Godstealer-Chapter 39: Halcrest

The room was darker than usual.

A circular table—carved from the heartwood of an ancient beast—stood at the center, surrounded by the key figures of the Hybrid Association. Maps floated midair, glowing softly, marked with leyline fractures, god-routed sieges, and shattered territories.

Zerathis leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"This isn't just a power grab," Dante said, his voice calm but tight. "It's a holy purge. They want us gone. All of us."

"Dramatic way to start a meeting," the Trickster said, chewing on a celestial pear that definitely didn't exist seconds ago. "But hey, I'll allow it."

Lyra sat with one leg over the other, polishing her spear lazily. "What's the plan, then? Sit here until the gods burn another city down?"

Dante activated the map's next layer—three red circles pulsed on different continents. "We strike. Coordinated. Fast."

He pointed.

"First target is Halcrest. Their leyline siphon's buried beneath the Old Cathedral. Second is the Sky Vaults of Neria—currently protected by three divine generals. Third is the Divine Hall's southern supply channel. We sever these, we corner them."

Zerathis stepped forward. "You're underestimating Solem. He's not just a law enforcer —he is law. I fought him once. He didn't blink when I crushed half a planet."

"And yet," Trickster chimed, gesturing dramatically, "here you are. Planetless but full of snark."

"I got better," Zerathis muttered.

Dante cut in. "We're not winning this war in a day. We hit hard, disappear harder. Confuse them. Bleed them. We move in trios. Trickster, you're on chaos. Lyra—frontline spear. Zerathis, we need pressure, gravitational distortions around their defenses."

Zerathis grinned. "So... I get to crush things?"

"You get to slow things, throw them, implode them... creatively," Dante said.

The Trickster leaned forward, serious for once. "They'll respond fast. The gods have rules. But their followers? They're zealots with nukes and a martyr complex. You want chaos? You got it. But don't expect clean exits."

Dante nodded. "That's why I'm going in with each group. If we lose even one front, the others collapse."

From the back, Sound God raised a finger. "And what about the mortals caught in the crossfire? You plan to teleport them into safety like last time?"

"I'll do what I can," Dante said. "But if it's between their lives and ending this war..."

Everyone went silent.

Zerathis finally sighed. "Then we end it."

The Trickster suddenly stood on the table. "And thus begins the part of the saga where everything goes to hell, we fight sexy monsters, and Dante finally admits he likes me."

"Shut up," Dante and Lyra said in unison.

The Trickster winked.

The map faded.

Orders were dispatched.

The war didn't wait.

And as they left the room, the sky outside cracked—just a little. A warning. A promise.

——

The wind howled across the desolate landscape of Halcrest as the small, elite group of hybrids made their way through the overgrown woods, stepping lightly as they neared the outskirts of the ruined city. The once-proud metropolis was now a forgotten place, its tall towers broken and jagged like broken teeth in a skull. It was here that the gods hid their most prized weapon: the leyline siphon buried deep beneath the Old Cathedral. A weapon that could tip the scales of the war and allow the Hybrids to finally fight back.

The sun was setting, casting a blood-red hue over the ruined city. There was an eerie stillness in the air, like the world was holding its breath. Dante, Lyra, Zerathis, and the Trickster moved in silence, their eyes scanning the horizon. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the faint glow of ruined streetlamps illuminated cracked stone streets.

Dante stopped suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "Something's wrong."

Zerathis, walking a few paces behind him, cocked his head. "We're getting closer. I can feel the gravitational anomalies beneath the city. It's... strange."

"Yeah, well, strange is my middle name," the Trickster muttered, cracking his knuckles and stepping around an abandoned cart. "But seriously, I've got a bad feeling about this place."

The ground trembled beneath them as the distant, low hum of an ancient, forgotten god's presence echoed through the air. A thick fog began to creep from the ruins, curling like smoke from an otherworldly fire. In the distance, the silhouette of the Old Cathedral loomed, its spires reaching toward the sky like fingers of stone, grasping at the heavens themselves.

"Let's move," Dante ordered, setting his jaw. "We're getting close."

They made their way down the narrow, twisted streets, the fog thickening around them. The buildings around them seemed to sag under the weight of age, some with gaping holes in their walls, others crumbling into dust. As they approached the cathedral, a chill ran down Dante's spine. He could feel the presence of something ancient, something powerful, buried deep beneath the cathedral's ruins.

It wasn't just a siphon. It was a grave.

They entered the cathedral, its massive double doors creaking as they pushed them open. The interior was vast, its high ceilings lost in shadows. Faint rays of light filtered through the stained glass, casting multicolored patterns on the floor. But the beauty of the place was deceiving. Every inch of the cathedral screamed of long-forgotten power, power that should have stayed buried.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet. The walls seemed to breathe, the stone cracking as a deep, resonating growl echoed from below.

"Not good," Lyra muttered, her voice barely audible over the rumbling. freewёbnoνel.com

The Trickster grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Now this is my kind of party."

Before anyone could react, the ground beneath them erupted, sending debris flying into the air as a massive, serpentine creature burst from the depths. Its body was covered in dark, jagged scales, each one reflecting the dim light in an eerie, unnatural way. Its eyes, glowing a sickly green, locked onto the group as it let out a deafening roar.

"Who summoned this thing?" Dante shouted, drawing his weapon, but the creature was already upon them.

Zerathis was the first to react. He raised his hand, and with a snap of his fingers, the gravity around the beast shifted, making its massive body feel like it weighed a ton. The creature stumbled, its movements sluggish as its immense weight became unbearable. But it was only a momentary delay. The serpent roared, throwing itself against the force, breaking free and charging forward with terrifying speed.

Lyra stepped forward, her hands glowing with crimson energy. With a yell, she slammed her fist into the ground, sending a shockwave of fire racing toward the creature. The flames surged around its body, but the beast simply swiped them away with a flick of its massive tail.

Dante wasn't waiting for an invitation. He leapt into the air, his body flickering and shifting as he teleported between the serpent's attacks. He summoned illusory clones, distracting the beast, causing it to strike at phantoms as Dante appeared at its blind spots, slashing with his blade.

"Looks like we're dealing with an ancient god's pet," Zerathis growled, his voice filled with disdain. "Don't worry, I'll handle this."

He raised both hands, and the gravity around the creature distorted, pulling it in every direction at once. The beast howled in pain, but it was far from defeated. The trickster, still grinning ear to ear, spun around, taking out an ethereal dagger from his belt.

"Oh, you want to break this thing down?" the Trickster asked, his voice dripping with mockery. "I've got a different idea."

With a flick of his wrist, the Trickster unleashed a burst of chaotic energy, causing the beast's body to flicker and shift in an unpredictable pattern, creating an overwhelming sensory overload. The serpent was disoriented, its focus splitting between the illusionary chaos and the gravity warping its senses.

Lyra raised her spear, the fire still glowing in her hands. "This should finish it."

She hurled the spear toward the serpent's throat, the weapon glowing like a comet as it sailed through the air. But at the last moment, the creature twisted its body, dodging the attack with a speed that seemed almost impossible for its size. The spear missed, and the beast retaliated by launching a stream of venom toward Lyra.

Before the poison could hit, Dante appeared in front of her, raising his hand to block it. The venom splattered harmlessly against an invisible shield, but Dante's face tightened. "We need to finish this. Now."

With a single, commanding gesture, Zerathis intensified the gravity around the beast, pulling it down toward the earth with the force of a collapsing star. The serpent's body writhed in agony, and with a final, deafening roar, it crashed to the ground, its immense body still and lifeless.

The cathedral was silent once more, save for the faint creaking of the walls as if the building itself sighed in relief.

Dante wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes scanning the room. "That was just the warm-up. There's more down there, beneath the cathedral. The siphon's not the only thing they've been guarding."

Zerathis was already moving toward the stone altar in the center of the room. "Then let's not waste time. The real battle starts now."