Chapter 7: When My Power Became a Time Bomb

The Earth Defense Command's main War Room was less intimidating and more just annoyingly bright. It was a massive construct of shimmering holo-screens and data graphs that made the air feel like constant static. Dozens of combat readouts spun above the central table, tracking pulse, SYNC Rate, and energy discharge. Queen Emica insisted on "transparent review," which was her way of saying she enjoyed dissecting her soldiers' near-death experiences like a high school biology project.

"Your performance data from the Neptune Relay mission," Queen Emica announced, her voice flat and heavy. She adjusted a projection showing a ghostly outline of Hana, overlaid with flashing metrics:

Protocol Level 43 → 45

Sync 82% → 91%

Skill Evolution: Blink-Step → Phase Slip

Itsuki whistled, nearly tipping over in his high-tech command chair. "Two level jumps in one mission? Princess, you’ve been grinding like you found the secret developer cheat code. That’s insane."

Hana crossed her arms, her magenta eyes narrowed. "I didn't notice. I was busy making sure we didn't get vaporized by faulty Protocol."

"That’s because you don't check your dashboard, Hana," Chinami said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Some of us enjoy watching the numbers go up. The sheer elegance of optimization is a reward in itself, you brute."

Kotaro grinned, his hand resting near his katana hilt. "She prefers results that bleed, Chinami. The numbers are just the paperwork."

Hana spun toward him, her patience thin. "What the hell does that even mean, Kotaro?! Are you calling me a savage or saying you're too scared to look at a spreadsheet?"

He flinched and held his hands up defensively. "Whoa! No! I mean, you fight with passion! Like a super-cool, magenta-colored berserker! It's complimentary! Look, I'm terrified of you, but I'm complimentary!"

A compliment that basically labels her a violent maniac, Hana thought, adjusting her stance.

"Enough," Emica cut in, but the tight line around her mouth relaxed just enough to show a hint of satisfaction. She only cared about effective results. She tapped another panel, and the data vanished, replaced by the gruesome images of the disintegrated Neptune troopers they had fought.

The holo-display focused on the troopers' ruined chest plates.

$$Core Fragment Detected - Red-Type Energy Signature 62% match with Core-Gems$$

Emica’s voice instantly turned to steel. "These soldiers weren't natural. They were cloned warriors grafted with synthetic Red Core-Gems. Malice is using our technology, copied, corrupted, and weaponized."

Hana frowned, stepping closer to the holographic display. "Someone stole our research and is mass-producing cheap knockoffs."

"Not someone," Emica replied, her gaze locking onto Hana. "A network. Malice. Their data encryption signature matches the hostile probe. They are distributing artificial, unstable Core-Gems across the Outer Rings to create a disposable army."

"So the real Core-Gems are still safe?" Itsuki asked, visibly twitching. "Unstable power sources give me genuine hives."

"For now," Emica said. "But if they've perfected replication, the original, stable source is the only defense the Solar System has left."

Chinami folded her arms, her tactical mind instantly connecting the dots. "Meaning Earth's central garden—the Nexus Tree—just became their ultimate, highest-priority target."

Emica nodded, confirming the shift to war. "Exactly. And that brings us to your next and most critical assignment. It's no longer patrol. It is total defense."

The Elite followed Emica down a long, white corridor. The air grew thicker, richer, smelling less like sterile metal and more like raw Protocol energy mixed with ozone. The air pressure alone made their suits hum.

The corridor opened into the Queen's Garden, a colossal dome that was the most beautiful and terrifying place on Earth. Vines wound through silver trellises, and pools of liquid, glowing light—pure Protocol energy—rippled at their bases. Stable, precious Core-Gems floated everywhere, suspended in energy fields. The red ones pulsed like fierce, greedy heartbeats.

In the very center, on an obsidian pedestal, stood the single, massive Shadow Core-Gem. It was a frightening, absolute black that absorbed all light around it, making the air feel thin and empty.

"Beautiful," Kotaro whispered, mesmerized.

"Terrifying," Chinami corrected, pulling down her visor to filter the intense radiation. "It looks like the void just decided to accessorize."

Emica approached the pedestal. "This is the Nexus Tree, the root of Earth's stable Core Network. To prepare for Malice, each of you will now be assigned a personal Core Key derived from these energies. It will bind permanently to your Protocol suit and amplify your SYNC output. But remember," she warned, her eyes lingering on Hana, "misuse or emotional volatility will get you killed. It is a double-edged sword."

Hana stepped closer to the Shadow Core-Gem, and the air around her felt electrically charged. Her entire Protocol suit screamed a warning. Her HUD started flashing red, struggling to process the raw power.

$$Resonance Detected - Core Affinity: Magenta Spectrum$$

$$Core Key Binding 99% Complete$$

$$New Trait Unlocked: Solar Pulse (Lv 1) - WARNING: Unstable$$

Hana blinked hard, rubbing her eyes. Solar Pulse? What is that? A dizzying, solar-hot warmth surged through her veins, feeling like liquid courage mixed with battery acid.

"Did anyone else see that readout pop up?" Hana asked, trying to sound casual.

Chinami glanced over. "See what? The Queen's glare? Yes, we all saw it."

"Nothing," Hana lied quickly. She couldn't tell them about the Unstable warning.

Emica turned back to her. "Your Venusian physiology makes you unusually compatible with pure Core energy, Hana. It makes you dangerously unpredictable. Be cautious; this new power will tempt you to rely on brute force over discipline."

"Temptation isn't my problem, Queen Emica," Hana snapped back. "I follow orders. I survived a crash landing alone, I think I can handle a glow-up."

Emica met her gaze, the Queen's eyes unforgiving. "No, but it would seem that control is your greatest enemy. You are a weapon that can turn on its user at any moment."

The words struck Hana harder than any plasma blast. She turned away, jaw tight. Emica didn't see a soldier; she saw a bomb.

They walked back toward the barracks in silence, the weight of the new Core Keys a constant, humming presence under their armor. They shed their main Protocol suits in the staging area.

"You glow a little when you're mad, Princess," Chinami said, completely deadpan, once they were both in their undersuits.

Hana glared at her. "Is that supposed to be flirting or diagnostics, Chinami? Because both are equally inappropriate when we just found out the entire solar system is about to go to war over a shiny black rock."

"A bit of both," Chinami teased. "When the Queen hit you with that control comment, your SYNC spiked to ninety-six. You looked like you were about to fire a Final Flash at the nearest potted plant. It means you care," Chinami added, losing the sarcastic edge. "You just don't want anyone to think you're soft, especially after everything with Venus."

Hana didn't answer. She just focused on taking steady, slow breaths, trying to manually force the SYNC rate back down. The residual heat from the Solar Pulse was still there, tingling under her skin.

"Look, the new Core Key is awesome," Kotaro chimed in, suddenly appearing, having finished racking his sword. "I got, like, a 3% boost! I can now slice a tomato into 10,000 pieces instead of 9,997. Worth it."

"Your goals are truly noble," Hana muttered.

"They really are," Kotaro agreed, completely missing the sarcasm. "But seriously, Hana. Be extra careful with the anger. I don't want to get vaporized by your emotional overload. I still haven't used my ten thousand-slice tomato skill yet."

"I am perfectly fine," Hana insisted, though her hands were shaking. She was a weapon that could turn on its user.

Far beyond the Earth's Protocol defenses, in a chamber made of dark, swirling glass near Neptune's orbit, Queen Rin watched the feed from a microscopic, captured Earth drone. The optics were focused entirely on the massive, menacing Shadow Core-Gem.

"The Core-Gems resonate stronger on Earth than projected," she said, running a slender finger over the data display. A faint, cold smile spread across her face, showing the slightest glint of pointed, filed teeth. "The Empress will be pleased. Tell Malice their replicas are unstable, and their target is confirmed."

A figure cloaked entirely in static and shadow bowed low, its outline wavering. "Yes, Your Majesty. The Empress Kata awaits your signal. The path to Venus's return begins with the destruction of Earth's last defense."

Rin chuckled, a cold, focused sound. "Then let's take their garden. And once they start fighting to protect the Shadow Core-Gem, the foolish little War Princess will finally lose control and give us exactly what we need."