CHAPTER 193 — THE FIRST STRIKE OF THE NINE
The sky trembled.
Not from thunder.
From nine sovereign signatures igniting at once.
The Jade Dragon had erased five cities and crippled entire military divisions. Missiles had failed. Railguns had failed. The roar had broken glass across provinces and flattened battalions.
Now—
The Nine moved.
Not as scattered powers.
As a single strike.
Above the ruined plain between shattered cities and the smoking remains of evacuation corridors, the dragon lifted its head slowly.
Its emerald eyes burned brighter.
"Insects."
It inhaled.
Emerald light condensed deep inside its throat.
If the roar came again—
The sixth city behind the Nine would disappear.
Dr. Elena Kovács' voice echoed across the encrypted channel.
"Window confirmed. Nine-point-seven-second instability at dorsal convergence."
Everyone knew what that meant.
One chance.
If the strike failed—
The dragon would simply advance.
Astra Nyx — Dimensional Severance
