[A/N: Get 50% off privileged chapters on Patreon. Details in the (discord.gg/pmDBYQ8un7) announcement.]……………………………………………………………………………………………………………{That’s all,} Nova said as she finished updating Aron on the situation. It had taken only a few seconds for her to do so since she delivered just the bullet points, and Aron filled in the gaps himself.“Thanks, keep updating me on any changes,” Aron said before looking down at the cocoon, which now appeared as intact as it had been from the beginning. It had fully healed and was no longer under attack from the ships, giving it a moment of respite.He waited to see if the cocoon would react or shift its focus toward him, but even after a few moments, nothing happened. {I think they're still maintaining it to imprison her and are planning to deal with you first before returning to handle her,} Nova hypothesized to Aron.“I would have done the same if I were the one attacking us,” Aron agreed. He understood their strategy: imprisoning Rina wou
[A/N: Get 50% off privileged chapters on Patreon. Details in the (discord.gg/pmDBYQ8un7) announcement.]……………………………………………………………………………………………………………“I won’t beat around the bush. I need everyone to work together to resolve this situation swiftly and minimize damage,” Aron began, addressing all the targeted personnel, as usual, keeping to his word of not beating around the bush from the start.“For starters, let’s review what led us to this point when everything seemed cordial just moments ago,” Aron began rhetorically. Before anyone could respond, a video played, showing the two tree folks revealing their plans to kill and take over shortly before Aron had taken decisive action against them.This revelation sent shivers down the spines of everyone watching, regardless of their power scale. None could match his speed and decisiveness, which was both awe-inspiring and intimidating.“I understand that this video might seem abrupt and lacking context, but I won’t waste time elaborating on i
Aron stood unmoving as his shield effortlessly tanked the barrage of attacks—fireballs, wind slashes, earth spears, magic missiles, and lightning bolts—all basic but potent spells. Despite the shield's ease in absorbing the hits, the surrounding landscape bore the brunt of the onslaught, with the damage inflicted on his surroundings telling a very different story.The fireballs, each the size of a bowling ball, detonated against the shield, leaving behind craters several meters wide, some with glassy reflections at their centers from the intense heat. And that was just the beginning—other attacks gouged the ground, leaving deep fissures and scorched earth, revealing the true power behind the seemingly basic spells."Each of them should be at the level of the strongest known awakeners," Aron mused, assessing the power of their attacks as the first barrage subsided. He hadn't just tanked the attacks for the sake of it; he was using this initial round to gauge how much mana each strike
As thousands of humanoids fell, Aron remained in place and continued his assault. Without pausing, he swung his sword again, targeting those at varying distances from him. No matter where they were, each swing resulted in the humanoids being sliced in half. Within thirty seconds, all the humanoids had been severed and were plummeting to the ground. Although they weren't dead yet, they lay on the ground, struggling to regenerate.Only then did Aron lower his hands, small beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. The exertion of his effort had clearly taken a slight toll on him.He achieved this by applying a shield rune to his sword and adjusting it to be as thin as possible while extending its length. This transformation turned the shield into a long, versatile blade that he could control with precision.Aron's deep understanding of runes, gained from his basic and intermediate runes bought from the system, allowed him to modify and adapt them to his needs. Thanks to the practice d
While the humanoid was waiting for Aron to sink deeper into despair, Rina was also facing her own set of challenges.After leaving Aron, Rina had headed to the opposite side of the planet. Now, she hovered a few kilometers above the surface, receiving constant updates from Nova about the situation from the information being summarized by her, but gathered from every sensor on and outside the planet.She was on high alert, prepared for anything. Her clothes had already transformed into armor, opting for defense instead of a weapon like Aron, as she didn’t possess his level of durability.{You have an approaching guest,} Nova warned as soon as she detected a humanoid closing in on Rina's position.Rina didn’t flinch as the humanoid approached, hostility evident in its movements. Her stillness wasn't born of arrogance or ignorance of what Aron was facing; it was rooted in confidence in the situation.Seeing her lack of reaction, the humanoid dropped its hostility momentarily and said, “I
The humanoid continued its relentless efforts for over two minutes, pushing against the shield's limits in a desperate bid to exhaust its durability before mana could replenish it. Eventually, it stopped, sitting down in resignation, mirroring Aron’s earlier decision.Rina, having defeated her opponent in just a minute, felt a mix of pride and caution. She had managed to showcase her prowess, a result of her dedicated focus on mastering magic, something she had selected as her official duty as the emperor's spouse.“How many minutes have passed since we left the palace?” Rina asked, her gaze fixed on the defeated humanoid.Despite her apparent victory, Rina remained wary. She knew this was only a fraction of what their enemies might be capable of. The information from the three tree folks on their side had made her acutely aware of the potential threats, so she stayed on high alert, awaiting confirmation from Aron that the situation was fully under control.{Nine minutes} Nova respo
This phase of the plan demanded minimal interference at the outset, as any significant disruption could jeopardize their objectives. The uncertainty surrounding how the remaining tree folks might respond to their actions added another layer of complexity. Anticipating potential obstacles, they had already devised strategies to deal with these powerful beings if necessary.And how do you handle three individuals who, if they interfere, could dismantle your entire plan? You create a dilemma for them, forcing them into a situation where they must choose between confronting you and jeopardizing their own interests or dealing with an immediate threat and allowing your plan to proceed, knowing full well they will pay the price later. It's a classic rock and a hard place scenario.And they had billions of lives to use as distractions to divert attention from their true intentions.…………….{Sir, the giants and dark elves have started attacking everyone else. What are your orders?} Nova reporte
As soon as the shield was completed, the two tree folks began absorbing mana from both the ocean and the atmosphere now that they didin’t have to worry about interference from anyone. Initially, the process was subtle, but it was quickly detected by those with advanced mana sensitivity, and they immediately came up with a hypothesis behind this action.“Looks like your magic system is designed for efficiency,” the humanoid remarked, still engaged in burning through Aron's shield. Despite their efforts, which had been ongoing for over seven minutes—a duration long enough to deplete the approximated amount of mana in the shields—Aron's shield remained intact. The humanoid could only conclude that the system’s efficiency was the reason for this anomaly. They hadn't considered that Aron might have a mana tank within him, enabling him to use magic even in areas devoid of ambient mana. This was thanks to his previous encounters and rapid attacks that had only utilized the surrounding mana