A Doorway covered in formations slowly opened, it was at the rear compartment. As it opened, a gray and desolate landscape covered Wu Hai's vision. Some distance away, he could see a bright red, white and blue flag, along with pieces of old discarded equipment.
"I can't believe I'm here." Wu Hai took a step off the ship and landed on the Lunar surface, completely fulfilling most childhood fantasies.
Behind him, a deep violet colored box with a window at the front and a door at the back was hovering. Wind formations on all sides were controlled by the stick and peddles at the center. It was air tight but Wu Hai wanted to walk around in space, Munju created a sudo-space suit to do the job but it would crack and break after some time. So, placed at the front was a compartment with a large number of puppets stored inside. They could be controlled with formations to complete tasks in space, they moved the same ways as the ships themselves, making them the most agile of workers.
After arriving at the stratosphere over Japan, he had flown directly to the moon overhead. It was night time in the East.
Subzero temperatures were not very friendly on biological materials and the suit was made from high quality leathers with a shield formation for a helmet. If anything went wrong, Wu Hai could always channel his ability and teleport back inside.
'Alright Qu, its time.' Wu Hai thought to himself and threw out the Tower City, watching it expand rapidly across the crater.
Once it had fully expanded, dozens of small ships, similar in design to the one the Emperor was piloting, began to exit the City. The dozens of ships quickly numbered ninety-nine, they spread out in a line.
"Wait for the Emperor's signal. Spread out and remember your objectives." Ragann took charge of the orbital fleet, as head of the Merchant Mage Guild, he had been through plenty of storms and strange conditions but this was a new one for him. The sensation of weightlessness was one he did not expect but it made positioning easy.
'This is just amazing, I never thought I'd get to see this view.' Wu Hai took one last view of Earth from the Moon's surface and jumped back into his ship. He flew to Earth, leaving Tower City on the Moon's Surface was a much better idea than last time.
When he broke atmosphere, there was a flight of naval vessels following him. Wu Hai didn't have a radio or even a frequency to talk to them. Their hails went unnoticed. Descending, the Emperor could see several figures flying alongside the aircraft that surrounded him.
He came to a stop midair, it was a maneuver that the jets could not perform. The Espers that were flying around his ship were different. They only saw a Demon at the controls and fired on the Emperor's ship.
Violent energies came crashing against his hull.
Shield barriers kept the attacks from doing anything besides rattling the space inside, however, he would be forced to change tactics after a while, no shield barrier was endless. Wu Hai laughed it off and flew the ship around the globe several times, surveying it. He took a couple of hours to circle the Earth a dozen times, then, the ship took a sharp dive and flew at sea level toward Europe.
Outside the ship, the Espers that were trailing the Emperor had even tried using a megaphone like device to communicate but the noise didn't reach past the isolation formation fields.
From then they had no choice but to follow the craft. The attacks against the vessel were ineffective, no matter how hard they struggled, they were unable to break its momentum.
As he entered Europe, television crews in helicopters were already high in the sky, they followed its every movement. The Ship landed outside of the Hague, news of a UFO arrival was impossible for military forces or governments to conceal.
Television crews arrived directly in front of him along with the Armed Forces of the UN.
A woman in a button down shirt and khakis was holding a microphone. The wind from the Drones and aircraft was buzzing the reverb but it was live, there was no other way.
-"I'm coming to you live from the Hague, it seems extraterrestrials are about to land! OH MY GOD! Its an exciting day for the world! Ever since the calamity of the Esper Emperor decades ago, the world has been weary and wishing for something else to be true. Well, it seems that Today, all our worries will be set behind us!"
-"I don't know Rockelle, Aliens? If these beings have the power to come here, they obviously have enough power to destroy or enslave us."
-"Can't argue with you there. But, wasn't it the Esper Emperor that said he had proved that life exists on other worlds.. its just so exciting to see this happening. I wonder what they look like?"
Television crews were giving dialog but something seemed off. The ship landed directly in front of a Political establishment, all eyes of the World were waiting.
When the gusts of wind were disappearing and the ship had touched down entirely, it was quickly surrounded by Military personnel. Blasts of different colors appeared when the Earth Espers, who had been following the ship, landed.
Small craters formed under their landing sites, they encircled the ship and kept attacking. Some of them had begun to join their abilities to make a dent but nothing was happening. There was no reaction or visible damage, making the soldiers and Earth Espers feel a sense of impotency.
-"Looks like the ESF has taken over the situation, military forces were told to withdraw! I can't believe this, its so rare to see them in action."
-"Quit acting like a fangirl. Look, they are attacking in full but there is nothing happening. Its impossible to say whether or not this will go well. If they are attacking, doesn't that mean that the Ship is a hostile entity?"
He was about to finish speaking but there was a change in the situation.
"HEY! LOOK! ITS OPENING!" A member of the crowd called out.
Containment of the situation was impossible, bright lights started to accumulate at the hands and feet of the Espers surrounding the ship. They were preparing to defend the world, unwilling to let such a monster take a step onto their homeworld. The Earth Espers were just humans, more than 15 years ago they had been the subject of experiments by their governments, giving them a fighting edge that was unmatched on Earth.
Now.. in the face of an Alien arrival, their once mighty attacks felt like someone throwing toilet paper at a moving train. They were so ineffective that the attacks became somewhat meaningless, still they kept them up.
-"It appears as though the doors are finally opening, we're about to get the first look and first contact! I'm so nervous."
-"First contact or not, if they make the wrong move, it could be a bloodbath."
-"Don't jinx the ESF.." 'Hmmph,' Rockelle spun her microphone in her hand and caught it again. "Good Evening, Nations of Earth, we're reporting live from the Hague and the Alien ship has just landed. Its doors are coming down as we speak. Can you zoom in on the doorway." She directed the camera crew and pointed to the breach in the ship. "Now, we've gotten word and several phone calls about the subject, it seems the ESF has been following the ship since it entered Earth's atmosphere. It came directly here after several trips across the globe in a spiral pattern.. oh!" She perked up, "Looks like there is movement!"
The whole world stood on pins and needles.
A Dark figure flushed out of the ship and landed on top of it.
He kicked the ship with some force and the exterior door closed behind, slamming like a trashcan lid.
Dozens of figures flew away in that instant from his shadow, no one noticed this.
"GREETINGS, EARTHLINGS. TAKE ME, TO YOUR LEADERS!" Large bone wings spread out, shredding the cloak that was covering his body. Three horns were revealed on his head and gasps began spreading.
"OH MY GOD! ITS THE ESPER EMPEROR! RUN!" Someone in the crowd started a panic and people began to flee in terror.
Reporters remained on the scene, recording everything.
-"We've just confirmed, its the Esper Emperor. He looks a little different but there is no mistake, that's the Esper Emperor!"
People were fleeing in every direction, screaming.
-"Did he come to destroy us all?!"
-"I think he's trying to get our attention.."
"HEY! YOU!" The voice went across the airwaves and the camera man wanted to piss himself, he recognized it clearly.
The Espers that had surrounded the Emperor began to fire unrestrained in his direction. Wu Hai quickly put up a shield to protect the news team. The shield was a sort of rainbow color, it gave off a vibrating noise. Energies began to impact on its surface.
-"Is this really happening?"
-"What's going on?!"
Both of them were startled to see the Emperor blocking the attack rather than shrugging it off. If he hadn't done that, they would both be collateral damage.
"I SAID, HEY!" Emperor Zao flicked his finger and a shield expanded, covering him and the news crew. He turned around and faced them both. "Relax."
"RELAX?! Are you nuts?! Wait.. Why did they stop shooting?" Rockelle looked over at the space between the ESF and themselves, the ESF was still attacking but their attacks were being nullified. "What's going on!"
"I said relax. Are you still filming? If so, pick up the Camera. I have something I'd like to say to the World." Wu Hai adjusted his stature and put his wings down but not away.
The Camera man didn't know whether to curse or thank god for such a huge story. "We..a're on."
"Greetings, I am Zao. Some of you remember me from before and have ill intentions toward my arrival today, no doubt great lies have been spread. I see attackers, hostility toward outsiders. My ship, before it was even identified, was fired upon. You might be fearful of me but.. you should be." He took a step forward. "I have come to judge this World."
"Oh god." Rockelle sucked in and blurted out the words.
"Oh God is right. I intend to walk the road to Godhood and as such, I cannot bare to have regrets or indecisiveness cloud my judgement. Since we are linked, by past lives or the people who left with me last time, I cannot abandon this World and its people. I made great efforts to save this world when I last came, it seems all my work was in vain. The people I left with power, they now seem like they are under your thumbs and controlled like puppets or slaves. This will not do. Keep the Camera rolling." Wu Hai turned back to the Espers that were still firing gratuitously at the shield, trying to break it down over time.
"I judge you all." Wu Hai threw out a few formation discs. They penetrated the shield, landing nearby each of the combatants outside. Shields formed, isolating them inside, their bodies began to drain of energy.
"...." Several of them beat their fists against the barriers.
Wu Hai walked into the first one and grabbed at a soldiers throat, inspecting him for a moment. When he tossed him to the side, the man tried firing but it appeared like he was holding his hand out in a stop signal. The Emperor laughed and kicked him across the ground, outside of the shield.
Walking out, he went from barrier to barrier, each time he was done with the soldier, he would kick them aside and out of the formations, then collect the disc.
"What did you do to us?" A soldier that had just been kicked asked while grimacing in pain.
"Oh? You like that huh? Its a trick my daughter clued me into, Did you enjoy it? That limited amount of power?" Wu Hai threw one of the discs back out and the group was contained inside. "Still Filming right?"
Rockelle nodded in fear.
"Don't be so afraid. My appearance aside, you should know that I came here to save the world." Extending his hand, Wu Hai tried to help the woman up but she refused.
"I don't accept help from men." Her snippy attitude crossed all channels and was heard around the world. In a corner office of a high rise building halfway across the world, an executive producer was rubbing his face in his hands.
"That's fine. Just keep filming." Wu Hai looked into the camera. "I flew around this world a few times before I decided to land, I wanted to see your progress. I was not only disappointed for the third time, I was even attacked. I understand how your system of governments work and I'm telling you. Its over."
-"What do you mean over?" Rockelle pulled the Mic back, asked her question then returned it to the Emperor like it was an interview.
"That's simple enough to explain. But, I have some friends who are going to help me carry out my message. Everyone should be listening." He put his hand to his chest and touched a communication tablet, "This is Zao, commence with the Operation."
-"Operation?"
Rockelle was clueless, the world as a whole was as well but just when she thought it was going to be another long speech, dozens, almost a hundred sonic booms rang out over the region. Streaks were headed toward the East.
"Yes, I've come to do an operation. There is a disease, its called socialism. It calls for world domination and populations to be either enslaved or executed. No socialist regime in all of history has ever done anything besides murder. I would extend this policy toward people who believe blindly toward any manner of governance. Most of them are bloody histories and for what? A Difference in skin color or where they were born? No. This world has been judged." Wu Hai pointed to the sky.
"As I speak, a formation is being placed around China. In five hours, China will no longer be part of Earth." Wu Hai's statement sent shockwaves of terror into the World's population. Zao Ho's explosive power had taken out an entire fleet from orbit and yet it was going to take almost a hundred people to carry out the Emperor's will this time.
-"What are you going to do?" Rockelle's throat was dry like she had just eaten dirt. She had a hard time getting the words to leave her mouth.
Wu Hai clasped his hands. "On the road to enlightenment, struggle and opportunity are the most serendipitous things. I am giving China a chance to change as a people. To seek enlightenment in a way that will benefit the world and their people as a whole. For the next thousand years, they and their future generations will pay the price."
Ninety-nine vessels were hovering five hundred meters above the ground, most of them followed the Great Wall or coastal borders.
"Now." Wu Hai spoke into the communication tablet on his shoulder.
Simultaneously, the 99 vessels began to emit a golden light. Formation lines began to form throughout the Nation of China, crisscrossing from one juncture to the next, then, massive steeles, Five hundred meters tall, were driven into the landscape and buried in the ground.
"These 2800 Steeles, when arranged accordingly, will remove the Nation of China from this World, forever." The look on Wu Hai's face was nothing less than sincere in his threat.
People nearby were screaming, some of them were cheering but all of them had strong opinions about what he was doing. To them, it wasn't justice but blind punishment, not every person in China was guilty of a crime.
"Zao, How can you pass judgement on those who aren't involved!" Rockelle struggled to plead with Wu Hai.
"Their indifference, platitudes, enslavement and indoctrination were completed long before my first body was even born to this world. To stand by and watch as countless generations of women.. it disgusts me. Euthanasia might be a Greek word but the senseless slaughter of people that China disapproves of, has gone on far too long. Whether they are citizens or its prison guards, all are guilty of crimes against this World. The Entire World is wallowing in their pollution, they are unwilling to take a clean route or speak out against slavery and human trafficking or experimentation.. Consequence doesn't matter to them. So, for the next one thousand years, they can repent, study those consequences and seek enlightenment." Wu Hai threw his hand down and the 99 vessels began to charge the formation plates. "In one hour, Today, they will see the sunrise and relish it, because the sun will never rise on China again."
As the landmass began to shrink, so did its residents, the water, buildings and everything was sealed. Energy bubbles contained its integrity while the Nation of China reeled, its publications and electronic signals were cut off the moment that the steels began to fall. The world news tried to watch, videos came across the internet, thousands of videos from across the Asian Pacific captured the shrinking landmass.
With a captive audience, Wu Hai channeled in his fingers, disappeared and arrived over the top of China while it was suffering a shrinkage problem. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, the home of his past life, the people and descendants, he wondered if they would hate him in the long run. None of that truly mattered to him but he remained aware that he would be viewed as a Villain by some.
-"Eh? Where did he go?" Wu Hai had disappeared, leaving Rockelle, the news team and everyone at the Hague in shock.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
There were satellite photos of China's region and from orbit, the devastation was visible. The Ocean began to back fill where China had once stood, sweeping tsunami's turned the flat empty land into a new bay. From Nepal to Kyrgyzstan, many countries became coastal Nations, South Korea became a genuine Island and a large section of Myanmar was missing, torn away by the formations because of indistinct border lines.
The Country shrank rapidly, becoming smaller than a pair of boxer briefs until it was resting in the Emperor's hands. Looking out, Wu Hai could see a volcano bubbling with the sea water. Xinjiang was turned into a wasteland, great flows of earth were thrown out into the salt water and a new landmass began to form slowly.
He shook China violently in his hands. It took effort for the Emperor to hold back, he had considered casting it into the void of space and toward the surface of the Sun.
The Shaking, though it did nothing to affect the space inside, terrorized its residents and they felt like they would actually die in that moment.
Grabbing a megaphone, Wu Hai stood over the miniaturized country, yelling at the top of his lungs.
Even though they were miniaturized and held behind magical arrays, the noise level, in scale, was enough to make many of China's citizens ears bleed or go deaf. He had said it over the airwaves but China was unable to hear his announcement. With his strongest voice, he ywlled. "Enjoy China's Final Sunrise! Tomorrow, you become a Forgotten Kingdom, a Floating Continent. Seek Enlightenment, for 1000 years you will all be judged." He stood there like a looming God ready to stamp them out.