Chapter 51: THE GLOBAL REACTION AND INTERNATIONAL EMBARGO
The satellite imagery transmitted to the underground war room of the World Hunter Federation Headquarters in Geneva displayed a terrifying sea of violet energy hovering over Sector 1.
On the forty-foot central display screens, the thermal and mana-density mapping of the Capital City flickered erratically. The power grid of an entire sovereign nation had gone completely dark, replaced by a dense, suffocating aura that registered at a staggering 19,000 physical mana index—a number that blew past the upper thresholds of known measurement scales.
Around the polished mahogany roundtable sat twelve high-ranking diplomats, military representatives, and executive commanders representing the global superpowers: the United States, the European Union, the East Asian Consortium, and the Pan-African Alliance.
The silence inside the room was so heavy that the quiet hum of the air conditioning sounded like a roaring turbine.
"Thirty minutes ago, signal relay stations across Sector 1 were permanently severed," Director Arthur Vance, the Chief Executive of the International Hunter Federation, announced in a grave, raspy voice. He pressed a button on his console, bringing up the last archived frame of Renan’s national broadcast. "President James is confirmed dead. The Three Pillars of the Nation—Jonathan, Ronald, and Beatrice—have been eliminated and extracted into spectral entities. The National Hunter Association has completely collapsed."
A middle-aged man in a tailored navy suit—Senator Edward Miller, representing the North American Hunter Defense Committee—slammed his palms onto the table.
"Collapse is an understatement, Arthur!" Miller shouted, his face reddening with anger and suppressed fear. "A single rogue entity just wiped out a sovereign nation’s top military infrastructure in less than forty-eight hours! He executed the head of state on live global television! Do you have any idea what this is doing to the global mana-crystal markets? Stock exchanges in New York, London, and Tokyo are spiraling into freefall!"
"Panic will not solve our crisis, Senator," a calm, icy voice echoed from the shadowed corner of the room.
The diplomats turned their heads toward a tall, muscular man leaning against the steel wall. He wore heavy, dragon-scale reinforced plate armor under a dark tactical coat, two massive rune-inscribed broadswords strapped to his back. His eyes glowed with a distinct, brilliant silver light—the signature mana signature of an SS-Rank World-Class Hunter.
Commanding General Viktor Vance—the Apex Vanguard of the European Defense Legion and one of the five recognized World-Class Hunters on Earth.
"We are not dealing with a standard rogue Hunter or a Guild rebel," Viktor said, stepping into the light of the holographic projectors. His voice carried an overwhelming physical pressure that made the surrounding diplomats instinctively stiffen. "The entity named Renan possesses a Monarch-Class domain expansion. The energy reading hovering over the Capital is not a simple spell; it is an active territorial mark. He has converted an entire metropolitan region into his personal sovereign domain."
"Then we strike him immediately with orbital mana-artillery!" Senator Miller demanded. "We carpet-bomb Sector 1 before he can expand his borders further!"
"And risk triggering a total dimensional rupture?" Viktor countered coldly, his silver eyes narrowing. "A mana signature of 19,000 points acts as a gravitational anchor for the Abyssal Plane. If you strike that region with high-density mana warheads, you won’t kill him—you will crack the tectonic fault line underneath the Capital and trigger an uncontrollable, national-scale Dungeon Break."
The war room fell into a stunned, horrified silence once more.
Director Arthur Vance stood up, adjusting his glasses as he pulled up a secondary tactical map showing the sea trade routes and air corridors surrounding Renan’s newly declared territory.
"Direct military bombardment is off the table for now," Director Vance declared firmly. "However, the World Council cannot allow an unsanctioned Sovereign Entity to hold thirty million civilians hostage or control the largest mana-crystal reserves in the East."
Vance tapped a command into his tablet, highlighting the international maritime borders and mountain passes surrounding Sector 1 through Sector 4.
"Effective immediately, the World Hunter Federation is issuing Emergency Order 001: The Iron Curtain Embargo," Vance stated. "We are mobilizing thirty thousand elite international Hunters, three naval carrier strike groups, and six regional blockade divisions. We will seal every sea port, air corridor, and mountain pass surrounding his territory."
[World Hunter Federation Emergency Protocol]
Operation: Iron Curtain Lockdown
Mobilized Forces: 30,000 Elite Hunters (Rank-A to Rank-S)
Commanding Fleet: 3rd International Seventh Fleet & 12th Tactical Air Division
Primary Objective: Total Blockade of Ominous Sovereign Territory
Secondary Objective: Containment of Potential National-Level Dungeon Break
"And what happens when he steps past his border?" Senator Miller asked quietly, his anger replaced by a grim realization of the stakes.
General Viktor Vance gripped the pommel of his broadsword, his silver aura flaring with cold, lethal intent.
"Then the international coalition steps in," Viktor replied. "I will personally lead the vanguard at the Eastern Provincial Border. If this ’Ominous Sovereign’ wants a war against the world... we will give him one."
Meanwhile, sixty feet beneath the surface of Sector 1, inside the cold, dimly lit stone corridors of the Abyssal Vault beneath the ruined Association Tower, Renan walked slowly down a long flight of ancient stone steps.
The air here was vastly different from the surface. It was thick with the heavy, ancient scent of raw, unfiltered abyssal mana—the distinct atmospheric pressure of an dormant, unranked Abyssal Gate buried deep beneath the Capital’s foundations.
Beside him, Shadow Commander James hovered quietly, his shadowy hands holding a glowing tablet that displayed the real-time movements of the international forces gathering beyond the nation’s borders.
"Master," James reported, his layered voice echoing in the damp stone passage. "Satellite telemetry confirms that the World Hunter Federation has initiated a total maritime and aerial blockade. Three international carrier groups have taken positions fifty miles off our eastern coast, and thirty thousand coalition Hunters are establishing fortified encampments along the provincial borders."
Renan didn’t slow his pace. His black coat brushed against the ancient, rune-carved walls as his golden eyes stared straight down into the pitch-black abyss ahead.
"Thirty thousand," Renan murmured, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips. "They believe that isolation will starve us of resources."
[Absolute Extraction System: Subterranean Scan Active]
Detecting Ancient Subterranean Anomaly...
Location: 100 Meters Beneath Association Foundation
Structure: Dormant Rank-EX Ancient Abyssal Rift
Current Mana Density: 88% (Approaching Natural Critical Break Point)
"They are looking outward toward the oceans," Renan said, stopping at the edge of a massive underground chasm. Below him, an colossal, ancient stone gate bound by massive, rusted iron chains pulsed with a deep, violet light. "While completely blind to what lies beneath their own feet."
Shadow General Ignis materialized from Renan’s shadow, its fiery broadsword illuminating the ancient stone gate.
"My Monarch," Ignis spoke, its dragon-fire crackling softly. "The mana flowing from this underground rift is ancient. It rivals the energy of the Abyssal Rift where you first awakened."
"Because this is where the system originally connected to this world," Renan replied, extending his gloved hand toward the rusted iron chains sealing the Ancient Gate. "The Association built their headquarters directly over this vault to siphon its mana crystals for decades. But in doing so, they destabilized the seal."
Renan wrapped his fingers around the massive iron chain. The moment his Monarch mana flowed into the ancient metal, black miasma flared violently, corroding the enchanted links into brittle dust within seconds.
CRACK-CRACK-BANG!
The colossal stone doors groaned as they slowly slid open, revealing an endless, pitch-black void swirling with millions of dormant monster cores and ancient spectral signatures.
[System Alert: Ancient Abyssal Gate Access Granted]
Location: Vault of the Forgotten Monarch
Target Entity Count: 100,000+ Ancient Abyssal Beasts (Dormant)
Warning: Opening this Gate will accelerate the global mana imbalance!
Renan looked down into the swirling darkness of the ancient gate, his golden eyes glowing with absolute, predatory malice.
"Let the international coalition watch the borders," Renan commanded softly, his voice echoing into the abyssal depth. "While we harvest an army from the depths of the earth."