CHAPTER 2453: LOOMING CATACLYSM
East Panama shook as forty-two Sages departed from the Britannian Empire. They charged towards the Kandrian Empire at a terrifying speed.
Their devastating concentration of power was not missed by the world.
It was impossible to hide it.
It was impossible to hide the convergence of so many Martial Sages and it was certainly impossible to hide their unified departure in the direction of the Kandrian Empire.
RUMBLE!!!
A calamitic amount of seismic radiation washed over all of East Panama as forty-two Sages generated a mind-numbing amount of power.
Every single power in East Panama was alerted of their collective war charge.
And nearly every single power in East Panama curled into a ball with gritted teeth and clenched fists.
Forty-two Martial Sages had been deployed from one side alone.
One side alone had deployed almost as many Martial Sages as the record for the largest number of Martial Sages to ever participate in one battle. The same one battle that had permeated earthquakes across the entirety of East Panama and had given birth to a cosmic monster that would have destroyed the entirety of Gaia. The same one battle that had caused a Martial Transcendent to act.
How devastating would a battle with close to twice as many Martial Sages be?
Nobody could fathom how horrifying this battle would be.
One by one, nations and countries announced urgent national emergencies.
Some went into martial law.
Some ceased all operations and had their Martial Artists on active patrol.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.
Others evacuated their citizens to Martial shelters.
Each and every nation learned of the apocalyptic final battle that was bound to sweep all of East Panama with calamities and catastrophes, and each and every one of them did everything in their power to withstand what was to come.
Even the Panamic Martial Federation stiffened and instated emergency protocol measures to ensure that the tectonic plate that served as the headquarters of the East Panama branch did not suffer damage from the upcoming battle that was bound to scar East Panama forever.
Each Martial Sage could effortlessly rewrite maps all by themselves; many dozens of them were bound to do irreparable harm to the Panama Continent.
This dreadful knowledge weighed down on all of them. Yet, it weighed down the most on none other than the Emperor of Harmony.
Prime Minister Edward cruelly robbed him of the opportunity to speak with his son. The very moment the latter woke up, Emperor Rael was bombarded with horrifying emergency news of the impending attacks.
What truly shocked him, however, was not that the East Panamic Treaty Alliance was mounting an attack.
No.
It was the sheer number of Martial Sages that were taking part in the attack that shook him. "How many did you say...?" A faint whisper escaped him.
"...Forty two, Your Majesty." The director of intelligence's tone was filled with dread. "We believe that it's every Sage from all constituents and allies in the East Panamic Treaty Alliance."
The atmosphere grew electric with peril.
It tingled.
It tingled at the nerves while the air boiled tumultuously at the chilling intel that the Kandrian Empire managed to pick up in time.
"That madman..." Emperor Rael gritted his teeth. "Initiate emergency Protocol A1. Gather all the Sages."
His eyes narrowed.
"We need every last one of them."
Protocol A1 was a set of protocols that the Kandrian Alliance was to adhere to. It was a protocol to be initiated if and when the Kandrian Empire was faced with an impending all-out attack from the East Panamic Treaty Alliance that it was sorely unqualified to deal with and required urgent and immediate aid. The summon went directly to the Martial Sages of the allied nations without any delay or oversight, allowing them to immediately jump to the Kandrian Empire's aid.
"Already initiated, Your Majesty. The allied Martial Sages should reach us before the attack narrowly but..." The director's words tapered off with a hint of grim severity.
He didn't have the courage to speak the unspoken.
He didn't have the courage to articulate the horrors of what was to come.
"Thirty-three Sages cannot defeat forty-two Martial Sages." Emperor Rael's tone was one of reckoning. "This reality does not bode well for the survival of our empire."
The East Panamic Treaty Alliance had always been ahead of the Kandrian Empire in terms of Martial Art count by a certain fraction. However, that fraction was not enough to obtain anything other than a devastatingly pyrrhic victory.
And yet, the intelligence clearly pointed to the several dozens of Martial Sages that were deployed with a single objective.
The destruction of the Kandrian Empire.
The very thought of it was horrifying.
"Declare a national emergency and evacuate all our citizens into shelters and bunkers according to protocol." Emperor Rael's tone was grave. "No matter what happens to the Kandrian Empire as a polity, we cannot allow harm to befall our people. I will not fail in one of the most fundamental duties that I have sworn to adhere to as Emperor."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Schedule an emergency meeting with the Britannian Prime Minister." Emperor Rael's
expression darkened. "He will accept. I must speak with him."
His fists clenched as he crushed a wave of terror washing across him.
They could not win a head-on battle.
He needed to find something.
He needed to find a solution.
He needed to find a way to win.
As he always had.
And yet, for the first time in his life, he was unable to see the light.
There wasn't enough power.
There wasn't enough time.
An apocalypse that defied his wildest predictions.
"I need to speak with him." His expression crumpled with grave turmoil. "I have to convince
him to stop. If not..."
His expression darkened even further.
RUMBLE...
The world shook as the Sages drew closer and closer by the moment.
Earthquakes spread across East Panama with the collective weight of their footsteps as they raced towards East Panama with ferocious bloodlust. All echelons of human civilization in the eastern hemisphere of the world grinded to a halt as the very final battle of all battles was to begin soon enough.