Edo City Compound, Yamato Empire Supreme Command Center…

"Takahashi-san, did they agree or not?" Takeo asked, practically vibrating with nerves.

"No idea," Ryuji Takahashi said, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "He said he was going to discuss it with the Atlas Federation's leadership. If you think about it from their perspective… they probably will."

"Then why hasn't he called back?"

"How the hell should I know?" Takahashi snapped, then hesitated. "You want me to… call again?"

"Don't," someone cut in. "That makes us look desperate. Just wait for them to call us."

"…Fine."

They waited, tense and restless.

But the call they got wasn't from Ethan.

It was from one of their people down below.

"Bad news, Prime Minister! Those red monster birds—they're flying straight at us!"

"What!?" Takahashi blurted, the sound tearing out of him.

"What is it?" the others demanded, instantly on edge.

"They're here," Takahashi said, face going pale. "They're coming to Edo City!"

"They…?"

"You mean they?"

Panic rippled through the room.

"What do we do? What do we do—should we run?"

"Run? Where?" someone shot back. "You think you can outrun tens of thousands of those red birds?"

"Then what—are we just supposed to sit here and die?"

"Not necessarily," Ichigo said, forcing calm into his tone. "They're coming this fast… maybe the Atlas Federation agreed to take us in. Maybe they're here to absorb us."

"Huh…" Eyes lit up around the room.

They'd only just made the call. For them to show up at Edo City this quickly… it really could be to take control, not to wipe them out.

"So what do we do?"

"We go outside the city and greet them," Takahashi said, swallowing hard. "Remember—show sincerity. Real sincerity."

"Understood!"

Before long, a swarm of Flamebirds swept down to the gates of the Edo City Compound.

Up in the air, Ethan was just about to give the order to attack when a massive roar boomed from below.

"Welcome, Envoy of the Atlas Federation, to Edo City! I—I, Ryuji Takahashi, on behalf of the Yamato Empire, welcome your arrival!"

"???"

Ethan and the others stared down in blank disbelief at the man holding a giant loudspeaker like his life depended on it.

"That guy's Ryuji Takahashi?" Ethan asked, glancing at Mia.

As the Prime Minister of the Yamato Empire, Takahashi had been all over the media, but Ethan didn't exactly spend his time watching that stuff.

"Yes," Mia said. "That's Ryuji Takahashi, and also… your servant."

"…"

"Can we not do this?" Ethan muttered, rolling his eyes. Then he leaned forward, looking down at Takahashi and called out:

"Hey, puppy. That's your welcome?"

Ryuji Takahashi's face twisted instantly. Being called "puppy" in front of this many people wasn't just insulting—it was humiliating.

This wasn't a phone call anymore. This was the front gate of the Edo City Compound, with countless eyes on him.

He could feel it—people's looks shifting, turning weird, judging.

But he didn't dare talk back. He forced himself to swallow it and looked up at Ethan instead.

"Envoy of the Atlas Federation," he said as evenly as he could, "why don't you come down and sit with me inside the compound? I've prepared fine wine, great food, and beautiful women. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Yeah?" Ethan's voice carried from above. "Then bring the women out first. And while you're at it—get all your Awakened out here too. I'll see if you're even worth letting into the Atlas Federation."

Ryuji hesitated. "Th-This… why do we need to bring out the Awakened?"

"Because the number of Awakened is how I judge your value," Ethan said flatly. "The Atlas Federation has plenty of ordinary Awakened. We don't need your scraps."

"Ah—yes! Yes!"

Ryuji turned and barked at his men, urgency cracking through. "Hurry… bring out the women. And bring out all the Awakened from inside the compound!"

"Understood!"

Not long after, a group of soldiers marched out, herding a large crowd of women in front of them.

Big Mike's eyes lit up like it was Christmas.

"Captain," he murmured, impressed, "this batch is solid. Edo City Compound really delivers."

Ethan barely spared them a glance. His gaze went straight past the women—locked onto the seven figures standing behind them.

Seven Awakened.

Not bad.

"Um… Envoy," Ryuji asked carefully, "are you satisfied?"

"Yeah. Not bad." Ethan nodded, and in the next instant he was gone—

Then he was standing right in front of Ryuji.

"You're Ryuji Takahashi, right?"

"Y-Yes. Yes, I am."

"You did well."

"Th-Thank you for the praise."

Ethan's mouth curved, not quite a smile. "Good. I'll accept the women and the Awakened. But I won't be going inside."

Ryuji's expression flickered. "Th… the Atlas envoy—what do you mean?"

"Nothing complicated." Ethan looked past him, toward the compound like it was already ashes. "This place is about to become a ruin. Why would I go in?"

"You…!" Ryuji's face drained of color.

Then it snapped into fury.

"You liar! You broke your word!!"

"Broke my word?" Ethan's tone turned lazy, almost curious. "When did I ever agree to let you 'join' the Atlas Federation? Seriously—go piss in a bowl and look at yourself. You think you're qualified to join us?"

His eyes went cold.

"The Atlas Federation doesn't take in every stray dog that comes whining at the door."

He lifted his hand slightly.

"Erase it."

The moment the last word fell, the Flamebirds surged overhead, pouring into the sky above the Edo City Compound.

Then fire came down.

Sheets of flame rolled over the people below like a tidal wave. Wherever it touched, everything vanished into ash—bodies, stone, metal, banners, pride. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The ones caught in it didn't even get a chance to scream. They simply… stopped existing.

"Ah—!" Takeo's eyes went wide with horror, then filled with rage. "I'll kill you!"

He ripped a katana free and charged straight at Ethan.

A cold flash.

Takeo's head left his shoulders and spun away.

"!!!"

"So brutal…"

"He's insane…"

Ryuji stared at Ethan, eyes bloodshot, voice shaking with hatred. "You… you're a devil."

"Thanks," Ethan said, unbothered. "Compared to you, I'm practically kind."

"You…!"

Ryuji sucked in breath after breath, like he was trying to force his chest to obey. Then—suddenly—he dropped to his knees.

The people around him jolted.

"Prime Minister, don't!"

"If we're going to die, we die fighting!"

"That's right—Yamato warriors don't fear death!"

Ryuji lifted a hand, cutting them off. Then he looked up at Ethan, eyes wet, pleading, and his words came out in a messy mix of English and his own language.

"We provoked this. The invasion, the sabotage… we miscalculated. 我们愿意道歉.放过我们吧!"

We'll apologize. Please—spare us.

"Apologize?" Ethan let out a short, humorless laugh. "Now you know how to apologize? Where the hell was that earlier?"

His voice sharpened, each line hitting like a verdict.

"You sent assassins after our president."

"You lured Infernals into our cities."

"You ambushed our ports."

"You invaded our allies."

"You burned and looted civilian cities."

"And now you want forgiveness?"

"No."

"You chose war."

"Now Yamato ends with it."

He looked down at Ryuji like the man was already a corpse.

"Crimes like yours don't get repaid with an apology. They get repaid with your entire Yamato Empire."

...

Atlas Federation Command Center.

Maxwell slammed his palm down on the conference table so hard it exploded into splinters.

He didn't even notice.

No one did.

Every person in the room was locked onto the massive screen mounted on the wall, eyes bright, jaws tight, breathing hard.

On the screen was the Edo City Compound—Yamato Empire's supreme command center—being torn apart in real time.

And the ones doing it were Ethan and the Fallen Star Squad.

In that moment, they'd never been prouder.

And it wasn't just Atlas City.

Across every major compound in the Atlas Federation, people stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of screens, watching the same feed, unable to look away.

This was the scene countless people across the Federation had dreamed of.

The women who'd been violated by Yamato soldiers.

The survivors who'd crawled out of burned cities with nothing left but names they couldn't stop hearing in their heads.

The ones who'd lost families, homes, whole futures—yet somehow stayed alive long enough to see this.

Now it was happening. Right in front of them.

At last, the Atlas Federation's fury had somewhere to go.

The Fallen Star Squad's reputation skyrocketed overnight, and Ethan—Ethan became an idol to people all across the Federation.

The biggest impact hit Fallen Star City.

Miles had gone all-in. He'd set up giant screens in every crowded area he could—plazas, markets, intersections—until you could barely walk anywhere in the compound without catching the live broadcast.

He pushed the publicity to the absolute limit.

And the payoff was immediate.

Fallen Star City was electric. People stood taller. Strangers grinned at each other like they shared a secret. Pride ran through the streets like a current—pride in being from here.

Because that was their Commander.

And the Fallen Star Squad wasn't just some distant legend—they were Fallen Star City's banner.

From now on, when they went out and met anyone, they could say it without hesitation, without shame—

I'm from Fallen Star City.

Home of the squad that wiped out Yamato.