Six Months Later.Throughout the journey, Aron dedicated as little time as possible to his official duties. Instead, he chose to spend the majority of his time with his wife and his friends, cherishing his friend's rare physical presence together in the past several years. He also enjoyed playing games with his younger brother and occasionally had a talk with his parents, who were still reveling in their renewed vigor like every old person following the empire-wide rejuvenation program."I will do so," Unfortunately, no matter how enjoyable a semi-vacation might be, it eventually has to come to an end. No matter how powerful he was, Aron wasn't exempt from this rule. His fleet arrived outside Proxima Centauri's heliosphere, emerging from FTL travel and releasing whatever they dragged throughout the journey to be dealt with by the heliosphere.The fleet was currently at a full stop, as per Aron’s order. He wanted to test something.“Mhh….” Aron mused with his eyes closed before opening
The moment the fleet entered the Proxima star system, the escort fleet divided itself into four groups of 250 ships each. Three of the groups moved ahead, leaving the emperor and one group behind. These three groups rushed to cover the four sides of the star system, positioning the planet where the meeting would take place at the center. This strategic move was to ensure that they were always ready to deal with any potential threats to the emperor's safety.At the same time, command of all the military forces that accompanied the exploration fleet was transferred to the Emperor's Aegis leader, who also served as the Admiral of his escort fleet. This measure ensured a unified chain of command and prevented any misunderstandings, allowing for coordinated and efficient movements of the entire military force in the star system should any situation arise that required a unified response.……….“Sir, we will arrive in orbit in five hours,” reported Admiral Dimitris, his hologram appearing b
After a few minutes of flying in space, they finally reached the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere. The ship absorbed the impact seamlessly, its occupants not feeling a thing as they descended. The transition from the cold vacuum of space to the warmth of the planet below was smooth, silent, and peaceful.“The planet is truly massive and beautiful in its own way,” Rina remarked, gazing out of the ship’s window. Despite having seen it in VR, experiencing it in reality evoked a different sensation. The abundance of mana was a major factor in this feeling; both she and Aron were exhilarated, their bodies responding to the mana in a way that Earth’s mana was yet to match.“This amount of mana feels like a dream,” Aron added, extending his hand forward and then closing it into a fist. The mana’s influence was particularly profound on him, as his golden blood contained a high percentage of mana. As a result, at the moment, he was feeling constantly invigorated and in peak condition,
“I know that you like for the official meetings to immediately get to the point, so let’s go with that today,” Birch said as they took a seat in one of the many rooms in the palace. The room was well-prepared, with amenities such as water and a few snacks already set on the table. Aron, Rina, Ayaka, and Lee sat on one side, while Rayyan, Birch, Oak, Crabapple, Mangrove, and Cypress sat on the other, facing each other.“I would like that too,” Aron said calmly, answering with confidence. He didn't appear at all like someone attending his first official meeting with peers who could be considered equals in terms of leadership. If Rayyan's government were counted as a separate empire, it would rival his own, at least in terms of population count, which exceeded that of Aron’s empire.“In the past, I have acted as the representative for both the Proximians and my fellow tree folk. Today, everyone here will speak and represent themselves before we decide on the best course of action for ou
Seeing the room still in silence, indicating their curiosity for more details, Aron decided to elaborate.“I received what you call a blessing a few years before the formation of the empire,” he began. “This gave me the opportunity to delve into the study of mana well before it became widely known. Coupled with my company’s advancements in quantum computing and VR, I had access to time acceleration and advanced simulation capabilities. These technologies allowed me to effectively spend centuries, alongside my AI assistant, developing and refining the system from the ground up. We went through countless trials and errors, and I personally experienced many failures, including several catastrophic ones, before mastering the basics and discovering how to harness mana for various effects.”Aron’s explanation was a blend of truth and strategic omission. He carefully avoided mentioning that he had acquired foundational knowledge from the system and that his wife’s and his citizens' awakenin
While the meeting was taking place, the security forces of both sides were carefully monitoring the palace. Although the possibility of an incident was almost nil, they needed to be ready for anything. By the slimmest chance that something did happen, their leaders would need to be rescued immediately. This philosophy underpinned the current small contingents responsible for keeping an eye on the palace, while the rest of the security forces focused outward.However, the peaceful monitoring only lasted for so long. In a fraction of a second, two massive roots emerged from opposite sides of the palace wall. They spread rapidly, intertwining and clashing against the walls of the palace, enveloping it as if it were a cocoon.“.......”There was a silence from those near the vicinity of the palace, but their surprise was more about the symbolic of what had happened. The sudden cocoon of roots meant that the emperor, his wife, and the leadership of the Proximians were now confined within
“What is the meaning of this?” Aron demanded, his voice cutting through the tension as he looked directly at the tree folk delegation. Instinctively, he had cast a protective shield around his group the moment he sensed the massive surge of mana. This swift action had caught everyone else on his side off guard, just as the palace began to shake and emit an ominous creaking sound."Nothing personal, we're just making a logical choice," Oak responded through his massive humanoid form, looking at Aron as if he weren't one of the two who had just tried to crush them.“Aron narrowed his eyes. "A logical choice? By attacking us during a diplomatic meeting? What do you plan to do after killing us? I’m sure you know that killing me won’t mean the empire will fall. They will not stop seeking revenge against you. Our current military is more than capable of that,” Aron responded in the same calm manner, making the other humans in the room get goosebumps at his composure.“Do you think I’m worri
Everyone in the room immediately felt a surge of pressure ripple through the air, making the atmosphere heavy. The sudden change took everyone by surprise, even the two perpetrators behind the current situation, as the pressure was more than expected.Before anyone could react, two shields materialized around Oak and Mangrove, confining them along with anything nearby within the oval barriers. In an instant, the interiors of the shields combusted into flames, incinerating everything inside within seconds before the fire stopped and the shield diactivated. As the shields deactivated, fine ashes fell to the ground where Oak and Mangrove's humanoid forms had once been.“..........”“.........”“.........”The room plunged into a deeper silence as everyone tried to comprehend what had just occurred. Even Rina, his wife, was stunned, her mind racing to process the rapid and dramatic turn of events. The swift and decisive nature of Aron's actions left everyone in a state of shock, their br