Within just half an hour, the material blocking the invading soldiers had completely melted away. Without hesitation, the soldiers resumed their takeover, moving swiftly and methodically. The crew aboard the ship, caught off guard by the sudden breakthrough, scrambled to return fire in a desperate attempt to buy time and reseal the inner parts of the ship. However, the invaders' speed and precision left them with little chance to mount an effective defense, as the gap between their positions rapidly closed. The situation was spiraling out of control, and panic was beginning to set in among the ship's defenders.Xalthar, having just begun to rest, was abruptly awakened by the sense of chaos spreading through the ship. His AI quickly informed him that visual monitoring in the blocked-off area had been lost, with all feeds going dark at once, informing him that the breach had likely resumed.He swiftly donned his armor, bracing for combat. "Power off the ship," he ordered his AI as he m
Ismail Maylander and his team had been advancing with relative ease, encountering opposition armed similarly to the previous groups they had already dealt with. Despite this, neither he nor the breaching forces aboard the ship let their guard down. Each of them carried a hard-earned lesson from their intensive VR training—battles where they held the upper hand but ultimately lost the war due to complacency. That experience was deeply ingrained in their minds, reminding them that the time to relax would only come when everything was truly over.However, they were briefly halted as a sudden wave of weightlessness swept through the ship. The sensation lasted only a moment before their personal gravity devices automatically adjusted, restoring them to a steady 1g. Each soldier was equipped with this device, designed to adapt to both high- and low-gravity environments, ensuring they could function at peak efficiency under the optimal gravity of 1g, no matter the conditions around them. Thi
“We are fucked” would perfectly capture the situation for anyone who had reviewed the now-assembled information. Although much of it was still being processed and filtered to form a complete picture, certain revelations didn’t need further analysis—particularly the intel sourced from one individual: Xalthar. He was the reason behind the chaos that was barreling toward them, and the scale of the threat was staggering. According to Xalthar’s knowledge, combined with that of his crew, they were on the verge of facing military forces that rivaled the entire population of the solar system—a force far beyond what they had in their hands at the moment.Considering the scale of the bait that Xalthar had dangled, anyone reviewing the data would realize the enemy was preparing to strike with full force, holding nothing back. They knew other factions would be vying for control of the star system, so they would arrive with everything necessary to not only sustain a prolonged battle but also ensu
“Then at what point do you suggest we interfere? Do we wait until everything is settled between them and fight, or do we jump in amidst their skirmishes and attack all of them?” Youssef asked, now reconsidering his earlier stance."I suggest we act after issuing a formal warning once they make their move," John replied without hesitation. "If they refuse to back down, we deploy one of our WMDs to wipe out a significant portion of their forces. That will send a clear message—we're not bluffing, and they'll take whatever we say next very seriously.""Why do you think that's the best approach? Wouldn't it make more sense to wait until they've exhausted their forces fighting each other?" Jeremy asked, seeking further clarification."Although they have powerful forces, you have to remember they also possess exceptionally strong individuals, something we are still not equipped to match one-on-one, despite having some capable people ourselves. If we wait until they exhaust themselves, sure,
"How about turning them against each other, making them compete to give you the technology?" Rina suggested, after taking a moment to gather her thoughts and reflect on everything she had learned.That was all Aron needed to hear. He immediately grasped where Rina was heading with her explanation, but he didn't interrupt, letting her finish in case she presented something he hadn’t considered."From what you’ve said, even though they operate under a conclave, they're still competing with each other. So, as long as the incentive is right, they'll likely hand over the technology willingly—and might even be pleased to be the ones who do. Offer them a deal: whoever provides you with the technology gets a permanent ten percent discount on all mana stone transactions, as long as the stones are used directly by that entity and not sold to others. With that, the stronger ones might hesitate, but the weaker factions will scramble to deliver the technology. They'll rationalize that we'll get
Aron stepped out of the pod after spending several hours inside, now far more knowledgeable about the Astral Conclave than before. With this newfound understanding, several uncertainties that had previously clouded his thoughts seemed to vanish, as though a fog had been lifted from his mind.But despite his newfound knowledge, none of the decisions he had made earlier were altered. In fact, his conviction to stick to them had only strengthened. The primary reason for this resolve was now hovering directly in front of him, reinforcing his belief that his choices were the right ones.In front of him was the description of the mana oath, now registered in his system the moment the knowledge entered his mind. This integration also allowed him the option to upgrade the oath if he wished and paid the price for it.[Mana Oath (Low-Grade)The Mana Oath is a basic magical contract that binds two or more parties through the essence of mana, enforcing agreed-upon terms with consequences for brea
Once he sensed that the tension had reached a peak, he continued, “As a result, conflict erupted between the two sides... and by the end of the day, we achieved victory,” as he was saying that, he could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from those who had feared they were losing the fight.He paused his speech as a short video played behind him. It began with Xalthar demanding the emperor’s surrender, then shifted to the opening shots fired at the massive ship. The footage showed breaching forces making their way into the vessel, capturing it meter by meter until every section was under control. The video concluded with footage of the recovery process, where captured aliens were being collected and sent back to their ship. As the video ended, the feed returned to focusing on Aron.“With that, I have both good and bad news to deliver,” he said, pausing for emphasis. “The good news is that we won the initial contact and captured the majority of the enemy alive, allowing us to ex
Time has a way of moving at exactly the wrong speed, especially for those who find themselves in a moment of anticipation. For the inhabitants of the solar system, it felt like time was speeding by when they desperately wished for it to slow down. In the blink of an eye, twelve days had passed, bringing them to thirteen and a half days since Xalthar had sent out his message. The countdown was almost over.Despite all the preparation, no one in the military felt confident that things would unfold as planned. Their extensive VR training had shown them that when facing the unknown, unpredictability is inevitable. This awareness kept everyone on high alert, a state they were able to maintain with ease due to their rigorous training. It also helped that they had already entered their military pods a week prior, ensuring they were mentally primed for the upcoming confrontation.To humans, death evokes a tangle of emotions. Sometimes, we long for it to rescue us from despair, while other ti