The System Error: A Power Beyond Limits
Liam stood in the center of the War Command Headquarters, the entire structure vibrating under the sheer force of his attempt to unlock Titan Ascension.
He had rewritten the System, broken its limits, and erased an Architect-yet this ability?
It was resisting him.
> SYSTEM ERROR!
WARNING: TITAN ASCENSION CANNOT BE UNLOCKED IMMEDIATELY.
TIME LIMIT DETECTED: 5 YEARS REQUIRED TO STABILIZE.
Liam's eyes narrowed.
"Five years?!"
He could feel the power right there, within reach, but something deep in the System's core refused to allow its activation.
Why?
Xavier studied Liam's expression, arms crossed.
"Looks like even your rewritten System has some built-in safeguards," he remarked.
Liam exhaled sharply. "The Architects must've encoded a delay mechanism for high-tier ascensions."
Aria, the System Healer, frowned. "Is it too dangerous to activate now?"
Reinhold, the Engineer, ran a quick scan. "More like... the System itself can't process the transformation instantly. This isn't just an upgrade-it's an entirely new form of existence."
Dante crossed his arms. "So what? You wait five years, and then just boom-Titan Carter?"
Liam shook his head. "No. I don't have time to wait around."
If the Architects sent scouts before the ten-year deadline, humanity would be caught off guard.
So he had to prepare Earth's defenses NOW.
And that meant testing the first anti-Architect superweapon.
---
Project Hellstorm: The First Superweapon Against Architects
Liam turned to Reinhold, the only System Engineer capable of weaponizing System energy.
"We need something to fight Architect-class entities before Titan Ascension unlocks."
Reinhold smirked, already flipping through schematics. "I thought you'd say that."
He pulled up a holographic blueprint on the War Command's main screen.
> PROJECT HELLSTORM
Status: Prototype Phase
Purpose: Architect-Class Annihilation
Power Source: Artificial System Core + Architect Residue Energy
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"You're using Architect energy?"
Reinhold grinned. "We took some scraps from Azaroth after you deleted him. Turns out, their power can be repurposed into something devastating."
Shiro, the Assassin, leaned against the wall. "How big of an explosion are we talking?"
Reinhold zoomed in on the core.
"If it works? It could kill an Architect in one shot."
The room fell silent.
A weapon capable of erasing a god.
Liam's fist clenched.
"Good. Then let's test it."
---
The First Test: A Simulated Architect-Level Battle
The testing ground was set in the Arctic, a massive isolated zone where the explosion wouldn't destroy cities.
The System Masters stood at the edge of the impact radius, watching as Reinhold's prototype floated in the air-an orb of pure System energy, glowing dark gold.
Liam raised his hand.
> SYSTEM COMMAND: GENERATE ARCHITECT-CLASS SIMULATION.
A holographic projection materialized-an exact replica of an Architect-class being.
Not just any Architect.
It was Azaroth's twin.
The air froze, an illusion so real that even the System Masters felt its terrifying pressure.
Liam pointed at it.
"Fire."
Reinhold pressed the trigger.
The Hellstorm Core roared to life.
A blinding pillar of pure destruction shot forward, piercing through the simulated Architect-
And the entire Arctic landscape behind it.
A thunderous shockwave erupted, sending cracks through reality itself.
The entire ice field vaporized.
When the dust settled...
Nothing was left.
The System Masters stared in stunned silence.
Dante breathed out slowly.
"Yeah... that'll kill a god."
Liam smirked.
But his victory was short-lived.
Because at that moment-his System flared with an emergency alert.
> WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED.
SCANNING...
...INCOMING HOSTILE ENTITY.
Liam's head snapped up.
Xavier's eyes darkened.
"...Looks like someone noticed our test."
---
The First Invasion: A Real Architect Appears
A ripple of unnatural space cracked open in the sky.
Liam's breath steadied.
It was too soon.
The Architects weren't supposed to arrive for another ten years.
But one had come early.
A shifting, semi-transparent being descended, its form a constant loop of fractals and impossible geometry.
> SCANNING ENTITY...
SYSTEM ARCHITECT - ENFORCER CLASS.
DESIGNATION: ZAIROTH, THE WATCHER.
Liam's jaw clenched.
The Architects weren't just waiting.
They were monitoring Earth already.
Zairoth floated above them, gazing down with hollow, glowing eyes.
It didn't speak.
But the message was clear.
The war had begun.
Liam's fist tightened, Hellstorm's energy still pulsing in the air.
"Well then," he muttered, stepping forward.
"Let's see if this thing works in live combat."
---