"Hmm, the others are probably done by now," Eskieth said as she looked at her terminal to check their status.
—Beep...! Beep...!
Her terminal displayed that connections to the outside had been restored, allowing for partial communication, though the interference was still too strong.
As bitter as it was for the Trestkanians, using these 'beacons' took time to accept, as they relied on mana to reconnect the two spaces.
Given the current situation, hesitation would cause the nation to plummet, just like many others that had been built up over centuries, only to fall apart this decade.
—Beep...!
"Oh?" Eskieth said quietly as she glanced at one of the beacon locations, which displayed the name of the squad.
"Hoh, that's quite the grand welcome you gave her, Anellia," she scoffed, wondering how things were going for the two of them.
From the picture she sent, a gaping hole was etched into the floor, revealing water beneath.
To the right of the photo was Aria, her hair dishevelled and her clothes stained with black tar from the chaos Anellia caused during combat.
"Pfft...!" Eskieth tried to stifle her laughter but decided to save this picture for later.
Despite Eskieth's carefree demeanour, she is aware of how chaotic this squad is, given their youth and wild behaviour.
In her opinion, only one member stands out as more reasonable than the rest: Anellia.
She is a curious child, especially when compared to the rapid maniac and the pessimistic guy on the squad.
Aria was merely a temporary Vice-Leader of the squad. No one knew why she was appointed out of a whim.
If Alathea, the Director of the Project ANGEL, decided to give her such a grand position, it was best to teach her the ropes on how the dynamic within the squad works.
To Eskieth, this was—of course—for the squad and the organization's benefit as a whole, but it also applied to her self-interests as well.
That mysterious substance—the Ichor...
"Huhu… I want to experiment with it with explosives so bad~." Eskieth drooled, wondering what might happen if she used that strange material originating from Aria.
Maybe she should sneak into bed later to extract some of it, even her sweat would do...
—BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Tch, I was wondering why it was so quiet." Eskieth clicked her tongue when a distress signal blared.
"Well, I guess it's time to get moving... hup!"
—Thud!
"■○●■○…" An Eldia tried to rise up and attack her.
However, it had been so dismembered that only its core remained, leaving it small like a pest, trying to regenerate.
"Oh, you're still alive even after I fed you all those bombs?"
—Fwip!
She toyed with a device in her right hand, flipping it around as if it were a simple plaything.
But a toy on a battlefield was anything but common; it was actually a highly volatile bomb.
"It was fun playing with you all, but I have a better specimen I want to experiment with~."
Now that it had regenerated its head, Eskieth tossed the bomb into its jaws... and detonated it.
—Click! BOOOM!!!
—Fwoosh...
"Huaaah! Alright, time to regroup with the others and finish this mess before it gets any worse." She stretched and stood up.
With no time to waste, she hovered into the air and began to fly, planning to reach the distress signal in a few minutes thanks to her mobile wings.
The mark she left behind, like Anellia, was substantial—a requiem for her designated role in the squad.
She had eradicated numerous Eldians, transforming the landscape into an ocean.
The Combat Unit of the Xero Squad: Eskieth Eden.
======
"Beacon has been fully implemented. Awaiting communications."
—Ving...!
Anellia set up a beacon that extended into the sky.
I had thought that nothing inside the Pylon could connect to the outside world, but out of desperation, they adapted and created a beacon to restore communications.
'The world is really different six years later…' I thought, clenching my fists as I wondered how many lives had been saved with this beacon.
The most vital weapon humanity possesses now is information, and achieving this would mark a significant step forward in this ongoing battle.
I hope the use of the Aether Disruption Field can make humanity enter the next phase to be able to shatter a Pylon's domain temporarily.
—Click!
"Huh? Anellia, what are you doing?" I asked, surprised to see her taking a picture of me, the beacon, and the view of a crater that revealed an ocean.
If I exclude the industrial factory architecture in the background, the scenery would be nice.
"To show proof that we implanted a beacon."
"Proof? Can I see?"
—Tap Tap...
I went beside Anellia to see the picture. It was frustrating to have to tiptoe since she was taller than I am, but I managed to catch a glimpse of how I looked.
"...I look like that?"
My clothes were stained with black tar from the rain of projectiles unleashed by the Frayed.
"Can you take another picture—ah," I voiced, my eyes twitching as I felt my face heat up.
Before I could ask for another picture, Anellia had already sent it to the entire squad, revealing my horrible state.
"What?" Anellia tilted her head, finally understanding my message.
"Sigh... it's nothing," I replied, putting my palm on my face and deciding to let it go for now.
As long as there is no one to make fun of the picture, which I can't see anyone doing... besides Eskieth, but it'll be alright.
After overcoming an unexpected obstacle, we planted a beacon and took some time to recharge our equipment.
Anellia was close to falling from the sky after using her trump card, which had blown everything away.
I assumed it would take time to recharge her wings or drones, but she informed me they could automatically charge over time.
They had already reached 56%, which she deemed "sufficient."
While we were waiting idly, I asked her how she had improved Libera's design by 20%, something I didn't know was possible.
With a cold tone, she replied, "After the mission is completed, Vice-Leader," before returning to set up the beacon.
...It was a little awkward after that, but it was fine.
With the beacon finished, it was time to regroup with the rest of the squad. Our objective now was to find the Pylon's core and destroy it.
—BEEP! BEEP!
"Huh?" A window suddenly popped up on my scouter, which was to be expected.
Just then, a distress signal alerted everyone—including me, since I was wearing the scouter for this operation.
Something urgent was happening.
"Anellia!" I called out to her, expecting her to carry me there.
We exchanged glances and nodded. She swiped away the notification windows before running up to me... and carried me, princess-style, of course.
There are more ways for her to carry me, such as on her back, which sounds the safest, rather than wrapped around her arms.
But the risk of being burned by her wings wasn't far off, so I opted away from that.
"Are you ready, Vice-Leader?" she asked, waiting for my approval this time.
"Mm, let's go." I gave her a thumbs-up; this was a mission where lives were at stake.
—Voom...!
Anellia's wings began to glow, preparing for another high-speed trip, just like last time, to maximize our speed.
Time was crucial, and all personnel needed to arrive as quickly as possible.
—FWOOOSH!!!
With everything set, we flew at incredible speeds, breaking the sound barrier as we soared over the infinitely expanding oil rig.
Just like with the picture Anellia sent, the ones who sent the distress signal finally connected, allowing us to see what was happening there.
The picture was blurry, but we could see civilians, huddled together in a cramped space, hiding safely until backup arrived.
========
"Mom... I'm scared..."
"It's alright, my baby. Everything will be okay..."
"Is this the end for us all...?"
The remaining civilians who had survived until now were hiding inside one of the faculty buildings—a miracle in itself.
Two conditions needed to be met for their safety:
As long as they didn't step into the red light, they wouldn't be detected, making indoor spaces the safest places to be.
However, from their hiding spot, they found a door leading to a dark corridor that must not be entered under any circumstances.
Countless people had tried, whether by running straight ahead or even using a flashlight, and they all met a tragic end.
Those who disregarded this warning disappeared into the dark depths of the corridor, an entity lurking behind the shadows.
"Everyone, please! Remain calm!" A girl with dark green hair instructed, urging them to stay under the light.
It was thanks to her that most of them had survived, waiting for someone to come.
In situations like this, civilians were given a function on their phones to call for help, as an organization called Project ANGEL was supposed to rescue them.
As discreet and cryptic as this organization was, the public viewed it as a stain on society due to the misdeeds of its first director.
But now, they had no choice but to rely on them, for they were their only hope.
—Rumble!!!
The ground shook, and a red light illuminated the ceiling.
One mistake could kill them all, which is why they huddled together in a corner, paralyzed by fear.
Lucy, the girl with green hair, felt the same way.
Since the group regarded her as the ringleader, she had to keep up the act; otherwise, people would eventually go insane.
—RUMBLE!!!
"Oh god, someone save us...!"
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die..."
Exhausted by dread, one person stood up, scratching their face with their nails, unable to take it anymore.
This was a common symptom when someone entered a Pylon, which manipulated their brain, causing them to act in ways they normally wouldn't.
If someone fully succumbs to despair, they turn into a Stray—an entity that had surrendered its soul to the Pylon.
"I... I can't do this! Aah... AAAAH!!!"
"W-Wait, stop that!" Lucy shouted as she grabbed the man by his wrists, trying to prevent him from advancing further.
"If you go there, you'll die! What part of that did you not understand?"
"Shut up! You're lying... You must be lying, you damn bitch!"
—Fwip!
"A-Agh!" Lucy exclaimed as she fell to the ground after being pushed away.
The others tried to restrain him, but it was too late. He was already too far gone and ran up and down the dark alleyway that led deeper into the facility.
"Ha... Hahaha...! I'm free! I'm finally free—"
—Sqluench...! Drop...
"Eek... GYAAAAH!!!"
"M-Mommy...?"
The reckless man's head rolled back to them, slowly coming to a halt until they could see it clearly.
The man's final moments were etched on his face, as if he had seen something terrifying.
"I have to persevere..." She felt like she might vomit, unable to quell the crowd's panic.
Even if she tried to tell them to be quiet, she couldn't bring herself to kick the head away due to her moral compass. It was too close to complete darkness, leading to unknown depths.
What could be hiding down there?
For what was deemed as a safe zone... the place they're hiding in might not be safest after all.