Chapter 37: Chapter 37 - The Choice of Humanity
Chapter 37 — The Choice of Humanity
Reality screamed.
That was the only way to describe it.
The sky above the shrine fractured like broken glass while the gigantic spiral widened further across the heavens. Blue light from the ancient gate collided violently against spreading darkness pouring through the cracks in reality itself.
And behind those cracks—
something enormous pushed forward.
The Watchers were coming.
Not fully.
Not yet.
But even a fragment of their presence distorted the world around us.
Mountains trembled in the distance.
The forest bent unnaturally as if gravity itself had become unstable.
Rain transformed into floating silver droplets suspended in midair before evaporating completely.
The shrine alarms screamed continuously.
PATHWAY COLLAPSE IMMINENT.
WATCHER BREACH DETECTED.
Synchronization: 46%.
The blue core inside my chest pulsed harder with every passing second.
The authority wanted more.
More synchronization.
More access.
More power.
And terrifyingly—
it was right.
The defense systems awakening around the shrine weren’t enough anymore.
The Watchers existed on an entirely different level from the Void Pursuers.
The first Technology God built civilizations capable of crossing worlds—
and still failed against these things.
The thought nearly crushed me.
Lucien raised his holy sword toward the sky while golden divine light expanded around the clearing protectively.
"Knights! Defensive formation!"
The Eternal Light warriors immediately moved around the shrine despite obvious fear in their eyes.
Honestly?
Respect.
Most people would’ve collapsed after seeing cosmic horror staring through reality cracks.
Lyra dragged her massive sword across shattered stone beside me.
"So," she muttered while staring upward, "any chance your ancient god network has a secret ’kill eldritch nightmare’ button?"
I checked instinctively.
The authority answered immediately.
No confirmed anti-Watcher weapon systems available.
Wow.
Even the network sounded depressed.
Dorian stepped closer to Astra’s holographic form cautiously.
"Historical records mentioned Watchers only vaguely."
The merchant’s calm mask finally showed visible strain.
"What exactly are they?"
Astra looked toward the sky silently for several seconds before answering.
"Unknown."
Everyone stared at her.
The AI continued calmly.
"Civilization records across connected worlds failed to determine Watcher origins, motivations, or limitations."
The cracks above us widened further.
A massive white eye became visible through the distortion.
The thing watching us was bigger than cities.
Maybe continents.
And it wasn’t fully here yet.
Astra’s expression remained emotionless.
"They appeared after interstellar pathway expansion reached critical mass."
Her blue holographic eyes shifted toward me.
"The more civilizations connected through the network..."
Pause.
"...the easier Watchers located them."
The giant eye above the storm focused downward directly at the shrine.
My body froze instantly.
Not physically.
Mentally.
The moment that thing looked at me—
my thoughts stopped belonging entirely to me.
Visions flooded my mind violently.
Endless darkness stretching beyond galaxies.
Ancient civilizations burning across stars.
Massive impossible creatures drifting between dimensions like predators in deep water.
And beneath all of it—
hunger.
Not emotional hunger.
Cosmic hunger.
The Watchers consumed advanced existence itself.
Civilization attracted them naturally.
The more intelligent and connected a species became—
the brighter it appeared in whatever incomprehensible reality these things inhabited.
The Technology network basically turned civilizations into lighthouses in a dark ocean filled with monsters.
"Kaiser!"
Elena’s voice cut through the visions instantly.
Silver divine energy surged around me while her hands grabbed my shoulders firmly.
The connection shattered.
I gasped hard.
The world returned suddenly.
Storm.
Shrine.
People.
Reality.
God.
I looked toward Elena shakily.
The saintess stared at me with genuine fear now.
"What did you see?"
I swallowed slowly.
"They’re not invading."
Everyone became silent.
The giant eye above the sky crack widened further.
"They’re feeding."
Cold horror spread across the clearing.
Lucien’s grip tightened around his sword.
"What does that mean?"
I looked upward weakly.
"The Watchers don’t care about worlds themselves."
The blue core pulsed heavily.
"They consume civilizations advanced enough to shine through dimensional space."
Lyra cursed quietly.
"So progress itself attracts them."
"Yes."
The mercenary leader laughed bitterly.
"That’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard."
Honestly?
Same.
The network whispered inside my mind again.
Expand.
Connect.
Advance.
The authority still believed civilization growth remained necessary despite the Watchers.
And horrifyingly—
I understood why.
Because isolation only delayed extinction.
Disconnected worlds eventually stagnated and died alone.
Connected civilizations at least had a chance to fight back together.
The first Technology God chose resistance over surrender.
And now—
I stood exactly where he once stood.
The realization hit brutally hard.
Synchronization: 49%.
The giant gate behind us roared louder.
Blue energy surged upward continuously while ancient towers fired defensive beams into the sky cracks repeatedly.
The attacks accomplished nothing.
The Watchers barely noticed.
Astra suddenly turned toward me sharply.
"Administrator."
Blue warning screens erupted around her.
"Reality stability degrading faster than projected."
I frowned immediately.
"What happens if the breach fully opens?"
The holographic woman answered instantly.
"Local dimensional collapse."
Pause.
"Estimated planetary survival probability: below one percent."
Wonderful.
Earth survived centuries hidden from cosmic horrors only for me to accidentally almost reopen the pathway system completely.
Fantastic job, Kaiser.
My self-hatred must’ve shown visibly because Elena stepped closer again immediately.
"You didn’t know."
The saintess’s voice remained soft despite the apocalypse happening overhead.
"You were trying to protect people."
God.
Why did she always say exactly the thing that hurt emotionally?
The authority inside me reacted strangely to her words.
Not power.
Stability.
The chaotic technological instincts calmed slightly whenever she grounded me emotionally.
Interesting.
Also dangerous for my mental health probably.
The shrine shook violently.
One of the reality cracks expanded downward suddenly, tearing through the clouds toward the mountain range beyond the forest.
Then—
part of the mountain vanished.
Not exploded.
Not destroyed.
Gone.
Like reality itself had been erased.
The refugees Lucien evacuated earlier would’ve died instantly if they remained near the bridge.
The realization chilled me deeply.
The Watchers didn’t attack conventionally.
Their existence corrupted reality passively.
Astra’s voice sharpened.
"Administrator, synchronization decisions must occur immediately."
The holographic screens around her displayed terrifying calculations.
"At current acceleration rates, full breach will occur within seventeen minutes."
Lucien immediately stepped toward us.
"Can the gate be destroyed?"
The network answered before Astra could.
Negative. Primary node destruction risks uncontrolled pathway rupture.
Translation?
Breaking it might make everything worse.
Of course.
Lyra groaned loudly.
"I’m beginning to hate ancient technology."
Honestly fair.
Dorian adjusted his wet gloves thoughtfully despite obvious tension.
"There are only two options, correct?"
Astra nodded once.
"Option one: allow synchronization progression and attempt emergency pathway shutdown at seventy percent authority alignment."
The blue core pulsed strongly.
Power.
Access.
Transformation.
Risk.
The AI continued.
"Option two: maintain current synchronization levels and prepare for total dimensional collapse."
Silence followed.
Because everyone understood what she really meant.
Either I risked becoming something inhuman—
or everyone died.
No pressure.
The Watcher eye above the shrine moved slightly closer through the cracks.
The sheer size of it broke my brain honestly.
How did something that massive even exist?
And worse—
more eyes appeared behind it.
Watching.
Waiting.
Observing the reopening network.
The authority inside me surged harder.
Synchronization: 52%.
I staggered slightly.
The world suddenly looked different again.
Cleaner.
More structured.
Energy lines became visible across reality itself.
I could see divine authorities flowing through every person around me like interconnected circuits.
Lucien’s golden energy resembled defensive architecture.
Elena’s silver power moved like stabilizing resonance waves.
Lyra’s authority burned aggressively chaotic but adaptable.
Even emotions transformed into analyzable patterns instinctively.
Nope.
Didn’t like that.
Human thoughts.
Focus on human thoughts.
I forced myself to remember Earth again.
My mother complaining about electricity bills.
My old laptop overheating during games.
Streetlights during late-night walks.
Ordinary technology.
Not civilization-scale systems.
The dangerous analytical trance weakened slightly afterward.
Astra observed me carefully.
"Identity retention methods continue functioning."
I looked toward her sharply.
"Continue?"
The holographic woman remained silent briefly.
Then—
"Previous Administrators eventually lost effectiveness."
Cold fear spread through me instantly.
"Meaning?"
"They stopped viewing themselves as individuals."
The Watchers roared across the broken sky above us.
The sound vibrated through my bones.
Astra continued calmly anyway.
"They began thinking exclusively in civilization-scale calculations."
Casualty percentages.
Optimization.
Acceptable losses.
The exact thoughts already creeping into my head.
Holy crap.
The first Technology God didn’t become heartless intentionally.
The authority slowly transformed him into something built to manage civilizations instead of relationships.
That might honestly be worse than corruption.
Elena grabbed my hand suddenly.
Not dramatically.
Not romantically.
Firmly.
Grounding.
Human.
I looked toward her immediately.
The saintess met my gaze without hesitation.
"Then don’t face it alone."
The words hit harder than they should’ve.
Because maybe that was the first Technology God’s real mistake.
He carried the network alone.
Isolation destroyed him long before the Watchers did.
The realization spread slowly through my thoughts.
Technology thrived on connection.
Not just systems.
People.
Civilizations survived through cooperation.
Maybe humanity itself was the missing component.
The shrine trembled again.
A massive crack tore wider across the sky.
And for the first time—
part of a Watcher emerged physically into reality.
A gigantic black structure resembling an endless skeletal hand pushed through the dimensional fracture.
Except it wasn’t truly a hand.
The shape constantly changed while existing.
Too many fingers.
Too many joints.
Geometry that hurt to perceive.
The world around it warped instantly.
Trees dissolved.
Stone melted.
Even light bent unnaturally nearby.
Several knights collapsed unconscious just from seeing it.
Astra’s warning alarms intensified.
WATCHER MANIFESTATION IN PROGRESS.
Synchronization: 55%.
The authority inside me surged violently.
The network recognized extinction-level threat conditions now.
Emergency protocols unlocked automatically.
Planetary defense systems.
Pathway stabilization weapons.
Reality anchors.
Ancient technology flooded my mind endlessly.
Enough power to fight back.
Maybe.
But only if synchronization increased further.
The temptation almost overwhelmed me.
One more step.
One more connection.
Enough strength to save everyone.
Exactly the trap that consumed the first Technology God.
I stared upward at the impossible hand tearing through reality.
Then toward the people standing beside me.
Lucien preparing to fight despite hopeless odds.
Lyra gripping her sword with a grin that looked more defiant than confident.
Dorian already calculating survival plans even now.
And Elena—
still holding my hand like I was human first and god second.
The authority whispered again.
Ascend.
But this time—
I answered differently.
"No."
The blue core pulsed in confusion.
I looked toward Astra directly.
"If I synchronize further..."
My voice steadied slowly.
"...I’m not doing it alone."
