News of Mars's unconditional surrender reached Earth. The whole world erupted in celebration—victory at last! Major General Liu A'dou's name instantly became the talk of the town. Everywhere you went, people were giving him a thumbs-up, calling him a real man and a hero who saved Earth. Liu A'dou had ended the war in just 40 days with almost legendary tactics. He even developed tech that allowed Earthlings to use Martian technology.
When TV signals were restored, the sight of Liu A'dou's handsome profile instantly captured the hearts of countless girls. Talented and good-looking, he was the perfect prince on a white horse.
But the Orbital Knight families weren't ready to give up. All they felt was betrayal by their queen. History had seen this before—soldiers still eager to fight, while their leaders pulled out for political reasons. No matter their sacrifice, they were forced to stop. That's exactly how the Orbital Knights felt now—abandoned.
Meanwhile, Earth's hero Liu A'dou was pacing nervously in a hospital hallway—Ada was about to give birth.
Inside the microcosmos, Liu A'dou kept sending waves of comfort to Ada, who was in agonizing pain. Childbirth was brutal. She hurt like hell. Liu A'dou wished he could go in there himself, but using their connected cosmos was the next best thing. Their cosmoses intertwined, drew closer, merged.
It felt like floating in the weightlessness of space. Ada's pain spread to Liu A'dou. This wasn't the pain of injury—it was the pain of life being split from the body, soul separating from soul. If it had been regular pain, Ada could've handled it. But this… this was something else entirely.
Liu A'dou felt it too. Their daughter was about to be born.
After a grueling 30-minute battle, a brand-new life came into the world. Liu A'dou felt a shock run through his whole body. His cosmos, bound with Ada's, surged straight to the peak of the Eighth Sense.
"Waaah—waaah!" A loud cry echoed from the delivery room. Liu A'dou jumped so hard his head hit the ceiling, but he didn't care. Their daughter had arrived.
"Congratulations, it's a girl."
To be honest, she wasn't very cute at first glance—newborns are all wrinkly—but those big eyes already sparkled with a hint of charm.
Liu A'dou carefully brought the baby to Ada's side. Her forehead was soaked with sweat and her face pale. Clearly, the delivery had taken a huge toll.
"Our daughter," Liu A'dou whispered softly, like he was afraid his voice would disturb the tiny life.
"Her eyes look like yours," Ada smiled. She had already started circulating Ripple, and the pain was fading fast.
"I'll take the first family photo for the three of you," said the doctor. The hospital offered that service.
Of course they agreed. Aside from their wedding photo, this would be their first picture together. They'd both been too busy in the past to care about such things. But now, with a daughter, their home felt warmer. They had a new center to their world.
Liu A'dou had been off saving the world and filming movies. Ada had been working hard and rising through the ranks. But now, they finally had someone to focus on together—their daughter.
"Still going with Nono?" Ada asked.
"Nono sounds lovely."
So their daughter was named Liu Nono. Tiny limbs curled up, her eyes open as she took in the new world. In her right eye reflected her mother, in her left, her father. Their faces made Liu Nono smile. Her first cry, her first smile—both filled her parents with pure joy.
Zhan Jun arrived with food. "Liu A'dou, Ada-jie, my second sister sent me with something delicious."
Zhan Jun had enlisted as a volunteer, but the war ended while he was still in training. Thanks to his Zero Field ability, he stood out and was now recommended for Officer Academy. Once he finished, he'd be a proper officer.
As they ate, Liu A'dou noticed Zhan Jun giving him a weird look.
"What?" he asked. "Do I have flowers blooming on my face?"
"It's not that," Zhan Jun said. "I just think you're incredible. You actually got the Martians to surrender unconditionally in such a short time. I can't even imagine how you pulled it off."
"Heh. But I don't think the Martians are going to give up Earth's resources that easily," Liu A'dou said. "I suspect the Second Princess might go against the Queen's orders and lead the Orbital Knights to attack us again. You all still need to stay alert."
"The United Government's Trident Space Base has already gathered troops, just to prevent a Martian uprising," Zhan Jun replied. "And now that we control the space gate, if they really try anything, we'll just send another nuclear bomb over."
"If the Second Princess declares she doesn't recognize the current Queen of Vers, we won't have any legitimate reason to launch a full attack on Vers territory," Liu A'dou said. "And I've noticed the Orbital Knights haven't pulled out at all. Looks like we're not done fighting yet."
Zhan Jun's expression turned grim. One of the terms of the unconditional surrender had been that all Orbital Knights return to Mars within a month. That deadline was almost up, and there was still no movement. Just as Liu A'dou predicted—things weren't looking good.
Sure enough, the Second Princess had been pushed forward by the remaining defiant Orbital Knight families. They had guarded Earth for 15 years and even fought an internal war, only to walk away empty-handed while suffering heavy losses. The families whose lines were wiped out had their assets seized by the royal family. Then the Queen turned around and surrendered. The Orbital Knights sacrificed everything and didn't even get a taste of the soup. How could they possibly accept that?
The remaining families finally made their move. They jointly declared the Second Princess as Queen and refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Queen of Vers. They labeled Asseylum as a traitor and a sellout who betrayed the Vers Empire. She handed over national interests and reduced the empire from a sovereign nation to a half-feudal, half-colonial puppet.
The surrender treaty included a clause that allowed the United Government to station troops in Vers territory and forbade Vers from maintaining its own military. These Orbital families had built their empires on military might. No way were they going to accept a surrender like that.
So the Second Princess was crowned in gold and overnight went from being an unloved, crippled princess to a Queen fighting against the ruling monarch of Vers.
But did that mean they'd get any real benefit? Clearly not. Earth had already taken control of all Martian weapons. The soldiers capable of activating Aldnoah Drives were now Earthlings, and they were about to become the main force in this new war.
The Orbital Knights were about to find out that their enemies were no longer helpless little pigs waiting to be slaughtered. They were hungry tigers with razor-sharp fangs.
Forced to retreat, the Orbital Knights holed up in their lunar base, afraid to venture out.
15 more days passed before the Orbital Knight families finally realized they were no longer the chosen few with supreme power. The Earth soldiers could fully operate Martian mechas—and in many cases, they did it better. The Knights were no longer noble. They were strays.
Now that they'd lost their absolute advantage in power, they weren't even worth calling strays. Earth's overall capability—mobilization, population size, total resources—surpassed Mars by a wide margin. And with the Vers Empire having surrendered, only the Orbital Knights were still resisting.
The outcome had long been decided. But some Martians still refused to accept it… and they were starting to entertain some very dangerous ideas.