On the Brink (1)
From an opening in absolute space… spread wide like drifting clouds… a massive sphere of steel slowly revealed itself.
At that moment, the air froze even colder, and even the atmosphere seemed to hold its breath in silence.
Cheon Li Yu was observing the overall situation from above, sharing her vision, while Seon Yul gauged the exact moment of impact.
“This isn’t a warning.”
Seon Yul muttered in a low voice.
The instant his words ended, Cheon Li Yu dropped God’s Hammer precisely onto the designated target point.
There, hundreds of branded artificial mana users were diligently working under orders to construct a temporary base.
Among them, Chinese government commanders were issuing orders, clearly intoxicated by the sudden power they had gained.
And then…
God’s Hammer fell upon them.
What followed was an explosion.
As a 5,000-ton steel sphere slammed into the heart of the Sinuiju base, a massive shockwave split the ground apart in an instant.
Countless fragments blasted outward from the explosion, and the mana users at the base were erased from existence on the spot.
They couldn’t even attempt resistance.
Before such a sudden and overwhelming strike, everything became equal.
Seon Yul’s single blow of God’s Hammer devoured every living thing there in an instant, and soon, absolute silence pressed down over all of Sinuiju.
***
Meanwhile, the Chinese government received a report that all signals from the Sinuiju region had been lost.
High-ranking officials monitoring the situation panicked and attempted to reestablish contact, but only silence answered them.
“The Sinuiju base…”
The aide’s voice trembled.
They could only helplessly accept the news.
They instinctively realized this could be a provocation directed at them, yet no one could continue speaking.
“Call an emergency response meeting!”
At the order of those in charge, the Chinese government hurriedly convened a meeting.
They began searching for ways to respond while simultaneously analyzing what this attack meant for them.
China, which had grown arrogant after momentarily relying on the power of the Kanon Empire, was now revealing its vulnerability.
***
Cha Seong Hyeon confirmed through contact with Seon Yul that China had taken a proper hit.
He was convinced that the damage China suffered would affect all of BRICS, and he hoped this would serve as the first step in easing tensions among surrounding nations.
“Now the United States and European allies will start moving too. The pressure from the international community will grow stronger.”
Cha Seong Hyeon spoke with certainty over the call.
“For now, China isn’t making any significant response. The U.S. and European countries will likely begin reacting as quickly as possible as well.”
He explained that starting with Seon Yul’s punishment of China, the entire world would eventually begin responding to BRICS.
This was, in fact, a stepping stone to avoid full-scale war.
No one wanted an all-out war.
If a global war were to break out on Earth–104 in this situation, it would truly make things difficult for everyone.
From the beginning, the preemptive response against BRICS had been intended to suppress them before they could develop even greater ambitions.
“From now on, if you notice anything unusual or receive any suspicious information, let me know immediately. We’ll take preemptive action on everything.”
Seon Yul, fully aware of this, asked Cha Seong Hyeon for continued intelligence.
From here on, each day would feel like walking on thin ice.
***
Meanwhile, news of China suffering heavy damage reached the Kanon Empire.
The Emperor placed the report down heavily, not dismissing it as a mere provocation.
His attention turned to his most trusted knight, Rakan.
“Rakan, what happened on Earth–104… could it be related to the attack on the fortress?”
His eyes gleamed coldly. Rakan bowed his head and stepped forward.
“It appears there may be some connection. However, since we cannot directly go to Earth–104, we will investigate the irregulars from Earth–104 here as thoroughly as possible.”
A flash of light flickered in Rakan’s eyes.
“Good. And if necessary, we’ll use the forces of Earth–104 to send them a clear warning. I will temporarily grant the Pure White Brand, so show them exactly what happens when they dare oppose the Empire.”
“Understood.”
The Emperor escalated the pressure instead, even granting the “Pure White Brand” to collaborators on Earth–104.
The pressure of war had increased from an unexpected direction.
Yet Earth–104 remained completely unaware of this.
The so-called “Pure White Brand” was technically a brand, but within the Empire it was known as the “Emperor’s Blessing.”
Even among the Empire’s ability users, it was a reward granted only for great achievements.
Allowing it meant the Emperor was truly enraged over this incident.
Within the mana user community of Earth–104, information spread by Cha Seong Hyeon began circulating, and tension slowly started to rise.
As the movements of China and BRICS became visible and international cooperation systems strengthened, people began to realize that war was no longer someone else’s problem.
The United States and European allies, having received detailed information, naturally recognized the threat of BRICS and strengthened their alliance systems.
Powerful governments and organizations backing mana users began to move, preparing to strongly oppose provocations from China and BRICS.
***
U.S. and Brazilian forces stationed on the outskirts of São Paulo faced each other in a tense standoff.
Brazil was displaying its power by deploying artificial mana user units to several South American countries, including Paraguay.
In Paraguay’s case, Brazil was even considering capturing the capital and placing the entire nation under its influence.
In response, reinforcements from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel were deployed.
The commander leading the U.S. mana users anxiously monitored the battlefield situation.
On the screen he was watching were details of which facilities in Paraguay had been occupied by Brazil’s branded artificial mana users.
“Are the response teams in position yet?”
“Most teams are already close to their assigned regions. Give us about ten more minutes… and we can execute the operation immediately.”
“We need to strike decisively this time. That’s the only way to properly warn Brazil, which is acting recklessly.”
“Understood.”
BRICS’s movements were not yet full-scale.
But even if not full-scale, they were extremely blatant.
Thus, the nations seeking to check BRICS were moving with the intent of cutting off those blatant actions in one decisive blow.
The same applied to Russia, India, and South Africa.
Not massive in scale, yet far from small, branded artificial mana users were operating organically across regions, and the opposing side deployed their own mana users to eliminate or block them.
At this point, while it wasn’t officially a full-scale war, it was fair to say that small-scale wars were already breaking out.
Earth–104 was suddenly heating up.
Naturally, many mana users in online communities were posting with concern about the situation.
[ I get that BRICS is crossing the line… but if we respond like this, isn’t this going to turn into a real war? We barely just prevented the world from ending… this doesn’t seem right.]
> Then say that to BRICS. They’re the ones siding with the Kanon Empire and doing garbage things.
> But are BRICS really aligned with the Kanon Empire? Weren’t they just cooperating?
> Cooperation, my ass. They’re completely acting like lackeys. How do I know? I’m affiliated with one of the BRICS countries. Honestly, I don’t like this situation. At this rate, the Kanon Empire is going to swallow not just BRICS but all of Earth–104.
> Then punishing BRICS is the right move, isn’t it?
> Yeah. That’s why it’s happening right now.
> Even so, we should avoid a world war. Does war even make sense right now?
> BRICS just needs to stay quiet. If they don’t stir things up, there’s no reason for war. But judging by how things are going, I’m worried they won’t stay still.
> By the way, I heard something like a nuclear bomb was dropped in China? Who launched that? Can nuclear weapons even be used in this world right now?
> That wasn’t a nuke; it was the ability of a Korean mana user. It’s already been mentioned a few times in the community. If anything, Korea seems to be delivering the most satisfying punishment.
> What kind of ability is that to be compared to a nuclear bomb? Korea these days… seriously impressive.
> China has the strongest forces among BRICS, but the reason they’re the quietest is because of Korea.
> Korea, nice. Absolute Safety First is the best!
> Is Absolute Safety First that mana user?
> Yeah, currently known as the One Seat.
> Wow~ one absolute being overpowering seven stars. That’s insane!!
……
……
In the community, opinions condemning BRICS were inevitably dominant.
Even within BRICS itself, voices saying “this isn’t right” were emerging, and in fact, internal conflicts of opinion were already occurring due to this first clash.
On top of that, the Kanon Empire had offered to grant 3 to 5 “Pure White Brands” to each BRICS nation.
Because of this, opinions are sharply divided over whether to accept them and become complete tools of the Empire, or to maintain some distance from the Empire even now.
Initially, when BRICS cooperated with the Kanon Empire to create branded artificial mana users, they had only thought of using the Empire.
But now, the situation had changed drastically.
Other nations of Earth–104 had begun applying strong pressure, and even the Kanon Empire was openly attempting to control the BRICS nations.
The “Pure White Brand,” while granting immense power, could allow those branded mana users to eventually dominate their own countries…
So caution was inevitable.
Because of this, divisions within BRICS deepened, and the situation entered a temporary lull.
A crossroads.
At this turning point, no one could predict what choice each nation would make.
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