Chapter 87: Chapter 87 - The Man Beyond the Sky
Chapter 87 — The Man Beyond the Sky
The entire planet froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Above Astral Prime—
the gigantic purple eye continued opening across space itself while endless corruption storms swallowed the stars around it.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Buildings throughout the city shook violently while synchronization barriers flickered across the planet desperately trying to stabilize.
Even the oceans beneath Astral Prime trembled.
And somehow—
the eye kept getting larger.
Lyra’s face turned pale immediately.
"...Impossible."
Kaiser stared upward silently.
Blue synchronization lightning slowly moved around his body again while his expression hardened.
This pressure was different.
Far stronger than the generals from earlier.
Honestly?
For the first time since arriving on Astral Prime—
Kaiser felt genuine danger.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The gigantic purple eye slowly focused downward toward the planet.
Toward him.
Then the voice echoed again.
"Synchronization King."
The atmosphere itself distorted around the words.
"You destroyed my generals."
Kaiser calmly stepped forward slightly.
"Yes."
The eye remained silent briefly afterward.
Then—
it laughed.
A deep distorted sound spread across the galaxy unnaturally while purple corruption storms twisted around the planet.
Honestly?
Not comforting.
Inside the palace below, emergency alarms spread everywhere while soldiers rushed through the hallways desperately.
"The barriers are collapsing!"
"Synchronization storms covering all orbital routes!"
"We can’t even detect the full size of the enemy!"
Panic spread quickly.
Because everyone understood something terrifying.
The Assimilation King wasn’t arriving with an army.
He was the army.
Meanwhile—
on the upper terrace—
Lyra looked toward Kaiser sharply.
"We need to evacuate!"
Kaiser’s eyes remained fixed on the sky.
"...Too late."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Purple synchronization corruption suddenly exploded downward from orbit like a tidal wave.
The entire sky darkened instantly.
Massive corruption pillars crashed toward the planet.
Lyra’s eyes widened.
"Kaiser!"
Blue synchronization lightning erupted around him violently.
SYNC BARRIER.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic blue synchronization shield exploded above Astral Prime once again.
The corruption wave slammed against it hard enough to shake the planet.
Shockwaves spread across the continents.
Mountains cracked.
The atmosphere screamed.
But the barrier held.
For now.
The gigantic purple eye watched silently.
"...Interesting."
Purple corruption slowly moved around the eye like living flames.
"You are stronger than expected."
Kaiser calmly looked upward.
"You talk too much."
Honestly?
That line was becoming his favorite attack.
The eye narrowed slightly afterward.
Then—
space itself cracked apart.
A gigantic humanoid figure slowly emerged from inside the corruption storm.
The entire planet became silent instantly.
The Assimilation King.
Tall.
Covered in black synchronization armor glowing with purple corruption patterns.
Long silver hair moved behind him slowly despite standing in open space.
And behind his body—
thousands of corrupted synchronization rings rotated endlessly like a dark halo.
The pressure coming from him alone felt unreal.
Even Kaiser narrowed his eyes slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Assimilation King slowly descended toward the planet while looking directly at Kaiser calmly.
"...Human."
His voice sounded surprisingly normal now.
Cold.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The king landed high above Astral Prime’s atmosphere without causing any visible movement.
But the pressure spreading from him crushed nearby synchronization pathways automatically.
Blue lightning around Kaiser immediately intensified.
The Assimilation King studied him silently for several seconds.
Then—
"...You resemble me."
Lyra immediately frowned sharply.
What?
Kaiser’s expression darkened slightly.
Astra’s earlier warning returned to his mind.
Synchronization similarity detected.
Interesting.
Not good interesting.
The Assimilation King slowly raised one hand toward the planet below.
Purple synchronization corruption spread around his fingers softly.
"You built a network connecting civilizations."
His glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"You walk the same road I once did."
Silence spread across the terrace.
Lyra looked confused.
Elena suddenly appeared behind them after rushing from the palace.
"What’s happening?!"
Then she saw the Assimilation King.
"...Oh."
Honestly valid reaction.
The king looked toward Kaiser again.
"I offered peace once."
Purple corruption slowly moved around him.
"I wanted civilizations united."
His voice became quieter.
"No loneliness."
"No war."
"No suffering."
Kaiser’s eyes slowly narrowed.
He already knew where this story went.
The Assimilation King continued calmly.
"But individuality breeds conflict."
Purple synchronization storms intensified around the planet.
"So I removed it."
Honestly?
Terrifying logic.
The king slowly spread his arms outward.
"Billions now exist in perfect synchronization."
Purple corruption illuminated the stars behind him.
"No pain."
"No fear."
"No betrayal."
Elena crossed her arms immediately.
"...And no freedom."
The Assimilation King looked toward her calmly.
"Freedom creates suffering."
"Connection removes it."
Blue synchronization lightning around Kaiser exploded harder instantly.
The pressure across the terrace became overwhelming.
Kaiser slowly stepped forward.
"No."
The Assimilation King tilted his head slightly.
"No?"
Kaiser’s glowing blue eyes locked onto him directly.
"You’re not connecting people."
Blue synchronization particles spread around the atmosphere beautifully.
"You’re controlling them."
Silence followed briefly.
Then the Assimilation King smiled slightly.
Interesting reaction.
"You truly are young."
Purple synchronization rings rotated behind him faster.
"You still believe people choose each other willingly."
Kaiser answered immediately.
"They do."
The king laughed softly.
Honestly?
That laugh felt sad somehow.
"No."
Purple corruption spread slowly across the stars.
"They choose fear."
"Pain."
"Isolation."
His eyes became colder.
"Humanity destroys itself eventually."
Silence spread across the terrace.
Because honestly?
Part of that statement wasn’t completely wrong.
The old civilizations nearly collapsed from exactly those things.
But Kaiser still shook his head.
"You’re wrong."
Blue synchronization lightning illuminated the night sky around him.
"People hurt each other sometimes."
Another step forward.
"They fail."
Another.
"They fight."
The synchronization barrier protecting Astral Prime glowed brighter behind him.
"But they still choose each other anyway."
Kaiser’s voice remained calm.
"That choice matters."
The Assimilation King stared silently for several seconds afterward.
Then—
his expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Recognition.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"...You remind me of myself."
That immediately made Elena uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
The Assimilation King slowly descended lower toward the planet while studying Kaiser carefully.
"Long ago..."
Purple synchronization energy moved around him softly.
"...I said the same things."
The atmosphere became strangely quiet.
Even Lyra listened silently now.
The king looked toward the stars above.
"I built networks connecting civilizations."
"Worlds shared knowledge."
"Emotions."
"Dreams."
His voice grew quieter.
"For a while..."
A small pause.
"...it was beautiful."
Honestly?
That surprised everyone.
The Assimilation King continued calmly.
"Then came war."
Purple corruption spread slightly around his body again.
"Connected civilizations hurt each other more deeply than isolated ones."
His eyes darkened.
"Shared emotions amplified suffering."
"Pain spread across worlds endlessly."
The synchronization storms around the planet intensified again.
"So I made a choice."
Silence.
Then—
"I removed the source of conflict."
Elena’s expression hardened immediately.
"Individuality."
"Yes."
Honestly horrifying answer.
Kaiser stared at the Assimilation King silently.
Then finally understood something.
This man wasn’t born evil.
He was another version of what the Human Network could have become.
Interesting.
Terrifyingly interesting.
The Assimilation King suddenly raised one hand toward Kaiser.
Purple synchronization energy spread outward softly.
"Join me."
Lyra’s eyes widened instantly.
Elena immediately stepped forward.
"No."
The king ignored her completely.
His eyes remained fixed on Kaiser.
"With your synchronization power..."
Purple corruption illuminated space itself around him.
"...we could unite every civilization in existence."
Kaiser looked completely calm.
"No."
Immediate answer.
No hesitation.
The king remained silent briefly.
Then sighed softly.
"...Disappointing."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Purple synchronization storms exploded across the sky instantly.
The pressure crushed downward toward Astral Prime violently.
The planetary synchronization barrier immediately started cracking.
The civilians throughout the city panicked.
"The barrier is failing!"
"We can’t stop that pressure!"
The Assimilation King slowly lifted his hand toward the planet.
"Then I will show you."
Purple synchronization energy gathered around him endlessly.
"What happens when civilizations refuse unity."
Kaiser’s eyes glowed blue instantly.
Then—
he vanished.
SYNC STEP.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The atmosphere exploded.
Kaiser appeared directly in front of the Assimilation King instantly before throwing a synchronization-enhanced punch toward his face.
The king calmly blocked it with one hand.
Then space shattered.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The shockwave spread across orbit violently enough to split clouds apart throughout the entire planet.
Lyra nearly lost balance from the pressure alone.
The two synchronization kings stared at each other silently while blue and purple lightning exploded around them endlessly.
Then both disappeared.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The sky became a battlefield instantly.
Blue and purple explosions filled orbit continuously while shockwaves spread across space itself.
The civilians throughout Astral Prime looked upward in complete disbelief.
They couldn’t even follow the movements anymore.
Only explosions.
Only destruction.
Only overwhelming synchronization energy crashing together repeatedly.
Kaiser reappeared above the Assimilation King before kicking downward violently.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The king blocked again.
Another explosion shook the planet.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He matched Kaiser physically.
That honestly shocked Elena slightly.
No enemy since the Collapse Wars managed that before.
The Assimilation King suddenly counterattacked with a massive purple synchronization blade.
Kaiser dodged instantly.
The blade sliced through orbit behind him—
and one of Astral Prime’s moons split apart.
Silence spread across the planet.
Everyone stared upward in horror.
Honestly?
That attack was absurd.
The Assimilation King calmly looked toward Kaiser again.
"You see?"
Purple corruption spread around him like flames.
"This is why individuality fails."
Kaiser answered by punching him directly through three corruption storms.
Fair.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Assimilation King crashed backward through space before stabilizing instantly.
Then smiled slightly.
Interesting.
He was enjoying this.
The king slowly wiped blood from his mouth afterward.
Purple synchronization energy regenerated the injury immediately.
"...Excellent."
Kaiser narrowed his eyes slightly.
Honestly?
Fighting someone who actually enjoyed combat always became annoying.
The Assimilation King suddenly spread both arms outward.
Then—
thousands of purple synchronization pathways appeared across the stars.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Astra’s voice sounded alarmed.
"Warning. Massive synchronization assimilation wave detected."
Elena’s face changed immediately.
"...He’s targeting the planet."
Purple synchronization signals spread downward toward Astral Prime rapidly.
The civilians below suddenly froze.
Then some began screaming.
Purple corruption started appearing across their bodies.
Lyra’s eyes widened in horror.
"No..."
The Assimilation King looked toward Kaiser calmly.
"You protect individuality?"
Purple synchronization spread further.
"Then save them."
Kaiser’s expression darkened instantly.
The king smiled slightly.
"Or fight me."
Silence.
Because honestly?
That was an evil move.
Very evil.
The civilians throughout Astral Prime cried out desperately while corruption spread across the city.
Soldiers collapsed.
Synchronization pathways became unstable.
The Assimilation King floated calmly above the chaos.
Waiting.
Kaiser looked downward toward the planet.
Then upward toward the king.
A choice.
Fight.
Or protect.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then—
Kaiser smiled slightly.
The Assimilation King frowned immediately.
"...What."
Blue synchronization lightning exploded around Kaiser violently.
Then the synchronization rings behind him expanded.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
The entire sky turned blue.
Elena immediately realized something insane.
"...No way."
Astra sounded shocked.
"Synchronization output surpassing previously recorded limits."
The Assimilation King’s expression finally changed.
For the first time—
real surprise.
Kaiser slowly raised both hands toward the planet below.
"You think connection makes people weak?"
Blue synchronization pathways erupted across the stars themselves.
"You really learned nothing."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Human Network answered.
Across countless distant worlds—
synchronization pathways lit up instantly.
Earth.
First Light.
Aurielle.
The awakening civilizations.
Millions upon millions of connected people.
Blue synchronization energy crossed galaxies.
The Assimilation King stared silently as countless stars suddenly glowed behind Kaiser.
Then—
voices echoed across the synchronization pathways.
"We’re with you, Kaiser!"
"Protect Astral Prime!"
"Hero King!"
"Fight!"
The Human Network flooded him with synchronization support willingly.
Not forced.
Chosen.
The atmosphere itself trembled.
Blue synchronization energy surrounding Kaiser became endless.
Beautiful.
Alive.
The Assimilation King stared in complete silence.
Because for the first time in centuries—
he witnessed synchronization without control.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Kaiser slowly looked toward him afterward.
Then smiled.
"This..."
Blue lightning exploded across the heavens.
"...is the difference between us."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
