To be frank… The damage this time was severe! The capital was saved before from damage even when I fought brutally against Hectors.

Someone preserved my capital back then, and now it got such damage that it pained my heart. I took a long and slow tour around, feeling how bad this was.

I… Was quite negligent. I got overconfident, arrogant perhaps, thinking that no one could even touch a single hair of me.

But I forgot in the middle of all this the wide gap between me and my forces. I was a real hegemony, but my weak point was and still is my strength.

As I returned, I went directly towards the MIT campus. The place where it overlooked the river with its ancient style building was mostly gone! Only part of it stood, while many buildings there were destroyed partially or even totally.

I kept this picture and engraved it deeply in my mind and soul. Just like I treated my boys and let them bury their comrades in arms, I descended from my chariot and decided to help here.

I had to always remember such loss. Last time I got hit by that bastard was when I was away fighting against that alien universe folks.

And this time I was away busy fighting against that brutal and savage monster. Each time I had no way to come and interfere. Each time I was so damn busy to handle anything else.

I had to learn my lessons. This enemy of mine would alway exploit weak points and moments like these.

The solution of always taking care of my things wouldn’t work. I would face such desperate situations in the apocalypse, not to mention my plans to go to the golden quests.

I had to make my boys stronger, make them able to handle any kind of situation no matter what. My best general was hit during the illusion attack and was confined in my chariot to heal.

I couldn’t just depend on that damn jumper! Besides, how did that bastard learn about all this? I felt like that bastard was seeing through everything, knowing what was happening like he was a real god.

Or was he someone who came back from time, just like myself? However the time I came from had no one like me.

Did he come from the current time future? Did he come from the world where I turned into an eternal legend? With records writing everything I passed through in the tiniest detail?

Damn! Who just was he?!

I had no intel but my dagger. I sent it through to get a taste of his blood. All I needed now was to call it back, then use it to guide me towards that bastard’s place.

But I had no way to do it right now. My capital was raised to the ground in many zones, and I even lost lots of the equipment in this facility.

I had to assess everything. I had to put plans for the training future of my forces. Then I’d have time to go and venture after that son of b*tch.

I knew he would dispose of my dagger the moment he’d go out from that portal. So let him be, I’d just recall my dagger when I feel so and would look for that motherf*cker.

I wouldn’t kill him fast. I’d first torture him like I never did before with anyone. After knowing his whole story, I’d decide if letting him live and serve me like a lowly dog was a better end for him or just death would be the resting end.

For a reason, I wanted to force him to live and serve. Such punishment would be enough for the likes of him.

As I moved in the rubbles, watching the damaged gears and the protruding electric wires and circuits like the belly of a beast got smashed with a mighty hit, I thought about something.

What did I ever do to him to hate me like this?

That… Was another mystery I had to get an answer to from him when I got my hands on that bastard.

“Lord!”

“Lord!”

“Lord is here!”

Just as I took a turn, I was met with many young faces. Looking at them, looking at these young and long ago promising faces with many things they planned for their lives, I got only to sigh.

The apocalypse left its mark deeply over them. Just a single look at any of them and anyone would get the feeling of pain, loss, anger, and regret.

They looked poor in my eyes, the same like anyone else in my human race in this damn apocalypse.

“At ease,” I said while clenching my fists to control my disturbed thoughts, “what is the situation here?”

“Hye…” the voice of Hilary came from behind this group of hundreds before they made a way for her to come to me. “What are you doing here?”

She was whispering like my presence here wasn’t legal or allowed or something.

“I gave the order for my boys to bury our dead,” I said while looking at the young faces around, “and this is my part to never forget about such a defeat.”

“Defeat… Hye, we won!” Hilary’s tone and attitude told me that she didn’t want me to speak in such a way. She even held my arm and tried to pull me aside.

However I resisted her move and simply freed my arm from her with a simple shrug. Even when I tried to be gentle with her, she retreated a couple of steps, looking at me in such a surprised way.

“We might have won in terms of military fight, but in terms of science, we lost,” I said these words without any pain or regret, just stating the facts.

“We have lost many of our gears on the hand of an enemy who seemed to know what we were doing here.”

“Are you implying that…”

“No,” I firmly shook my head, interrupting what Hilary was about to say. She jumped to the simplest and easiest guess here, there was a traitor among us, someone who worked for that bastard.