"Director, the number of Eldians in the city has exceeded the standard threshold. Requesting assistance in Sector A."
"Assign all Combat units to stall time for Designing Units to create a barrier to avoid any variables.
"Understood, Director."
—BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"The Domain has expanded beyond the standard threshold. Should we call for reinforcements, Director?"
"Negative. We don't have time to deploy angels to Metrova. Continue with the operation."
—Click Clack!
Project ANGEL Headquarters, Command Room, Capital City of Trestkania, Talia.
Personnel were monitoring the situation to ensure everything went according to plan.
Countless screens displayed on the walls showed the perspectives of various Overseer Units.
Operations involving the extermination of a Pylon—a fissure that brings destruction—were scenarios they had gradually become accustomed to.
Although Pylons after the 2nd Cardinal Sky were rare, every precaution had to be taken to ensure that nothing went wrong.
As long as the Director, Alathea, commanded it, even when it bordered on moral decisions, her intuition kept this nation alive.
No one dared to reject the decision to assign Aria Cyth as the honorary Vice-Leader of one of their ace squads.
No one, that is, except for one person.
"Director, what led you to assign Aria Cyth to the mission?" Alden asked Alathea.
"To see if she's worth our investment," she replied.
"But must we intentionally delegate fewer resources and put other squads at risk for her to prove herself?"
"Even without the leader of Xero Squad, we both know that's quite the opposite."
Alden shook his head, realizing he could no longer contest her decisions.
'She's too dangerous to be allowed to roam free,' he thought, as her identity remained a mystery with no records attached.
In his eyes, that girl doesn't have enough talent to compare with the Director.
Indeed, her determination and meticulousness were admirable, especially since she could speak informally with the Director—however, it was her combat prowess that fell short in comparison.
Noticing Alden's doubts, Alathea was curious as to why he hadn't realized the reason sooner.
"Alden, are you that curious why I gave her the Vice-Leader position in the infamous Xero Squad?"
"Yes, I do not understand why you made this reckless decision, Director," Alden replied, nodding his head.
"Humu, well, I can't blame you for feeling that way," Alathea sighed, acknowledging his concerns.
She felt disappointed that she had to explain the reason, having overestimated his vision.
"That reaction is normal, as I expected. The other squad leaders would have protested my decision as well."
"Then why would you—"
"Wrong answer~."
—Ziip!
As the situation in Metrova calmed for now, Alathea snapped her fingers, and a hologram of the city appeared near the screens.
With Metrova's layout fully displayed, the Pylon loomed over half the city, and it continues to expand.
Such rapid growth wouldn't be possible, but due to its environment, it continues to grow stronger until nothing remains.
"Alden, tell me—what is a Type-Zero Domain?"
"Domains that bear no characteristics, as all connections from the outside world ceased to exist."
"Good, I knew you'd know it from the back of your head."
Alathea smiled at his textbook response and glanced at the screens.
Countless civilians wailed in despair as bodies piled up, both friend and foe alike.
All of this chaos resulted from a newborn Pylons, which began four months ago, when they re-emerged after years of silence.
"I'm sure you've heard from the reports that Aria and Camellia of the Historia family escaped from such a Domain."
"..."
Alden nodded in response, having heard this directly from Orion.
"If my memory serves correctly, it was determined that they escaped using a Teleportation Rune... well, that's not the main point I wanted to discuss."
A Pylon prevents anything inside from leaving its Domain, protected by a barrier that even nuclear weapons cannot penetrate.
However, such anomaly structions cannot isolate mana from the outside, as it is an intangible ley line that binds this world together.
This allowed the Arcadia students to escape using the runes, as their attempt would have failed if they had delayed any further.
The greater the Pylon's influence, the more effectively it separates mana, severing all connections to the outside world until runes cease to function, even when they are positioned right next to the barrier.
Type-Zero Domains are prime examples of these foreign worlds that even trap mana, which is why they remain a mystery.
A 100% fatality rate.
...That is, until now.
For Aria Cyth to assert that she miraculously escaped from a Type-Zero Domain using just a Teleportation Rune is astonishing.
"Then that means...?!" Alden finally realized.
It was a simple anomaly, yet it was unbelievable—everything made sense after he saw her in person.
"That's right, because she can utilize an unknown type of energy that resonates with the Pylon's energy, Miasma... she could establish a connection back to the outside."
In other words:
Ichor's energy is similar to Miasma's, but it lacks its aftereffects.
This energy may have originated from a foreign, forgotten god.
Without the chance to say anything, Alathea stood up from her chair and placed her hands on Alden's shoulders.
She gazed at him intently, her eyes wide enough for him to see every intricate detail, as if she were detached from reality, rapidly descending into madness.
"That small frame, hosting such power... it's fascinating! What secrets lie behind that energy? Are her true origins from the Crownhead nation, Eclecia? If so, why is she so well-versed in our culture?"
She continued to ramble, formulating hypotheses to understand the girl's true identity.
It was still all a blur, and Alathea wanted to know everything about her.
Everything.
"Don't you understand, Alden? Four months ago, Aria's sudden appearance...! The world will finally enter its final phase!!" Her eyes spiralled into madness.
Saving the world? She didn't care.
Her true desire lay elsewhere.
Alathea wanted to uncover the very secrets of this world, to determine the cause behind the old world's fall and what lies beyond it.
—Crunch…!
"Aaaah… please entertain me more…! Aria~❤︎" Alathea grinned broadly, her eyes devoid of logical thought.
...
...
...
—Click Clack!
"Ah, my apologies, I lost control there for a moment," Alathea said as she regained her composure.
After witnessing this spectacle from their Director, no one intervened or questioned her behaviour.
In exchange for her great intellect, she had so many screws loose that everyone else seemed to pale in comparison.
"Anyways, another reason for this is that it will keep those troublemakers from Xero Squad from wreaking havoc, don't you think?"
"Hmm, that is true," Alden reluctantly agreed this time.
Xero Squad is known for its extremely eccentric members; it was Orion who kept the squad stable.
He harboured no malice toward Aria in the first place, but was more concerned that another young person had joined the frontlines.
Alden felt pity that she had been appointed Vice Leader of such a problematic squad.
=======
"Haa... achoo! U-Uu... was someone talking about me?" I scanned the area where pipes and metallic floors surrounded the Domain.
There was nothing notable nearby, except for human traces scattered here and there, remnants of those who had failed to escape in time.
There are two objectives in this mission: to save as many people as possible and ultimately destroy the Pylon.
It would have been easier if the layout had resembled the city back then, as they had records to help navigate, despite the tight spaces.
But since it was a Type-Three Domain—where anomalies occur most frequently—the environment was entirely different, set amidst an ever-expanding facility at sunset.
"Still, why a facility?" I wondered, as there was nothing particularly special about this place.
Arcadia was straightforward; I could easily spot the Pylon, which was centred in the middle of Arcadia, a floating island.
But here, I couldn't find it, hidden behind the repetitive architecture.
"This might be tricky…" I muttered, confused about why I was appointed to lead in the first place.
Isn't it cruel that I was made Vice-Leader during an urgent mission?
I wish I could rely on my knowledge as I usually do. Even something small could jog my memory enough to navigate this unfamiliar environment.
"Mmmmmm..." I hummed for a long time, trying to appear engaged in some task.
During times like these, I had to depend on someone—someone reliable.
"..."
I turned my head, remembering I wasn't alone and was paired with someone I had met just yesterday.
"...Nn."
There she was, the mechanical angel who had saved me back then, adorned in a fancy navy military uniform.
She was tapping her fingers mid-air with an emotionless focus, completely absorbed in whatever she was doing.
I might have thought she was detached and stupid in the head, but every nation except Demiurge has more advanced communication devices than phones, seeing something I can't.
—Vrm...!
I retrieved something from my ring's spatial storage to see what she was doing, and to do myself a favour.
It was a chaotic mess down the spatial ring, so I had to shuffle my hand through a flood of bullets and various other items, including the gift Momo had sent me.
Thinking about it, I should ask Momo what it was later, once everything was over.
"Ah, here we go."
I was given a scouter before the mission started, similar to the one Anellia used.
Everyone else had a more advanced version, which was partially linked to their brains or accessed through contact lenses, but I felt more at ease keeping anything out of my brain.
—Katack!
I placed the scouter over my left eye, similar to the earrings that translated Trestkania's language.
—Click!
Once I located the power button, I turned it on, and a blue neon light welcomed me.
The device analyzed my left eye for confirmation, collecting my biometric data to adjust my eyesight.
Seconds later, a voice echoed in my ears, confirming that everything had gone smoothly.
「Welcome, Vice-Leader of the Xero Squad, Aria Cyth.」
—Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
"W-Whoa?!"
A flood of holographic windows popped up all at once, including an urgent mission message, startling me.
This must have been why Anellia had stopped in her tracks, considering how ominous the message appeared.
'I don't need all of this right now.' I closed the unnecessary tabs with a wave of my fingers, and it seemed to work.
I had viewed Anellia as a special case, but since I was now doing the same thing she had done, I felt a bit guilty.
"Wait, now that I can see these..." I turned around to observe what had changed around Anellia.
—Click, Click! Ping!
Countless panels hovered in the air as she managed them all at once.
With lightning-fast hands, she finished her task and waved her hand in a full 180-degree motion, closing all the windows simultaneously just as I completed calibrating my own.
"The operation will begin shortly, in T-minus 15 seconds," Anellia muttered.
Before I could respond, another voice rang in my ears. It was a video call from Eskieth.
「Ah, aaah~! Can you hear me? Oh, you finally have it on you, little lab rat!
Eskieth gave me a thumbs-up as shown on the screen.
Along with Eskieth, the rest of the Xero Squad joined in, each briefing their situation in turn.
「Tch, no hostile entities detected. Give us orders, and we'll begin the operation.」
「Mhmm, what she said.」
"…"
"…"
Anellia and I remained silent, waiting for Eskieth's response.
「Wow. How about you all learn from Lux this time around?」
「What did you say?」
Lux's voice cracked as she noticed the double-layered joke.
「A-Ahem, to save time, you must all be aware that this won't be a regular mission. This is a Type-Three Environmental Domain, and the core could be anywhere, hidden to prevent us from destroying it. I contacted the other squads, and we collectively agreed to split up and report anything unusual. Got that?」
「「「Affirmative.」」」
"Huh? O-Oh, got it!"
Everyone replied, but I was the only one who responded late, embarrassed that I wasn't in sync.
I gave up trying to hint that I didn't join the squad by choice, so I decided to go with the flow and try to get out of here alive.
「Good. Like I said before, fall back if it gets too dangerous… that is what I would say, but don't do anything reckless. I'm talking to you, Lux」
「Don't care.」
「Fufu, Nox, make sure she stays under control, alright?」
「I'll do what I can.」
「Whatever. Now, as for you, Ms. Vice-Leader… bleh, don't like calling you that—little lab rat—since you're part of the squad now. Learn from An and see what she can do.」
「...Right.」
I looked at Anellia, who seemed to be living in her own little world.
[An is... aloof in many strange ways, but she's a dependable Designing Unit, so you two are in charge of establishing beacons to connect with the outside world. Make sure to shield her from any harmful entities, if you can, that is.]
"Understood… wait, what do you mean—"
[Anyways! If you don't mind, this place seems like a good spot to test my new bombs, heh heh. Taatah~!]
—Zit!
Eskieth abruptly ended the call, leaving Anellia and me alone once again.
"Ah… tch, fine, dammit!" I accepted my fate and decided to go with the flow.
"Still, establishing beacons? How do we do that?" I asked Anellia.
She nodded silently, fully focused on her mission after that brief call.
—Vooom…!
Anellia took off toward the ground without saying anything, moments away from taking flight.
"What the— wait for me!" I yelled as I realized I was being left behind.
Anellia noticed and descended back down.
"It's fine. Can you… uh, carry me again?" I mumbled, feeling regretful.
It was either getting scorched by her wing thrusters or falling from her back, so I opted for a princess carry.
"…"
"…Anellia—mmpgh?!"
She quickly closed the distance between us, covering my mouth, and we hid behind cover.
—Crackle…!
"○●■●●○…" An Eldia violently whirled in the distance.
It floated in the air, despite its enormous size.
The Eldia resembled a whale; the difference was that it felt... unnatural.
Due to Trestkania's influence, they were not entirely made of flesh; they also consisted of steel parts, integrated with robotic components—something I had never seen before.
—Flash!
Countless red lights shone down from above, searching for something.
Unlike the Rotten, these were massive creatures that had evolved beyond mere empty husks into the Frayed.
'Two... three... no, there are five of them?' I scoffed.
There were five Frayed in total—monsters powerful enough to overwhelm me completely.
In the face of an unbeatable foe, Anellia made the right choice to hide; engaging without a solid plan would have been pointless.
A solid... plan?
—Thud...
"A-Anellia...!" I whispered urgently, trying to stop her from whatever she was about to do.
Anellia rose after observing their silhouettes and moved away from our hiding spot.
—Clank!
Hearing something click made my eyes widen with concern about her next move.
Anellia was as emotionless as ever, seemingly incapable of fear.
Why did Project ANGEL send only three squads when they could have dispatched more?
The answer was simple.
"Vice-Leader, witness me."
—Crackle!!!
Anellia's wings gleamed blue, illuminating the sky.
Six small drones and a larger one in the center of her back became vibrant, pulsating with energy.
They shifted and transformed into weapons of mass destruction; each drone possessed enough firepower to wreak havoc.
Similar to Lux's wings, which morph into a grotesque and bold scythe, Anellia's weapons were drones powered by the latest technology from Trestkania.
The person in front of me was special, standing at the pinnacle, an equal to Noah Heavenfall herself.
—A Monster.
"Wings of Finorza. Calibration Complete."