“Uwehh, uwehh… Uwaeee–”
Rem’s wail echoed around the World Tree. It was an unimaginably loud cry, far exceeding her usual quiet voice.
“Wh-whoa, whoa, Rem-chan? Isn’t that a bit too much crying, even for you? Even I’m surprised,” Gerard said.
“No, that very cry is the God of Dominion’s true power. Please, look at your surroundings carefully.”
“Huh?”
As Melfina said, Rem’s crying had caused a change in the shadows surrounding the three. Previously, they had seemed troubled, but now there was no hesitation in them at all. To put it more accurately, the atmosphere was grim, filled only with hostility and killing intent.
“Those under the God of Dominion’s control have their combat power greatly changed by her emotions. It’s as if it reflects her inner state. In normal times, she is indecisive, and the individual strength of her subordinates varies… However, once she cries out according to her emotions, they transform into cold, fighting machines. Because of this unique characteristic, she was once feared by the gods as the ‘Weeping God of Dominion’.”
“What kind of interesting setting is that!?”
“Um… I explained it properly during the briefing, didn’t I?” Serge asked.
“Huh, really? …Hehehe-”
Serge tried to play it off with a cute sticking out of her tongue. It seemed she hadn’t been listening seriously to the prior discussion. Shutra looked like she was about to sprout angry marks.
“Hic, hic… You’re ignoring me again and talking amongst yourselves… Ugh-waaaan!”
“!!!”
Perhaps Serge’s current behavior annoyed Rem, and she let out an even louder cry. And with that cry as a signal, the surrounding shadows finally began to move.
Some shadows ran like humans, some moved on all fours like beasts, and some with their giant bodies leaped toward Melfina and the others. They made no sound, perhaps because they had no mouths, but the surroundings were filled with Rem’s wailing and the thundering footsteps of the shadows.
“At any rate, we’re intercepting! Melfina, Shutra-chan, can you protect yourselves?” Gerard asked.
“That’s a foolish question,” Melfina replied.
“Georgius, I’m counting on you!” Serge said.
Serge, wielding the Sacred Sword with both hands, commanded the Sora’s Will that had been deployed. Mel held her new partner created by Kelvin, a seraph with shining silver wings. Shutra, riding on the back of Georgius, a combat-type giant bear plush toy, manipulated multiple knight-type golems with the magic threads from her fingers. The three, instantly in a combat stance, faced the shadows with their backs against each other.
***
“Huh? Did the ground shake just now?” Gerard asked.
“You’re asking me, who’s flying, if I’d know?” Sera replied.
Gerard and Sera, who had safely regrouped, were still on their way to their destination. Gerard was sprinting with his armor clanking, while Sera was flying with her demon wings flapping. Sera’s speed was slightly restrained to match Gerard’s pace.
“Since this is a floating continent, there wouldn’t be an earthquake. The only possibility is that a battle has started somewhere,” Sera reasoned.
“That’s likely. But, hmm… Aren’t we quite late? Even though I’m running as hard as I can, I still haven’t reached our destination,” Gerard said.
“Well, it’s a place so far away that Kelvin himself entrusted it to us,” Sera replied.
“Oh, is that so?” Gerard asked.
“Yes, I heard Kelvin say that after I departed, though only a little bit. But the presence of the Ten Authorities there… yeah, they’re ridiculously strong. Incomparably so, even compared to Gloria,” Sera stated.
“Hmm, they certainly seem to be strong enemies… oh?”
As he ran past a small hill, Gerard saw what appeared to be a building. He described it as “appeared to be” because it was an artificial structure with a strange atmosphere that Gerard had never seen before.
“What is that? It looks like a silver box placed in the middle of a plain,” Gerard said.
“Hmmmm…?”
On the plain, there was a perfectly square silver box. The front had what looked like double doors. It was too small to be a house, only about the size of a hut. Why was something like this in a plain where only natural things could be seen? This question surrounded the two.
“This should be our destination. Melfina said there’s a ‘heart’ that keeps this continent afloat,” Sera recalled.
No matter how much they looked around, only the silver box could be confirmed as being there. However, it didn’t feel like that silver box was the heart of White Wing Land. The presence of the Ten Authorities was not coming from inside the box.
“The enemy’s presence is directly beneath the ground… Ah, could this be an elevator?” Sera suddenly realized.
“An elevator? You mean that strange device in the Guild Headquarters?” Gerard asked.
“Yes, yes, that elevator. After hearing about Headquarters from Kelvin, I actually went to play around on that elevator a few times. It’s quite fun, isn’t it!” Sera exclaimed.
“Ah, you went to play around… How did the Guild reception let you in?” Gerard asked, surprised.
“Well, they tried to stop me at first. But then someone named Shin passed by and gave an approving nod! *Hmph*, finally, a person who understands true value has appeared…” Sera said, mimicking Shin.
“Oh, I see…” Gerard replied.
Sera’s imitation was surprisingly accurate.
“I’m sure the inside of that box is also a device of that type! It moves you underground at high speed!” Sera declared.
“Whether it’s high speed or not, if that’s the entrance to the underground, it makes sense that the presence of the Ten Authorities is beneath the ground. Alright, then let’s try opening that front door!” Gerard said.
The two approached the box’s door, remaining vigilant of their surroundings. During this time, the enemy made no movement, and they were not subjected to any particular interference or attacks.
“It’s unnerving when there’s nothing here… Are we being lured into a trap?” Sera wondered uneasily.
“We must be even more cautious about whether there are traps laid ahead,” Gerard said.
Upon arriving in front of the box, the two examined the door again. It seemed to be the type that opened by operating something, as there was no doorknob. However, no control panel was visible in the vicinity.
“Funnuh!”
*Clang!*
Thus, the door was opened by force. While the door was heavy and sturdy, Gerard’s immense strength solved all these problems.
“Inside the door… Ugh, it’s pitch black. There’s no elevator, just a bottomless hole stretching endlessly,” Sera said with disgust.
“Mmm, perhaps it’s because we didn’t open it through the proper method… What do we do? We can’t produce light like Efil,” Gerard mused.
“Hmm… I guess we have no choice but to go in as it is, right? I can see in the dark even without light, and the rest will probably work out somehow with intuition,” Sera suggested.
“Only Sera can make things work out with intuition…” Gerard muttered.
“What are you saying? You have the ‘True Sight’ skill, Gerard! If you look with your mind’s eye, you’ll surely be able to do it!” Sera retorted.
“No, that’s not what True Sight does… but I suppose it will work out somehow. Fortunately, I can fall from a moderately high place without any problems,” Gerard conceded.
“Then it’s decided! Alright, here we go! Hya!” Sera declared.
“So decisive!? Wait, wait, I’m coming too! Hmph!” Gerard exclaimed.
Sera and Gerard jumped into the hole and disappeared into the darkness.
