Chapter 109: Throne of the Mechanosite

DING! The system chimed. ~----~ [Construct Avatar of Korrath Defeated!] [True Korrath resides in New Chicago’s Mechanosite.] [Congratulations! Rootsite Secured.] [Genesis Embers: 6,000/6,000] [Trial II Completed.] [Reward: Evolution to Luminous Seed Rank...] ~----~ ’What?!’ ’This is not the real Korrath?’ Clayton reacted, staring at the collapsing biomechanical titan, watching as 15 meters of chrome vines, molten Embers, and a pulsing Nexus core gave way to the destruction that now ravaged through it. He had a complicated look on his face. But he didn’t have the luxury to stay looking at the collapsing biomechanical titan more, because his own body suddenly pulsed. It was a process that Clayton was all familiar with, having felt and craved only it during his crazy time fighting against a world that tried to devour him back in Echoterra. It was the process of evolution. BZZZ! His hybrid form pulsed, Genesis Embers igniting his core. His flesh rippled, vines and chrome fusing, eyes blazing with Nexus fire, and then... BOOM! It exploded. It was a literal supernova as Clayton felt the Genesis Embers inside of him detonate, all 6,000 of them, coalescing back to form a more coherent, more firm, and steady Heartseed Core. Clayton’s Heartseed Core changed. And then... He towered, no longer an Initiate Ember Awakened, but a Luminous Seed Verdant Lord, power surging, Aphid Network resonating. The Rootsite’s core stabilized, Mycoglyphs glowing. Veyra, gripping Regalia, whispered. "D-did you just become a Luminous Seed Awakened?" Clayton stared at her and grinned. Torren stared at him in wonder. "Is this the legendary process that follows after completing a Genesis trial?" His eyes widened. "Wait, defeating Korrath is the core objective of your trial? I guess, this is trial 2 for you, right? Wow!" Torren was fascinated by what just happened, expressing his curiosity as he showed a different side to himself. Kaelin grinned. "321 years well spent indeed. Not many Verdant Lords out there can boast of killing another Verdant Lord a whole rank ahead of them". Hearing that, Clayton looked at Kaelin. "I didn’t kill him". "Huh?" Clayton sighed, looking into the distance. "What we killed, that Korrath, that was not the real Korrath. That was just a Construct Avatar of his". Kaelin paused, trying to process what Clayton just said, and then his eyes widened. Right at that moment, the system lit up with new notifications. DING! ~----~ [Enemies Defeated: Construct Avatar of Korrath (Luminous Seed)] [Aphid Network Losses: 1 Thornweave Sentinel, 2 Thorn Hounds] [Genesis Embers Acquired: 1,475 (Korrath Avatar and Team Kills)] [Genesis Embers Total: 6,000 (Capped)] [Aphid Network Total: 98 (1 Spore Plague Lord, 23 Thornweave Sentinels, 2 Emberflame Drones, 49 Thorn Hounds, 22 Emberwings, 5 Emberclaw Sentinels, 1 Flameveil Stalker)] [New Rank: Luminous Seed Awakened] ~----~ The Nexus’s hum faded, Ashen Covenants vanishing into the ruins. Clayton, now a Luminous Seed titan, faced his team, managing a big smile on his face despite his crippling exhaustion. "We did it". He grinned. "We saved the Rootsite!" Kaelin cheered. The Rootsite stood, scarred but defiant, their bonds forged in blood and Embers. Now... was cleaning time. This was no mere war that just ended. This was a war that literally spanned a period of days, taking countless lives before it came to an end. There was blood and flesh of Behemorphs littered everywhere, including the scrap of Korrath’s bio-mechanical constructs that were destroyed by Clayton’s rampage in the quest to kill the Verdant Lord of New Chicago. The Forgotten city was already a ruin since, but now, it became a scrap heap, and even worse a sewage dump. The stench of the Behemorphs that had died for days already was debilitating. The city needed cleansing. Not just any cleansing, thorough cleansing. But that was for later. Now, all this group needed was rest. And they did just that. Plop! Clayton collapsed right where he was. Torren and Veyra managed to stay awake, dragging Clayton to the core of his Rootsite before falling asleep alongside him. There, a mildly tired trio of Soren, Kaelin, and Lorn, mild when compared to them welcomed them. Lorn offered to cook some roasted meat. Afterall, after such a draining battle, they were all famished. The aroma of the food woke Clayton up at some point. After eating to his fill, he slept again with the knowledge that he managed to save his Rootsite despite the odds that were against him and his friends. Clayton slept. ... New Chicago, Mechanosite. Deep within New Chicago, Korrath’s Mechanosite loomed; a biomechanical fortress carved into the heart of a city reborn as a nightmare. Chrome spires pierced the ash-choked sky, their surfaces writhing with vines of molten metal, pulsing with the Earthcore Nexus’s dread hum. Vein-like conduits snaked through streets of twisted steel and fungal growth, glowing with Mycoglyph-etched runes that thrummed with Nexus energy. At the core, Korrath, the Luminous Seed Verdant Lord, sat on a throne of fused bone and circuitry, its surface alive with thorned tendrils that coiled like serpents. His form was a colossus of terror; 15 meters of chrome-plated vines, molten Embers swirling in his chest, eyes twin voids of Nexus fire. His biomechanical frame clicked and hissed, servos whirring as he learned forward, a Codex fragment in his clawed hand pulsing with a message. ["Construct Avatar Defeated. Atlanta Rootsite Secured."] Korrath’s vines lashed, shattering a nearby spire out of spite, molten sparks raining. "Defeated? My Avatar Construct?" "Is that Prototype 04?" He grimaced. "I spent months creating that one!" His voice, a guttural blend of organic growl and mechanical screech, echoed through the Mechanosite. Rage surged; his avatar, a perfect construct of his will, one of his several masterpieces, torn apart by Clayton Hunt, the Trial survivor. And yet, having witnessed the remnants of what his Avatar Construct experienced through a unique effect of his Aspect, he could not help the surprise that flickered in his Nexus-lit eyes. At first, he was convinced that the enemy must have employed some dirty means to bring down his Avatar Construct, dirty means like employing bombs. Maybe they went even as far as deploying nuclear bombs. But to his shock, after witnessing the remnants of his Avatar’s experiences, he discovered that the truth was far different than he expected. "A new Verdant Lord... and not a simple one". As a scientist, his mind churned, curiosity clawing past his fury. Clayton’s Architect Aspect, capable of commanding an Aphid Network over a hundred strong, enabling dual forms, merging dual forms, and even with the base ability of physical force augmentation. "This Aspect...," his eyes widened. "Is it Verdant Warden rank? Or... something more?" He mused, vines twitching. "Definitely has to be something more!" "That is already too many utilities for a Verdant Warden rank Aspect, and to think all of them come with such potency!" The Nexus’s pulse whispered possibilities, fueling his obsession. Clayton’s essence wasn’t just prey, it was a puzzle, a key to ascend beyond the Nexus’s chains. He rose, throne tendrils retracting, and strode to a balcony overlooking New Chicago’s ruins. The city sprawled, a labyrinth of biomechanical decay; skyscrapers fused with fungal growth, streets pulsing like arteries, Nexus energy warping reality. His own version of an ability similar to Territorial Sentience thrummed, a faint hum of Ashen Covenants’ Ember Witches watching from distant shadows, their matriarchal chants a veiled threat. Korrath ignored them, his focus on Clayton. "You’ve grown, Trial survivor," he growled, then grinned. "But you’ve only stirred the beast". "I wonder what kind of man you are". He muttered to himself. "Will you come get your revenge against me first, or will you rush recklessly into the 3rd trial?" He asked rhetorically, fascination written all over his face. Clicking his tongue, he descended into the Mechanosite’s workshop. It was a vast, grotesque cathedral of creation. Cavernous chambers glowed with Nexus forges, where biomechanical constructs took form. Vats of molten Embers bubbled, fusing thorned metal and fungal sinew. Conveyor belts groaned, assembling Initiate Ember drones, 6-meter frames with Emberflame cores, and Luminous Seed Emberclaw Sentinels, their razor vines hissing. Unique Behemorphs stirred; Nexusborn Reavers, 25-meter titans with molten cores and spiked limbs, and Flameveil Stalkers, cloaked in fire and thorns. Korrath’s clawed hand traced a Mycoglyph panel, activating a forge. A new drone emerged, its core pulsing, obedient to his will. "More," he whispered, "always more". Beyond the workshop, his true army waited; a sea of thousands. Rows of Initiate Ember drones, hundreds strong, stood in formation, their Emberflame cores glowing. Luminous Seed Sentinels loomed, vines coiling, flanked by Reavers and Stalkers. Scattered Scorched Clans mercenaries, bound by Genesis Embers, patrolled the ranks. The Mechanosite’s walls pulsed, amplifying their numbers, a testament to Korrath’s centuries of crafting. The Nexus hummed, its energy binding army and master, a promise of truth. Korrath returned to his throne, vines curling, eyes blazing. Clayton’s power intrigued him; a Verdant Lord who defied the Nexus’s rules, his Aspect a greater mystery than women. "Come find me, Clayton," he muttered, voice low, mechanical hiss. "I’m waiting". END OF VOLUME 2, PART 2.