Chapter 6:

The amber sovereign

Machine Atom


On a remote island, struck by two forces of nature, stood an army of humans—firefighters, soldiers, medics, scientists, and archaeologists. And standing against all of them was one awakened man.

Like the violent tsunami before, Antonio was once again blown back by a colossal wave—only this time, it was something far worse.

Curious, cautious eyes locked on his every move. A voice rang out from the army that had finally stepped forward.

"Make your moves wisely, Mr. Antonio."

The island echoed the warning.

Antonio paused, leveled his head, and replied, "Oh? Already identified the threat, I see."

"Yes, and our men are prepared for every surprise you can pull. So let’s make this easy—"

Antonio slowly closed his eyes. "How convenient for me... I must appreciate your analysts—for their precise observations, and coming up with countermeasures in under an hour."

The moment his words ended, everyone on the island felt it,a sensation unfamiliar and untraceable. Their attention fell towards Antonio, whose eyes opened—calm and piercing—staring straight into their souls.

A final broadcast escaped the island:

[kkshhh—] Echo Team to HQ—situation’s unstable!

Something’s hit us—it’s not physical—

[bzzzt] Some kind of... pressure field—

I—I can’t describe it—feels like it’s in our heads—

[signal fades] Requesting immediate—[cut]

An invisible aura had just spread across the island.

[kkshhh] Echo to HQ, n-no data—sensors aren't p-picking anything—

[bzzzt] but some sort of f-field is d-disturbing our men—

feels s-supernatural...

[crackle] I-I don’t think we’re e-equipped to engage—

[cut]

Back at HQ, interpreters turned pale. An analyst, trembling, muttered, "It’s...?!... all just white...!"

He bounced from his chair as the room panicked. A strategist stormed into the chamber.

"What absurdity are you spewing?"

"Sir, the entire island’s thermal visuals... turned completely white," the analyst stammered. "Temperatures... ranging from 5,000 up to 20,000 Celsius."

He clenched his teeth. "Give me the last visuals from within—now!"

Christopher Marlowe—Chief Strategist and advisor to the Unified Threat Council, a man known more for planning than panic—had suddenly encountered a true challenge.

"Sir," a woman announced over the speaker, "the final visuals showed the target stationary. The information was likely distorted by refraction and density fluctuations surrounding the island. It was blocked completely."

The commander dashed back to his post, thoughts racing.

That man... he stopped a tsunami from wiping out our most promising volcanic energy source—and now, he’s set the island on flames.

As he reached his chamber, his breath short, a conclusion arrived. An analyst rushed in behind him.

"Commander! We actually got the thermal visuals bac—"

"Cut all incoming information from Echo Squad," he snapped.

Before she could speak again, he cast a sharp look her way. She backed out silently, carrying new orders.

All we can do now... is hope for their safety.

Meanwhile, on the isolated island, Antonio Solvain stood still. In front of him, a fully armed force hesitated, watching his every move.

Until one brave soul remembered his duty.

A barrage of everything they had was unleashed, carefully planned to weaken the threat.

Antonio didn’t move.

Combo attacks—coordinated and overwhelming—descended upon him.

Spiraling hydro beams surged, fully charged. Liquid meant to dissolve steel shot through the air.

But the moment those strikes reached within range, they vaporized. One, two, three—all gone without him blinking.

Same attack. Three different angles. One early, two simultaneous. They’re trying to assess my combat instincts...

As he analyzed the pattern, they attacked again, this time aiming to disrupt even his thinking.

Flashbangs exploded in the sky.

Open attacks, easy to dodge... to test my response time? Or a distraction for something else—

A high-frequency sound cannon fired. Vibrating molecules struck him endlessly. He stumbled, stepped back, pressed his forehead.

Perhaps... I should take my leave now.

He snapped his fingers. A single, commanding voice followed.

"Solar Flares."

Crimson arcs burst in every direction, neutralizing the attacks midair. Before they could follow up—

Antonio shot down the sound cannon. It exploded instantly from the heat, forcing the forces to pull back and reconsider.

No projectiles. No beams. No frequency attacks. What the hell is this guy made of?

The captain hesitated.

Then, Antonio spoke—apologetically.

"My condolences... to everyone witnessing this misery."

He straightened. "I will now evacuate and later compose a concrete reasoning for my actions."

Amber flames wrapped around him. In a burst, he vanished into the sky.

He climbed fast, high enough to touch the clouds—only to be greeted by company from above. A rainfall of homing missiles from thousands of kilometers away—undodgeable.

The flame wasn’t ready. A direct hit would have killed him instantly.

With seconds to impact, he focused all energy into his chest to counter.

Consecutive strikes, capable of wiping bunkers, connected.

A judgment was laid over a supernatural man by the 22nd-century humans.

But Ayamei Kagetsu responded with her own UFO, carried by the wind.

"Wanna see a magic trick?" came a voice. Antonio turned—Genshi Arisawa had phased through him, intercepting the missiles. The attacks spiraled right through them like holograms, leaving behind sonic booms.

"Okay, now save me, old mannn~!!" Genshi begged as he soared ahead.

In an instant, Antonio burst forth and caught Genshi. "No, I thank you for saving me," he replied. He said nothing further and took control.

Using the dark sky and volcanic smoke, they vanished—leaving behind nothing for the satellites to trace.

Hours later, at headquarters, the officials gathered.

On the first day of the new century, history had been made. In a quiet room, a man adjusted the screen.

"Not much of a good morning, folks."

Aron Denver—Commander of the Global Security Corps—had stepped in to brief the waiting officials.

He glanced at the visuals. "No introductions needed, I guess. That man is wielding a supernatural—"

"Unexplained scientific phenomenon," a voice cut in.

The door creaked open. A man strode in, bold and unapologetic.

The audacity of this bastard.

As all heads turned, Denver’s irritated mutter was visible only to Christopher Marlowe.

Christopher smirked and addressed the room.

"Sorry, everyone. Secretary was complimenting my work. Can't help it, right?"

"Behave, Mr. Marlowe," Denver commanded.

"Right, right." Christopher cleared his throat. "A few hours ago, an island was at the mercy of the ocean. Our most active volcanic energy source—nearly lost. Until Antonio Solvain dove into the volcano’s mouth, survived, and weaponized magma into a projectile that wiped out the tsunami in seconds."

"And he stayed there... defending it?" an official asked.

"Not exactly."

The room murmured.

"He could have left. But he waited. Surfaced exactly when our teams landed."

Christopher sipped his coffee. "He knew they were there. Just before contact, a thermal barrier wrapped the island. Only detectable by top-end sensors. Plasma arc: radiation, refraction, density—it wiped out all signals."

"The reports suggest we couldn’t see inside—so why didn’t you send reinforcements?"

"That’s exactly what he wanted us to do," Christopher replied sharply. "Antonio Solvain is an expert volcanologist. That barrier was a distraction. Not only was it impenetrable, it bought him time to engage."

"Why?" a woman asked.

"We don’t know. But he clearly wanted to send a message—by showing his existence and dominance."

A woman gasped. "Just to demonstrate powers, he vaporized the deadliest tsunami?"

"Bingo!" Christopher laughed, walking over to her. "That’s thirty-two dollars—you can treat me at the café later." He handed her his drink and walked off.

Laila Grace, the witness sent by the airship, had attended the meeting. After the debates on media response, the room emptied.

"What a weird guy," she whispered to Denver. "I’d never deal with him." She handed over the cup smoothly and left.

That morning, in the quiet Kyushu outskirts, a small cottage sat—peaceful, remote, and far from the noise of modern life.

Two men entered the cottage—

"It’s alright, sir. I’ll help you to your room," Genshi said, holding Antonio at the door.

Antonio smiled faintly, glanced around, and nodded to Genshi before collapsing into a beanbag.

A man peeked from the kitchen, drying his hands as he walked over.

"Oi. If it ain’t the legend himself chillin’ on my beanbag... Must’ve been starvin’ since last year, yeah?" He laughed, looking to Genshi.

"Haha, right. Anyway, I’ll take my leave, then—" Genshi said, fleeing the scene.

The man took a seat beside Antonio and, with a grin, leaned forward with his tea.

"Rest assured, mate. Yer at the finest hands. Cheers to the Amber Sovereign~."

Machine Atom(Gemini AI cover Image)

Machine Atom