander was forced backward.

The battlefield had changed.

Before, the Severance Order had controlled the node.

Now—

the node was fighting alongside Kael.

The leader realized it.

“You're already synchronizing.”

Kael looked at the crimson light spreading across the ground.

“Yes.”

The leader's expression hardened.

“Then we'll cut the entire section.”

He raised his hand.

The four remaining commanders stepped back.

Kael frowned.

“What are they doing?”

The Guardian's expression changed.

“They're sacrificing the section.”

Kael's eyes widened.

A black device appeared in the leader's hand.

The same severance technology.

But much larger.

The leader slammed it into the ground.

The Western Node screamed.

The System flashed warnings.

[Forced network severance detected.]

[Western Node integrity: 61%.]

[Warning.]

[Catastrophic disconnection sequence initiated.]

Kael looked at the Guardian.

“If that thing destroys the node?”

“The network will tear itself apart.”

“How bad?”

The Guardian looked toward the mountain.

“Bad enough.”

Kael turned back.

The device was buried beneath the stone.

He activated Metal Sense.

The structure appeared.

Black metal.

Several mana channels.

One core.

Kael immediately understood.

He could not simply destroy it.

The explosion would destroy the node with it.

He needed to remove it intact.

Kael crouched.

“Guardian.”

“Yes?”

“I need you to stabilize the network.”

The Guardian understood.

“You intend to extract the device.”

“Yes.”

“That will require precise control.”

Kael smiled.

“Then it's lucky I'm a Darven.”

He placed both hands on the ground.

Metal Control.

The buried device began moving.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

The black metal fought against his control.

Kael's forehead became covered in sweat.

The device had been designed specifically to resist Metal Control.

His bloodline could barely move it.

The System displayed:

[Foreign material resisting control.]

Kael gritted his teeth.

“Move.”

The device shifted one centimeter.

Then two.

The node shook.

The Guardian stabilised the green channels.

Kael pulled again.

Five centimeters.

Ten.

The black mechanism began emerging.

The enemy leader shouted:

“Stop him!”

The remaining commanders attacked.

The Guardian intercepted one.

Kael's PR-02 fired.

BANG!

Another fell back.

AR-03V fired.

BANG-BANG!

Two more weapons were knocked aside.

Kael continued pulling.

Twenty centimeters.

The device was almost free.

Then—

the leader charged.

Kael couldn't turn.

The device was too unstable.

The commander raised his weapon.

The Guardian couldn't reach him.

Kael's eyes narrowed.

One option.

He released the device.

The commander smiled.

Kael recalled the katana.

The blade appeared directly between them.

CLANG!

The spear was blocked.

Kael twisted.

He had not used his Armament Bond to pull the katana toward himself.

He had recalled it to a specific position.

The commander stumbled.

Kael slammed his palm down.

The device rose completely from the ground.

He caught it.

The Western Node stabilized.

[Foreign interference removed.]

[Catastrophic severance cancelled.]

The four remaining commanders froze.

The leader stared at the device in Kael's hand.

Then—

he smiled.

“Excellent.”

Kael frowned.

“What?”

The man looked past him.

Toward the mountain.

“You just restored the western section.”

Kael's expression hardened.

“Yes.”

“That was the point.”

The leader pressed a small object.

Kael's eyes widened.

A black pulse traveled through the stolen device in his hand.

The System flashed.

[Foreign signal detected.]

Kael looked down.

A tiny mark appeared on the device.

[Tracking function activated.]

The leader laughed.

“We didn't come to destroy the Western Node.”

Kael's expression changed.

“We came to make you repair it.”

The commander disappeared into the forest with the others.

Kael wanted to chase them.

The Guardian stopped him.

“Don't.”

Kael looked back.

“Why?”

“Because this is what they wanted.”

Kael stared at the device.

The Western Node was stable.

More stable than before.

The Fourth Path had automatically connected to the repaired section.

The System appeared.

[Fourth Path restored: 2/4.]

Kael's eyes narrowed.

They had deliberately allowed him to repair it.

But why?

The answer came from the device.

A faint black line extended from it.

Not outward.

Downward.

Toward the mountain.

Kael's face hardened.

The device wasn't merely a tracker.

It had become a relay.

By restoring the Western Node—

Kael had unknowingly opened a clean pathway through the ancient network.

The enemy could now use that connection.

The Guardian's expression became grim.

“They wanted access.”

Kael stared at the line.

“Access to what?”

The Guardian looked toward the mountain.

“The deepest layer.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“The layer connected to the ancient entity.”

The Guardian nodded.

A notification appeared.

[Warning.]

[Foreign network bridge detected.]

[Unknown signal entering Fourth Path.]

Kael immediately raised his hand.

Metal Control.

The tracking device shattered.

But the signal remained.

It had already passed through.

Kael's expression hardened.

He had been played.

He had repaired the second section.

But in doing so—

he had given the enemy a road.

Then the mountain shook.

THOOM.

The System appeared.

[Ancient Seal Integrity: 79% → 78%]

Kael looked toward the mountain.

From somewhere beneath it—

the ancient entity whispered:

“Two paths…”

A pause.

“Two more.”

Kael's grip tightened around the katana.

The Guardian stepped beside him.

“They're racing us.”

Kael looked toward the eastern forest.

“No.”

His eyes hardened.

“They're racing something else.”

The Guardian turned.

Kael stared at the network map.

Three remaining routes.

Three damaged points.

But the deepest one—

the fourth section—

had begun moving.

Something inside the ancient network was heading toward it.

Kael closed his hand.

“We're not chasing them anymore.”

The Guardian looked at him.

“What are we doing?”

Kael turned toward the mountain.

“Getting there first.”