With the anchor point gone, the Old Mine District settled almost instantly. The violent instability ebbed, and the group finally had the breathing room to search for the workers who'd been trapped nearby—those who had survived only because they'd huddled around the Originium saplings' branches.
They'd already rescued people in another sector—so who were these ones?
Power in the area seemed to return along with the anchor point's dissolution. Even the broken roadway could be dealt with: by operating the local equipment, they could manually fabricate a makeshift route across the gaps.
As they moved in, Bai Ling felt oddly light, as if his body was floating a fraction above itself.
Compared to the superhuman monsters around him, his physique was… honestly nothing to brag about. And earlier, Eyjafjalla had forced herself to tank a shockwave to save people.
Part of the cost had been paid with his energy.
Except Bai Ling didn't have Originium energy to speak of—so what got drained instead was stamina. In a way, being drained of stamina might even count as "lucky."
At least he hadn't ended up like someone, sucked dry into a human husk.
The thought surfaced out of nowhere and made him smirk despite himself—dark humor, but humor all the same.
"Senpai? Are you okay?"
Perlica noticed immediately. She stepped forward to talk with the workers, while the little penguin naturally drifted to Eyjafjalla's side. Both of them looked back at Bai Ling with open worry.
"…I'm fine," Bai Ling said, keeping his voice even. "Just… a bit tired."
He allowed Eyjafjalla to support him as they walked toward the container being lowered down nearby.
Perlica had already gotten the situation.
These were also members of the Consortium's search team. They'd survived only because they'd reacted quickly and stayed within the saplings' protective field.
The anchor points had jammed all communication; now that Chen Qianyu had destroyed the second one, they'd reestablished contact with the camp. Reinforcements should arrive soon.
And because two anchor points were gone, the number of Angels attacking the camp had dropped noticeably. The crisis there wasn't as razor-thin as before—enough manpower could now be spared to move toward the quarantine zone.
"Teacher Bai Ling… your face looks awful. Are you really okay?"
Chen Qianyu edged closer, full of concern.
"I'll be fine," Bai Ling replied, firm but gentle. "Don't worry. There's still one anchor point left. The sooner we deal with it, the better."
"Mr. Bai Ling," Perlica said, voice calm but pointed, "the situation is urgent, but even a brief pause to recover is necessary."
"…Every extra minute we rest is another minute of danger," Bai Ling shot back. He wasn't sure what in him produced that line—instinct, stubbornness, guilt—but he steadied himself and met Perlica's eyes head-on.
"We still have a lot to do."
He lifted his gaze.
That grotesque, enormous rift of erosion still stained the horizon. The Cradle of Generations still shimmered with that wrong, iridescent color—beautiful in the way venom is beautiful.
And the thing he'd seen before… the "something" Nephthys had been calling forth inside the Cradle—
The anchor points weren't just hazards. They were protecting its revival. Any delay could snowball into catastrophe.
If they could crush it while it still hadn't fully awakened—that was their best chance.
"…All right," Perlica finally said.
Whatever she'd wanted to argue, she swallowed it.
Eyjafjalla stood silently behind Bai Ling. Whatever choice he made, she didn't oppose it.
They regrouped and moved out.
The last anchor point was in the transport district—but that entire area had been pulverized into something unrecognizable. Repairing it would take… who knew how long.
Bai Ling was exhausted, yet his mind had never felt clearer.
Crossing the broken terrain, using barely functional jump devices, their pace actually increased—like the closer they got, the less room there was for hesitation.
And then—
Under Eyjafjalla's flames, the final anchor point—fragile now, as if it would shatter at a touch—disintegrated into ash.
The world's colors finally calmed.
At the same time, the barrier sealing the way to the Cradle of Generations crumbled into dust and drifted away.
After taking a long detour, Chen Qianyu stared at the now-unlocked gates, her voice low.
"…Inside the Cradle… is there really an Angel from those stories?"
"There is," Bai Ling said, eyes narrowed. "But we moved fast enough. We're still in time."
Everything was set.
Together, they stepped inside.
The Cradle of Generations was the stump of an enormous Originium tree—its rings countless, its age unknowable—one of the very sources from which Valley Four had been born.
Inside, there was almost nothing.
Only several pillars scattered through the space.
And as the others held their guard up, Bai Ling's instincts screamed—
"…Eyjafjalla! Hit the pillars—now!"
They weren't dead structures.
They were remnants—Angel remains, dense with terrifying energy.
Eyjafjalla moved before she even finished acknowledging him.
Flame surged upward—
And in the same instant, the pillars joined together.
But her strike had landed. Cracks spidered across the ends of the stone columns, damage carved in just before the merger completed.
"What is that thing?" Chen Qianyu demanded.
Before anyone could answer, the ceiling above them began to rain down meteor-like masses of Originium—constructed, deliberate. Each impact punched smoke and debris into the air.
"It's a reconstruction of a large Angel's remains!" Perlica snapped, understanding hitting her all at once. "This is why Nephthys dropped the anchor points here!"
Even as she spoke, she saw it—saw the monster's body begin to glow red.
And then—
THOOM—
The earth convulsed. A blood-red shockwave exploded outward, sweeping through the entire interior of the Cradle.
In the dust, coughing, Chen Qianyu forced her eyes open.
She'd been sure they'd be badly hurt.
But… she felt nothing.
No broken bones. No tearing pain.
And then she realized why.
At the front, Bai Ling and Eyjafjalla stood side by side, both hands gripping a staff together. Burning light enveloped them like the shelter she'd felt earlier when saving the workers—the same protective blaze.
On the back of Bai Ling's left hand, the horned emblem—the final "sheep" mark—was fading away.
When the last Command Seal was spent, the contract would end.
Bai Ling knew that rule.
He just hadn't expected the final chance to be used so abruptly.
He'd been careful. He really had.
But looking at the three behind him—and at his own fading stamina—
A Command Seal was the best option left.
That shockwave… it was abnormal.
A first-strike kill—this creature dumping all its stored energy at once.
It couldn't possibly repeat an attack of that magnitude.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, Bai Ling spoke softly.
"Eyjafjalla."
"Senpai, I'm here."
"Defeat it."
"…Yes, Senpai."
Eyjafjalla stepped forward.
And in the next moment, an overwhelming surge of power fully revealed itself from her body.
With the Command Seal's support—energy no longer lacking—her condition reached its peak. And here, in a place saturated with Originium—
With Senpai's request resting on her shoulders—
She wasn't going to lose to a pile of stones.
She would take this victory—cleanly, brilliantly—
A beautiful finish to this short, fleeting journey.
....
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