CHAPTER 470: ROME IN RUINS

Valerie chuckled as the soldiers cheered for her and her wife. Henry and Vicky glanced up at her curiously, so she explained her source of amusement in such a precarious situation.

"When the First Apocalypse arrived, war consumed this world. Only a bunch of miserable, broken people were left to defend our homes... But we’re different! We’ve been forged in the aftermath of the previous Apocalypse! We’ll thrive in this one!"

Vicky smiled at her mother-in-law’s enthusiasm, while Henry just sighed in exasperation, a gentle smile playing on his lips. The Prince’s eyes moved away from the cheering soldiers towards the dark, stormy northern horizon.

"I’m glad you feel that way, and I hope you’re right. However, our people are probably dying with each passing, so let’s make haste. I brought along this Apocalypse, and I’m planning to end it as well!"

Suddenly, Henry felt a large hand slap the back of his head. He glanced around at her mother, whose dark blue eyes stared down at him with reprimand.

"Don’t be a dumbass. You’re smarter than to blame yourself when you’ve been clearly set up... Either way, you’re not ending anything, not alone at least. But yeah, we should get going!"

The Antarctican Stellars and Transcended bowed deeply for the help they received. Most lacked the essence for another prolonged battle, while the rest needed to stay behind, in case of attacks on their continent.

They said their goodbyes, and after the Antarcticans left, Valerie’s humming grew louder, until her beautiful voice echoed in the night.

The Old Dawn crawled forward through empty air. It began gaining speed until it moved much too fast for a few kilometer large vehicle.

While the ship wasn’t within the storm, the metal particles in the air still restricted communication. They couldn’t contact Europe or the outposts, or even South America. First, they needed to acquire more knowledge of the situation before they could properly act and help the citizens.

"Vicky, open the portal to the southern edge of Europe! We need to contact and get status reports!"

The young Princess nodded and closed her eyes. A few kilometers away, reality split open. The portal widened until the entire vessel could pass through its threshold.

Valerie’s singing increased in volume. The ship moved forward and flew through the portal without issue.

After passing through the portal, Valerie’s singing changed. Instead of carrying the ship in the air, it began gently cruising in a downward direction until it entered the Mediterranean Ocean’s northernmost part.

Europe didn’t seem any different to the naked eye. However, the moment they passed through the portal, hundreds of distress calls resounded from the ship’s communications department.

Their messages and pleas echoed the same sentiment...

’Two giant Realm Gates opened above and below Rome! Millions have fallen already, and more people keep dying with each passing moment! Send immediate assistance and rescue!’

The other messages carried similar meaning. Some came from high officials, others from military personnel, and Old Dawn even intercepted a few civilian pleas.

The heart-wrenching sounds of children’s cries and adults’ screams arrived as well. Some voice messages included the audio of the battlefield, which didn’t sound promising at all.

However, through all the chaos, the command center in Rome still stood. A few moments later, James and Mary got in contact with the remnant leadership.

"The situation is horrible. A quarter of the city disappeared when the Gates opened, and the citizens can’t escape. The tall walls are keeping them inside, while these angelic and demonic beings kill each other and anyone in their way."

Everyone listened to the concerned Colonel. He was the highest-ranking military official in Rome, since all the Generals are located in the large city-states. The Commander and Cohort Leaders fought against the outside threat, leaving the Colonel in charge of everything.

"It seems like us humans aren’t their priority, but whenever someone stumbles in their way, they’re massacred without hesitation. How long before the rescue begins?"

Henry sighed audibly while wiping his sweaty forehead. The situation was much worse than he had prepared for, and deep down, he still blamed himself for this tragic outcome.

"We’re already on our way, but it’ll take a few minutes to reach the Tyrrhenian Sea. For now, continue describing the situation. Is the city truly lost? What about the Aegis System?"

A humorless laugh escaped the Colonel’s lips, but he turned it into a cough and soon his emotionless voice echoed through the communicator.

"The Hellish Gateway opened right below the shield generator. The city is without protection, which means saving it isn’t an option, sadly. Also, these angels and demons are at Transcended Rank, so taking them out is near impossible, since there are thousands of them!"

Vicky stepped into the camera’s frame. The Colonel’s eyes brightened the moment he saw the Princess. He snapped into attention as recognition and hope settled on his otherwise terrified expression.

"Mary, did you solve the Gate connection issue? If we could begin connecting the city-states, it would make evacuation much faster!"

Mary shook her head while glancing up at Vicky with a serious expression.

"It’s not possible. The generator is gone, which means we don’t have a power source. However, that can be supplemented. The real problem is pinpointing the destination. It requires extreme punctuality, and because of the distance between places, it takes a few hours to calculate... Per Gateway!"

The Princess nodded with a thoughtful expression, trying to figure out a solution. However, James was the first one to have an epiphany.

"What if we used the Old Dawn as the destination? It has enough space for millions of citizens, and we can bring it right below Rome’s outer wall. Wouldn’t that solve the issue with the calculations?"

The scientist’s eyes went wide as her brain thought through James’s solution. Eventually, she nodded and began doing the calculations, while everyone else turned back towards the monitor.

An earthquake-like shockwave shook the military headquarters, but the Colonel didn’t even react, his eyes purely focused on the Princess.

"Okay, so we’ll evacuate the citizens, while everyone else tries to keep them safe and help them evacuate. That’ll hopefully work, especially with the help of an Ethereal!"

However, just as these words left the Colonel’s mouth, a portal opened behind everyone. Xinya stepped through, her face full of concern.

When Henry sent her away, she went back to the Old Dawn. But after Victor told them about the Gate openings, Xinya left to check on Asia, but judging by her expression, she didn’t have good news.

"Vuan has already fallen, and more enemy soldiers are approaching the southern and the northern city-states. The Masters are keeping most of them safe, but still... Hundreds of millions will die without help!"

Multiple curses went up from the gathered crowd, but since they were already nearing Rome, they needed to make a decision fast.

"Colonel, how strong are the angels and demons? Do any of them reach Ethereal Rank or Abomination Class?"

The Colonel shook his head upon hearing Henry’s question, just as another, much stronger earthquake moved through the operations room. Dust and small stone fragments fell from the ceiling as the office workers screamed and shouted in terror.

"No... Nothing like that... However, more enemies keep pouring through the Gates, so powerful ones could appear anytime!"

After hearing the confirmation, Henry turned towards his mother. She had already guessed his proposal to help the Asian city-states... It was ironic, since they had killed their soldiers less than an hour ago, yet now they’ll send assistance to their defense!

"Two minutes until Rome will be in sight!" Said an operator nearby, and a giant holo-screen turned on, providing live feed from the Old Dawn’s bow.

Xinya and Valerie soon teleported away, leaving Henry and Vicky in charge of Europe’s defense. Bea also stood nearby, watching her daughter with pride glinting in her greenish-golden eyes.

Seconds crawled by, each feeling like an hour as the ship cruised through the waves. No sea monster dared approach such a large vessel, and since its defensive barrier was still active, they wouldn’t reach the vessel without notice.

"It should be visible now..." The operator turned silent as the live feed showed Rome’s state.

Tongues of fire and smoke reached up far above the outer walls, while blinding light shone through the late night’s darkness.

Different creatures fought against each other. The angels and their creatures wore brighter armor, while black, dark red and purple adorned the demons.

They fought and killed each other, using many uncommon abilities and weapons. Their blood and corpses rained on the broken city below.

From Old Dawn, they couldn’t see the city, since the walls blocked the way, but judging by the smoke plumes and heavy flames, the situation was far from good.

"We’ve arrived, Colonel. Where should we assist first, and where should we start the evacuation process?"

The Colonel prepared to answer when another earthquake shook the operations room. However, this time they didn’t survive unscathed. The ceiling caved in, and a tall man fell through, clad in crimson armor.

His blood-red eyes carried destruction and ruin within as he glanced around the room. He twirled his greatsword once and let blood rain around the destroyed space.

The people, including the Colonel, crawled out of the rubble. They stared at the man in fear, but soon a new emotion took hold of their hearts... Rage!

Their eyes turned bloodshot, and without thinking, they began massacring each other. The tall man chuckled and spread his arms wide. A deep, terrifying voice echoed through the broken room...

"Finally! I’m free! War is unbound once more!"