The sky bled gold and ash as dusk fell over Thal'ren.
Liam stood on the balcony of his new sanctum—a tower once claimed by the cult, now repurposed as the central seat of his growing dominion. His gaze swept over the rebuilding city. Faith pulsed through the air like wildfire. The people believed in him. Worshiped him. Their prayers surged into his system, feeding his ascent.
But something darker crept behind the veil of the stars.
The Tribunal was watching again.
And this time, they wouldn't test him.
They would destroy him.
---
[STATS – Updated]
Level: 34
Faith Points: 74,650
Followers: 18,900
Core Stats:
Strength: 101
Speed: 107
Endurance: 112
Intelligence: 117
Charisma: 91
Divine Energy: 1760/1760
Titles:
Chosen of the Chainbreaker
God of Wrath and Rebirth
Tribunal Marked
New Path (Active): Chainbreaker
– Immune to Tribunal Control
– Divine Aura disrupts celestial order
– Attracts ancient, exiled powers
---
Serenya stood beside the altar, her violet glow muted as she traced a symbol in the air—a rune of protection. "Something's coming. I can feel the tension in the ley lines. The heavens are not idle anymore."
Rune flickered by her side. "It's the storm. He's too loud now. His power draws attention like blood in the water."
Liam entered, the divine chain fragment now wrapped around his wrist like a gauntlet.
"They're sending enforcers, aren't they?" he asked, voice low.
Serenya nodded. "We won't be dealing with mortals this time."
"And if they come with divine authority?"
"Then we show them what defiance looks like."
---
The first sign came in the form of falling stars.
Seven streaks of white fire crashed into the far north—lands untouched by Liam's influence. The ground trembled. The skies howled.
> System Notification:
"Divine Agents have entered the world: The Stormbound Choir."
Class: Tribunal Executioners
Estimated Arrival: 3 Days
"Three days," Rune whispered. "That's all the time we have."
"To do what?" Mira asked from the war council chamber. She'd arrived wearing full plated armor, her blade inscribed with Liam's crest—a golden flame wrapped around a sword of black steel.
"To prepare a god's army," Liam answered.
---
The next seventy-two hours became a blur of war drums and divine engineering.
Liam burned faith points at an unprecedented rate. He summoned statues that bled light and sang hymns of war. He infused volunteers with blessings—temporary, but powerful. And he elevated three of his most devoted followers to the next level.
> Faith Burn Used: 28,000 FP
— 3 Followers Ascended to Angelic Class:
• Ser Aldros, the Fire-Wing
• Lady Kaelis, the Dawn Glaive
• Thorne, the Forgiven Beast
Each shone with radiant might. Wings, not feathered but forged from energy, sprouted from their backs. They knelt before Liam—not as soldiers, but as zealots.
Mira watched the transformation in awe.
"You're becoming everything the cult feared," she said quietly to Liam that night.
He looked at her. "And everything this world needs."
---
On the third day, the sky turned black.
Not with clouds—but with wings.
The Stormbound Choir descended like judgment. Tall, radiant beings clad in shifting armor of starlight. Their faces bore no features—only light. And their weapons hummed with the sorrow of a thousand dead gods.
There were seven of them.
Each a walking calamity.
Liam stepped forward alone to greet them at the battlefield beyond Thal'ren's walls.
The land cracked under his steps.
"I am Liam Carson," he declared, voice carried by divine resonance. "Bearer of the Chain. God of Wrath. You come for my soul. You'll leave with nothing."
The Choir did not speak.
They simply raised their blades.
And the battle began.
---
Chaos erupted.
Ser Aldros soared through the sky like a flaming comet, clashing midair with one of the Choir. Their swords rang with divine fury, each impact cracking the clouds. Lady Kaelis held the front line, her glaive sweeping through lesser Tribunal constructs that emerged from golden gates. Thorne tore through them like a storm beast reborn.
Mira fought like a woman possessed—her loyalty now deeper than love, her strength enhanced by Liam's blessing.
And Liam?
Liam burned the sky.
He unleashed Divine Destruction, channeling over a thousand Faith Points into a singularity of wrath that consumed one of the Choir whole—atomizing the entity in a cascade of light and silence.
> Divine Skill Used: Destruction Pulse
Target: Stormbound Choir – Member 4
Result: Annihilated
FP Cost: 1,250
He barely noticed the wound on his side, where a lance of judgment had pierced his rib.
He was past pain now.
Only purpose remained.
---
But power had its limits.
The Choir adjusted. Their formation changed. Two flanked him while the others focused on isolating his angels.
Serenya screamed as one of the Choir shattered Kaelis' wing with a divine hammer.
Rune shouted from above. "They're learning! They adapt like systems!"
"I need more time!" Liam shouted.
But time was not kind.
One of the Choir pierced Mira's leg, and she fell—shield up, blade lost.
She looked up to see another executioner raising a spear to finish her.
Then Liam appeared, teleporting mid-surge.
His staff shattered the Choir's arm in a wave of red and gold.
"You will not touch her," he snarled.
> System Critical Activation:
– Faith Armor: Burning Chain
– Divine Link: Full Resonance – Serenya (87%)
– Emergency Burn: 5,000 FP Deployed
Liam ascended mid-battle.
Golden wings burst from his back, his body wrapped in crimson flame and divine chains.
He became a living storm.
And he unleashed hell.
---
The sky broke.
Two more Choir fell, consumed by the forbidden energy of Vel'Torak's fragment—its rage reborn in Liam's hands.
The battlefield turned silent.
The last two members of the Choir hovered midair, their forms flickering.
Then they retreated—gates of judgment swallowing them whole.
The war was over.
Liam stood amidst the ruins, his followers panting, bleeding, triumphant.
But victory did not bring peace.
It brought a message.
> System Alert:
– Tribunal Threat Level: OMEGA
– Exile Warrant Confirmed
– Expect Pantheon Intervention
> You are now officially marked for cosmic execution.
The gods have declared you an abomination.
---
That night, Liam walked through Thal'ren's shattered square alone.
Mira found him again.
"You saved me," she said.
"I'll always save you," he answered.
She touched his chest. "Even as you fall further from what you were?"
He nodded.
Then she whispered, "Then I'll fall with you."
And kissed him again.
This time, it wasn't the battlefield.
It was longing. Hope. And quiet promise.
Above them, the sky swirled with stars that watched… and judged.
But neither of them cared.
---
End of Chapter 37