Chapter 192: The Nightmare

Liam and Sofia weren’t executed at once, as they were brought to Nortasia, and held captive. The Nortasian government would deal with them until Icelandia finds a new President for their country.And even at that, they, especially Liam didn’t deserve to live enemy. It would be partial to not say the same thing for Sofia as well, so in the end, Jayden decided not to bring up his judgement yet.

At that point, he had to get himself, and the entire world ready for the biggest threat.

[Combat: 100%]

Jayden gave his Combat Attribute a sharp look and sighed.

He had never done anything on the favor of this attribute since it maxed out, but now, he knew it was about time.

All he needed to do at this point was to talk the nations of the Alliance in, and the move on the the Independent Society, which he knew wouldn’t be easy at all.

But he was down for it.

He was ready.

******

Royce and Kael were at the base for the continuation of the training test.

Afywhat happened to Commander Cross, he had been so deed in wonder.

But Royce figured that perhaps the Grandmaster knew about Cross telling him what was happening on Earth.

It was a clear indication that the Grandmaster never knew that the Serum was fake, and was trying not to make Royce grow any feeling for his world.

Little did he know that Royce... Was never brainwashed.

The Grandmaster walked into the wide training yard, his robe brushing the ground as his sharp eyes swept over the soldiers lined up. The place shook with the heavy steps of armored men, the clatter of metal, and the sharp commands of Kael.

Royce stood on his own side. Rows of Sovereign Protocol soldiers were moving in perfect formation, testing their new enhancements. Their weapons gleamed under the harsh lights of the base, and their movements were fast, too fast to be considered ordinary.

Their mech suits was a complete definition of doom.

Kael barked another order, and the soldiers snapped into a tight circle before breaking apart and clashing with one another.

The speed, the strength, the sheer force behind each strike made Royce stare for a while. He knew these weren’t just soldiers anymore. They were machines in human skin.

The Grandmaster folded his hands behind his back. "They are improving," he said calmly, voice carrying across the yard. "But improvement means nothing without discipline."

He turned slightly toward Royce, his expression sharp.

"You must respect Kael. He is not just your fellow Leader. He is the First Command Leader of this army. What he says is law. Do you understand?"

Royce clenched his jaw. He didn’t like the tone, but he knew better than to argue now.

"Yes," he muttered.

"Say it properly," the Grandmaster said without raising his voice, his face manifesting a glare.

Royce lifted his head. "Yes, Grandmaster. I will obey Kael."

Kael gave a small smirk, clearly enjoying the moment. He didn’t say anything, but his silence carried pride.

That wild pride. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.ɴet

The soldiers slammed into each other again, one of them crashing to the ground before quickly pulling himself up. The training went on, harsh and brutal, with no room for weakness.

It was then that a figure appeared from the far side of the yard. Commander Borden walked briskly toward them, his heavy boots striking the floor. His face was grim, and his steps carried urgency.

"Grandmaster," Borden said, bowing his head slightly.

The Grandmaster turned to him. "Speak."

Borden’s eyes shifted between Royce and Kael before landing back on the Grandmaster. His voice was low but firm.

"The Shield... it’s finally breaking."

The yard seemed to fall silent for Royce. Even though the soldiers kept moving, their noise blurred in the back of his mind. His heart skipped a beat.

The Grandmaster’s eyes narrowed. "How long before it shatters?"

Borden’s lips tightened. He hesitated, then said, "Twelve days."

Royce flinched.

Twelve days. That was nothing. Time was slipping through his fingers faster than he could hold it. He felt his chest tighten as he thought of Esta.

They had been searching desperately for the one who carried the Absolute Guide, the only hope of stopping what was coming. And now, twelve days was all that stood between Earth and destruction.

The Grandmaster’s expression remained unreadable. "Good," he finally said. "That is more than enough."

Borden gave a stiff nod and stepped back.

Kael chuckled under his breath, folding his arms. "Plenty of time to prepare our forces. Once the Shield falls, nothing will protect them."

Royce swallowed hard, his mind running wild. To the others, twelve days was a gift. To him, it was a death sentence if he and Esta failed. He felt his palms grow sweaty as he clenched them into fists.

The Grandmaster glanced at him. "You look unsettled, Royce."

Royce straightened quickly. "No, Grandmaster. I was only... surprised."

"Surprise is weakness," the Grandmaster said, his tone sharp but calm.

"Remember, your duty is not to think for yourself, but to carry out what I command. If Kael gives you an order, you obey. If I tell you to kill, you kill. Your past mistakes have no place here."

Royce lowered his head. "Yes, Grandmaster."

The Grandmaster watched him for a moment longer before turning back to the soldiers. His eyes gleamed with cold purpose as he observed the relentless training.

"The world will see what true order looks like," he said quietly. "And it will begin when the Shield falls."

Royce stood still, but his thoughts were already racing.

Twelve days.

That was all the time left. He knew what that meant. He and Esta couldn’t waste another moment. They had to find him.

The one with the Absolute Guide.

And they had to do it before the Grandmaster’s clock ran out.

******

Paula found herself standing in the middle of a wide field, grass swaying under a sky that felt too dark for daytime.

A heavy silence stretched, broken only by a distant hum, low and metallic, like the vibration of an unseen machine.

She turned, and her chest tightened.

On the horizon, the Earth itself seemed to shudder. Massive shadows rose out of the haze. They weren’t mountains, not buildings either.

They moved, and the hum grew louder. Paula squinted. Her breath caught.

They were machines. Towering mechs of alien design, each one a lot of feet tall, metal glinting under flashes of lightning in the choked sky. Their limbs cracked with energy, and their glowing visors scanned the land below with a cold, deliberate hunger.

One raised its arm, and a beam of searing blue light erupted, cutting across the ground like fire through paper. In seconds, cities vanished, swallowed whole in flames. Paula stumbled back as the earth beneath her feet split, buildings collapsing, screams echoing in the distance.

Her knees buckled, as she wanted to run, but her body refused. She could only watch as more mechs descended, each one firing, destroying, crushing. The world she knew was gone, oceans boiled, forests burned, humanity scattered.

"No..." she whispered, clutching her chest. Her heart pounded like it wanted to break free.

Then, a voice rose inside her mind. Not her own, but deep, resonant, commanding.

"If they build to destroy, you will build to defend."

The darkness bent around her, and in an instant, she was no longer just a powerless witness.

Paula stood in a great hall, vast, glowing with countless holographic blueprints floating in the air. Machines of every shape and size rotated around her, designs waiting to be chosen. She felt her hands lift, not of her own will, but as though something greater was guiding her.

She reached out and touched one design. It flared bright. Metal plates folded, sparks of energy coursed, and then, before her eyes, a colossal mech of her own took form. Sleek, silver, powerful.

Unlike the invaders, this one radiated a different aura. It was not cold, not merciless. It was a shield, a guardian.

Paula’s lips trembled into a smile.

And she didn’t stop there. Her hands moved faster, building more. One after another, mechs rose behind her, an army forming, not of conquerors, but protectors.

Each one carried weapons forged not for destruction alone, but for defense, to shield humanity from being erased.

Her army stood tall, their eyes lit in vengeance. And when the enemy mechs returned, descending from the blackened clouds, Paula’s creations charged forward to meet them.

The clash was chaotic.

Steel against steel, explosions painting the sky. For every strike that threatened the Earth, one of Paula’s mechs countered, holding the line. And for the first time since it began, she felt no fear.

She felt strength.

She felt hope.

Paula herself climbed into the cockpit of the first mech she had built. The metal sealed around her, and the world spread open before her eyes.

She gripped the controls, and the machine moved as though it were her own body. She sprinted, leapt, and with a swing of her mech’s arm, drove a glowing blade into the chest of one of the invaders.

Sparks erupted, and the enemy toppled.

Her voice, amplified through the battlefield, echoed like thunder.

"Humanity will not fall!"

Her mechs roared with her, charging as one.

And then...

Silence.

The battle froze, the machines suspended mid-strike. The world faded into mist.

Paula found herself lying on the bed, alone, sweating like she had slept near an oven.

Her heart still raced, her hands still shook, but a strange fire burned in her chest.

A sense of purpose she couldn’t quite name. She stared at her trembling hands, whispering to herself, almost afraid of the meaning behind it all.

"...Was it just a dream?"