-"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"-Certain Old Lynx snered after entering the hospital room I stayed in.
-"Happy to see you too."-I nodded.-"It would seem that both of us had been dragged here by your little leader."
-"Indeed. Let's not waste time. Show me your wound."
I uncovered the towel I was using to cover my right arm, burning it away so as not to stain the floor with all the blood that soaked into it. When Kal'tsit saw my wound, even her breath caught up slightly. My whole right arm was minced meat, hundreds of small slashes covering the surface, together with a few deeper ones reaching my crystalline bones.
Thankfully, most of the damage was restricted to my right arm, with only a few minor wounds past my shoulder. Even so, I could only use this arm by using magic; no muscle could function properly with such a degree of damage. But what annoyed me most was the blood constantly flowing from the wounds, making a mess everywhere.
-"That's what you get for trying to impress girls everywhere."
-"Right, any method to help with this mess?"-I ignored her jab.
-"I'm not sure. First, I must understand how and why this happened."
-"I have an idea, but I'll need you to clear the room."
-"We already have full privacy."
-"AMa-10."-I spoke softly.
This made her eyes widen, but she collected herself and nodded.
-"Give me a moment."-She walked out of the room, returning five minutes later.-"Done. Now speak."
I nodded and told her details about that voice, and what she revealed about my origin and her 'compatriots', as she called them. I told her about our conversation and the permission access that I received for their landship database.
-"That's…. enlightening."-Old Lynx said after being silent for some time.-"As expected of her, even after being gone for so long, she still can turn Terra on its head."
-"Not a fan?"
-"Predecessors, as we refer to them now, are beings deserving respect, but they lost both their morality and humanity to achieve their purpose. So, as one of their direct creations, I dare to say they are objectively bad."
-"I see. I don't have much opinion of them as a group, but that voice helped me immensely, so I see her quite positively."
-"She is called Priestess. She and the previous Doctor, then Oracle, were the main creators of Originium. Oracle was a renowned scientist: a neurologist and strategist, while Priestess is a linguist, or at least that's how she calls herself."
-"Linguist?"-This geniuingly surprised me, but also explained some quirks Originium had.
The field of linguistics is often misunderstood to only touch upon how to use language, glorified editors that only correct grammar and writing style, but that was only a surface of everything. The real work of the linguist was about how language even worked, was formed, and how it can be formalized in writing. And here lies the reason why linguists shouldn't be underestimated.
Magic was, as I once said, a fusion of logic and linguistics. By understanding how information could be recorded, transliterated, paraphrased, transposed, adapted, and decoded, one can control the information itself, and that gives one the power to control reality. While more of a logician myself, I also delved into linguistics to be a better mage, so I had the basis to understand how her job connected to Originium.
-"Yes. She is the most dangerous of all Predecessors, because her motives are hardest to understand. I won't go into the details, I just want you to watch out for any… You know."
-"Thank you."-I seriously thanked her for her warning.
-"Don't mind it. We can be considered siblings, or at least half-siblings now."-She shrugged.-"But returning to your situation, I don't have a way to heal that wound here. I had once worked on Chi Xiao, so I know how suppressing it is against Feranmuts."
-"Not here means that you have a way."
-"Yes. In Chernobog."
-"Sounds strangely convenient, are you sure you aren't just trying to get my help?"
-"If I were to do that, I'll just send Amiya with some cake, I bet you wouldn't be able to refuse her."-She rolled her eyes.
-"Touché."
-"It's about the Sarcophagus there. It can restore anything to its original state."
-"I see. We can work with that."
-"Eno, I hope you can access our PRTS and allow me access to things I can see with my current permission."
-"Sure. Let's patch my arm up, and then we can work on that."
So, Kal'tsit helped me bandage my arm with special material that prevented further bleeding. My arm wouldn't work until it was healed, but using magic to cover it up wasn't a problem; just using it in battle would be impossible. After that, we got to work on PRTS.
We quickly managed to access the previously restricted data, and even upgrading Kal'tsit's access didn't prove to be an issue, but she still couldn't access some functions, no matter how we tried. This made me think that Priestess must have been guarded against her, but this wasn't something for me to get involved with, so I didn't comment.
We exited the room about two hours later, only to find a crowd waiting around the corner, blocked by cloaked Sarkaz from approaching. Old Lynx walked forward and addressed her.
-"Thank you, Ascalon. You don't need to stay here. I doubt anything can rid this world of the plague that guy is."
-"True, I bet I can live long enough to finally narrow our age gap to just 'twice as much as my age'. "-I nodded as if seriously contemplating such a possibility.
I could see a vein appear on Old Lynx's forehead as she called out.
-"Mon3tr."
A black-green Originium construct appeared near us, but it didn't attack, just observed me curiously. I extended my left hand to it, and soon, under the disbelieving and shocked eyes of others, I was enjoying a petting session with it. I stopped just before Old Lynx would explode, greeting those waiting for me.
-"Thank you for your worry. As you can see, I'm alright."
-"Are you, Eno?"-Amiya asked as if not buying it.
-"Not perfect, but it won't affect me now, and I already know how to resolve the rest."-I smiled at her, touched by her care.
-"If you need anything, just tell us."-She promised.
Other Operators behind cheered to show their agreement.
-"Thank you, I might actually use your support later. For now, we have more important matters to deal with."
My words caused the festive atmosphere to become somber, but I could see conviction to finish what they began present in their eyes. And so everyone started to move again.
While R.I. turned most of its attention to Chernobog, I returned to Lungmen to help L.G.D. with clearing the slums. And the situation there changed drastically compared to before. The leaden named Eno, Amiya told me that his codename was Mephisto, let his Art loose in the slums, converting those who hadn't evacuated into mindless zombies. This caused Wei, who was pressured by Yanese Censors, to order the extermination of the slums; people there were no longer detained for identification, but killed on the spot.
Luckily, Swire and Lin managed to evacuate more than 80% of the residents, leaving only the worst of the worst behind. Even so, now the ~1,000 L.G.D. Agents needed to fight off at least 20,000 zombies, which wasn't an easy task, especially as the Originium growth on said zombies made them not only resistant to damage, but what's more important, easy carriers of the Infection.
This forced L.G.D. to be on the defensive, prioritizing avoiding infection over combating the threat. And so, all of the slums were quarantined, an attempt to contain Mephisto's Art from spreading. But this was only a temporary solution, so before something broke, we needed to work on a permanent resolution.
I joined the trio of L.G.D. leaders in the HQ, where they were discussing how to deal with everything. When I entered the room instantly got silent. Ch'en avoided my eyes, looking at the table in front of her, but I could feel the regret emanating from her. Hoshiguma also looked awkward, most likely due to how Ch'en behaved, but she felt relieved at seeing me return. Swire instantly moved to my side, looking and touching me to check if I was alright.
-"Eno, thank god you are back. I can't believe what that stupid muscle brain did. She truly doesn't deserve you; you'd better stay away from her. How about I take care of you? Your arm still must be injured, right?"-She didn't pull any punches.
-"The wound still exists, but it won't trouble me much."-I tried to stop her hands from wondering but she just ended up holding mine.-"Also, you shouldn't blame Ch'en for this situation. It happened because of Chi Xiao reacting to something in me, so don't feel bad because of anything that happened."
-"Tsk."-Swire clicked her tongue.-"You truly need to stop defending her. From the amount of blood you left behind, this wasn't as harmless as you make it out to be."
-"Swire, I can assure you that even if someone were to sever my head, I'll still be able to live."
-"Sure."-She smiled and rolled her eyes, treating my words as a joke.
-"Stop with that useless chatter."-Ch'en called out to us.-"We have a job to do."
-"Sure."-I approached the model of slums they had projected on the table.-"How is the situation?'
-"Bad but not tragic."-Hoshiguma patted my shoulder, but was noticeably more careful, not using her usual force.-"We are trying to find a way to prevent injuries and Infection."
-"Aside from using ranged weapons and Arts, there is no real way to do it."-I observed the situation on the map.-"Some places can be used to attract and destroy groups of enemies in one fell swoop, but that will require some preparations."
-"Tell us more."-Ch'en finally looked at me.
I nodded and pointed out some locations that could be used for traps. I explained my ideas and answered their questions. Swire was all for implementing them, while Ch'en and Hoshiguma were a little more sceptical, but also wanted to try them in action. In the end, we decided to test my plan in one location first, before implementing it in other places if it succeeded. So we moved to a small district belonging to the slums, where we got to work.
Ch'en and Hoshiguma cleared one of the buildings there, one with a hidden underground layer beneath. At the same time, Swire and I arranged demolition changes in the pillars and walls, arranging them so that the building would collapse on that underground space. When this was done, we needed to lure the enemies here, but that wasn't an issue, mindless zombies aren't exacly know for their carefulness.
Using Swire's drones, we gathered around 150 enemies in place before detonating the charges, burying them in rubble. After confirming that the enemies had been neutralized, we decided to implement similar plans in other areas. Soon, more than twenty locations were used for the demolition, eliminating close to 4,000 zombies. But as everyone started to think that everything would go smoothly, an accident occurred.
In a certain part of the slums, a group of Infected, identified as part of Reunion, was stopped by a patrol, but an expected conflict didn't happen; instead, the leader of this group asked to meet with Ch'en. But things couldn't just be so simple, as before we could arrive there, another group did: Wei's Black Coats and a party of Yanese Censors.
And they didn't share the caution of L.G.D. Agents, almost instantly trying to attack the Infected, only to be stopped singlehandedly by their leader, resulting in a rather awkward situation. When we arrived, the tension reached a point of condensing on nearby windows.
-"What's going on?!"-Ch'en looked around, recognising the Black Coats as part of Wei's forces.
-"Lord Wei's orders."-One answered curtly.
-"The threat of Infected is to be eliminated. As an officer of Yan, you shall comply."-One of the Censors added, also not bothering with politeness.
-"Watch your words."-Yelena, who was the leader of this group, warned them.-"Before any of you can kill me, I'll turn half of your city into a glacier."
-"How dare you…"-The Censor tried to talk, but Ch'en interrupted.
-"I don't care what Wei's orders are; we are in the process of clearing threats in this location. I warn you not to interfere in our mission."-She spoke before turning to Yelena.-"You wished to meet."
-"Yes. I was told that I can cooperate with you to resolve the issue Mephisto has caused."
-"Told? But who?"
-"Enoch."
-"Holy Son of Laterano?!"-Yanese Censor reacted.-"What right does he have to involve himself in matters of Yan?"
-"I don't know, nor care. I just know that he told me to work with you."
Ch'en looked at Yelena for a moment, then, as she was about to agree, the Censor interrupted her again.
-"Absurd! I won't stand such a disparagement of Yanese autonomy. I order you to kill those filthy infected!"
While no one moved, one could feel how the situation was at the breaking point, then another unexpected change occurred. From who knows where, a spear suddenly plunged into the ground between two groups, forcing everyone to take a step back. As people started to look for the unexpected attacker, a loud cry of an eagle sounded from above, then a thud of something heavy landing.
Under the shocked eyes of everyone, a beast never before seen by anyone present stood by the spear. Its body was a mix of lion and eagle, covered by white armor that eleveded it's nobble aura. And on its back, a rider in armor resembling an Apostolic Knight, with blue cloth representing the Holy Son. Yet, what attracted more than the difference in color was the fact that the person wearing this armor wasn't a Sankta, but a Kuranta with golden hair and a heroic face.
-"I'm here in the name of Holy Son to provide humanitarian aid."-Margaret spoke while looking at the people present.-"But I won't tolerate hostility to our allies."
Before anyone could respond, more eagle cries sounded from above, as more than a hundred beasts just like this one landed on the buildings and streets around, each with a rider on its back. Two others landed next to Margaret, one with Elafia rider, the other with Sarkaz. They looked around, finding me at some point and nodding lightly in greeting.
Their sudden appearance defused the situation on the ground, making Yelena calm down, looking at the trio of my Knights with relief. Yanese Censors also calmed down, but only because they had to think carefully about how to proceed. With Yan in the middle of trying to form an alliance with Laterano, they had to be graceful hosts, something we were now using to our advantage to make them back off. And so, despite the situation calming down, a different kind of tension was starting to appear.