chapter 3:Ten Black Stars
859 Words
Chapter 3
Ten Black Stars
Silence spread across Bastion-7.
Not normal silence.
The kind that happens when millions of people collectively stop breathing.
Across the world, giant holographic screens flickered with the same message repeatedly.
---
GLOBAL NOTIFICATION
FIRST DIVINE-CLASS MANIFESTATION DETECTED
INDIVIDUAL:
ELIAS VEYRON
---
Inside military command centers, officers stared at the alert in disbelief.
Inside academies, students nearly lost their minds.
Inside ancient temples, old summoners abruptly stood from meditation.
And somewhere deep beneath one of the largest Bastions…
a pair of ancient golden eyes slowly opened.
---
Back in the ruined district, Elias Veyron scratched the side of his head awkwardly.
“…That seems mildly problematic.”
“MILDLY?!” a nearby soldier yelled.
The man pointed at the still-raging storm above the city.
“YOU SUMMONED A GOD!”
Elias looked thoughtful.
“Technically speaking, I invited one.”
The soldier stared at him in complete disbelief.
Thor laughed loudly again.
Clearly entertained.
Meanwhile, emergency personnel rushed into the district while dozens of armored summoners surrounded the area cautiously.
None of them looked relaxed.
Several stared at Thor like prey standing before a natural disaster.
Which was honestly fair.
One woman wearing silver combat armor stepped forward carefully.
She had sharp crimson eyes and a long black coat marked with the emblem of Bastion-7.
A commander, probably.
Her spiritual pressure alone was vastly stronger than the earlier soldiers.
She stopped several meters away from Elias.
Then bowed respectfully toward Thor first.
Smart survival instincts.
Only afterward did she look at Elias.
“…State your identity.”
Elias pointed at the giant floating notification still displaying his name across the sky.
“I feel like the System already handled introductions.”
“…Fair point.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“You are an undocumented summoner.”
“You say that like I did tax fraud.”
Thor glanced at Elias again.
> “You speak to authority figures strangely as well.”
“Consistency is important.”
The commander took a slow breath.
Clearly trying not to lose patience.
“My name is Commander Seraphina Vale of Bastion-7.”
Seraphina Vale
“By emergency law, all unidentified summoners must undergo immediate evaluation.”
Elias nodded casually.
“Reasonable.”
Then he pointed at the giant unconscious serpent embedded in distant structures.
“Though I’d recommend handling that first before it wakes up with emotional issues.”
As if insulted personally—
the serpent suddenly roared again.
Right on cue.
Elias sighed.
“…And there it is.”
The creature rose violently from the wreckage.
Blue fire erupted around its body.
But something had changed.
Black veins now spread across its scales.
The sky darkened unnaturally.
Thor’s expression shifted instantly.
The thunder around him became sharper.
Dangerous.
> “Corruption.”
Even Elias felt it.
A strange wrongness.
Not evil.
Not monstrous.
Empty.
Like reality itself rejecting the creature’s existence.
The System immediately reacted.
---
WARNING
NULL CORRUPTION DETECTED
THREAT LEVEL REASSESSMENT:
CALAMITY CLASS
---
Panic erupted across nearby soldiers.
“NULL?!”
“How is that possible already?!”
Seraphina’s face darkened.
“…Everyone retreat immediately.”
The corrupted serpent opened its mouth.
Black flames gathered inside.
Space distorted around it.
Thor tightened his grip on Mjölnir.
But before he could move—
Elias suddenly stepped forward.
Curious.
Interested.
Like a researcher spotting something fascinating in a laboratory.
“…That corruption.”
Seraphina stared at him.
“That thing can erase entire districts!”
Elias nodded.
“Yeah, but look closely.”
Everyone looked at him like he was insane.
He pointed toward the black veins.
“They aren’t spreading randomly.”
Thor’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Elias continued excitedly:
“It’s following structured conceptual decay patterns.”
The battlefield went silent.
One soldier whispered:
“…What language is he speaking?”
Elias ignored him completely.
“The corruption isn’t consuming mythology.”
His smile slowly disappeared.
“It’s deleting it.”
Even Thor became serious.
The serpent roared and unleashed black fire toward the district.
Thor moved instantly—
but Elias suddenly raised his hand.
“Wait.”
Everyone froze.
Even Thor looked at him.
Elias stared directly at the corrupted serpent.
Then—
he smiled.
“Oh.”
The monster paused.
Elias pointed at it.
“You’re scared.”
The creature snarled violently.
“Yep. Definitely hit the emotional weak point.”
Seraphina looked utterly confused.
“You can understand that thing?”
“Not exactly.”
Elias tilted his head thoughtfully.
“But intelligent monsters communicate through instinctive myth structures.”
Nobody understood what he meant.
Including the System probably.
The serpent roared louder and charged.
The ground shattered beneath it.
Black flames distorted the air around its body.
Seraphina shouted:
“MOVE!”
Elias didn’t move.
Instead—
golden text appeared before his eyes again.
---
MYTH ARCHIVE SYNCHRONIZATION DETECTED
NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED
DIVINE RESONANCE:
THUNDER AUTHORITY [FRAGMENT]
---
Lightning sparked unconsciously across Elias’s fingertips.
He blinked.
“…Huh.”
Thor stared at him sharply.
Interesting.
VERY interesting.
Then Elias grinned brightly.
“Okay.”
He cracked his neck lightly while thunder echoed above the city.
“Now this is getting fun.”
- Writer
