"Uh… Where are the designated battlefields again? I forgot. Erica, please explain it again."
Scratching the back of his head, Godou felt a bit awkward for not paying close attention earlier. He could only ask Erica for help.
"No problem, Godou."
Used to her King's carelessness, Erica chuckled lightly.
"The battlefields aren't chosen randomly." Erica began, her tone turning professional. "There are strict conditions to meet: they must be far from human civilization and extremely vast. After all, unlike previous Prime Wars, humanity's technology today is quite advanced. There's a risk of exposing the existence of aliens to the public through camera footage, satellites, or the like if battles take place near populated or heavily monitored areas."
Pausing briefly, Erica tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling confidently before continuing.
"After intense discussions between the UN and Mage Associations worldwide, several regions were selected as the main battlefields. These are remote zones that have been magically isolated and reinforced."
"So far, the other Campiones have chosen their battlefields. Only Godou, King Ren, and Madam Aisha, who couldn't be contacted, haven't selected theirs."
(As usual, it's incredibly hard to track down Madam Aisha. It's easier to meet a country's president than her.) Ren thought to himself during Erica's explanation about Aisha.
Madam Aisha was notoriously elusive. She preferred spending most of her time traveling, as staying in one place too long felt stifling to her.
With her Divine Authority, Fairy Corridor, she could time-travel across various timelines, making tracking her nearly impossible.
"Here's the list of the Campiones' battlefields: Martial Arts King Luo Hao chose one of the world's largest deserts, the Taklamakan Desert in Western China."
"Sword King Doni picked one of the most inhospitable places for humans—full of salt mountains, acidic lakes, and extreme heat—the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia."
"Marquis Voban selected the world's oldest desert, with vast sand dunes, uninhabited, and highly photogenic—the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia."
"Black Prince Alec chose the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine, as his battlefield."
"Lastly, Lord John Pluto Smith picked a former US nuclear test site, now empty and radioactive, the Marshall Islands—Bikini Atoll. Geez, he really refuses to leave America, huh…"
Erica finished her explanation in one breath. At the end, she added a small complaint, as if amused by John's reluctance to stray far from his domain.
"Oh, no Antarctica? I thought that would be the ideal battlefield candidate." Ren remarked lightly, just a random thought that crossed his mind.
No hidden motives, just pure curiosity.
"King Ren, that option did come up in the UN meeting, but the majority voted against it." Erica replied with a faint smile.
To Godou's left, Liliana, who had been silent, joined the conversation. Her tone was serious, showing deep concern.
"Antarctica is an extremely dangerous choice, King Ren. While it seems remote and ideal for isolation, the implications are far greater than other deserts or contaminated zones." Liliana sighed, as if imagining the worst-case scenario.
"Given the immense destructive power of a Campione—especially when fighting all-out without holding back—and the advanced technology of the Kur aliens, a battle there would cause a global ecological disaster."
"There's no doubt that most of Antarctica's ice sheets would melt rapidly. This isn't just about icebergs breaking apart; it's millions of cubic kilometers of ice melting and flowing into the oceans."
"The consequences would be catastrophic. First, global sea levels would rise drastically, submerging coastal cities worldwide, forcing millions to evacuate and creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Second, ocean currents would be disrupted, triggering extreme climate changes globally. More violent storms, deadly heatwaves, brutal winters, and prolonged droughts would become the new norm."
"Third, marine ecosystems would collapse entirely. Organisms dependent on stable water temperatures and salinity would face mass extinction, causing the ocean food chain to collapse. Fourth, methane gas trapped beneath Antarctica's ice and permafrost would be released into the atmosphere in massive amounts, accelerating the greenhouse effect and exponentially worsening global warming."
Liliana concluded her explanation with a grim expression.
"In short, Antarctica is a red line. Destruction there would ensure humanity's own downfall, even if we won the Prime War."
"That makes sense. I hadn't thought that far." Ren nodded in understanding, slightly surprised by the potential global-scale impact. "So, what are the two remaining locations?"
Though he generally didn't care about others' lives or deaths, if the world faced an apocalypse, it would severely disrupt his hedonistic lifestyle.
Of course, even if Earth entered an apocalyptic era, his status as a Campione would ensure he remained at the top of humanity's food chain, but still, it would be highly inconvenient.
"The two remaining locations are…" Erica continued, pulling a small tablet from her blazer pocket. "The first is the Nullarbor Plain, South Australia. It's a vast, flat plain stretching 1,100 kilometers, extremely arid, and almost uninhabited. Ideal for absorbing impact."
She swiped the tablet screen. "The second is Devon Island, Canada. The largest uninhabited island in the world. It has a polar climate, like Mars, with a barren and isolated landscape."
"What do you think, Godou? Which one will you pick?"
Ren looked at Godou and asked casually, as if they were choosing a lunch menu.
Godou paused for a moment, considering. "Hmm… I think I'll go with Canada. Devon Island."
"Are you okay with me taking Canada, Ren?" he asked, slightly hesitant, as if worried about encroaching on Ren's choice.
"Sure." Ren nodded casually. "Then my battlefield is South Australia."
With that, Ren and Godou agreed on their respective battlefields.
Afterward, the two chatted about trivial matters and lighter topics. From strange experiences they'd had in the supernatural world to Godou's complaints about how tough life had been since becoming a Campione.
The meeting turned into a casual conversation, as if they were just two old friends catching up at a café, not two supreme rulers about to plunge into a war to protect Earth.