The minister let out a collective gasp as panic-stricken faces stared at the President.“You cannot be serious,” the minister of internal affairs intoned. “We signed a pact that forbids us from using nuclear weapons as the first aggressors.”“Do you really think I care about some stupid pacts and peace treaties right now?” President Igor snapped back, glaring at them. “Why don’t you step outside and take a look around? The enemy has us surrounded, and they won’t stop until we bring them to their knees. A nuclear strike is our only option now.”“It would kill thousands of people!” The Minister of Finance protested. “Not to mention the after-effects of the radioactive fallout. Entire cities will be wiped out over time.”“Good. That’s exactly my plan. Commander Payne needs to realize that he can’t always keep pushing his luck. Sometimes the consequences are disastrous!”“I think you are forgetting that Alexandria has nuclear weapons as well,” Yosef Kuroshev intervened. “If we strike firs

President Igor was prepared for everything else, but not this question. That name hadn’t been mentioned in a decade, and not even his closest allies knew anything about them.“I don’t know what you…are talking about,” he groaned, fighting off the pain as blood continued oozing out of his bullet wounds.“What about Zarturia?” Xander asked. “Do you remember the Zarturians you killed all those years ago?”Those words sent a shiver down Igor’s spine.His heartbeat quickened, and all the memories came flooding back, no matter how hard he tried to blur them.He had buried thousands that day, and it wasn’t just soldiers and guards, but unarmed civilians as well.“An entire civilization wiped out in the blink of an eye. Just like that.” Xander snapped his fingers in Igor’s face. “You obeyed your masters that day, and they rewarded you with power. That’s how you became the President of Valheim.”President Igor’s hair stood on end.He looked at Xander with terrified eyes and asked, “How do you

Xander, Lukas Windrose, Captain Williams, and General Ebenezer met up in the war room aboard Feragon’s largest aircraft carrier, the Grand Nautilus.“Igor was holding onto this ancient relic,” General Ebenezer said, presenting a silvery-white map with silk-lined edges.As he rolled it open on the table, all eyes scanned the peculiar piece of parchment.On top, it was labeled as ‘The Map of Knowhere’, and under it was a date from the year 1029.“This map is over 1000 years old,” Master Lukas Windrose remarked, studying the details carefully. “I don’t even recognize the landmasses on it.”“Are we sure this is a real map and not some trinket purchased from a pawn shop?” Captain Williams enquired.He had always been skeptical about any information obtained from the enemy, and this was no exception.But as Alex placed his right palm over the silvery parchment, a strange burning sensation warmed his skin, and he felt as if he was standing too close to an open fireplace.“This isn’t a pawn s

When Xander had survived his close shave with death three years ago, he had disappeared from the world under a hidden identity, waiting to reveal himself when the time was right.Back then, his only goal was to punish the traitors who had betrayed him and free Alexandria from Valheim’s clutches.However, now that he had successfully triumphed over Valheim, things barely felt different. He had finally liberated Alexandria and crushed all his old enemies, but the goalpost had shifted once again.His past had crawled out of the dark recesses of time and laid his reality bare.Ever since regaining his powers, Xander had never feared a confrontation. His Godlike abilities had helped him overcome every human obstacle and overcome every fatal challenge.But now, the enemies he was about to face were far beyond human.Xander looked at Priscilla with a worried look on his face.“This is going to be dangerous, Priscilla. You don’t have to do this. I want you to be safe.”Priscilla laughed sardo

Time seemed to collapse into an eternal now as Xander froze where he stood, staring motionlessly at the brown-bearded man in the white lab coat whom he had once called ‘father’.“It’s only 6 in the morning,” Allister Payne said, glancing at his smartwatch. “You’ve never woken up so early. Is everything alright, son?”“How is this possible?” Xander uttered his thoughts out loud. “Who are you? Am I dreaming?”The very next second, Xander felt a tingling sensation in his body as a little specter ran straight through him.“What the—”He was jolted back to life as he saw that the boy was no one else but a younger version of him.“I want to go outside. I am bored in this lab,” the young Xander argued with Allister Payne. “You promised you’d take me to the surface and let me play on the beach. When are we going out there?”Allister Payne bent down and hugged the young Xander.“We will, very soon. We just need to run a few more tests on you and your sister.”The young Xander looked up at his