The system responded to the voice command, and dozens of faces appeared on the massive screen. Some were sitting at home, some sipping tea, others in the middle of training. Several high-ranking officials looked tense, having just received reports from warning centers. The two emperors and their heirs appeared at the center of the screen.
The Emperors of Turanya and Azera frowned gravely. The others followed suit—Soran's panic alone was enough to convince them that this was far more serious than a standard emergency alert.
The Emperor of Turanya spoke calmly, yet with unmistakable authority.
"What happened, Soran?"
Soran explained urgently, his fingers moving like a storm.
"EMERGENCY SITUATION! PLANET-WIDE DIMENSIONAL ANOMALIES HAVE BEEN DETECTED! CURRENT DATA SHOWS OVER EIGHT THOUSAND RIFT FRACTURES OF ALL GRADES! MY LORD, THE NUMBERS ARE STILL RISING!"
Every person on the screen—man or woman—immediately stopped what they were doing and stood up, issuing commands to those around them as they moved toward their assigned posts, never taking their eyes off the screen.
Fully aware of the gravity of the situation, the Emperor of Azera spoke carefully.
"Are you certain, Soran?"
At that exact moment, communication devices across the screen began to ring. Panicked aides rushed into several rooms to deliver urgent updates. Despite the chaos, the two emperors remained calm and began issuing rapid orders. The attendants acknowledged them with sharp nods and hurried off.
Left alone in his chamber, the Emperor of Azera began donning his battle armor as he spoke.
"How much time do we have?"
Soran replied immediately.
"I'm sending everyone the time limits for their respective regions."
As the Emperor of Azera reviewed the incoming data, he muttered a quiet curse before barking out commands.
"Mobilize the entire military! Evacuate all non-combat civilians to shelters immediately and activate military doctrine! We need every single person capable of fighting! Female militias will coordinate evacuations with elite units! Deploy all mechs, troops, warships—everything we have! I don't want a single weapon left idle in the hangars!"
The military leaders saluted in unison and answered loudly as they rushed toward their posts.
"AS YOU COMMAND!"
The Emperor of Turanya continued.
"Notify all Awakened and deploy them to the most critical zones! Ensure they receive full support! I authorize the use of all weapons—banned or experimental—excluding nuclear and biological arms! Secure supply routes, maintenance points, and hospitals! Underground city protocol is now active! Evacuate all civilians underground! Remember—your top priority is protecting civilians!"
Both empires had long prepared for such contingencies due to constant rifts and territories lost to monsters. Underground shelters and entire subterranean cities had been constructed, their defenses specifically designed to withstand monstrous threats. Cities, military fortresses, and bases were protected by cutting-edge barrier technologies designed by Soran himself—strong enough to repel monsters. Yet rifts remained an unsolved enigma. The only known method was to eliminate every creature inside and wait for them to close.
The Alliance General Yavuz, a hardened man in his late forties with scars marking countless battles, spoke firmly.
"My lords, we must focus on urban areas and activate the shield generators. At the very least, we can prevent surrounding monsters from entering. If we can hold the cities, we'll have a chance to counterattack. We cannot retreat entirely underground."
The Emperor of Azera nodded in agreement.
"General Yavuz is right. We must especially protect agricultural regions. If this is happening across all of Nevarion, humanity is facing a fight for survival."
After the Emperor of Turanya nodded, he spoke solemnly.
"May our campaign be blessed, and may our martyrdom be glorious."
Everyone on the screen repeated the words in unison.
"May our campaign be blessed, and may our martyrdom be glorious."
The Emperor of Turanya looked at the Emperor of Azera.
"Take care of yourself, brother. Don't die before me."
Wearing his specialized combat armor, the Emperor of Azera chuckled, sealed his helmet, and spoke in a robotic voice.
"I return the same words to you, brother."
He cut the connection and moved to command his forces. Still connected, the Emperor of Turanya turned to his heir.
"I trust you, my son. Right now, you are the strongest individual across both empires. If anything happens to me, you must take command."
The black-haired, brown-eyed Crown Prince replied resolutely.
"I will not fail your trust. Take care, Father."
The connections began to close as everyone rushed to their posts. This was a true crisis, and mass mobilization alone would not solve it—there was no single enemy. Some would fight flying monsters, others ground-based beasts, ghosts, undead, synthetic horrors, or mechanical abominations. The sheer variety was terrifying.
The Emperor of Turanya addressed Soran one last time.
"Soran, come to the palace immediately! We must discuss countermeasures!"
Soran nodded.
"I'll be there shortly—I just need to run a quick calculation!"
After the Emperor cut the connection to lead his forces and protect the populace, Soran's laboratory fell silent. Only the glow of screens and holograms illuminated the room.
Soran rapidly analyzed spatial and dimensional data. The deeper he went, the tighter his chest became. The results appeared on the screen.
[Analysis Result: Mass fractures will persist for more than 20 years.]
Soran's body trembled violently. He refused to accept it and recalculated.
[Analysis Result: Mass fractures will persist for more than 20 years.]
"Again."
[Analysis Result: Mass fractures will persist for more than 20 years.]
"AGAIN."
[Analysis Result: Mass fractures will persist for more than 20 years.]
No matter how many times he ran the calculations, the result never changed. Shaking with fear, Soran staggered back and collapsed into his chair, staring blankly at the screen.
"Twenty years is the minimum I can calculate… and even then, dimensional energy doesn't decrease. At best, this will last forty years. Empires will collapse… only a handful of cities might survive—and even that is uncertain."
His breath caught, his face pale. He never expected this… and even if he had, he never imagined it would be this bad. He had believed—no, he had been certain—that accelerating development could counter the rifts.
But time had run out.
At that moment, LYRA's progress bar completed.
[Transfer complete. Do you approve the transfer of all knowledge?]
Soran's breath stopped.
"Elenor!"
He rushed to the screen and entered the coordinates of Elenor's town and its surroundings. Reviewing the data, he relaxed slightly. Only a single A-rank rift was present; the rest were C-rank or lower.
Omar's wife was a retired A-rank marksman-class Awakened and a former commander of Azera's special forces.
She could protect Elenor.
"But this won't be enough…"
Soran moved quickly—time was running out. He tapped the watch on his wrist to call Elenor, then turned back to the computer and began making adjustments on LYRA. His fingers moved at a frantic pace.
[All knowledge and projects are being uploaded…]
Soran hesitated for a brief moment while adjusting certain parameters. His eyes drifted to the calculations related to the rifts, then to a childhood photo of his granddaughter. He clenched his teeth and refocused on his work.
"I'm sorry, little one… but I need to be sure you survive. I have to push you."
[Monster DNA synthesis module activated.]
[Training module activated. (Modifiable by authorized personnel only)]
[NEXT-GENERATION MEKA PROJECT
Type: Assault / Agility / Speed / Semi-biological
Code Name: Blood Queen Garuda
Meka Generation: 4th Generation
Authorization: Soran Altarez >>> Elenor Altarez
Link Key: Biological signature >>> L.Y.R.A]
As Soran worked, a voice came from the call interface.
[The person you are trying to reach is unavailable…]
"Call again!"