Varnak lay motionless under the foot of the Garuda Emperor, the massive golden claw pinning his wounded body.
"Surrender!" the Garuda roared.
"You think... we will surrender that easily?" Varnak replied, struggling to stand.
However, the pressure from the Garuda's claw made it impossible for him to move.
On another ship, General Zurek, badly injured, forced himself to stand and entered a large stealth ship. Once inside, he knelt before the bat king.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. We have been defeated. The mushroom bombs are extremely dangerous, and it seems we were caught off guard," Zurek reported.
The bat king, his red skin gleaming, massaged his temples in frustration.
"Perhaps we should have never cooperated with the Havoc Spider from the start," the king muttered.
"Zurek, what do you think?"
"In my opinion, we should retreat from this solar system. Human technology is still primitive; they won't be able to pursue us. However, we must urgently inform the central planet about the mushroom bomb threat."
"I've already sent my grandson with the information. Unfortunately, we failed to destroy the source. This planet will be classified as a threat to the Battalian race," the king responded heavily.
"What about the retreat plan?" the king asked.
"Alright, it seems we have no hope of victory," he replied with a long sigh.
Zurek then returned to his ship and activated the alien communication link.
"Xalthea, initiate the retreat plan. Execute!" he ordered briefly.
Elsewhere, Xalthea, hearing the command, frowned. She had already killed hundreds of khodams but hadn't found any living humans, meaning she hadn't actually killed anyone.
With a heavy breath, she muttered, "Alright."
As Xalthea prepared to take flight, two massive dragons suddenly appeared in the sky—one blue and one red.
"How dare you mess with my child!" roared the red dragon, his voice thundering.
The red dragon breathed scorching fire towards Xalthea. Quickly, Xalthea waved her hand, and a shadowy barrier formed, shielding her from the flames.
The blue dragon then unleashed a blue breath, emitting a chilling aura. Xalthea winced as her black armor nearly shattered.
Xalthea pressed a button on her ear, connecting to all the Mars bats.
"Listen, the king's order: retreat immediately!"
With that single command, most of the Mars bat ships turned around. However, the khodams wouldn't allow it; they attacked the ships, trying to destroy them. Even minor damage could let the deadly mushroom bomb gas seep into the ships, wiping out the Mars bats.
Realizing the situation, Xalthea consciously consumed the Bat Fruit—a rare fruit that temporarily boosts the potential of Mars bats. However, the downside was that the user would fall asleep afterward. The longer they used the fruit's power, the longer the sleep would last. Some Mars bats had even slept for decades after using the fruit.
Xalthea then transformed. Her body grew enormously, towering up to 400 meters tall, with twelve pairs of wings sprouting from her back.
Her gaze became more ferocious, and a single swing of her massive arm could obliterate numerous khodams and buildings, even causing tremors.
General Joko couldn't just sit back. The mountain itself rose, transforming into a colossal stone giant, matching Xalthea's height.
Gunung Lawo then stretched out its arms, trapping the giant Xalthea.
Dark energy tried to break the stone cage, but the rocks kept regenerating. Meanwhile, a river of magma flowed toward Xalthea.
This magma wasn't ordinary; it rivaled the heat of the sun. Xalthea noticed that most of the Mars bat forces had already fled.
Realizing that continuing to resist would be futile, especially since she had used a lot of the fruit's power, Xalthea let her body shrink back to normal size.
This marked the end of the battle, sealing humanity's absolute victory on Earth.
The Mars bats, originally numbering 2 billion, were now reduced to just 400 million, with most retreating and many being captured on Earth, including Varnak and Xalthea.
After the great war ended, the atmosphere on Earth remained tense despite the victory. The cities that once became battlegrounds were now filled with rubble and ruins, leaving a terrifying trace of destruction.
---
Back at the Vanguard Monitoring Room
In the Vanguard monitoring room, Nadien and Rai were observing the large screen displaying the world map. The status of the khodams and Vanguard forces gradually stabilized, although many were injured or in critical condition.
"It's confirmed that most of the Mars Bat forces have retreated," Nadien said with a relieved sigh.
Still feeling uneasy, Rai asked, "What about the khodams that lost contact?"
Nadien typed swiftly on the console. "Most of them are starting to reappear in the form of blue light, but many are still not responding."
Rai checked Angel's status.
Name: White-Winged Angel
Level: 57
Synchronization Rate: 15%
Type: Celestial Humanoid
Planet Link: Mars
Affinity: Air / Light
Status: Non-active (Recovery: 1 hour left)
"Angel is almost recovered," Rai said with a sigh of relief.
Nadien gave a faint smile. "At least we managed to save Earth. But the damage is not something to be taken lightly."
As news of the victory spread, various countries began sending aid. Rescue fleets from Asia and Europe arrived at the most affected areas. Medical teams from all over the world cooperated with Vanguard to treat the victims.
Some nations that were previously skeptical of Vanguard and the use of khodams now realized the importance of a global alliance. They declared full support and offered resources to help with recovery.
In the large meeting room of the Vanguard headquarters, world leaders gathered both physically and through holograms.
"Our planet was almost destroyed," said the British Prime Minister seriously.
"We need to form a global defense alliance," added the U.S. President.
Vanguard Commander, General Harun, nodded in agreement. "Moreover, we need to research the mushroom bombs more thoroughly and prepare for potential extraterrestrial attacks."
Rai realized that this victory was only the beginning of a greater responsibility. The war might have ended, but threats from outer space could still arise at any time.
Looking at the screen showing the ruins of the city where Angel fought, Rai clenched his fist.
"We need to become stronger. We can't let our guard down again."