"Stellar. Sephiroth" by Roman Prokofiev, summary

This book is the eighth installment in a large-scale fantasy series, completed in 2022. The key element of the work lies in its deep dive into the mysteries of the catastrophe that destroyed civilization on Earth. For the first time, the reader learns about the origins of the Black Moon and the true scale of the alien threat. The protagonist, Gray, transcends human nature. He transforms into a super-being, capable of confronting creatures from Beyond on equal terms.

The Price of Victory and the Secret of the Star Shot

Gray defeats the ephemeral Prometheus. The Incarnator takes his predecessor’s legendary weapon, the spear "Verdict," and the armor "Radiance." The armor heals wounds and reliably protects against energy blasts. Gray prepares to activate the ancient superweapon. He uses the collected living matter to start the reactor. The Star Shot is intended to destroy the Worm’s lair in the Crimson Rift. Supermonad Sophia disrupts their plans. She warns of dire consequences. An orbital strike will split the continent and kill countless innocents. The Worm Daath itself is immortal. It is permanently hidden beyond the Fringe; the physical destruction of its earthly body is pointless. Gray listens to their reasoning and calls off the attack.

Sophia confirms the previously agreed-upon deal. Roy Shi will help them reach the Black Moon. Gray will hand over the Stellar Heart only after the object is removed from Earth’s orbit. The Supermonad notes Gray’s strange metamorphosis. His soul mutates into a "Sephiroth" — a fusion of thousands of dead Inca consciousnesses. This life form frightens even the powerful Sophia.

Ambush on the orbital and interrogation of the Grand Coordinator

The First Legion’s preparations are interrupted by disturbing news. The scout ship Avenger is attacked near a Ringworld. Cloaked plasma mortars destroy the landing shuttle. Scorch, Icepatch, and Fury lose their physical forms in outer space. Their animas are hidden in the depths of a vast abandoned station. The ship suffers serious damage. The unique starship is forced to retreat to base.

Gray meets with a clone of the trader Kot. The clone proposes a deal and demands a division of spheres of influence, also mentioning a deal with Daath. To obtain precise information, Gray decides to interrogate the soul of Emilian Kim. The prisoner had been trapped in Kot’s artifact for a long time. The procedure is being carried out by the Taken Echidna and Aether in an isolated extradimensional space. They torture Kim and break his will. The Grand Coordinator reveals the truth about the Siberian Incident. The first Incarnators activated the Core’s relay. The signal traveled into space and attracted the attention of the hostile Shi swarm, the Shard. This triggered the arrival of the Black Moon to Earth.

Emilian Kim mentions Project Cosmo. Two colossal arks once left the Ringworld. One of them, the Gideon, drifts far beyond the orbits of the known planets. It can be summoned via a transmitter on the Ringworld. The brother of the Gideon’s captain holds control of the orbital. Unable to withstand interrogation, Kim performs a complete erasure.

Miracle in Urgent

Gray accelerates the creation of new Legionnaires on the Star. Simultaneously, he resurrects the Enchantress Mora to enlist her support. Through mental contact, Gray transfers his memories to her. This openness extinguishes the Enchantress’s lingering hatred. She joins the Legion.

Information comes in about a secret conclave of the Saints. Enemies are gathering in the southern city of Urgent, the center of the Screaming-in-the-Void cult. Gray, Stalker, and a small group secretly infiltrate the serpentine temple. The Saints prepare a bloody sacrifice and the summoning of the A-Beast. A brutal battle ensues. The Legion’s Incas — Voron, Alice, and Mora — come to their aid. Suddenly, the terrible truth is revealed: the defeated mutant, Tlen, has activated the "Absolute" warhead. The explosion is destined to wipe out Urgent and the First Legion.

Detonation is only seconds away. Gray uses the Gift of Daath. His consciousness expands, forming the super-entity of the Sephiroth. A colossal energy body absorbs the energy of the nuclear explosion. Gray confronts the Worm in the Edge. He threatens suicide and forces the ancient monster to retreat. Tens of thousands of Urgent survivors become fanatical followers of Gray. They call him the Illuminated One. The threat of the Saints is eliminated forever.

Survival on the Ringworld

Meanwhile, Burn evades pursuit by an Azure Predator within the Ringworld. He discovers dead bodies in the maintenance area. The Incarnator revives a Shiva mutant. The Nyx energy source grants him shadow camouflage and spatial scanning skills. Burn reunites with Fury. The heroes rescue a captured technician nicknamed Pin from a cannibal tribe. A local tells them of the station’s mysterious ruler, the Hand. Burn crafts a powerful Azure weapon — a blade with seven rings — from the scraps he found.

The squad traverses the station’s ruined levels. They make their way through a dangerous artificial biome — the Long Forest. Wild azur mutants attack travelers. The Incas harvest new genes and enhance their combat abilities. The group passes through a 16-kilometer-long zone of deadly radiation. They are forced to use glowing azur artifacts to defend themselves from ghostly void creatures. Scorch and Fury reach the Evacuation Center. The Incarnators infiltrate the enemy headquarters. They stage a high-profile sabotage, lure the guards into a trap, and destroy an elite Secutor-class combat robot.

The Truth About Project Cosmo

In the control room, Scorch and Fury encounter the Hand. It turns out to be Adrian Chen, a high-level Incarnator possessing incredible strength. Using violent telekinesis, he immobilizes the squad. Chen holds Icicle’s soul captive. He plans to use Scorch to infiltrate the Ark Gideon. Adrian’s brother, Captain Mark Chen, refuses to return the ship to Earth. The Hand gives Scorch a deadly spirit in a beryllium capsule. The villain’s plan is simple: kill his brother and seize control of the Ark.

Scorch is placed in the translocator. Seizing the opportunity, the hero emerges from the shadows. He boldly attacks his opponent. Fury shatters Icicle’s cage. The Hand attempts to retaliate with a crushing blow. Icicle plunges everyone present into an anomalous sleep. Scorch awakens a split second before the others. He grabs Adrian Chen and pushes him into the active teleporter. The villain materializes on the Ark. There, he is instantly disintegrated by the Gideon’s protective field.

The Burn also dies from the force radiation. He is reborn in a clean body from a cryo-chamber. Mark Chen offers the Burn to remember his past in a virtual simulation. The Incarnator agrees. He gains the memories of Oleg Rashidov, the head of the Cat traders and the creator of the Cosmo program. The Ark’s captain, Mark Chen, is killed by a ghost. The deadly spirit was hidden in the Hand capsule. Rashidov uses old access rights and seizes control of the colossal starship. The Ark changes course for the Ringworld.

Collision near the orbital

Gray addresses the Council. The Incas decide to send all available forces to the Black Moon. Suddenly, the First Legion pays a visit to the Ringworld. Assault squads approach the docks of the massive spaceport. The station is suspiciously unresponsive. Gray mentally scans the space. He discovers that all inhabitants have been sedated by Icicle’s powerful magic. Near the orbital, the Gideon cloaking field suddenly deactivates. The giant ark takes aim at the Legion ships.

Oleg Rashidov contacts the ship. He appears in the uniform of a Starfleet coordinator. Rashidov blackmails Gray with the complete destruction of the fleet. The trader issues a harsh ultimatum: he wants control of the Black Moon. In exchange, Koth promises to aid the Legion. Gray calls the trader’s bluff and orders the fleet to retreat to Earth.

Then Rashidov shows Gray an old video recording from the Stellar Core. It features Weaver, the anomalous soul of Icicle, who saved Rashidov in the past. The Incarnators see the Shard’s true form. A monstrous object comparable in size to an entire star system, it hides within a blue giant and is filled with quintillions of Bin Shi. Gray realizes the full extent of the threat.

The merchant proposes a daring plan. By capturing the Black Moon, the Incarnators will be able to leave Earth forever. They will travel through space and time to a safe place, far from the Shard. The heroes face a difficult moral choice. The events that follow will determine the fate of the remnants of civilization.