Dream Industries’ stocks reached their lowest point in history. Of course, even at its lowest, the value was still far above most major companies. Yet for a corporation of Dream’s stature, it was an unprecedented drop.
No analyst had ever predicted such a fall. No one had imagined a day when Dream, the untouchable titan of global markets, would experience numbers this low.
And the reason was simple.
"Ah... Leo..."
Leo Deutschmann’s body had been discovered, floating along a riverside in Poland.
How he had ended up there, no one could say. Not the authorities, not Dream’s board members, not even the investigators who had been dispatched from multiple countries.
What everyone knew was that the news would send shockwaves through the company. Dream Industries had been built upon the reputation of its founders and the stability of the Deutschmann name.
With Leo’s death revealed so abruptly, the markets reacted with a ferocity that left even seasoned investors speechless.
This was the kind of event that would shake Dream Industries forever.
Two months after Leo’s death, however, something unprecedented shocked the world.
September 2149.
Despite Dream Industries’ steady collapse, the company was about to remind the world why it had stood at the top for decades, proving why Dream remained an apex among apexes.
"It’s starting."
Julius sat and watched the virtual projection as a global livestream played. On the stage was Adolf Deutschmann, speaking at a podium. The Dream Industries emblem glowed behind him.
——We all know what traditional mech suits have been. At their core, they served as suits for Revenant Knights to strengthen the body, enhance speed, and grant durability. However, they have always been limited.
The screen behind him displayed holograms of older suits. Steel frames that wrapped around the body like reinforced bodysuits. Enhanced mobility, enhanced output, but fundamentally still suits worn by a person.
Julius had worn these during the terrorist attack. Gabriel had worn them too, along with the rest of the Revenant Knights. They all knew exactly what those suits could do and, more importantly, what they could not do.
——For years, we accepted those constraints. We assumed mech suits had to be wearable, lightweight, and tied to the human body. But today... that era ends.
The lights dimmed.
A massive shadow that was slowly rotating appeared behind him. Metal plating came into view as though it were a giant unfolding itself from sleep.
It was not a suit one could wear.
It was a machine one had to enter.
A towering, fully piloted combat unit, far larger and heavier than anything Dream had shown before.
A true full-body, cockpit-operated machine built for large-scale combat.
Adolf raised his hand toward the projection.
——This is the Ares Series. A new generation of mechs that are piloted internally. Machines designed to dominate open conflict, support national defense, and provide power equivalent to entire strike teams.
The hologram shifted, showing the mech performing controlled tests.
Julius’s eyes narrowed.
——Each Ares unit is built with a dual-core mana conversion engine, capable of translating the pilot’s mental input into mechanical response with no delay. A pilot becomes the unit, and the unit becomes the battlefield.
Static flickered around the projection as the demonstration came to a close.
"...."
But Julius was not bothered by any of it. Two months ago, if things had not gone according to plan, Lukas Meinhardt would have taken both his and Klaus’s lives so easily.
The memory of that night was enough to silence any argument he might have had about morality.
As hypocritical as it seemed, this advancement was necessary.
Julius knew exactly what these new mechs were capable of. As one of Dreams’ top executives, he had witnessed this project firsthand. Moreover, he had personal experience piloting these in his previous life.
There was no mage in the modern era who could stand against them. A squad of these machines could subdue even someone like Lukas Meinhardt into a one-sided suppression.
Yes, it was hypocritical to support the creation of such overwhelming power.
However, to Julius, hypocrisy was irrelevant. As he always preached, balance was necessary.
There were things that had to persist for the sake of order. Some forces were allowed to grow, while others had to be suppressed before they could take shape.
That was the advantage of a regressor.
Julius had specifically allowed for this to happen.
And as Julius took note of the developments he remembered from the future, he realized this moment marked a decisive turning point.
[Germany enters mutual alliance with Finland after years of broken relationships.]
Germany and Finland, once close partners under NATO and the European Union during the twentieth century, had severed all ties in the mid-century after a long chain of political disputes and failed negotiations.
Yet now, after decades of estrangement, the two nations had joined hands again. The broadcast continued to list the newly renewed alliances as Julius quietly observed.
Germany’s direct coordination with France had strengthened considerably. Its cooperation with Poland had evolved far beyond simple border agreements. The Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark had also moved under Germany’s strategic umbrella.
Meanwhile, Italy resumed full diplomatic and technological partnerships after years of political instability. Even Spain and Austria had begun sharing military research and energy infrastructure.
One by one, the names appeared on Julius’s screen.
Julius leaned back, absorbing what the world was slowly coming to realize.
Germany now held absolute power across Europe.
With Dream Industries backing its technology and the Ares Series influencing military power entirely, Europe had effectively reorganized itself around a single core.
A core Julius had always known would rise.
However, this core would not last long.
With Germany’s rise in power, its downfall would naturally begin to take shape. Revolutionaries would move again, just as they had in the past. And whenever Revolutionaries moved, the Glasshearts would follow.
They slithered through the gaps like snakes, waiting for their moment to coil around Germany’s neck.
This was the point Julius feared most. A single wrong decision could plunge Europe back into chaos.
As Germany grew, it attracted more enemies, making its future increasingly fragile.
Julius knew this moment all too well.
He had lived it once already.
This was the decisive point he needed to protect at all costs. The axis of history that determined everything that would come after.
The moment he had been waiting for ever since regression.