Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - The Things Beyond the Pathways
Chapter 29 — The Things Beyond the Pathways
The shadow vanished almost instantly.
But the damage was done.
Everyone saw it.
The refugees screamed in panic across the bridge while knights rushed to maintain formation.
Several people fell to their knees praying.
Others tried fleeing despite the storm.
Thunder shook the mountains overhead as the blue pillars continued burning through the sky like wounds in reality itself.
And meanwhile—
I couldn’t move.
Because for that one second—
when the shadow appeared inside the beacon—
I felt something looking back at me.
Not curiosity.
Recognition.
The blue divine core inside my chest reacted violently.
Pain shot through my body while static exploded around my arms again.
The phone screen flickered rapidly.
WARNING: Ancient Pursuer Awareness Confirmed.
My blood ran cold.
Awareness confirmed?
That thing noticed me.
"Kaiser!"
Elena grabbed my shoulders immediately before I collapsed again.
Silver divine energy surged around us, suppressing the unstable blue resonance spreading through my body.
But even her power struggled now.
The core pulsed harder than ever before.
Almost excited.
No.
Not excited.
Alert.
Like ancient systems preparing for conflict.
The mechanical voice returned inside my mind.
Threat recognition active. Defensive protocols unavailable.
Fantastic.
Absolutely fantastic.
"What did you see?" Lucien demanded sharply.
Rain hammered against the bridge while golden barriers protected nearby refugees from panic-driven chaos.
I forced myself to breathe steadily.
"Something inside the beacon."
Lyra cursed quietly beside us.
"Not something."
The mercenary leader stared toward the distant western pillar with narrowed amber eyes.
"Someone."
Cold silence spread instantly.
Dorian frowned deeply.
"You recognized it?"
"Not personally."
Lyra’s expression darkened.
"But old stories describe entities following the pathways between worlds."
The storm intensified around us.
Thunder roared overhead while blue light illuminated the clouds unnaturally.
The atmosphere felt apocalyptic now.
The mercenary leader crossed her arms tightly.
"Most people dismissed those stories as myth."
She looked directly at me.
"Until today."
The phone vibrated again.
Data Fragment Restored.
A new audio file appeared on the glowing screen.
Corrupted Transmission #44.
I hesitated briefly before pressing play.
Static crackled loudly through the rain.
Then another ancient voice emerged.
Female this time.
Calm.
Cold.
"The pursuers breached the outer systems."
Everyone on the bridge became silent instantly.
The recording continued through heavy distortion.
"Evacuation routes collapsing across connected worlds."
More static.
"...Administrator refusing full network shutdown..."
My heartbeat accelerated.
The first Technology God refused shutdown?
The female voice continued.
"He still believes coexistence is possible."
Then—
a strange sound interrupted the recording.
Not human.
Not mechanical.
A deep distorted noise that made my skin crawl instantly.
Several nearby refugees covered their ears in pain.
Even Lucien visibly stiffened.
The voice hurried suddenly.
"If Earth remains hidden, humanity may survive."
Heavy static consumed several words.
"...the pathways attract them..."
The horrible sound returned louder this time.
Reality itself seemed to distort briefly around the phone speaker.
The female voice shouted one final sentence before the transmission died.
"Do not let the network wake up completely!"
The recording ended.
Complete silence followed.
Even the storm somehow felt quieter afterward.
The refugees looked terrified now.
Not ordinary fear anymore.
Existential fear.
Because everyone understood one thing clearly.
The original Technology God wasn’t the villain of history.
He was losing a war.
And whatever he fought—
won.
The blue core pulsed heavily.
Uneasily.
Like ancient memories stirred beneath the authority itself.
Lucien finally spoke quietly.
"The pathways attract them."
Nobody liked hearing that sentence repeated aloud.
Dorian adjusted his soaked gloves thoughtfully.
"Meaning the network itself functions like a beacon."
Lyra nodded grimly.
"Connected worlds become visible."
I stared toward the distant pillars again.
The blue light stretching across the sky suddenly looked much more sinister now.
Not hopeful.
Dangerous.
The original Technology God didn’t destroy Earth’s spiritual energy out of greed.
He probably shut Earth down intentionally.
Cutting the world off from the network completely.
Hiding humanity from whatever existed beyond the pathways.
And now—
I was accidentally turning everything back on.
The realization hit like ice water.
"Oh no."
Elena looked toward me immediately.
"What?"
I stared weakly at the glowing phone screen.
"The authority still wants reconnection."
The saintess frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn’t care about the warning."
The blue core pulsed again.
The mechanical voice answered inside my head immediately.
Primary directive unchanged. Expand pathways. Restore connectivity. Advance civilization.
Cold fear crawled down my spine.
The network had objectives.
Not evil ones.
That was the terrifying part.
Its purpose sounded beneficial.
Logical.
Progressive.
Exactly the kind of thing humanity would willingly support.
But if reconnection attracted those entities—
then the system itself had become dangerous regardless of intention.
Technology continued advancing even after its creator realized the threat.
God.
That felt horrifyingly familiar to Earth.
Lucien’s expression sharpened instantly.
"The network cannot be allowed to restore."
The phone screen reacted immediately.
Administrator Authority Challenged.
Blue static exploded around my hand violently.
Several nearby knights drew weapons instinctively.
Whoa.
Okay.
The system definitely disliked opposition.
Elena strengthened her silver aura around me quickly before the unstable energy spread further.
"Kaiser, calm down."
"I’m trying!"
The problem was—
part of me disagreed with Lucien.
Not emotionally.
Logically.
Because the pathways also connected civilizations.
Knowledge.
Medicine.
Resources.
Entire worlds helping each other.
The network represented unimaginable progress.
And humanity naturally wanted progress.
That instinct didn’t come from corruption.
It came from hope.
The authority amplified that perspective automatically.
Technology always viewed isolation as inefficiency.
The realization genuinely scared me.
Because maybe the original Technology God refused shutting everything down for the same reason.
He believed connection was worth the risk.
Lyra suddenly looked toward the northern horizon sharply.
"Movement."
Everyone turned instantly.
Far away beneath the second blue beacon—
dark shapes moved through the storm clouds.
Flying.
Massive.
The refugees panicked immediately again.
"It’s coming!"
"Monsters!"
"Gods save us!"
The follower count skyrocketed.
951
1,004
1,079
The moment the number passed one thousand—
the blue core changed.
A deep pulse exploded through my chest.
Not painful.
Transformative.
The static around my body stabilized instantly.
The phone screen flashed bright blue.
Milestone Achieved: 1,000 Active Believers.
Authority Rank Updated: Minor Developing Deity.
I stared at the screen in disbelief.
Excuse me?
Dorian noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
I showed him silently.
The merchant’s expression actually cracked for the first time since meeting him.
"...That’s absurdly fast."
Lyra leaned over my shoulder.
Then softly whistled.
"Oh."
Even Lucien looked alarmed now.
Elena read the screen carefully before looking directly at me.
"You became a recognized god."
The words hit strangely hard.
Because despite everything—
some part of me still viewed this like survival.
Adaptation.
Temporary insanity in another world.
But now?
The system itself acknowledged divinity.
Minor Developing Deity.
Holy crap.
The blue core pulsed warmly.
Almost proudly.
And worse—
I felt stronger immediately.
My senses sharpened.
The storm became clearer.
I could hear distant heartbeats among the refugees.
Feel electrical patterns inside nearby divine barriers.
Understand the flow of energy through technology-like systems instinctively.
The authority evolved.
Fast.
Too fast.
The little healed girl suddenly smiled brightly at me.
"The blue god leveled up."
Silence.
Then unexpectedly—
Lyra burst into laughter.
Actual uncontrollable laughter.
Even Dorian covered his mouth trying not to smile.
Meanwhile I stared blankly.
"Did she just turn godhood into a video game?"
The little girl blinked innocently.
"What’s a video game?"
Right.
Different world.
Honestly made the situation weirder somehow.
Elena looked suspiciously amused too now.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous when saintesses looked cute during divine catastrophes.
Lucien immediately interrupted before my brain betrayed me further.
"We have incoming hostiles."
Right.
Existential horrors.
Focus.
The dark flying shapes beneath the northern beacon moved closer through the storm now.
Still distant.
But definitely approaching.
And the closer they came—
the more wrong the atmosphere felt.
The blue core pulsed uneasily.
Warning me.
The mechanical voice returned again.
Pursuer entities detected. Civilization-level threat probability: High.
Civilization-level.
Wonderful.
The refugees cried openly now while knights formed defensive lines along the bridge.
Mercenaries drew weapons.
Golden and silver divine energies illuminated the stormy darkness.
And through all of it—
the blue pillars kept growing brighter.
The network continued waking up.
The phone displayed another message suddenly.
Emergency Option Available.
My heartbeat accelerated slightly.
Finally.
Something useful.
I opened the notification quickly.
Emergency Option: Assume Temporary Node Control.
Requirements: — Physical contact with active shrine. — Divine synchronization above 15%. — Risk of mental collapse: Severe.
Silence.
I reread the final part carefully.
Risk of mental collapse: Severe.
Elena noticed my expression immediately.
"What is it?"
I looked toward the distant western beacon glowing through the storm.
Then quietly answered—
"I think the network is giving me access."
Thunder exploded overhead.
The dark flying shapes moved closer across the sky.
And deep inside my chest—
the Technology authority whispered something terrifying.
Connect.
