The World Is Mine For The Taking

Veronica’s POV

Commander Lilia and I were seated inside the meeting room together with King Myrcella, watching the strange device we had recovered after Leon destroyed those things that had appeared in the sky. Shredica and Angelica were here as well, both of them quietly observing the screen with serious expressions while we waited to see what would happen next. The atmosphere inside the room felt unusually heavy, and despite the number of people gathered here, it somehow felt much quieter than it normally would.

"By now, you should have already received our preliminary warning," the President of Andras said as he looked straight at us through the monitor we had found. He sat comfortably in his chair with both hands folded together, speaking with a calm confidence. "I imagine your countries have suffered considerable damage already. Even if that somehow isn’t the case, then you should have at least gained a proper understanding of the Republic of Andras, along with the strength and military power that we possess."

The King, the Commander, and I remained completely silent as we continued watching the monitor without looking away for even a second.

"Although I believe you’ve managed to destroy the bombers we dispatched across different parts of the world, you should understand that those aircraft were only the beginning. We have spent our entire lives preparing for this moment, so naturally, those bombers were never the full extent of our military strength. This entire world will eventually fall beneath my hand, and I will personally see to its conquest. If you believe this is the only assault you’re going to face, then you’re sadly mistaken. Even if you manage to destroy every bomber we send toward your countries, you should also know that we have millions upon millions more already prepared. We can continue sending them until every corner of this world has been reduced to ruins without exception."

His tone never changed while he spoke.

He continued staring directly into the monitor as though he were making eye contact with every single ruler listening to his speech.

Although only the five of us were gathered inside this room, I seriously doubted we were the only audience watching this broadcast.

Anyone else who had managed to recover one of these monitors was probably seeing and hearing the exact same message somewhere else in the world.

"If you choose to fight us, then I won’t stop you. You’re merely defending your own interests, and I can understand that. However, I’ll say this in advance so there won’t be any misunderstandings later. It will be a futile battle. Nothing you do will ever be enough to stand against the might of the Republic. As of this moment, the Republic of Andras officially declares war upon every nation in your world."

King Myrcella’s fists had already been tightly clenched for quite some time.

After hearing that declaration, her grip tightened even further until her knuckles became noticeably whiter than before.

The tension in her hands became impossible to miss, making it painfully obvious just how seriously she was taking everything that had just been said.

Commander Lilia remained perfectly still beside me, though I could tell from the slight narrowing of her eyes that she was thinking just as hard as everyone else.

"This is our world’s declaration of war," the President of Andras continued as he looked through the monitor with an unwavering expression. There wasn’t the slightest trace of hesitation on his face, making it painfully clear that he meant every single word coming out of his mouth. "To those who are willing to abandon any thoughts of resisting and instead choose to surrender, we will gladly welcome you into our cause as slaves. By now, you’ve already experienced what defeat feels like after we rained bombs upon your countries. If you think that was everything we had prepared, then you’re mistaken. That was merely the beginning."

A faint smile slowly appeared across his face, though it wasn’t the kind of smile anyone would ever find comforting.

It looked more like the smile of someone who already believed victory belonged to him.

"As for those who still intend to oppose us, I welcome that as well. It will certainly require more work on our end, but the possibility of your world defeating the Republic is so close to zero that it isn’t even worth discussing. Our preparations have already been completed. Ah, and while we’re discussing preparations, I should also mention that we’ve developed a bomb capable of wiping an entire country off the face of the planet with a single strike. Even your barrier magic won’t be able to stop it. So if you’re truly determined to challenge the might of the Republic, then I’ll advise you now to abandon that idea before it’s too late, because you simply won’t stand a chance."

His speech sounded less like a warning and much more like someone reading the terms of our execution before giving us time to think about it.

He claimed we were free to resist if we wished.

The choice itself sounded generous on the surface, yet the consequences he described made it feel like there had never really been a choice at all.

Destroying one country apparently wasn’t something he considered difficult anymore, which was an incredibly disturbing thought all by itself.

King Myrcella remained silent as she stared at the screen without showing any intention of speaking.

From the look in her eyes, I could tell she was carefully weighing everything she had just heard while trying to determine what our next move should be.

None of this could be taken lightly.

Making the wrong decision now could easily cost countless lives later.

"That is all, people of this world," the President of the Republic said as he leaned back slightly in his chair. "I sincerely hope you’ll make the decision that’s most beneficial for yourselves. My advice is simple. Align yourselves with the Republic instead of making a choice that could very well result in your country being wiped from the face of this planet."

With those final words, the monitor suddenly went dark as the broadcast finally came to an end.

Silence settled across the entire meeting room almost immediately afterward.