Chapter 96 — The Heart Core

The dead sector became silent.

Not normal silence.

Something worse.

The gigantic Devourer floated before Kaiser while black emptiness spread through synchronization space endlessly.

Wherever the creature looked—

connection disappeared.

The Human Network flickered violently across nearby star systems while synchronization pathways collapsed one after another.

The fleets panicked immediately.

"We’re losing communication!"

"Synchronization drives failing!"

"The Devourer is consuming the pathways!"

Across the bridge of the Eternum, warning systems exploded nonstop while officers desperately tried stabilizing fleet systems.

But outside—

Kaiser remained alone in front of the monster.

Tiny compared to it.

Yet still standing there anyway.

Honestly?

Classic Hero King behavior.

The Devourer’s hollow eyes remained locked onto him silently.

Then the emptiness surrounding it intensified.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Black energy erupted outward violently.

The Human Network disappeared instantly.

Not destroyed.

Gone.

For one terrifying moment—

Kaiser felt nothing.

No synchronization voices.

No emotions crossing the stars.

No connection.

Just emptiness.

Interesting.

Terrifyingly interesting.

The sudden silence hit harder than physical pain.

Kaiser’s blue synchronization aura flickered weakly around him while the Devourer drifted closer.

Its skeletal body consumed nearby synchronization pathways automatically.

The throne world’s defensive systems activated instantly afterward.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Gigantic synchronization cannons fired across space.

Massive blue beams struck the Devourer directly.

The creature barely reacted.

Honestly?

Very bad sign.

The throne world shook slightly afterward.

Astraea’s projection appeared beside the battlefield while ancient synchronization pathways illuminated around her.

"The Devourers consume connection itself."

Her glowing eyes remained fixed on the monster.

"They are the natural enemies of synchronization civilizations."

Kaiser slowly clenched his fist.

Blue lightning sparked weakly around him again.

Interesting.

The Human Network still wasn’t answering.

The Devourer tilted its massive skull slightly afterward.

Then suddenly—

it moved.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Space exploded.

The gigantic creature rushed toward Kaiser at impossible speed while black emptiness swallowed everything behind it.

Kaiser reacted instantly.

SYNC STEP.

Blue lightning flashed.

He vanished milliseconds before the Devourer crashed through his previous location.

The dead sector shattered from the impact alone.

Entire asteroids disappeared into emptiness.

The fleets throughout the sector stared in horror.

Honestly?

The creature felt wrong.

Even compared to the Assimilation King.

The Assimilation Network overwhelmed minds.

This thing erased existence itself.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Kaiser reappeared high above the battlefield afterward while blue synchronization energy slowly stabilized around him again.

But weaker.

Much weaker.

The Devourer had severed nearby synchronization pathways completely.

And without connection—

his power dropped.

Interesting.

Terrifyingly interesting.

The ancient throne floating above the throne world descended lower afterward.

Massive synchronization rings rotated around it endlessly while ancient pathways illuminated throughout the dead sector.

Astraea looked toward Kaiser quietly.

"The Heart Core is awakening."

The gigantic throne glowed brighter.

"The throne world has chosen."

Kaiser immediately looked suspicious.

"...I don’t like how that sounds."

Fair honestly.

The Devourer attacked again before anyone could continue talking.

Its gigantic jaws opened—

and black emptiness erupted outward like a tidal wave.

The dead sector itself began disappearing.

Stars dimmed.

Synchronization pathways vanished.

Even time felt slower around the creature somehow.

Interesting.

Very terrifyingly interesting.

The fleets immediately retreated desperately.

"All ships fall back!"

"Direct contact impossible!"

The Vanguard fleets unleashed massive synchronization bombardments anyway.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Entire sections of space exploded blue.

The attacks vanished instantly upon touching the emptiness surrounding the Devourer.

Consumed.

Erased.

Gone.

Silence spread throughout fleet communications afterward.

One officer whispered weakly—

"...How do you fight that."

Honestly excellent question.

Kaiser narrowed his glowing eyes slightly.

Then charged forward anyway.

Blue synchronization lightning exploded around him violently while he accelerated directly toward the Devourer.

The creature turned toward him immediately.

Then screamed.

Again—

not sound.

Absence.

The synchronization aura around Kaiser cracked violently from the pressure.

But he didn’t stop.

SYNC BREAKER.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Kaiser punched directly into the Devourer’s skull.

The dead sector exploded.

Blue synchronization lightning shattered across space while the creature’s massive head cracked apart violently.

The fleets erupted loudly.

"He damaged it!"

"Kaiser actually hurt the thing!"

Honestly?

Only partially true.

The Devourer’s broken skull regenerated instantly afterward.

Interesting.

Very bad interesting.

The creature slammed one gigantic claw toward Kaiser immediately.

Too fast.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Kaiser barely blocked in time.

The impact launched him through space violently while black emptiness spread across his synchronization barriers.

Blue lightning flickered dangerously.

Elena’s expression changed instantly on the bridge.

"Kaiser!"

The Hero King crashed through several floating ruins before finally stabilizing himself.

Blood drifted through space beside him.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The fleets fell silent.

The Devourer injured him.

Actually injured him.

The gigantic creature drifted toward him silently afterward.

No rage.

No emotion.

Just endless hunger for synchronization itself.

Honestly?

Creepy.

Very creepy.

Astraea’s ancient voice echoed across the battlefield again.

"Kaiser."

The throne above the world glowed brighter.

"The Heart Core is responding to you."

Blue synchronization pathways illuminated throughout the dead sector beautifully afterward.

The Human Network flickered faintly again.

Trying reconnecting.

The Devourer immediately turned toward the throne world afterward.

Interesting.

It noticed.

The gigantic creature accelerated directly toward the descending throne.

Astraea’s expression sharpened instantly.

"It cannot reach the Heart Core."

The throne world’s synchronization cannons fired again desperately.

The Devourer ignored them completely.

The fleets launched attacks nonstop.

Nothing mattered.

The creature continued moving.

Closer.

Closer.

Toward the throne.

Kaiser looked toward the descending ancient seat silently.

Then finally realized something.

The Devourers weren’t targeting civilizations randomly.

They hunted synchronization anchors.

And the throne world—

was the largest synchronization anchor in existence.

Interesting.

Terrifyingly interesting.

The gigantic throne descended directly in front of Kaiser afterward.

Massive.

Ancient.

Covered in glowing synchronization symbols stretching endlessly across its surface.

The atmosphere itself trembled around it.

Then—

a voice echoed from the throne.

Not Astraea.

Something deeper.

Older.

"Synchronization compatibility confirmed."

Kaiser immediately looked tired.

"...Can ancient systems stop talking like prophecies."

Honestly fair.

The throne ignored him completely.

"Heart Core awakening."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The throne exploded with blue synchronization light instantly.

The dead sector illuminated completely afterward.

And then—

Kaiser saw it.

Inside the center of the throne floated a gigantic crystal heart made from pure synchronization energy.

The Heart Core.

Honestly?

Beautiful.

Blue synchronization pathways moved through it like living stars while countless civilizations echoed faintly inside the crystal.

The Human Network reacted instantly afterward.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Synchronization pathways across the galaxy lit up again.

The Devourer screamed violently.

For the first time—

the creature reacted emotionally.

Fear.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The Heart Core recognized Kaiser completely.

And the Human Network answered.

Millions of synchronization pathways flooded back into existence simultaneously.

The silence vanished.

Voices returned.

Emotions returned.

Connection returned.

The blue synchronization aura around Kaiser erupted violently afterward.

Stronger than before.

Much stronger.

The fleets throughout the sector immediately stabilized.

Synchronization systems rebooted.

The Human Network illuminated the stars beautifully once again.

The Devourer charged desperately toward the throne.

Astraea’s voice echoed urgently.

"Kaiser!"

The Heart Core pulsed.

"Choose."

Silence spread briefly.

Kaiser stared toward the throne silently.

If he synchronized with the Heart Core—

he would become the throne world’s monarch completely.

The central synchronization anchor for the galaxy.

Exactly what he didn’t want.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The Devourer rushed closer.

The fleets panicked.

"Kaiser!"

"It’s almost at the throne!"

The gigantic creature opened its jaws again while black emptiness swallowed nearby space endlessly.

And honestly?

There wasn’t enough time.

Kaiser sighed softly afterward.

"...I hate responsibility."

Fair.

Then—

he stepped toward the throne.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Heart Core exploded with synchronization light instantly.

The galaxy trembled.

Every synchronization pathway across connected civilizations illuminated brilliantly.

The fleets throughout the dead sector froze.

Blue synchronization rings formed behind Kaiser one after another endlessly.

One.

Ten.

Thousands.

Millions.

The Human Network synchronized directly with the throne world.

And for one terrifying moment—

Kaiser heard everything.

Children laughing on First Light.

Refugees rebuilding destroyed worlds.

Soldiers afraid before battle.

Civilizations celebrating freedom.

Loneliness.

Hope.

Fear.

Love.

Grief.

Billions of lives connected simultaneously.

Interesting.

Terrifyingly overwhelming.

The synchronization pressure erupted throughout the dead sector violently.

The gigantic throne floated behind Kaiser now while the Heart Core synchronized directly with his pathways.

His eyes glowed pure blue.

The Devourer stopped moving instantly.

Interesting reaction.

Very interesting.

The creature stared toward Kaiser silently afterward.

Then—

for the first time—

it stepped backward slightly.

Fear.

The fleets throughout the dead sector fell completely silent.

Honestly?

Kaiser looked unreal now.

The throne world itself responded to him.

Ancient synchronization pathways illuminated across dead galaxies.

The broken sectors slowly awakened.

And throughout the universe—

civilizations felt the synchronization pulse spread.

The return of a monarch.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Kaiser slowly lifted one hand toward the Devourer.

The Human Network echoed around him endlessly.

Alive.

Connected.

Free.

Then he spoke quietly.

"You don’t get to erase them."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The throne world fired.

Not cannons.

Synchronization itself.

A colossal blue synchronization wave erupted from Kaiser and the Heart Core simultaneously before crashing directly into the Devourer.

The dead sector exploded with light. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The gigantic creature screamed silently while black emptiness shattered apart violently.

The fleets stared in complete disbelief.

The synchronization wave didn’t destroy space.

It restored it.

Broken synchronization pathways reignited.

Dead stars illuminated faintly again.

The Devourer’s skeletal body cracked endlessly beneath the overwhelming synchronization resonance.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The creature tried resisting.

The Heart Core answered harder.

The Human Network flooded synchronization energy through the throne world endlessly.

Billions of connected voices echoed across the battlefield.

And for the first time since the ancient monarch era—

the galaxy fought together.

Not through conquest.

Choice.

The Devourer finally shattered.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Black emptiness exploded apart throughout the dead sector while synchronization light swallowed space endlessly.

The gigantic skeletal creature collapsed into dust afterward.

Gone.

Silence spread across the battlefield.

Then—

the fleets erupted loudly.

"He destroyed it!"

"The Devourer is gone!"

"Kaiser!"

The dead sector illuminated beautifully while synchronization pathways slowly stabilized again throughout nearby galaxies.

And high above the throne world—

Kaiser floated silently beside the glowing Heart Core.

Victorious.

Again.

Honestly?

The universe really refused letting him rest.