Sector 11.

The same ruined sector where Tyler first opened his eyes after arriving in this strange world.

The same place where he met Tansy and Rose.

The same place where he met their parents, and eventually encountered Old Lady Veena.

Now the entire sector had become ruins.

The Capital’s bombing had completely destroyed most of the old residential zones. Buildings had collapsed into mountains of broken concrete and twisted steel. Fires still burned in certain areas while black smoke rose endlessly into the dark sky.

But the bombing itself wasn’t the worst part.

Some sections of the underground Carbonyx mines had been blasted open during the attack.

And the Capital used that opportunity immediately.

The people of Sector 11 hadn’t been killed.

Instead—

They had been taken deeper into the mines.

Men.

Women.

Children.

Entire families were locked underground behind massive electric fences. Heavy chains restrained workers near excavation zones while armed guards patrolled constantly above them.

The people no longer looked healthy.

Dark Carbonyx growths spread visibly across their skin from prolonged exposure. Some had crystal-like black formations crawling along their arms and necks.

The Capital no longer treated Sector 11 as a residential zone.

They turned it into a living Carbonyx farm.

A giant electric barrier now surrounded the entire mining region, ensuring nobody could escape from inside.

And worst of all—

The Capital openly broadcasted everything.

Videos from Sector 11 spread throughout the entire country.

The message was obvious.

This was punishment.

Punishment for supporting the Embers.

Punishment for rebellion. Though in truth it was just targeting Tansy and Rose.

Inside the hidden waterfall base, countless members silently watched the broadcast through screens placed across cafeterias, hallways, and meeting rooms.

Nobody spoke.

The atmosphere felt suffocating.

Inside the cafeteria, Tansy and Rose stared silently at the screen.

The broadcast showed exhausted civilians dragging mining equipment while soldiers shouted orders at them.

Some of those people were neighbors they personally knew.

Some were old friends.

Some were children they used to see running through the streets back in Sector 11.

Rose slowly clenched her fists.

Tansy did the same.

Neither girl spoke, but the anger in their eyes was obvious.

Around them, many Embers members also lowered their heads quietly.

Everyone understood what the Capital was doing.

This wasn’t just about resources anymore.

It was fear.

Control.

And making an example for the rest of Libria.

Meanwhile, inside the Council meeting hall, the atmosphere had become even heavier.

This time, the Elders were physically present instead of using holographic projections.

Partly because of Tyler’s mech offer.

And partly because the situation had already escalated beyond secret remote meetings.

A massive screen at the center of the hall continued showing live footage from Sector 11.

Tyler silently watched the broadcast for several more seconds.

Then he switched off the projection completely.

The room became quiet instantly.

Tyler slowly looked around the hall.

At the Elders.

At Alan Runner.

At Old Lady Veena.

Then he finally spoke.

"Alright."

His voice remained calm, but everyone could hear the coldness beneath it.

"The Capital has already lost its humanity."

Nobody interrupted him.

"The country itself has lost its humanity."

Several elders lowered their heads slightly.

Tyler continued calmly.

"So it’s time for us to bring humanity back to this country."

Then he looked directly at everyone present.

"We start the war."

This time, nobody argued.

Nobody tried to delay the discussion.

Nobody talked about caution or patience anymore.

The footage from Sector 11 had already destroyed whatever hesitation remained.

The voting process began immediately.

One after another, the Elders cast their decisions.

Including Tyler himself—

Every single vote supported war.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Three days later, the war officially began.

Sector 15.

Unlike the ruined industrial sectors near the mines, Sector 15 looked peaceful from the outside. Small houses lined the streets, farms spread across the outskirts, and lanterns illuminated the roads quietly during the night.

But the peace was fake.

Everyone in Libria knew the truth about Sector 15.

The women born there were famous across the country for their beauty. And because of that, countless girls disappeared from the sector every year.

Some were sold to wealthy people in the Capital.

Some became servants.

Some simply vanished forever.

The one responsible for most of it was the Overseer of Sector 15 himself.

Even though he was born there, he never cared about the people. To him, Sector 15 was simply a business.

The fear had become so deeply rooted that some families secretly killed newborn daughters themselves rather than letting them grow up in that sector.

Milk Bush sap.

Pencil cactus poison.

People used such things quietly while convincing themselves it was mercy.

Tonight, the Overseer once again dragged several young girls toward his mansion.

Nobody dared resist him.

The guards following behind him carried rifles casually while laughing among themselves.

The girls walked silently with lowered heads.

One of them looked no older than sixteen.

She didn’t struggle.

Because everyone here knew what happened to families who resisted.

Parents disappeared.

Brothers got arrested.

Sometimes entire households vanished overnight.

The girl simply accepted her fate quietly while following the Overseer through the mansion entrance.

Then suddenly—

The Overseer screamed.

It wasn’t a normal scream either.

It sounded like a pig being slaughtered.

The girl flinched in shock.

The Overseer collapsed onto the floor while clutching his lower body desperately.

Blood spread rapidly beneath him.

The girl froze completely.

She didn’t understand what happened.

Then she noticed something even stranger.

Every man inside the mansion was screaming similarly.

Guards.

Servants.

Even the armed soldiers near the doors.

All of them were clutching themselves in pain.

The girl panicked immediately and ran outside.

Nobody tried stopping her.

Nobody even could.

As she stumbled out into the street, she suddenly saw giant armored figures standing throughout the sector.

Men wearing black Exosuits moved through the roads silently while drones floated above the buildings. Some soldiers carried strange rifles glowing with blue energy.

Then something enormous crashed nearby.

The girl turned around in shock.

Ariel stood in the middle of the street wearing an armored combat suit while casually lifting the Overseer’s luxury vehicle above her head.

Then she threw it directly into the mansion.

BOOM.

The building partially collapsed instantly.

The girl stared blankly at the scene.

For the first time in her life—

Someone had come to save Sector 15 instead of exploit it.

Meanwhile, far away in Sector 9, another attack had already begun.

Sector 9 was one of the Capital’s major military supply zones.

Or at least...

It used to be.

Explosions echoed throughout the sector as military warehouses burned one after another.

Hoverboards carrying Embers soldiers rapidly moved between rooftops while giant mech units blasted through defensive walls.

Several Capital soldiers tried organizing resistance near the central base.

Then a laser cannon from one of Tyler’s mech units vaporized an entire armored checkpoint instantly.

Within less than an hour, the entire military sector collapsed.

At the same time, chaos spread beneath the Capital itself.

Inside the massive underground train systems connecting different sectors, emergency alarms suddenly activated across every station.

Several trains abruptly stopped midway through departure.

Passengers immediately became confused.

"What’s happening?"

"Why did the trains stop?"

Inside the control station, officers rapidly checked the system reports while panic spread through the room.

One officer grabbed another by the shoulder.

"What’s the problem? Why aren’t the trains leaving?"

The worker looked pale.

"All railway lines leading outside the Capital have been attacked simultaneously."

"What?"

"Communication towers too. Multiple routes are completely gone."

The officer’s face turned ugly instantly.

Someone had coordinated attacks across the entire transportation system perfectly.

Meanwhile, inside the Capital Army Headquarters, the atmosphere had become extremely tense.

Reports continuously arrived one after another.

The Commander of the Army slammed documents onto the table furiously.

"What the hell is happening?!"

Officers inside the room stayed silent.

The Commander looked furious enough to kill someone.

"Why are there no warnings from our spies inside the Embers?"

One officer answered nervously.

"We believe the spies were already discovered and executed, sir."

The Commander froze slightly.

Then his expression darkened.

"That little witch..."

He remembered the reports about Rose from Captial Games immediately.

"It must be her power."

Before he could continue, another officer rushed into the room breathlessly.

"Commander!"

"What now?" the Commander snapped angrily.

"The Rebels have successfully taken over Sector 15, Sector 14, and Sector 9."

The Commander stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

He immediately walked toward the giant tactical map displayed across the room.

"How was there no early warning?"

The officer hesitated nervously.

"Speak!"

"Sir... the Rebels attacked all three sectors simultaneously."

The room became quiet.

"And they captured them within one hour."

Even the Commander became speechless for several seconds.

"What exactly are they using..."

His eyes slowly moved across the tactical map.

The captured sectors formed a rough outer ring around nearby territories.

After staring at it for a while, he finally spoke.

"They’re attacking outer sectors first."

His voice became colder.

"Then they’ll slowly move inward."

His finger pointed toward several nearby sectors.

"Their next targets will probably be Sector 10... Sector 13..."

Then his eyes stopped on another location.

"...and Sector 11."

The Commander immediately turned toward his officers.

"Send reinforcements to all three sectors immediately."

"Fighters. Jets. Heavy units. Everything."

His expression twisted with anger.

"Let’s burn these Embers out completely."