"What? But my lord..."
"You don’t understand. You’re still naive and don’t grasp the importance of chaos in winning wars. Sending our army to take down Gaia would cost us too much. But if we let things play out as they are, it will weaken Gaia, and then we will make our move. Don’t you see? Gaia is extremely powerful, and if we send the Enix members to him, they will fall before him like flies. But humans have the stubbornness and the will to survive that qualifies them to delay him for some time and drain his energy a little, and then we will deliver the knockout blow to him."
Gladious tapped his fingers, and a holographic screen appeared, displaying the planet Atlantis from above. The image zoomed in until it showed an army moving from the north toward the human area. Gladious explained what was happening. "This army you see is what’s left of the people of Atlantis. They were hiding on one of the small continents, and Gaia knew this, but he didn’t care about them as long as they didn’t pose a threat."
"Well, why are they moving now after all these years? Is it a coincidence?"
"Of course not. I sent Margoth to them, and he managed to convince them to move. They will participate in the war, as you can see. Now, you must learn this lesson well: to win this war, we must closely monitor every move that happens and intervene at the right time to deliver the knockout blow. Gaia possesses the Crystal of Life, and if you don’t know how powerful this crystal is, I can summarize it by saying that he is now invincible. He has become immortal, and weapons and stabs do not affect him. But like any being in this world, he certainly has a weakness, and I know it well, but first, we must wait. There are the humans on one side, Gaia and the robots on the second side, what’s left of the people of Atlantis on the third side, Athinos and his fleet that took over planet Earth on the fourth side, and finally, we are the fifth and final side. And we have all gathered to eliminate Gaia, but first, we must wait until he is exhausted from eliminating all these armies gathered against him, and then we will give him the knockout blow. And of course, the credit goes to me for bringing all these parties together and uniting them to fight Gaia."
The Enix member let out a suppressed, malicious laugh at Gladious’s cunning. "I understand, my lord. We won’t send our men to the front lines so we don’t suffer losses, and we’ll let the humans and the people of Atlantis do all the work."
"Yes, and don’t forget that the eight samples are with them, and they have eliminated thousands of robots just a little while ago, so they will be of great help in this bloody war. I think their final test is now complete, and they have understood what they must do in this shattered world. They have learned the truth and are certain that their true interest lies in eliminating Gaia. Now let’s see how many of them will escape this war and join the Enix afterward."
Gladious stared into the vast space before him and looked at the distant blue sun around which the planet Atlantis revolved, then turned and said, "And now, let’s begin."
Gladious’s ship approached the domain of the planet Atlantis, and his masked soldiers stood in readiness for the final war.
Meanwhile, a huge fleet emerged from planet Earth, led by Athinos, and headed toward the planet Atlantis. Athinos stood at the front of his ship and said, hatred filling his heart, "Gaia, I promised you I would return and take my revenge, and I have kept my promise. Now, wait for me."
*** ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Year 2153. New Atlantis City
Before The Fall of The City
Akira woke with a start, terrified after having the same nightmare again—his wife’s death, the loss of his two daughters. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, forced himself up, and headed to his usual cafe for a cup of tea before leaving for a mission he might not return from. Danger lurked for anyone who dared to take a single step outside of New Atlantis, humanity’s last refuge.
Akira pushed the door and stepped into the cafe, casting a wary, sidelong glance inside, listening for any change in the atmosphere. He saw some men sitting at tables on the right side of the cafe, drinking, laughing, and arguing about various topics. At the end of the cafe, the worker stood behind his counter waiting for orders while watching the news with intense focus on the TV hanging on the right wall.
Suddenly, someone jumped on Akira from behind, pinning his body. "Guess who?" the person said.
"Who else would it be, Yousef? I took every precaution coming in, and I still don’t know how you sneak up on me every time!"
Yousef let go of Akira, who turned to face him, laughing mischievously. "And you never will, my friend. It’s the secret of my trade, my one and only talent."
"Alright, alright, I give up. I don’t think I’ll ever overcome your cunning."
"Maybe you will, but you’ll need some time. Anyway, forget that. Are you ready?"
A worried look crossed Akira’s face. He looked down and said in a trembling voice, "Yeah... sort of... I don’t know what will happen to us out there. This is my first time, as you know."
Yousef put his hands on Akira’s shoulders, trying to calm him and give him some reassurance. "Don’t worry, my friend. Don’t forget, I’ll be watching your back and I’ll always protect you. Don’t worry, I won’t let any bastard lay a finger on you. And don’t forget, I’m a professional. Keep that in mind."
Akira smiled and turned to look at the cafe owner, who had been watching their conversation in silence. When the owner saw him looking, he called out in a cheerful, ringing voice, "Welcome to our hero! Should I make your usual?"
"Yes, and put three spoons of sugar in it. My blood sugar feels low this morning."
"Don’t worry, it’ll be ready in a moment."
Yousef called out in a sarcastic tone, "Did you forget about me or what, old man? I want my usual too; a cup of hot coffee."
"Your order, Mr. Yousef, your usual will be prepared. Of course I didn’t forget you, I was just a little distracted."
"Don’t worry, I’ll forgive you this time. Now, don’t keep us waiting. We have some important appointments."