The Eighth King

"Those who will not connect shall be deleted."
In the "Holy City" of Charleston, Father Patrick O'Connor is haunted by a vision of a digitized apocalypse. He sees seven titans of alloy and code rising over the world's Great Cities, heralding a future where humanity is no longer born, but manufactured.
While the Church debates modernization and "pastoral inclusion," a new god has already arrived in a sleek, silicon frame. Ezra Mallick, the world's first trillionaire and founder of Nephil.ai, promises a world without suffering, anxiety, or death. Through a seamless neural interface, he offers "The Merge"-a digital communion that promises to make the blind see and the lame walk.
But as ancient volcanoes erupt simultaneously across the Ring of Fire and the sky turns to ash, Patrick realizes the "miracles" of Nephil.ai are the echoes of a biblical deception. Caught between a skeptical diocese and a technological takeover, Patrick must decide if he will remain a silent witness or become a voice for the remnant in the shadow of the Eighth King.
The lines are blurred. The connection is mandatory. The end is just the beginning.