Chapter 123: Chain of Events 2
Other organizations, beyond the clans, began to move as well. One of them was Dark Chain.
Unlike the smaller branches operating in other cities, the organization maintained a significant presence in the capital and possessed its own group of Special Categories.
When news spread that the Defense Force had secured an airship for evacuation efforts, Dark Chain quickly recognized its value.
In a world becoming increasingly unstable, mobility meant survival, and whoever controlled the skies would possess an enormous advantage.
Their attack came without warning.
Military personnel were still recovering from the earlier assault when Dark Chain struck one of the capital's airship facilities.
Explosions tore through the outer defenses while Special Categories overwhelmed positions that would normally have required entire battalions to breach.
The defenders fought back, but recent losses had stretched military resources to their limits.
Reinforcements arrived too late to change the outcome. By the time the battle ended, Dark Chain had successfully seized an airship and kidnapped several pilots, engineers, and navigators needed to operate it.
The incident spread across the country within hours.
For many civilians, it was not the theft itself that frightened them. It was what the theft represented. An organization had openly attacked the military, stolen a strategic asset, and escaped.
If that was possible, then perhaps the situation was far worse than officials had been claiming.
The reaction was instant.
Supermarkets filled with anxious customers purchasing supplies they might never use.
Long lines formed outside fuel stations. Rumors flooded social media faster than authorities could suppress them.
As panic spread, looting followed. Storefronts were broken into throughout several districts, forcing business owners to either close entirely or barricade themselves inside.
Public transportation services suspended operations, schools shut their doors, and government offices reduced their hours as security concerns continued to grow. Eventually, the administration responded with martial law.
Military patrols became a common sight throughout the capital.
Armored vehicles rolled through streets that had once been crowded with commuters and vendors.
Checkpoints appeared along major roads while soldiers maintained a visible presence in commercial districts. Their orders were simple: restore order and prevent further unrest.
The public was no longer willing to cooperate.
At first, people simply watched the patrols pass by. Then the insults started.
"FUCK OFF!"
"USELESS DOGS OF THE GOVERNMENT!"
The shouting spread through the crowd as more civilians joined in. Someone threw a bottle that bounced harmlessly off the side of an armored transport. Another followed.
Soon stones, cans, and pieces of broken debris were striking military vehicles from multiple directions. The soldiers maintained formation despite the abuse, their discipline holding even as the hostility around them intensified.
A warning came through a loudspeaker, instructing civilians to disperse and return to their homes.
Most ignored it. A second warning followed, sharper than the first, but the crowd remained. The situation continued deteriorating until a rifle discharged into the air.
Slowly, the crowd began to disperse.
The military never got the chance to capitalize on it.
Several figures appeared at the far end of the street just as the civilians were retreating.
At first, they seemed like ordinary individuals caught in the confusion. Then one of them crossed nearly thirty meters in a single movement and slammed into an armored vehicle with enough force to flip it onto its side.
Panic erupted once more.
The newcomers were Special Categories.
They wore no uniforms and displayed no insignias. They made no demands and offered no explanation. They simply attacked.
Military personnel scrambled to respond as more Special Categories emerged from nearby rooftops and alleyways.
What began as a riot transformed into a battlefield within minutes. Explosions shattered windows, vehicles overturned, and civilians fled in every direction as the fighting spread through the district.
While the military struggled to regain control, another threat struck from a completely different direction.
Television broadcasts abruptly cut out. News stations lost their signals. Public information networks went dark before returning moments later under someone else's control.
The Covenant.
Its symbol appeared on screens throughout the city before a calm voice addressed the population.
"The government has abandoned its people."
Images accompanied the statement. Destroyed cities. Failed defensive operations. Retreating military forces. Each clip highlighted a different failure, carefully selected to reinforce the same message.
"The old system can no longer protect humanity."
The broadcast continued across every available platform. Phones, computers, televisions, and public displays repeated the message over and over.
By the time authorities managed to shut down one channel, several others had already begun transmitting the same content.
The Covenant did not ask for support.
Instead, it demonstrated power.
Footage showed Covenant members overwhelming military units and defeating Special Categories loyal to rival factions.
The message was simple enough that no explanation was required. The military had failed repeatedly, while the Covenant appeared strong.
For a population exhausted by crisis, that difference mattered.
Many people did not support the Covenant. Many did not even trust it. Yet as military authority continued to weaken, open resistance gradually faded.
Whether people believed the propaganda or not became irrelevant. What mattered was which side appeared capable of enforcing its will.
While the country unraveled around him, Francis continued moving toward his objective.
The riots, political struggles, and battles for control barely registered in his thoughts.
His attention remained fixed on Category 10.
As he traveled between cities, the feeling of danger continued growing stronger. He could not explain it, but his instincts repeatedly warned him that something was going to happen.
Lucien eventually noticed the anomalies.
Reports from multiple cities revealed strange patterns.
Under normal circumstances, he would have investigated immediately.
But he had a far more pressing problem.
Glakor.
The Third King of Beasts.
The campaign against it consumed enormous resources.
The fighting continued for hours.
Eventually, after countless exchanges, the Third King succumbed to its wounds.
The victory should have marked a turning point.
Instead, new complications emerged.
The beast tide did not disappear.
Without one of the Kings directing them, countless beasts began behaving unpredictably.
Some migrated into regions they had previously avoided. Others attacked settlements without warning. Military analysts quickly realized that removing a King had not reduced the threat. It had simply changed its shape.
Even Francis found himself dealing with increasing numbers of beasts as he traveled.
He welcomed it.
Every battle provided opportunities to acquire new biological material. Organs, tissues, and mutations that would have taken years to obtain through other means now appeared regularly.
At the same time, humanity launched its final campaign against Enfero.
Through the Epsilon supercomputer, analysts finally succeeded in predicting the creature's movements with sufficient accuracy to coordinate a decisive strike.
Tracking systems monitored its position as it traveled through the southern sea while orbital assets prepared for the attack.
The opening exchange was devastating.
Columns of fire erupted across the ocean as bombardments struck the water around the creature.
Enfero retaliated immediately, unleashing enough destructive force to destroy several military platforms. Four sub-orbital cannons were lost during the engagement, but commanders continued the operation despite the casualties.
Everything depended on this battle.
When another opportunity finally appeared, Lucien gave the order.
"FIRE!"
Six beams descended from orbit simultaneously.
The ocean seemed to split apart beneath their impact. Water vaporized instantly, generating enormous clouds of steam that climbed into the sky.
For several seconds, nobody in the command center spoke. Every eye remained fixed on incoming data.
Then the water began turning red.
"Did we do it?" one technician asked quietly.
No one answered.
Additional scans were ordered. Independent systems verified the results. Every available sensor focused on the target zone.
The conclusion remained unchanged.
"No signal."
Another verification followed.
"No regenerative activity detected."
A third confirmation arrived moments later.
"No life detected."
They had won.
Humanity had killed the final King.
"YEAHHHHHHH!"
Cheers erupted throughout the command center.
Lucien remained seated.
He watched the data one final time before lowering his hand and leaning back in his chair.
"I finally did it."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Around him, the celebrations continued, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a small locket and opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
His wife.
His two daughters.
For a long moment, he simply stared at their faces.
"Daddy avenged all of you."
The tears arrived before he could stop them.
Memories surfaced one after another. Family dinners. Shared laughter. Ordinary moments that had once seemed insignificant and now felt priceless. He could almost pretend those years still existed somewhere beyond reach.
Then the memories changed.
Smoke filled the streets.
People screamed.
Buildings burned.
The beast attack that had taken everything from him returned with perfect clarity. Even after decades, he remembered every detail.
From that moment forward, he had dedicated himself to a single goal.
The complete eradication of every beast on Earth.
"Sir Lucien. Sir Lucien."
A voice broke through his thoughts.
He blinked and looked up.
"What happened?" he asked.
The technician standing nearby hesitated before pointing toward the display.
"Sir, the number of beasts entering our country hasn't decreased like we predicted. We're actually detecting a massive increase."
Lucien frowned.
"And that's not all," the technician continued. "Their movement patterns are changing. We're seeing behavior we've never recorded before."
Several screens updated simultaneously.
The numbers continued climbing.
No matter how many times the data refreshed, the trend remained the same.
The Kings were dead.
Humanity had won.
Yet somehow...
The nightmare wasn't over.