While the meeting was taking place, the security forces of both sides were carefully monitoring the palace. Although the possibility of an incident was almost nil, they needed to be ready for anything.

By the slimmest chance that something did happen, their leaders would need to be rescued immediately. This philosophy underpinned the current small contingents responsible for keeping an eye on the palace, while the rest of the security forces focused outward.

However, the peaceful monitoring only lasted for so long. In a fraction of a second, two massive roots emerged from opposite sides of the palace wall. They spread rapidly, intertwining and clashing against the walls of the palace, enveloping it as if it were a cocoon.

.......

There was a silence from those near the vicinity of the palace, but their surprise was more about the symbolic of what had happened. The sudden cocoon of roots meant that the emperor, his wife, and the leadership of the Proximians were now confined within the cocoon.

BOOOOOOOOM.

It was only three seconds later that they heard the explosion, which immediately brought everyone back to their senses.

Four seconds after the explosion.

Show me what the sensors are seeing, Josh, the head of the Aegis team assigned to protect the emperor on the ground, asked calmly, his eyes fixed on the now fully cocooned palace.

Although he was asking questions, his mouth wasnt moving, and neither were his eyes blinking at all. Everything around him seemed either at a full stop in the air or moving in slow motion, depending on their relative speed before the shockwave. Time seemed to have paused for him, his focus solely on the cocooned palace, his mind processing the sudden turn of events with an eerie calmness.

That was not a result of fear-induced adrenaline or any innate abilities, but rather a deliberate acceleration of his perception of time, causing everything to appear frozen or moving sluggishly..

It was a technology developed in Lab City, an offshoot of the VR and AR advancements made a few years ago. In its current form, the tech was a few hundred iterations beyond its initial discovery, though it still had its limitations. Not everyone could handle the acceleration of time perception while simultaneously experiencing the real world, where the amount of information couldnt be controlled as it could in a VR simulation.

So, at the moment, he was conversing directly with the security AI through his thoughts, needing to assess the situation on the ground. He would have to send a report to the fleet admiral after he determined how they could assist.

That was because currently, he was in control of the situation, and the fleet would act as his and his team's support, as he was the one responsible for the direct security of the emperor.

{Our scanners are being blocked by a massive amount of mana within the cocoon roots,} the AI relayed directly to his mind.

Upon hearing that the sensors were being blocked, Josh didnt linger on the negative news and immediately shifted focus.

Replay the recording of the event, he commanded, eager to view the incident clearly since his accelerated perception had compressed it into mere seconds.

The footage was augmented and replayed before him.

His expression remained unchanged, as the time acceleration tech only affected his perception, not his physical appearance. As a resut of that, his face stayed as it was moments before the tech activated, not reflecting the intensity of the scene he was observing.

The footage revealed two massive roots emerging from either side of the palace, rapidly expanding and converging to envelop the structure. As the roots encased the palace, it reacted within the same time fram, sealing all openings to prevent any intrusion from the roots.

What else do you see? he asked the AI, knowing that not utilizing its full capabilities would be unwise and could leave him unprepared for future inquiries.

{Although the roots appear identical to the naked eye, there is a noticeable color variation between them, suggesting that they may come from two different tree folks} reported the AI, highlighting the subtle differences in color between the roots.

Alright, send this information to fleet control and request a few attack ships to breach that cocoon, he instructed, promptly deactivating the perception acceleration.

Everyone to the ship! We need to breach that cocoon and rescue the imperial family! Josh commanded, swiftly organizing the security team on the ground.

For them, only seven seconds had elapsed since the shockwave hit, making his analysis and response time just two seconds.

Without hesitation, the security members rushed toward the ship, which was already hovering and approaching them to pick them up.

The operation to rescue the imperial family was now officially underway, as Josh and his team were heading to the cocoon.

Meanwhile, other groups were still in the process of assessing and reacting to the unfolding crisis.

..

In just ten seconds after the cocoons appearance, the fleet responded swiftly. Landers and attack ships were dispatched one after another, descending from orbit to support the Aegis forces on the ground. The fleets readiness was a result of their vigilance during the meeting eve when they were almost sure that nothing was going to happen, ensuring they were prepared for any emergent threats.

The Proximian security forces were equally swift in their response. Responding within a few more additional seconds, they had formulated an action plan. Given that their ships were already stationed on the planet, they were poised to arrive at the scene ahead of the reinforcements coming from space.

..

The unfolding crisis quickly captivated viewers both on Proxima and on earth. Within thirty seconds of the incident, the live stream's audience swelled to half a billion.

As the situation continued to develop, the number of viewers surged by millions each second. Reactions varied widely: some watched with bated breath and concern, others with a sense of schadenfreude, while many tuned in purely for the spectacle, eager to see if the emperor's fate would be sealed in real time.