121 THE THIRD CORE
Damen unleashed everything.
A shockwave of Thunder Crush exploded outward, vaporizing sand and breaking the Deacon's stance. The creature reeled back, screeching.
Damen's fists moved faster—each blow accompanied by crackling arcs of lightning and soundwaves that shattered the night air.
Finally, the last sliver of sunlight vanished beneath the horizon.
The twin suns were gone.
And with that, the Deacon's golden armor dimmed. The molten glow beneath its skin flickered. It couldn't heal anymore.
Damen smirked. "Now it's my turn."
"Drain."
The essence of the Deacon of Ra burst out in a spiral of blue fire, drawn into Damen's body like a storm collapsing into itself. The air shook from the pull.
The Deacon of Ra is gone.
Moments later, with a resounding sonic wave, the rest of the Sun Scorpions recoiled in panic, vanishing beneath the desert sands—they were creatures of daylight, not born to fight under night's shadow.
Damen sprinted to Zalira.
She was lying on the sand, her body half-burned, steam rising from her wound. "Zalira! How are you? We'll get you back to the fortress…." he asked, kneeling beside her, his voice raw.
Her lips trembled. "No… it's too late for me."
"No! We'll save you," Eryn cried, clutching her mother's hand, crying.
But Damen already knew.
The plasma of the Deacon was lethal to half-bloods—its heat poisoned their very blood. Without armor like his, Zalira's body was already breaking down.
Soon, her breaths came short and thin.
"I'm dying soon…" she whispered. "Damen… promise me—protect Eryn."
Tears slid down Damen's face as Eryn shook her head, refusing to believe it. Zalira's hand rose weakly, brushing her daughter's cheek one last time.
Then, with sudden resolve, she pressed her palm to her own chest.
"Mother, what are you doing!?" Eryn screamed.
Zalira's hand glowed as she drew something from within her—a radiant blue crystal, pulsing with her life force. "My… Core of Blue Blood," she whispered. "Take it. You'll need more of these to suppress your curse… It's all I can give you now."
"I can't—" Damen's voice broke.
"You must. You can't protect her unless you conquer the curse," she said, and with a faint smile, the light in her eyes dimmed.
Her body stilled.
Eryn collapsed beside her, sobbing. "It's my fault… if I hadn't insisted on coming here, you'd still be alive…"
Damen said nothing. His silence was heavy with guilt too.
"If I hadn't brought them out of the mountain…"
But there was no time to grieve. The desert was quiet, but danger could return at any moment. He steadied himself, his eyes on the glowing blue crystal.
"Assimilate."
The Core dissolved into blue mist, merging into him.
"Blue Blood Suppression Level 1 activated — Active Cores: 2/3."
Power surged through his veins—burning, cleansing, and reshaping him.
The he remembered. He moved to the dead body of the Deacon of Ra and tore through his heart. To his surprise there was another Core of Blue Blood.
Damen assimilated the Core of Blue Blood immediately.
"Blue Blood Suppression Level 2 activated — Active Cores: 3/3."
"Level 2? These cores can improve to new levels…if that is the case if my Blood core is improved enough, I won't be afraid of the curse anymore?" Damen thought.
Damen lifted Zalira's body onto his shoulder, carrying her and the weeping Eryn as he turned toward the distant fortress lights.
He did not look back.
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[The Aukouma Auction Hall]
The grand hall of the Aukouma Auction shimmered with gold lights and murmuring voices. Representatives from the major houses filled the tiered seats, their eyes drawn to the glittering alien artifacts displayed beneath crystal domes.
It was the fourth major auction in months — a series of special auction announced by the Aukouma family: a rare batch of alien cores and meta materials was available.
Since Fortress Myrone had stopped supplying the noble houses, the cities had been starved of these resources. Everyone wanted to know the same thing — how the Aukouma managed to obtain them?
"Where do you think they got their hands on these cores?" Garius Zetheris asked, leaning close to Valtor Veyran. His jeweled fingers drummed against the armrest.
"Since Myrone cut us off, no one's been able to acquire fresh alien material," Valtor muttered. "Could be their secret hoard. The Aukoumas always kept something in reserve."
Quest Snow frowned. "We may be pressing too hard on Fortress Myrone. If we resume our supply to them, they might resume their shipments to us. Choking them further risks everything."
Garius's eyes narrowed. "Quest, don't forget our pact. The families agreed to pressure Myrone until they yield. We're close. They can't hold out much longer without our support. If we ease off now, all this effort is wasted."
Valtor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Still… it's strange. Without our weapons and supplies, Myrone should've fallen by now. Yet they're still resisting. Something's not right."
Quest looked around. "Speaking of strange — has anyone seen Arom Aukouma lately? He's been missing for a month."
"Our agreement to squeeze fortress Myrone was with Arom, not his brother. Did Zolan find out his brother was secretly dealing with us and stopped him?"
"Zolan sent him to Silver City, apparently, to start a new auction house," said Garius.
"Then Zolan's the one hosting this auction?" Valtor asked.
Garius shrugged. "Even if Zolan were foolish enough to deal with Fortress Myrone, he doesn't have everything they need — weapons, drones, elixirs, nutrition packs. Myrone can't survive without us."
Before they could continue, the chandeliers dimmed. A hush fell over the hall as spotlights flared across the stage. The chief auctioneer, wrapped in silken black, strode forward.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Aukouma Industry's Grand Meta Auction!" he announced. "Tonight, you will witness artifacts beyond imagination — alien cores, armors, bones, and living fragments of the storm beasts themselves!"
The hall erupted in murmurs.
"Frankly," Quest whispered, "our stock of meta materials is already drying up. I must win something tonight."
"Are you the only one who needs them?" Garius smirked.
"The first item!" the auctioneer declared, unveiling a luminous skeletal structure thrumming faintly with energy. "A complete alien exoskeleton from the Annunakin swarm. Starting bid — five million aurs!"
A collective gasp was heard from the hall.
"What?" Garius shot to his feet. "These materials were worth eight hundred thousand last season! Have you lost your mind?"
The auctioneer bowed slightly. "Master Garius, as you know, supplies have dwindled. These are the last of our family's special reserves. Surely you would not wish us to sell at a loss?"
Garius slammed his fist onto the chair handle, scowling. "That bastard Zolan is squeezing us because he knows we're desperate!"
Valtor chuckled darkly. "As expected of the Aukouma. If I had spare stock, I'd raise the price tenfold myself."
"Should we start bidding?" Snow asked.
"Five million and ten thousand aurs", Garius bidded.
The auction went on. One after another, alien bones, cores, and plasma-imbued hides were snatched up — each sold for more than ten times its old value.
When the final gavel struck, silence lingered — not satisfaction, but unease.
"Wait a minute," Valtor Veyran said suddenly, his brow furrowing. He thought of something.
"Didn't the Snow family sell a large shipment of drones to Aukouma Industries recently?"
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