The world was watching now.
Veilstone had fallen not to siege, but submission.
Its lake birthed a leviathan.
Its shrine pulsed with dual mana.
And from its gates now marched an army cloaked in abyssal banners — once goblins, outcasts, and hunted monsters. Now trained, named, evolved.
Kael walked at the front.
Behind him: Zar, Lira, and three new lieutenants, once nameless creatures he had uplifted.
Mareth, a former cave wraith turned stealth commander.
Thornak, a troll berserker reborn with molten core.
Evea, a draconic sprite with frostlight magic.
[Kael's Army: 540 Units | Loyalty: 100% | Average Rank: D to C+]
[March Route: Veilstone → Scareth Valley → Keldran Pass → The Monastery of Chains]
Objective: The Monastery of Chains
A divine fortress north of Veilstone.
Built to contain what the gods feared.
Sealed with holy sigils. Guarded by sacred paladins and angelic wards. None who entered without divine right ever returned.
And it was where Kael's instincts pulled him.
[Nullus Sync: 28% → 34%]
[Deep Signal Detected: Forbidden Artifact – "The Crown of Chains"]
On the Road – Scareth Valley
They reached the valley on day three.
Night fell heavy.
The moon turned red.
Kael paused — shadows tugged at his thoughts.
"They followed you…"
Lira gasped. "Behind us. Multiple mana signals—fast."
Suddenly, screams echoed from the back ranks.
The ground cracked open.
[New Threat Detected: Abyss Cult – Sect of the Drowning Root]
[Leader: Priest K'Varn – Rank B- | Affiliation: Unknown]
[Intent: Assimilation, not destruction]
Dozens of figures in tattered robes surged from the dark, wielding flesh-crafted weapons and whispering hymns in dead tongues.
Kael stood calmly.
"I don't follow gods."
"But we do, O Abyss-King," K'Varn hissed. "Let us worship you… with blood."
Battle: Black March vs. Abyss Cult
Zar charged first, tearing through acolytes.
Mareth vanished into the fog — reappearing behind the enemy, blades slicing through their rear lines.
Lira raised her staff — freezing and shattering cult beasts mid-charge.
Kael moved only when K'Varn stepped forward — chanting, summoning tendrils from the ground.
Kael raised his hand.
[New Skill: Leviathan Call – Summon: Nýthelgor]
[Cooldown: Active]
The lake monster's eye opened across space, and a limb of darkness erupted behind Kael — swatting cultists into mist.
Kael walked into the fray.
No sword.
Just will.
He spoke:
"You are not abyss."
"You are parasites."
He pressed his palm to K'Varn's chest.
[Ability Triggered: Shadow Core Implosion]
The priest exploded in black fire.
The cult broke.
Aftermath
[Victory: Sect Eliminated]
[Followers Gained: 12 Redeemed Acolytes (Named Potential)]
[New Trait: Abyssal Authority – Lesser abyss entities now submit without combat]
[Army Morale: Maxed]
Kael looked ahead.
The path cleared.
The Monastery of Chains loomed.
It was time to break god-built locks.
[Kael – Rank: C+]
[Faction Influence: Surging in North Quadrants]
[Divine Realm Status: Critical Watch]
[Next Location: The Sealed Monastery – 2 Days]
Chapter 18 continues...
As the army broke camp the next morning, the land itself seemed quieter—as though wary of what approached. Birds did not sing. The sky hung gray. Insects burrowed deep underground. Even the wind whispered away from the banners of Kael's march.
Lira walked beside him. "The deeper we go into sacred land, the more the earth fights us."
"It fears awakening," Kael said.
"Then why do you keep walking toward what even the gods locked away?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. His eyes locked onto the horizon.
"The gods sealed it because they feared its truth. I walk there because I want to remember it."
Two days passed. The army grew quieter. Even Thornak, usually loud and bloodthirsty, treaded lightly.
The Monastery of Chains finally appeared—cloaked in mist, embedded in the mountainside like a tumor.
Black stone. Golden seals. Chains thicker than towers wrapped around it, extending like vines into the valley.
[Location Unlocked: Monastery of Chains]
[Status: Sealed | Barrier Integrity: 97%]
[Divine Protection: Active | Threat Level: A]
Kael approached alone.
The closer he got, the more the air burned—like the monastery itself hated him.
The sigils on the gates lit up.
The wind screamed.
And the door opened—by itself.
Lira shouted, "Kael, wait!"
But he was already stepping through.
Inside the Monastery
There was no light.
Just chains.
Miles of them.
Twisting, floating, breathing.
And at the center—a throne, suspended by metal and silence.
Upon it: a corpse wearing a crown of rusted stars.
[Object Detected: Crown of Chains]
[Status: Dormant | Sentience Detected | Ownership Contested]
Kael walked forward.
The corpse lifted its head.
"You smell like Him," it rasped. "The first one."
Kael's shadow flared.
"I am not the first. I am the last."
[Trial Initiated: Will of the Crown]
[Warning: Crown of Chains will attempt binding domination]
Chains snapped toward Kael.
And Kael opened his arms.
"I am not afraid of binding. I am the one who commands it."
[Trait Triggered: Inner Sovereign]
[Skill Unlocked: Chain Dominion – Gain control of binding magic within range]
[Trial Outcome: Success]
The corpse crumbled.
The crown hovered.
And rested on Kael's brow.
[Artifact Acquired: Crown of Chains – Increases command over loyalty, binding, and holy subversion]
[Nullus Sync: 34% → 39%]
Outside, the monastery shook.
And in the heavens, something began to weep.