Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 446: Creating a King

Chapter 446: Creating a King

Just as a huge mobilization of human troops was crossing the Molted Range, something equally important was happening deep in the heart of the Monsoon Continent. Although tens of millions of Leviathans had perished across its expanse in recent months, the Leviathan Race’s presence in the southern territories was still nothing short of staggering. Waves upon waves of drones covered the ground so densely that they formed a dark sheet over entire mountain ranges and canyons. Their countless bodies created a living, writhing landscape that resembled a monstrous, endless carpet of chitin and flesh.

From time to time, millions of aerial drones drifted across the sky, always vigilant, their eyes scanning ceaselessly for any sign of enemies. With their keen senses and relentless patrols, they made any incursion into the southern lands a perilous proposition. Far below, tens of thousands of Leviathan warriors raced across the terrain, carving new paths and preparing fresh battle strategies. The very earth trembled under their strides, and the sound of their movement resembled distant thunder. The ground itself seemed in constant motion, stirred by the presence of Armored Leviathans burrowing beneath the surface, shifting soil and rock as they traveled unseen.

These dreadful sights were only part of the horror. The Leviathans had also deployed unique and specialized units across the landscape, monstrous entities that could turn any frontal assault into a nightmare. Yet, formidable as these creatures were, none of them matched the terror and importance of a single structure towering at the southern heart of the Monsoon Continent: a massive obsidian obelisk.

This colossal edifice rose so high that it pierced the clouds. Gargantuan, in every sense, served not merely as a monument but as a living crucible of flesh and bone. Biological materials constantly moved inside it as if it were some colossal organ pumping life through a hidden, eldritch body. A mass of dark, twisting tentacles sprawled at the base of the obelisk, resembling the maw of a nightmarish creature. Around this maw, Harvesters floated, each one depositing tons of biomass that were swallowed in mere seconds. The obelisk consumed the biomass greedily as if it were starved. Each feeding made the eyes of the surrounding Leviathans glow with strange light, indicating the hive mind’s intense concentration and deliberation.

In recent months, the Leviathan Race’s hive mind had faced loss after loss. It suffered devastating setbacks in terms of biomass, not only from the destruction of the shipments that came from the Asani Continent but also from the catastrophic death toll of its forces in the northern theaters of war. For a collective consciousness whose sole purpose was domination and expansion, these defeats were unacceptable. Something drastic had to be done. Mere numbers, no matter how overwhelming, would no longer suffice to confront the evolving human threat.

Without warning, massive dark whips suddenly emerged from the obelisk’s tentacled base. They lashed out, grabbing the enormous Harvesters that hovered nearby. The Harvesters offered no resistance; their massive bodies were pulled into the obsidian structure and consumed. Immediately, the hive mind’s available biomass increased exponentially. Yet still, it was not enough. It had lost too much and had grown too cautious. It required more, far more.

The hive mind sent another command. Within seconds, the earth began to tremble as millions of drones marched toward the obelisk. These smallest and most numerous Leviathans, usually deployed to swarm and overwhelm enemies, now marched willingly into the monstrous maw at the obelisk’s base. They sacrificed themselves one by one, then hundreds at a time, then thousands. Their chitinous bodies vanished into that dark mouth, providing even more biomass. The amount being fed into the obelisk was staggering, an ocean of living material surrendered to the hive mind’s desperate gambit. Still, it was not enough to achieve the hive mind’s ultimate goal.

Another command went out. Soon, a massive, bloated golden Leviathan appeared in the sky. This was no ordinary unit: it was the Divine Leviathan, a creature born when the obelisk had corrupted the God of Glory and Fame. The Divine Leviathan’s wounds had healed, and its physical might returned to its peak. Yet a crucial element was missing: there was no longer any ounce of Divine Force coursing through its body. Divine Force was a unique power that required worshippers and faith, and there were none who still worshipped that fallen god. Without Divine Force, the Divine Leviathan’s ability to stand against the likes of Vlad or Jormungandr was gone. Its doom would be certain if it faced them again.

The hive mind, recognizing this reality, commanded the Divine Leviathan to march into the maw of the obelisk to become yet another sacrifice for the greater plan. Yet, to its surprise, the Divine Leviathan did not move. Instantly, the eyes of all Leviathans in the vicinity focused on the golden behemoth. The hive mind’s cold, merciless will sharpened. The Leviathan’s refusal revealed something shocking: a small fragment of the God of Glory and Fame’s consciousness must still have lingered inside that monstrous form, resisting the suicidal command. But such resistance was futile.

Without hesitation, the dark whips lashed out again. They grabbed the Divine Leviathan, shattering its massive body piece by piece. Its death was swift and brutal; the remains pulled into the obelisk’s maw until not a single drop remained. With the Divine Leviathan’s biomass added to the enormous reservoir within, the obelisk’s interior glowed with a dark, ominous force.

Now, with oceans of biomass and power at its disposal, the hive mind carefully considered its next move. It could easily generate thousands of insect-humanoid hybrids or hundreds of Elite Units. Such a move might have sufficed in the past, but the human enemy had grown too cunning, too strong. Simple numbers and conventional strategies would not guarantee victory. The hive mind required something new, something more potent.

Its goal was something else entirely: to create monsters capable of crushing the human champions, defeating those who dared to soar through the sky and devastate its armies. The hive mind sought to forge creatures of unparalleled strength and cunning. It was giving birth to Lords—beings so powerful they would stand above the Elite Units and specialized monsters humanity had grown used to. Most importantly, it was creating a King, a singular entity of might and authority that would stand at the apex of the Leviathan’s food chain.