The sudden reminder of how dangerous Earth had become was a harsh lesson, but one that Theodora swore she would take to heart. After all, it could be seen by Randidly Ghosthound that the only way to truly maintain political power is to possess personal power to back it up.

But it was just all a little much at the moment, as Theodora instinctively sucked in a breath and tasted the scent of charred human flesh.

“Do you… what…” Theodora’s mind, for the second time in a minute, stuttered to a stop. Her ‘invulnerable-under-Level-70’ shriveled like a plastic cup thrown on top of the coals of a campfire as the fires on the stage grew higher and more fierce. “What’s going on?”

“Aren’t you the one being targeted? How should I know?” Alana rolled her eyes as she slowly began to spin her spear. Twenty meters away, the wooden stage that Theodora had been standing on groaned and then collapsed inward on itself.

Theodora was left rather stumped at how to respond to Alana’s question, but it seemed that Theodora Greyman’s senses finally caught up with her as she noticed some other details. Her eyes widened as she fixated on the huge, crystalline body on which Alana was riding. Its flesh was white-blue and almost translucent like its entire body was composed entirely of ice. It had huge wings that flapped lightly, spreading chilling breezes through the surrounding area.

It was only as its long, scaly neck slithered sideways to consider Theodora Greyman that she recognized it: it was the first and most dangerous of the three monsters that escaped from the Epic Dungeon.

Wivanya, the Dragon Broodmother Lvl 89

But Theodora immediately became confused. This dragon is large, but it's much smaller than the reports about the Dragon Broodmother… This is the size of a smaller plane, while the Dragon Brood Mother was said to resemble a jumbo jet. And while the sapphire eyes are the same as the reports, its body was supposed to be a dark blue grey. Yet his monster seems to be made of ice.

Plus its name...

“Only the first assistance is free,” Alana said lightly. She tapped her heels against the sides of the Dragon Broodmother and it reared up. “For the rest of this, you are on your own.”

“So you do know what’s going on,” Theodora said sharply. She took a step forward but then was forced to take several hurried steps backward as the Dragon Broodmother beat its wings and sent waves of cold air outward. Frost began to form on Theodora’s pants suit but also slowed the spread of fire along the ground surrounding the collapsed stage.

Alana gave Theodora a pitying look. Then she flexed her hand and summoned her iconic helmet and placed it upon her head. “That’s the problem with people like you and the justice you preach. You are always asking the wrong questions. The letter of the law has become too important to you. You’ve forgotten about the spirit of these things.”

“What are you talking about…?” Theodora mumbled. But she could almost sense it. There was a golden light suffusing the air around Alana that had started gathering ever since she had put on her helmet. This was a hero. A true hero. Who fought simply because she had the power and if she did not fight more people would die.

Unless this is all a setup. Theodora Greywind wavered as she watched the golden figure of Alana Donal.

Theodora sensed that some of the survivors from her team were scrambling forward to her side out of the collapsing refreshment tent next to the stage. They came with buzzing reconnaissance drones shaped like dragonflies and with normal guards who were over Level 60. But they seemed like such a flimsy shield as the bloodbeast roared again and readjusted its aim. By this point, most of the crowd had managed to escape. Aside from the corpses, President Greyman felt curiously alone.

“I’m talking about my own truth,” Alana said simply. Then she raised her spear and it burned with bright golden fire. The Dragon Broodmother she was riding raised its head and screeched. With two huge beats of its wings, it threw its body up into the sky.

“Madam President, you cannot stay here,” Theodora’s assistant Douglas whined as he gripped onto her sleeve and extinguished a few floating embers that had landed on her. The surrounding six guards nervously eyed the monster at the other end of the green as it ponderously moved. “The Orchard’s defense forces are responding, but- considering the size of the thing-”

Another blast of white light shot out of the bloodbeast’s arm directly toward President Greyman’s position. It seemed it had been serious when it had said she would die today. This time, her mind immediately recognized the danger as that terrible light surged toward them. With a vice grip on Douglas’ wrist, she hurried back toward the nearest sidestreet as quickly as she could go without seeming like she was fleeing in a panic.

As the group sluggishly surged to follow her, Theodora’s eyes caught on human-shaped hunks of charcoal that covered the smoldering green around the stage. How many died in that initial attack? I wonder, is this a message? Forcing us to experience what it is like to receive a blast from Mjolnir? But who-

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A huge roar made Theodora twist and glance over her shoulder. Above her head, the Dragon Broodmother opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of frost that smashed into the white beam the bloodbeast unleashed. However, it was immediately clear that the Dragon Broodmother could only deflect the blast from the bloodbeast, it couldn’t overpower it. And that white light fractured into shards that positively shredded the surrounding area. So the President of Zone 1 had to cast aside her image and leap to the side, still dragging Douglas behind her.

Not that he’s irreplaceable, but finding someone so discreet and detail-oriented isn’t easy either…

The thinner blasts of heat scythed behind them, ripping away the ground and sending the duo sprawling. As Theodora regained her balance, she saw that only two of her guard detail were now staggering groggily to their feet. A deep trench of fire had been burned into the location that they were previously standing. Another portion of that terrible white light had been deflected into the surrounding houses and transformed them into squat torches.

“My leg!” Douglas squealed, looking down at the blackened bone of his ankle that was sticking out from the charred and oozing burns around his knee. “My-”

“Now is not the time, Douglas,” Theodora slapped him across the face, shocking him into silence. Her hand tingled from the sensation of hitting him as her heart pounded in yr chest. “As long as you are alive, it can regrow. Now let’s move. I don’t care if it hurts, I’m not carrying you.”

Above them, Alana raised her spear and threw a javelin of golden fire toward the bloodbeast before it could change its aim and charge up another blast. To Theodora’s disappointment, the golden fire was almost immediately extinguished as it crashed into the bloodbeast’s shoulder, although the monster dig stagger backward and roar.

Despite the fact she knew it was a mistake, Theodora couldn’t help but slow as she tried to understand the fight. The bloodbeast’s eyes began to darken ominously as the bloodbeast’s focus switched to the gliding figure of Alana. “Do not interfere. The Red Revival cannot be stopped. Why do you fools wish to save this sick world…?”

Immediately, Theodora’s ears sharpened. Despite the fact that Douglas was tugging nervously on her arm, she ceased jogging toward the edges of the Orchard and focused on the words rumbling above them. Red Revival? Where have I heard this term before…?

However, Alana didn’t respond to the bloodbeast’s words. True to her reputation as a no-nonsense warrior, Alana simply summoned more golden fire around her body. The wings on her helmet seemed to grow longer and more resplendent as the Dragon Broodmother carried her forward toward the bloodbeast.

“Madam President! We cannot delay!” Douglas screamed and Theodora could only grit her teeth and turn away from the battle. The remaining four individuals avoided the growing flames around the stage and followed her West. It galled Theodora to no end that she was supposed to be the most politically powerful individual on New Earth yet she was completely powerless and confused by the confrontation.

Yet she could only lower her head as the whole neighborhood to her left began to go up in flames. Certainly, not an auspicious arrival in the Orchard.

A oft-imagined emerald-eyed silhouette appeared in Theodora’s mind’s eye as they finally escape from the green and made it to the sidestreets. Envy swirled poisonously in her heart, whispering words of weakness. What other secrets have you hidden from us, Randidly Ghosthound? If you would just work with me-

“No! Wait!” Douglas’ voice once more dragged Theodora’s attention back to the task at hand. The duo were sprinting along a cobblestone road toward one of the Orchard’s outer security checkpoints. Already, the smell of smoke had become so heavy in the air that the fire’s from the bloodbeast’s attack must have already spread to this point.

Perhaps that was why the Orchard’s security personal were activating its enormous defensive array right in front of them. Most of Zone 1’s scientists were completely mystified by the array; it was invented by one of the youngsters that Senator Firefly had recruited with his Lottery. So as the President and her party rushed forward, hexagonal scales of energy were slowly forming down through the air, accelerating like a garage door about to fall shut.

Quickly predicting the outcome, Theodora Greyman slowed; they would not make it in time. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and considered the individuals activating the ritual circle for the array here. After all, they must have seen their party coming.

Three women and three men stood in a small circle with their heads down, all their concentration going into the activation for the array. But the captain was a grey-haired woman that clearly say President Greyman coming and recognizing who she was. The weakness of the array was that it was incredibly resource-intensive to maintain and took a good ten seconds to activate.

Seemingly without a care for the prestige of a member of the presidential entourage, Douglas hobbled forward using the exposed bone of his ankle and pounded his fist against the Orchard’s defensive array that settled into place in front of him. “Quick! Open up! Your foolishness had left Madam President in grave danger! Open up the array immediately.”

The grey-haired captain looked at Theodora and then pressed her eyes shut. “I have my orders, ma’am. I apologize-”

“Who would dare order the door to be shut on me? You should have had time to see me coming.” Theodora Greyman said coldly. But as the captain continued to look toward the ground, Theodora certainly didn’t expect someone else to answer.

“Me. And I reckon’ from your attitude that it was the right decision.”

President Greyman tried to keep her expression neutral as she spared a sidelong look for a man leaning casually in the shadow of a building nearby. When he saw her gaze, he tipped her hat to her. The growing fire made his shadow dance strangely on the wall behind him. Despite the situation, his expression as he scrutinized her was completely calm

Recognizing the man, Theodora felt a headache brewing. Seemed like some of the conspicuous low-key individuals from the past few years were now crawling out of the woodwork and making themselves known. “...Hank Howard. I hadn’t realized-”

But the rest of Theodora’s words were drowned out as a blast of white light smashed into the hexagonal barrier above them and liquid fire seemed to rain down over the group.