In the following few days, the massive military movement in Edenia put a slight sense of unease among the citizens of the state.
Buses after buses filled with soldiers were being sent to Edenia, the capital city, which was now filled with soldiers as they were being stationed in various hotels of the city and in any places where people could be accommodated for a short period of time.
The unrest continued to increase day by day until the president was compelled to make an announcement to address the rising anxiety of the citizens among whom the rumors were spreading that maybe they were preparing themselves for a war with Esparia and the soldiers were there to protect the city.
During the announcement, the president assured that the soldiers were here temporarily to prepare themselves to go for further training in a classified location. Although this slightly helped calm down the citizens, some of them still thought of the speech as a diversionary tactic to avoi
After getting out of the pods, they immediately walked to the closest elevator they could find, as they got closer, the doors of the elevator opened.Upon entering, they noticed that the elevator was spacious enough to fit all of them at once and still have some space for more, after everyone was in, the doors of the elevator got closed and it started rising even before they could press the floor they wanted to go.As they waited to reach their destination, the screen inside the elevator was showing various information, including the time, date, temperature and other miscellaneous things, however, the soldiers' eyes were stuck on one thing: The date.Initially, they thought that it would have been a mistake but then considering the amount of technology that might have been needed to accomplish what they had been through, they came to the conclusion that the technology they have is too advanced for it to miss such a mistake, thus, they came to a shocking realizat
The next day, as the Soldiers woke up, they cleaned themselves and donned their military uniforms, which bore an insignia that was unique and didn't have any affiliation to any of the branches of the military.Their uniform had a special insignia which signified that they were a special team which was sent only when a few people were deployed for a special mission or when there was an infiltration task.As they left the team's quarters, each soldier carried a bag which from the looks of it appeared to be extremely heavy. But surprisingly, the soldiers carrying the bags seemed to not be bothered even in the slightest as they made their way while carrying more than 350 kilos on their backs, without having the need to exert any strength at all.Following instructions which were provided by Athena through the gears which they were wearing, they entered the elevator.And much to the surprise of everyone, upon boarding the elevator and after the door got closed
"The ultimate art of war lies not only in deceiving the enemy but also in mastering the art of self-deception, for therein lies the true path to strategic supremacy."It was a serene day in Eden as usual, with the sun gracefully rising over the horizon, painting the sky in the shades of pink and orange. And together with the tranquil appearance, the minds of the citizens were already preoccupied with two topics that also seemed to dominate every conversation in the state.The First and foremost was the incessant buzz surrounding the ongoing construction worker recruitment.Since January, the construction industry had been in a state of perpetual motion, with a single company being responsible for all of the activity, clamoring for labor to fuel their ambitious projects.Eden seemed to have started its journey on the ladder leading to high-speed progress and development, and the demand for construction workers didn't seem to be showing any signs of a
"Good, what is Athena doing?" Aron inquired about Athena's course of action.{She ordered for the other soldiers to start retreating in order to avoid any casualties when the fight starts and also to leave the 50 members to make their moves without worrying about endangering their fellow soldiers unnecessarily}{As for the helicopters, she had already loaded them with "that direction remover" and sent them to the water side of the borders. She also has ordered our navy vehicles to start retreating, since they would end up as needless casualties as a result of the upcoming fight} Nova reported Athena's plan of action."What about the evacuation, how is it going?" Aron asked about the fate of the normal soldiers who had been sent there to act as a response to the other side's increasing provocations.{Since we only sent those who had previous military experience, the evacuation is going better than if we had sent inexperienced personnel in their places} Nova reported back."Good, now sh
Eden-Esparia Maritime Border."Do they even know that we are already in their waters?" asked the assistant commanding officer aboard the leading vessel that was at the rear of the Esparia's fleet, which was spearheading itself and prepared for a faceoff with Eden's Navy at the maritime border."Even if they know, they won't be able to do anything about it anyway, so what's there to worry about? Still, make sure that our soldiers are not full of themselves and continuously keep their eyes on the sonars to make sure there are no mines left behind in our way to victory," the fleet commander responded, as he turned to the right side, glancing at the multitude of vessels on both sides of the fleet, causing a smile to bloom on his face as he imagined the future ceremony were he would be rewarded for trashing Eden's navy.Just to his right, he could see more than 15 vessels lined and that was the same for the number lined up on the left side, making a total of thirty vessels that were enteri
NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado.The specialists and soldiers at NORAD were engaged in doing their usual routine which included monitoring the radar and satellite data and keeping an eye on whether Russia will be playing their usual game of sending T-95 bombers to the Pacific airspace of the US and Canada.ALERT!!!!"HIGH HEAT EXPLOSION DETECTED - PACIFIC OCEAN - EDEN-ESPARIA BORDER"A loud notification was heard throughout the situation monitoring room as the massive screen in front of them displayed the information coming together with the alert coming from the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) satellite constellation. The system showed what it suspected to be a high heat explosion it caught on its extremely highly sensitive infrared cameras loaded on the satellites constellation.The computer systems in a complex began displaying crucial information about the detected high-heat explosion. This information inclu
After the death of the remaining commanding structure in the convoy, the soldiers finally realized that something was terribly wrong. Some of them even heard the sound of the mirror shattering followed by the sound of a coconut busting, which attracted their attention and forced them to take a look at what was really going on.But that was not all, some of them had been having a conversation with their comrades, just before the person they were conversing with had their heads suddenly explode in front of them, spattering all of their brain matter over their faces, giving them a horrific experience and a very expensive PTSD to recover from.Although killing people was good, Athena had practically dismantled all of the existing command structure, rendering any effort of recovering from what had happened in a short period of time almost impossible. And throughout this whole fiasco, artillery shells continued to be fired by their forces since she had already decrypted all
The presidential palace, Esparia.Inside the situation room, the President of Esparia, Samuel, could be seen quietly sitting, eagerly waiting for the reports of their ongoing invasion on Eden, and from his expressions, it could be said that he didn't seem to be worried about anything going bad at all."Do we still have the radio problem?" He asked the Esparias Military General, who was with him, along with several other high-level members of the government and among them there was a person who didn't have any of such lofty position in the government and yet was allowed in the room and was, in fact, even given a chair right next to the President, he was the spokesperson sent by the Morgan's after the first visitor from them had observed the situation and returned back to report to them."We suspect that the other side is trying to disrupt the rhythm of our operation, but you don't have to worry, Mister President. We are confident of winning this fight with a landslide victory," answere
“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