A week later, in Esparia.As the week commenced, officially marking the fourth week since the onset of the negotiations and escalation between the two countries, a different kind of atmosphere could be sensed, compared to the other weeks. Since the start of the week, Esparia had started a large-scale mobilization of its military forces.Troops, equipment, and resources were being openly prepared and organized, hinting at the possibility of the upcoming combat operations.Simultaneously, several countries that had diplomatic ties and embassies within both Eden and Esparia had started the evacuation of their personnel, temporarily closing their embassies.This was followed by Esparia starting public awareness campaigns during the same time, informing the population regarding the prevailing situation, potential risks of a war and recommending many national security measures.Throughout this period, Eden's response always remained a step behind. A fact that was acknowledged by the whole
"What the fuck have they done to their system?" exclaimed a person in anger and disappointment, his bloodshot eyes, an obvious hint for the watchers to tell that he had been typing on the keyboard continuously for more than three hours without having any decent break during that period.However, he wasn't the only one, the room he was in was filled with more than one hundred people doing the same task which he had been doing."They shouldn't have gotten enough time to completely overhaul their entire system within just a month, right?" questioned a man nearby who had given up just a few moments after the first person had resigned in frustration."While it is theoretically possible, they shouldn't have been able to make their system operate seamlessly like the way it is running right now. Even if all of those things are working in their favor, their system shouldn't have been upgraded to such a significant degree as such an upgrade would need a very long time to accomplish. We've been
A squadron of five aircrafts could be seen soaring through the expansive sky, with a few clusters of islands being visible beneath them on the ocean's surface as they moved forward at a very high speed with the eyes of the pilots being fixed on their screens, hoping to find any target in their radar and see if their squadron was lucky enough to have all the four Eden's aircraft come to them or if they were simply unlucky and would just end up bombing some military bases until the enemies surrender in fit of fear."Looks like luck isn't on our side," remarked a pilot designated as number twelve as he glanced at his screen and found that there was nothing that was caught in the radar. Feeling disappointed knowing that he would not be finding an opportunity to shoot down a fighter plane."I understand, but that doesn't necessarily mean that others are luckier than us. Maybe the enemy pilots ran away? I mean, there are forty-five of us against four of them. I will not be flying an aircraf
"This is Esparia's Central COM, all the aircrafts must return to base immediately. I repeat, this Esparia's CENTRAL COMMAND, all airc….." This urgent announcement resonated three times across all the radios of Esparian pilots right after the twentieth fighter jet was shot down.While this might seem like it had taken a very long time for the central command of Esparia to come to a decision and order the retreat as their fighter jets were being plucked from the skies and turned into bricks, the reality was quite the opposite. The time it had taken Eden's air force to shoot down a total of twenty of their fighter jets had barely lasted for a span of two minutes before the Esparian central command realized what was going on and ordered a mass retreat.This meticulous synchronization and the timing of the attack also played a very crucial role because although Angel One-Three had reached his designated squadron earlier than others, he just remained patient under them and monitored their c
The populace's reaction to the war declaration was not good at all. In Eden, a sense of panic started spreading like wildfire, causing them to frantically rush to the shops to start mass purchasing the things they deemed essential when in the face of an impending war.As for the rest of the world, they heard the news which seemed to be spreading even faster than light. However, they were all astounded as Esparia had chosen to go with the option of declaring war, instead of a surprise attack. This choice of theirs hinted that they were assured of their victory, resulting in them taking their time and efforts on trying to convince the world of their righteous cause and following the rules and their alignment with the principles that would garner more global support.This display of confidence that Esparia had shown with their declaration of war had divided the netizens into two groups. One group thought Esparia would really be winning the war while the other thought that they were just
"You can leave us for now," George instructed his secretary to leave after she relayed what Emanuel's spokesperson had reported about their hypothesis of Eden having bought the pilots, resulting in Esparia's loss of the aircrafts to Eden. If these assumptions were proven to be true, Eden would get these aircrafts at little to no cost at all.Aubrey, George's father, chimed in, "Is there any possibility that this might indeed be true?"He wanted to seek more insight into whether his son had done his due diligence while the companies were hiring and coercing the pilots to resign from the military in order to start working for them."We conducted through due diligence, Father. I can assure you we took every precaution to prevent such a sort of scenario from happening. While hiring, we coerced the best that the militaries could approve for resignations," George responded, his tone didn't show any sign of agitation by his father's question. He knew that this question of his father wasn't c
For the next half hour, the soldiers onboard the Pacific Fleet continued to rewatch the video of the battle between Esparian and Edenain aircrafts in silence.No words were exchanged all this long as they were trying to mentally visualize what sort of actions they would need to make an aircraft make such maneuvers and tried to calculate those precise split-second decisions that would be required to be executed without risking entering G-lock and potentially killing themselves."I can't believe they earned "Ace in a Day" title in this century and that too in a matter of two minutes!" Enrico exclaimed, both in amazement, jealousy and a tinge of fear as he envisioned himself being in control of one of those planes, facing such a monstrous adversary."They have created monsters," Elton, the youngest among them, remarked, having memorized the entire action sequence."Do you think we would have emerged victorious if we had entered a dogfight with them?" E
As the fleets moved, the tankers that were carrying soldiers and other equipment for impending land battles started heading in a different direction from the main fleets, executing a plan they had come up with.They continued to advance as quietly as possible, while also hoping to not attract any undue attention to themselves, praying fervently that their movements would go unnoticed. Their objective was to land the soldiers so that they can start the ground assault to seize control over the port. Once successful, they would dock and unload all their vehicles from their tankers before they embarked on the next mission of capturing the cities.When the tankers reached about fifteen kilometers from the shores, they came to a halt. Their halt was followed by the deployment of high-speed boats which started coming out of them, rapidly descending into the waters and were swiftly being filled with heavily armed soldiers, who were ready for combat.While this was happe
“Seraphina,” Aron began, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of authority, “I’m not your enemy—unless you choose to make me one. I understand your anger, your frustration. You’ve lost control of a situation you believed was firmly under your command. But this predicament wasn’t my doing—you’re here because your leader chose to sacrifice you. What I’m offering you isn’t a chain—it’s an opportunity.”Her sharp eyes narrowed, the intensity of her gaze unwavering, but she held her silence. Aron leaned forward, his own gaze unrelenting as it met hers.“You can continue resisting, pushing the boundaries of the mana oath, and enduring needless pain. Or…” He paused, letting the words linger like a challenge. “You can choose to turn this situation into one that serves us both. Your strength, your insight—these are not things I wish to suppress. Quite the opposite. I want them refined, amplified, and put to meaningful use.”He motioned toward the table, where Nova was still doing fina
[Colosseum]Aron and Seraphina stood motionless, maintaining the same distance as at the start of their faceoff. Neither had moved, even during the spectacular fireworks show that followed Aron’s acceptance of her surrender. The only exception was Aron briefly waving to the citizens of his empire watching the broadcast, many of whom were overcome with emotion, crying in celebration of their historic victory. This event marked the first-ever interstellar combat they had participated in, and despite their lack of experience, they emerged as the sole victors.As cheers of triumph reverberated among his people and the disbelief of others lingered, the broadcast concluded. The moment Aron secured his final victory, the Arena itself was officially handed over to him as part of his reward, along with control of the AI referee. Without hesitation, the AI complied with her new owner’s first command: to end the broadcast. Aron had more pressing matters to attend to—a private conversation with a
[Meeting Room]Inside the Zelvora mental network, an oppressive silence hung over the gathered representatives around the meeting table. The events of the day had left them all stunned, their minds racing with the implications of what had transpired. These were not just any representatives—they were the ones who had signed off on the agreements, the architects of their civilizations’ participation in this contest.Now, they were confronted with the brutal outcome of their decisions.Many representatives sat deep in thought, their faces betraying various degrees of fear, frustration, and resignation. Those who hailed from civilizations steeped in selfish political traditions knew all too well the grim truth: scapegoats would be needed. Someone would have to bear the brunt of the blame for the humiliation, anger, and setbacks their civilizations had suffered.For many of them, the path forward seemed bleak. In the best-case scenario, they might lose their positions, exiled from the corr
To say Aron was surprised would be the understatement of the gigaannum. The announcement had obliterated every scenario he had meticulously crafted in his mind. In all his time spent in simulations, preparing for countless contingencies, not once had he considered the possibility of the Xor’Vaks surrendering—least of all without a fight.Their pride in their strength was legendary, surpassing even the vaunted arrogance of the Valthorins. For a race that reveled in their dominance, surrendering, especially on such a grand stage, was unthinkable. This sudden reversal of expectations hit him with such force that he could practically feel the metaphorical veins in his temple throbbing from the sheer shock of it all.The audience’s collective astonishment mirrored his own, but none felt it as acutely as Aron, whose carefully laid strategies now seemed almost laughably over-prepared in the face of this unanticipated twist.The largest part of Aron's shock wasn’t just the surrender itself bu
The minutes passed quickly for the viewers, their eyes glued to Aron as he sat unmoving in the same meditative position for over fifteen minutes. Speculation ran rampant on both sides, fueled by curiosity and tension.For those in the Empire, the consensus was that Aron was in VR, likely meeting with family or key figures. Many debated who he might be speaking with, guessing that he was either calming worried loved ones or strategizing for the next fight.On the other hand, viewers from the Astral Conclave harbored a mix of anxiety and intrigue. They questioned whether Aron was recuperating in preparation for the upcoming battle, enhancing his focus and mental clarity, or if his recovery from the previous fight was incomplete and he was still in the process of healing.But their speculations ceased to matter as Aron opened his eyes with five minutes remaining in the waiting period. Calm and deliberate, he removed the glasses from his head, placing them back into their container. His n
The moment the fight was officially declared over, Nova acted without hesitation. She immediately dispatched the collector ship, equipped with a medipod, to retrieve the Trinarian fighter's body. Simultaneously, she ensured Aron could rearm himself with a fresh set of nanomachines. For the first time, this process was being done openly, marking a significant shift.Previously, nanomachines had been classified technology, their existence kept strictly under wraps. However, that secrecy had been unintentionally broken when Nova used them to cover Aron’s exposed body during a critical moment, prioritizing his dignity over confidentiality. As a result, while the technology remained shrouded in mystery, its existence was now officially acknowledged, albeit without disclosing any further details.Aron retrieved a small canister from the ship and opened it, revealing a liquid-like substance inside. Pouring it onto his hand, the substance behaved unnaturally, defying gravity as it began to sp
"Him alive is better than dead, right? I can use his live brain data to study how they use their spatial abilities—it might even help accelerate my plans if things go as intended," Aron said as he stood over the fainting Trinarian fighter.{True, having him alive presents opportunities. But dead men cause no problems, while the living carry infinite potential for chaos—especially one like him. If our spatial lockdown isn’t enough to fully contain his abilities, he could use them long enough to cause catastrophic damage, even if it means enduring the backlash,} Nova replied, her tone laced with caution. She wanted to ensure Aron was fully aware of the risks he was inviting by sparing the fighter's life.Usually, Nova would have been in favor of keeping him alive—it meant more data for her to process, analyze, and extrapolate from. But spatial ability users were in a league of their own when it came to danger. Even a dead one would yield enough data to at least satisfy her curiosity for
“Nova,” Aron called out in his mind the moment his eyes snapped open, rapidly collecting information and orienting himself, realizing he had finally left the enigmatic place the system had sent him.“Nova,” he called again, this time aloud, his voice carrying a commanding weight as it echoed faintly in the arena. Receiving no response to his first call, his sharp gaze shifted to his surroundings. It didn’t take long for him to notice his current state—nearly naked, save for the swarm of nanomachines that had begun assembling around him.{The system had ejected me, sir,} Nova’s voice finally came through, calm but slightly delayed as the nanomachines completed their task. They prioritized covering his lower body, forming a sleek pair of trousers, as there weren’t enough surviving nanomachines to reconstruct full armor. His chiseled upper body remained exposed, glistening under the lights of the Colosseum, much to the awe and unease of the spectators.Nova’s pragmatic choice left Aron l
Following Nova's orders and the AI referee's approval, the mana stone carriers swiftly began moving toward the Colosseum. As the first ship arrived and entered, it wasted no time, promptly unloading its entire cargo of mana stones before departing to make way for the next carrier to do the same. The process was conducted with remarkable efficiency, ensuring a steady flow of mana stones into the Colosseum without any unnecessary delays.The process continued as over fifty ships unloaded their cargo of mana stones, an act many from the Conclave viewed as both excessive and wasteful. With each successive ship, the pain of the Conclave's viewers grew, particularly when the fifth ship alone had already matched the quantity of mana stones used during the Colosseum's initial construction. Yet, they didn’t stop there; instead, they went on to unload ten times that amount, as if mana stones were an endless resource, leaving the Conclave citizens bewildered and horrified by such apparent extra