Chapter 426
Chapter 426
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 426
Chapter Title: Definition of a Living Being (2)
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The Plateau of Corruption.
A wind carrying the thick stench of sulfur blew across the desolate plains.
Not a single blade of grass grew on the empty land, and dark clouds stretching to the horizon spat out lightning.
It was a dry, bleak, and empty place.
The 3rd Special Mobile Unit plummeted through the light. It was a violent landing, incomparable to any Elizer they had experienced before.
Feeling as if he'd been flung by an overwhelming force, Shirone rolled across the ground.
"Ouch, my head. Senior, are you okay?"
Shirone's eyes widened at the surrounding landscape.
In the eight cardinal directions stood four-meter-high rectangular panels. Beyond the panels, two-meter-long spikes were densely embedded as far as the eye could see.
When lightning struck, a powerful current flowed through the earth's ley lines and erupted in a flash of light on the inner side of the panels surrounding them.
"This is..."
A unit member said.
"This isn't a natural area where essence gathers. It's a device artificially constructed to collect light."
"Was this made by the Mecha Tribe?"
"No one knows who built it. It existed even before the people of God lived in Heaven. Only the angels would know what happened in this forsaken land."
Thunder crashed again.
As the lightning split into thousands of forks and was absorbed by the ground, the earth glowed with a bluish light, as if teeming with insects.
A powerful white light burst from the panels, and Shirone, squinting, gave an order.
"Let's get out of here first. It could be dangerous to stay any longer."
The 3rd Special Mobile Unit escaped the lightning-strike zone, avoiding the tens of thousands of spikes.
Although they all had the ability to fly, the air was a dangerous place in this environment.
They arrived at a crater located four kilometers away from the light collection point.
The ground was deeply gouged, as if something had crashed into it at a terrifying speed.
Descending to the center and sweeping away the earth revealed a metal plate. Something seemed to be buried deep within the ground.
"So this is why it's called the Angel's Tomb."
"That's right. For centuries, countless heretics have tried everything to excavate these ruins. But all their efforts were in vain."
The unit member pointed to the surroundings.
"They even tried to lift out the entire area once. But if you dig past a certain point, you get electrocuted by the ground currents. Records state that hundreds were annihilated back then."
"So, we have to break this seal."
Shirone examined the metal plate closely.
The script was different in form, but it was unmistakably Hena, the language of the angels.
Therefore, a Nephilim might be able to open it. No, they probably could.
Shirone looked back at Plu.
Using the Immortal Function wouldn't be a problem, but from here on, it was uncharted territory.
"Let's open it. If it's dangerous, we can just leave immediately."
Plu wanted to go in.
The fact that heretics had risked their lives for centuries to excavate this place meant there was something of equivalent value buried underground.
Besides, Shirone had Mass Teleport, allowing them to leave instantly, so they wouldn't be easily caught off guard.
"I'll start then."
He placed his hand on the plate and activated the Immortal Function. The Hena script lit up, and a massive radial glow shot toward the sky.
As the unit members stepped back, a tremor rising from deep underground traveled up through the soles of their feet.
"Tch! Let's put some distance between us for now."
The unit member said with a stern expression, and Shirone complied without a word, moving out of the crater.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!*
The metal plate vibrated, and a vast amount of earth collapsed downward as something began to rise.
"What's that?"
The 3rd Special Mobile Unit stared at the metal spire rising endlessly.
What rose from the ground was a colossal, bell-shaped structure. Its sturdy metal surface was covered in Hena script.
The base of the three-meter-high structure split in two, revealing an entrance.
After waiting for a while and seeing nothing unusual, Shirone leaped and landed in front of the structure.
Above the entrance, which seemed to swallow the darkness, letters were engraved on a metal plate.
It wasn't Hena, so Shirone sent up a drone to decipher it. The translation was transmitted into his mind via radio waves.
Babel.
"Ba...bel?"
The unit members muttered in unison.
Only those letters were in the language of God's people, not the angels'.
Plu looked back at the unit members and asked.
"Babel. What does it mean?"
"We don't know. It's the language of God's people, but it's a word we've never heard before."
It wasn't particularly helpful information.
"Shirone, what now?"
"Let's go in. Our mission is exploration, after all."
Like a true leader, Shirone took the first step, cast a Shining spell, and entered the opening.
A staircase leading down came into view. After an endless descent, it opened into a hallway.
With every step, lights installed at one-meter intervals flickered on, stretching into the darkness.
Shirone stared blankly at the sight.
It stretched on endlessly. By his estimation, the structure that had risen above ground was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Following the path led them to a circular room. On the metal plate above the entrance, the words "Control Room" were engraved in the language of God's people.
"Hmm, Control Room. That, we can understand."
No one laughed at the unit member's joke as they all entered.
Lights flashed on, revealing devices connected by wires, the likes of which one might see in the Great War of the Gods.
Beyond the devices was a massive conical pillar. A pillar of the same shape descended from the ceiling, and between their two apexes, a mass of electricity was held captive, writhing.
"Th-that's...!"
The unit members were speechless, their faces filled with shock.
A skein of light, unable to hold its shape for even a moment.
It was undoubtedly an electric spirit, said to be impossible to capture in its pure, natural state.
Plu stroked his chin from a distance and said.
"Hmm, what's that? The power source for this place?"
*'Fool. It's not something so trivial.'*
The unit members all inwardly scoffed at Plu's ignorance.
What they were looking at was the rarest spirit in Purgatory, born from the unique conditions of the Plateau of Corruption where lightning struck daily, a device that collected it on an immense scale, and the passage of an eternity that transcended time.
The unit members cautiously exchanged glances.
Due to the nature of their unit, which often deployed to remote areas, they had their own set of regulations for situations like this.
If a special item was acquired during a mission, the commanding officer would determine its disposition, and compensation would be distributed according to each member's contribution to the mission's success.
It was unlikely such rules would be followed in the field, but there was no other method with greater deterrence.
*'That's mine.'*
Every unit member was thinking the same thing.
They hadn't even properly started the mission yet, so according to regulations, they would have no choice but to hand over the precious electric spirit to Shirone.
It might be different with other items, but an electric spirit was the opportunity of a lifetime—no, a once-in-an-eternity chance that the entire rebel army could wager their lives for and still not obtain.
"First, I'll confirm it!"
Spouting a ridiculous excuse, a unit member dashed forward.
"Wait! If you approach it recklessly...!"
Before Plu could finish, the unit member ran toward the electric spirit and reached out his hand to form a contract.
*'I did it. With this, I can...!'*
Had his heart ever beaten this fast in his life?
The immense anticipation sent a thrill through him, almost numbing his brain.
"I will form the contract!"
The moment he shouted, spheres shot out from the walls to his left and right.
The man reflexively covered his face as a series of thuds echoed, his body shaking.
"Grrrgh...!"
Shirone looked around with a startled expression.
The surface of the steel walls was pitted with embossed indentations, as numerous as the spheres that had been fired.
And yet, not a single sphere lay on the ground around the man.
They had shot out from one wall and embedded themselves into the indentations on the opposite wall.
The fact that their trajectories remained perfect even after impact spoke to the immense force with which they had been fired.
*'He couldn't even react. They went straight through.'*
*Thud!* The man's knees hit the floor.
Then his arms fell limply, revealing a face riddled with holes that mirrored the pattern on the wall.
Everyone raised their guard even higher.
Mourning their fallen comrade would have to wait until they made it out of this place alive. For now, they focused on the immediate situation.
"It said 'Control Room.' So why is it booby-trapped?"
"It's not a trap."
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The moment Shirone finished speaking, the walls of the control room detached section by section.
It wasn't a trap. The earlier attack was merely a procedure to tear open the sealed steel doors.
Inside the partitioned walls, two-meter-tall steel golems were packed in like corpses in coffins.
Then, a red light ignited in their sunken eyes, and they gripped the walls and stepped out.
"Those who approach Babel shall incur the wrath of God."
Two unit members struck the same pose, preparing a group spell.
"We will annihilate them with Gardin."
It could only be used in the special condition of a lightning storm, but it was known as the most destructive of all group spells.
No matter how tough the steel golems were, they were more than a match for them in a place where an electric spirit was present.
"Stand back! We're going to scorch the earth!"
Contrary to their words, the unit members stretched their hands forward without giving Shirone and Plu time to get clear.
"Here we go! Gardin!"
Shirone flinched and froze, and Plu also looked back at the unit members with a puzzled expression.
Despite their grand shout, no magic was cast from their hands.
"Wh-what? Why isn't the essence..."
Group magic is impossible if the Spirit Force isn't connected correctly. But not even a spark of electricity was gathering.
Shirone muttered.
"It's not an electric spirit."
"Exterminate those who approach Babel."
The golems, uttering mechanical voices, scattered to pursue different targets.
"We fight! Everyone, get ready!"
Plu drew his Phoenix, slammed it into the ground, and cast Phoenix Spirit.
A hot fireball spread in all directions, striking the golems, but their metallic bodies were unaffected.
As such, the Nor Tribe members, who could only cast wind magic in the enclosed space, could do little more than dodge the golems' attacks.
"Shirone! Destroy them with your laser!"
Plu called for support, but Shirone seemed not to hear him, standing rooted to the spot.
"Shirone! What are you doing? It's dangerous!"
Five golems approached, the ground trembling with their steps.
A shadow fell over Shirone's face as a massive fist flew toward him.
*CRUUUUUUUUUNCH!*
The ground shook.
It wasn't a vibration from the control room, but a tremor caused by forty golems halting their movements.
Shirone stared at the golem's fist, which had stopped right before his nose, then raised his gaze.
The golem's red eyes were blinking rapidly, as if processing something.
Target Category—Human.
Attribute—Nephilim.
Code Search—Iris Pattern Recognition.
Data Search—Phase 1. Complete. Phase 2. Complete.
Result...
Result...
Result...
An immense amount of data stored within the golem was searched, producing a single piece of information.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Simultaneously, all the golems' red eyes went dark, and they pitched forward.
Their weight was so immense that the room shook hard enough to make one think the structure might collapse.
"What? Why all of a sudden...?"
While the still-tense unit members remained frozen, Plu retracted his Phoenix Spirit and approached Shirone.
"What happened? Why did the golems collapse?"
"I don't know either."
"You don't know? Then why didn't you attack?"
In truth, Shirone was thinking about that himself. Why hadn't he felt any threat from the golems?
*'Just like that time...'*
Just as his tangible memories of Behemoth had vanished when it integrated with his Incarnation, leaving only a holistic feeling, so it was now.
Some emotion, not words, was conveying the situation to him.
"Senior, I don't know the reason, but..."
Shirone turned to Plu with a dazed expression.
"I... I think I've been here before."