The Aegis System was active, which caused permanent changes around all the city-states.


    At first, it was only New Athens. From the Temple of Eternal Flame, a giant line of energy shot up towards the sky.


    The people around the city started to panic, but soon came an announcement, which called everyone down.


    Now they watched in awe as the energy reached its apex, and spread in a circular direction. Slowly, a large dome of energy encased the entire city.


    The energy barrier ended about a hundred meters from the city wall, but it didn''t stop.


    The energy burrowed into the ground, encasing the city not just from above, but from below.


    A few seconds after the barrier was fully established, it became transparent and invisible. Out of curiosity, some soldiers shot at it, but the projectiles were stopped with ease.


    But the changes didn''t end there. Bran was still focusing on the energy of the Tree of Life. After entering the red glowing circle, it split into four ways. Each leading to a different city-state.


    The way they transferred the energy was truly magnificent and even magical. After discovering how to open Realm Gates, Mary implemented her knowledge.


    They opened four different Gates, each leading to a different Realm. Four more Gates were opened in the different city-states, connecting to the Gates in New Athens.


    It would take a lot of energy to create human-sized Gates, but these were only as big as a couple molecules. They were perfect for transferring energy.


    The same light show happened in all the different cities, and the barriers had been created...


    The Aegis System was working!


    ...


    Before that day, another big event happened.


    On the western front, deep within the Pyrenees mountain range, the largest army of the United Front had amassed.


    This army consisted of 6 Stellars, dozens of Transcended, thousands of Ascended, hundred thousand Evolved, and a few million regular troops, with military vehicles.


    They were about to take the fight beyond the mountain range.


    This information was, of course, easily leaked, and the Federal Alliance was ready on the other side.


    Their infamous military mastermind, who just calls himself Napoleon, led the Untied Front army.


    He was a Stellar, and the main leader of the United Front. He was born in New Paris, the largest city-state in Europe. From childhood, he loved military history, and when it came to this war, he named himself from his favorite military strategist.


    "This is probably our only chance to rescue Sera, and we won''t going to fuck it up because of lacking intel! We have to make a foolproof plan, or we don''t make a move at all!" said Bea, maybe a bit louder than she was supposed to.


    David grimaced and was about to object, but Melinda raised her hand, which shut him up. She was reading something on her watch with a serious expression.


    With her hand raised, everyone stayed silent and waited for what she would say next.


    Her eyes moved along the lines, widening, and the more she read, the paler her face gotten. After a few minutes, she sighed and looked at everyone in the room.


    "I just got an urgent message from Bran. There was something he and Sera had discovered previously, but he forgot to tell anyone up until now..."


    The people awaited what this new important information was, but Melinda instead turned toward Damien, and in a serious voice, asked... "What are Harold''s abilities?"


    He was taken aback by this question. Out of everyone here, he knew the Harold the longest, since he hunted him for more than two decades, but even he didn''t know the full extent of his power.


    "Well... He can teleport. He can summon creatures out of thin air. He can use illusions. He can manipulate memories. He can transmute objects, and maybe even living beings. And he can create objects out of nothing... That''s as many as I know of."


    A few people were surprised, others just waited where the conversation was going. Melinda was about to continue, but Cass had to chime in.


    "How can one person have so many different abilities? You listed half a dozen, and these are just the ones you know about!"


    She was a Transcended too, same as Damien and Harold. Her abilities weren''t nearly as numerous as Harold''s, and the same went for Damien.


    This question caused a bit of murmuring in the room, but when Melinda began to explain, everyone''s attention landed on her.


    "That''s the issue. These powers might seem different, but they all relate back to a single ability. It took Sera a long time to finally realize how Harold''s power worked, and she only shared it with Bran..."


    She took a deep breath and glanced at the message again, just to make sure she was understanding it.


    "He can manipulate reality to some extent!" she said, causing everyone to stare at her with confusion, but before anyone could''ve asked something, she continued.


    "He can''t teleport. He connects to points in space, then takes a step. He also doesn''t summon creatures, but does the same thing with them. He can also change a person''s reality, so they believe the exact scenario he planted in their mind..."


    "He can make illusions by changing the nearby light''s property. He can change the state an object is in, and its atomic structure, which transmutes said object. And he can do the same with air molecules, so he creates objects out of thin air!"


    The more she spoke, the wider everyone''s eyes got, and by the time she finished, everyone was staring at her in shock.


    Everyone of them thought Harold was really powerful, since he had so many abilities, but as it turns out, he was just extremely versatile. This didn''t necessary made their job easier, but with this knowledge they would have a chance fighting him.


    Not long after, the planning process continued and ended.


    It was already night by that point, so everyone went on their way to take some time off before the main event tomorrow...