Didn't respond to Saitama's suggestion about going to a sushi place right away. His entire attention was seized by what he'd discovered at the broken stump of the stone man's head. His electronic eyes adjusted their focus, performing a high-precision scan and analysis of the interior.
"Sensei, look here." Genos showed Saitama the cross-section of the stone man's severed head. Inside the stone, it wasn't solid—there were extremely fine, complex, bizarre patterns carved within. These "800"-something patterns seemed to be traced with some kind of glowing pigment. Even after the statue was destroyed, they still emitted a faint energetic phosphorescence.
"This isn't ordinary decorative engraving," Genos said solemnly. "The structure is highly complex. It contains an unknown energy-circulation pattern that isn't recorded in my database. It looks… like an ancient curse sigil, or an energy circuit. It was this curse sigil that provided the statue with the energy to move and attack."
He walked over to the pile of shattered stone that used to be the torso, carefully prying aside larger chunks to inspect the chest cavity area. Sure enough, inside the torso there were even larger, more intricate curse carvings. At the core, there also seemed to be a small recessed slot like it had once housed some kind of energy source crystal.
"The core energy source seems to have been depleted, or released all at once during activation," Genos analyzed. "But the curse-sigil structure itself is still intact, which means it carries the potential risk of being activated again. We have to record this and bring it back to the lab for deeper analysis. This may involve some kind of lost ancient supernatural technology."
As he spoke, Genos raised an arm. A beam projected from his palm, and he began meticulously scanning and recording every curse pattern on and within the stone man's remains. Once he got to work, he was utterly meticulous, fully immersed.
Saitama waited to the side, watching Genos bustle around, then glanced at the exhibition hall and sighed. Looks like sushi would have to wait again.
Just as Genos was about to finish the scan, a gloomy, rage-filled voice sounded from the entrance of the hall:
"Foolish mortals! You actually dared… dared to destroy the guardian statue of the great Kitalia priest!"
Everyone turned toward the voice. A mysterious figure stood there, wearing an ancient dark-brown robe. A hood concealed his face completely. In his hand was a staff inlaid with a deep-blue gemstone, and an aura of ancient, chilling malice radiated from him—something utterly out of place in the modern world… Clearly, the stone man's animation had everything to do with him.
The mysterious figure lifted his staff and pointed it at Saitama and Genos. His glare fixed especially on Genos's scanning and recording, and his fury surged even higher. "Blasphemers! Not only did you destroy the sacred object, you even want to steal holy knowledge! Unforgivable!"
He said no more. His mouth began chanting an obscure, incomprehensible incantation. The sapphire atop the staff flared brilliantly. As he chanted, the ground beneath Saitama and Genos suddenly shook violently—then several razor-sharp rock pillars, like earth spikes, burst through the museum's expensive marble floor without warning, shooting straight up at them as their target!
"Sensei, careful!" Genos warned instantly, and sprang backward to evade.
Saitama's reaction was far simpler and more direct. He looked at the jagged stone spike thrusting up from beneath his feet and didn't even bother to dodge. He merely lifted his right foot casually, then brought it down on the largest spike stabbing toward him, stomping it.
(End of Chapter)
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