A summary of Roman Prokofiev’s "Archon" Automatic translate

This book is the fifth installment in the science fiction series "Stellar," published in 2020. It continues the story of Incarnator Gray. The hero learns the terrifying truth about his origins. The impending catastrophe forces him to act. Gray must rethink the enmity of past centuries. He must unite disunited people in the face of absolute annihilation.

Revelations of the Stellar Core

Gray penetrates Stellar’s Core. The hero sees the final message from his predecessor, Prometheus. The hidden truth about the Black Moon is revealed. It is a massive, multidimensional object controlled by Shard, the infected twin of Earth’s Stellar. Prometheus transmits the most important directive to Gray. The hero must deliver the Core to the Black Moon. Then he must connect the artifact to the control systems and direct the infected planetoid directly into the Sun.

Prometheus reveals another secret. During the First Legion’s failed expedition to the Black Moon, many Incarnators were corrupted by the Darkness. Prometheus absorbed their anima — the souls of immortal fighters. The hero did this to save his comrades. Now the Legionnaires’ souls are sealed within Gray. He is tasked with finding a way to free them. The hero must rebuild the Legion.

Return to the City and New Threats

After overthrowing the Council of Archons, Gray returns to his supporters. He categorically renounces supreme power. Castor is appointed military leader. The city is surrounded by enemies. From the ocean floor, giant sea mutants — Scyllas — are advancing on the coast.

Gray contacts the Zvezda orbital station. He demands military assistance. The station’s coordinator refuses to attack the mutants. The cosmonaut demands the return of the captured tributes. He then proposes evacuating the Stellar Core to orbit. Negotiations reach an impasse.

The city receives a distress signal from Neo-Ark. Two cohorts of legionnaires had previously been dispatched to this half-submerged metropolis. Gray flies there with Alice and Raven. In the ruins, they discover traces of the soldiers’ deaths. The squad encounters scouts from the alien race Bina Shi. Gray and Raven detect a Taken ambush. They capture an enemy sniper nicknamed "Shooter." Gray spares his life. The hero instructs the captive to convey a proposal for a truce to the Taken leaders.

Negotiations with the Possessed

The meeting takes place on the coast of the City of Death. Tyrea Moon, Morgoth, and the Cannibal arrive from the enemy side. Gray demonstrates Stellar’s new directives to them. He proposes setting aside their mutual hatred for the sake of destroying the Black Moon. As a gesture of goodwill, Gray gives them a precious supply of purified Umbra. In exchange, the enemy surrenders the captured legionnaires.

The fate of the Incarnators from the missing cohorts is revealed. They were taken by Technomancer Lefty. Gray demands a personal meeting with him. He remains hostage in the enemy camp. The Possessed show Gray a video recording from the time of the Legion’s schism. The Star orbital station allegedly strikes the City. The attack kills thousands and provokes a fratricidal massacre.

Meeting with Lefty and Akhriman

Gray finds himself at Lefty’s secret underwater base. The Technomancer shares archival data on the Siberian Incident. Stellar’s azure radiation created the first immortal fighters. Lefty demonstrates the Cauldron. This ancient device can produce new Incarnators. The prisoners from Neo-Ark have already been placed inside.

During their conversation, Gray realizes Lefty’s true nature. The Technomancer voluntarily allowed a spirit from the Edge named Ahriman into his body. The Cogitor — Gray’s neural network — generates a directive to destroy the creature. The hero uses the Hand of Prometheus, absorbing the Cauldron’s energy and awakening the captive Incarnators. The Magician, Romashka, and Wulf rush to attack Lefty.

Ahriman easily parries all attacks. The demonic entity tears out and devours Wulf’s soul with its bare hands. Romashka and the Magician abandon their physical bodies. They flee as ghostly anima. Gray deactivates his host. He hides his soul in the extradimensional cryptor of the Hand. Simultaneously, the Zvezda orbital station strikes the underwater base with a tectonic weapon. The explosion triggers a colossal azure storm.

Survival in the ocean abyss

The Hand containing Gray’s soul falls to the very bottom of the ocean. A fragment of the hero’s flesh is preserved within the artifact. The hero slowly grows a new body. Incarnation at great depths kills him instantly. The monstrous pressure of the water crushes his body.

Gray is resurrected and dies time and again. Using his mental abilities, he controls the mind of a deep-sea jellyfish. It slowly carries Gray’s body to the surface. After dozens of painful deaths, the hero surfaces in a raging ocean. He uses telepathy from hundreds of kilometers away. A mental signal forces the pilot of a patrol helicopter to change course. The helicopter picks up the exhausted Gray.

The Split of the Seven Clans

Grey is taken to Water City. This autonomous settlement is hidden under a force dome. Coordinator Olivia Stone reports alarming news. Scylla has breached the City’s walls. A massive invasion by armies of Rogues, fanatics, and mutants has begun. They are led by the Taken.

The city requested military assistance from the Seven Clans. The leaders cited a clause in the ancient Oath. However, the clans chose to reject the call. They abandoned the legionnaires to die.

Gray accompanies Olivia to a secret clan council. The meeting takes place at the medieval castle of Gnezdovye on the island of Avalon. Gray hides his face behind his armor’s visor. The clan leaders openly declare their decision: helping the City will lead to the mass death of their own children. They prepare to officially declare neutrality.

Saving the Council and a New Alliance

Suddenly, Gray notices a cloud of azuric dust. It slowly disperses into the air. An invisible assassin is attempting to shoot the clan leaders. It’s the Ink traitor Alex Wesson. Gray reacts instantly. He uses psychokinesis. The bullets stop just centimeters from their targets. Then Gray paralyzes the assassin with a powerful mental strike.

Before the astonished eyes of the leaders, he activates Prometheus’s neuroguard. Gray recites the lines of the old oath. The enemy’s identity is erased to a blank slate. Alex Wesson loses all memory.

The clan leaders recognize the savior as the reincarnation of Prometheus. Gray declares the Oath null and void. The clans are freed from all obligations. However, immediately afterward, Gray delivers a speech. He paints a bleak future. The fall of the City will inevitably result in the destruction of all independent settlements at the hands of the savages. The hero’s emotional message breaks through the wall of mistrust. The speech forces the leaders to change their minds.

That night, Gray secretly meets with Enchantress Circe. She is the first to swear allegiance to the reborn First Legion. In the morning, enormous roc mounts appear over Avalon Castle. The clans begin a full-scale mobilization. They prepare to strike from the enemy’s rear and save the City.