Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday-Chapter 265: The Unseen War Begins

The world changed overnight.

What had once been a silent, slow collapse of civilization through infected outbreaks and natural disasters became a full-fledged nightmare the moment monsters from beyond the Veil appeared.

Even before Grace could have make up her mind whether she was going after the monster Rune had noticed, or to close the cracks, the system was already announcing appearances of new cracks and the monsters it started noticing.

And while Earth was no stranger to disasters, as in recent years all kinds of natural disasters had tested the resilience of its people, the appearance of these monster beasts was different.

The first monster appearance was noticed in Country K where it tore through a city like a storm of living nightmares.

It was a colossal, winged creature that emerged from a tear in the Veil. Its body was covered in obsidian-black scales that absorbed the shadows. It had no eyes, only a gaping maw lined with rows of jagged teeth, somewhat similar to the monster Grace and her men took down just days ago.

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But unlike the previous one’s shriek which only caused shivers to run down people’s spines, this one was so loud that its shriek caused glass windows to shatter for miles.

Country K’s military was quick in taking action against the new threat. They tried taking down the monster from ground, but considering it could fly, they soon realized that they needed to change their plan.

Within an hour, jets soared into the sky, unleashing missiles and heavy artillery. But the creature barely flinched. Its wings sliced through the air, creating razor-sharp winds that cut through entire buildings.

In anger, it attacked another city, taking it down within minutes while the military and the government struggled to kill it.

The streets ran red with blood as the monster feasted. No one had expected this. No one had prepared for this.

By the time next morning arrived, several of the villages, towns, and cities were gone under the attacks of the monster and the military’s attempts of killing it.

All this was so terrifying, that even the infected and the Shadow Beasts had fled to hide, and the ones that failed to... became the monster’s meal.

Within next couple of days, similar reports flooded in from around the world as six such other monsters also suddenly appeared out of nowhere, causing chaos everywhere they went.

Some resembled gigantic beasts - mutated wolves, serpentine horrors, and winged abominations. Others looked eerily humanoid, with elongated limbs, hollow faces, and an unnatural hunger for flesh.

And then there were the worst ones - the ones that could think.

Governments all around the world was scrambling to respond, to take down the monsters that turned out to be impossible to kill.

World leaders, who once thought they had found their way through the new world of apocalypse, were anxious. The World Nation declared a global state of emergency, but communication between countries was already crumbling. Military forces engaged, but conventional weapons barely slowed the creatures down.

The world had thought the infected were the biggest threat after the natural disasters, but they all now realized just how wrong they were.

- - -

Back in Greenstone ~

"What are you planning to do?" Davian asked the moment he stepped inside the apartment.

Grace didn’t answer immediately and just focused on finishing the juice that was left in her glass. But her silence wasn’t what the man was looking for.

"Grace."

His voice was calm, but his eyes didn’t hide the tsunami that was brewing within him.

Putting down the glass, she turned to face the man and folded her arms across her chest. "Exactly what we need to do if we want to survive this." She was calm despite the situation.

"And you think putting yourself out there to stop those monsters and healing the Veil is what we need to survive? That’s stupid, Grace, and you know it too. How are you planning to do that?" Davian didn’t sound the least bit pleased with her response.

Letting out a small sigh, Grace walked toward him and took hold of his arm, pulling him toward the living area. And while he was clearly not pleased with her at the moment, he still followed her and settled down on the couch.

Davian’s jaw tightened as he watched her settle beside him. He wasn’t one to panic easily, but the sheer insanity of her plan had him gripping the armrest of the couch.

"You can’t be serious," he muttered, shaking his head. "You want to use Level Eight Green Spirit Stones just to delay the inevitable? You do realize how rare those stones are, right? You have worked so hard for so long to create those Stones."

Grace met his gaze steadily. "I know."

"Then you also know that once you use them, once they are gone, you will need to start from every scratch."

"That’s assuming we even survive long enough for that to happen," she countered in a firm voice. "You saw what a single one of those things did to Country K. It wiped entire cities off the map overnight, Davian. And these monsters are just the first wave. Do you think we have the luxury to sit back and wait until we are better prepared?"

Davian exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his silky silver hair. He had been growing them, and they were now almost shoulder-length. But it was no time for her to appreciate just how good his hair looked, or how well those long locks suited him.

"Damn it, Grace. We don’t even know if this will work."

She nodded. "We don’t. But it’s the best option we have. Right now, those cracks in the Veil are like an open wound. More monsters are coming through every day. If I can close them, even temporarily, it’ll buy us time."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Time for what?" He wanted to know her full plan.

"For us to prepare." Her voice dropped lower. "In our last life, the first wave of monsters that arrived were all grounded - land-based creatures. The world suffered, but we had time to adapt, to find ways to fight them. This time…" She paused, exhaling slowly. "We have already seen two winged monsters, Davian. That’s not supposed to happen. No one is ready for them. Not the military, not the hunters, not us."

His brows furrowed, but he didn’t interrupt. In their previous lives, not a single winged monster made it to Earth even five years into the apocalypse. But things were once again different in this time line.

"If we can seal the cracks, even for a short while, the world will have a chance to regroup. The people who survive this… they won’t just forget. They’ll be afraid." Her eyes gleamed with intensity.

"That fear will drive them to prepare. To build weapons, to train soldiers, to study these creatures, because now they know what’s out there."

He exhaled slowly, leaning back against the couch. "You are gambling everything on the idea that people will take this seriously."

"They will," Grace said without hesitation. "They did so in the previous timeline. They have no choice."

He scoffed. "And what about you? Even if you do manage to seal the cracks, you might end up making yourself a target. If you got noticed, the World Nation will come after you. The remaining underground factions will come after you. Hell, even the people you’re trying to help might turn on you once they realize how much power you have."

She shrugged. "That’s nothing new."

Davian clenched his fists. "Grace."

She sighed, softer this time. "I get it, Davian. I do. But this isn’t about me. It’s about making sure we don’t end up in a world where we have nothing left to fight for. Right now, the military’s struggling to even slow these things down. People are dying by the millions."

He stared at her, frustration and concern warring in his dark eyes. "You are asking me to accept that you are going to take the risk of revealing your identity, something we have been doing our best to keep hidden for years. A maybe."

"It’s the only choice I can live with," she admitted.

Silence stretched between them.

After a long moment, he exhaled sharply and stood up. "Damn it." He ran a hand down his face before pinning her with a glare. "You are driving me crazy."

"You don’t have to be a part of this. You know that you always have the choice to separate-"

Before she could have finished her words, she found herself pinned against the couch while Davian hovered overbher with a deadly glare.

"This is the first and last time I’m allowing you to say something this ridiculous." His voice was so deep that it sent shivers running down her spine. "You know that my anxiety and worry is all because of you and for you... not for myself or anyone else."

She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but she didn’t get the chance as he inched closer to add - "I have made it pretty clear from day one, Grace. I don’t give a damn about this world or any other human out there. For me, no one and nothing matters more than you."

And it was set, he was going to help her... like he always had.