CHAPTER 231: GIVE ME A WIN, CHARLES

The entire command bunker was filled with a triumphant, electric energy following Adrian’s words. The leaders, who had been on the verge of despair moments before, now saw a clear path to victory.

But Adrian was quick to cut them off, his calm face suddenly hardening as he stared intently at the display. "Don’t celebrate early," he warned, his voice sharp enough to slice through their elation. "Look."

They all turned their eyes back to the display, and what they saw made their hearts freeze. From the massive, crippled Garog ship in space, a large hatch on its underbelly opened up.

At first, nothing happened. Then, a single, dark, stone-like capsule dropped from the hatch, its thrusters igniting as it rocketed towards Thanad.

It didn’t stop there. More capsules followed, a cascade of them pouring from the dying ship. Soon, about a hundred of the dark pods were all hurtling towards the planet in a desperate, final wave.

Adrian knew this meant serious trouble. He immediately opened a mind link to all of his Vassals across the planet.

’The real war begins now. Organize your squads and combine your efforts. Your primary objective is to intercept those landing pods.

Destroy as many as you can before they breach the shield. Each of them carries an enemy, and with their ship crippled, this is their only way of infiltrating our world. We cannot lose this advantage.’

He didn’t need to say more. They all recognized the dire threat. Across the planet, the newly mobilized forces shifted their focus from defense to interception.

The Transcendents in the bunker all left to key defensive positions, ready to take down the incoming pods themselves.

It was the Mages that shined in this first round of defense, their long-range capabilities giving them a distinct advantage.

High above, Nyra became a goddess of the sky. She wove her Harmony magic into a massive net of crackling lightning and swirling wind that caught a multiple pods at once, delaying their landing for others.

The High Elves also showed their experience, as they launched precise attacks at the pods.

Karl, though a Knight, was able to contribute in his own spectacular fashion. He treated his spear like a reusable anti-air missile, hurling it with incredible force to shatter a pod as it began to breach the atmosphere, then using his Transcendent will to call it back to his hand, ready for the next target.

Across other places, everyone was contributing. Even the non-Transcendents.

But although it seemed that they were making progress, their heroic efforts were barely enough. There were too many pods, moving too fast, spread too far apart.

Charles was still with Adrian in the command bunker, his face pale as he read the incoming data.

"Boss," he said with a tight voice. "Thirty seconds until first impact, and only twelve pods have been completely destroyed. Scans suggest... they suggest each of them is holding a high-energy signature. We suspect each one is carrying a Transcendent-level Garog warrior."

The unasked question hung heavy in the air as he looked at their still-unmoving sovereign. Why aren’t you out there helping, boss?

Adrian’s eyes, which had been glowing a soft blue, returned to normal as he turned to look at Charles.

"I will not be joining the ground battle for a while," he said calmly. "I am leaving you in command of the Warden Protocol. Give me a win, Charles."

"But—"

"Translocate."

Before Charles could say another word, Adrian had vanished from sight, leaving his right-hand man alone and nervous at the head of the command center.

The other engineers in the bunker felt a fresh wave of panic after seeing their strongest combatant leave at the most critical moment. But Charles steeled himself, his leader’s final command echoing in his mind.

"Don’t worry, guys!" he shouted, his voice regaining its usual confidence. "The Sovereign has a plan! We’re going to win this! Let’s give our people on the ground everything we’ve got!" With a new resolve, they all resumed their work, their eyes glued to the display panels, communicating vital information to the combatants below.

Adrian, meanwhile, hadn’t left to rest. He had done something he had never considered before. He had left the world.

The sensation of [Translocation] was different this time. Instead of reappearing in another location on the planet, he felt himself pushed through a barrier of immense pressure, the familiar blue light of the teleport giving way to a silent, star-dusted blackness.

It was the first time he had ever truly been in space. He found himself standing on the cool, metallic hull of the Oracle satellite, the breathtaking, silent vista of his homeworld spread out below him like a living map.

And he had arrived just in time.

There, floating a mere hundred meters from the satellite, was a massive, stone-like figure. It was Kharn. Wounded, battered, and burning with an incandescent rage.

He was on the verge of using all four of his hands to unleash a devastating, final attack on the Oracle, to blind the world before his army landed.

He had already committed to the attack, his every muscle tensed, his focus absolute, and he was too late to see the small, armored figure that had just appeared on his target.

’Not on my watch.’

Adrian executed Vortex Counter. As Kharn’s four fists slammed forward, unleashing a wave of pure, destructive force, Adrian met it.

His hands became the center of a swirling vortex of energy, catching the overwhelming attack. His Power Suit groaned under the strain as he absorbed a power that could have shattered a moon. But he held it.

He then unleashed it. With the help of the suit’s powerful maneuvering thrusters firing in sync with his counter, he didn’t just deflect the blast; he amplified it, sending the full, furious might of Kharn’s own attack hurtling back at him.

~BOOOOOOM!~

The Garog High Priest had no time to defend himself. He was engulfed by his own power, his battered body sent tumbling several thousand meters back into the cold, silent void.

Adrian stood on the hull of his creation, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He watched as his enemy stabilized himself in the distance, his four eyes now burning with a mixture of shock, fury, and... realization?

{You. It was you.. You are the one who killed our creator!}

Adrian didn’t refute the accusation. He materialized the Mana Gun onto his hand, its blue glow screaming power in the void.

"Yes. I’m the one."