Chapter 318 We are the Resistance.
?The ceremony started shortly after Sam and his cohort arrived. After everyone took their seats, General Nathaniel Carter took the stage preparing to deliver the opening speech. He wasn't particularly thrilled with how things were proceeding; once the first part of the ceremony was over, his time as the head of the Resistance council would be over.
There was nothing he could do about it, unfortunately. As much as he hated it, the truth was that normal humans like him had no place in the new age they had long since entered. It should've been obvious from the start; an enemy from a world different than theirs appeared out of nowhere and erased billions of people, and those lucky enough to survive could only cower in fear and wait for when their turn arrived.
'The Resistance, huh?' He thought to himself as he looked over the spectators. 'What a joke. In the end we were nothing without those damned robots...'
"Ladies and gentlemen, comrades in arms, today marks a momentous occasion in the annals of our shared history." He spoke into the mic and his voice boomed through the venue. "As the echoes of conflict dissipate and the dust settles upon the battlegrounds of our once-broken world, I stand before you with a heart heavy with the weight of both sorrow and triumph. The apocalyptic storm that engulfed us has subsided, and in its wake, we find ourselves standing on the precipice of a new era—a chapter forged by the resilience and unwavering spirit of our Resistance."
No matter how one looks at it, the organization known as the Resistance only existed to provide support for the Valkyries. Whether it's by tracking the movements of Calamities, gathering and processing their remains or manufacturing the equipment used to fight them, in the end all of it would've been meaningless if not for the humanoid weapons and their creator, the man who turned out to be the real villain behind the entire war.
And that should've been fine. For a long time no one saw a problem with humanity's last standing military being built around a single type of weapon. No matter how advanced or intelligent a drone might be, in the end it was just another tool for humans to use. But once again, humans found themselves having the rug pulled from under their feet.
Turns out what they believed were a bunch of walking computers were in fact sentient beings from another dimension, brainwashed into fighting against their own kind. The entire dynamic they had was flipped on its head and now humans were back to being the powerless insects they were before.
'That's right...' the old man thought. 'We were always nothing more than insects...'
"In the crucible of adversity, we faced the relentless onslaught of forces that sought to snuff out our very existence. Yet, through the darkest nights and the fiercest battles, we stood united, a formidable bastion against the tide of despair. Today, as your head general, I extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who lent their strength to this arduous struggle. Together, we weathered the storm, and it is with immense pride that I declare the decade long war is finally at an end!" This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
Though the story about him being a mad scientist on the run was too easy to swallow, it didn't sit well with the Head General from the start. He didn't doubt the part about a mastermind manipulating both worlds from behind the scenes, leading them to the long treacherous war, but the man named Odin sounded like a fictional character created for the simple goal of having someone to pin the blame on.
What he didn't understand was why the Nephilim chose to play along with such a lie. In the first place, the Nephilim themselves were quite suspicious, starting from their names to the fact that all of them seemed to be female. It was clear that a lot of things were being kept hidden, not just from the public but from the supposed upper echelon of their current world, and at the center of it all was that one man.
"Months ago, the tempest of despair struck at the very heart of our Resistance. In those dark hours, hope, so painstakingly reclaimed, was once again ripped away from our grasp. The specter of defeat loomed larger than ever before, threatening to extinguish the flickering flame that sustained our fight." Coming to a stop, Carter closed his eyes. Though it might've been mistaken as a show of solidarity, the truth was that he struggled with what he was about to say next. Once the last word comes out of his mouth, he would have no choice but to step down and relinquish the authority he fought so hard to have. Alas, he was nothing but a human; he had no power to defy that man.
'That's right...' he thought, his expression almost switching to that of utter shock as he came to a sudden realization. 'That man, he... he isn't human!'
"But as darkness cast its long shadow, another figure emerged from the chaos—a beacon of hope amid the tempest. A man whose determination and sacrifice became the catalyst for our resurgence." As he spoke, a smile slowly formed on the old man's face. "It was his leadership, his vision, that turned the tide and brought us to the doorstep of this hard-fought peace. Let us also remember him today, not as a savior, but as a symbol of what humanity can achieve when faced with the greatest adversity."
The idea that the peace deal was orchestrated by the enemy was prevalent, and quite a few believed that 'he' was in their grasp all along. But what if it turned out he was one of their kind all along?
The Valkyries answered to his command and they were the same as those aliens. They had no reason to continue obeying a human now that the brainwashing was supposedly undone, unless none of it was true to begin with and the entire story was nothing more than a hoax.
'Doesn't matter...' He thought. 'As long as it plants a seed of doubt...'
"As I step away from this podium, I pass the torch to a leader whose dedication and strategic brilliance were instrumental in securing our victory. He stands before you not just as a commander, but as a symbol of our collective strength and determination. Let us welcome him with the same unwavering support that fueled our Resistance, for in unity lies the foundation of our enduring triumph. May this new chapter be etched with tales of reconstruction, growth, and a future unmarred by the scars of war."
As he spoke the last words and moved aside to welcome his new superior, Carter allowed the smile he wore to widen ever so slightly. His eyes met those of the man in question, and as the two of them shook each other in a gesture symbolic of the passing of the torch, a dark glee filled his heart reigniting the desire he recently almost gave up on.
'We are the resistance.' He told himself. 'We shall prevail.'