The Throne of Ashes

The Desolate Continent was a wasteland of scars, where cracked soil exhaled ash as if the earth breathed ancient hatred. The Glitch Fortress, now the pulsing heart of Athos’s new kingdom, stood as a digital anomaly amid the chaos: reinforced obsidian walls glowed with blue runes, towers fired energy beams at approaching skeletal creatures, and pure water springs, created by hacks, sustained green fields defying the desolation. The blood-red sky felt more oppressive, with clouds heavy with purple lightning illuminating elven ruins and dragon bones scattered like monuments of a forgotten war. The air, thick with sulfur and rusted iron, vibrated with the presence of Drakonath, the Guardian of Ashes, whose black wings cut through the fog as he patrolled the skies, his scales marked by hacked runes.Athos stood in the fortress’s main hall, the Tear of Eryndor hanging from his neck, pulsing in sync with his hacked interface. He manipulated the system, numbers glowing: Mana: 20000. Intelligence: 40000. Cosmic Strength: 35000. “Time to scale this up,” he murmured, his cynical smile curling. “System: expand infrastructure—market, barracks, energy hub.” With a command, the fortress grew: reinforced stone tents rose to house Broken Stone’s villagers, a market with hacked resources (food, weapons, tools) appeared, and a central tower began channeling the Tear’s energy, lighting the desert with a blue glow.Lysara, with her elven agility, watched, still awed. “Master Athos, you turned the desert into a kingdom in days. But the Tear… it draws attention. The other kingdoms will feel this.”Veyra, her silver hair fluttering, added, “The relic links the Seven Kingdoms. If the other heroes have their own relics, they may come—as allies or enemies.”Athos laughed, tweaking the interface. “Let them come. I’m the admin of this server. Anyone trying a PK gets a permanent ban.” He opened the Kingdom Connection tab, seeing the other heroes’ signals—Mira in Aquilon, Draven in Necrosia, Thorne in Ironforge, Elara in Eldoria, Kaelith in Valthar, Zeryn in Celestara—pulsing stronger, as if their relics were awakening. “Interesting. Looks like the game’s going multiplayer.”As Athos expanded the fortress, a tremor shook the ground, distinct from Drakonath’s. The fog parted, revealing a new threat: an Ash Colossus, a massive entity of stone and bones animated by black magic, larger than the Obsidian Specter, with purple-fire eyes and chains whipping the air, releasing toxic smoke. Athos’s interface flashed: Cosmic-Level Threat Detected. Origin: External Corruption. “Another boss? This is getting repetitive,” he said, but the interface revealed something new: a data pattern tied to the Corruptor, ATHOMIS’s main antagonist, who manipulated kingdom cores.Before he could react, two figures emerged from the fog, survivors drawn by the fortress’s glow. Ragna, a human nomad in improvised bone armor with a broken crystal spear, was fierce but loyal, shaped by years fighting specters. Her skill, Desert Fury, boosted her strength in arid environments. Beside her, Zyren, a blindfolded renegade elf with runic tattoos, wielded dual swords and used Void Vision to predict enemy moves. Silent and calculating, he sought redemption after betraying his tribe. “You’re the hero who built this?” Ragna asked, pointing at the fortress. “If so, we fight for you.”Athos scanned them via interface: Ally Potential: High. “Welcome to the team. System: equip allies.” Rune-reinforced armors appeared for Ragna and Zyren, who joined Garrick, Elyndra, Torak, and Lirienna in defense. The Colossus advanced, shattering a tower with a chain strike. Athos activated Reality Disruption, creating a glitch field that deflected the attack, but the Colossus resisted, its toxic smoke corroding the walls. “This guy’s a persistent bug,” Athos growled, feeling the pressure.He dove into the interface, adjusting: Attack: 25000. Corruption Resistance: 20000. Using the Tear, he crafted a new skill: Nullification Pulse, sending waves that neutralized the Colossus’s black magic. Drakonath dove, its blue flames weakening the creature, while Ragna and Zyren struck with precision, backed by Garrick and Torak. Athos finished with Supreme Dominion Matrix, channeling the Tear to create an energy spear that shattered the Colossus into ash fragments.Panting, Athos opened the interface, spotting a Corruptor data fragment in the Colossus’s dust. “This is familiar,” he muttered, recalling ATHOMIS’s plot: the Corruptor used Demons to corrupt relics and destroy kingdoms. “If the other heroes are facing this, the game’s converging to endgame.” He looked at his loyal allies. “Get ready. The next boss won’t be just one.”