"Calm down! Panicking like that—what kind of example is that?"
Even though the soldier's first words immediately gave him a bad feeling, as the leader, Cabuno knew he couldn't lose his composure. Otherwise, how could he lead his troops?
"Go on. What is it?" Cabuno, still wearing the aged face of the U.S. president, raised an eyebrow calmly.
"General... on the surface... someone's here... Someone from Infinity Corporation!" The soldier swallowed nervously and delivered the news.
The moment he said it, the room erupted in murmurs.
"What?! Someone from Infinity Corporation?! How did they find this place?!"
"Damn it. Do they know about our plan?"
"Impossible! The Barton race's disguise ability is one of the most mysterious and advanced in the universe. There's no way they saw through it!"
The Bartons were visibly tense, speculating about why Infinity Corporation had shown up. The general's heart sank—his bad feeling only grew stronger.
"Don't panic. Have faith in our disguises." Cabuno steadied his men. "Remember—right now, we are the leaders of these Earth nations."
His words quickly calmed the others. They nodded in agreement. In their eyes, their race's unique shapeshifting ability was unparalleled. Even in the wider universe, few alien species could see through it, let alone a remote, underdeveloped civilization like Earth.
As long as they maintained their disguises, there was nothing Infinity Corporation could do to them. And since they couldn't see through the ruse, even Infinity wouldn't dare lay a hand on the leaders of sovereign nations. With that layer of protection, Cabuno's worries quickly faded.
"Let's go, everyone. Let's go meet this guest from Infinity Corporation." Seeing his men had calmed down, Cabuno decided to go and confront the newcomer.
The others agreed. Some stayed behind to clean up the scene, while the rest followed him back to the surface. But the moment they rode the vertical elevator up, a thick stench of blood hit their noses. The Bartons immediately tensed up.
They stepped out of the building onto the base's tarmac—and were met with a horrifying sight.
Dozens of dead soldiers lay strewn across the ground. Fresh blood still poured from their bodies, seeping into the dirt and sand, forming dark crimson streams that snaked across the ground. The armor on each body had been torn open by some kind of sharp weapon, leaving deep gashes across their chests.
Cabuno and his comrades stared at the scene, shocked and enraged. Following the trail of bodies, their eyes landed on a single figure standing amid the carnage.
"Who... who are you?! Why did you attack them?! Are you declaring war on the United States?!" Cabuno shouted angrily, still playing the part of the U.S. president. He had to wave the American flag.
The figure heard his furious accusation and slowly turned around.
Click, click, click...
The sound of measured footsteps echoed as the figure walked toward them.
The Bartons disguised as bodyguards quickly moved to shield Cabuno, drawing their guns and aiming at the approaching figure.
"Declaring war? I think that's a bit of an overstatement, Mr. President. No—I should say... Barton." A clear female voice came from the figure.
As her voice faded, her appearance came into view. She was a young woman—not very old—with a delicate, striking face. Her rare, shining orange hair was adorned with two cat-ear-like devices. Her body was covered in sleek blue-and-white armor, concealing every inch of her skin.
In one hand, she held a blue energy blade. Behind her floated a wheel-like device, roughly matching her height. Two large armor plates hung from her waist like skirt guards. She walked toward the Bartons like a valiant valkyrie.
No matter how beautiful she was, the aliens had no time to admire her.
"Wh-What did you say? Barton? What are you talking about? You're from Infinity Corporation, aren't you? Why did you kill American soldiers? You need to give us a reasonable explanation! Otherwise, the United States will demand justice from Infinity Corporation!" Cabuno, still disguised as the U.S. leader, forced himself to stay calm and expressed his outrage.
"Yeah! Just because you're a magician from Infinity Corporation, you can kill anyone you want? What about the law?!"
"Oh my god! Are all Infinity magicians demons who treat human life like dirt? We'll never work with Infinity again!"
"We're taking this to international court!"
The others chimed in, using threats to pressure her. But she wasn't buying any of it.
The young woman scrunched her face in disgust and looked at them. "You're pretty good actors. Too bad we've already seen through your disguises. If you're still in denial, I'll make you face the truth."
With that, the cat ears on her head began to glow. Countless tiny particles of energy scattered into the air. In an instant, the entire area was filled with these particles, surrounding everyone.
"Lancelot. Mana field, deploy," she chanted coldly, and her armor lit up. "Time to show your true forms."
The moment she finished speaking, every Barton in the area lost their shapeshifting ability. One by one, they reverted to their original alien forms.
"Disgusting." She wrinkled her nose at their red-skinned, hideous faces.
The Bartons, however, were horrified. They never expected their disguises to be broken so easily.
"So this is what Infinity Corporation's Display Device can do?! It broke through our proudest ability!"
"Such a shame. Our plan was so close." Cabuno, the leader, wore an expression of regret.
Now that they were exposed, their plan had reached its end.
"Human woman... may I know your name?" Cabuno looked at her seriously, while secretly reaching behind him to pull a button device from a hidden pocket.
"Artemisia Bell Ashcroft." The armored woman answered calmly, her voice unhurried as she continued walking toward him.
Watching her approach, the Barton general quietly took a few steps back, a sinister smile creeping across his face.