Chapter 431: Toward The Breach

"Don’t worry about your assets, they’ll still be here when this is over," said Scott, taking a drag from his cigar as he looked out toward the city skyline. "We can’t move the Star Crystal Building overnight, but it will be safe. Within Earth’s borders, the Federation maintains boundaries; no one is crazy enough to risk initiating a war of annihilation against their own race."

"That makes sense," agreed Stephen.

"If the Federation tries to corner a Platinum Rank member inside the planet, that individual could wipe out a continent before they react," explained Scott with a smile. "That’s why they will never deploy high-level combat forces within the planetary defense barrier. Your properties here will remain untouched out of fear of collateral destruction."

Alexander stepped out of the room and walked toward the dining area. Upon hearing his footsteps, the women gathered around the table stood up, distress written across their faces.

"What happened, Alexander?" asked Elena, taking a step forward, her voice trembling.

"The situation has become complicated," said Alexander, looking at them with firmness. "We must evacuate immediately."

A wave of panic swept through the room. The women whispered among themselves upon noticing key faces missing from the group.

"Marcus, Beny, and Alex aren’t here!" exclaimed Amy, scanning the room.

"Can’t we wait for them?" asked Jessica, Alexander’s mother, approaching her son with concern. "We can’t leave them behind."

"There’s no time—you must evacuate now," said Alexander, taking his mother’s hands. "I will find Marcus and the others. Everything will be fine, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to them."

They nodded, placing their trust in his words, and walked toward the terrace ramp. Upon seeing the group arrive, Scott offered a bow.

"Welcome aboard, ladies," said Scott, gesturing toward the interior of the ship. "You are heading to our backup planet, a realm we call The Great Fortress. It is our most secure facility; our assets, defense systems, and elite personnel are deployed there. Don’t worry—no Platinum Rank will dare come looking for you there, as that would violate Federation protocol and risk triggering a war of extermination."

Elena and Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as they guided the women toward the cabins. Alexander watched the ramp seal shut and turned toward Scott and Stephen.

"Where are we going?" asked Alexander.

"To the only place those bastards would never set foot in of their own free will," said Scott with a smile.

"The Breach..." muttered Alexander, narrowing his eyes.

"That’s right," confirmed Scott, taking a drag from his cigar. "They wouldn’t go near it, as the mortality risk is high. It is the only suitable ground to launch a counterattack."

Alexander clenched his fists as he watched his family depart, turning to Scott.

"What about Sandoria?" demanded Alexander. "And what about Liora?"

"We’ve dispatched messengers to retrieve them," said Scott, checking his terminal screen. "Whether they comply depends on them; but if they don’t come, they’ll be captured as bait to draw us out."

"Should I go for them?" offered Alexander.

"You can’t," interjected Stephen, stepping forward. "That area is under heavy surveillance. You are the alleged face of a global revolution, so the Federation has placed every portal leading there under watch. Trying to arrive via blind warp jumps is suicide; we would be intercepted."

"Damn it!" cursed Alexander, striking the terrace railing.

The spacecraft sealed its hatches and took off in silence, vanishing into the sky thanks to its optical camouflage as it carried the women toward The Great Fortress.

Scott watched the spot where the ship had vanished and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Let’s head to The Breach," urged Scott.

"How are we getting there?" asked Alexander, adjusting his armor.

Scott pulled a metallic disc embedded with a glowing blue gem from his jacket. Without a word, he pressed the center of the artifact, and a sphere of blue energy enveloped the three of them.

A tremor shook the surrounding space as the world seemed to tear apart around them. Alexander had never experienced a method of transportation so violent; the spatial shock forced him to his knees to vomit onto the floor, clutching his head with both hands as pain pierced through his skull. It felt as if his eyes were being ripped backward while his brain swelled.

Alexander remained on his hands and knees, gasping as bile and cold sweat dripped onto the crystallized rock surface. The sensation of his brain expanding began to recede, leaving a ringing in his ears.

"Get up, kid," said Stephen, grabbing him by the shoulder to help him to his feet. "The first long-distance jump with a spatial jump gem feels like getting crushed by an asteroid."

Alexander took a deep breath, steadying his legs, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. As he looked up, the freezing air saturated with mana struck his face.

"Is this... The Breach?" asked Alexander, his voice raspy.

Before him lay no ordinary sky, but an abyssal mass in motion. The horizon was fractured by purple and golden rifts that opened and closed across the firmament, unleashing bursts of cosmic lightning. Stretches of land, floating islands of black rock, and ruins of civilizations hung suspended in the gravityless void, while a red mist spiraled down into a bottomless abyss. The ambient mana was so dense that it cut against the skin like a gale.

"Welcome to the front lines," said Scott, lighting a cigar whose blue flame fought against the chaotic wind. "There are no Federation laws here, no planetary defense barriers, and no governments. What you see out there is the edge of the known universe."

"The mana concentration is absurd," remarked Alexander, feeling his pores absorb the energy at a dizzying pace. "It feels as if the atmosphere itself is trying to crush you and feed you at the same time."

"And we’re on the periphery," warned Stephen, adjusting his gloves. "If you look toward the center of the abyss, you’ll understand why no Federation Platinum Rank would come looking for you for kicks."

Alexander fixed his gaze on the depths of The Breach. In the distance, shadows the size of mountains shifted among the gas clouds, emitting roars that rippled through space-time. Danger lurked in every corner, but inside Alexander’s chest, his heart began to pound with enthusiasm.

"It’s the perfect place to become immortal," concluded Alexander, cracking a smile.