Chapter 425
Chapter 425
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 425
Chapter Title: The Definition of a Living Being (1)
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Returning to the command room, Lacis wrapped her red cloak around herself, lost in thought.
The aide who followed her in watched her cautiously before asking.
“Commander, what shall we do about Shirone…?”
If he had shown the abilities of a Nephilim from the start, it wouldn't have been an issue.
That's just what Nephilim are.
But Shirone's own potential had already surpassed Lacis's.
This was bound to affect the Norr rebels, who blindly believed in Spirit Force.
For Lacis, it was a tricky problem to handle.
‘I knew they didn’t trust me, but I never expected them to backstab me like this.’
“Um, Commander. Your orders…”
the aide urged, growing impatient.
Outside, the air was thick with curiosity about Shirone's position.
The longer she waited, the more doubts about Lacis's absolute authority would grow.
“Hahahaha!”
As Lacis threw her head back and laughed, her aide looked on, bewildered.
She stopped laughing and turned to her aide.
“I’ve finally found it. The perfect factor to compensate for my flaws.”
“Then, Shirone will be…”
“Yes, I will absorb him. Shirone’s immense Spirit Force will serve as a vessel capable of accepting the traits of any creature. I can’t let an opportunity like this slip away.”
The aide’s eyes darted back and forth.
He had seen Shirone's Spirit Force with his own two eyes, so he had no room to object.
But Shirone was a symbol of the rebellion.
If public opinion turned against her, the great cause she had built up could crumble in an instant.
Lacis said with a smirk.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“My apologies. But this is dangerous for you as well, Commander.”
Lacis turned, her cloak fluttering.
“We will cultivate Shirone’s genetic sample and create a clone. After conducting clinical trials on the clone, I will absorb him when I’m certain it’s safe.”
“Is that possible? Shirone is not one of the Shinmin. Human cloning is a very sensitive field; even a slight difference in the genetic sequence could lead to failure.”
The Shinmin and the Mojoin are both human, but their contact was severed for ages, and they developed their own distinct generations.
Even if the number of chromosomes is the same, if the sequence has changed during their evolution, the chances of a successful implantation in a cloning incubator are low.
“Even if it is possible, we might just end up wasting Black Elixir.”
“Huhu, no need to worry. Humans are no different from machines. Depending on the design, there are always ways. I’m already looking forward to it. Just imagine what abilities I can install in Shirone.”
Lacis’s expression turned ecstatic as her imagination took flight, but her gaze quickly sharpened again.
“Make a deal with the munitions community. I need the genes of countless monsters to combine with Shirone’s clone. But this time, only the powerful ones. We’ll select and combine only the strongest traits, no matter the species.”
“Understood.”
As the aide bowed and left, Lacis sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and flicked her red tongue.
Experimenting on a Nephilim’s body was unprecedented, but the potential rewards of success were limitless.
“Huhuhu, this will be very interesting.”
It was the gamble of Lacis’s lifetime.
* * *
Shirone was promoted to squad leader of the Rapid Strike Force, a special unit under the 2nd Command.
His unit, the 3rd Strike Team, unlike the 1st and 2nd, was a squad that carried out the Commander's direct orders, and its members were elite experts with Spirit Force levels exceeding twenty percent.
Plu, who had become the 3rd Strike Team’s vice-leader to support Shirone, glanced at the three other squad members.
Becoming a strike team vice-leader was a significant jump in status, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
“Something about them bothers me. Those guys.”
“We expected this, didn’t we? Ever since I opened the Immortal Function.”
Lacis had promised to form an alliance with the 1st Command on the condition that Shirone join the 2nd Command, but some unsettling aspects remained.
Rather than trusting her completely, he judged it was better to lay a foundation that could shake her power base in case of an emergency.
“That may be so, but…”
When Plu turned his head, the three squad members who had been watching Shirone hastily averted their gaze.
That alone was enough to guess what kind of orders they had received from Lacis.
‘It’ll be hard to shake them during a mission. Maybe at night, if I get a chance?’
While Plu was lost in thought, a squad member approached.
He was a tall man with a long philtrum. Though technically a subordinate, his gaze was incredibly condescending.
“Vice-leader, our first mission has been handed down from above. At the Plateau of Corruption…”
“Wait. Why are you the one receiving the mission?”
Plu cut him off.
“We haven’t heard anything about it. The chain of command is a mess. Shirone is the clear leader here.”
The man remained silent, his expression unchanging. As the silence stretched on, he bowed his head as if he had no other choice.
“My apologies. There seems to have been a mistake. It’s because I was the squad leader until now. I will report this to my superiors and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Since the man yielded so readily, Plu couldn’t press him any further.
In any case, they had to work together for the time being, so it was best to avoid creating situations that would make him watch his back.
“Alright. Continue. At the Plateau of Corruption?”
A drone translated Plu’s words.
It was fine for everyday conversation, but not fast enough to issue commands in the heat of battle.
“There is an ancient ruin on the Plateau of Corruption. The rebels call it the ‘Tomb of Angels.’ It was likely a place once frequented by angels, but now it lies abandoned.”
The history of Heaven was a tale from a past so distant that to humanity, it belonged to the realm of myth.
But even in such a Heaven, there was an ancient past, which intrigued Shirone and Plu.
“Hmm, so what do we have to do there?”
“The ancient ruin is sealed by an angel’s barrier, so only angels or Nephilim can enter. And among the current rebels, Squad Leader Shirone is the only living Nephilim.”
“Aha, I see.”
He could feel Lacis’s intent: she would keep them under surveillance while thoroughly exploiting what she could.
He didn't know the relationship between the Norr and mages, but if what she said was true, it was certainly a mage-like way of thinking.
“Alright. Let’s head out.”
If it was an ancient ruin from Heaven, it was sure to contain information that would be helpful for their current project, personal interest aside.
‘I have to get this much done. My seniors are on even more dangerous missions.’
The light spirit Elizer activated, sending the 3rd Strike Team flying toward the Plateau of Corruption.
* * *
Armin, Shina, Etella, Kuan.
The four of them, moving as a team, had camped in the forest and entered the mainland early in the morning.
Their first impression of the mainland was reminiscent of a world's fair from their own world.
There were no uniform standards to be found, and bizarre creatures roamed the streets.
The architectural styles of the buildings lined up along the road were wildly diverse. As if representing the flow of time, they ranged from huts and wooden houses to brick buildings and mechanical structures, one after another.
“Wow, this is amazing. You’d never see anything like this anywhere else.”
Etella said with an innocent smile, but no one replied.
When all ten team members were together, it wasn’t as obvious, but now that it was just the four of them, the distance between Shina and Armin felt much more palpable.
Shina was the one who was troubled.
She thought Armin would be the first to speak. She had at least expected an explanation for how he was able to follow her to Heaven.
‘He left the Ivory Tower?’
If it was that simple, why hadn’t he told her beforehand?
Before the question could even fully form, Shina couldn't hold back her frustration and spoke up.
“Are you okay?”
Etella, who had been struggling to lighten the mood, fell silent. A moment later, Armin responded.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean Keira. What happened?”
“…”
It was a story he could never tell Shina.
But even setting that aside, staying silent this time was a sign of respect for Keira.
“You’re leaving the Ivory Tower?”
Keira glared at Armin, her eyes fierce.
She had already anticipated it, so it wasn't a shock. The problem was that Armin was bound to the Ivory Tower by a pact.
The pact, an ability of the Irregular Eater, would activate its condition if the contract was torn, rendering him unable to cast magic forever.
That was why Keira had brought out the pact.
At the bottom of the document, Armin’s own signature was clearly inscribed.
She had obtained his signature by holding Shina hostage from the beginning, so she had hoped she would never have to tear it. But if he was determined to walk into a death trap, this was one way to stop him.
“If you go, our relationship ends here. If you’re okay with that, then leave this room.”
Armin gave a faint smile.
Since he was someone who never smiled, Keira realized it was a farewell.
“Thank you for everything.”
He didn't show it, but Armin knew that Keira had shouldered many of his burdens.
“Hmph! Don’t even think about trying to persuade me. And don’t act like you’re the only one suffering! Or what? Are you going to stop time and run away again?”
Armin shook his head.
“I can’t use Stop magic like that. Having used up my timeline, I’d just be a burden.”
“What does that matter? If I tear this pact, you’ll be nothing anyway. Just a blind man who can’t even go to the bathroom on his own!”
“If that’s the case, then so be it. I’ve caused nothing but trouble until now, so you can have your way in the end.”
Armin walked toward the door.
Just as he grabbed the doorknob and turned it, he heard the sound of paper tearing. *Rip! Rip!*
Armin turned around, a look of surprise on his face.
The pact’s condition had been met, but he wasn’t the target.
“Keira…”
On one of the pacts that had fallen to the floor like flower petals, her signature was inscribed.
Another pact.
Her own pact, which she had been forced to sign with the Ivory Tower to monitor Armin, had just been destroyed.
“Go. With this, the circumstances are established. If you like that woman so much, then go!”
“Keira, I…”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Keira shouted.
She didn’t want to be remembered as a pathetic figure receiving pity until the very end.
“Go to Heaven and protect her. But…”
Keira lifted her tear-stained face.
“You have to come back alive. Protect her, and make sure you come back alive too. You rotten bastard!”
Armin turned away without a word.
Keira was also a world-renowned mage of the Ivory Tower.
He never thought her accomplishments were in any way inferior to his own.
“I’ll be sure to repay you.”
Casting Flicker magic, Armin vanished in an instant.
Armin’s party arrived at the main gate of the munitions community on the outskirts of the mainland, also known as ‘Yamaeng.’
True to its name as a military-industrial complex, it boasted an enormous scale, and smoke billowed from every single one of the tall chimneys rising beyond the walls.
“It seems we won’t need to ask for directions.”
Armin walked toward the main gate.
They had brought a drone just in case, but Armin had learned the language of Heaven, so there was no need to use it.
“Excuse me. Is this…”
The guards flanking the main gate narrowed the gap, blocking their path.
They wore tight-fitting suits unseen in their original world and glasses with black lenses.
“Halt. Who are you?”
“We’ve come with a request. May we meet the person in charge?”
The main gate opened, and a dozen more guards in the same suits blocked Armin’s path, their faces expressionless.
“Go back. The boss is in a bad mood today.”
“That’s a shame. But we don’t have much time either. Could you at least pass on a message?”
A burly guard approached, cracking his knuckles.
“How absurd. Do you have any idea where you are?”
As the dozen or so guards unleashed their killing intent in unison, an unpleasant energy washed over Armin’s party.
‘This is…’
All four of them realized it at the same time.
A nature they could never have felt in their original world.
“Be careful.”
Kuan said as he drew his sword.
“These things… they aren’t human.”