But war was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. It didn’t matter to him if war broke out sooner.

In fact, he was probably looking forward to it breaking out sooner, because then, he would still be able to lead the Chinese Federation Army into battle, as compared to the war breaking out later after he had died.

He completely ignored Isabella’s desperate pleas.

The old man was the type of guy whose mind was impossible to change after he had made a decision, especially important ones. He would stick to his decision through thick and thin, down to his last breath and his last drop of blood.

In many ways, Emma was very much like him, especially in this specific trait. This extremely inflexible, stubborn, mind-blowingly irritating and incredibly annoying persistence to see things through to the end!

This pigheadedness of hers is the only reason why we’re not together right now! Emma you little minx! I know you’re reading this. Stop this madness, you’re trading your future for your past! LOOSEN UP A LITTLE BIT FOR GOD’S SAKE! Enough is enough!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You know where to find me. Come back!

Anyway, I digress.

Both the Whitefrost residence and the European Empire Embassy were located in prime locations in Shanghai, the Capital City of the Chinese Federation, and as such, the distance between them was not too far away.

By air, it would only take a few minutes at most. The Embassy building was already showing up on the screen.

“Father! I admit my mistake! I should not have schemed to kidnap Emma! We were only after the Gene Optimizing Pill! I thought that with Emma out of the way, there would be a higher chance that the pill would be given to us. IT WAS ME! It was at fault, not William’s! I was the one who forced him to use his connections to kidnap Emma! Please! Father! Please do not do this! Let William go, please…! Your grandchildren… They cannot do without their father! Please! Father PLEASE!” Isabella sobbed.

Only silence replied her.

Her two daughters fidgeted uncomfortably and were frowning deeply. I could sense that they were in distress. But strangely, they were also extremely tensed up, like springs coiled down tightly and ready to explode into action any moment.

Very strange. I decided to keep an eye on them, just in case.

The third daughter, on the other hand, was strangely calm. She had a frown on her face too, but there was also disappointment and dismay. I glanced at Emma and noticed her studying Isabella’s three daughters like I did.

I had already formed my own conclusions by that point, and what happened in the next few minutes, though tragic, was not shocking to me in the slightest.

On screen, the thousand heavy mechas circled the Embassy and got into position.

“Ready!” Ajax barked, his voice coming out crystal clear from the speakers. As one, the thousand heavy mechas trained their heavy lances which doubled as laser cannons downwards towards the huge European Embassy.

The European Embassy was built like a medieval European Castle. It looked extremely imposing. The fact that it was ten times bigger and taller than conventional castles simply made it even more imposing.

It had a keep in its interior, towers, battlements, gates and even a huge moat around it. All of it was up-sized to allow mechas to man the battlements and towers.

It was a monster of a building, and the fact that they were able to build it in prime real estate in the middle of the city simply bore testament to the European Empire’s might and influence, even in the heart of the Chinese Federation.

The thousand mechas looked like little ants holding little toothpicks aiming at a small up-turned table.

A trio of European white mechas rose into the sky to meet them. The screen showed the veritable sea of heavy mechas parting to let Ajax move forward to ‘communicate’ with them.

“Emma! Emma, please ask your grandfather to show mercy! Please! I apologize! I am sorry! Please, Emma!” Isabella turned to Emma and begged her.

Emma merely looked at her and said nothing.

Knowing her, she was probably enjoying the interplay of fear and panic and despair on Isabella’s face.

“I am General Charles Leon, Commander of the European Empire’s Mecha Regiment in the Chinese Federation. This is European Empire Airspace! Stand down at once! Or we will treat this as a declaration of war!” General Charles Leon’s voice could be heard from the screen’s speakers.

His arrogance was so thick that I felt like I could almost touch it.

His assurance of the European Empire’s might and invincibility was so complete and unshakable that he did not even consider the possibility of the situation devolving even further.

And because of that, he did not mobilize his mechas even though he had five full battalions of them. Instead, he opted to deal with the situation with only three white mechas.

He probably thought that three white mechas were enough to deal with the ‘Chinese Plebeians’ who only had a single white mecha in their entire rabble army. It was a pretty good looking army, to be sure. But they were only blue mechas afterall.

He and the rest of his countrymen in the Embassy would pay for his arrogance with their lives.

Slash!

Ajax moved so fast that the screen barely captured his movement. I could only catch a brief glimpse of a red streak slicing the humongous white mecha diagonally up from its lower right waist to its neck.

BOOM!

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Isabella wailed. Next to her, her three daughters began to cry as well.

The die was cast. There was no turning back.

The first European white mecha, piloted by General Charles Leon, younger brother of the European High Ambassador William Leon, also known as the 19th Prince of the European Empire, exploded into pieces.

And then all hell broke loose.