Chapter 65: Please Perform That One, You Know—I Will Set the Seas Ablaze!
"Well, you were certainly efficient, but I'm pretty sure you nearly gave them high blood pressure from the shock."
As soon as the words left Rekka's mouth, a rhythmic, heavy clanking of metal echoed from the far end of the corridor. Each step landed with a solid thud against the snow-dusted stone, announcing a presence that demanded immediate attention.
The newcomer strode into view, clad in heavy silver-white armor. The plating across his chest and shoulders was exceptionally thick, designed to withstand crushing blows. The mere fact that he could move so freely and fluidly in such massive gear spoke volumes about his immense physical strength.
In the name of Preservation!
Heck yeah! Rekka cheered internally. Anyone who had ever suffered through Gepard's high-jump shield slam in the Simulated Universe knew exactly how terrifying that armor could be.
"I am Gepard Landau, Captain of the Silvermane Guards," the man announced, his voice steady and professional, cutting through the biting wind. "Her Excellency the Supreme Guardian has ordered me to escort you to the edge of the Fragmentum for observation. Please cooperate with my work."
"Alright, no problem," Rekka replied cheerfully, waving a hand.
"Let's go, let's go," March 7th chimed in, already bouncing on her heels.
Gepard stood in silence for a moment, watching the group fall into step behind him. They were chatting and looking around with the casual ease of tourists on a sightseeing trip. A quiet sigh escaped his lips, puffing into the freezing air. He felt a deep sense of helplessness settling in his chest, but orders were orders.
They made their way through the central plaza of the Administrative District. Pedestrians paused their daily routines, their eyes tracking the strange group following the esteemed Silvermane Guard Captain. Whispers and curious glances followed them all the way to the heavy metal isolation gates.
Once they passed through the towering steel doors, the atmosphere shifted violently. The warm, bustling city faded away. The surrounding walls were caked in thick, jagged frost, and the air grew sharp enough to sting the lungs. Squads of Silvermane Guards patrolled the perimeter, their expressions grim and alert.
"Captain, the spread of the Fragmentum has intensified," a Silvermane soldier reported, rushing up to Gepard and snapping a crisp salute.
Rekka leaned forward immediately, his eyes gleaming with sudden interest. "Be specific. What's the exact expansion rate? What's the current radius? How many Fragmentum monsters are we talking about?"
The young soldier blinked, completely derailed by the rapid-fire barrage of tactical questions from a civilian. He stood frozen, his eyes darting toward his captain for help.
"We will discuss those details later," Gepard said, smoothly stepping directly into Rekka's line of sight and blocking the soldier. "The edge of the Fragmentum is not a safe zone. Please do not act on your own."
"Understood, understood," Rekka said, taking a dramatic step back and raising his hands in surrender.
Sigh, it's going to be hard to pull off any little tricks with this guy watching my every move, Rekka thought, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"The observation tower ahead is currently the closest outpost to the Fragmentum." Gepard paused, casting a stern sideways glance at the people trailing behind Rekka. "The erosion level there is extremely high. If you feel any difficulty breathing, nausea, or dizziness, you must evacuate immediately. Do not try to push through it."
"Don't worry, we have protective equipment," March 7th said, patting her camera.
Gepard turned back around, his heavy combat boots crunching loudly against the hard, packed ice as he led the way. "Many arrogant scholars said the exact same thing. They all met with misfortune in the end."
A towering metal spire loomed ahead, perched precariously on the edge of a windswept cliff. Thick, spear-like icicles hung from the exterior walls, and several torn sections of the structure exposed rusted, broken rebar underneath. The wind howled like a wounded beast as the team climbed the groaning spiral staircase, eventually reaching the open observation platform at the very top.
Rekka pulled out a sleek, modified radar device, tapping the screen as a holographic grid flickered to life. "Hmm. The Stellaron is about ten kilometers away from our current position. The deepest, most concentrated part of the Fragmentum is exactly where the Stellaron is located."
Gepard stood near the railing. He wanted to ask what a Stellaron was. The word hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he forced his jaw shut.
Doubt breeds arrogance; doubt breeds evil thoughts. As a model citizen and soldier of Belobog, one should not entertain superfluous questions. One must only follow orders. He turned his gaze back to the frozen wasteland.
"Speaking of which..." Stelle nudged Dan Heng with her elbow. "Whose creation is a dangerous thing like the Stellaron anyway?"
Dan Heng crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the swirling purple storms in the distance. "Destruction sows the Stellarons. The mainstream view across the cosmos is that Stellarons are created by Destruction."
"The Stellaron is not a creation of Destruction," Rekka interjected casually. He finished calibrating his radar, the device emitting a soft chirp before he slipped it back into his coat. "It doesn't fit the fundamental characteristics of a Destruction creation at all."
March 7th raised an eyebrow, leaning in close. "Then what do you say it is, Mr. Expert?"
"It's the Harmony."
March 7th stared at him, her bright eyes glazing over for a second before her brow furrowed in deep confusion. "It's a good thing you didn't say that out loud in a crowded space. The Harmony is clearly on the side of the good guys."
Calling the Stellaron the Cancer of All Worlds wasn't actually accurate in Rekka's mind. To be precise, the Stellaron was the Cancer of Harmony., the Harmony was one of the Four Ends.
"Is there a factual basis for this inference?" Dan Heng asked quietly. He didn't doubt Rekka's words; he simply wanted to understand the logical progression. Rekka had, for all intents and purposes, become the crew's chaotic but highly reliable external brain.
"Think about it," Rekka said, leaning against the frozen railing. "The only Lord Ravager who actively sows Stellarons is Celenova. Celenova was personally elevated by Nanook from the embers of the Infinite Centurion. But it is clearly irrational and highly inefficient for only one single Lord Ravager to handle the sowing of Stellarons if it were the ultimate weapon of their Aeon. Therefore, I believe the true source of the Stellarons isn't Destruction at all. It's Harmony."
"But Xipe should be on the side of kindness..." March 7th muttered, scratching her pink hair.
"I never said Xipe is evil." Rekka pulled his hands out of his pockets, gesturing to the frozen wasteland below. "Aeons have no concept of mortal good or evil. They only have Paths. What is the fundamental Path of Harmony?"
"Uh..." March 7th hesitated. "To make all things coexist in harmony?"
"To be precise, it is to let different things come together harmoniously," Rekka corrected, his tone unusually serious. "The strong and the weak helping each other, life assisting life, eventually merging to form a unified chorus. That is the absolute core of Harmony. But taken to an extreme? It means forcing everyone's thoughts, wills, and existences into one single entity., if the Stellaron were something personally forged by Destruction, how could only one Lord Ravager be using it? Isn't the Antimatter Legion supposed to be a universal compatibility card for all things destructive?"
March 7th waved her hands in defeat, her brain officially failing to keep up with the cosmic philosophy. "But, what about the Family..."
"The Family naturally knows about the Stellarons, and... well, I have a suspicion. It's currently just a working hypothesis, so there's no need to mention it for now."
Dan Heng silently noted the exact phrasing. No need to mention it for now meant Rekka's hypothesis was either missing a crucial piece of evidence, or it involved highly classified information that would be dangerous to reveal in their current company.
Sam stood entirely still, the tall silver mecha observing Rekka in silence. The glowing visor betrayed absolutely no emotion, keeping the pilot's thoughts entirely hidden.
Suddenly, the entire observation tower lurched violently.
The metal groaned, and the massive icicles clinging to the walls shattered, raining down like glass shrapnel. The needle on Rekka's radar spun wildly out of control, emitting a piercing, high-pitched alarm that cut through the howling wind.
"Fragmentum creatures are rioting! Assemble!" Gepard roared, his combat instincts taking over instantly. He didn't hesitate for a single second, vaulting directly over the railing and plummeting toward the snowfield below.
"All units on alert! I will hold back the monsters!" Gepard's voice echoed up from the ground, followed by the massive shockwave of his shield slamming into the earth.
A dark, writhing mass of Fragmentum creatures surged forward like a corrupted tide. Their twisted, glitching forms flickered in and out of reality amidst the snowstorm, emitting ear-piercing screeches that made the air vibrate.
Rekka leaned over the railing, looking at the sheer volume of monsters. "There's quite a lot of them down there. Sam, can you help?"
Silence. The silver mecha didn't move a single inch.
"Stelle," Rekka sighed, nudging the tall girl beside him. "You ask Sam. Sam only listens to you."
Stelle gripped her baseball bat, looking down at the chaotic battlefield. "We're not going in...?"
"Sam is the most efficient," Rekka reasoned, waving a hand dismissively. "Our clearing efficiency might not be as high as Sam's. Plus, it's cold."
Stelle blinked slowly. She turned to look at the silent, imposing silver armor standing beside her.
"Sam, can you help?"
The mecha shifted, its mechanical joints whirring softly. "Your request?"
"Yes, my request." Stelle nodded, her golden eyes reflecting a rare, intense seriousness. "Help them."
BOOM—!
The air pressure on the observation deck vanished instantly. Sam leaped from the platform, descending from the sky like a ball of scorching, apocalyptic fire.
The ground beneath the silver mecha shattered the moment it made impact. The massive kinetic recoil sent the surrounding snow, ice, and frozen earth flying outward in a massive, destructive ring. Sam was like a fired cannonball, crashing straight into the dead center of the Fragmentum creature swarm.
Raging, emerald-tinged flames erupted, burning fiercely across the frozen land and melting the ice into steam.
"I will..."
The mecha reached out, grasping the swirling flames in its metallic hand as the thrusters on its back flared with blinding intensity.
"...Set the seas ablaze!"
Up on the observation deck, Rekka casually held up his smartphone, the recording light blinking steadily.
Heh, set the seas ablaze. Classic.
"Stelle," Rekka said, saving the video and slipping the phone back into his pocket with a wicked grin. "Make sure you show this video to Sam every single day from now on."
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