Battle Of Planets

Chapter 101: another one
The next dayThe screen had three people on the line—Albert’s face flushed with barely contained fury. His jaw clenched. His eyes burned. But there was nothing he could do—not officially.

Edward stood in his office with a silent smirk. He didn’t flinch beneath Albert’s glare.

Across the screen, Max rubbed his temples, clearly exhausted by the situation, while Julien remained quiet; his wrinkled face showed the calmness of a monk.

Edward sighed, ”By the time I received the report, it was already too late.”

Albert didn’t respond. He knew that it was a clear lie; Edward must have known the moment Tyson jumped into battle, but he had no proof. It was his domain, after all, and not to mention it was Albert’s and Justin’s plan to begin with, which failed miserably.

He and his son miscalculated Tyson’s response would be this fierce and dangerous. Their plan to safely exit even in undesirable situations was futile in front of Tyson’s fury.

Albert had no leverage in this situation; he could not demand an apology or make threats.

”Had I known earlier,” Edward continued, ”I might have stopped it. But you and I both know Justin’s actions left us all with very little room to navigate, don’t you, Albert?”

Albert felt the mockery in Edward’s tone. He had no choice but to blame everything on Justin, or else he would face backlash not only from his city but also on an international level.

”I had no idea he would do something like this,” Albert glared at Edward. But cutting his hand? Don’t you think that was too much?”

”Maybe so, but Tyson had no idea who Justin was,” Edward shook his head. ”If he knew, he would not have gone this far,”

Albert clenched his teeth. Edward had certainly become a skilled liar, but Albert couldn’t admit it aloud, even though Max and Julian recognized the deception.

Max finally broke the silence. ”What’s done is done,” he said with diplomacy. ”This doesn’t need to become something bigger than it already is.”

”I do agree,” Junian said. ”Let’s cut the chatter now and keep everything else wrapped up.”

Albert’s lips twitched. He wanted to scream, to protest—but he had no case. Justin had crossed the line in everyone’s eyes, and Tyson had sent a clear, brutal message in return.

Albert finally spoke, low and bitter: ”You protect him like he’s your son.”

”I trained him like one,” Edward replied without hesitation. ”And I’ll hold him accountable when he crosses the line... but here he did not”

”We’ll see,” Albert said slowly, his voice like simmering coal. Then he turned to Julian. ”I expect my son to return by tomorrow.”

Julian nodded with diplomatic ease. ”Indeed. Edward won’t push this further—you have my word, Albert.”

Albert gave Edward one last, venomous glare before the screen went black.

Max leaned back in his chair and gave a short, dry laugh. ”That guy’s something else, huh.”

Julian, however, kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling, hands folded behind his back. ”Tyson...” he murmured. ”That young man’s got fire in his soul. Maybe he’s the light we all need when the time comes.”

Max raised an eyebrow. ”What’s that supposed to mean?” he said with a hint of pride. ”My son’s a genius too, you know. Maybe even more capable.”

Julian turned with a faint smile. ”I didn’t mean to compare, my friend. Genius has its place. But sometimes, when the world breaks... it is the heart that puts it back together.”

Max gave a slight nod, but the line lingered in the air.

Julian walked toward the edge of the transmission room. ”Be careful, Edward. Albert may have agreed today... but men like him don’t forgive. They wait.”

Edward’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gave a silent nod.

The feeds disconnected one by one, and the silence in the room was almost peaceful. Officially, the matter was settled.

No war. There is no military escalation.

Justin was alive, however, broken—enough to keep the fragile thread of peace from snapping.

But Edward knew... if the situation had grown even more dire—if Albert’s son had died that day—the world might already be ablaze.

Barnes strolled in with a grin. ”So, I take it the big meeting’s over, General?”

Edward gave a slow nod. ”It is. How’s the punishment detail going?”

Barnes chuckled. ”Oh, beautifully. Sam made them stand on their heads in a pyramid shape—hands behind their backs—for three straight hours.”

Edward raised a brow. ”And?”

”And somehow Alex got roped in too,” Barnes said, barely holding back a laugh.

Edward blinked. ”Alex? Why was he even there?”

Barnes leaned in, smirking. ”He came to watch Tyson get punished. Thought it’d be funny. But Sam didn’t appreciate the commentary—especially the laughing.”

Edward sighed, but there was the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. ”So how many now?”

”Six,” Barnes said proudly. ”Six soldiers upside-down in a triangle of shame. It’s quite the show.”

Edward shook his head, muttering, ”Children... all of them.”

Barnes nodded. ”And we’re their babysitters.”

”We are” Edward said,

---

Tyson struggled to keep his head balanced on the cold floor, his arms tucked tightly behind his back. His legs trembled, and his feet on the floor slid apart, threatening to lay flat in his position. Just as he was about to give in, a sharp whack from a stick landed squarely on his rear.

”NO slacking!” Sam’s voice thundered through the room like a war drum.

Beside Tyson, his team mirrored the same humiliating position—forming a wobbly pyramid of pain. Though they looked like a mess, Sam’s real fury was clearly reserved for Tyson alone.

”I’m going to kill you,” Alex growled, trying to glance sideways at Tyson without falling.

”Silence!” Sam barked again, pacing around them like a predator on patrol. ”Or do you want an extended punishment, Sergeant?”

”No, sir!” Alex and Tyson shouted in unison like two busted schoolboys.

Right then, Tim casually strolled into the training room, munching on an apple with a grin that spelled trouble. ”How’s it feel, cadets?” he teased.

He was still clueless about why Alex was being punished, but before he could even blink—

WHACK!

Sam’s stick caught him mid-chew. ”Down. Now.”

Tim’s apple rolled across the floor as he found himself dropped beside Alex, hip raised, head on the ground, and feet positioned awkwardly in a ridiculous pyramid.

”Shit,” Tim muttered, biting back a groan.

”Welcome aboard,” Tyson whispered with a strained smile.

Alex sighed. ”Now I really want to kill you both.”

---

Babylon — Three Days Later

Albert stood in silence, hands clenched behind his back, as he stared through the transparent screen into the advanced ICU reserved for elite Rangers. It was the best facility Babylon had to offer, where nanoparticles were fused with new technology and human expertise.

Justin lay still on the medical bed, with various machines beeping in the room. Above him was a screen showing his full-body scan with color: red zones highlighted the worst of it—cracked ribs, a fractured jaw, a shattered wrist, a broken nose, and a crushed leg.

Albert’s face twisted into a rage.

This... this is what they did to my son?

Tyson had treated Justin like a wild animal, delivering each blow with cold fury, as if punishing a monster rather than a man. The fact that Justin was cuffed during the attack only added salt to Alberts’s wound.

He was a harmless civilian! A man without a Meta-bot, not to mention the General’s son. Yet, that young man dared to lay his hand on him? How dare he?

Up until this point, no one even dared to glare at Justin, not even captains from Babylon and some fourth-rate cities dared to assault him brutally. They will be punished; every single one, but first, Tyson.

Albert’s fists trembled behind his back. Every second he stood there, watching his son barely hanging on, felt like a personal insult—one he wouldn’t forget.

”G-General,” the captain spoke hesitantly as Albert glared.

”What? Don’t you see I’m busy?” Albert raged. ”Or do you have a death wish?”

”Please forgive me, sir,” the captain knelt. ”I’m here to inform you—we’ve found someone similar to Ryuk.”

Albert’s eyes widened for a second. ”Do you mean... a person who possesses Prime?”

The captain nodded. A wicked smirk played on Albert’s lips as he looked at Justin.

”My dear son, your father has found a way to deal with Tyson,” Albert said, touching the glass. ”A way to kill him in the most brutal manner, even before his brother gets married.”

The captain trembled, not daring to meet General Albert’s eyes. Even though there was international pressure not to go against Elria or Tyson, their commander had once again found a way to outmaneuver his enemies. He always did.

Even the captain knew that the elder son of Edward Roger was about to be married—yet Albert was planning something dangerous. Should he warn them? Would that be betrayal to his own city? The captain wondered.

”Let’s go, Captain,” Albert said with a smile. ”I’ve finally found a him”