Chapter 62 - The Final Chain
The Final Chain groaned.
Its sound echoed across the entire ocean.
It was not the sound of metal.
It was the cry of an ancient promise breaking apart.
Every beast in the Leviathan Sea froze.
Even Krakenoth stopped attacking.
Its countless eyes turned toward the glowing chain beneath the gate.
Fear.
For the first time...
The Devourer of the Abyss was afraid.
---
The Book of Infinite Beasts appeared.
Seal Status
Third Star Fragment: Stable
First Chain: Destroyed
Second Chain: Destroyed
Final Chain: Critical
Time Until Failure:
9 Minutes
---
Thalassor lowered its enormous head.
"Kai..."
"Listen carefully."
"Krakenoth was never the prisoner."
Kai's eyes widened.
"What?"
"It was the jailer."
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Even Admiral Nereus stared in disbelief.
"The jailer...?"
Thalassor nodded slowly.
"When corruption consumed Krakenoth..."
"It attacked the prison it was meant to protect."
"The true prisoner..."
"Still sleeps below."
---
The ocean suddenly darkened.
A deep heartbeat echoed from beneath the gate.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Each beat created tidal waves that stretched for miles.
The water glowed with eerie violet light.
---
The Book struggled to analyse the energy.
Warning
Unknown Lifeform Detected
Classification:
Beyond Divine
Analysis Failed.
---
Kai gripped his spear.
"What exactly is imprisoned down there?"
Thalassor closed its eyes.
"A creature older than the Guardians."
"A being that existed before kingdoms..."
"Before Beast Tamers..."
"Before history itself."
---
Far above the battlefield...
The shadow of the Archivist watched silently.
Its calm voice echoed through the storm.
"At last..."
"The world remembers."
---
Suddenly, the Final Chain cracked again.
CRAAAAACK!
A gigantic hand pressed against the ancient gate from below.
Not flesh.
Not bone.
It appeared to be made of living night.
One finger alone was larger than a mountain.
The sea split apart.
Ships were thrown like leaves in a hurricane.
---
Kai planted his spear into the deck to avoid being swept away.
Selene barely caught the railing.
Rowan held onto two terrified sailors.
The Crimson Flame Fox dug its claws into the wood.
Ignis's wings flared with golden fire.
---
Then...
A single eye opened beneath the gate.
It was vast beyond imagination.
Its iris resembled an entire galaxy.
It looked directly at Kai.
A voice entered every living mind.
"Another Beast Sovereign..."
"How many ages has it been?"
Kai felt overwhelming pressure.
His knees almost buckled.
Yet he stood.
"Who are you?"
The being chuckled.
The sound shook the heavens.
"Names no longer matter."
"Your ancestors called me..."
"...The Star Devourer."
---
The Book of Infinite Beasts burst open.
Pages tore free and spun through the air.
Golden letters appeared across every page.
Forbidden Record Unsealed
Star Devourer
Classification:
Primordial Entity
Threat Level:
World Extinction
Historical Note:
Sealed jointly by the Thirteen Guardians and the First Nine Beast Sovereigns.
---
Everyone fell silent.
Even the Archivist did not speak.
Kai looked at the Book.
"The First Nine Sovereigns..."
"They all fought together?"
Ignis whispered,
"It wasn't nine different eras."
"It was one war."
---
Kai's mind raced.
"So every Beast Sovereign..."
"...was chosen to continue that battle."
The Book flashed.
Confirmation
Mission of Every Beast Sovereign:
Maintain the Seven Seals.
Primary Objective:
Prevent the return of the Star Devourer.
---
The Star Devourer's enormous eye remained fixed on Kai.
"You carry the fragments..."
"Good."
"When all seven gather..."
"My prison will finally disappear."
Its gigantic hand pressed harder against the gate.
The Final Chain began to snap.
CRACK...
CRACK...
CRACK...
The sea shook violently.
Kai raised his Star-forged spear.
He looked at Nereus.
At Thalassor.
At Selene.
At Ignis.
At the Crimson Flame Fox.
Then he smiled.
"If one Beast Sovereign isn't enough..."
"We'll fight as everyone who came before us."
Golden starlight erupted around him once more.
The First and Second Star Fragments shone brighter than ever.
The Book displayed a final message.
Sovereign Resonance
Compatible Allies Detected:
- Guardian Leviathan: Thalassor
- Admiral Nereus
- Selene
- Ignis
- Primordial Flame Fox
New Skill Available
Constellation Link
As Kai extended his hand, six beams of golden light connected him to his companions.
For the first time in ten thousand years...
A Beast Sovereign was not fighting alone.