The moment the Embers entered the Capital, warning alarms began ringing throughout the lower districts.

Robot police units stationed near the underground transport zones quickly detected unauthorized military movement and rushed toward the intruders.

"Stop. Please show your identification before entering the city."

One of the robot officers raised its mechanical arm toward the approaching hoverboards.

A second later, an electric round pierced straight through its head.

BOOM.

The machine exploded apart and crashed into a nearby wall.

The other robot units didn’t even have enough time to react properly before Ember combatants flew past them at high speed. Soldiers wearing black exosuits moved through the streets using military hoverboards while drones and police machines were destroyed one after another.

Broken metal parts scattered across the roads.

Several holographic advertisement pillars shattered after getting hit by stray attacks while sparks continuously flashed through the lower streets.

The civilians nearby panicked immediately.

Even during lockdown, ordinary people inside the Capital still lived almost normal lives. They simply weren’t allowed to leave the floating city.

Nobody expected an actual army to suddenly appear inside the Capital itself.

Restaurants emptied instantly as people ran into the streets in confusion. Vehicles crashed while trying to turn around crowded roads. Some people froze after looking up and seeing giant mechs flying between the skyscrapers above them.

The Capital had always looked untouchable to its citizens.

Safe.

Protected.

Far away from the suffering happening in the outer sectors.

But now the war had entered the city itself. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Despite the chaos, the Embers completely ignored the civilians around them.

They didn’t attack random people.

They didn’t rob stores or destroy residential areas without reason.

Every Ember combatant moved with a clear objective.

Advance deeper into the Capital.

Several civilians hiding behind overturned vehicles slowly realized something strange.

The Rebels weren’t interested in them at all.

The Embers continued moving through the city streets while targeting drones, robot police, and communication towers.

At the center of the advancing force, Tyler’s giant mech walked forward carrying the massive glowing spear on its back while Tansy and Rose’s mechs followed nearby.

Their target was already decided before the operation even began.

The First Citizen.

At the same time the Embers entered the Capital, the nuclear strikes had already begun outside.

Large holographic billboards across the streets suddenly switched into emergency news broadcasts.

Mushroom clouds rose into the skies on every screen.

"The terrorist-controlled sectors have been eliminated under the orders of the First Citizen—"

Several Embers soldiers slowed down briefly after seeing the broadcasts.

Then many of them laughed.

One combatant flying beside Tyler’s mech shook his head.

"As expected from Captain Tyler."

"He predicted they would nuke the sectors without even caring about the civilians living there."

Another Ember soldier grinned proudly.

"They already bombed empty land."

"For this mission, Captain Tyler evacuated everyone from those sectors days ago."

Not just people.

Even animals had been moved secretly through underground routes before the nuclear strikes happened.

The Capital believed it destroyed the Embers completely.

Meanwhile, the actual Ember army was already marching through the Capital itself.

Inside Capital Headquarters, chaos spread rapidly.

"How the hell did they enter the city?!"

The Commander slammed both hands against the table furiously.

"Who opened the gates?"

Officers quickly replayed surveillance footage captured from the lower maintenance sectors beneath the Capital.

Soon, Shasha appeared on the screen.

The footage showed her arriving at the checkpoint and ordering the gates to open personally.

The Commander narrowed his eyes immediately.

"Pause."

The image froze.

"Zoom into her eyes."

The operators enlarged the footage carefully.

Faint pink heart-shaped reflections could be seen deep inside Shasha’s silver eyes.

The Commander immediately understood.

"Those witches..."

His voice sounded filled with frustration.

He bit his own tongue unconsciously while clenching his jaw, and blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.

One officer nearby spoke nervously.

"Commander, should we deploy the outer army back into the Capital?"

"Yes!" the Commander shouted immediately. "Recall every available unit now!"

Several operators hurriedly contacted nearby sectors.

But moments later, their expressions became ugly.

"S-Sir..."

"What now?"

"The gates beneath the Capital have already been sealed from outside."

Another operator quickly added,

"The Rebels captured the underground railway systems completely. We can’t reopen the lower routes remotely without maintenance crews physically reaching the systems."

"They also closed the gates and destroyed the controls."

The Commander stared at the tactical display silently for several seconds.

The Capital had trapped itself.

Most of its heavy military force was still stationed outside across different sectors waiting for attacks that never came.

Meanwhile, the Embers were already moving deeper into the Capital.

Inside Headquarters, the Commander forced himself to calm down and immediately began issuing orders.

"Deploy every available unit still inside the city."

"Mobilize the police force too."

"Activate all robot divisions and internal mech squads."

The officers hurriedly relayed the commands across the Capital’s internal network.

The Commander looked toward the tactical map again. Red warning marks were already spreading across multiple districts where Ember combatants had appeared.

His expression darkened further.

"Kill every Rebel you see."

A few seconds later, emergency sirens began ringing throughout the entire Capital.

The peaceful atmosphere of the floating city disappeared instantly.

Warning broadcasts echoed from speakers installed across streets, stations, shopping centers, and residential towers.

"Emergency military situation detected."

"All civilians are ordered to proceed toward designated safety shelters immediately."

"Repeat. Proceed toward emergency shelters immediately."

People started running in panic.

Some abandoned vehicles in the middle of roads and rushed toward underground shelters. Others locked themselves inside buildings after hearing explosions echoing from nearby districts.

Meanwhile, the fighting near the city square had already intensified.

Groups of robot police units flooded into the streets in organized formations while combat drones filled the skies above the buildings. Their red scanners continuously searched for targets while mechanical voices repeated evacuation orders.

Several military mechs also arrived from nearby barracks and immediately opened fire toward the advancing Embers.

Laser rounds and missiles streaked through the streets, destroying holographic billboards and shattering glass towers nearby.

Tyler’s giant mech stepped forward through the smoke while carrying the massive spear mounted with the glowing Carbonyx crystal.

Blue energy slowly gathered around the weapon.

The nearby Ember soldiers quickly moved aside after noticing the charging spear. They already knew what happened whenever Tyler used that thing.

But before Tyler could even attack—

Several giant arrows flew across the battlefield from above.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The electric arrows pierced directly through groups of robot police before exploding in bursts of blue lightning. Entire drone formations lost control and crashed into nearby buildings.

Tyler looked upward immediately.

Tansy’s mech floated high above the streets with its giant mechanical bow fully drawn again.

The electricity surrounding the bow illuminated the nearby buildings every time she fired.

Another arrow shot downward and pierced through a military mech attempting to flank the Ember forces.

The mech exploded before Tyler even reached it.

Inside the control sphere, Tyler’s mouth twitched slightly.

"Seriously..."

Meanwhile, the rest of the Ember combatants spread rapidly across the city square using military hoverboards.

They flew between buildings while exchanging fire with drones and robot units. Electric rifles flashed repeatedly through the streets while destroyed machines crashed onto the roads below.

Some combatants moved toward communication towers.

Others targeted surveillance systems and automated defenses.

They clearly came prepared.

Then Rose arrived.

Her mech entered the battlefield carrying a giant shield almost as large as a building wall.

At first, several Capital soldiers thought it was simply a defensive unit.

Then the shield activated.

A strange magnetic force spread across the surrounding streets instantly.

Broken drones, metal debris, abandoned vehicles, robot parts, and even loose weapons suddenly began flying toward the shield uncontrollably.

Several robot police units lost balance immediately as armor plates and weapon components were ripped directly from their bodies.

One military mech tried stabilizing itself before its own rifle suddenly tore free from its hands and slammed against Rose’s shield.

Rose laughed loudly through the communication channels.

"This thing is fun."

Tyler watched the chaos unfolding before him through the mech visor.

Every time he prepared to attack something, either Tansy destroyed it first from long range or Rose smashed it apart accidentally while playing with her magnetic shield.

One military mech finally rushed directly toward Tyler from the side while firing missiles.

Tyler immediately moved his mech forward.

Then a giant electric arrow pierced the mech from behind before he could even swing his spear.

A second later, Rose’s magnetic field dragged the destroyed mech into a building nearby.

Tyler stayed silent for several seconds.

Inside the hidden control base far below the Capital, Tyler removed his visor slightly and sighed deeply.

"Can you two let me fight at least?"

Neither Tansy nor Rose replied.

Tansy was still busy shooting aircraft from the sky while Rose laughed every time another vehicle got pulled into her shield.

Around them, the Capital continued descending into chaos.

Emergency sirens echoed endlessly through the city while fires spread across several districts. Smoke rose between the giant towers of the floating Capital as the Embers steadily pushed deeper toward the inner sectors.

For the first time in Libria’s history, the war had reached the heart of the Capital itself.