CHAPTER 228: THE GAROGS HAS ARRIVED (2)

Karl’s amplified voice cut through the stunned silence like a thunderclap.

"Alright, everyone, listen up! Code Red protocol is in effect now! Students, faculty, and spectators, proceed calmly to the designated evacuation zones. We’ve drilled this like a hundred times; so you should all know the drill."

"Head to the training camps on the outskirts. Arm yourselves, form your units, and await further orders. Just get moving!"

Beside him, Serena’s calm demeanor helped as well to keep the situation stable. She leaped onto the judges’ table, her healer’s robes billowing as she channeled a soft, amplifying glow from her palms.

"Healers and support staff, to me! We’ll establish triage points along the retreat paths. Charles, activate the underground tunnels for faster evacuation of the civilians."

The crowd, though visibly shaken, responded with the discipline born of years of preparation. The sea of faces in the stands began to shift, organized into lines by academy prefects and alliance officers who had been stationed throughout the arena.

Whispers of fear rippled through the air, but they were quickly quelled by the reassuring presence of the leaders.

Charles, after instructing his team on what to do, helped to direct traffic flows. "Group A to the eastern gates! Group B, to Camp Delta. Keep families together; we’ve got wards up to protect the young ones!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the alliance’s elite fanned out across the arena and into the city streets beyond.

Similar scenes unfolded everywhere. Knights from the Sovereign’s guard forming protective phalanxes, merchants abandoning their stalls to aid in the evacuation, and even the proclamation orbs in the city squares pulsing with updated directives, broadcasting serene voices that echoed Serena’s instructions.

All in all, everything seemed to be going perfectly. The protocols Adrian had insisted upon during the alliance’s war councils were unfolding like clockwork.

The Garogs might have arrived a year earlier than predicted, but the alliance wasn’t caught flat-footed. They were ready, poised on the edge of defense, with every strategy Adrian had implemented ensuring they held the high ground right from the outset.

Far from the chaos of the capital, in the restored forests where the moonlit lake still shimmered under the now-ominous red sky, Adrian and Nyra froze as the sirens wailed.

"I’ll help out with organizing the people," Nyra announced as she stood, brushing dirt from her knees.

Adrian could only nod, his mind already shifting into high gear.

"Okay, you can go on. I’ll check out the control room." He squeezed her shoulder briefly, a silent promise amidst the urgency, before they flew their seperate ways.

***

As Adrian entered the control room, he was greeted by a chorus of tense voices.

"Adrian. Thank the goddess you’re here," called out Jeffery as he turned from the central display.

The crew, for their expertise, faced the monitors just as they had been trained to. But despite the confident looks on their faces, Adrian could literally hear their heartbeats from where he stood. They were all afraid.

Adrian walked to the main holographic monitor and checked for himself the true reason for their fear. His own eyes widened.

The display showed a single, colossal ship. It was not made of metal. It looked as if it had been carved from a single, green-tinged asteroid, its surface a maze of jagged, stony plates and deep, unnatural canyons.

And it was close. Terrifyingly close. The Oracle, with its extreme long-range sensors, had only just caught a glimpse of it before it had seemingly folded space, appearing on the very edge of their system. And it was approaching at a mind-blowing speed.

Adrian didn’t complain about its proximity. He could only mutter, "Thank goodness the Oracle was able to catch it at all."

The reality was that in less than three minutes, the behemoth would reach their atmosphere. It would make its first attempt to breach the Planetary Barrier.

He was about to leave, but he turned to the terrified but resolute crew. "You have all trained for this day," he said, his voice inspiring a confidence he didn’t fully feel.

"You are the watchmen on the wall. Do your jobs, trust in our preparations. We will handle this threat together."

They all nodded with new purpose. He could only flash them a small smile before leaving.

***

Inside the green, stone-like ship, the Garog were very calm. A confident energy filled the ship’s cavernous corridors as they approached the target of their righteous revenge.

This confidence was particularly potent in the main strategy chamber. A tall, muscular Garog banged one of his four powerful hands on the central command table, causing a smaller, leaner Garog with a small frame to shrink back in fear

{This is blasphemy!} the muscular Garog roared. {Nothing will stop us from killing the ones who took our god! Their world will burn in the fires of our wrath!}

The slim one bowed low with nervous energy. {Forgive me, Honored One. I was merely considering the unlikely...}

The big Garog, known as the Honored One — who served as the leader of this expedition and high priest of the Garogs — shook his head.

{There is no unlikely. The war is as good as won. What did you call this planet again?}

{An underdeveloped civilization,} the aide replied.

{And do you really think they can defeat the might of our force?} the Honored One pressed.

The slim Garog could only wryly smile in refusal, shaking his head. After all, the ship was packed with up to a thousand warriors.

They only had one ship at their disposal so they had to leave behind some Garogs on their main planet. But that didn’t make them any less confident.

It was even considered an overkill to bring along such forces. Because the planet they were invading was incredibly small and unpopulated for the most of it.

They didn’t know, but Thanad didn’t have over five thousand beings living in it.

The Honored One leaned back, {You see? This would be a humiliation for them. We shall bring down our wrath on this small place just like they had decided to commit the unthinkable.}

{Yes, lord,} the aide bowed with deep respect, his forehead nearly touching the floor.

{Go get the troops ready,} the Honored One commanded, waving a dismissive hand. {They’ll land at my command.}

With another bow, the slim Garog left, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he hurried to rally the warriors.

***

Back on Thanad, Adrian stood atop a forested ridge overlooking the capital’s distant spires. He could see the massive Garog ship loom closer into view, its green-stone hull now visible to the naked eye as a baleful star descending from the heavens.

He knew it was just about time, the culmination of all his preparations, the strategies that had given them this fighting chance.

But then, after coming extremely close, just a hair’s breadth from the outer edge of the Planetary Barrier, the ship seemed to stop.

His mind raced with thoughts. ’What now? Are their ships armed with weapons? Or they are launching their troops? Or worse... both?’

More seconds of absolute silence passed from the ship, seconds that felt like agonizing hours to the warriors and citizens of Thanad holding their breath across the planet.

His mind began considering more extreme possibilities.

’Did they discover the Oracle? Or maybe they’ve already sensed the nature of the barrier and have a means to decipher and disable it?’

Even with all the scenarios playing out in his head, Adrian knew he could only wait. He wasn’t one to leave things to fate, but in this situation, with an unknown enemy, he had no choice but to react. He had to hope the threat was bearable.

He still considered the contingency plans, the absolute last resort. He had his Factory, where he could transport all of his Vassals, which included his loved ones, and himself, if all went wrong.

But they’d only have 15 hours if he did that before the cooldown kicked in, sending them back into the brutal world.

So Adrian could only hope that would be enough time for them to be done with their business.

He shook his head, banishing the doubt. "What am I even thinking?" he muttered to himself, clenching his fists. "We’re not going to lose. We’ve come too far already to lose."

A few more seconds passed, making it eight seconds in total since the ship halted, and finally there was a sign of movement, one that made Adrian’s face morph into fear.