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
Returning to the navy fleet faceoff, or should it more aptly be called a ruthless massacre by Edenian submarines?The soldiers aboard the speedboat were rapidly closing in on an optimal water depth where they could land with their equipment before they proceeded to get to the land and commence their fight.The missile defense guns that had been focusing on taking out the missiles a few moments ago had now turned their attention to the hoard of high-speed boats that were just a few kilometers away from reaching the shore. Guided by the onboard control computer, the electricity being sent to those guns was increased, increasing the amount of electricity that was being sent into the guns' electromagnetic barrels. This resulted in a quick doubling of the effective range of the guns, enough that the first barrage of bullets sent in their direction shredded not just the boats, but also turned some of the soldiers onboard it into unrecognizable masses of flesh. Nevertheless, most of the bull
"CRASH!" The sound of glass shattering after falling reverberated through the living room of a normal-looking house. However, even after that, the person who had dropped the glass didn't even try to pick up broken fragments or even register what had happened. His entire focus remained affixed on trying to comprehend whether what he had heard moments ago was true or he had just misheard it due to being preoccupied.Nevertheless, he wasn't the only one who couldn't believe what they had heard just now. Practically everyone watching the press conference found themselves dumbfounded by what they had heard. Emanuel briefly paused, giving the watchers enough time to react and process his announcement of unconditional surrender...."As for why my government and I have come to this decision, it's because we have been misleading all of you about the root cause of war and secondly, because we stand no chance of having a victory any longer," Emanuel revealed, once again dropping another surpr
The three people in the room returned to watching the press conference, deciding to postpone any form of questioning after they heard everything Emanuel had to say. This acted as nothing other than the worst nightmare which a person wouldn't want to experience personally; In his mind, the timer to his punishment had already started as he tried to come up with an explanation as to how the heck Emanuel even recorded something that happened inside a room which he was sure of having no cameras at all since he personally had made sure of that before arriving at that room.'Shit, look like Kassim is going to make a return after all,' He thought to himself as he remembered the side eye he had received from George, who had been the mastermind behind taking Esparian side in order to make the Rothschilds, who were now humiliating them to the whole world face another loss shortly after he had made them suffer the first one.He knew that George wouldn't care about the humiliation that much since
After President Emanuel's speech.One by one, all the citizens started voting. And with the timing of the vote being intentionally done at the moment, the citizens were still caught in disbelief after what they had heard moments ago. However, despite the fact that many of the citizens would have opted to surrender even if they were given some time to think about it, some of them would have chosen this course more hesitantly had they been given a moment to think about it. But with the votes being held while their minds were still reacting and comprehending the betrayal from their president. Very few people voted against it due to either being dissatisfied with the limited options they were given– one being surrendering and the other being continuing the war, besides these two, there was nothing in between, or due to just being fervent nationalistic and couldn't handle to swallow the humiliation of having a history that recorded of their country having unconditionally surrendered so so
"TWA, TWA, TWA."On many of Eden's military bases that had a runway, this sound continued to echo while fully geared soldiers could be seen marching towards the planes that were stationed near the runways. They started boarding the aircraft, settling in silence as they waited for the plane to take off, destined to go to Esparia. Their objective during this mission was to monitor the local military and maintain vigilance before the start of their assimilation process, which was anticipated to begin after a few days or weeks.The same scene could also be seen happening on the Naval bases as well, where soldiers could be seen marching toward large ships while covered completely in military gear like the others. They, too, were destined to head to Esparia.While these were happening, the internet was set ablaze as nearly everyone who was using it was either willingly or unwillingly informed about the situation that had taken place.Many people were taken aback by the time the entire figh
“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