The assault transport slowly descended onto the plaza in front of the Soul Chamber, its hydraulics hissing as the ramp dropped. Jacob stepped down with a quiet smile. He glanced over the battlefield—bullet-riddled corpses and the pungent stench of death—and let out a sigh no one heard. These undead soldiers had once defended him and his followers many times, but due to his mistake, their souls had been devoured by the Divine Source. Eternal life burned away both soul and mind, and once mind was lost, so too was humanity. It could be said that the tragedy of Kitt City over the last thousand years began with that. From the moment the undead legion used Greek fire to blast through an ice mountain, killing thousands of innocents, Jacob's dream of building a heaven on earth was over.
But the Divine Source was not the greatest secret hidden in Kitt City. Nor was its function limited to sustaining Jacob and the undead. That was merely a means to an end. Everything—including Jacob himself—existed for a singular purpose.
"As you can see, I'm still a bit sentimental," Jacob said with a faint smile. He wasn't surprised Solomon had sensed his emotions—he knew what the mage was capable of. "I suppose it's destiny's parting gift. At last, they can be free. Death gives life meaning. I only understood this after I died once."
"If your resurrection, disappearance from the tomb, and dramatic reappearance to the first visitor were all orchestrated by me..."
"Then you're absolutely right. All of it was guided by you," Jacob shrugged. "A country boy with shaky faith meets a master of gallows humor. My lord, your sense of humor goes far deeper than that."
"Seems I've protected my humor well." Solomon stepped away from the squad, coming to Jacob's side. The scent of gunpowder still hung in the air. Not even the mountain's fierce snow and winds could carry away the smoke and stench completely. The two stood at the edge of the plaza, looking eastward across a vast chasm, where sunlight fell upon jagged, snow-laden ridges, casting light into shadowy valleys. The eternal permafrost and glaciers glittered like diamonds on a chain draped across the world. No matter what stories unfolded, the glaciers stood tall—growing, melting, growing again. Life or death, only the glacier was eternal.
"It's beautiful," Solomon murmured. "Have you decided?"
"Yes, my lord. This ends with my death. A thousand years of waiting was all for this day. I have no regrets." Jacob smiled. "Sophia understands. She is my daughter. Since you have entrusted her with a new purpose, she will serve you as I did. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you everything about the past. There are things your future self must experience firsthand."
The Divine Source sat at the center of the Soul Chamber—a blinding crystal wrapped in special cloth to contain its energy. "I'll need people to open the floor beneath it," Jacob said, pointing to the marble inlay shaped like a cross beneath the crystal. "The real treasure lies below. Perhaps the original builders of this place knew I was constructing a hidden room, but they all perished—either by Mongol blades, Trinity's weapons, or the avalanches and floods caused by the undead. Even the undead don't know the Divine Source's true purpose."
Following his instructions, the arriving engineering team rapidly assembled lifting gear and used lasers to cut through a 40-foot-diameter marble slab. The operation took several hours. As machines groaned and diesel engines roared, a temporary crane trembled under the strain. During this time, more undead respawned around the Divine Source, but the ever-vigilant artificial soldiers neutralized them quickly.
Solomon uttered a spell, making the marble lighter, and the engineers moved the slab aside. Drones flew down into the darkness below. The initial scan showed no immediate danger. Solomon gave Jacob a nod and jumped cleanly into the black void.
He never expected that his future self would leave him such a gift.
Later, Stephanie would report that Solomon recovered thousands of high-tech drives from the Lost City. Analysis revealed schematics for starship construction and advanced genetic engineering, as well as ecological base designs and automated factory blueprints—filling gaps in the Mars Foundry Project perfectly.
But none of that was the real discovery.
At last, Lara Croft saw the golden-armored "angel" she had dreamed about.
It was a giant, lying in a high-tech sarcophagus, with a massive halberd resting beside it. Cables of unknown function connected the suit and its occupant. Despite the darkness, the surrounding monitors emitted a faint blue glow—displaying vitals, blood pressure, hormone levels, muscle status, and other readings. Some terms were unfamiliar even to Lara, appearing to be fabricated neo-Latin medical jargon.
Even without light, the sheer pressure of the giant's presence was suffocating. He looked ready to awaken at any moment and slaughter everything in sight.
But that was impossible—for now.
A gaping wound split his golden armor across the abdomen, a massive, bloody gash oozing with death. The red robes beneath were stiff with old blood. Only the combination of technology and sorcery in the sarcophagus held death at bay. His golden armor was pockmarked with bullet holes and deep scratches, embedded rubies shattered, massive pauldrons warped, his chestplate's roaring eagle insignia split in two, and his knee guards, sculpted with thoughtful faces, were caked in blood.
The Divine Source's energy was focused on healing him. Even after a thousand years, the wound remained terrifying. And even now, those standing nearby could almost hear his death roar—war and fire hanging in the air like ghosts.
Solomon gazed down at the sleeping warrior with sorrow. His soul and DNA whispered the truth: he knew this man. He knew the armor. It was forged from uru, adamantine, and vibranium—cutting-edge black-tech crafted jointly by the dwarves and Eternal City engineers. A hundred of these suits were stored in the Eternal City's underground vault.
He couldn't imagine what battle had done this.
The warrior bore the hallmarks of biological experiments still being studied today. With Solomon's knowledge of life, Maya Hansen would eventually craft an elite corps of gene-enhanced soldiers—a royal guard for the mage-king. Initial roster: 100. Future expansion: unlimited.
Eternal City's current production capacity couldn't yet support more. All available black-tech had been reserved for this army.
"He once awoke," Jacob said solemnly, standing by the sarcophagus. "When Trinity's forces nearly overran us, he emerged—without command or cue. No one spoke to him. No one summoned him. Yet he rose in our darkest hour."
"He killed thousands alone. Then, he returned here to sleep."
"To hide his origins, I told my followers an angel in golden armor protected us. In a sense, it was true."
"Where did he come from?"
"You gave him to me, my lord. In Byzantium."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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