"Hurry, start the ship! Get us closer!" the reporter shouted, frantically snapping photos of the scene unfolding before him.
Meanwhile, back with Firefly, she wore a bewildered expression. Wait, I just wanted to run an Instance. How did this turn into PvP?
A man stepped forward to the front of the assembled soldiers. Unlike the others, who were bundled in thick coats and layers of warm clothing, he wore only a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. He gazed up at the silver mech in the sky and asked gravely, "Who are you? What is your purpose...?"
Even as he spoke, the man braced himself for battle. He lowered his stance, arching his body, and a circular pattern of azure light materialized in his palm—a magic circle.
Behind him, over a hundred soldiers raised white staves, aiming them at Firefly in the sky.
In this world, Great Britain had been steadily declining before 2015. But the appearance of the Dimensional Rifts changed everything.
While other nations struggled to cope with the sudden emergence of Dimensional Rifts, the first rift in Great Britain transformed the queen—once merely a national figurehead—into a Transformer: a blonde, flat-chested young girl with extraordinary magical prowess.
(TL Note: Holy Cow...Magical girl Queen Elizabeth)
Naturally, the queen immersed herself in studying and promoting magic. She swiftly consolidated power, and within a year, Great Britain underwent a radical transformation, regressing from a constitutional monarchy to an absolute monarchy.
With her power secured, the queen launched military campaigns against former Commonwealth nations that had broken away from the Empire.
While other countries still reeled from the impact of the Dimensional Rifts, Great Britain had already reaped significant benefits. Though weakened, it remained a veteran world power, and among the former Commonwealth nations, only India possessed comparable strength; the rest were relatively weak.
Thus, Great Britain accomplished the seemingly impossible feat with surprising ease. It reclaimed most of its lost colonies, established the Imperial Federation, and nearly restored the glory of the "Empire on which the sun never set."
Under normal circumstances, other major powers would undoubtedly have intervened. However, at the time, White Eagle was embroiled in a civil war, the European Union was preoccupied with its integration efforts, Sakura Nation was locked in a fierce battle with Godzilla, and Bear Nation and Dragon Nation were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Dimensional Rifts plaguing their vast territories.
Looking back at this history, one can only marvel at Great Britain's astonishing luck. After establishing the Imperial Federation, the queen even turned her gaze toward White Eagle, launching an attack under the pretext of "uniting the English-speaking world." Unlike the previous easy targets, however, White Eagle proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Moreover, by this time, the European Union and Dragon Nation had managed to free up some resources and provided limited assistance to White Eagle.
The outcome was inevitable: Great Britain's defeat. This event also hastened the end of White Eagle's civil war, serving as one of the initial sparks that united the White Eagle Eight.
In summary, while modern Great Britain is undoubtedly a formidable power, the queen's actions have severely tarnished its international reputation, leaving it even lower than White Eagle's.
But Great Britain's reputation was none of Firefly's concern. She looked at the soldiers before her. She wasn't some deranged killer with a grudge; she couldn't just slaughter them all, could she?
Even though these men seemed to be up to no good, and keeping a Dimensional Rift open for this long was undoubtedly a bad idea, it wasn't her problem.
There was a reporter nearby, Firefly had already noticed. That meant news of this incident would soon reach the ears of other major powers. Let the Dragon Nation, White Eagle, and the European Union handle it from there.
So, when the Briton questioned her, Firefly desperately wanted to say, "I have no ulterior motives. I'm just an ordinary Masked Rider passing through. Sorry for accidentally breaking your window. My apologies, ha!"
But of course, she wouldn't say that. Strictly speaking, it wasn't even her fault. They had built a "private facility" in a public space. The best course of action was to simply turn around and walk away, and that's exactly what she did.
Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere, the moment Firefly looked up, ready to resume her flight, the figure on the ground abruptly raised his hand. The magic circle in his palm began to spin, and simultaneously, four beams of frigid blue light erupted from the tops of the stone pillars. In the blink of an eye, they hurtled toward Firefly as she prepared to accelerate.
Caught completely off guard, Firefly was momentarily stunned. Why would they attack without warning?
She twisted slightly, managing to dodge only one beam before taking the full force of the remaining three. The result? Nothing more than a gentle push. Only because she was airborne did the impacts make her drift backward slightly. Had she been on the ground, she doubted she would have needed to retreat even half a step.
Is that all?
Still, since they had struck first, she couldn't simply ignore it and leave. After a brief pause, her mechanically modulated voice echoed across the battlefield as she addressed the soldiers below: "I had no intention of becoming your enemy."
The silver mech descended rapidly from the sky, jets of flame erupting from its calves and back to slow its descent as it neared the ground. It landed steadily on the icy surface.
Firefly desperately wanted to make a cool, dramatic landing, but the terrain presented a problem. This was ice, not solid ground. A direct impact would likely shatter the surface, plunging her into the frigid depths the moment she touched down—a graceful descent turning into an embarrassing underwater plunge. The mere thought made her cringe.
After landing, SAM's metallic voice continued, "Since you insist on challenging me, I shall grant you this opportunity."
As he spoke, a torrent of flames erupted from SAM's body. Simultaneously, the hundred soldiers before them unleashed a coordinated barrage from their staves. Razor-sharp ice spikes materialized in mid-air, locking onto their target and arcing toward Firefly at bullet-like speeds.