Cosmic Lord: The Error Awakens
Chapter 78: The Shard of Dominion

Chapter 78: The Shard of Dominion

The seventy-second dawn painted Kael El’s Ashen Empire in hues of molten gold, the 10,906 square kilometers of his Territory Level 5 dominion basking in the afterglow of victory. The capital city, now 225 buildings strong, rose with bone steel spires and golden turrets that caught the light like a crown atop the earth. Two million, six hundred eighty-eight thousand subjects filled the streets, their cheers a rolling thunder as Kael stood atop the Lord’s Estate balcony, Stormforged Blade raised high, EX: Dragonflame Reaver casting a fiery shimmer across the crowd. Stormhide Armor hung on a rack beside him, its scars a testament to Vex’s fall. His flirty smirk danced across his lips, a cool dominance radiating as he soaked in the adulation, EX: Gold Dominion threading golden veins through the stone beneath his feet.

Day 72. Vex’s iron’s ash, my gold’s the flame. His dark eyes gleamed with unwavering confidence, pride a molten core beneath his chill exterior. Two-point-seven million souls, 10,906 square kilometers, Territory Level 5’s my forge—next one’s gonna feel the heat. The Nexus hummed faintly in the air, its voice a distant echo: "Kael’s 70, gold ascends!" He winked at the sky, letting the crowd’s roar wash over him.

"Day 72: Post-Peace Period. Territory Level: 5 – Commanding Lord. Territory Size: 10,906 sq. km. Population: 2,688,000 Subjects. Food Stock: 28 Days. Resource Yield: +100% (Lv. 5 Bonus) + 100% (SSS: Resource Lord). Resources: 930,000/1,000,000 for Lv. 5 Completion – Excess Banked: 0. Summon Limit: 20/Day. Territory Lv. 6 Conditions: Reach Level 105, Continental Empire (500+ buildings) [225/500], Defeat 100,000-stat Entity [Not Met], 5,000,000 Resources [930,000/5M], 250,000 Gold/Month [145,000/250,000], Army of 10,000 Elite [2,000/10,000], Build World Wonder [Not Met]."

"Lord Nexus Leaderboard: 1. Kael El (70), 2. Myra (64), 3. Lyra (63), 4. Gavrin (61), 5. Sylth (60), 6. Elynn (59), 7. Jorr (57), 8. Kalia (56), 9. Zane (55), 10. Taryn (54)."

Kael’s grin widened as he leaned on the balcony rail, the crowd chanting his name in a rhythm that pulsed like a heartbeat. "Level 70, first place—nobody’s touching that yet," he murmured, voice low and teasing, as if daring the Nexus itself to prove him wrong. He spun the Stormforged Blade lazily in his hand, its edge catching the sun, and stepped back inside where his inner circle waited.

The Lord’s Estate hall glowed with golden light, tables laden with roasted meats, fruits, and barrels of spiced wine looted from Vex’s stores. Lena stood by a map table, her sharp eyes tracing resource lines, while Thora hefted a hammer onto her shoulder, gold dust streaking her grin. Veyna lounged against a pillar, bow unstrung but arrows within reach, her wolves gnawing bones in the corner. Drayce polished his glaive near the hearth, and the rest of Kael’s harem—Elys, Lyra, Rhea, Fyra, and more—mingled with laughter and clinking goblets. Twenty-eight voices filled the air, a symphony of loyalty and fire.

Kael raised his goblet, voice cutting through the din. "To Vex’s ashes and our gold! Two-point-seven million strong, 10,906 square kilometers—nobody’s breaking us." The hall erupted in cheers, goblets clashing, and he took a long sip, savoring the burn of victory.

Lena approached, her tone measured but warm. "Lord, resources are at 930,000—Vex’s loot pushed us close to the million. Gold’s steady at 145,000 a month, but the forges need direction. Buildings hit 225 this morning. Where next?"

Kael set the goblet down, winking at her. "Lena, my goldmine, you’re too practical for a party. Push to 230 by tomorrow, 250 by week’s end. Bank that million, then we stack for five. Myra’s out there, 64 and scheming—let’s make her blink first." He tapped the map, finger landing on the eastern border, 1,300 kilometers out. "Veyna’s wolves caught her scent, 60,000 strong. She’s no Vex, but she’s no fool either."

Lena nodded, scribbling notes. "Taxes are stretching the outer villages, though. We can hit 230, but 250 might need more than gold ore swaps. The people—"

"—love me," Kael cut in, grin sharpening. "They cheered out there, Lena. They’ll give what I ask because I deliver. Vex’s head’s on a pike, metaphorically speaking. Squeeze ’em a little harder, but throw a festival after—bread and blood, keeps ’em happy."

Thora laughed, slamming her hammer on the floor, the clang echoing. "Bread, blood, and a good forge! I’ll have 230 by dawn, Lord. Gold steel’s flowing—spires or walls?"

"Both," Kael said, leaning back. "Spires to the sky, walls to the horizon. I want Myra seeing gold from 1,500 kilometers away." He paused, eyes flicking to a velvet pouch on the table—Vex’s last treasure, unopened until now. "But first, this."

He pulled the pouch open, revealing a jagged shard of black crystal veined with gold, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The room quieted, even the wolves perking up as Kael held it aloft. "Found this in Vex’s war chest. Not a weapon, not a core—something else." He turned it, light refracting through, and a faint hum filled the air, like the Nexus but older, deeper.

Elys stepped forward, lightning crackling in her fingers. "It’s alive, Kael. I feel it—same as the Nexus, but... heavier."

"Ancient," Rhea added, her voice soft, flames dancing in her palms. "Like it remembers something."

Kael’s smirk faded, replaced by a rare flicker of curiosity. He closed his fist around the shard, and a jolt shot through him—not pain, but memory. A vision flickered: a woman in golden armor, crowned with stars, standing over a battlefield strewn with shattered lords. Her voice, cold and vast, echoed: "The Error betrayed us all. Dominion is our cage." Then darkness, and Kael was back, the hall silent, all eyes on him.

"Lord?" Drayce asked, glaive still but grip tight. "What’d you see?"

Kael opened his hand, the shard dim now. "The Supreme Empress," he said, voice low. "Before the Nexus, before this game. She fought something—called it ’The Error.’ This competition’s hers, but it’s older than us." He tossed the shard to Thora. "Forge it into something—don’t break it. I want answers."

Thora caught it, nodding. "I’ll bind it in gold steel, make a pommel for your blade. Whatever it’s got, we’ll crack it."

Veyna straightened, voice cutting in. "Myra’s moving, Kael. Wolves say her 60,000’s at 1,500 kilometers, building crystal towers. She’s not charging yet—watching."

Kael’s smirk returned, sharp and dangerous. "Let her watch. 930,000 resources, 225 buildings, Level 70—she’s got 64 and dreams. We hit 230 tomorrow, then I’ll give her something to stare at." He raised his goblet again, the hall roaring back to life. "To gold, to power, to answers!"

The feast stretched into the night, laughter and plans weaving together. Lena adjusted tax ledgers, Thora sketched designs for the shard, and Veyna sharpened arrows, wolves gnawing louder. Kael leaned back, sipping wine, the shard’s vision lingering in his mind. The Empress, the Error, a cage—what’s she building us for? He grinned into the dark. Whatever it is, I’m winning it.

By midnight, the forges glowed brighter, gold steel shaping building 226, 227, 228. Tax collectors pushed east, gold ticking to 150,000 monthly. Kael stood alone on the balcony, Stormforged Blade in hand, staring at the horizon where Myra’s crystals waited. "Keep gleaming," he muttered. "I’m the storm coming."