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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“What?”
The President’s face contorted as he was resting in his residence.
Although his inner nature was full of sinister, cruel, and cold aspects, the President rarely showed such emotions on his face.
As a result, the chief secretary was shocked to see the President’s anger for the first time, his face turning pale blue.
In fact, there had been one other time.
The last time was when Charlotte Evergreen had stolen a hydrogen bomb from the Armaments Bureau and detonated it in the Republic of Bostania, hadn’t he furiously lashed out at the people from the Armaments Bureau and Technical Research Institute?
Even then, those who never bowed to anyone anywhere trembled like aspen trees at the fierce anger they felt for the first time.
The President’s voice was just as unrefined now, and his emotions churned like waves in a storm.
“Unreported troop movements? The northern node went silent?”
“Yes, that’s correct…”
“When was the first related report submitted?”
“Five hours ago.”
“These fucking idiotic bastards—!!!!!”
At the secretary’s words, the President spewed a stream of vulgar curses.
He was now on the verge of tears.
All he could do was tremble like a rabbit in front of a beast.
“Dickheads! Useless idiots who only know how to lick asses…! Do they even know what they’ve done!?!”
“I-I’m sorry, Your Excellency!!”
“These worm-like bastards!! Scum worse than dogs! I should have killed them all earlier…! Is my head getting too old to think properly?”
But for the President, it was understandable.
Rebel forces.
As the very mastermind who had directly planned the destruction of Bostania, he couldn’t help but understand the impact of those words.
Their mere existence would leave an indelible stain on his leadership, and in the worst case, it could lead to irreversible consequences.
He could never allow it.
“Summon all key commanders immediately. Declare a state of national emergency and stop them at all costs, even if it means all-out war!!”
“Y-Yes…!! Understood!”
“Damn those bastards!!”
Bang! Crash!!!
The President’s favorite glass cup fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
The chief secretary had to flee the President’s residence as if escaping from that enormous malice.
Naturally, it was like a bolt from the blue for the cabinet ministers.
“The President is enraged?”
“This is bad… He’s been quite dissatisfied with the military lately as it is.”
“The Capital Defense Commander is completely finished. I wonder who’ll get that position next?”
However, the majority still failed to grasp the situation.
In the first place, their mindset was closer to that of ‘politicians’ rather than soldiers.
This was because they had cleanly erased the heroes who had been active in the field during the war, leaving only those with shiny stars on their shoulders.
It was President Mikhail’s critical mistake.
He had been so focused on controlling the military that he had pushed aside the question of whether they were truly competent individuals.
But it wasn’t just the rebel forces approaching from the outskirts that the President and his faction had to face.
“Your Excellency! There’s a riot!”
“What?”
“Riots are breaking out across the capital! Police stations have been looted! People are also gathering near the slums!”
Time continued to tick away relentlessly.
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Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
The helicopter carrying Colonel Lydia Glenova, commander of the 7th Aviation Group, slowly landed on the helipad of the Supreme Command Headquarters.
She had received a sudden emergency summons that came as midnight was approaching.
She carefully hid her anxious expression as she slowly entered the Supreme Command Headquarters.
Moreover, the gathering place was the T-bunker in the basement of the Supreme Command Headquarters.
Using the T for Titan, it was a nuclear bunker built to resist even in the final moments when the capital Hoenbaren might fall.
It shouldn’t be opened unless it was a matter of national survival, so what could this be about?
“This way, Commander.”
Following the guidance of the Supreme Commander’s aide, she arrived inside the bunker where other officers had already gathered.
“Ah, Commander Lydia. You’ve arrived just in time.”
“Supreme Commander, what is this about?”
“Have a seat first.”
Lydia’s eyes quickly scanned the interior of the bunker.
The first thing she realized was that most of the faces were familiar.
Of course.
There were about 15 people gathered in the bunker, of which five, including herself, were Aviation Group commanders.
1st Aviation, 2nd Aviation, 5th Aviation, and 11th Aviation.
And then she realized that the rest of the units were also directly under the Supreme Command’s control, units that the commander could mobilize directly.
1st Air Defense Artillery Brigade.
Army Transportation Command.
119th Field Engineer Battalion.
And even the 33rd Division, a reserve division responsible for the northwestern region of the capital Hoenbaren.
Lydia instinctively sensed that she had been caught up in a massive historical movement.
She had always had an unnecessarily well-developed intuition since her days at the Graveyard.
It was also why she hadn’t harbored particularly bad feelings towards Luthers Edan when he gave incomprehensible orders, as she had felt similar premonitions in the problematic area.
Of course, she regretted the casualties that occurred during the execution of unreasonable operations, but without Luthers’ decision, wouldn’t it have led to the worst outcome where the entire fortress force was annihilated rather than just injured?
Originally, there was no such thing as ‘what if’ in this world.
There was no basis to guarantee that things would have rolled only in a better direction.
Titans were always like that.
Hunters who always attacked one step ahead, surpassing human predictions.
To turn the tide against such creatures, it was sometimes necessary to step outside the bounds of common sense.
That was why Lydia immediately tried to leave the bunker.
Whatever it was, it was clear that nothing good would come from getting involved.
Thud!
Of course, that would have been possible if the Supreme Commander’s aide who had brought her here hadn’t immediately closed the bunker door.
“Major, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I apologize, Commander. Time is of the essence. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Lydia turned her gaze to look at Arthur.
He simply nodded with his usual expression.
“Wasn’t there supposed to be an emergency summons order?!”
“Yes, there was. Check your mobile phone. Hasn’t an emergency summons order been issued to the entire military?”
As he said, there was a message that had been sent to the entire military.
She hadn’t been able to hear it because she had been on the helicopter.
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[Supreme Command] Today at 23:50. Level 1 alert issued for the capital Hoenbaren and the metropolitan area. All unit members are to return urgently to their assigned units. Await instructions from superiors.
[Emergency Public Safety Message] An unexplained riot is currently occurring in the capital. Citizens are advised to return home and securely lock all doors in their homes.
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Level 1 alert?
Riot?
Lydia bit her lip hard.
What on earth was happening tonight?
Moreover, hadn’t she been summoned at least 30 minutes before this message?
The related information might have been delivered to the Supreme Command in advance, and the Supreme Commander might have issued an emergency order on his own, but given the positions of the gathered personnel, there seemed to be a ‘specific purpose’.
Arthur, also sensing the anxiety evident in Lydia’s expression, continued speaking.
“Of course, that’s not the only reason I called you here.”
“Commander, is this perhaps…”
A Level 1 alert issued in the middle of the night and a riot occurring in the capital.
Given the already ominous atmosphere in the military recently, she couldn’t help but think in a negative direction.
“Yes, it’s a coup d’état.”
Click.
Lydia immediately drew her pistol and aimed it at Arthur Philias.
“Open the bunker door right now!”
All circumstances pointed to the Supreme Commander.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought only the commanders of units he could mobilize like this.
It was already common knowledge among high-ranking officers that the Supreme Commander’s arms and legs had been cut off.
Everyone knew that the President’s intentions were behind everything, and that he didn’t particularly favor Arthur Philias.
A cornered rat.
A hunting dog on the verge of being discarded.
Those in crisis ultimately had only two choices, didn’t they?
Either humbly accept death.
Or bite their master.
Lydia had no doubt that Arthur Philias had rebelled against the regime.
“Commander, this isn’t right. The Empire has just escaped the pain of war, how can you cause such chaos like this!!”
“You’re gravely mistaken about something, Colonel.”
However, Arthur Philias answered in a somewhat sorrowful, subdued voice.
“I’m not the one trying to cause chaos. It’s the President.”
As he pressed a button, a video appeared on the large screen in the bunker’s situation room.
“You probably know this too. It’s data provided by Colonel Charlotte Evergreen, from the Graveyard.”
It was the problematic video.
Beings that those who had fought on the front lines, risking their lives, could never forget.
“These are Titans being cultivated under the Armaments Bureau.”
“…Good heavens.”
“This coup is being led by Luthers Edan.”
Not just the video, but the sudden mention of that name made Lydia lower the gun she had been aiming.
Luthers Edan.
The commander of the Graveyard Fortress.
It was news that the watchman who had loved the Empire more than anyone had turned his back on his homeland.
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[Homie frfr polling a napoleon rn]
