Reincarnated with the Country System
Chapter 269 - 269: The Divine Gambit

Bernard Empire — Capital Rafa

Alberto was alone in his room. He was wondering what to do now.

"Open God Domain."

「Ding!」

God Domain: Activated.

User Authorization: Alberto Bernard – Sovereign-Class.

Warning: Celestial transit carries existential risk. Proceed?

Alberto didn't hesitate.

"Proceed. I want to discuss with the gods."

...

One moment, he stood on polished marble. The next—

Falling.

Not downward. Not upward. Sideways. Through layers of reality, through the gauze of worlds, through the bleeding edges of mortal comprehension.

Colors inverted. Sound became texture. The air itself was alive, pressing against him like a lover's whisper, like an executioner's noose.

Then—

Impact.

Alberto's boots hit solid ground with a crack like thunder. He staggered, his vision swimming, his stomach lurching as if he'd been spun blindfolded for hours.

When the world resolved, he wasn't in the palace anymore.

He stood on a bridge of light.

Beneath him, an abyss stretched into infinity—a void so deep it hurt to look at, as if the darkness itself were peeling back his eyelids, demanding he see.

Above, a sky of fractured gold, like shattered stained glass held together by divine will.

And ahead—

A gate.

Not of stone or iron, but of concepts, woven into the shape of an arch. Its pillars were made of time. Its keystone was a single, pulsing eye.

It watched him.

Alberto forced his breath steady. "I am Alberto Bernard. Emperor of the Bernard Empire. I seek audience."

The eye blinked.

And the gate laughed.

The sound wasn't heard—it was felt, vibrating in his teeth, in his bones, in the hollow places of his soul.

"SEEKER OF LOST THINGS."

The voice was everywhere. Nowhere. Inside him.

"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE."

Alberto bared his teeth. "I didn't ask for welcome. I asked for answers."

Silence.

Then—

The gate opened.

♦♦♦

Kain's vision swam as he pushed himself up from the ashen ground, his armored gloves sinking slightly into the soft, powdery residue.

His skull throbbed, a deep pulse behind his temples, as if his brain were expanding inside a cage of fractured bone. Static laced his vision, his HUD flickering in and out, diagnostic messages scrolling in staggered fragments:

[System Reinitializing...]

[Primary Comms: OFFLINE]

[Quantum Link: NO SIGNAL]

[Local Atmosphere: 21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen - Breathable]

He rolled onto his side, his powered armor's servos whining in protest. The ground beneath him felt wrong—too soft, like damp clay rather than the dungeon's ash-covered stone. His visor display cleared slowly, revealing an open sky streaked with high, thin clouds. Sunlight filtered through, harsh and unfiltered.

Open sky?

The last thing he remembered: the rift. It had opened with the sound of tearing steel and the screaming of things that had no mouths. Blinding light. Agony that went beyond pain—atoms unknitting, mind stretching into something formless. Then nothing.

Kain's jaw tightened. He tapped the side of his helmet. The casing was dented, and one of the side-mounted optics sparked. He cycled through his comms channels manually.

"Status," he croaked, his throat dry. The comms were dead, but his external speakers still worked.

Around him, figures stirred. Exo Knights in scarred armor. Paladins clutching broken weapons. ISSD operatives checking their gear with methodical urgency. They were scattered across a grassy plain that stretched to the horizon, dotted with sparse, wind-bent trees.

Lieutenant Veyers was the first to reach him. The Exo Knight's faceplate was cracked, revealing a bloody gash across his forehead. "Commander. You're alive."

"No shit," Kain grunted, forcing himself to stand. His armor's hydraulics hissed as they compensated for damaged actuators. "Where are we?"

"Unknown. Comms are completely out. No signal on any bandwidth. Local net is dead. Quantum sync is offline—range limitations. Atmospheric scans show normal oxygen levels, gravity at 1.08 standard."

Kain swore under his breath. He activated his armor's emergency beacon—a last-resort pulse. The chestplate whirred, then emitted a weak chirp before dying.

[BEACON FAILURE: NO NETWORK HANDSHAKE DETECTED]

Across the field, Raihan was already organizing his paladins. The holy warrior moved with deliberate calm, but Kain could see the tension in his shoulders. Their eyes met through the crowd—a silent acknowledgment that, for now, they were stuck with each other.

Sister Elira approached, her robes torn and singed. "We've accounted for twenty-three survivors. Eight of ours, fifteen of yours."

Kain did the math. Less than a third of their combined force had made it through. "Any serious injuries?"

"Broken bones. Concussions. One of your men took a plasma burn to the chest, but his armor covered it." She hesitated. "Our healing prayers aren't working properly here."

That got his attention. "What do you mean?"

Elira flexed her fingers, and a weak glow flickered around them before sputtering out. "The light doesn't respond. It's like... like the gods can't hear us."

A chill ran down Kain's spine. He'd never put stock in divine magic, but seeing it fail was unsettling.

Kain's HUD zoomed in on the sky. Proxima Center's twin moons were missing. The constellations were all wrong—just unfamiliar stars staring back like indifferent eyes.

"Commander!" One of the ISSD operatives waved from a nearby ridge. "You need to see this."

Kain limped over, his damaged armor protesting every step. The operative pointed downhill.

A city.

Not the twisted nightmare from before, but a proper, walled settlement of stone and timber. Smoke rose from chimneys. Fields of cultivated crops formed geometric patterns around it. In the distance, a river glittered in the sunlight.

Civilization.

"Finally some good news," Veyers muttered.

Kain wasn't so sure. He activated his helmet's long-range scanners.

[POPULATION ESTIMATE: 800–1200]

[TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: PRE-INDUSTRIAL]

[DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES: WOODEN WALLS, WATCHTOWERS]

Raihan joined them, his greatsword slung across his back. "We should approach carefully."

Kain nodded. "ISSD rules of engagement. No advanced tech unless absolutely necessary. We don't know how they'll react to powered armor."

Solas snorted. "What, are we supposed to walk in there looking like a bunch of battered mercenaries?"

"Exactly," Kain said. "Until we know where we are and how to get back, we play nice." He turned to the group. "Exo Knights, retract your visors and disable external lighting. Paladins, cover your sigils. We go in peaceful."