Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 235: Fated Death

The triumphant roar of a civilization that had won a war died in a fraction of a second, choked off by a power so absolute it defied comprehension. The cheers, the laughter, the very sound of life itself was instantly and completely silenced.

Just as the silver disc had appeared, it left their sight, vanishing in an instant. The midday sun blazed once more, the oppressive darkness vanishing as if it had never been.

The heavy, unimaginable pressure that had frozen every living being in place was gone. Everyone could breathe again.

But the words echoed in Adrian’s mind like a sentence of doom.

’Make amends... Total annihilation.’

For a moment, the world was silent, as everyone struggled to come to terms with the cosmic horror they had just witnessed.

They couldn’t. So, they all turned their heads to the only one who hadn’t fallen to his knees, the only one who stood as a beacon of power in their plaza.

"In the name of the Goddess... what was that?" Von demanded first. "That was no Garog. That... that was something else."

The questions came in a frantic flood from all sides of the council.

"Adrian, what did it say?"

"What was that pressure?"

"Are we under attack again?"

The questions speculated across the crowd, and as Adrian looked at their pale, terrified faces, he could see their complete and total reliance on him.

He couldn’t give them what they wanted. He was still struggling to comprehend what had just happened himself.

Adrian was going through thousands of emotions at that moment. With meticulous planning, tireless work, and sheer force of will, he had managed to avert the fate of everyone on this planet, defeating an enemy that should have been their end.

And now, at the very peak of their victory, a new, unknown, and infinitely more powerful entity had appeared, declared them guilty, and given them an impossible 24-hour deadline. He didn’t even have an option to fight back.

He took a deep breath, forcing his own rising panic down, locking it behind a mask of calm authority. He turned his head to Charles.

"We just won a war against an interstellar threat," he announced with a false confidence that he hoped was convincing. "There should be a celebration. I am declaring three days of mandatory rest and feasting for everyone."

Some of the younger ones, relieved to have an order to follow, let out a few weak cheers. But most of the population knew

They knew Adrian was avoiding the question, and that single act made them even more terrified than the silver ship had.

Charles made a motion to press him, his face filled with worry.

He stopped the moment his eyes met Adrian’s. The cold, hard look he was given was not a suggestion. It was a command. Charles abandoned his thoughts immediately and gave a curt nod.

Adrian rose a few feet into the air, his voice projecting over the entire plaza. "The battle took a toll on me. I will be getting some rest." He gave them a final, reassuring look. "Have fun. You’ve earned it."

Without another word, he flew out of sight, a blue streak heading for the sanctuary of his tower.

***

Within his personal chambers, Adrian sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. The facade of calm was gone, replaced by a cold, frantic energy. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Twenty-four hours. That was too small of a timeframe. What was even worse was that he didn’t know what he had done wrong, what "Article 394" was, or what "amends" they expected him to make.

He was completely blind, facing an enemy with the power to freeze his entire planet with a thought.

He was panicking inwardly. He turned to the only construct that he knew that could have more information over him.

"Tech Core," he said to the empty room. "What is this all about? What is the Galactic Concordat? What is Article 394? Give me information."

[...]

The System remained silent. Adrian’s face curved into a frown. "This isn’t a request," he snapped in annoyance. "I demand an answer. What am I facing?"

[...]

Nothing. After several more minutes of frustrated demands, Adrian finally gave up and fell back onto his bed. The System was silent on this matter, which was perhaps the most terrifying answer of all.

It was then that he heard a soft knock on his chamber door.

The person on the other side was a Vassal, so Adrian was immediately able to tell who it was. Nyra. He kept silent with his eyes closed, hoping she would give up and leave him to his thoughts.

But the knocking came again, more insistent this time. He could hear her threatening to blast the door down without his approval. Adrian had no doubt she would do it. He let out a long, weary sigh and conceded, signaling the door to unlock.

"What is it, Nyra?" he asked, not sitting up.

She stormed into the room, her usual energy replaced by a controlled fury.

"No," she said sharply. "I am the one who is meant to be asking you that question. You can’t just stand there, witness the arrival of a literal god-ship that froze the entire planet, and then lock yourself in your room and pretend it didn’t happen! You left us all out there, clueless and terrified. I demand to know what is going on."

"Nyra, you won’t understand," Adrian muttered with a tired voice.

"Try me," she shot back, walking closer to the bed. "I don’t need to understand everything. But what will you possibly lose by telling me? You don’t get to carry the weight of the apocalypse on your own."

Adrian didn’t want to admit it, but her words were true. What was the point in hiding it? It wouldn’t make any sense not to let them know their own fate, to know they only had 24 hours left before a judgment he couldn’t stop arrived.

There was a moment or two of heavy silence before Adrian gave up. He sat up with slumped shoulders. "Fine. Alright. I’ll tell you."

Nyra immediately went and sat down on the bed next to him, her expression shifting from anger to serious concern, as if to prevent him from backing out of his promise.

Adrian looked at her curious, worried face, and it was clear she was ready to listen. So he began to talk.

"I’m as clueless as you are when it comes to the why," he started with a low voice. "But what I do know is what was said. Apparently, we... this planet... is a ’Quarantine Sector.’ And for some reasons, we have been found guilty of violating some ’Article 394’ of a ’Galactic Concordat.’."

"Okayy," she said slowly as she processed the information.

"And," Adrian added, delivering the final blow, "if we don’t make our ’full amends’ within twenty-four hours... they will return and face us with total annihilation."

There was a brief flash of pure shock in Nyra’s eyes, but she quickly forced it down and asked the only logical question. "What amendments are we meant to make?"

"That’s the problem, Nyra," Adrian explained. "I have no clue. The message didn’t specify."

Nyra went into thought. "Have you tried contacting them?"

Adrian nodded. "I tried. But It was impossible. They didn’t leave a single trace. For a moment, they were there, and in the next, they were just... gone. If the entire planet didn’t share the same surprise as me, I would have chalked it all off to a hallucination."

Nyra processed this with a grim but calm expression. "Thank you for trusting me with this information," she said finally. "I understand why you didn’t want to tell the people. It would only cause panic."

She stood up from the bed. "I’ll leave you to your thoughts. But don’t worry too much. The goddess won’t let us die like this."

After her words, Nyra turned and left the room just as she came. Adrian watched her go and a bitter cynical scoff escaped him as he fell back onto the bed.

"The goddess," he muttered to himself. "Where was she when the Garogs were coming? Where was she when I was fighting for my life? Bullshit."

He was planning to go back into his own thoughts, to try and find some logical, impossible solution, when a brilliant, blinding white flash filled the room.

Before Adrian could even react, he felt a powerful, irresistible force envelop him. He was no longer in his room. He had been taken, against his will.