The SUV glided through the garden gates of the imposing, five-story Lotus Palace, a vast structure that rose like a technological fortress. Built from a fusion of steel, stone, glass, and microscopic technological refinements, it represented the absolute pinnacle of modern architecture. The palace was designed in an angular "U" shape, its open side facing the city center in unwavering loyalty. Atop the structure rose seven magnificent primary domes, surrounded by several smaller ones—at first glance appearing to be mere aesthetic symbols of authority. In truth, they embodied Turanya's principle of "be ready for war in the name of peace"; concealed within each dome were heavy-class Tier-4 cannons and advanced anti-air systems, powered by magical energy and refined through Soren's genius.
The palace garden, in stark contrast to the chaos of the outside world, existed in a state of absolute calm and order. Several artificial lakes breathed life into the garden with their crystal-clear waters, while rare species of exotic fish glided silently through the natural-looking channels that connected them. The garden was adorned with carefully selected flowers and a wide variety of trees, yet this vegetation did not form a chaotic wilderness; instead, it presented a tableau of serenity arranged with mathematical precision.
Around the area, soldiers stood guard, clad in black combat armor. The dominant tone of the armor was matte dark gray. The chest plate was slightly convex and featured a layered internal structure designed to absorb incoming impact. Across its surface ran fine, narrow heat-dissipation channels—these were not decorative. When a soldier ran for extended periods, they expelled internal heat outward. The helmet had no openings on its front face; it completely sealed the wearer's head. The only visible feature was a thin, single-piece visor shaped like a sharp "V." The visor was slightly recessed to prevent it from shattering easily under impact. It had no external illumination and did not reflect light; it was simply a dark panel capable of projecting data from the inside.
The shoulder plates were not oversized; they were kept compact to avoid restricting movement. Their edges were rounded, yet they retained a solid, durable appearance. There were no visible artificial "muscle fibers" on the arms; everything was entirely mechanical and minimalist, with armor plates and underlying cables concealed in a low-profile configuration. The arm armor consisted entirely of plating, and hidden within the internal mechanisms of the arms were concealed blades. The leg armor was segmented to prevent friction during movement. The upper section was rigid plating, the middle section flexible fiber material, and the lower section composed once again of shock-absorbing hardened shields. The soles were designed with high-grip structures to prevent slipping when falling. In short, the design was purely practical.
This armor was designated as the Atil-7 Armor. It was powerful enough to carry loads approaching one ton, effectively turning its wearer into a super-soldier, while simultaneously enhancing speed and agility. Its outer layer was enveloped in a thin electromagnetic shield. This was merely one of the standard armors of the era. The soldiers carried infantry-class assault rifles, while at their waists they bore a sidearm and a lightweight, slightly curved sword whose cutting edge consisted of an energy beam. Each soldier wore a tactical belt constructed using miniaturization technology; though compact, its capacity was limited. The belt had eight compartments: three housed magazines for the primary weapon, totaling twenty-one magazines; two compartments contained sixteen magazines for the handgun; one compartment held explosives; another contained rations; and the final compartment stored medical aid kits. This standard armor had been developed for ground forces and was used by the infantry units of both Turanya and Azera.
Beneath the ground, within a massive underground hangar, three Mekas stood ready for combat at all times. One was a defensive unit, while the other two were assault types. The defensive-class heavy armored meka resembled a colossal mobile fortress. It stood approximately fifty meters tall and weighed around fifty thousand tons. Its most striking visual feature was its thick, angular armor plating, designed entirely for defense. Its overall coloration was matte dark green.
The torso was wide and massive, its arms thick and powerful, each arm bearing a platform capable of deploying energy shields. Its shoulders were composed of thick, slanted armor blocks, within which six-barreled rocket launchers were embedded. The head unit was small—intentionally so—appearing almost undersized compared to the enormous body, deliberately designed to avoid becoming an easy target. The eye section consisted of a single, massive horizontal V-shaped sensor panel.
The legs were thick, like the foundations of a building. The joints were not exposed; all were concealed beneath internal protective plating. This meka was not built for running—it was fully clad in heavy armor for defensive purposes, designed to function as a fortress capable of halting enemy mekas and monsters alike. Two massive energy-cooling radiators were mounted on its back, essential to prevent overheating. High-output kinetic barrier emitters were embedded in the chest, while pressure-based shockwave modules designed to repel monsters were installed in the knee joints. Rocket launcher systems were also mounted along its back. This meka was designated the TULGA-M2 Heavy-Class Defensive Unit.
The other meka stood thirty meters tall and weighed ten thousand tons—a mid-tier assault-class unit. Compared to the first, it possessed a slimmer, more agile structure. It had been designed for greater speed and maneuverability during combat. Its torso was narrower, and the chest section sloped slightly forward, engineered to deflect incoming fire. On its sides were two large air intake and exhaust channels, as this meka generated significantly more heat—it could run, jump, fly, and engage in close combat.
The arms were powerful but not bulky; rather than appearing muscle-bound, they were segmented like rows of mechanical tendons. The shoulders were angled to increase the range of motion, and small hydraulic reinforcement modules were installed at the elbows. The legs were long, segmented, and optimized for speed.
The knee joints angled slightly outward, allowing both rapid sprinting and short-distance leaps. The foot structure was not wide or heavy. Mounted along its sides was a primary combat assault rifle scaled to its size. For close combat, the pilot chose their preferred weapon—either an energy-edged axe or a sword. The meka also carried an energy blade proportionate to its dimensions. This unit was designated the ALAZ-11 Assault Unit.
The Mekas were a defense doctrine born of desperation, brought to life approximately two hundred and twenty years ago by the brilliant minds of Turanya and Azera. Although the Awakened were the most effective weapons against monsters thanks to their supernatural abilities, it was impossible for them to protect every square centimeter of a colossal planet like Nevarion. Moreover, when a major rift breach occurred, it could take hours for the nearest S-rank hunter to reach the area—and within that span of time, colossal monsters were capable of erasing entire cities from the map. To respond to this overwhelming destruction, humanity made a decisive choice: they would build monsters of metal of their own.
The success of the first Meka prototypes sent shockwaves across the world, and other empires, unwilling to fall behind in this new balance of power, entered a ruthless race to produce their own mechanical giants.
Omar pulled the SUV up to the entrance of the Lotus Palace right on time. The moment the vehicle came to a halt, an imposing officer clad in Atil-7 armor stepped forward. Although the visor of his helmet was closed, the gleaming rank insignia on his shoulders and the detailed engravings across his armor made it clear that he was no ordinary guard. The voice that echoed from the helmet's integrated speakers carried a faint metallic resonance, yet it sounded sincere.
"Professor Soren, Mr. Omar. It is a great honor to welcome you back to palace grounds."
As the two stepped out of the vehicle, Soren shoved his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat, wearing an expression of visible weariness. Omar, on the other hand, approached the officer with a broad smile and shook his hand.
"It's good to see you again, Bora. If the gates of Lotus are entrusted to a soldier like you, we can rest easy."
Bora disengaged the pressure lock on his helmet; with a soft hiss of released air, he tucked it under his arm. His young, resolute, and handsome face emerged into the daylight.
"You seem a bit out of sorts, Professor," Bora remarked, glancing at Soren's stern expression.
Soren shrugged, his gaze drifting across the palace architecture.
"Just my latest research and these endless bureaucratic meetings… Everything moves painfully slowly, Bora. Is the Emperor available?"
"He's expecting you, sir. You may proceed directly to the conference chamber," Bora replied, turning to lead the way.
As they moved through the palace's vast corridors—marble interwoven seamlessly with advanced technology—Omar couldn't resist teasing his old friend.
"So, Bora? Have you at least managed to find that mysterious woman who's captured your heart?"
Bora shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Not yet. I'm a soldier, Mr. Omar. My life is split between drills, patrols, and rift watch duties along the borders. Even if I do meet someone, no one can endure this tempo or the fact that I'm constantly on duty. Most relationships end before they truly begin, undone by distance alone."
Omar chuckled and gave Bora a light tap on the shoulder.
"That's on you, my friend! After the Awakening, the state increased the number of soldiers so much that they doubled your leave time. And yet you still volunteer for extra duty and sleep in the barracks."
Bora let out a deep breath; unwavering loyalty to his profession shone clearly in his eyes.
"This is my life, Mr. Omar. Being a soldier was my childhood dream. Every second I spend inside this armor feels like I'm paying my debt to this planet. I'm a First Lieutenant now, and very few people my age rise through the ranks this quickly. Maybe when I make Captain, I'll finally allow myself some personal time."
"I told you to just call me Omar," Omar said with a laugh.
"So what's the goal after Captain? General?"
Bora hesitated, watching the training units in the garden through the corridor's glass panels.
"I'm not sure… Being assigned to a desk job and waiting on promotions after becoming Captain doesn't suit me. Honestly… I'm seriously conflicted about whether I should join the Special Forces."
Omar's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Are you certain? The Special Forces are where lunatics with questionable sanity and no sense of pain congregate. Their training is described as 'hell,' but in my opinion, it's worse than hell. We're talking about the most elite—and most brutalized—branch of the military."
Bora smiled calmly.
"It's not a challenge I can't overcome."
Soren, who had been walking silently until then, finally joined the conversation. His voice carried its usual authoritative, technical weight.
"Do not underestimate the Special Forces—especially the Wolf Squad and the Sword Squad, Bora. Those men represent the absolute pinnacle of non-Awakened humans on Nevarion. They are not merely strong; they are masters of tactical intelligence and equipment utilization. With the right strategy, they can confront, an A-rank Awakened on their own."
Soren sighed as he continued, his thoughts drifting toward the armor designs of those units.
"I personally designed their armor using our most advanced technology. I witnessed their performance firsthand during a monster incursion—disciplined and effective enough to astonish even S-rank hunters. However…"
He paused and looked at Bora with grave seriousness.
"Those armors are not indestructible. Once the armor sustains heavy damage, it risks becoming a dead weight on the soldier rather than life-saving equipment. When ammunition runs dry, they're forced into close combat—but even swords forged from the strongest alloys on the market can shatter quickly against certain A-rank monsters. If I could fundamentally solve the issues of energy storage, ammunition capacity, and—most importantly—construction materials, everything would be very different."
Omar asked with clear curiosity,
"If the potential is this great, why aren't we allocating more resources to develop it further?"
Soren answered as though explaining a lesson to a student.
"Because we are already at the very limits of current world technology, Omar. I used runes, ancient enchantments, and the rarest metals available. But the problem is this: the microscopic mechanical craftsmanship inside the armor is so delicate that not every metal can endure the strain. Use the wrong conductor, and the entire system turns to ash within seconds. Yes, there is an energy shield surrounding the armor—but it drastically increases energy consumption, which is why it's typically operated below fifty percent capacity. We've hit a technological wall."
At those words, both Omar and Soren were reminded of that unfinished secret project from two years ago—the one abandoned in a remote laboratory. It was an armor project crafted from scales and bones harvested from a genuine dragon corpse. If completed, it would have been the most durable equipment in Nevarion's history, with unparalleled mana conductivity. But just as it was about to enter the testing phase, a massive SS-rank rift breach erupted in the region, throwing everything into chaos. The laboratory now lay within a lost zone overrun by monsters, and reclaiming the only intact dragon specimens they possessed would have been tantamount to sacrificing an entire army.
The questions swirling in Bora's mind reflected the greatest concerns of a soldier on the battlefield.
"If the Special Forces are really that capable," Bora said as the echo of their footsteps rang through the corridor,
"then why don't they enter rifts above B-rank and clear them from the inside? Why do we still leave everything entirely to the initiative of the Awakened?"
Soren let out a deep sigh, burdened by the harsh truth underlying that question.
"The reality inside rifts, Bora, is far more complex than what you see from the outside. The moment you step into a rift, you have no way of knowing what kind of ecosystem you'll encounter, what the chemical composition of the atmosphere will be, or even how the laws of physics function within it. But the greatest problem of all is logistics."
Soren continued, gesturing as if sketching an invisible schematic in the air.
"Even though the armors are engineering marvels, there is no harbor inside a rift where they can replenish energy, resupply ammunition, or undergo maintenance in the event of even the smallest malfunction. You cannot transport armor maintenance platforms into a rift. And even if you somehow could, the energy recharge cycles of those platforms take hours—whereas inside a rift, every second is the razor-thin line between life and death. For these reasons, and dozens more too numerous to list, sending ordinary soldiers—those who are not Awakened—into A-rank or higher rifts is equivalent to sealing them inside coffins."
Bora's shoulders sagged slightly as he exhaled under the weight of that reality.
"I see… It's the same situation for Mecha units too, isn't it?"
This time, Omar intervened, nodding his head.
"Yes and no, Bora. The energy issue for Mecha units has largely been resolved—their cores can sustain them for months. However, the real obstacle is the entry points. Rift entrances remain extremely narrow until the moment of full breach; it's impossible to force a fifty-meter TULGA through them. And even if they could enter, once their ammunition runs dry or their armor sustains heavy damage during the relentless combat inside, they become irreversible piles of metal."
Bora murmured in disappointment,
"So humanity is still dependent on you Awakened…"
At that bitter remark, Soren and Omar exchanged a glance and smiled faintly. Soren spoke with that unmistakable confidence of a true genius in his voice.
"For now, it may seem that way, Bora. But don't worry—I'm working day and night to tear down these so-called 'technological walls.' Within a few years, I will bring forth technologies that will allow even a non-Awakened soldier to stand face to face with a dragon."
Bora looked at Soren's profile with an expression that blended admiration and hope. Everyone knew who Soren was—the singular intellect who had catapulted the world forward by three entire technological eras in a single leap. If current metallurgy and energy science did not restrain Soren's mind, humanity would not have to rely so heavily on the Awakened.
The trio finally reached the massive, imposing door at the end of the corridor. Standing guard before it were two sentinels clad in the heavy-class variants of Atil-7 armor, motionless as statues.
This was the presence chamber of the Emperor of Turanya.