Chapter 40: The Throne of Glass and Steel

 

The dust of the collapsed singularity had barely settled when Scarlett Night stepped onto the highest terrace of the Kunlun Main Hall. She wasn't wearing the blood-stained robes of a disciple anymore; she was draped in a cloak of shifting starlight, a garment woven from the Prometheus’s own light-matter.

In her hand, the Stellar Navigator hummed with a quiet, absolute authority.

"From this day forth," Scarlett’s voice echoed across the floating islands, amplified by the mountain’s Qi and the ship’s sub-space relays, "the Kunlun Sect shall be the bridge between worlds. We will no longer hide behind barriers. We will no longer sacrifice the weak to the Void."

Elder Cang, his robes tattered and his pride shattered, looked up from the ruins. "And what of him? The beast you call a King?"

Caleb stood beside Scarlett, his silver-white wolf fur glistening under the dawn of a new sun. He shifted back into his human form with a fluid, lethal grace. The silver tattoos on his arms pulsed with a soft gold light, signifying the total stabilization of the Alpha Strain.

"The 'beast' just saved your souls while your Master was trying to eat them," Caleb said, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous rumble that made the remaining disciples flinch.

He walked to the edge of the terrace and looked out at the broken world. He could see the ley lines of the Cultivation Realm—veins of gold and blue energy—intertwining with the cold, silver logic of the Prometheus.

"I don't want your throne, old man," Caleb continued, lighting a cigarette—a luxury he had found in the ship's ancient stores. He blew a cloud of smoke toward the Azure sky. "But my Queen owns this mountain now. Which means my Pack is moving in."

"A Lycan Pack... in the Holy Land?" A young disciple gasped.

"Not just Lycans," Scarlett intervened, a sharp, calculating glint in her eyes. "Valerius and his Crimson Spire will handle the Eastern trade. The Siren will oversee the seas of both worlds. We are merging the genetic potential of the Chimera Prototypes with the spiritual alchemy of Kunlun."

As she spoke, a holographic blueprint projected from the Navigator into the air. It showed a massive construction plan: the ruins of the Kunlun Hall would be rebuilt, but not with jade and wood alone. It would be a fortress of carbon-fiber, spirit-conductive alloys, and ancient enchantments—a true inter-dimensional hub.

But the peace was short-lived.

"Warning: Sub-space transmission detected," the AI’s voice chimed in Scarlett’s ear. "Origin: Deep Space Sector 7. Signal Type: Creator Class. Message: 'Anomaly 001, 002, 003 detected. Initiating Retrieval Fleet.'"

Scarlett’s blood ran cold. The "Creators"—the scientists who had launched the Prometheus and the Project Chimera three thousand years ago—weren't dead. They were coming back for their property.

She looked at Caleb, who had clearly heard the same warning through his bio-links. He didn't look afraid. He looked like a wolf who had just found a larger prey.

"So," Caleb said, cracking his neck. "The managers are coming to check on the lab rats."

"They're coming with a fleet, Caleb," Scarlett whispered, her mind already calculating the defense arrays they would need.

"Let them come," Caleb smirked, pulling Scarlett close to his chest. He looked up at the stars, his golden eyes blazing with the fire of a King who had finally found a world worth fighting for. "They built me to be a weapon. It’s time they saw how well I work."

Valerius, his form now stable, joined them on the balcony, his red eyes focused on the same patch of sky. "I've waited three thousand years to bite the hand that fed me. This should be delightful."

The Siren’s song rose from the clouds below—a war chant that vibrated in the bones of every living thing in the Kunlun Sect.

The War of the North was over. The War of the Heavens had just begun.