The ground trembled.
Reon stood at the top balcony of Verdant Hollow's Sub-Dome 3, watching the dirt trail below as a convoy of armored trucks and salvaged military hoverbikes snaked through the valley like a line of steel vipers.
Their engines roared. Their weapons glistened. Their banners bore the red-black insignia of the World Balance Coalition.
Reon wasn't afraid.
Not anymore.
---
[SYSTEM WARNING]
> Incoming Hostile Force Detected
Estimated Units: 42
Combat Vehicles: 5
EMP Payloads: 2
Command Unit Identified: Commander Ryvek
Threat Level: B+
Objective: Seize or destroy Host Reon Kael and recover all remaining currency assets.
🛡 Tactical Dome Shield: Active
🔫 Auto-Defense Turrets: Primed
🛰 Security Drones: On Standby
🧠 Support Sync: Active (Mina Kael)
VERA's voice echoed in his earpiece. Calm. Clinical.
> "Hostile units will arrive in 3 minutes. Recommend: Activate full perimeter grid and deploy drones now."
---
Mina stood beside him, her small hands glowing faintly with golden light. Her eyes were wide but determined.
"I can feel them again," she whispered. "They're angry… but scared too. Most of them don't even know why they're fighting."
Reon knelt beside her. "I know this is scary. But you're not just my little sister anymore. You're part of the System now. You're the Guardian."
She swallowed her fear and nodded. "Let's protect our home."
---
VERA: Battle Protocol Engaged
> 💰 Tactical Wealth Deployed: $14,000
✅ Auto-Turrets Deployed (East, South, and Front Ridge)
✅ Security Drone Swarm (Combat-Ready)
✅ Tactical Land Mines (Cloaked) Placed along Sector B
✅ Dome Shield Enhanced (EMP Resistance +60%)
> 🎯 Combat Objective: Hold the Dome
Bonus Objective: Eliminate or Repel Commander Ryvek
Victory Bonus: Unlock "Advanced Strategic Interface" System Upgrade
---
The Siege Begins
The first explosion rocked the ground like thunder.
A shockwave rolled through the dome as the front turrets fired twin plasma bursts, blasting two scout bikes into flaming shrapnel.
Reon watched from the live feed.
"They didn't even hesitate," he muttered.
"They're desperate," VERA responded. "Desperate men always charge first. But they're not ready for wealth-backed warfare."
---
Mina's System Activates
As the enemy returned fire, two high-velocity rounds screamed toward the dome.
Mina's Protective Light flickered to life.
> ⚡ Mina's Support Skill Activated:
✅ Barrier Pulse – Damage reduced by 30%
✅ Link Buff to Reon: Movement Prediction +5%, Shielding +8%
The dome shook, but the rounds melted against the energy barrier.
Mina's face went pale. "It hurts when they hit it…"
Reon held her hand. "That's because you're sharing the burden. But you're doing great."
Then he stood and activated the dome's voice system.
---
Global Broadcast: Reon's Warning
> "To all attackers outside my dome—this is your only warning. You're assaulting private property with armed force in a post-currency world. That makes you thieves and raiders."
"I don't care who sent you. I've survived worse. I've built this from nothing. And I'm not handing over a single cent."
"You want it? Come and take it. But don't expect to walk away whole."
---
Commander Ryvek's Assault
Outside, Ryvek gritted his teeth.
"Fire the EMP!" he barked. "Crush the shield and swarm in!"
A low thrum built in the air. Then—
> ⚡ BOOOOM!!!
The EMP cannon discharged. The shockwave slammed into the dome's shielding field.
For a moment, it dimmed. Wavered. Cracked.
But it didn't fall.
> ✅ Tactical Dome Shield resisted EMP.
Damage absorbed: 91%
Remaining Integrity: 74%
Ryvek's face contorted with rage.
"He upgraded the barrier…"
---
Reon Deploys a Surprise
"VERA, release the drones."
> ✅ Drone Swarm Released
Target Priority: Armored Vehicles
Formation: Wolf Pack Pattern
Twelve black-winged drones launched from hidden panels in the dome's upper canopy, diving toward the attackers like silent predators.
They struck fast—EMP-resistant, AI-guided, and surgically precise.
One by one, Ryvek's vehicles burst into flames. Troops scattered. Panic took hold.
Reon watched the monitors calmly.
"This is what you call balance?" he muttered. "A bunch of hungry soldiers trying to rob a kid and his sister?"
He turned to Mina.
"Let's show them what real power looks like."
---
Mina's Awakening
As the attack reached a peak, Mina gasped.
Something changed in her.
Her body glowed brighter. Her eyes shimmered with light. The System pulsed around her like a heartbeat.
> 🎉 Emergency Ability Unlocked:
Shield Bloom – Level 1
Creates a protective dome within the Safehouse interior. All allies inside receive accelerated healing, calm effect, and +10% System efficiency.
Reon's HUD blinked. He felt it immediately—his aim steadier, thinking sharper, and the tension in his chest easing.
"Mina," he whispered. "You just bought us more than time… you bought us strength."
---
The Retreat
Half Ryvek's forces were down.
Three of his five vehicles destroyed. His troops were scattered, frightened. The enemy drones hadn't even touched the dome's core.
And worst of all, he had underestimated Reon Kael.
"I want recon! We regroup!" Ryvek roared. "Fall back—NOW!"
---
System Notice – Battle Complete
> ✅ Combat: Victory
Commander Ryvek: Retreating
Hostile Forces Remaining: 6 (Injured / Fled)
Dome Status: 92% Operational
💰 Bonus Reward: +$250,000 (Wealth Accrual from Victory Trades)
✅ New Feature Unlocked: Advanced Strategic Interface
✅ VERA's combat intelligence upgraded
System Level: 3 → 4
---
Reon slumped into a chair, breathing hard. "They'll be back."
VERA nodded. "Yes. And next time, they'll bring worse."
Mina sat beside him, eyes sleepy. Her head rested on his shoulder.
"But we won," she mumbled.
Reon smiled. "Yeah. We did."
And for the first time in a world on fire, the last billionaire closed his eyes.
Knowing he and his sister had turned back a war.
---
[End of Chapter 6]