The Ordeal of the Ancient Capital

Cairo, one of Earth's oldest ancient capitals—and the only one to have escaped large-scale destruction through the dynastic changes of the past several millennia.

Since the middle of the last century, when a certain strongman from the Third World came to power, Cairo had benefited from his rise.

Over the past half-century or so, it had been like a sponge, absorbing resources from the entire country and even parts of North Africa.

As a result, although Cairo was merely a city in North Africa, it boasted no shortage of skyscrapers soaring into the sky, along with all kinds of modern facilities such as stadiums, hotels, and airports.

Of course, slums could also be found everywhere in this international metropolis.

It was another morning, and wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air.

In a slum southwest of Cairo, the adults had already left home early to toil for their livelihoods.

The children, meanwhile, ran all over the slum. Though they were poor, they still found liveliness in one another's company.

Unfortunately, that peaceful life was soon shattered.

"Boom..."

A sudden explosion threw the entire slum into an uproar.

Some of the elderly people who had remained at home rushed out in panic from their crude dwellings built of cardboard, scraps of worn fur and cloth, and mud. They hurriedly called for their children while anxiously asking the neighboring residents where the explosion had occurred.

Before anyone could figure out what was happening, even denser, more frequent explosions erupted throughout the slum.

"Boom... Boom... Boom..."

Black clouds of smoke rose up, and the slum descended into even greater chaos. Shouts and cries rang out everywhere.

Then, the culprits behind it all arrived.

"Boom!"

A colossal object, like a giant, suddenly fell from the sky. The instant it struck the ground, it