Chapter 89: Declaration of War

John turned his gaze away from Miyuki. His eyes moved to the third person standing in the room.

Captain Daniel was still standing near the oak doors. He looked tense and confused. His knuckles were pale, and his face was strained with pain from his fractured ribs. Because everything had been spoken in English, Daniel had not understood a single word of the conversation between the former classmates. He only knew that the young man behind the desk was the commander of these iron-armored foreigners.

"Ayanokoji," John said, nodding toward the officer. "Translate for him. Word for word. Don’t soften it."

Ayanokoji nodded once. "Understood."

John walked around his desk, stopping just a few paces in front of Daniel. Even though John wore no armor, no sword, and no medals, he carried himself with the authority of someone who commanded vast armies.

"Captain Daniel," John began, his voice calm and firm. "You wanted an audience with the leader of the United States. You wanted to know who destroyed your vanguard fleet. Well, you’re looking at him."

Ayanokoji spoke in clear Solarian, translating John’s words directly.

Daniel’s jaw tightened. His bloodshot eyes stared into John’s. A mix of shock, indignation, and disgust flared across his face. To Daniel, it felt humiliating that the mighty commander of this terrifying force was not an ancient warrior or an archmage, but a boy who looked no older than an imperial squire.

"You...?" Daniel rasped in Solarian, taking half a step forward before remembering his place. "You are the master of this godless horde? You are the one who ordered the murder of three thousand faithful soldiers of Her Divinity?!"

Ayanokoji translated the reply without hesitation: "He asks if you are truly the commander who ordered the destruction of the vanguard."

"Tell him yes," John replied flatly. "And tell him why. His fleet landed on a sovereign coast, put innocent natives in chains, and set fire to their homes. In our world, that makes them war criminals and slave traders. We gave them the only response they deserved."

When Ayanokoji delivered the translation, Daniel spat onto the navy blue carpet.

"Barbarian!" Daniel snapped, his voice rising in fury. "You speak of beasts as if they have souls! The beastkin were placed on this earth to serve the chosen race of Lady Viona! You wiped out noble knights, inquisitors, and sacred vessels over animals! The Holy Empire will not forgive this insult!"

Ayanokoji translated: "He repeats his religious justification for slavery and says the Empire will never forgive the loss of the fleet."

John didn’t look angry. Instead, a dry, cold smile appeared on his face. He glanced at the silver-haired elf beside him, who looked at Daniel with pure contempt in her purple eyes.

"Tell your captain that he doesn’t have to worry about forgiving us," John said. "Because the United States is officially declaring war on the Holy Solarian Empire."

Ayanokoji translated the sentence in clear, simple Solarian.

Daniel froze. His mouth fell slightly open. He stared at John, trying to see if the young man was joking. But there was no humor in John’s face.

"A declaration of war...?" Daniel muttered, his voice shaking. Then, a dark, desperate sneer spread across his lips. "You truly are mad. You think because you ambushed our galleons with your flying iron beasts, you can challenge the entire Holy Empire? We have an armada of hundreds of warships! We have the High Templars, the Dragon Knights of the inner sea, and the sacred blessings of Goddess Viona herself! You are only a few iron ships stranded on an island! The empire will blot out your skies with fire and level this base into ash!"

Ayanokoji listened to the entire rant, then calmly translated it for John: "He claims you are foolish to challenge their whole empire. He mentions hundreds of warships, dragon riders, high-tier mages, and the blessing of their goddess. He says the empire will burn this base to the ground."

John let out a short, quiet laugh.

"Tell him this," John said, stepping closer until he was looking directly down into Daniel’s eyes. "His emperor can send every wooden galleon he has. He can send his dragons, his paladins, and his high priests. Tell him to gather everything the empire has ever built. Because in forty-eight hours, our carrier strike groups and bomber wings are crossing the ocean. We are going to wipe his grand armada from the water, blow his coastal fortresses into dust, and march our armor straight through the gates of the capital."

Ayanokoji translated each phrase steadily, making sure every terrifying detail was conveyed in Solarian.

Daniel’s face slowly lost its flush of anger, turning a pale, sickly gray. The raw certainty in John’s voice wasn’t boastful bluster. It sounded like an engineer describing a routine procedure.

"You will regret this," Daniel hissed through gritted teeth, clutching his aching side. "When the Empire unleashes its wrath... you will beg Her Divinity for mercy! You will regret the day you ever challenged the Holy Empire!"

Ayanokoji translated: "He says you will regret this decision and beg their goddess for mercy."

John didn’t back down. The smirk on his lips sharpened into a cold, dangerous grin.

"Make me," John said.

He held Daniel’s gaze for a long moment, watching the imperial officer shrink slightly under the pressure. Then, John stepped back and turned to Ayanokoji.

"Did you get that, Ayanokoji? Tell him: ’Make me.’"

Ayanokoji turned to Daniel and spoke in Solarian: "He says: try and make him regret it."

Daniel clutched his hands into tight fists, his nails biting into his palms, but he had no words left to say. He looked around the vast room, at the glowing radar screens, the silver-haired elf standing tall in modern clothes, and the two Japanese students who had refused to stay. The sheer weight of what was coming pressed down on his shoulders like a mountain of lead.

"Our meeting is done, thank you for your time."