AWB Chapter 333: The Brutal Reckoning
Chapter 333: The Brutal Reckoning
[Next Day.]
[D-Day.]
[Queens.]
The dust had finally settled, replaced by the crisp, untainted morning air of a liberated world. Mirabella stood on the edge of a half-destroyed high-rise building, staring down at the sprawling borough of Queens. Below, thousands of civilian survivors were cautiously walking inside the city, their faces a mix of trauma and profound relief, closely following behind the heavily armed American soldiers.
"Big Sister, the soldiers are getting ready to start cleaning up the city, and then rebuilding it." Carl said, standing beside her. The integration had forever altered Earth’s infrastructure, but humanity’s resilience remained.
Mirabella slowly nodded her head, her blue eyes reflecting the morning sun, and raised her head to the huge, holographic timer which suddenly appeared on the sky, a final mandate from the Galaxy Fall system;
[Competition Announcement: 00:01:24.]
"Little time left." She said, noting the punctuality, and turned around, staring at Chief Commander Reed, who stood some feet away with her commanding officers.
"We want to send you off." Reed said, her voice carrying the heavy, emotional weight of a species saved from extinction.
Carl blinked, momentarily confused by the formality, and turned his gaze to the ground, his eyes widening as he saw all the soldiers and civilians standing in perfect, rigid military formation below, filling the ruined streets for blocks.
"How are they sending us off?" Kent asked in genuine confusion, wondering what a non-systemic military could offer beings of their caliber.
[Students! You will be teleported back to the competition Arena in one minute.]
[Timer: 00:00:58.]
Mirabella simply nodded at her. She raised one delicate finger into the air and started tapping the empty space. Instantly, the ambient energy violently condensed, as complex, blinding golden runes appeared before them, weaving together like a celestial tapestry.
"Huh? This is a very advanced rune!" David yelled in sheer shock. As a dedicated rune master, he instantly recognized the fundamental geometric laws Mirabella was casually manipulating.
"That is the thousand swords rune formation!! Only rune masters who have at least a hundred years experience could create this! I don’t even know how to create a hundred swords in this formation, but the captain could create the whole one thousand swords!!" He yelled in absolute disbelief, his understanding of magical theory shattering before his eyes.
Everyone stared at the glowing golden rune in deep disbelief, feeling the terrifying, concentrated killing intent emanating from the intricately drawn lines.
Mirabella opened her palm, and one hundred legendary class weapons appeared in the air, hovering silently around her. Each blade pulsed with a world-ending aura.
"What?!!! Is she planning on using these weapons as the formation cores?!!!" David screamed in disbelief, his knees buckling, almost falling down. A single legendary weapon could spark a territorial war in Galaxy Fall; utilizing one hundred simply to power a localized defense grid was an act of unfathomable wealth and supreme arrogance.
"Using one hundred legendary artifacts as a core, how powerful would this formation be?" Hitachi muttered in disbelief, recognizing the apocalyptic barrier being forged, and quickly turned his head to the ticking timer above.
[00:00:36.]
"Done."
Mirabella threw her hand above her head, and the complex rune shot forward, aggressively smashing 1,000 meters above the sky:
BOOOOM!!
The rune paused at the zenith, and rapidly expanded, growing exponentially, weaving a massive, impenetrable golden dome of ethereal swords until it flawlessly covered the whole five boroughs of New York.
"As long I am alive, no monster, no matter their levels or stage will be able to break this formation, and attack the city." She turned and walked calmly towards Reed, and gently tapped the Commander’s forehead. A tiny, intricate golden seal transferred into the officer’s skin.
"I just placed the key in you... On this planet, you are the only one that can open and close this formation. Remember, nothing should happen to my territory." She said, lowering her hand, effectively cementing Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs as a direct vassal state of the Beast Empress.
"American will never forget this favor!" Reed saluted sharply, tears finally brimming in her hardened eyes. With her action, all the tens of thousands of soldiers, and civilians below saluted in perfect unison.
"WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS FAVOR!!!" They yelled in a deafening, unified roar that shook the very foundations of the ruined city.
[Students! You will be teleported back to the competition Arena in ten seconds.]
[Timer: 00:00:09.]
"Captain!! Can you tell me how you Mastered this rune?!" David yelled over the roaring soldiers, desperate to glean a fragment of her knowledge before they departed.
’I can’t just tell him I copied it from him, and maxed it.’ Mirabella thought. She looked back at her stunned teammate and gave a small, enigmatic smile:
"Work hard."
".....?!"
[00:00:00.]
[Extraction Began.]
Blinding pillars of absolute white light shot down from the sky, bypassing the newly erected rune barrier, smashing heavily down on the surviving students from the three academies.
Mirabella stared at the enveloping light, and nodded respectfully at the Commander: "We will meet again."
BOOM!!
They all vanished in a flash of dimensional displacement, leaving the recovering Earth behind, and seamlessly returning to the hierarchy of Galaxy Fall.
___
[Galaxy Fall.]
[Competition Arena.]
The transition was instantaneous. The grand, impossibly large architecture of the arena replaced the ruined skyline of New York. Davy moved his sharp gaze across the Arena, staring at the massive, expectant audience, and smiled brilliantly:
"Okay everyone! Let’s welcome back our students!! And see the rankings!!"
BOOOOM!!
The vast arena was instantly filled with blinding teleportation lights, which slowly dimmed, revealing the battle-hardened, blood-soaked students of the Sword and Eagle academies, and the relatively untouched students of the Dragon academy.
".....?!!"
DEADLY SILENCE...
The cheering crowd froze. The vibrant energy of the coliseum completely evaporated. Davy stared at the students, entirely speechless... The reality of the dimensional integration was laid bare. More than 20% of the elite Sword Academy team were completely wiped out, reduced to dust, while a staggering, catastrophic 40% of the Eagle team was gone forever. While in the Dragon team, thanks to their monstrous Captain, merely 5% was gone.
"Ahem!"
Although he was shocked to the core, his professional instincts as a broadcaster took over. He was still the commentator. So he forcefully gained his composure, and continued, his sound bloodline naturally carrying his booming voice all over the silent arena.
"Okay... Everyone, let’s see the screen, first, we will start with the Eagle Academy." He said, his tone somber as he gestured to the huge holographic screen hovering above the center of the arena.
[Team: Eagle Team.]
[Total Students (initial): 200.]
[Captain: Eve.]
[Survivors: 110.]
[Dead: 90 (-450,000 Points).]
[Students Information:]
[First and Second Objectives Pass: 20.]
[Failed: 90.]
[Top Three Team’s Ranking....]