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Chapter 370 And Hell Shall Follow

The day passed in the blink of an eye, and it was soon time for the press conference. Every Edenian citizen was glued to their television screen, and even activity on the internet had practically come to a screeching halt. The streets were clear of traffic, and without the liveliness that people bring with them, looked rather desolate. Businesses were empty, offices that normally had scattered windows shining light into the night sky were dark, and doormen were clustered around televisions at the reception desks in their buildings instead of manning the doors. Even security guards and police officers had stopped patrolling their beats and emergency service workers in the fire departments and ambulance bays were in their dayrooms, unblinkingly staring at the still image of the press room podium centered in their television screens.

The only people who weren’t sitting in front of televisions awaiting the beginning of the scheduled press briefing were those that were in the press room and green room, and the members of ARES.

Those involved in the press briefing were preparing for it, and ARES, well... ARES was preparing for war.

At one minute until the briefing was about to begin, the media in the press room stilled and their background chatter died out. They all turned their eyes to the podium, knowing that the Edenian government’s reputation for timeliness and punctuality was well deserved. Behind the podium stood four flags, two on each side. The flags showed who would be speaking at any given presser, and three of them were well known.

To the far left of the audience, in the position of honor, was the Edenian flag. Immediately to the right of it was the presidential flag. To the right of the podium, from the perspective of those in the room, was the flag of the Edenian Defense Ministry. Those three were easily recognizable, but to the right of the ministry flag was one the reporters had never seen.

Since the room was indoors, there was no breeze causing the flags to flutter, so all they could see of it was a bold red color.

Soon, the hour ticked over and two people walked onto the stage. They were the men of the hour: President Alexander Romero, who was wearing a smart, charcoal gray bespoke suit that screamed professionalism, paired with a navy blue tie and pristine white shirt; and Aron Michael, who was dressed in his ARES finery, with five stars in the shape of a pentagon on each shoulder.

The two were striking together. Aron was tall, with a face that seemed chiseled from marble and neatly combed short black hair and glacial blue eyes, while Alexander was a few inches shorter and his still-handsome face showed wisdom and maturity. Both men seemed cast from similar molds, with broad shoulders that tapered down to narrow waists, and they walked with confident, precisely measured steps.

Alexander stepped up to the podium, while Aron stood a step behind him and to his left, and the press briefing officially began.

“Good evening, dear citizens. I know these past few days have been very nerve-wracking, so to ease your minds, I brought the head of our national defense contractor, General Aron Michael, to speak directly to you.” Alexander gestured to Aron, then continued, “General Michael, the stage is yours. Please address the people.” He stepped back and to his right, allowing Aron to take the podium and address the nation.

“Good evening. As you know, President Romero and I have just been declared terrorists and NATO and the UN are preparing an invasion force to bring us to their so-called ‘justice’.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “However, the crimes they’re trying to pin on us are things they have yet to prove are even related to us. But despite their lack of evidence and ridiculous claims, they’ve already moved into action.

“Although a united Earth is something I’ve always wanted to see, it would’ve been better had the unity been peacefully achieved during the UN meeting where we discussed the approaching extraterrestrials. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the rest of the world united against us in the hopes of robbing us of our technology, our resources, and our very way of life. Greed and fear overtook their rationality and the ravenous maw of human nature is now bearing down on us with the weight of an entire world behind it.” He took a deep breath and his penetrating gaze stared unblinking into the sole camera set up in front of the stage.

“I know the idea of fighting against the entire planet is intimidating. I know you’re afraid. And I understand your fears. However, I promise you that none of them will ever set foot on Edenian or Esparian soil. I promise you that no harm will come to even a single blade of grass on our beautiful continent. I promise you that our way of life will not just survive, but thrive and continue to grow. I swear to you that I will come down on the invading force with all of the might of the fist of an angry god, and no perpetrator of the injustices we are now suffering will see the sun rise on one day more than it takes us to hunt them down and dig them out of whatever hole they hide in.

“Because, trust me—they will hide. They will suffer the consequences of their arrogance, their greed, and their unfounded confidence in their own pathetic capabilities. And when they see that, they will run like the rats they are and hide in the deepest, darkest holes they can find, praying to whomever they believe in that I will not find them, that I will let them go... that I will forgive them.

“I will not. I will not forgive, I will not forget, and I will not let this injustice perpetrated against us go unanswered. I will, however, ensure that their prayers do.

“I stand here tonight and issue you this solemn vow: they will be judged. You, the innocent citizens of Eden and Esparia will not. I will not allow you to suffer, but I will rain hell upon those that attempt to force you to capitulate, to surrender, to give up everything you now enjoy. I will bring damnation to those that want to take what you have and force you back into the misery you recently lifted yourselves out of.

“I will judge the guilty and defend the innocent.”

Aron took a deep breath, collecting himself, then continued, “And to those who want to take, those who want to spread misery, those who want to drag others down instead of lift themselves up. To those who want to enrich themselves even in this most dire of times, I tell you this: I am coming for you, and hell shall follow close behind me. You want to intimidate us, coerce us, rob us, kill us, and declare war on us?

“Fine. Bring it on.”