There is no doubt that the Interastral Peace Corporation is more advanced, more civilized, and embodies the will of Preservation more completely than the Xianzhou Alliance. We are entitled to everything they possess. And the moment is perfect—the technology of the Imaginary Collapse Pulse has not yet leaked. Only we can mass-produce it. Only our combat power is growing exponentially. If we seize this chance, if we take what the Xianzhou Alliance has hoarded for millennia and turn it into our strength…
Oswaldo's eyes burned with a visionary fire. He stared into the middle distance, no longer seeing the room, but a radiant future only he could perceive.
Yes. The Interastral Peace Corporation will become the hope, the key to the future. Armed with the Xianzhou's ancient treasures, we will unite all civilizations. We will end internal strife. We will consolidate all strength. Under our leadership, these scattered worlds will become a single leviathan—a true force to explore, to connect, to preserve… to conquer the cosmos.
He threw back his head and drained the now-cold coffee in one gulp. Smiling, he reached out and clinked his cup lightly against Topaz's, which she still held, frozen, in her hand.
Clink.
The plan for the Corporation's surprise attack on the Luofu was clearly the product of long, meticulous thought. His logic was cold, his details precise:
The Luofu's General was aging, teetering on the edge of Mara.
Its Sword Champion was in exile.
Its Dragon had shed his scales.
The wars with the Abundance and the crisis of the Imbibitor Lunae had shattered its core strength.
Today's Luofu was talent-starved,militarily weak, economically unstable—failing in every metric. Its scale was a fraction of the Corporation's.
And the Corporation? A solid foundation. A powerful military. And the Grand Pulse—a superweapon that could deliver an infinite, unanswerable surprise.
On paper… it really did seem feasible.
But that wasn't the point. If they went to war, what would become of the universe? How many innocents would suffer? What other powers would be drawn into the chaos, shattering cosmic peace? The thoughts screamed in her mind.
Oswaldo, you monster.
Topaz's soul was recoiling, but her face remained a mask of stunned silence. Dried coffee stained the corner of her lips. She held the expensive corporate-issue cup, the remaining liquid trembling from the force of Oswaldo's toast.
She stared blankly into the dark swirl, forgetting even to drink. Her hand was frozen mid-air, uncertain whether to raise the cup or set it down.
Oswaldo's gaze settled back on her.
"Now, Miss Topaz, I have a mission for you."
He rubbed his thumb absently against his own cup.
"You've just returned from the Luofu. I need you to go back. Don't report it. Go quietly—call it a vacation." He waved a dismissive hand. "Once inside, you will activate your Cornerstone. You will teleport the Corporation's vanguard fleet directly into their heart. And you will command the opening strike of the war."
He didn't ask if she could do it. The question hung in the air, but the expectation in his eyes was absolute—childlike in its intensity.
But this was no child. This was a butcher. A madman. And he was asking her to become his accomplice.
Involuntarily, Topaz took half a step back. A weakness shot through her limbs. The cup slipped from her fingers—
Crash.
It shattered on the floor. Millions of credits' worth of porcelain became dust and shards, scattering across the polished tile.
"Head… Oswaldo, I…" Her mind whirled. But she was, after all, a genius—a Stoneheart who had risen to the top through sheer brilliance. She forced air into her lungs, forced a brittle smile onto her face.
"It would be my honor."
Rather than refuse him, she chose to pretend. To bow. To act as though his grand vision had swayed her.
What else could she do? The entire Board had gone mad. What power did one Stoneheart have to stop them?
If the attack was inevitable… then her only path was to play along. To go to the Xianzhou. And to find a way to warn them.
They had to be told. They had to prepare.
She bowed again, her silver hair falling forward to veil her expression.
Oswaldo's smile widened, triumphant. "Ha! The Xianzhou has a saying: 'Those who understand the times are heroes.' Having been there, you seem to have learned it well!" He leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial purr. "Good. Time is short. Depart now. Succeed in this, and I'll make sure you continue to receive your… treatment."
Treatment?
Topaz's pupils constricted. Confusion flashed across her face.
Oswaldo threw his head back and laughed—a raw, unhinged sound. "Did you think me a fool, Topaz? I saw the reluctance on your face. Did you think I'd share these secrets and just let you walk away?" His voice turned icy, precise. "Guess what I added to your coffee. The timing… should be just about now. Can't you feel it?"
As the last word left his lips, Topaz's legs gave way.
She collapsed. Her body struck the floor with a sickening thud. Shards of her own shattered cup drove deep into her skin. Blood—crimson and immediate—bloomed across the pale tile.
But the physical pain was nothing. A hollow, devouring emptiness opened inside her skull. Then came the true agony—a bone-deep, marrow-scraping fire that erupted from her core and raced through every nerve, multiplying with every heartbeat.
"Wh… what did you… Ahhhhhhh—!"
Tears burst from her eyes, hot and endless, carving twin rivers down her exquisite face. She curled inward, a broken, shuddering thing on the floor of the office, as Oswald watched, smiling, from above.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!
patreon.com/deadlygoober