In an ever-expanding landscape of pipes and scrap metal, we travelled distances beyond what one could cover on foot in a few minutes.
Due to some strange interference, the Domain was larger than we had anticipated, becoming increasingly non-Euclidean as we journeyed further.
It's Xelthatl's intrinsic nature to be unable to know what's truly known, which often results in incomprehensible landscapes.
"Anellia, are we close?" I asked her, curious about our progress.
"Not yet," she replied, skillfully maneuvering with her wings, deftly dodging obstacles that lay in our path.
I almost screamed as we narrowly avoided a pipe, but I held back and chose to trust Anellia's flying skills.
Only an hour and a half had passed since we entered the Domain, yet we had made significant progress in hunting down all the Frayed in the area.
Thanks to Anellia, who quickly dispatched one, all squads were able to deal with the threat with the information provided.
Because all Eldians in this Pylon were nearly identical, everyone knew how to subjugate them.
There were only two more obstacles that we must face:
Find the Pylon's core to eliminate it.
And be wary of the Pylon's guardian, an Eldia stronger than most, designed to protect the core.
Avoiding a guardian at all costs was essential; they are like unbeatable enemies, tied to the Pylon's nature.
Arcadia's infinitely expanding dormitory was a guardian, designed to ensnare Camellia and me forever.
We managed to escape by breaking the rules, falling far enough until the Pylon could no longer track us.
To increase the chances of finding a core, it was necessary to find a guardian to fasten the search before something happened.
Taking the time to consider how to prevent any meaningless deaths, there was one method that could be useful, albeit still unstable.
"Should I use it... the ability I used to detect the Morzen Cultist's core?"
It was an ability I was not confident in, as I used it purely by instinct, destroying my vision afterwards.
If I made a mistake and failed to find the core despite using that ability, I would become dead weight, vulnerable to danger at any moment.
"We're here, Vice-Leader."
"Ah, already?"
—Voom!
Anellia descended from the sky, folding her wings back into their usual state.
Her wings during flight were different, transforming into a blue aura powered by pure energy, giving her a sci-fi appearance alongside the drones.
It was fascinating how Anellia's wings operated.
I had only glimpsed Lux's wings in action, seen Eskieth's bulky wings when she showed them to me, and watched Anellia's wings in all their glory.
Since the Eldians are all extremely strong, the ability to fly from attacks must be really nice.
"...I'll teach you about this later, too," Anellia said, poking my cheeks for some reason.
"Mweh? What was that for?" I tilted my head, wondering why she did that.
"You spaced out, just like Nox."
"O-Oh, was it that obvious?"
Anellia nodded, confirming that it indeed was.
I see... I guess I do think to myself too often nowadays.
"Are you alright?" Anellia asked, genuinely concerned about my well-being.
I was taken aback that someone in this damn world could express such a caring sentiment.
Grinning with happiness, I answered with a smile.
"M-Mhmm...! I'm alright—"
"—Take this."
"What?"
Without warning, Anellia handed me something that looked like a brick.
"Is this... a piece of concrete? Where did you get this?"
"Rations."
"Anellia, I don't think you're supposed to eat this."
Were they feeding these to the angels in the organization...?
To divert all my expectations, she took another one out of nowhere and unwrapped it.
It was a gray, bland, and stale substance that definitely did not look edible.
Nonetheless, she took a bite of it, munching as if it were a necessity rather than something to be enjoyed.
—CRACK! CRACK!!!
"Munch, munch..."
"..."
I stared at her in disbelief, mortified by the sounds coming from her mouth.
"All nutrients necessary," she stated, offering no further explanation about the ingredients used.
To determine if she was joking—which I didn't expect from her—I unwrapped the ration and took a bite myself.
"Aaaah~... ghk?!" I felt my teeth nearly shatter, struggling to bite into it without risking damage.
I tried various techniques, using my back teeth and attempting to soften it with my saliva, which felt distinctly wrong.
But somehow, it worked. And the taste?
Tastes like concrete.
"Anellia, be honest. Under my orders as the Vice-Leader, who made you eat this?"
If Eskieth had forced the squad to consume this horrible creation, my impression of her would plummet.
"I did," she said bluntly, clearly expressing her own consent.
"Does this stuff not make you hurl—I mean, do you enjoy this... thing?"
"Food consumption is unnecessary."
"...Sigh, I see. I guess you're no different either."
"?"
Moving past that, we both stepped into what appeared to be an immense facility, ending with Anellia's genuine confusion.
The building dominated the entire area, its architecture covered in a tar-like substance, as if some accident had occurred, casting an imposing shadow over the landscape.
Inside, the lights were dim, flickering from above, while the vast entrance hinted at the secrets behind the Pylon's existence.
It stood out among the surrounding structures, making me feel that there was something strange about this place.
Anellia entered the facility first, but I took my time to glance back at the sun, which was growing darker with each passing second.
"The sky is getting darker..." I observed, shaking my head before deciding to follow Anellia so I wouldn't lose her.
Just because the Eldians had been wiped out in the area doesn't mean every spot was safe.
All the angels deployed to the Domain had successfully eradicated the Eldians resembling whales, making the surface safer.
But nobody was allowed to enter any of the buildings, as we had been instructed not to rush into danger and to wait for permission from the command center, up until now.
The ban has now been lifted to advance further and find the distress signal.
I'm certain that that damn Director is watching from somewhere, through someone else's eyes.
"This smell..." I pinched my nose as the odour of petroleum grew stronger the deeper we ventured into the facility.
The black substance became more evident, staining the walls until most were covered, pulsating like a heartbeat.
This place already looked incredibly dangerous, but the distress signal originated here, indicating that civilians were hiding nearby.
Just as I was about to reach out to Anellia's shoulder to suggest turning back, something finally happened—a piercing wail echoed through the air.
"KYAAAAH!!!"
"HELP! HEEELP!!!"
—Splash!
"!!!"
Anellia dashed toward the source of the scream with superhuman speed, leaving me behind without even using her wings.
I refused to be outdone, so I ran after her and armed myself, ready for combat.
—Kachick!
To avoid caving the walls as soon as I shoot a single round, I opted for lower-output bullets, which hopefully will be enough for what lies beyond.
With a steady gaze, I took a deep breath, focusing my mind and utilizing
I navigated around the corrosive tar, splattered on the floor, and my Ichor-skin suit protected my skin from its effects.
The same couldn't be said with my clothes though, which I feel rather bitter about, since Camellia bought this for me.
"There are so many of them...!" I exclaimed after making a sharp turn and discovering the civilians who had been hiding here all along.
It was good that we found them, but there was no time to waste.
"GYAAAAH!!!" A man tried to get the creature away from him, but it was too strong, pushing him back.
'What the hell are those...?' I asked myself, disturbed by the sight.
Corpses that belonged to humans reanimated before our eyes—forcefully stitched together.
They appeared like zombies, with dark substances oozing from their bodies, even attempting to reattach parts of themselves.
It wasn't my first time encountering these entities, fallen ones that lost all hope.
Protocol Stray.
"KIEEEK!" The Stray shrieked, chasing after the remaining civilians who had nowhere to go, huddling up into a corner.
"M-Mommy!!!" a child screamed, holding her mother tightly as the Stray was about to tear them apart.
"S-Stay behind me!!!" the mother cried, gripping her son as firmly as she could.
—BANG!
…
…
…
"H-Huh...?"
"Protocol Stray will now be executed."
Before they were slaughtered, Anellia came to the rescue and shot the Stray on the head, saving them just in time.
The area fell silent after the loud gunshot erupted from Anellia's drones, until hope ignited in their eyes.
"Rescue... rescue has come!!!" someone from the crowd exclaimed.
Before the people celebrated the arrival of reinforcements, Anellia wasted no time.
She positioned herself between the Strays and the remaining civilians.
"KRIEEEK!!!" The Strays shrieked, losing all human reasoning as they charged at Anellia.
—BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!
Thanks to Anellia's drones, she easily annihilated the Strays in one fell swoop.
The Strays were humans controlled by the Pylon.
As such, they lacked a core—a parasite feeding off the deceased host.
Anellia and I both knew that it wasn't going to end this easily, especially after encountering a unique variant of Strays.
She didn't turn her back on the citizens; instead, she watched the corpses for any signs of movement.
—Writhing...
As expected, the corpse on the ground began to convulse, reacting due to the tar that had invaded its body.
—Sludge...!
The tar from the walls and structures seeped out, as if our presence had been detected.
With civilians in the way, we couldn't afford to be reckless. We needed to resolve this quickly.
"Miss Angel...?" the child who had nearly lost his mother called out to her.
Before anyone else approached Anellia, I scanned the civilians, looking for anyone who might be severely injured.
"Everyone! Are you all okay?!" I shouted, trying to direct their attention away from Anellia.
Due to the intense concentration required by my ability, I could easily identify the injured.
14 were heavily injured, 42 were lightly injured, and 468 were all safe.
But 49 were deceased, and most of them had turned into Strays from despair.
'We were late...!' I gritted my teeth, frustrated that I couldn't save everyone.
Since this wasn't the time to wallow in despair, I rushed to them and positioned myself behind Anellia, who was attempting to protect them from harm.
There were too many people to protect, even for Anellia.
Her barriers couldn't accommodate more than five hundred individuals.
Now it was my turn to do my part and safeguard what was left before it was too late, just like last time.
"EVERYONE, TO MEEE!!!" I screamed, but they were still hesitant, likely out of fear.
"L-Listen to her!" A voice from the crowd called out in support. I caught sight of a silhouette with green hair.
Thanks to our combined efforts, everyone reluctantly agreed and huddled up behind me.
—Voom!!!
I placed my hands on the ground, channelling a flow of Ichor through both arms to create a giant barrier.
—Vrrr!!!
To maximize efficiency, I made the barrier thinner than usual while infusing it with mana to strengthen it, covering all 500 citizens under my protection.
I expected my nose to bleed by now, but by the time it did, I had formed a barrier around us, ensuring our safety.
"Haaah... haaah...! T-There we go...!" I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the civilians.
They were all confused, wondering what had just happened to them, wrapped up in this golden cocoon.
I hadn't noticed before, but most people had already pulled out their phones for light, as there were no other sources of illumination, thanks to the cover engulfing the entire area.
"U-Um..." Someone poked my shoulder, trying to get my attention.
I had initially planned to go back outside to help Anellia, but I realized I would probably be deadweight, so I decided to stay until things calmed down out there.
"Yes? What is it?" I tilted my head, curious about why they had called for me.
I recognized the silhouette; it was the same person who had rallied everyone to follow my orders.
"Are you... part of Project ANGEL?" she whispered into my ear for some reason, making me feel a little ticklish.
Since I actually AM part of Project ANGEL, I nodded.
"Oh... that's..." she sighed, her expression in conflict.
I expected the crowd to be happy that backup had been called, so I anticipated praise...
"...Huh?"
Instead, they all looked at me with scorn, their expressions not fitting for those who had just been saved.
"Seriously, what took you so long?" someone said to me in a rude tone.
"Disgusting bastards, are you here to kill us all, too?"
"Mommy...? Are they bad guys?"
"...Don't look at them."
The crowd grew heated, and they began to blame me for being late, which they believed had resulted in unnecessary deaths.
While some in the crowd were grateful, the rude comments from others silenced them, as if our reputation had hit rock bottom.
The green-haired girl looked at me, shaking her head, as if she anticipated this reaction.
Even after witnessing how Anellia was still fighting alone and how I had used nearly all my Ichor capacity to protect these people...
"Are you all fucking kidding me?" I snapped, trying my best to be reasonable.
It's all the same, Trestkanian or Demiurgian...
There will always be ungrateful shitheads lurking around, no matter what era or world I find myself in.