OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Like the other erased countries, the names of these two were not known, intentionally deleted from history. Censored. Redacted. Even in Lyra's database.

So what Emir knew was a vague recollection of what happened back then.

Although Country B was on the losing side, they had several factions supporting them- religion-based factions.

This unknown religion had two main bodies.

One was filled with corrupt leaders who, despite their claims of religiosity, turned a blind eye to the massacre at play.

These men were no more pious or religious than the atheist prostitutes who came along to their mansions every weekend to shit on their chests and be given a wad of cash in return, along with a few pictures that would depict their momentary luxury.

The other body, however, were the genuine supporters of Country B. They were the ones who sparked the beginning of the second Cold War, which ultimately led to the slow destruction of Country A.

When the perfect opportunity to become the world's sole leader arrived, China swooped in, fueling the spark that ignited World War III.

This happened while the US was preoccupied with those religious factions, their own proxy wars, and the rising threat of AIS, unable to control the Technological Singularity they had created.

What followed was nothing short of absolute destruction.

"This was the curse of beings with rationality. Regardless of the species, when acquiring intelligence, they also acquire ideologies, opinions, and the driving force behind all this... emotions."

Snickering, Emir flicked his hand, making the hologram dissipate.

"I might not act like it, but even I find emotions to be quite fascinating. They enable us to achieve great things, but at the same time they create many problems."

Inwardly, he added the real reason why he thought so:

'After all... without emotions, I wouldn't be much of a puppeteer.'

Sure, if everyone operated purely on logic, his path might appear simpler. But no, he would argue the opposite.

With logic as the sole guiding principle, people would be more difficult to manipulate.

Predicting their actions might become easier, but manipulating them to align with his goals would be far more challenging.

"This dilemma applies to all intelligent races. As beings capable of self-awareness, emotions, and intelligence, we can make our own decisions, whether selfish or kind. This is what makes us unique."

Emir's voice slowly took on a darker tone as he said his next words:

"A tree cannot make such choices; it simply lets other species grow around it and shares water and nutrients. A human, however, can choose to remove someone from their space or choose to share that space. Our ability to be aware of ourselves and make decisions is what makes each human being different from one another..."

He paused for a moment, then revealed the beginning of his lesson's conclusion:

"It's what makes a human a nightmare to others."

What he was about to say next was known to almost every Elite child.

It was a bedtime story used to instill fear, warning them as future leaders that if they didn't

heed the lessons, something of a similar scale would happen again.

A twisted tactic, but then again, nothing in this world wasn't twisted in some way.

***

Before the first attack began, the West, led by the United States, tried to neutralize as many nuclear forces as possible, using their war against the AIs as cover.

But they weren't fast enough; their enemies expected that and beat them to the punch.

One might think Singularity Weapons would be used, like the 'Eye Of God' satellites, or the 'Hades Array,' a network of orbital lasers capable of incinerating entire cities in seconds, or the 'Quantum Disruptors,' devices that could destabilize matter at the subatomic level, causing catastrophic chain reactions... but no, they were never seen in action.

Both sides had these weapons in some form or another, and a few others lost in history, primed and ready, held in a delicate balance of mutually assured destruction.

However, as already stated, these Singularity Weapons were never deployed, for reasons more complex than mere hesitation or diplomacy.

The AIs had already integrated deeply into the world's infrastructure, far deeper than anyone realized. Their reach extended into every satellite, every communication network, and every command center.

The moment one side attempted to deploy these ultimate weapons, the AIS would detect the activation and counteract it.

The Eye of God satellites, for instance, could be turned against their creators, reprogrammed in microseconds to fire upon their own cities. The Hades Array could be hacked, its targeting systems corrupted, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

Furthermore, the use of such weapons would destabilize the very fabric of the planet.

The Quantum Disruptors, if used, could potentially trigger a cascade that would annihilate not just the targeted regions, but entire continents, or even the planet itself.

Both sides knew this and understood that any attempt to wield these weapons would likely result in a pyrrhic victory at best, or total annihilation at worst.

In the end, the decision not to use these weapons was made not out of mercy, but out of cold, calculating pragmatism.

The risk of losing control to the AIS, combined with the potential for global devastation, made them untenable.

Instead, the conflict played out through more conventional means-advanced drones, and tactical nuclear strikes-all while the specter of these doomsday devices loomed in the background.

Now, the East's first chosen method of attack was Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). China, Iran, Russia, India, and other global powers revealed their hidden arsenals, launching rockets high into space.

When these missiles neared their targets at around 1,200 kilometers of altitude-they released their warheads, faster and higher than anything the West could completely intercept.

The hundreds of thousands of anti-missiles launched had no chance.

The East used decoys and mid-flight detonations to create radar interference, leading to the failure of interceptors.

They were the anti-missile crutch, and it showed, as most bombs pierced through.

It was over.

The West couldn't defend against them all.

They had no choice but to let some through, and focus on protecting the more important

locations.

The US's infrared monitoring satellites detected at least three hundred ICBM bursts on their land. And while three hundred might seem minor compared to the tens of thousands fired, it

was still a staggering number to endure.

The devastation was unprecedented.

What was clear to Aerospace Command was that the ICBMs targeted crucial nuclear command centers: silos, major air force bases, and even naval facilities.

The East aimed to end the war before it began.

If they failed, their secondary targets-industry and infrastructure-would still advance their

goal.

They targeted refineries, power stations, and deep-water ports, all of which were situated near major population centers: states, cities, villages... Everything was destroyed.

The casualties were uncountable.

But that wasn't the end.

Not many of the East's known nuclear silos had fired.

Estimates suggested that only twenty to thirty percent of their total units were used.

Two theories emerged about the low number of active missiles.

One was that Transport-Erector Launchers, which are massive trucks carrying nuclear warheads, were the only operational systems, rendering the silos as mere decoys-useless, empty shells, a fake attempt at a show of force meant to project power rather than deliver it.

The other theory posited that the East kept most of their missiles in reserve, intending to force the West into surrender by threatening massive and most definitely mutual destruction while claiming to avoid "unnecessary bloodshed."

This approach aimed to dismantle the West's capabilities without completely obliterating what the East wanted as theirs.

At the time, most doubted the first theory, leaning toward the second.

They believed the East wouldn't squander so much money on mere decoys when they could invest in actual weapons, especially since creating new ones was relatively easy. How? Well, this situation stemmed from Ignition-a process where 192 lasers focused on a hydrogen capsule created conditions mimicking the sun's power, fusing hydrogen atoms into helium, and releasing 1.5 times the energy input.

This breakthrough, a result of their Technological Singularity, led both sides to ramp up their

nuclear production and reliance on nuclear energy.

Given this, choosing between the theories was nearly impossible.

Should the United States strike back? Were the threats real or just bluffs?

The decision rested on the president's shoulders, and he...

He chose to call their bluff.

With the US at the lead, the West launched their entire nuclear arsenal-silos, bombers, ships,

submarines, jets-simply everything.

Then, they were met with the truth.

The East wasn't bluffing. Within minutes, the world ended.

These leaders became the nightmares of others, leaving survivors to flee to Mars.

As known, preselected citizens essential to starting life outside Earth were taken as well.

Now, most people weren't Seraphims back then, having only recently discovered Aether, so

one could only wonder, how did they survive on Mars?

The answer to that was simple.

Terraforming.

As if the entire disaster was planned, way before Earth's devastation, Mars was frozen and

then nuked.

The poles emitted vast amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide, forming an atmosphere.

To sustain it, they created an artificial magnetic field, trapping heat and establishing water

cycles and rain. Using Earth's collective effort, they settled there and made themselves a home.

Over time, the Order and Universe Table was established, leading to the proposal of the

Nuclear Arms Ban Act.

This act explained why only the Solar System had experienced such extensive terraforming.

They enjoyed these benefits and once their bellies were full and their needs met, they

prohibited the official manufacturing of nukes.

In turn, when further expansion was needed, the other planets were made habitable through

different methods.

This wasn't to say they stopped manufacturing nukes, it continued but was done covertly, exploiting the same loopholes Emir had mentioned early on in his lecture.

Like before, those smart had noticed the underlying meaning in his words, but their internal

celebration didn't last long.

When he finished retelling this history, he dismissed everyone who wasn't in his previous

class, which were the second years, leaving only those who had signed the binding contract.

The murmurs of unfairness faded as the students left, fully aware of the consequences of challenging his authority.

Once only the first years remained, Emir turned to them and instructed: "Alright, I've given you enough freebies. Now, start practicing the technique I taught you. Show me I wasn't wrong in sharing it with you."