Bang!

The gunfire echoed in rapid succession. As soon as the sound hit, a hole appeared in the upper-left corner of my wall. Definitely a bullet mark. It was Historia’s ki bullet, which could tear through even steel. That much was expected.

And then, things took a strange turn.

The bullet mark, which should have remained a single point, began to writhe and stretch. The concrete crumbled, and the steel, mangled and crushed, left a grotesque scar stretching down to the floor, as if it were slashed by a massive blade. For a moment, I could almost see a blade tens of meters long slicing past me.

The gunfire ceased.

Right after, three of the angel’s right wings exploded simultaneously. Feathers scattered, filling my vision with blinding light. Without the wings to stabilize it, the feathers drifted apart like a disorganized flock, and the angel, losing the thrust from its right side, spun away to my right.

Yet...

"Did it... Did it touch the mystical? Right after abandoning the State...!"

The angel was still standing. Historia clutched her throbbing wrist. The world had answered her defiance, but every act of defiance drained her strength. Historia steadied her shaking wrist.

‘It was the perfect opportunity...! There’s no guarantee I could pull off the same thing twice!’

It was a sudden burst of power during the battle. She had seized a chance when the enemy least expected it, unleashing a powerful strike. It was the perfect ambush.

‘But I couldn’t finish it! If I’d put the angel in my sights, Huy and the Signalers would have died...!’

It was because Lieutenant Abby and I were nearby that she hadn’t attacked the main body. Historia was deeply frustrated.

‘Damn it. She went through a sudden awakening right in the middle of a battle! If that had been power she’d been hiding, I could have read her mind and synchronized with her!’

Life is truly unfair. I’m the one who needs that kind of awakening, so why did Historia awaken now? Why does the rich get richer even when it comes to power? I was lamenting this when—

"Arghhhh!"

The angel clutched at its wing stumps and howled in pain. It may be an angel, but tearing off its own wings must still hurt. Serves it right… While I relished the moment, my mind-reading picked up on something.

‘It hurts, it hurts!’

A mental scream echoed from within the angel. It wasn’t Amadeus’s voice. It was IA, the one sacrificed to the angel, crying out in agony, despite supposedly being unconscious. And it wasn’t just her.

“Agh, aaagh...!”

Lieutenant Abby, synchronized beside me, and every Signaler hidden in their own rooms let out mental screams. Twenty-six voices screamed in unison, making my head throb.

“What? It’s not over yet?”

As their screams intensified, the angel’s light grew brighter, like a plant feeding on screams. By the time the anguished chorus reached its crescendo, a holy light burst from the angel’s shoulder.

Historia shouted, “Huy, get out of here! It’s dangerous!”

I knew without her telling me. Of course, it’s dangerous!

I grabbed Lieutenant Abby and threw myself onto the Queen of Heaven, wrapping her tightly so she wouldn’t fall, and then extended the fabric toward Aji, yelling, “Aji! Aji-sled time!”

“Woof! Just this once!”

Aji grabbed the end of the Queen of Heaven’s fabric in his mouth and took off. The sudden acceleration pushed me back hard. With the dog king pulling us, this sled was worthy of the title “king of sleds.” Light exploded behind us.

In place of the severed wings, enormous light tendrils erupted, each as thick as a column, smashing indiscriminately against the walls and floor. Steel twisted, and the concrete crumbled into dust. Historia tried to sever the tendrils, but they were tougher and stronger than the wings. The relentless onslaught forced even Historia to retreat.

Aji, realizing the urgency, pushed harder, holding the cloth in his mouth.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Aji darted left and right, dodging the light tendrils with astonishing agility. As his head swung side to side, it felt like I might be thrown off if I let go. I couldn’t blame him for the wild ride. Every time my body leaned to one side, a light column crashed down next to me.

“Woof! Wooof!”

What amazing driving skills. He could take over for me at this rate. Dodging the light tendrils with nimble precision, Aji eventually bit down hard.

“Woof!”

“Huh?”

Aji planted his front paws and spun around sharply, a maneuver only a four-legged beast could pull off. At the peak of the spin, he hurled us into the air.

I held on tightly to Lieutenant Abby. Beyond us, in the light, Aji raised a paw as if he were poised for another attack.

“Woof…”

“Aji!”

To save us, he was sacrificing himself...! Even though I knew he could never match the angel!

"Awooooo!"

With a fierce bark, Aji bared his teeth and took a massive bite out of the light tendril. Part of the tendril was severed.

Since the tendril wasn’t human, Aji kept attacking relentlessly. He held it down with his paws, biting repeatedly, tearing through the tendril.

Well, that wasn’t so dangerous after all. Aji, full of confidence, bounded around and even spoke.

“No baggage! Free!”

“Baggage? Really?”

The way he called me baggage was irritating. If he hadn’t saved my life, he’d be feeling the full wrath of human malice right now.

"Aaaaghhh! Aghhhhhh!"

The angel had lost its mind. Instead of charging through, it kept flailing uselessly at Aji. For a moment, Aji seemed cornered, but then another shadow leapt in.

“Meow meow!”

Even Navi, my cat, joined the fray, her hunting instinct kicking in. The two animals pranced between the light columns as if they’d found a fun new game.

Thanks to them, we were safe. Now’s my chance...

“Your Honor.”

Lieutenant Abby called out to me weakly.

“Lieutenant Abby? Are you alright? For now...”

“I found it.”

Through labored breaths, she reported with pain in her voice. The moment her transparent eyes met mine, I read everything within her.

Lieutenant Abby had synchronized with all the Signalers in Module IA, retracing IA’s steps against the strong objections of the other Signalers. She was halfway through persuading each one when Historia broke through reason and tore at reality.

The angel’s wings were ripped off. That unreasonable attack struck not only IA’s unique magic but even touched the angel’s mystical core.

At the moment of impact, every Signaler felt a strange euphoria. And that’s when Lieutenant Abby found her.

In a cold, dark room devoid of any decoration, a narrow space with nothing but stone walls. A confessional so simple it was almost sacred.

And there, kneeling, praying, was someone...

“She’s below, Your Honor. The communications center was built above her… This place, it’s her memorial stone…”

Lieutenant Abby pointed to the floor. Beneath the scattered documents and the wreckage of golems, a smooth, concrete-covered floor lay hidden.

If you didn’t know, you’d never find it. How could anyone guess there’s something below here? This module, after all, was a secret place without even a single window, with no chance of discovery. Even a time traveler wouldn’t be able to find it.

But once you know, you can see it.

A cold, dark abyss. There, kneeling at the lowest place, someone praying.

“Well done, Lieutenant Abby.”

I found it. A sly grin crept over my face.

“Now we can end this.”

Though she had every reason to feel doubtful or fearful, Lieutenant Abby asked in a trembling voice.

“…Did I help you, Your Honor?”

“Of course. Not just me, but everyone here. And you’ve even helped yourself, Lieutenant.”

Lieutenant Abby smiled, relief washing over her. I’d like to praise her more, but there’s no time for that now. I called out to Historia, battered and bruised.

“Historia. I’ve found it.”

“What?”

“The one who summoned the angel. If we take care of it, we can destroy that angel.”

Unlike me, feeling exhilarated, Historia didn’t seem thrilled. She hesitated.

“…Can’t we just run?”

She pointed outside. Though the building had no windows, the walls and floors had been badly damaged in the battle. We could escape now if we wanted. The angel was busy with the King of Beasts, so there’s a chance we could make it out.

“This is the command center. Even if we defeat the angel, if they mobilize all their forces for an all-out attack, we’ll be hunted to the end. I don’t want to fight a nation. Huy, let’s run.”

“To prevent that, we have to press forward. The angel and Signalers are the core of the State. If we deal with them, the State won’t even have time to issue orders.”

“How do you know what’s ahead? Running would be better. We could join up with the Founder or our little cutie and live to fight another day…”

“We’re always running. Right now, it just so happens that forward is the direction.”

Satisfied with my resolve, Historia fell silent. Her weary eyes seemed to chastise me.

‘You’re always like this. You leave without hesitation, no matter the farewells or the paths you’ve been given. I’ve never once been able to stop you…’

Unlike me, Historia had no desire to face the angel or oppose the State. She was here only to protect me and Siahti, and that realization saddened her.

‘If only I hated the State, I’d be fighting with you all wholeheartedly. But I just… can’t.’

You can’t fake feelings. If you don’t hate, you can’t hate.

Historia made her decision. She would follow my lead, as always.

“Where?”

“See that pile of papers with the map on it? It’s under there.”

I pointed to a stack of papers on the floor. Historia nodded.

“Stay back.”

Historia took two steps to the side, positioning herself so neither the angel nor anyone else would get hurt, then loaded a bullet into her gun.

“You’re using that again? Don’t worry about the beasts. They’ll dodge on their own.”

“I know.”

Historia held her gun like a sword, both hands raised above her head. It didn’t look like a shooting stance, but it was more intimidating than anything else.

“Woof!”

“Meow!”

The beasts sensed the danger, and their fur stood on end as they split to either side. Now there was nothing between Historia and the angel or beyond.

Historia’s ki exploded forth, tracing a path of darkness. It was as if she was wielding a blade forged from shadow.

It was a line of gunfire. Space itself seemed to split. From ceiling to floor, it wasn’t cut clean but shattered with raw, violent force. Thunder rolled through the room, and the whole space reverberated with the sound. The shockwaves made the walls and ceiling tremble.

As the sound faded—

“Sinner! I won’t forgive youuuuu!”

The angel managed to endure, weaving its strange light tendrils to absorb the force of the attack. Even Historia’s gunblade assault had been reduced to mere lines, though it was nearly impossible to withstand.

Still, the strategic goal was achieved.

The concrete floor had split open, revealing… a passageway below.

“Go, Huy.”

Historia stepped forward.

“I’ll hold them off. No one but me can stop them.”

“No ‘person’ but you, that is. Can I count on you?”

“Come back safely.”

“Hah, that’s always my plan.”

I shrugged nonchalantly as I prepared to descend. Preparation meant little more than gathering a few tools and clearing the rubble covering the passage.

The route was closer to a ladder than stairs. One misstep, and it could be a deadly fall.

With a quick transmutation of a thin, long Diamond Eight, I created a sturdy rope. I tied it to the top of the ladder and dropped it down. It was so deep, I couldn’t hear it hit the bottom.

Hmm. This is nerve-wracking. Who knows what’s down there?

“Lieutenant Abby, you go first. I’ll follow right behind in case anything falls from above.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lieutenant Abby accepted without protest. It was considerate of her, but I wondered if it was wise to let her lead.

“You know how to handle a rope, right?”

“I tried it once with a golem.”

“Tried? Hold on. Let’s go down together.”

In the end, it always comes down to me. Wrapping the Queen of Heaven around me and winding the rope around, I made ready to descend quickly.

I called out to Historia, “When the time’s right, send Siahti and the Princess down. It might be safer here.”

“Understood.”

Historia replied tersely, turning her back as if to hurry me along. She looked a bit lonely standing there alone, so I added a word of thanks.

“Thanks, Lia. For always having my back.”

“Liar.”

“It’s true. I’ll prove it when I get back.”

“How?”

“That’s a surprise for later.”

I smiled at her one last time before descending into the depths where the secrets of the State awaited.

“Lieutenant Abby, let’s go! Hold on tight!”

“All set. You may proceed… Ah!”

As I leaped into the shaft, Lieutenant Abby clung to me, screaming. Trying it with a golem was nothing like experiencing it herself. If I had sent her down alone, it would have been risky.

The speed increased as we descended. The ladder hit my back painfully. I should have positioned Abby differently, but there was no choice.

Though it was awkward and uncomfortable, we pushed through the darkness, heading straight for the heart of the State.

Alright.

Show me, State.

Show me the secrets you’ve been hiding.