"They did quite well," Gaia thought to herself as she finished observing the battle against the corrupted creatures. Her attention slowly shifted away from the battlefield and toward the people responsible for causing the disaster in the first place. A faint trace of anger appeared on her otherwise calm expression as she prepared to judge those who had deliberately unleashed such danger upon her world. The battle had ended, but for the ones who had orchestrated it, the real trial was only just beginning.
The truth was that Gaia could have stopped the disaster at any moment if she had truly wished to do so. With a single command, she could have prevented the secret realm from opening and spared tens of thousands of lives. Yet she had consciously chosen not to interfere, despite knowing exactly how much suffering would follow. It was not because she lacked compassion, but because she believed humanity needed to learn a lesson that would stay with them forever.
That lesson concerned the secret realms themselves. Gaia already understood the nature of humans well enough to know that many of them would eventually begin treating the secret realms as harmless tools if they repeatedly proved easy to contain. People would become overconfident, start experimenting with them, and eventually use them against one another without fully understanding the consequences. Allowing that mindset to develop would inevitably end in catastrophe.
The secret realms had only remained stable because Gaia herself had been constantly suppressing them behind the scenes. Every realm continuously filled with corrupted creatures, and there was a strict limit to how long she could delay their release. If she refused to open a realm once it reached its maximum capacity, the pressure inside would continue building until the realm itself ruptured. According to the universal laws she had inherited upon her creation, such a rupture was something the universe itself considered unacceptable.
A ruptured secret realm was far worse than one that opened naturally. Instead of releasing creatures in a controlled manner, the entire realm could collapse into reality at once, creating a disaster that might spread corruption across enormous stretches of land. Such an event would threaten not only humanity but the planet itself. Compared to that possibility, even today's battle had been a relatively small incident.
That was precisely why Gaia had allowed the current attack to play out. If humans believed they could casually weaponize secret realms against one another, sooner or later someone would trigger a far greater catastrophe that even she might struggle to contain. Better that they experience one horrifying lesson now than countless disasters later. Although painful, the lesson had the potential to save millions of lives in the future.
Even so, watching the battle had not been easy for her. Every soldier who fell defending the continent was one of her people, and every life that disappeared weighed heavily on her mind. More than once she had nearly intervened, only to stop herself at the last possible moment. She repeatedly reminded herself that if she rescued humanity every time danger appeared, people would quickly come to rely on the System instead of learning to solve their own problems.
That dependence would stunt humanity's growth. Civilizations matured through hardship, adaptation, and experience rather than constant protection. If everyone believed Gaia would always appear to save them, they would never take responsibility for preparing against future threats. It was a cruel lesson, but one she believed was ultimately necessary.
Still, allowing the battle to proceed did not mean she intended to abandon the survivors afterward. According to the statistics constantly flowing through her consciousness, approximately 87,980 soldiers had died during the fighting. Another three hundred thousand had suffered severe injuries, while countless more carried wounds that would require months or years to heal under normal circumstances. The scale of the disaster far exceeded what any medical system on Earth could reasonably handle.
Gaia quietly shook her head as she looked over the endless list of casualties. She had no desire for humanity to hate her because of the decision she had made today. The guilty would pay for every life lost and every injury suffered. Rather than burdening the innocent with the cost of recovery, she intended to claim proper compensation from those responsible for causing the tragedy.
Her judgment would therefore serve two purposes. It would punish those who had recklessly endangered the world while also showing humanity that justice still existed, even if it was delivered by a force far beyond any government. Those who had defended the world would not be abandoned, and those who had threatened it would not escape the consequences of their actions. In Gaia's mind, that balance was essential if humanity was to continue developing without losing hope.
Having reached her decision, Gaia wasted no more time. A single thought echoed throughout the System, activating mechanisms that had remained dormant since the world's transformation began. Countless streams of mana flowed together, carrying her authority across every continent, every ocean, and every inhabited corner of the planet. An instant later, a cold mechanical voice echoed across the entire world as the System itself began to speak.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed across the entire planet, instantly silencing billions of conversations as every human looked up in surprise. At the same moment, the familiar System panel floating before every person transformed into a small movie screen. The footage began playing automatically, showing every stage of the operation that had led to the disaster, from the secret preparations to the desperate defense against the endless tide of corrupted creatures. There was no narration, no dramatic music, only undeniable evidence presented without emotion.
"Humans," the emotionless voice declared. "Today, I will judge the Russian government for attempting to destroy this world, and I will reward the European Union for its brave defense of it." The voice remained perfectly calm, making the declaration even more unsettling than if it had been shouted in anger. Across the globe, people stopped whatever they were doing and stared at the screens in complete disbelief.
"The corrupted creatures are a threat to this world and to every living being that inhabits it," the System continued. "The deliberate act of releasing these creatures upon the world is therefore unforgivable." As those words echoed across the planet, the recording continued to play, revealing the planning behind the operation, the activation of the secret realm, and the horrifying battle that followed. Every viewer watched the soldiers struggle against impossible odds as thousands gave their lives to stop the creatures from reaching civilization.
"If the creatures from the secret realm had reached a populated city," the System continued, "the resulting catastrophe could have endangered the continued existence of humanity upon this world." The images shifted to simulations demonstrating what might have happened if even a fraction of the horde had broken through the defensive line. Entire cities disappeared beneath waves of corrupted monsters before the simulations finally ended. The message required no further explanation.
"For these actions, you are guilty."
The cold declaration echoed across every continent before the System continued. "Before delivering judgment, I personally questioned every individual directly involved in planning and executing this operation." The movie screen immediately shifted once more, displaying the evidence gathered from those interrogations. Every order, every discussion, every hidden meeting, and every attempt to conceal responsibility was laid bare for the entire world to witness.
"The guilty have already received judgment."
As soon as those words were spoken, the recording displayed the final moments of the officials responsible for the operation. Military leaders, intelligence officers, senior government figures, and those who had knowingly approved the plan simply vanished as the System executed its sentence. There were no lengthy trials, no appeals, and no opportunities for escape. Judgment had already been carried out before anyone even realized it was coming.
"I furthermore issue the following punishment to the Russian government."
"The next time this world expands, ten percent of the territory allocated to your nation shall instead be awarded to the European Union." The words alone were enough to leave political leaders around the globe speechless. Losing territory during the next expansion represented far more than simply surrendering land; it meant losing future resources, mana-rich regions, cities yet to exist, and generations of economic growth.
"You are additionally required to pay ten million silver coins to the European Union. Furthermore, you shall reimburse every expense incurred during the defense against the corrupted invasion."
The sheer scale of the financial punishment stunned everyone watching. Even those unfamiliar with the System economy understood that ten million silver coins represented an unimaginable fortune. Combined with the cost of replacing destroyed equipment, treating the wounded, rebuilding damaged infrastructure, and compensating the families of the fallen, the debt would become one of the largest economic penalties in modern history. Yet the System spoke the sentence as though it were nothing more than an ordinary administrative decision.
"Now, I shall announce the rewards granted to the European Union."
The contrast between punishment and reward was immediate. Moments earlier, the System had effectively erased a significant portion of Russia's leadership while imposing crushing penalties upon the nation. Now it shifted its attention toward those who had defended humanity, its mechanical voice remaining just as cold and impartial as before.
"Every individual injured while fighting the corrupted creatures shall immediately be restored."
Across countless hospitals, military field camps, and emergency shelters, miracles unfolded before stunned medical staff. Missing limbs regenerated before everyone's eyes, shattered bones reformed without leaving scars, and fatal wounds disappeared as though they had never existed. Soldiers who had resigned themselves to a lifetime of disability suddenly found themselves standing once more, while friends watching beside hospital beds broke into tears of relief.
The miracle spread across the entire European Union in mere moments. Patients who had lost both legs watched them slowly regrow, muscles, nerves, and bones reconstructing themselves beneath glowing streams of mana. Those blinded during the fighting regained their sight, while countless others felt pain they had accepted as permanent simply vanish. Doctors could do nothing except stare in amazement as the System accomplished in seconds what modern medicine could never hope to achieve.
"The European Union is further granted the right to select three Knowledge Totems."
A collective murmur spread through governments and research institutions alike. Knowledge Totems were among the most valuable rewards the System could grant, capable of accelerating scientific and magical development by decades. Receiving three of them at once represented an extraordinary reward that could permanently alter the balance of power between nations.
"In addition, the European Union is granted permission to redefine its shared border with Russia, provided the final territorial division favors the European Union by a ratio of sixty to forty."
No further explanation was necessary. Politicians immediately understood that the System itself had granted Europe the legal authority to redraw international borders. Such a decision would have been unthinkable only days earlier, yet now it had become an unquestionable decree backed by a force no nation could resist.
Finally, the System addressed the fear that had already begun spreading throughout humanity.
"For those concerned that I shall begin judging humanity on a regular basis, such concerns are unnecessary."
"I have no interest in acting as your daily judge. Humanity exists to govern itself, and I have more important responsibilities than resolving every conflict between individuals or nations. I shall intervene only when humanity becomes incapable of administering justice itself or when an individual's actions threaten the continued existence of this world."
The statement brought both relief and renewed anxiety. Relief, because the System had no intention of constantly interfering in human affairs. Anxiety, because everyone now understood exactly where the line had been drawn, and they had just witnessed what happened when someone crossed it.
With its final words spoken, the System simply disappeared.
The floating screens vanished without warning, leaving billions of people staring at empty air with mouths hanging open. For several long seconds, the world remained eerily silent as everyone struggled to process what they had just witnessed. Then, almost simultaneously, civilization erupted into absolute chaos.
News organizations interrupted every broadcast to discuss the unprecedented announcement. Governments declared national emergencies before the official transmission had even finished. Financial markets froze, military headquarters sealed themselves off, and diplomatic hotlines between nations became overwhelmed within minutes.
Russia found itself in the greatest political crisis in its modern history. A large portion of its senior military leadership had disappeared, senior intelligence officials had been executed, and the Prime Minister, along with numerous high-ranking officials connected to the operation, had been removed by the System itself. The resulting vacuum at the top of the government immediately triggered a succession crisis, leaving both the nation and the international community uncertain about who remained in command.
The economic consequences were equally devastating. Between the mandatory ten million silver coin payment, the reimbursement of Europe's military expenses, and the enormous loss of future territory during the next world expansion, economists immediately realized that the punishment would cripple Russia's long-term development. The exact numbers varied depending on their calculations, but every estimate reached the same conclusion. The System had imposed a penalty unlike anything seen in recorded history.
The reaction inside the European Union could not have been more different. Although the grief for the fallen remained fresh, countless people celebrated the knowledge that those responsible had been punished almost immediately. Many believed justice had finally been served, while others saw the rewards as recognition of the sacrifices made by their soldiers. Even so, many political leaders quietly admitted that this would not be the end of Europe's response.
Elsewhere, governments across the globe rushed into emergency meetings that lasted late into the night. Intelligence agencies replayed the System's announcement frame by frame, searching for hidden meanings or additional warnings. Military planners completely rewrote their strategic doctrines in light of the new reality. Above all else, one lesson had become painfully clear.
Within hours, legislatures around the world began drafting emergency laws requiring every known secret realm to be actively cleared whenever safely possible. No government wanted to risk allowing a realm to fill to dangerous levels after witnessing the devastation shown during the System's broadcast. The horrifying images of exhausted soldiers, endless tides of corrupted creatures, and mountains of casualties had accomplished what years of political debate never could.
Humanity had received its warning.
The age in which death could be shrugged off as temporary had already ended. Every casualty shown during the broadcast had been real, every sacrifice permanent, and every mistake irreversible. There would be no second chances anymore, and after witnessing what nearly happened to Europe, no nation on Earth intended to forget that lesson.