Chapter 64 The First Strike
Luna’s POV
The first construct moved before I could even breathe.
Metal screeched against a stone as it launched off the courthouse railing, its silver limbs unfolding like blades. The others followed instantly, a wave of mechanical shadows rushing down the steps toward us.
“Kai!” I shouted. “I see them!”
He pulled me sideways just as the first construct slammed into the ground where I had been standing. The impact cracked the pavement, sparks exploding into the air.
I raised my hands instinctively.
The anchor power surged.
Silver light burst from my palms, slamming into the machine. The construct flew backward and crashed into two others, their metal bodies tangling together in a violent collision.
But more kept coming. In fact, there are too many.
“They’re multiplying!” Kai said, ducking as one lunged past him.
My pulse spiked. He was right. Every time we knocked one down, another climbed over it, their movements coordinated, and precise.
Selene stood at the top of the courthouse steps, watching. She wasn’t even fighting.
She was studying me.
“Come now, Luna,” her voice echoed calmly through the chaos. “Surely the legendary anchor can do better than that.”
My teeth clenched.
Energy surged through my chest again, stronger this time. I could feel the guardian core reacting in the distance, its rings spinning faster as if urging me to take control.
But every time I reached for it….
Selene pushed back.
The system trembled between us like a rope in a tug-of-war. A construct leaped toward Kai.
“Behind you!” I yelled.
Kai spun, grabbing a loose metal pole from the ground and swinging it hard. The pole slammed into the construct’s head with a loud clang, knocking it sideways.
“Okay,” he muttered breathlessly. “These things are definitely not friendly.”
Another one grabbed his arm.
“Kai!”
Before it could pull him down, I released another burst of energy. Silver light blasted across the street, tearing the construct off him and throwing it across the courthouse stairs.
The force of it made the air ripple. For a moment, everything froze.
Even the constructs hesitated.
Selene’s smile widened. “Interesting.”
My chest heaved as the power settled back into my body.
“She’s testing me,” I muttered.
Kai wiped dust off his jacket. “Yeah, I noticed.”
The constructs began moving again and forming a tight circle around us. Not attacking, but waiting.
Selene slowly walked down the courthouse steps. The constructs parted instantly to let her through.
The moonlight caught her silver hair as she stopped halfway down the stairs, amber eyes glowing faintly.
“You’re stronger than I expected,” she admitted.
I took a step forward. “Stop this, Selene.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Stop?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “The system isn’t yours to control.”
“Neither is it yours.”
Her voice remained calm, but the air around her vibrated with power.
“You stumbled into the network by accident, Luna. You awakened something you barely understand.”
My hands curled into fists. “Then explain it instead of trying to destroy everything!”
Selene laughed softly. “You still think this is about destruction.”
The constructs shifted again, tightening the circle.
“This,” she said quietly, “is evolution.”
The ground trembled. The guardian core pulsed somewhere behind us in the distance, its energy reacting violently.
I felt it surge through my chest again.
Stronger, hotter, and unstable.
Selene noticed immediately. “There it is,” she whispered.
Her eyes gleamed with fascination. “The true anchor.”
The constructs suddenly lunged. All at once.
“Kai!”
“I’m on it!”
He grabbed one mid-jump and shoved it into another, sending both crashing down the steps. But three more rushed forward immediately.
I thrust my hands outward again. Energy exploded from my body.
This time it wasn’t a simple burst.
It was a wave.
Silver light ripped across the courtyard like a storm, blasting constructs off their feet and shattering two of them against the courthouse walls.
Metal pieces rained across the ground.
The remaining constructs staggered. Even Selene took a step back. The power faded slowly from my hands, leaving them trembling.
Kai stared at me.
“Okay,” he said quietly, “that was new.”
My breathing was uneven. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
Selene’s expression had changed. The amusement was gone.
Now she looked… intrigued.
“Yes,” she murmured. “You’re awakening faster than predicted.”
“Predicted?” I repeated.
But before she could answer….The sky cracked.
A deep rumble rolled across the town as the glowing fractures above widened again, spreading like lightning across the clouds.
The guardian core’s pulse became frantic. The red marker above the courthouse flickered violently.
Kai looked up. “Uh… Luna?”
“I know.”
The system was destabilizing. Fast.
Selene turned her gaze toward the sky, her expression thoughtful.
“So it begins.”
“You did this!” I shouted.
“Partially.”
She glanced back at me. “But the real architect of this chaos…”
Her eyes glinted. “…is far more dangerous than you realize.”
A cold chill ran down my spine.
Ethan.
Before I could speak again, the ground shook violently.
The courthouse doors behind Selene burst open with a deafening crash.
Dust poured out of the entrance as something massive moved inside the building.
The constructs immediately retreated toward Selene like obedient soldiers.
Kai stepped beside me.
“That,” he said slowly, “does not sound good.”
Selene smiled again. “Oh, it’s wonderful.”
She stepped aside from the doorway. “Allow me to introduce the next phase.”
Heavy metallic footsteps echoed from inside the courthouse.
Each step made the ground tremble.
A massive silhouette emerged from the darkness of the hallway. Twice the size of the constructs we’d been fighting.
Its body glowed with the same twisted silver energy Selene had been channeling through the system.
My stomach dropped.
Kai whispered beside me, “Please tell me that thing isn’t looking at us.”
The machine’s glowing eyes locked directly onto me. Selene’s voice drifted through the courtyard. “Meet the Sentinel, Luna.”
Her smile widened.
“Let’s see how strong the anchor really is.”
The Sentinel took its first step onto the courthouse stairs.
And the battle truly began.