Chapter 169: The Iron Gates of Fate
The towering walls of the Iron Citadel finally appeared on the horizon, but they didn't look like the sanctuary the Alpha had hoped for. Under the pulsating red glow of the crimson star, the metal gates seemed to bleed, reflecting a light that shouldn't exist on this world.
"The sentinels we fought in the forest were just the beginning," the Omega said, her breath hitching as she sensed the atmosphere inside the city. "The frequency of the Star-Eaters is already here. It's... inside the people."
As the gates groaned open, they weren't met with cheers of victory. Instead, the pack stood in a haunting silence, their eyes glazed with a faint, crimson shimmer. They weren't possessed, but they were tuned to the 'Star-Eaters' frequency, their wills suppressed by the celestial signal.
The Ancestor stepped forward, her silver aura flickering as she tried to shield the Alpha and Omega from the mental pressure. "The Citadel's metal is acting as a conductor for the signal. The High King built this place to be a fortress, but he unintentionally created an antenna for the heavens."
"We need to find the archives now," the Alpha commanded, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. "If the map is here, it's the only thing that can teach us how to recalibrate the Citadel's resonance and wake our people up."
But as they moved toward the central spire, a figure blocked their path. It was one of the High King's former generals, but his body was now encased in flickering starlight—a human host for a Star-Sentinel.
"The harvest has begun," the general spoke, his voice a distorted echo of a thousand dying suns. "And the architects of the new light will be the first to be consumed."
The final race to save the Citadel's soul had officially begun.