Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

The Great Alliance had been working tirelessly to develop advanced weapons and battle suits, but despite their efforts, taking down high-class Spirit Beasts was still not easy.

It was mostly because even though the suits and weapons provided leverage, the warriors were still too weak to fight the high class beasts.

The scarcity of high-level Spirit Stones was proof of their struggle. Compared to the thousands of stones stored in Grace's system inventory, the Alliance had managed to collect only a handful.

However, among the nations, Country C finally emerged as the first to gather enough high-level Spirit Stones for Grace to set up a barrier around their safe zone.

Their collection included:

Two Level Seven Red Spirit Stones, One Level Seven Green Spirit Stone, Three Level Six Blue Spirit Stones, Two Level Six Yellow Spirit Stones, and nearly two dozen Spirit Stones below between Level Four and Five.

As for Level one, two, and three, they almost had a hundred of those. But unfortunately, these low level stones were worth nothing when it came to the barrier.

Still, it was an impressive feat, given how difficult it was to kill high-class Spirit Beasts. And while Grace could have created the barrier using stones from her own inventory, she preferred that the Great Alliance put in their own efforts. If they wanted protection, they had to earn it.

Once she received the news, she wasted no time. Instead of using a portal, as she wasn't planning to reveal to the Alliance yet, she boarded her private jet along with Davian and several of her trusted team members - Kevin, Aleena, Rio, Maven, Nina, and Silas.

The jet soared through the gray skies, cutting through the thick volcanic clouds that had long replaced the once-blue heavens. Inside the aircraft, the team sat in silence while mentally preparing for the task ahead.

Kevin was the first one to speak. "Do you think the barrier will last as long as Starfall's?"

Grace, who was reviewing a map of Country C's safe zone, didn't look up as she answered, "It depends. The stones they have collected are powerful, but nowhere near as many as the ones I used for our island."

Rio raised an eyebrow. "Then why bother? If it's weaker, won't it eventually collapse?"

She sighed and finally glanced up at the team. "The more barriers we put up, the stronger our defenses will become in the long run. Right now, we can't afford to keep all these countries unprotected while we wait for them to collect perfect stones."

Davian added. "She's right. And this is just the first step. The more high level Spirit Stones they gather in the future, the stronger we can make the barriers."

The discussion ended there, and the rest of the flight continued in silence.

- - -

The safe zone of Country C was roughly 80% the size of Starfall Isle. Snd though it was a large area, but still manageable.

As soon as the jet landed, a military escort greeted them before leading them toward the heart of the safe zone where the barrier formation would be set up.

The city inside the safe zone was similar to what Greenstone had been before Grace took over. It's functional but not truly thriving. People lived in cramped apartment buildings, rationing resources carefully. Unlike Starfall Isle, which had clean water in abundance and fields of crops, the Great Alliance still relied on bottled water that were years old.

Grace noticed the exhaustion on the people's faces as they passed by. Their eyes held hope but also weariness, a reflection of the hard life they were living.

Aleena whispered, "This place needs more than just a barrier."

Grace nodded. But she knew that it was just a matter of time before Country C would start thriving.

The process of setting up the barrier was exhausting.

Using the Spirit Stones provided by Country C, Grace created a formation covering the entire safe zone. Each stone was fused into the barrier, forming protective layers that would shield the city from the infected, Shadow Beasts, and the corruption of the outside world.

The Level Seven Red Spirit Stones provided warmth, protecting against the harsh volcanic winter that had plagued the planet for years.

The Level Seven Green Spirit Stone strengthened the life force of the land, giving the nature within the zone a chance to thrive.

The Level Six Blue Spirit Stones stabilized the energy flow, ensuring the barrier would hold against external attacks.

And finally, the Level Six Yellow Spirit Stones reinforced the physical structure of the protective dome, making it resilient against direct impact.

Each step required immense mental focus and energy, draining Grace more than she had anticipated. Hours passed, and her vision blurred slightly from the strain, but she refused to stop.

By the sixth hour, the formation was complete. A transparent, shimmering dome now surrounded the entirety of Country C's safe zone, glowing faintly with multiple colors as the Spirit Stones pulsed with power.

The moment the final piece locked into place, Grace staggered as her knees nearly gave out.

But before she could hit the ground, strong arms caught her.

It was Davian.

"You did too much," he murmured, holding her steady as she fought to regain her balance.

"I had to," she whispered back as her fingers tightened against his arm.

He sighed but didn't argue, simply lifting her into his arms and carrying her away from the formation site. The rest of their team followed, keeping a respectful distance.

Instead of leaving immediately, Grace made the decision to stay one more day.

The barrier was strong, but she wanted to reinforce it to ensure it would hold against long-term exposure to Shadow Beasts and the apocalypse's unpredictable dangers.

That night, she rested, allowing herself to recover. Davian stayed by her side, ensuring she was getting enough rest to recover properly.

By the next morning, she was feeling better, strong enough to work again.

She spent the entire next day fine-tuning the barrier, adjusting the energy flow, adding spells, elixirs, and making sure no weak points remained.

By the time she finished, she knew that Country C's safe zone was now one of the safest places on the planet, second only to Starfall Isle.