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
The cause of the explosion being the Edenian submarines that were lurking under the fleets, following them since when they invaded Esparias water.They were nothing but state of the art in everything when compared to the latest gen of any country's military.Starting from the energy, these submarines were each being powered by harnessing the energy of a star in the form of fusion reactors. This means that they won't need to ever be refueled as long as they are under the surface of the water. Because these reactors would efficiently extract deuterium, a fuel source, from the surrounding water, rendering themselves self-sustaining during underwater operations.As for the propulsion system it too was the state of the art magnetic propulsion helping the submarine in its stealthiness while at the same time allowing it to go at unimaginable high speeds.In place of sonar, these submarines utilized the same advanced scanner as the one that was scanning Eden's ai
While their navy was giving the Esparian navy fleets a PTSD for every soldier on board the ships like Oprah, the air force was also in full operation.Four SU-35 fighter jets, piloted by the Aces, could be seen escorting one midsize cargo aircraft, all of them heading in the direction of Esparia.Athena had decided to take the initiative by venturing into the enemy territory since the other side seemed to be reluctant to come to them. She had something specific which she needed to be done in Esparia to end the war as fast as possible, concluding it with minimal casualties on both sides. The soldiers, who were caught in the crossfire had the only fault of being in the wrong country's military which had a corrupt president who could be bought for a few pennies and couldn't care for the lives of these soldiers at all, thinking them as disposable pawns, as long as he was benefiting from their deaths."They are en route," reported Archangel One-Three as the radars in
With an impressive feat of already shooting down what could be said to be all of Esparia's new aircrafts, including the four patrolling ones, despite being quite a distance away from the original position of Eden's aircrafts. Their remarkable accuracy from such a considerable distance had come as a surprise to both the people on land and the pilots who were abruptly terminated, having been suddenly faced with an unexpected attack and finding themselves already ejected without any warning beforehand. This situation got even worse if we were to include the bombers who were now being scrambled to go the opposite direction of Eden and to the Pacific Ocean to avoid being bombed if they were left inside their bunkers and mirroring the losses like what happened to their fighter jets.While doing that, their air defense system of Esparia now started coming online as the soldiers manning them in different cities and locations could be seen holding their breaths, praying that the incoming pla
In the serene night sky, the only audible sound that could be heard was the rustling of the wind that passed around the descending soldiers, who despite their fall, still had their composure maintained, looking relaxed while their eyes remained focused on the rapidly decreasing numerals that were materializing in front of their eyes.When they reached a certain altitude during their fall "FRRRRR," the electrically powered thrusters came to life after manifesting on the chest of these soldiers, marginally reducing their velocity while at the same time expertly adjusting their trajectory and aligning them on their landing location before the thrusters retracted as if they never existent in the first place.Following the appearance of the first thruster after which they quickly got hidden again, a few more of such thrusters started appearing at certain intervals in different locations on the armor, reducing the soldiers' falling speed at the same time also stabilizing them in the fall be
"Looks like you chose to take your time," Shamim, the only female team leader of the group, leading team Charlie which was the second to arrive, jokingly taunted the mission leader after he and his team were the last ones to arrive, thanks to them having too many people to shoot down and enemies to take out on their way compared to others.Andrew upon hearing the taunt, just brushed it off while ignoring them as he passed by them and took the lead as he instructed, "Secure the door"Upon receiving the orders, the soldiers removed the equipment they had brought with them in their backpacks and started assembling it. When they were finally done assembling it, the equipment looked similar to what might seem like a door frame with an opening at its center. With the equipment now assembled, they placed it behind the broken closed door and powered it on.The moment they powered it on, the frame expanded and affixed itself onto all the four sides of the door frame, sec
They plummeted for a few seconds straight as they traversed through the elevator shaft before the thruster in their armors came to life once again, wrestling them away from the grasp of terminal velocity. This time, the thrusters persisted, sustaining their propulsion until the moment they softly landed on the roof of the elevator cabin, avoiding making any sound.Thanks to the elevator shaft being wide enough, which was due to the size of the elevator itself being huge since it served as the only entrance to the bunker, not counting the subterranean emergency tunnel as it was to be used for exactly emergency situations, thus forcing the elevator to be made as large as possible to allow for all the equipment and other materials to easily enter into the underground bunker during construction.Nevertheless, thanks to that, all the ESF (Eden Special Forces) were now on the roof of the elevator cabin except for the two soldiers who had remained behind just in case th
“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