Vortex Reincarnated

— CENTRAL —

— High Command Meeting — 

"General, we have a major problem. Military Field D5 has been completely destroyed after a series of chain explosions. We are doing our best to rebuild it, but we don't have enough time." 

"Moreover..." The man hesitated for a moment. "The subjects designated to become *Immortal Knights* have been killed." 

One of the high-ranking officials slammed the table in fury. 

"WHAT?! Killed!? What are you talking about?! Those children were the future of the empire! I will make sure—" 

"Silence." 

The general raised his hand, cutting off the discussion with a simple gesture. 

"I must keep my composure... I am the general. I must not show emotion..." 

His fists were clenched tightly, but it wasn't enough. His blood boiled with rage. 

"I understand the situation... Now tell me, is the *original Immortal Knight* still alive?" he asked, his tone serious yet filled with frustration. 

"Yes, sir. He is in recovery." 

The general sighed, stood up from his chair, and slowly walked forward, standing before the other officials. His voice became firm and resolute. 

"Our empire is suffering. Whether it be from demons, rebels, or the wanderers..." 

He paused, scanning each of the officials with his gaze. 

"Therefore, as of today, I decree that the plans for the Soldam War will be moved forward ahead of schedule." 

One of the officials raised his hand. 

"Speak, Director of Intelligence," the general ordered. 

"Sir, I suggest we take immediate action and start mobilizing now. I recently received a report from the intelligence squad: it appears that our plan has been leaked. We must act before it's too late!" 

Another man intervened. 

"I am in charge of imperial resources and treasury. Because of this, I understand our internal situation better than anyone. The empire is facing a concerning shortage. If we do not launch the offensive now, it will be counterproductive… we could lose the war." 

"Are you implying that our empire is weak?" asked an elderly man with a raspy voice. 

"That is not what I mean, Minister of Defense. However, in our current position..." 

"Enough," the general interrupted. "I have made my decision. We will mobilize the entire military force towards the capital of Soldam." 

He clenched his fists and, with a firm voice, declared: 

"We will destroy the demons and reclaim our continent." 

The officials stood up abruptly and shouted in unison. 

"SO BE IT! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" 

"LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" 

---

— City of Bleach — 

"Students, do you know how our empire was born?" 

The professor looked at his students with a smile. 

"There are many theories about the origin of our nation. Some are widely accepted, while others have been lost to time. But the truth is, our empire has existed for hundreds of years..." 

A hand was raised among the crowd. 

"Do you have a question?" 

The voice of a young girl echoed in the classroom. 

"Teacher, as far as I understand, very few people truly know how the empire was founded due to the Era of the Void, right?" 

The professor smiled. 

"An interesting question. Let's talk about it!" 

He positioned himself in front of the class and began his explanation. 

"As you know, our continent is divided into four major nations." 

He picked up a pointer and directed it at a map on the board. 

"We are at the center, the heart of the continent. To the south, we have the Kingdom of Altea; to the north, the Kingdom of Xorder; and to the west, the Kingdom of Soldam." 

He paused for a moment, allowing the students to absorb the information. 

"Hundreds of years ago, tensions between the nations escalated. This led to the Fourth World War." 

The room fell completely silent. 

"The conflict pushed us to the brink of destruction. We used all kinds of weapons that had been developed over decades. Although they are now considered lost, it is said that these weapons were capable of splitting mountains and dividing the skies." 

He took a deep breath before continuing. 

"The war cost us dearly. Out of a global population of 10 billion people... only 3 billion survived." 

The classroom fell into a heavy silence. 

"It was, without a doubt, one of the greatest catastrophes in human history." 

A student raised his hand impatiently. 

"Teacher! I have a question. How exactly did the war end?" 

The professor smiled bitterly. 

"It never ended." 

The students exchanged confused glances. 

"We simply united against a common enemy." 

He turned to the board and wrote two words: Machinist Revolution. 

"At that time, humanity was completely dependent on technology. We were at the peak of the machine revolution. According to records found in ancient human settlements, machines did practically everything for us." 

The professor's voice grew graver. 

"However, one day... they rebelled." 

The students held their breath. 

"The machines deemed us an unfit race and decided to attack us. That is why all the nations joined together to destroy those that committed the sin of raising their hands against their creators." 

The classroom remained in complete silence. 

"Tsk... this class is too boring..." 

A young man stared out the window in disinterest. 

"I'm a super athlete... what am I even doing here?" 

However, he had been hearing a strange sound in the distance for a while. 

"Bah, it's probably nothing... I'll just keep sleeping." 

"Hey, you! The red-haired one!" the professor suddenly called out. "Answer me, why do you think the machines rebelled?" 

"Uh… uh… because we're better than them…?" 

The professor observed him in silence for a few seconds before giving a slight smile. 

"I'll let it slide for now. It was a decen—" 

Until suddenly... 

BOOM! 

A loud explosion shook the ground. Something fell from the sky at an incredible speed and crashed violently onto the school's courtyard. 

The students jumped in surprise. 

One of the boys, curious, approached the window to see what it was. 

It was the last thing he ever did. 

A beam of light incinerated his head in an instant.