The glowing, ancient text of the "Rafarian" dialect hovered ominously on the main holographic screen in Captain Solari’s lab. The eerie, artificial green light of the Power Stone pulsed on the examination table, casting long, shifting shadows across the faces of the three women.
"What does that mean, Solari?" Seraphina asked, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the untranslatable third ability: The Ultimate Catalyst. "Translate the raw text."
Captain Solari Lyra frowned, her fingers flying across her holographic keyboards at a blinding speed. "I'm trying," the Head of the Science Division muttered, her usual confidence replaced by a rare flicker of frustration. "But my systems... they’re hitting a massive firewall. For some reason, I am entirely blocked from seeing the translation."
"Blocked? By what?" Queen Nia Kasumi asked, stepping closer to the terminal. "Fort Vigilance has the most advanced quantum decrypters in existence."
"I know!" Solari snapped, before taking a deep breath and stepping back from the console. Her eyes began to glow with a brilliant, digital blue light. "Fine. If the machines can't do it, I will."
"Cosmic Technomancy!"
Solari extended her hands, bridging her mind directly into the planetary and interstellar technological network. Her ability allowed her to reverse-engineer and overpower any code, system, or firewall in the universe. The lab's machinery whirred to a deafening pitch, the screens flashing through millions of algorithms a second.
But then, the screens sparked, and Solari was violently pushed back, breaking her connection with a sharp gasp.
"Nothing," Solari panted, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Even with the absolute precision and overpowering nature of my Cosmic Technomancy, it was completely futile. The encryption on that specific dialect is bound by an ancient magic that defies modern technology."
Seraphina slammed her fist on the table, the metal denting slightly beneath her heat. "So we have no idea what this stone is actually capable of?"
"Actually," Solari said, regaining her composure and looking dead at the two, "at this point, it doesn't really matter what that translates to."
Solari gestured toward the pulsating gem. "Whatever that text reads is the exact reason The Judge is coming here personally. Whatever it means, it signifies that this Power Stone is extremely important to his ultimate plan, and it needs to be heavily, heavily guarded."
Nia nodded in agreement. "We can lock it in the deepest vault. Post our most elite guards inside the room to watch it around the clock."
"No," Solari countered instantly. "Guards are a liability. If this stone has an ability capable of bring such force to us, placing ordinary guards in the same room is just giving the stone potential puppets to use against us. We need something absolute."
Solari tapped a few commands into her console, bringing up a 3D schematic of Fort Vigilance's deepest, most secure bunker. "Either one of you will need to immediately be transported alongside the Power Stone to Chamber QSC. It is the absolute most fortified chamber in all of Fort Vigilance."
"Chamber QSC?" Seraphina asked.
"It stands for Chamber Quantum Singularity Collider," Solari explained proudly. "It is powered directly by my ultimate ability. It behaves like a controllable black hole, an energy vortex that can completely isolate and crush any unauthorized entity that tries to enter. But someone of your strength must be inside to ensure the stone itself doesn't trigger a catastrophic event."
"I'll do it," Seraphina declared immediately, stepping forward. "I will protect it."
"No, Sera," Queen Nia insisted, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "You've already been through so much. You need to rest. I should be the one to stay in the chamber."
Seraphina shrugged Nia’s hand off, her crimson eyes burning with unyielding resolve. "I said I will stay, Nia. I started this by ripping this stone from Polo's hands, and I am going to finish it. I'm not backing down."
Seeing the fierce determination in her friend's eyes, Nia finally relented with a heavy sigh. "Very well."
"But before I go into lockdown," Seraphina continued, turning her intense gaze back to Nia and Solari, "we need to officially declare war on The Judge and the 6 Kingdoms. And we need to act fast. We must send a rescue team to the Main District to gather up all the fallen members from the Tournament of Power—, Lyxa, Saber, Daichi, and the rest. Since we have this stone, we can probably reverse and break the mind control they're under."
"A rescue mission into the heart of the Main District right now would be incredibly dangerous," Solari warned.
"That's why you need to get in contact with King Kael," Seraphina instructed Nia. "His strength is exactly what is worthy of being successful in a retrieval mission like this."
Nia nodded firmly. "I will contact him immediately to see how his advancements alongside Queen Lila have gone in the Azure Universe. I'll ask for his assistance."
Solari gestured to a group of her Science Mages who had just entered the lab, pushing a heavy, reinforced containment box forged entirely out of Aetherstron. The anti-magic, indestructible material gleamed under the lab lights. Using mechanical tongs, the scientists carefully placed the Power Stone inside the Aetherstron box and locked it tight.
"Good luck, Sera," Nia said softly.
Seraphina gave a sharp nod, falling into step alongside the scientists as they transported her and the Aetherstron box deep into the bowels of Fort Vigilance, heading straight for Chamber QSC.
With Seraphina secure, Queen Nia stepped out of the lab and moved swiftly through the metallic corridors, heading directly to her personal quarters. As soon as the heavy blast doors sealed behind her, she approached her private communication terminal and initiated a secure call to the capital planet of the Requiem Universe.
The holographic projector flickered to life, displaying the aged, stern face of one of the Requiem Elders.
"Queen Nia Kasumi of the Kaipo Universe," the Elder greeted formally, bowing his head slightly. "To what do we owe the honor?"
"I need to speak with King Kael immediately. It is a matter of multiversal security," Nia demanded, skipping the pleasantries.
The Elder’s expression remained stony. "I am afraid King Kael is out. He is currently absent from the capital, handling urgent matters."
Nia frowned, tapping her fingers on the console. "Then put Commander Aiden on the feed. He is the next in command, right?"
The Elder’s face grew remarkably grim, and he looked away from the visual feed for a brief moment before meeting Nia's gaze again.
"That will not be possible, Your Majesty," the Elder stated coldly. "Commander Aiden has been locked up by King Kael's direct orders."
Nia froze, her eyes widening in sheer shock. "Locked up? What are you talking about?"
"He currently stands on trial for High Treason," the Elder continued, his voice devoid of any emotion. "For the act of allying with King Arion and abandoning his humanity to become a Sentient."
"What?!" Nia gasped, gripping the edges of the console. "There must be a misunderstanding! Kael has only spoke highly of Arion! He would never act out of character like that. He would never side with Arion!"
"The evidence was brought forth by King Kael himself," the Elder replied rigidly.
"I don't care what the evidence looks like!" Nia insisted, her celestial aura flaring in her agitation. "Put Commander Aiden on the phone right now. Let me speak to him!"
"I am sorry, Your Majesty," the Elder said, his tone turning icy and definitive. "But rulers from foreign domains do not have the jurisdiction to make or interfere with judicial decisions in other universes. The affairs of the Requiem Universe will be handled internally."
"You listen to me—!" Nia started, her voice rising with furious authority.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Nia's argument was violently cut short.
The communication terminal was drowned out by the deafening, ear-piercing wail of the master alarm sirens echoing throughout her quarters. The blaring red emergency lights bathed the room in a harsh, pulsing glow.
Nia looked away from the hologram, her heart dropping into her stomach as the automated voice of the fortress's defense system rang out over the intercoms.
"WARNING. MASSIVE MAGICAL SIGNATURES DETECTED. PERIMETER BREACH IMMINENT."
Queen Nia's blood ran cold. She didn't need to check the exterior cameras to know what was happening outside the Aetherstron walls.
The Judge and the 6 Kingdoms had arrived.
ns216.73.216.9da2
and then Add to home screen.