Sometime during the Divergence.
— What do you mean by a strong rule?
— Did you hear the voice too?
— But what's going on?
— It looks like the beginning of a webtoon…
A man suddenly flew at full speed toward a building and passed through it as if it were made of nothing but mist. Those who witnessed the scene froze. Then others began to use their powers. Flashes of every color swept across the city. Some rose into the air, others filmed, laughed, shouted. It was a moment of raw, uncontrolled euphoria.
Then the runners reached what some were already calling Mach 1.
They passed through several bodies without even realizing it.
There, the collective euphoria...transforming a panic.
— Oh no… what have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?
They are dead…
— Dude, we gotta get out of here!
— You're not going anywhere.
The voice was calm, but it echoed throughout the area. Heads turned. Above them, a man hovered. Upright posture. Hard gaze. He had that strange bearing of someone who already considers himself superior to others.
— Just because you have certain abilities doesn't mean you're free from all responsibility. If you have power, then you must assume it. Otherwise, you're nothing but a walking danger.
He descended slowly.
— The world has changed. But the consequences have remained the same.
A tense silence fell.
Then a red flash split the air.
A beam of light burst from the eyes of a man on the ground.
The impromptu hero was pierced through the chest.
A dull thud.
A body falls.
A sudden silence.
The man with red eyes lowered his head slightly. White, short hair, empty stare. His name was Karma.
— I don't like people who think they live in a heroic world, even if the world has changed.
Nobody moved.
— The strong rule. So I will become king. Anyone who wants to oppose my reign… let them come and fight me.
Nobody came.
That was three weeks ago.
HAS Zerobi.
Three weeks later.
Zerobit no longer resembled a city. The buildings were fortified. The streets were controlled. The weak were protected or exploited, depending on their usefulness. There was no longer a state. No police force. Just a struggle for power.
And at the top, Karma.
But Karma hardly slept anymore. He managed the districts during the day, organized patrols, and imposed strict rules. He forbade donations without authorization. Any uncontrolled use was punished. He never wanted to see again what he had seen that first day.
Then he would always return to that small room at the back of the main building.
His daughter lay on a reinforced mattress. The fever never completely broke. Her breathing was uneven some nights. He changed the dressings himself, prepared the meals himself, cleaned himself. Before Divergence, he worked in logistics. He wasn't a doctor. But he had learned to observe, to anticipate.
His daughter's name was Yuna. Five years old. Small. Too fragile. Her arms were thin but her eyes remained bright.
— Dad… you still haven't slept?
— Yes.
She knew he was lying.
Are people still shouting outside?
- A little.
— Are you going to scold them?
He stroked her hair.
Before, she used to ask when she could leave the hospital. Now, sheaskedWhy she couldn't leave the building. The world had changed. Her illness hadn't.
One evening, Aïna comes in.
— Is she asleep?
- Yes.
— The A-ranks are talking about her.
He did not reply.
— You brought them all here on the first day.
Yes. He had done it. After taking control ofZerobiHe had summoned the most powerful people. He had led them into this room.
— Look at her.
That was all.
They understood.
"You want them to know why they are fighting," said Aïna.
— I want them to know for whom.
Aïna sighed.
— There are still no healers?
— None above rank C. And there's nothing they can do for her.
Silence.
— So you're really going to attack Vyrheim?
He looked up.
— There are healers over there. Real ones.
— And how do you know that?
He did not respond immediately.
Because three days earlier, a hooded figure had enteredZerobiwithout being detected. She had walked right up to him as if the guards didn't exist.
"There is a city," the voice had said. "Under a gigantic tree called..."VyrheimThey have resources. Caregivers.
Why are you telling me this?
— Because you are willing to do what others don't dare to do.
— A Yggdrasil?
— He will not intervene.
Then the figure was gone.
Aïna observes her brother.
— Do you trust him?
— Non.
— So why?
— Because I have no other option.
On the roof, the A-Rank soldiers waited. There were seven of them. All powerful. All dangerous. All loyal.
"You know why we're going," said Karma.
- Yes.
He didn't need to say anything more.
— First squad. Infiltration. Assessment. If there is strong resistance, we secure an area and clear the way.
One of the Rank A players asked:
— And what if Yggdrasil intervenes?
Karma fixed l'horizon.
— He will not intervene.
He didn't know why he was so sure. But he was.
On the night of his departure, he went back to see Yuna.
She was asleep. He sat down next to her.
— Dad… are you leaving?
He froze.
- Yes.
— Are you coming back?
He placed his hand on hers.
- Always.
She smiled faintly.
— Bring me back a giant tree.
He gave a rare, fleeting smile.
- All right.
When he came out, his expression had changed. He was no longer just a father. Hewas becoming againthe self-proclaimed king ofZerobi.
The first squad left the city before dawn.
Sept Rank A.
Silent.
Fast.
Determined.
In the distance, invisible to their eyes, a figure was watching.
Beneath the hood, an old-fashioned look.
Indrasil.
Humanswere leavingVyrheim had been gone for weeks. They were going to explore. To organize themselves without him. To think for themselves. It wasn't acceptable.
Humans were resources.
Vyrheim was becoming a problem.
So we might as well let another problem destroy it.
Yggdrasil turned its back.
The first squad crossed the border from Vyrheim a few hours later.
And that's how the attack in the previous chapter began.