"ROAR!!!"
A terrifying roar echoed across the state of Nevada, and in the next instant, an enormous figure shot into the sky.
Its massive metal-cast body gleamed under the sunlight.
In a flash, orange energy surged throughout its entire body. The power reactor in its chest let out a thunderous hum, and terrifying energy fluctuations spread outward.
High in the sky, the Celestial Dragon God finally revealed its full form.
A colossal body, comparable to an entire city, stretched across the heavens, displaying its awe-inspiring presence.
"This is my greatest masterpiece!! I truly have no regrets in this life!!!"
Samuel had fallen into unprecedented madness, spittle flying as he raved.
"Aaaah!!!"
Boom!
With a deafening sonic burst, the Celestial Dragon God, piloted by the Super Body, shot upward. Its target was obvious. the Highriders' Crystal Palace!
...
"Report! Alignment complete. Ready for deployment!"
"Good! Deploy immediately. No need to wait any longer!!"
Bang!
The moment the button was slammed down, the orbital launcher at the lunar base fired out massive metal rods one after another.
The satellites controlled by the Super Body immediately detected the movement.
Seeing this, the Celestial Dragon God, still within the atmosphere, adjusted its posture. In an instant, countless scale-like compartments across its body opened. In the next moment, swarms of warships burst out.
At the same time, the Sovereign-class Fighters launched, transforming into streaks of orange light that circled around the Celestial Dragon God.
Some of the warships charged toward the European Space Agency and Highriders fleets in space.
Others sped toward the incoming space debris, tasked with intercepting it.
After closing the compartments, the Celestial Dragon God continued its ascent into space. Its target now included those motherships.
...
"What kind of monster is that?!"
"That thing... it's almost the size of a city! Is this some kind of joke?!"
Meanwhile, Opus, Berlitz, and the other high-ranking officials from the European Space Agency and the Highriders remained grim and silent, waiting for the final outcome.
PROJECT had always delivered unexpected surprises.
Now... they had a very bad feeling.
Soon, the Celestial Dragon God entered space.
Without hesitation, it charged straight toward the motherships.
The European Space Agency and Highriders immediately dispatched warships to intercept it, but every attack struck the Celestial Dragon God's Energy Shield without causing even the slightest ripple.
At once, the Sovereign-class Fighters, empowered by the Celestial Dragon God's shared energy, transformed into razor-sharp blades, slicing apart every approaching warship.
Just as one warship managed to break through the defense line and prepared for a suicide attack,
a massive hand suddenly reached out and clenched.
Boom!
Though no sound could travel through space, everyone watching felt as if the explosion thundered in their minds.
The Celestial Dragon God twisted its body, and a terrifying yellow energy sphere condensed in its hand.
Alarms blared across every warship.
In the next instant, the sphere shot toward one of the motherships.
Blinding yellow light engulfed everything in its path, instantly clearing a vast region of space.
But it did not stop there.
The Celestial Dragon God slowly opened its massive jaws.
Then, an even more terrifying surge of energy gathered, far surpassing the previous sphere. Before the European Space Agency and Highriders could react, a beam of yellow energy erupted.
Everything in its path was instantly annihilated. Explosions of light illuminated the surrounding space, and the blinding white glare forced tears from the eyes of the observing officials.
But compared to the pain in their eyes, the despair in their hearts was far worse. It was not just pain. it was utter devastation.
The Celestial Dragon God slowly closed its jaws, then flew across the empty expanse of space, heading straight for the Crystal Palace.
The warships that had been relentlessly attacking other PROJECT vessels all came to a halt.
They knew resistance was now meaningless.
Some commanders made the pragmatic choice to reconnect to the network and silently surrender.
At this point, reconnecting was no different from surrendering.
Meanwhile, the source code virus seeds planted within the Crystal Palace activated, rapidly taking control of large sections and opening the hatches to welcome PROJECT's arrival.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we meet again."
Not long after, the Crystal Palace, now reconnected to the network, received a communication from Roland Vimers.
Berlitz, Logan Doyle, Opus, and the others remained unusually calm upon hearing his voice.
"Roland Vimers, you've won this battle. But I wonder. you who led us to our downfall through artificial intelligence, will you one day be devoured by it as well?"
"That is not something you need to concern yourself with."
Roland smiled faintly.
"Encryptus, step forward. I appreciate your help. without you, entering the Crystal Palace would not have been so easy."
"You flatter me."
Encryptus rose calmly and walked to V's side.
Yes, the Celestial Dragon God had brought the entire PROJECT team along.
"Encryptus!"
The Highriders glared at him with fury.
"Don't look at me like that. I simply made the choice that best serves humanity. With this new technology, humanity is destined to enter a new era. The current situation only proves I was right."
Encryptus remained completely composed.
"Also, your core seeds have already been retrieved, so there's no point holding onto false hope." Now... the entire world is under my control."
Roland smiled as he spoke, then slowly clenched his fist.
...
"Now that the entire world is under your control, what are your plans next?"
Lissandra and the Super Body looked at Roland as they asked.
"I have recreated the glory of PROJECT in another world, but I will never be satisfied with that, and neither will humanity. Our journey lies in the vast sea of stars. In the time ahead, I will need your help."
Roland smiled and looked up at the sky.
"But before that, use PROJECT's technology to restore this planet's ecosystem. Otherwise, it won't last much longer. There is still much to be done, and I will be giving you plenty of instructions."
"As you command."
"Come to think of it... did I forget something..."
Roland rubbed his chin, then remembered Saul leaving earlier.
"Oh, right. The population lost in the war can make room for the Nomads to enter the city!"
...
Yorinobu Arasaka sat at his desk, buried in paperwork. Yet he did not complain much.
It turned out that allowing PROJECT to take control had been a good decision. at least far better than the previous corporations.
Improved public safety, better working conditions, environmental recovery, and the integration of the Nomads. these were all things those corporations had failed to achieve.
At the very least, his current work aligned more closely with his ideals. Though he had not fully achieved his goals, things were already much better than before.
...
"Heh, this world really is quite something..."
A beautiful white-haired woman stepped out of an alley. She wore medieval clothing, carried a longsword on her back, and had a scar over her left eye.
"Whoa, what kind of outfit is that?"
V, who was wandering the streets, happened to run into her and chuckled as she teased her.
The woman blinked, then looked V up and down. Seeing V's fully evolved form, her eyes lit up instantly.
Exactly her type.
"My name is Ciri! And you?"
V paused for a moment, then smiled.
"My name is V. Nice to meet you, Ciri."
V extended her hand in greeting.
But after they shook hands, V's expression turned strange.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like... the other woman had just scratched her palm?
Meanwhile, Roland, having received a message from the Super Body, spat out his coffee.
Facing Rebecca's resentful gaze, Roland gave an awkward smile. After apologizing, he quickly confirmed the message.
When he saw that all-too-familiar face, Roland fell into deep thought.
Perhaps... it was time to adjust his next objective.