Chapter 416 - 416: Conference of Nations

"Are you ready?" Hange shouted loudly with her hands cupped around her mouth like a megaphone.

In front of Hange, the dark-skinned Onyankopon gave a thumbs-up to indicate there was no problem, while the surroundings thundered with the deafening roar of machinery.

Onyankopon firmly gripped the control stick with one hand, completely focused on every instrument panel in front of him. Through the thick bulletproof glass ahead, a perfectly straight long runway could be seen.

On both sides of the runway stood many fully armed soldiers on guard, while protective nets had been erected to prevent surrounding civilians from accidentally entering the runway.

That's right, Hange and the others were aboard an airplane.

In this world where airship air forces still dominated warfare, aside from the terrifyingly powerful Far East, only Marley and the current Paradis Island had successfully researched and put airplanes into practical use.

Inside the airplane, Yago stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed in rest. Besides Yago, there were also Airi, Annie, Erwin, Hange, Levi, and among the Eastern region representatives were Azumabito Kiyomasa and another unknown old general. In addition, there were over ten fully armed elite Paradis Island soldiers equipped with Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.

After Onyankopon completed his checks, he pushed the throttle lever all the way forward, and under the shocked gazes of the Eldian Revival Army soldiers and surrounding civilians, the enormous mechanical beast slowly began to move.

The propellers spun at high speed, and the giant mechanical monster accelerated faster and faster before finally letting out a howl as it rushed into the sky!

Watching the black dot in the sky grow smaller and smaller, Serena also withdrew her gaze and let out a faint sigh before turning around with determined eyes and giving orders to her subordinates, who had long been prepared for departure.

"It's time for us to move as well. All troops, depart immediately! Follow the plan!"

"Yes!"

A group of Eldian Revival Army officers stood at attention with solemn expressions, raising their right arms horizontally across their chests in salute.

Beside the Restoration Army, the officers of Paradis Island's New Army had also completed their preparations before battle. The slogan of dedicating their hearts rose one after another. Wearing a Squad Leader uniform, Eren gazed thoughtfully in the direction where the airplane had disappeared into the sky.

"Eren, what's wrong? You look like you have something on your mind."

Beside Eren, Mikasa, who always wore that red scarf no matter the occasion, asked with concern.

Eren snapped back to his senses and looked at Mikasa's beautiful face. Noticing the nearly invisible scar beneath the corner of her eye, a trace of heartache flashed through his heart, but he quickly suppressed the emotion and said casually:

"It's nothing. I'm not a child anymore. Mikasa, you should focus more on taking care of yourself."

As he spoke, he reached out and rewrapped the slightly loosened scarf around Mikasa's neck.

Mikasa allowed Eren to fix her scarf for her. Looking at Eren's face, her cheeks turned slightly red.

Recently, Eren had become gentler and gentler.

...

Marley Empire, Tessi Province, Icarus City.

Several months ago, after approval during a meeting of the new Marley Ministry of Defense, Icarus City had officially become Marley's temporary capital.

At this moment, the city was also filled with stationed troops. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers had gathered here, and the dark clouds of war shrouded the entire city.

Now that world war could erupt at any moment, in preparation for the war against the Far East, Icarus City had become an important negotiation center where representatives from many nations gathered.

During this period, representatives from nearly a hundred countries of all sizes had assembled in this gradually militarized city, discussing alliances and other matters based on their nations' interests and positions. Over the course of several months, the number of meetings held had become impossible to count. Yet by today, fewer than thirty national representatives remained in the city, and these countries were likely all the nations Marley could pull into a joint anti–Far East camp.

Many countries feared becoming enemies with the increasingly dominant Far East. The Far East's current influence had expanded far too greatly, and combined with the terrifying strength of its military forces, aside from the Middle Easterners and Marley, even if the remaining thirty-plus nations were tied together, they likely still wouldn't be enough to withstand a single battle against the Far East army.

With preparations nearly complete, Marley and the Middle Easterners were also preparing to hold a joint conference in Icarus City within the next few days. The Alliance of Nations would officially declare war on the Far East.

To guard against Far Eastern surprise attacks or assassinations, the entirety of Icarus City had entered the highest level of martial law. Countless cannons were hidden throughout every corner of the city, vast tunnel systems existed beneath military camps everywhere, and every street and checkpoint was guarded by large numbers of soldiers.

Magath sat inside a cramped office with his hands supporting his head, faint snores escaping from his nose.

Suddenly, his arm twitched, and his body staggered slightly. His tightly shut eyes instantly opened, bloodshot pupils revealing deep exhaustion.

He hadn't slept for three days and nights.

He rubbed his rough hands hard against his face, forcibly pulling himself together. At that moment, a guard came to remind him:

"General, the various generals and national representatives have basically all arrived. Please make your preparations quickly as well."

"Understood. Prepare the military vehicle, I'll be there shortly."

Magath spoke in a deep voice before standing up and taking the Marley General uniform hanging on the wall beside him, draping it over himself.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the dark, cloud-covered sky outside the window with gloom in his heart.

He did not know whether leading Marley down this path was truly the correct choice.

Pushing open the door, the military vehicle had already been prepared, carrying Magath rapidly toward the hidden and secure conference site.

By the time Magath arrived, nearly everyone had already gathered.

Marley's generals, the Middle Easterners' generals, generals from various other countries, along with political representatives from every side, were all noisily discussing among themselves. The conference hall was filled everywhere with chaotic voices and the pungent smell of tobacco.

But when the guards pushed open the doors and Magath stepped into the hall, the noisy conference instantly fell silent.

Hundreds of eyes stared at the Marley General as if looking toward the pillar supporting everything.

Carrying that heavy responsibility upon his shoulders, Magath walked toward the main seat that belonged to him.

And under his leadership, this massive Alliance of Nations conference officially began progressing onto the proper track.

When war erupts, it may come without any warning at all. The fighting begins the moment it begins.

In the eyes of some ordinary people, war might simply mean the armies of two nations grabbing guns and cannons and charging at each other until one side surrenders or is destroyed.

However, what war involves goes far beyond the bloody battles fought on the battlefield.

International relations, division of interests, political maneuvering, logistical reserves...

There were simply too many chaotic and complicated matters involved.

This conference continued for more than four hours, yet still achieved little progress.

Just as Magath was about to order a temporary suspension so everyone could rest for a while, chaotic commotion suddenly erupted outside the conference room.

And the disturbance grew louder and louder.

Finally, a Marley soldier burst into the conference room in panic, stammering as he shouted:

"N-not good! The sky! The sky! There's... there's a Gia—!"

BOOM!!

Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying explosive roar echoed throughout the conference hall. The ceiling above trembled violently.

The next second—

BANG!!

Broken stones and bricks flew everywhere as an enormous fist smashed through the ceiling. A terrifying voice like a demon from hell echoed above everyone's heads.

"Such a lively meeting, and nobody informed us from Paradis Island??"