Piercing sirens shattered the dawn over the capital of Planet Caren.
On the streets, the once-orderly flow of hovercars instantly devolved into chaos.
Panicked residents poured out of buildings, fleeing in all directions.
The distant sky was painted a fiery orange by artillery fire.
Flash after flash, each burst of light was accompanied by a muffled explosion that made the entire city tremble.
Above the central government building in the capital.
Three figures appeared out of thin air, hovering beneath the churning clouds.
From this vantage point, the entire cityscape was in full view.
The outskirts of the city had already become a battlefield.
Energy beams crisscrossed between the buildings, and the fiery glow of explosions erupted one after another.
Thick black smoke rose like pillars from every direction.
Morton’s army surged toward the city center from three directions like a tidal wave.
Yet, the massive government building directly beneath them remained eerily quiet.
Daiz crossed his arms, looking down at the flames of war below.
“They’re making quite a racket.”
Dalles kept his gaze locked on the building below.
According to the plan, once Morton’s forces posed a substantial threat to the central defense line, the United Government’s two super soldiers would deploy to the core conflict zone to stabilize the situation.
And all they had to do was wait here.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
The battle below grew increasingly fierce.
Morton’s forces were clearly going all out.
Armored units battered the central defense line with no regard for casualties, and the density of the artillery fire continued to intensify.
Daiz’s brow gradually furrowed.
“Something’s not right.”
He looked at Dalles.
“Their defense line is about to be torn apart.
Why hasn’t anyone come out yet?”
“Are those two so-called super soldiers sleeping on the job?”
As time passed.
A massive gap was torn into the northern defense line of the capital by Morton’s troops, allowing a flood of soldiers and armored vehicles to pour through.
The tide of battle had clearly shifted.
But there was still no movement from the government building.
“Cacao.”
Dalles finally spoke.
Standing behind him, Cacao understood.
His red optical unit lit up, and an invisible ripple expanded from his body, sweeping over the massive structure below.
“Detecting two high-energy sources.”
“Location: the underground bunker at the bottom of the building.”
“Energy status: stable.
No signs of movement.”
Daiz paused in surprise upon hearing this.
“Huh?
Is it those two?”
“And here we’ve been waiting all this time for nothing.”
“Boss, what do we do now?”
“Daiz, if your plan was to defend a single location to the death, what would you do?”
Daiz thought for a moment.
“I’d crank all the defenses to the max and turn the place into an impenetrable fortress, of course.”
“But…
they clearly have two super soldiers.
Why would they choose to mindlessly turtle up against Morton’s assault?” Dalles fell deep in thought.
By now, the artillery fire below had pushed into the core district.
The air beneath their feet vibrated in waves from the distant explosions.
After breaching the northern defense line, Morton’s armored units had charged onto the main avenues.
Energy beams fired from the end of the block, punching through barricades, only to be suppressed by the heavy artillery of the central military district.
“Boss, if they don’t come out soon, Morton’s guys are going to be right on their doorstep.” Daiz’s gaze swept over the advancing army below.
“When those small fries swarm the place, they’ll just get in our way.”
“Daiz.”
“You take the east side of the building.
Cacao, take the west.”
“Watch the exits on the other sides of the building.”
The two nodded without another word and flew off in opposite directions.
Then, Dalles began to descend.
Slowly and steadily, he dropped toward the main entrance of the building.
His feet touched down on the plaza in front of the government building’s main doors.
It was completely deserted.
Just as he expected.
All the exterior entrances of the entire building were enveloped by a blue energy barrier.
Dalles reached out a hand.
Before his fingertips even made contact, he could feel the repulsive force radiating from its surface.
A low hum resonated as the blue barrier trembled slightly at his approach, its surface energy patterns visibly accelerating.
Though he didn’t know exactly what the people of the Planet Caren central government were scheming.
For Dalles, letting them stall for time would bring no benefit.
He would simply deal with whatever obstacles arose, as long as he stayed cautious.
Dalles raised his right hand.
He pressed his palm flat against it.
The surface of the energy barrier vibrated violently the moment they made contact.
The blue light suddenly flared, and the visible energy patterns circulated at a frantic pace.
The exterior walls of the entire building emitted a deep, resonant hum in response.
*Crack—*
Spiderweb-like white cracks spread out in all directions across the blue energy layer, originating from Dalles’s palm.
The internal alarm systems of the building went into a frenzy.
The cracks in the energy barrier had already spread beyond Dalles’s line of sight.
He could feel the resistance beneath his palm rapidly decaying.
Dalles thrust his palm forward.
*Crash!*
Countless specks of blue light peeled off the shattered barrier, drifting in all directions like scattered fireflies.
He stepped forward.
Over a dozen dark gun barrels popped out from the metal ceiling above.
The automated defense system had locked onto the intruder.
*Whir—*
Energy beams rained down from all sides.
Smoke filled the air.
Dalles’s figure emerged from the thick smoke, his pace still unhurried.
He casually raised his right hand and waved it to the side.
An invisible shockwave erupted from his arm.
*Whoosh—*
All the turrets detonated one after another the instant the shockwave passed over them.
Red lights flickered and died.
Amidst the flickering lights, Dalles walked deeper into the building.
Two heavy mechs ejected from recessed hangars on either side, their metal joints groaning with heavy hydraulic sounds.
Each stood over three meters tall, their shoulder-mounted twin energy cannons fully charged and glowing with an orange-red light.
The mechs’ voice systems issued a warning.
“Intruder, halt your advance immediately.”
Dalles turned a deaf ear.
Two fireballs exploded in the corridor as the heavy mechs violently disintegrated.
Their components were torn to shreds by the impact, scattering against the walls on both sides.
Dalles walked right through the flames.
He strolled through Planet Caren’s proud, planetary-grade internal defense system as if taking a leisurely walk in a park.
Inside the underground bunker command room at the bottom of the building.
Over a dozen surveillance screens lined the walls.
By now, they were all completely destroyed.
Yet, the people inside could almost feel the approach of the grim reaper.
Greer, the Chief Executive of the Planet Caren United Government, sat in the main seat, his hands propped against the control console.
His knuckles were white from gripping it so tightly, and the back of his uniform was soaked with sweat.
Two figures stepped out of the shadows simultaneously.
“Chief.”
“No matter what that thing outside is, we will stop it.”
At the end of the corridor.
Dalles stood before the final door.
Planet Caren’s last line of defense.
It was no different from any of the previous checkpoints.
The energy amplifiers around the doorframe emitted a shrill overload alarm, the blue light flashing wildly a few times before exploding with a deafening boom!
The full view of the bunker’s interior unfolded before his eyes.
Over a dozen high-ranking Planet Caren officials in government uniforms were huddled behind the control consoles.
The panic and wariness on their faces were impossible to hide.
Spear’s entire body was already enveloped in a golden aura.
His fists were clenched tight, muscles bulging beneath his skin.
“Outsider!”
The super soldier codenamed Spear roared and launched himself forward.
His fist swung in from the side, the energy radiating from his knuckles burning so hot it distorted the surrounding air.
Dalles tilted his head slightly.
The fist brushed right past his temple, the wind from the punch slightly lifting his hair.
Spear’s eyes widened in shock.
Dalles raised his left hand and unhurriedly clamped down on Spear’s right wrist before he could retract it.
Then, he pressed downward.
Spear’s entire body crashed down with it, smashing into the metal floor and creating two radial cracks.
Shield charged in immediately after.
He threw his entire body into a horizontal tackle, arms crossed over his chest.
The metallic patterns on his body lit up, and a grayish-white energy shield covered his skin.
Dalles released Spear’s wrist.
He raised his right leg.
And delivered a kick right to the center of Shield’s crossed arms.
The grayish-white shield cracked beneath Dalles’s boot, the fractures spreading faster than the naked eye could track.
Shield’s arms were kicked wide open, and he skidded backward across the floor.
Planet Caren’s two strongest warriors were put to sleep in a single exchange.
The bunker was so quiet that the hum of the overhead ventilation ducts could be heard.
Dalles began to appraise the figures inside the bunker.
Suddenly, a familiar figure entered his line of sight.
A cloth bowler hat.
A girl wearing a plain dress.
Tights.
“Y-you’re?
D-Dalles?”
The voice came from a corner.
Staring intently at Dalles as he emerged from the smoke and dust.
Tights had spotted him too.
The surprise on her face was even more pronounced.
The two locked eyes across the bunker.
Dalles wore a thoughtful expression this time.
“So, you were the one who tipped these guys off to hide in advance, weren’t you?”
“Looks like I talked too much before.
But it’s fine.
If this is all it is, it just cost me a little extra time.”
“Dalles!”
Tights stepped out from the corner, her footsteps a bit unsteady.
She glanced at the two fallen super soldiers on the ground, then at the scattered debris and the paralyzed remains of the defense system.
Then she looked back at Dalles.
“So…
y-you’re an invader?”
Dalles turned his head.
He chuckled.
“An invader?”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
He raised a hand and casually pointed toward the top of the bunker.
“I am merely pledging my loyalty to the great General Morton.”
The effect of his words was immediate.
The dozen or so high-ranking United Government officials in the bunker, who had been cowering behind the consoles too afraid to breathe, practically exploded all at once upon hearing the name Morton.
“Morton!”
Greer stood up, leaning heavily on the console.
His face, previously pale with fear, instantly flushed red.
“That traitor!!”
“This is treason!”
Several other officials joined in the cursing.
Once their anger found an outlet, their fear temporarily took a backseat.
But Dalles couldn’t care less.
As far as he was concerned, this was nothing more than an internal political dispute on Planet Caren.
It didn’t matter whether these guys believed him or not.
“Dalles.”
Tights spoke up again.
She squeezed her way to the front of the shouting officials.
“Wait a moment.”
The group of Planet Caren executives parted to make way for her.
Prior to this, Tights had informed them of the impending crisis facing Planet Caren under the guise of being an unofficial member of the Galactic Patrol.
Now, Tights was naturally their last hope.
“No matter what has happened, can we just wait for the Galactic Patrol to handle this?”
Dalles stopped in his tracks.
“The Galactic Patrol?”
Dalles looked at Tights.
“You’re quite clever, calling them in so quickly.”
Tights bit her lip, not replying.
Dalles tilted his head.
“But the Galactic Patrol has no authority to intervene in the internal regime changes of a civilization.”
“This is Planet Caren’s internal affair.”
He said that, but after hearing that Tights had already notified the Galactic Patrol, Dalles clearly had no intention of wasting any more time.
At the very least, he needed to finish the job and evacuate before the Galactic Patrol arrived.
Tights wanted to retort but didn’t know where to begin.
But she vaguely felt that everything Dalles was saying was just deflecting the main issue.
“The Galactic Patrol is already on their way!
You mercenaries will pay the price!”
“Morton is finished!
And so are you!
The United Government will never compromise with traitors!”
The Planet Caren executives opposite him were still cursing and swearing.
Dalles turned a deaf ear to them, walking straight toward the two figures lying nearby.
The aura he faintly released acted like an invisible mountain, pinning the two men firmly in place.
Morton’s requirement for these two was to capture them alive.
Dalles pressed his hands against the backs of the two super soldiers’ necks.
With a swift motion, Dalles completely crushed their consciousness.
After doing all this, Dalles didn’t seem to plan on leaving immediately.
His gaze returned to Tights.
Tights suddenly had a bad feeling.
“W-what are you going to do?”
Dalles walked toward her.
“You know the Galactic Patrol, right?
This time, I’ve decided to invite you to leave with me.”
“What do you mean?” Tights backed away repeatedly.
“You know what I mean.
Letting you leave on your own last time was a mistake.
Perhaps you can be of some help to me…
At the very least, I can’t let you run around unchecked anymore.”
“You should know that you have no room to refuse.
If you delay for even a single second now, I’ll kill someone here.”
As Dalles spoke, he began to sweep his peripheral vision over the crowd.
Instantly, all the executives were struck with terror.
Pale with fright, Tights hastily stopped Dalles from carrying out his terrifying threat.
By the time Dalles’s figure reappeared at the entrance of the building.
Tights was already following behind him.
He reached out a hand to Tights.
“Let’s go.
There’s no need to waste any more time here.
This is Planet Caren’s fate, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”