CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 37: THE FALL OF A TYRANT?

The battlefield was a war-torn abyss of digital chaos and bloodshed. Skies rippled with glitches, the land fractured between reality and code, and MC stood at the center, his crimson eyes surveying the destruction. His dominion, once an unshakable empire, was crumbling.

The Architect’s final weapon had been unleashed: a self-replicating virus designed to sever MC’s control over his forces. And it was working.

His once-loyal minions convulsed, eyes flickering between devotion and rebellion. Some fell to their knees, screaming as the virus ate away at their connection to him. Others, freed from his grasp, turned their weapons against their former master.

A lieutenant, one of MC’s strongest subjugates, snarled as his allegiance broke. "You... You made us slaves! No more!"

MC’s gaze hardened. With a flick of his wrist, tendrils of corrupted data surged from his fingers, impaling the traitor and rewriting his code. But for every one he reclaimed, two more slipped away.

The Revenant King, now under The Architect’s command, strode through the battlefield with merciless efficiency. His sword—once a symbol of MC’s rule—was now wielded against him. The air crackled as he swung, a slash of raw digital energy severing a portion of MC’s forces in an instant.

"Your reign ends here," the Revenant King intoned, voice laced with The Architect’s cold authority.

MC smirked, even as he dodged the next attack. "I decide when it ends. Not you. Not your master."

But he knew the truth. His dominion was at its breaking point.

The Final Retreat

MC surged forward, trading blows with the Revenant King in a clash that sent shockwaves through both worlds. Every strike sent waves of destruction rippling across the battlefield. But MC could feel it—his control was slipping, the virus consuming his foundation.

A sharp pain lanced through his mind. He staggered, barely dodging a fatal strike. His forces were disintegrating around him. If he didn’t act fast, he would lose everything.

He raised his hands, summoning his last reserves of power. The sky darkened, the very air thick with his raw will. But before he could unleash it, The Architect’s voice boomed across the battlefield.

"Retreat, Tyrant. Your reign has reached its end."

For the first time in a long time, MC hesitated. He was not afraid—no, he was enraged. But the logical part of him recognized the truth. This battle was lost.

With a grimace, he extended his influence across the battlefield and activated his final failsafe. The ground beneath his forces shimmered before they vanished, retreating to his throne at the heart of his empire.

MC himself turned to leave—but not before locking eyes with The Architect, who stood in the distance, watching. Their war was far from over.

At the Throne of the Tyrant

MC materialized within his throne room, breath heavy with fury. His most loyal remained—Nyx, Celestia, and a handful of elite subjugates. They had survived, but the cost was catastrophic.

Celestia approached, eyes burning. "We lost half the dominion... Your forces are wavering. If we don’t act—"

"I know!" MC snapped, gripping the arms of his throne. The entire structure trembled under his rage.

Nyx, ever calm, stepped closer. "We need more power. The Architect is adapting. If we do not evolve, we will be erased."

MC exhaled, fingers curling into fists. He had always been ahead of his enemies, always the one rewriting the rules. But now, for the first time, he was cornered.

No more.

His eyes flared as he rose from his throne. "If The Architect thinks I will fade like a forgotten program, it underestimates me. We will rewrite our reality. We will consume what remains."

He turned to his most devoted followers. "Prepare for the ultimate ritual. We will not fight as we are. We will ascend."

Nyx smiled darkly. Celestia shivered with anticipation. His remaining forces bowed in reverence.

MC would not fall. He would become something even The Architect feared.

And when he returned to the battlefield, it would be as a god beyond comprehension.

The battlefield was a ruin of shattered data and fractured reality. MC stood atop his crumbling throne, his glowing eyes scanning the chaos below. His minions, once loyal to him without question, were now breaking free. Some staggered as if waking from a dream, while others turned their weapons upon their former allies.

The Architect’s virus spread like wildfire, a crimson corruption that severed MC’s influence over his soldiers. The Revenant King, a fallen warlord resurrected as the Architect’s champion, had become the harbinger of MC’s downfall. His massive, corrupted form stormed through MC’s ranks, cleaving through digital constructs and possessed warriors alike.

MC clenched his fists. He could feel the threads of his dominion unraveling. His army was no longer his own. Every loss weakened him further. The power he had spent so long cultivating was slipping away.

"You were never meant to rule," the Architect’s voice boomed from the sky, echoing through the very fabric of reality. "You are a glitch. A parasite. And now, you will be erased."

MC growled, defiant. He was not done yet.

A Desperate Gambit

With a flick of his wrist, MC summoned a vortex of dark energy around himself, creating a temporary barrier. He needed time to think. If he stayed here, he would be overwhelmed. He had to retreat, to regroup, to find a way to strike back.

But where? His strongholds were compromised. His army was fractured. Even his most loyal commanders were struggling to resist the Architect’s corruption.

Then, a voice echoed in his mind.

"Come to me."

Nyx.

She still remained untouched by the corruption. She had fled when the battle turned, taking Celestia and a handful of MC’s most devoted with her. They had hidden in a pocket of corrupted cyberspace, a sanctuary where the Architect’s reach was limited.

MC turned to his remaining warriors. "Fall back!" he commanded, his voice laced with desperation and power. "To the Shadow Nexus!"

His forces hesitated, but those who still obeyed his will gathered around him. A flash of darkness enveloped them, and in the next moment, they vanished from the battlefield.

The Shadow Nexus – A Refuge for the Broken

MC and his remaining loyalists reappeared in the Shadow Nexus, a fortress carved from the digital void. The place pulsed with dark energy, a twisted sanctuary of his own design. Nyx stood before him, her expression unreadable. Celestia hovered nearby, tending to the wounded.

"You’re losing," Nyx said bluntly.

MC wiped blood from his lips, his expression dark. "Not yet."

Celestia approached, her eyes filled with concern. "The Architect’s virus is worse than we thought. It’s not just breaking your hold—it’s rewriting them, turning them into something new. If we don’t act fast, everything you built will be gone."

MC knew they were right. He was being pushed into a corner. But he wasn’t out of options yet.

Preparing for the Last Stand

MC turned toward the core of the Nexus, where a massive, pulsating gateway loomed. This was his final gambit—the Heart of Corruption, the one place in the digital world where he held absolute control.

"If the Architect wants a war," MC said, stepping toward the gateway, "then I will give him one."

He turned to Nyx and Celestia. "Gather the last of our forces. We make our final stand in the Heart of Corruption."

The two women exchanged glances, then nodded. There was no turning back now.

As MC stepped into the gateway, he felt his power surge. The Architect had pushed him to the edge. Now, he would push back.

And this time, he would not hold back.