Prologue: A Certain Peaceful Day V

*IN A CERTAIN SPACE*

18:00PM

[31 HOURS UNTIL METEOR'S IMPACT]

Nava approaches the meteor at an incredible speed

She continues to burn due to the atmospheric forces when she exits into space.

Sparks discharges from her mechanical parts.

"AHHHHH!

PARADOX!

INITIATE REVERSE-IMPACT SYSTEM!"

A set of words glow on Paradox as it reacts to Nava's voice.

Paradox re-arranges its blocks into a rotating circular shield.

It creates a invisible gigantic force.

The four thrusters on Paradox creates an even stronger boost of flames, bringing Nava towards the meteor at an even faster speed.

*BOOM!*

Nava finally impacts against the meteor.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

Nava shouts as she desperately tries to push the meteor back with Paradox.

Sparks discharge even more violently from her mechanical parts than before, particularly her left hand which is holding onto Paradox.

Multiple notifications appear within Nava's vision.

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!*

*MULTIPLE PARTS DAMAGE DETECTED*

*LEFT ARM PART CRITICALLY DAMAGED*

*PROGRAM PARADOX MALFUNCTION: 80%*

*PROGRAM PARADOX MALFUNCTION: 95%*

*PROGRAM PARADOX MALFUNCTION: 99%*

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

*BOOM!*

Paradox explodes along with Nava's left arm.

Nava falls onto the meteor's surface with great force.

Sparks continues discharge from all over her body as her mechanical parts suffer great damages.

"Sigh!

I lost both my left arm and Paradox as expected.

Stopping the force of the meteor proves to be impossible afterall"

"Operation Meteor Stage I complete.

Now commencing Stage II.

Program Pandora!

Activate!"

The black briefcase in Nava's right hand reacts to Nava's voice.

There are words carved on the briefcase; PANDORA. SYSTEM.

The case re-arranges its blocks into a heavy long jet-black magnum gun.

Nava points Pandora's barrel in between her feet, directly at the meteor's surface.

*ZAPS!*

Nava pulls on Pandora's trigger discharging a highly concentrated beam, not less than ten times more powerful than Astrapi's Railgun punch.

"NOT EVEN A SCRATCH?!

. . .

WHAT ABOUT THIS?!"

Nava holds on to Pandora's trigger to charge its beam.

*WARNING!*

*FIREPOWER CHARGE: 100%*

*ESTIMATED DAMAGE: SS-CLASS*

*AIM CAREFULLY*

Nava fires Pandora at the meteor, point-blank again.

*BOOOOOOOM!*

*ZAPSSSSS!*

This time the beam from Pandora is much more concentrated and powerful, and lasted for a much longer duration.

*HISSS*

Smoke rises from both Pandora's barrel and the surface of the meteor.

"PANT! PANT!

Even with my most powerful attack, it only leaves a small crater.

The President must have predicted this.

That's why he didn't order me to destroy this meteor.

He knew I couldn't do it"

"ĹOOKS LIKE I JUST HAVE TO INFLICT AS MUCH DAMAGE AS I CAN UNTIL WE REACH EARTH!!!"

Nava charges Pandora again, and fires it at the same spot as before.

She simply repeats the same attack again and again and again.

*IN A CERTAIN INVERTED TOWER OF A CERTAIN UNDERGROUND CITY*

20:00PM

[29 HOURS UNTIL METEOR'S IMPACT]

In a certain president's chamber within an inverted tower . . .

"Welcome back, Mr President.

. . .

What happened to your face?

It's gotten much uglier than when you went out"

Mercy mocks Alan elegantly as he returns to his chamber with Bizen and Law.

"Listen to this, Mercy.

He had a ex-lovers spat with Aftokráteira, and got his ass handed to him.

How embarrassing!"

Bizen answers Mercy out loud and uncouthly in front of Alan.

"It sounds like things did not go well with the Empire.

Heh!"

Mercy smirks mockingly at Alan.

Bizen and Mercy are like a pair of twin devils when it comes to their relentless and unemotional teasing of Alan.

Mercy would remain refined in her speech, and Bizen would often be very vulgar.

"That's what I don't understand!

Oi, Alan!

What did you mean when you said that the 'negotiations were complete'?"

Bizen calls Alan in her usual rude tone.

"TCH!"

Alan is too caught up in strategising in his head that he could not even be bothered to even smack Mercy and Bizen like he usually would.

" . . . "

Law quietly sweats on the sidelines as he anticipates that Alan would snap again as Mercy and Bizen continue to provoke him.

"Mercy!

What is the status of Eden's security?"

"Yes, Mr President.

Mr Magnamus and Ms Seraphina are patrolling in the skies of the underground city.

Mr Roldaq has been cleaning the back streets (eliminating assassins that infiltrated Eden).

The Katharistés are also standby at their respective combat positions.

We are ready"

"What about the old lady?"

"If it's Granny Yoko, she is now currently guarding the Core of Eden.

Being Eden's powerful Katharisté, there is no better security than her.

I believe we don't have to worry about the Core"

"Hmph!"

*RING! RING! RING!*

The President's phone rings.

*CLICK*

"Yeah, yeah!

Who's asking?!"

Bizen picks Alan's phone up without permission.

Mercy gives Bizen a 'thumbs up'.

*ANGRY VEIN FLOATS*

Alan becomes triggered again.

"KUUUMMAAAA!

KUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Someone shouts from the other side of the phone into Bizen's ear.

It's Ram who is making random baby noises over the phone.

She somehow found a way to call the phone in Alan's chamber from Nava's workshop.

Her voice was so loud that it shook the entire room even though the call isn't on speaker mode.

"Mmm.

I see.

I understand.

Got it.

I will let him know.

Good job"

Bizen calmly replies Ram despite Ram almost busting her eardrums.

God knows how exactly Bizen replies to baby noises.

"Alan, that was Ramsteiner.

Apparently, Nava's completed the weapon that you requested, and has departed for the meteor"

Bizen translates Ram's baby noises to Alan.

Who knows how Bizen understood Ram.

"Ah, I forgot to report about Nava's departure"

Mercy openly admits her inadequate report from earlier.

"Tch!

Let's go!"

*AT THE PEAK OF A CERTAIN TOWER*

01:00AM

[24 HOURS UNTIL METEOR'S IMPACT]

Ying Yan operates on a certain gigantic sniper rifle that is connected to, and controlled by, a normal-sized sniper rifle.

The giant rifle is the Pulveriser 2.5m Intervention,.a titanic mega weapon made by Nava when she was still the Empire's Queen II.

The Pulveriser moves in the exact way Ying Yan moves the the smaller controller rifle.

"Come to think of it, this is the first time I have ever tried to shoot something so high and so far away.

Even if my eyes could see the giant crystal, there's no point if my attacks can't reach it"

For the first time, Ying Yan uses a rifle scope.

The target this time is beyond the ends of the world.

It is literally a meteor from outer space.

And the Pulveriser is the only gun in her arsenal that is even capable of reaching that far.

"I SEE IT!

IF THE PULVERISER'S SCOPE CAN AIM DOWN AT THE CRYSTAL THERE'S A CHANCE THAT ITS BULLETS WOULD REACH IT!"

" . . . "

Ying Yan hesitates.

"I can't read the courses of my shots!

I've never shot at something so far and outside of this planet.

Even if the bullets reach the crystal, just how much damage will they inflict?!"

"What's wrong Ying Yan?

Having second thoughts?"

"WAHHHHHHHHHH!

!@$@@&*3÷£=(@×*€¥£"

Ying Yan shouts like a little girl when Aftokráteira appears out of nowhere next to her on the top of the tower.

"Hahaha!

That's a very cute scream!"

"I AM SO SORRY YOUR MAJESTY!

I DIDN'T EXPECT FOR YOU TO BE HERE!"

Ying Yan bows down in embarassment.

"So, what's the problem, Ying Yan?

Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now?"

"O-o-of c-c-course not, Your Majesty!

It's just I have never had to shoot a target that is beyond this star.

I can't read the courses of my shots"

"I see.

. . .

Ying Yan, get in position.

I will be your spotter"

"EH?!

YOUR MAJESTY?!"

"What?

You think I can't do it?"

"N-n-no, I wouldn't dare to think that!

P-p-please be my spotter!"

Aftokráteira looks into the sky.

"Devil's Forbidden Magic, Satan's Left Eye"

The irises of Aftokráteira's eyes change from red to gold.

Magic circles appear around her eyes.

[The Empress' aura just changed!

The air around her feels just like Emperor Lucifer's!

Those golden eyes are exactly like his.

The Devil's Left Eye!]

[!]

"So that woman is already there.

How vexing"

Aftokráteira whispers to herself.

Using the Devil's Left Eyes, she can clearly see Nava who is trying to destroy the meteor.

"Did you say something, Your Majesty?"

"It's nothing.

. . .

Ying Yan, adjust the Pulveriser three clicks to the left and two degrees upwards"

"YES!"

[Wow, the Empress really can see with much better precision than my Hawkeyes even while I'm using this specialised scope]

Ying Yan pulls the trigger, and the Pulveriser discharges an extremely large bullet.

*BANG!*

*GALE*

The recoil is super loud and creates strong gusts of air.

The Pulveriser's bullet travels at a speed many times faster than Ying Yan's usual shots, and easily breaks through the atmosphere's burning frictional force.

*ZOOOOOOOMMMM*

*ON THE METEOR*

A badly damaged cyborg is trying to destroy the meteor.

It's Dr Nava Einstein.

She has already lost her right arm along with an ultimate shield in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the course of the meteor.

*ZAPSSSSS!*

Nava's countless repeated attempts at firing ultra-concentrated beams with her magnum gun, Pandora, has finally created a deep and large crate in the meteor.

However . . .

Multiple notifications appear within Nava's vision.

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!*

*RIGHT ARM PART DAMAGE: 40%*

*PROGRAM PANDORA MALFUNCTION: 50%*

"I'm finally starting to see some actual damage.

But as expected, both my right arm and Pandora will wear out before I even destroy 15% of this meteor.

I will not last at this rate"

Pandora is a true double-edged sword.

While its charged beams are super powerful, the recoils of the gun are highly destructive on its user.

Pandora's recoils would have been blown any other users into pieces.

*ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!*

*HIGH SPEED PROJECTILE APPROACHING*

*BAM!*

A mysterious object hits the dead-centre of the crater.

Nava dodged it by a hairbreadth.

"That was so dangerous!

Was it one of the smaller asteroids?"

[!]

"No!

This is the 2.5m Intervention bullet from Ms Ying Yan's Pulveriser!"

Nava turns around to look towards the planet.

She zooms her visions in at the planet, following the trajectory that the Pulveriser's bullet travelled.

"I knew it!

It's Ms Ying Yan!

Don't tell me the 'reinforcements' that the President was talking about was the Empire?!"

[!]

"Ms Aftokráteira!

She is also there next to Ms Ying Yan!"

"You finally noticed us huh, traitor?"

Aftokráteira whispers to herself again.

[LESS THAN 24 HOURS UNTIL METEOR'S IMPACT]

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

.