My Instant Death Doomed Firefly to a Lifetime of Regret

"Activate the Azure Frontline Protocol."

The Azure Frontline, Gramr Empire's ultimate contingency, required approval from at least eight of the ten senators. Eight system-hours prior, massive black holes had materialized around the Dead Sea, drastically shortening the Swarm's invasion routes. Their gravitational pull seemed to herald an unimaginable terror.

The Swarm descended from the void—endless, relentless.

Nightmares reborn. Gramr's borders drowned in molten knight wreckage and Carapaci remains. The Dead Sea expanded, its shadow looming over all.

Under the Azure Frontline Protocol, the Mountains Base disassembled into individual defense outposts, forming a fortified perimeter around Gramr. Molten Knights fought behind these stations, clinging to their positions with the aid of the planetary defense grid—a desperate stalling tactic against infinite foes.

"Warning: Energy overload."

"Warning: Mecha integrity below 70%."

"Synchronization threshold reached."

The cold alerts urged Liuying to retreat, but the Swarm's onslaught permitted no respite.

Seventeen system-hours into the invasion, visible cracks spiderwebbed across the defense grid. Repair teams faltered under relentless assaults; self-repair systems lagged behind the spreading damage.

The battlefield floated with Carapaci carcasses, yet more surged forward. At the frontline's heart, a molten knight detonated in a final blaze, its silver armor melting as the pilot's screams faded.

Liuying averted her eyes. Countless knights had fallen these 37 system-hours, their sacrifices vanishing into the Dead Sea without a ripple.

A retreat window opened. Liuying staggered into an outpost, disengaging her armor. Leaning against the wall, her vision blurred as distant explosions rattled the station.

Can't… collapse now.

Clutching her transformation device, she steadied her breath. I promised An Ming. We'll go home.

I will survive.

17 System-Hours Earlier

As An Ming prepared to depart the Mountains, Titanis emerged from the shadows.

"Care to make a deal, An Ming?"

Her white gown contrasted starkly with the base's metallic gloom. "First meeting. I'm Titanis."

"You're…"

"Not Liuying." Her smile held melancholy. "But part of her… comes from me."

An Ming's familiarity with her made sense now—the resemblance wasn't just physical.

"The Empress herself wants to bargain?"

"You can't hide it, An Ming." Titanis stepped closer, Liuying's eyes mirrored in hers. "That power of yours… it can save me."

Silence.

An Ming had long sensed the anomaly within himself—the ability to defy synchronization limits, glimpsed once in childhood.

"You care nothing for Gramr," Titanis pressed, "but if it falls, you and Liuying perish with it."

"You can end this crisis?"

"No." Her gaze sharpened. "You can. I'll free the Gene-Hacks from the Hive's shackles. When this ends, I'll ensure Liuying escapes safely."

"You fear dying before securing her future." Titanis tilted her head. "Your face screams readiness to die for her."

She was right. Against infinite Swarm, even his life couldn't buy Liuying's safety.

Gramr's survival meant nothing to him—except the memories etched into its landscapes with her.

"State your terms."

Later

"Another debt owed." Titanis breathed freely, her final mental chains dissolved. "I'll honor our pact."

She reached for his face. He stepped back.

An Ming offered a small box. "If I don't return… give this to her."

Titanis accepted it, voice soft. "Worth it?"

"Some things transcend worth."

Armor enveloped him as he faced the Swarm tide.

Watching him leave, Titanis wondered: What if he'd met me first?

Jealousy flickered, then faded. In another world, perhaps she'd have been the girl holding that box.

Battlefield — Present

"My children."

Titanis' voice resonated across the Hive. "I free your souls. Now—become true Molten Knights!"

Synchronization limits shattered. Flames of life ignited—forge and fuel.