Centered on the gravity bomb's detonation point, everything within a radius of two hundred square meters was torn from the ground and pulled into the air. An enormous sphere took shape, its volume now impossible to calculate. The sphere was far from smooth or symmetrical. It looked as if a pair of giant hands had simply crushed and rolled the debris into a ball. The ice cream monster had long since vanished, reduced to a small, indistinguishable part of that chaotic mass.
The destructive power was simply terrifying. It was nothing like a conventional explosion. When people talk about an explosion's blast radius, they mean the area affected by the shockwave. Within that area, you might be injured, or you might escape harm entirely. The true kill zone of a standard explosive is usually only a few meters across, ten at most. But this weapon guaranteed absolute death to any living creature caught inside its field.
Its power was immense, capable of indiscriminately annihilating everything in the vicinity. It could even destroy fortified military emplacements. Because of this, it demanded extreme caution in its use.
For Zoddsess, who had both comprehended and mastered the force of gravity, creating these gravity bombs was not particularly difficult. He limited their production, however. If he didn't, they would be far too terrifying a weapon to exist in large numbers.
The Dark Elves' black hole grenades operated on a similar principle, though their yield was even greater than these gravity bombs. A single one was enough to kill a Cursed Warrior outright.
"Is it dead?"
After a moment, that single question was all that crackled over the Hellfront task force's comm channel as they slowly rose to their feet.
"Should be," another voice replied. "Didn't Director Hiss say this gravity bomb creates a gravitational field strong enough to tear apart something weighing a hundred tons in an instant?"
He hadn't expected it to be this easy. The creature clearly hadn't understood the danger of the gravity bomb. It hadn't even tried to dodge. The original plan had been for the bomb to simply hold the monster in place for a few critical seconds, just long enough for a single shot from a fusion cannon to finish the job. This outcome saved them the extra ammunition.
Ten minutes later, Sword Bureau agents arrived in an armored transport vehicle. Their task was to haul the massive debris sphere back to Sword Bureau headquarters for analysis. Simultaneously, a biochemical team in full hazmat suits swept the area, checking for any sign of environmental contamination. While they had yet to encounter any monster capable of spreading a viral infection, the Sword Bureau took no chances. A moment of negligence could easily spiral into a full-blown crisis if a pathogen carrier ever did appear.
Sword Bureau Rapid Response Security forces maintained a perimeter. They were clad in black combat boots, black tactical uniforms, and wore helmets and vests manufactured by Blade Tech Industries. To guard against any potential biohazard, their faces were concealed behind what looked like gas masks. Their helmets integrated personal radio earpieces and microphones for seamless communication.
As an organization dedicated to combating monsters, their weaponry consisted of large-caliber automatic rifles loaded with overpressure ammunition. They looked fierce and ready for a fight.
"This time, the Sword Bureau has won," Zoddsess said with satisfaction. "From now on, we'll have a green light for all operational authority. No more obstacles."
The ice cream monster had served its purpose. It had delivered a crippling blow to the narcotics economy, forcing the U.S. Congress and other major powers to recognize that monsters were an enemy they could not simply overpower. With the drug trade severely disrupted by this "monster interference," those nations whose economies relied heavily on narcotics revenue would now throw their full weight behind the Sword Bureau's mission, providing vigorous support. And that support would translate directly into greater power for Zoddsess.
Monsters were an uncontrollable force of disaster. The Sword Bureau was positioning itself as the only entity capable of confronting that disaster.
Proof arrived quickly. Mere moments after the ice cream monster was neutralized, Zoddsess received calls from representatives of several nations. They expressed their eagerness to back the Sword Bureau and were even willing to open Sword Bureau bases and outposts in every major city within their own borders.
Zoddsess was not surprised. The ice cream monster's rampage had cost Afghanistan alone over three thousand tons of poppy fruit. The loss in cannabis was still being calculated. The entire global narcotics market would feel the shockwaves. Those countries that were essentially single-commodity states surviving on drug exports would likely be lining up for international aid very soon.
Then, Zoddsess made a major announcement. Blade Tech Industries was officially changing its name to the "Umbrella Corporation." The logo was also changing to the iconic red and white umbrella.
The outside world was baffled by Zoddsess Hiss's decision. Blade Tech Industries was already a global behemoth. Why rebrand now? It meant every existing contract would need to be renegotiated and re-signed. Some observers even speculated that a few parties might try to use the opportunity to claim a breach of contract and demand penalties.
While Zoddsess Hiss and his company weren't exactly hurting for money, and given his background, few would be foolish enough to try and squeeze a penalty out of him, the move was still puzzling to everyone.
What they didn't know was that Zoddsess was gazing at the familiar red and white logo with a look of deep satisfaction.
He had considered other names: SCP Corporation, Shinra Company, or perhaps the Blackwatch Corporation. But none of them felt quite as classic as this one. His Umbrella Corporation, of course, would dwarf its fictional counterpart in scale and power.
It was an international super-conglomerate with overwhelming market dominance. Its reach extended across pharmaceuticals, military weaponry, new energy development, defense industrial products, bioengineering, and nearly every other cutting-edge high-tech sector. Its influence was such that it could effectively steer the direction of certain technological advancements.
Politically and economically, it held immense weight while simultaneously maintaining a polished and favorable public image.
As for its total assets? No one really knew. When a company of this magnitude is privately held and not listed on any stock exchange, tracing Zoddsess Hiss's full portfolio was a fool's errand.
One thing was certain, however. Zoddsess had absorbed the Stavros Financial Group, a massive capital conglomerate. That acquisition alone had multiplied Blade Tech's original capital base by a factor of ten. His current financial weight was the very definition of "wealth to rival a nation."
The annual revenue of the United States government exceeded ten trillion dollars. The Umbrella Corporation's current annual revenue stood at one trillion dollars, and that figure was still climbing, shattering records with each passing quarter. And that was just revenue. It didn't account for the vast value of fixed assets, industrial holdings, or liquid capital reserves.
With the Sword Bureau now placing orders for Umbrella's War Machine units and Iron Overlord mechs, Zoddsess projected that next year's annual revenue would easily shatter the three trillion dollar mark.
Furthermore, Zoddsess and his Umbrella Corporation had received a direct order from the United States government: develop even more powerful war machines specifically designed to counter the monster threat.
The combat performance of the War Machine suits and Iron Overlords against monsters had proven vastly superior to the lumbering, inflexible tanks, helicopters, and fighter jets currently in service. This stark reality had forced most capable nations around the world to confront an uncomfortable truth: a military revolution was already knocking at the door.
Faced with the existential threat of monsters, the choice was simple. Modernize and adapt, or stand by and become obsolete.
/-\
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