"Just look at that fat, ugly pig."
Kreyn frowned as he stood in the corner of the war hall, behind the general of the army.
The fat man was choking on noodles while watching a silly TV show that was probably too wholesome even for children.
"Hahaha! Kreyn, you should watch it! It's the best show ever!"
There was no response, only a disdainful glance not only at the general, but at the city through the window — skyscrapers and clean streets, a perfect utopia. People have no economic problems, no political problems, and of course: no wars.
The most recent conflict, the Last War, finished 50 years ago, and to mark the occasion, the city was renamed the Road of Peace.
Nothing could annoy Kreyn more than the current state of things.
'Nothing but smiles, laughter, and joy on those stupid faces,' Kreyn thought as he stared at the city streets. 'So much technology and weapons, and everything is covered in dust and almost forgotten! What's the point? Nothing happens in this world!'
Since childhood, Kreyn was obsessed with the idea of the Last War, hoping deep down that it would not actually be the last. Everything was involved: books, movies, articles, and, of course, strategy video games, many of them based on the Last War.
It was this passion that brought him here. Unfortunately for Kreyn, it was obvious to everyone that there would never be another war, not in this world. The army and all the technological capabilities under its control worked only to assist earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.
It was paradise, and the only soul unwilling to accept the world was Kreyn. However, there was nothing he could do, neither politically nor economically.
Step.
Kreyn stood in front of the window, ignoring the general's comments about the show. He didn't want to hear it.
'Well, maybe I just have to accept that I was born at the best time in history?' He thought, looking at the city under the sun. 'Games, movies, and books haven't gone anywhere, but... I want something real, not some made-up nonsense!'
The happy faces of the citizens annoyed him, this was not the world he wanted to live in, but maybe it was time for him to smile?
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
A trembling ran across the sky when, in the middle of the city, a huge, floating ship appeared out of nowhere, slowly emerging from another dimension.
Kreyn was the first to notice it, and it took him a few seconds to realize that what was happening was reality and not an illusion.
That was enough time for two huge crystals on board the ship to shine brightly, firing a laser at the city's tallest skyscraper — the government tower.
Flames and panic rose in the streets as the bravest media and journalists rushed to report the news, covering all the screens on the buildings.
Thousands of people ran away as vicious gargoyles flew out of the portal, seeking to establish complete domination of the air.
But Kreyn saw only one thing: the burning government tower.
A thought flashed through his mind:
'If the government is gone, then the military is in charge!'
"General!" Kreyn exclaimed. "We must act, right now!"
However, when Kreyn turned around, his excited expression froze, slowly filling with coldness and contempt.
"K-Kreyn!"
The general exclaimed, falling from his chair to the floor. His face turned red, and he clutched his head in panic.
"Act? What are you talking about? They… Who are they?" The general muttered deliriously. "Look, the city is collapsing! This wasn't supposed to happen… There's nothing we can do!"
As Kreyn had feared, the general was completely useless in the face of real danger, even a burning city couldn't stop him from whining.
But Kreyn had a solution, the right one.
With an audible click, Kreyn pulled a revolver from his pocket and spun the cylinder before pointing the barrel at the general.
"Kreyn...?" The general's face froze.
Click.
One shot and a wisp of smoke drifted past Kreyn's cold eyes as he watched the general plummet to the ground. Perhaps Kreyn had done him a favor, a man like that would never have survived in this world.
At the same moment, the door to the hall opened as a girl in a military uniform ran inside.
"General, we must—!" She exclaimed, but froze mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the corpse and Kreyn's blood-stained face.
"From this day forward, we have a new general, Officer Azura," Kreyn announced, stepping over the body. "If you don't want our enemies to wipe our city off the face of the earth, you will obey me."
"Or..." His gaze shifted to the revolver. "Do you also believe that we are powerless against the invaders?"
In a heartbeat, Azura stood at attention.
"Not at all, General Skard! I am ready to hear your first order, sir!"
Kreyn grinned and glanced at the floating ship. Everyone already understood that an attack from another world was happening, even if it sounded like science fiction.
Only one question remained: which of the two sides would survive?
Under Kreyn's leadership, Azura sent dozens of teams out in the first few minutes, and soon fighter jets flew out of numerous bases in the city as the first line of defense.
But Kreyn knew that this would not be enough, and he couldn't help but grin.
"Sir, we must rescue the people! Every few seconds, a building collapses and dozens die, we..."
Azura faltered, seeing that this was not in Kreyn's thoughts.
"Rescue people? That's not what the army does. We don't defend or rescue, we attack and destroy the enemy."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He quickly entered the 16-digit code on the panel, passed the fingerprint and retina scan, and the iron gates opened before him — the most classified place on the entire military base.
A dozen missiles came into view, ready to be launched at any moment, as Azura's eyes filled with fear.
After the Last War, nuclear weapons were considered the worst sin, yet Kreyn did not hesitate for a second.
"We will bomb the shit out of them. Right, fucking now!"
...
At the same time, the wind ruffled the platinum hair of the young woman standing at the bow of the ship, glaring at the city that was engulfed in flames at her will. There was no hint of pity in her dark, purple eyes.
"Lady Groza!" The young man with light hair fell to his knees before her. "They're not resisting. We haven't detected any energy at all."
She nodded deeply.
"Yes, this world is the Blank, they're not connected to the Global Axis, so we won't be able to get Epos from them, but at least it will be easy work and we can prepare for the next clash."
Liam gulped. "Next time we'll have better luck! According to our calculations, in an hour, there will be nothing left of the city, and we will absorb this world."
Groza nodded deeply. She knew that even if there was no energy, it would help their world become stronger, meaning they would have a better chance in the next battle against a world like theirs.
But Liam was wrong in his report, this world, the Road of Peace, was not going to give up.
"Agh?" Groza narrowed her eyes as she watched several fighters fly out from behind the hills. "What are these strange birds?"
"Maybe they're iron gargoyles?" Liam suggested. "Although... Wait, how is that possible? This world is the Blank, they shouldn't have any energy."
Groza snorted. "It doesn't matter. They can't do anything against us. One day, we will reach the Great Lands, you can be sure of that, Liam."
Liam nodded deeply. He knew that to do so, they would have to defeat another Connected World like theirs, one full of energy.
"We just have to deal with this quickly and—"
Whoooooosh.
With a whistle of wind, the missiles flew into the gargoyles, tearing the two magical creatures to pieces. Chunks of flesh fell onto the ship, right at Groza's feet, and drops of blood dripped from her shocked face.
At the same moment, a multitude of turrets appeared from the tops of the hills, raining lead down on the troops, hundreds of people in dark armor.
"WHAT?!" Groza exclaimed. "Are those abilities? No... How do they do that!?"
"Lady! We and the other Origins must join the battle," Liam exclaimed as his aura grew, wanting to unleash the power available only to those whose world was no longer a Blank.
A multitude of fighters flew by, firing their missiles directly at the ship, but the barrier prevented them from passing through.
"I see. It's an unusual weapon, but not energy." Groza nodded. "They won't be able to win, no matter how hard they try."
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
Two pillars of flame shot up outside the city as two missiles slowly rose into the sky, shaking the ground.
Even without knowing what was inside those missiles, Groza's eyes filled with fear. She felt that the barrier would not protect her.
...
Kreyn, watching the nuclear missiles crash into the ship, just smiled broadly while Azura, standing next to him, trembled. They used the most terrifying weapon that was supposed to remain under seven seals, and Kreyn was not having enough.
"Excellent, everything is working as it should. Hahaha, I don't know what exactly is going on here, but I'm not going to lose!" He exclaimed at the moment of the explosion.
Everything within a two-kilometer radius became a bright flame, and a shock wave ran through the entire Road of Peace, sweeping away everything in its path.
"Kreyn!" Azura exclaimed and jumped back for some reason.
"Hmm?"
He turned around to see purple runes condensing into an ancient scroll in front of him, offering him a unique opportunity to fulfill his dream.
[Epos was created.]
[Your world is on the verge of being recognized by the Global Axis. You have earned the right to become an Origin and possess the Catalyst.]
[Do you accept the chance to enter the Great Lands?]
A feather emerged between Kreyn and the scroll.
"So I blew up my enemies with a nuclear charge, and now I'm being rewarded for it? A reward for war?"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the feather.
"Who would refuse this!"