Infinite Wealth System: Crazy Tasks, Insane Rewards!-Chapter 222: Real Sovereign War (II)

The staging grounds outside Dominion City stretched farther than the eye could see, layered with steel platforms, launch rails, and armored hangars arranged in precise geometric order, each one humming with restrained power as thousands upon thousands of mech units stood dormant, waiting for the command that would wake them fully.

Harper stood at the central command dais, elevated above the sea of metal giants, her figure small in comparison yet unmistakably commanding, her posture straight and unyielding as tactical projections floated around her, painting the skies with threat vectors and incoming trajectories that were no longer hypothetical.

The enemy was coming.

And this time, it was not a simulation.

She activated the open channel, her voice amplified not through speakers but through every cockpit interface, every neural link, every visor that would soon be staring into an alien sky.

"Listen to me," Harper said, her tone firm, steady, carrying the weight of authority earned through battles survived and wars studied.

"What’s approaching us is not just chaos. It is an army that believes order gives it the right to erase us. They think we will break. They think fear will scatter us before the first shot is fired."

She paused, letting her words sink in as pilots adjusted their grips and systems flared brighter in response.

"They are wrong."

A low murmur rolled through the ranks, building.

"You are not here by accident," she continued. "Every one of you trained for this moment. Every suit you stand in was forged not just from metal, but from years of preparation, sacrifice, and belief in something greater than survival. You are the shield between our people and annihilation."

Her voice hardened.

"The enemy is coming, and they will try to overwhelm us with scale and intimidation. Let them. We are not defending territory today. We are defending the future."

The response was immediate. Systems roared to full readiness. Engines hummed louder. Confidence spread like fire.

Behind Harper, Paula stood completely still.

She barely heard the speech.

Her eyes were fixed on the distant horizon, where the sky seemed unnaturally heavy, as if gravity itself had thickened. The image of Franch’s capital, Par, burned in her mind, replaying over and over again, the flattened skyline, the scorched earth, the absence where millions of lives had once existed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She had built these suits.

Every joint. Every energy conduit. Every reinforced plating layer.

If Franch had fallen that quickly, then what did that say about her work.

Her hands trembled slightly as she clenched them at her sides, her breath shallow despite her efforts to steady it.

If they fail... then it’s my fault.

The thought dug in deep, cruel and relentless.

She thought of Jayden, of the faith he had placed in her without hesitation, of the nights he had stayed up reviewing her designs not because he understood the engineering, but because he wanted to understand her. She thought of the world, of the civilians sheltering underground right now, trusting that the steel giants above them would hold.

"I can’t fail," she whispered to herself. "I can’t."

But fear did not disappear just because she demanded it to.

Harper stepped down from the dais and approached her, her expression softening the moment she saw Paula’s face.

"Hey," Harper said quietly, placing a hand on Paula’s arm. "Look at me."

Paula turned slowly.

"I know what you’re thinking," Harper continued. "I saw the Franch footage too. Anyone would be shaken by that."

Paula swallowed. "If they wiped Par out that easily, then what does that mean for us. For these suits. For everything I built."

"It means they’re dangerous," Harper replied calmly. "Not invincible."

Paula shook her head faintly. "You’re a strategist. You see angles and formations and probabilities. I see weaknesses. I see everything that could go wrong."

Harper gave a small, genuine smile. "Then we make a good team."

Paula let out a shaky breath. "What if belief isn’t enough this time."

Harper met her gaze without hesitation. "I believe in the suits. And I believe in you. And if those two things weren’t true, I wouldn’t be standing here."

Paula wanted to believe her. She really did.

But she also knew something Harper didn’t say out loud.

Winning this war would not be about formations alone. Or even courage. It would be about whether humanity’s creations could stand against something built to dominate entire civilizations.

Still, she held onto hope, fragile as it was, because the alternative was unbearable.

The first tremors hit moments later.

A deep vibration rolled through the ground beneath their feet, subtle at first, then stronger, accompanied by a low, oppressive hum that made the air itself feel charged. Sensors lit up across every display as long-range detection finally confirmed what their eyes were beginning to see.

The Sovereign Protocol airships.

They emerged from the clouds like moving continents, massive and angular, their surfaces gleaming with cold, alien light, engines emitting a sound that was less a roar and more a pressure, as if reality was being compressed around them.

Pilots tensed. Systems locked. Weapons primed.

The war was no longer approaching.

It was here.

Harper turned sharply toward Paula. "You need to go to the safe zone. Now."

Paula didn’t move.

"Paula," Harper said more firmly. "You’re not in a suit. You shouldn’t be here when this starts."

Paula lifted her chin, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. "I’m staying."

Harper blinked. "What."

"I built them," Paula said. "If they fail, I want to see it. If they don’t... I want to know I was here."

"No, Paula," Harper snapped, the edge in her voice undeniable now. "We both know it’s not safe here. Not without you in a suit."

Paula shook her head slowly. "I won’t hide while others fight using what I made. I’ll stay here and watch my work either hold... or die."

The airships loomed closer, their shadows creeping across the battlefield like an approaching night.

Harper stared at her for a long moment, then exhaled sharply.

"Great," she muttered. "Another problem."

And as the first hostile signals locked onto Dominion City’s defenses, both women knew there was no more time to argue.

The battle for Earth was about to begin.