Date: June 14, 2018 (Thursday)
Location: Global Frontlines, Geneva Ground Zero
Time: 12:00 AM
At exactly midnight, the glass-like fracture at Geneva's ground zero shattered, expanding to ten feet. Instead of a disciplined army, a horrific, chaotic stampede spilled out into reality.
These were deformed, hungry beasts—an endless flood of nightmare creatures ranging from Rank E to Rank C. The swarm included giant mutated rats with skin as tough as grey stone and multi-limbed goblins with teeth capable of crushing iron. Some creatures appeared charred, emitting toxic smoke from their flesh. They had no formation; they were simply a blind, hungry tsunami of death.
On the frontlines, the D-Rankers screamed in terror as they began to coat their Cold Iron swords with mana. The first strike landed successfully. The blue-glowing blades sliced through goblin limbs and tore through the stony hides of the mutated rats. For a moment, the soldiers believed they might survive.
However, after exactly fifteen seconds, reality hit them with brutal force.
Their internal mana pools ran completely dry. The blue glow of the swords flickered out, turning the weapons back into ordinary pieces of iron. In the next strike, the dull blades simply bounced off the monsters' tough skin.
The air was filled with the sound of clashing metal and sparks. Then, the true slaughter began.
The goblins leaped upon the defenseless soldiers, tearing through flesh. The sounds of screams and the stench of blood and rust turned the battlefield into a graveyard. Humanity learned a hard lesson: in this new era, a lack of stamina is the ultimate enemy.
Meanwhile, in the safe zones of the US and China, the B and A-Rankers were living in a different illusion. These high-rank mages levitated in the air, throwing massive fireballs and kinetic blasts. Each attack turned dozens of monsters into ash. Their faces were filled with arrogance, believing they were modern gods.
But their power had blinded them. Within minutes, they realized the monster count was not decreasing. Their massive mana reserves were draining rapidly, yet the endless swarm continued to push through the flames. Their reliance on 'Pure Magic' was beginning to exhaust them.
In Geneva, Richard Vance was engaged in a completely different, asymmetric combat. He used no flashy magic. Operating at the pure physical limit of an S-Rank, his speed was so great that he appeared as a mere blur to the human eye. He infused his dense, compressed mana into his Cold Iron blade.
With clinical perfection, he surgically targeted the joints, throats, and weak points of the C-Rank monsters. However, after exactly one minute, the 'Shattering Rule' took effect.
Richard's S-Rank mana pressure was so heavy that the human metal could no longer withstand it. Without melting, the heavy Cold Iron blade shattered violently like cheap glass, its shards scattering into the air.
Richard showed no surprise. In one fluid motion, he reached back to his weapon rack and pulled out a brand-new sword. With a new blade and a fresh mana coating, the slaughter continued.
Suddenly, a massive C-Rank beast fell, sliced into two pieces. As it hit the ground, its body dissolved into black ash. Two objects remained glowing in the dust—a 'Mana Core' and a jagged 'Essence Stone.'
Richard stepped forward and picked up the stone. For the first time, a cold, icy smile appeared on his fifty-four-year-old face.
To the rest of the world, this was the apocalypse. To Richard, it was the arrival of the first raw materials for his laboratory. The true Magitech era had begun.