686 FAFO 2

{Thats all,} Nova said as she finished updating Aron on the situation. It had taken only a few seconds for her to do so since she delivered just the bullet points, and Aron filled in the gaps himself.

Thanks, keep updating me on any changes, Aron said before looking down at the cocoon, which now appeared as intact as it had been from the beginning. It had fully healed and was no longer under attack from the ships, giving it a moment of respite.

He waited to see if the cocoon would react or shift its focus toward him, but even after a few moments, nothing happened.

{I think they're still maintaining it to imprison her and are planning to deal with you first before returning to handle her,} Nova hypothesized to Aron.

I would have done the same if I were the one attacking us, Aron agreed. He understood their strategy: imprisoning Rina would force him to fight while constantly worrying about her safety. This divided focus would make it easier for them to overwhelm him, allowing them to defeat him more quickly and with minimal damage before returning to deal with Rina, who, although hypothesised to be slightly weaker, might still pose a threat if he turned out to be more powerful.

Then lets mess with their plan, Aron said, extending his hand toward the cocoon below. Shortly after, runic sentences appeared and activated, immediately forming a skin-tight shield around the cocoon. But he didn't stop there. With his extended hand, he shifted his focus from the outer shield to the runes that were still projecting active shields around Rina, Ayaka, and Lee, taking control of them as well.

The runes immediately had a few of their letters change. All three runic words projecting three different shields moved and joined, merging into a single rune. The new combined shield began growing while still in its passive mode, allowing anything to enter and leave freely as it expanded. It extended through Birch's palace until it reached the outer side of the palace walls.

Once there, the shield entered active mode, activated fully, enveloping the cocoon from the inside as well.

Snap! Aron snapped his fingers.

Before even a second could pass, BOOOOOOOOM.

An explosion erupted inside the shields, visible to anyone watching. The blast ignited everything within the two shields, overwhelming them faster than they could regenerate.

The explosion continued for about three seconds before subsiding, revealing the aftermath inside the shields. Nothing but ashes remained, falling through the half-dome of the inner shield to the floor, unveiling the palace once again.

Aron then deactivated the outer shield while simultaneously shrinking the lower shield in passive mode, reducing its size until it fit the room.

Once it was contained, he reactivated the shield and cast a flying rune on it, detaching the room from the palace and lifting it into the air.

Birch responded by spreading the roots from the roof of the palace while at the same time having the palace return back into her roots as the room rose until it reached his eye level.

She then absorbed all the roots within the room back into her body, leaving only the clear shield remaining.

While your real bodies are dealing with my request, I want your copies to stay clear of the mess and act as communication intermediaries. I have some questions Im curious about, Aron said, directing his gaze at the tree folks.

He then turned to Rayyan, who was in the midst of regaining her composure.

I need you to grant me temporary control of the government. Your current situation isnt ideal for managing this crisis, Aron said. Rayyan, understanding the gravity of the situation and acknowledging the impact of the recent events on her ability to lead, agreed.

She handed over control, knowing it was an emergency and that she could communicate with Aron through the button he left, now turned into an earpiece. This way, she could monitor his actions and reclaim control if necessary.

Aron then turned to Lee, pointing at Ayaka. I need you to protect her while she heals anyone on the verge of death. Once theyre stabilized, they should be placed in a stasis pod for further treatment. Lee nodded immediately, understanding the urgency of the task.

Turning to his wife, he added, I need you to assist me if they try to attack other locations.

With that, Aron deactivated the shield, ready to address the next phase of their plan.

As the shield deactivated, everyone inside immediately cast flying magic on themselves to stay airborne, except for Ayaka, who struggled with any magic other than life magic.

Despite her ability to heal herself, no one wanted to risk unnecessary harm. Nova, quick to act, ordered a nearby shipAron's personal vesselto deploy its tractor beam, catching Ayaka before she could fall.

The tractor beam also latched onto the three tree folks and Rayyan, pulling them into the ship alongside Ayaka. The tree folks would use the ship as a base for communication, while Ayaka was to be provided with a newly created suit from the ship's atomic printer, ensuring her survival for the demanding tasks ahead.

Having completed his preparations, Aron turned towards his ship.

Nova, connect me with all available government personnel who can assist with the situation, he instructed.

{You are connected} Nova replied, linking Aron to the fleet he had brought, the exploration fleets military forces, the Proximian temporary governments military, the Proximian police, the Proximian fire department, and all Proximians who had opted for magic training. Despite being awakeners, not all had chosen to learn magic, preferring to focus on their individual interests.

The live stream, now with eight billion viewers, was also set to broadcast his communications.

I wont beat around the bush. I need everyone to work together to resolve this situation swiftly and minimize damage, Aron began, addressing all the targetted personnel, as usual, keeping to his word of not beating around the bush from the start.