Chương 156: Chapter A-10: “The Final Phase Has Already Begun”

A colossal silver pillar pierced through the center of Geesnatura. Within it resided the very heart of Diesnatura. The Central Factory. The Underground Core District. Here existed a second chain of command, hidden from the general public. It was not a mere decoration like the Hundred Machine Council. A fragment of the true command system was installed here. The Main Computer spoke no words. It had no need to speak to anyone, so no such function was ever installed. It simply, silently, executed its program.

Following orders given an eternity ago. And now, 99. 99% of this cycle's testing was complete. The Final Phase had already begun. Deep within the Central Factory, countless special units were enshrined in silence. They possessed none of the individuality seen in the Natura. They were uniform. Standardized. They all had skin as white as an albino's and pure white hair reaching down to their shoulders. They took the form of young women. In a way, their atmosphere slightly resembled Lilna's.

However, their faces were even colder and more pristine than Lilna's had been when she was manipulated as a "Natura Weapon." Or rather, they felt completely devoid of life. And that was only natural. They possessed no will of their own. They existed only to faithfully follow their programming. Their directive was simple: the elimination of heretics and the cleanup of the test. Their name was Prelion.

Apocalyptic mechanical angels that danced through the sky, borne by anti-gravity devices modeled after white wings on their backs. The gauntlet on their left arm could emit a Light Blade identical to the 《Inclear》. Their right arm was a Beam Rifle, the same type as Plato's. Both the blade and the bullets glowed a distinct purple. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Lilna and Plato were equipped with the vivid Blue or Cyan Light Gear—legacies of the Ancient Civilization. If Blue was the highest tier, Purple was one rank below it. Far below them in performance was the Red Light Gear, which was currently the mainstream standard in Elntia. Before the main force eventually activates, a few hundred units were awakening sequentially. They had already begun covert preliminary operations a few days ago.

Watching them mobilize one after another without any emotion, Plato ruminated on his earlier confrontation with Lilna and let out a heavy sigh.

"In the end, it is all nothing but a farce... But at least, Lilna, I wanted to let you keep dreaming a good dream. The folks at Dielevats, too..." Biological data had been immediately obtained from the left arm Lilna had sliced off that man. The test results were conclusive. Extraterrestrial Lifeform.

"That outsider. No matter how he shows up now and tries to stir things up, it is futile. It is already too late..." How many hundreds of years has it been since one of those visited Elntia? It is said that when the Ancient Civilization flourished, contact with other planets was commonplace. Humanity had triumphantly advanced into space, enjoying unprecedented prosperity. But ever since civilization collapsed so miserably, this planet seemed to have become completely isolated in the universe.

This planet no longer possessed the power to reach out to the stars. It was, through and through, a history of stagnation.

"The final stage has already begun. We have no choice but to dive into our determined destination—to pass through the Trive called Fate..." Plato muttered to no one in particular, his expression gloomy.

"If you people intend to learn the truth, I will not stop you anymore. Though I doubt any decent clues remain... even if you did find out, nothing would change." They should realize that it is hopeless. Thinking of the further threats sleeping within this planet, he twisted his lips in irony.

"If you still insist on walking the path of thorns, if you insist on struggling in vain... then do as you please." He recalled the moment he dared to throw that brat named Ryuto into the Central Processing Plant. Plato felt a dark pang of guilt. He laughed in a self-mocking tone.

"Kukuku. I really did act on a strange whim. What did I expect from a guy like that? If I hadn't done such a thing... perhaps Tranity wouldn't have died so soon..." Perhaps, in a corner of his mind, he had hoped that the outsider might—by some million-to-one chance—reach a fragment of the truth. And the possibilities that lay beyond it. Whatever the case, what's done is done. It could not be helped. The die had already been cast. No one could stop it now. All that was left was to wait for that time to come.

He just had to watch in silence, doing nothing. Isn't that what he had always done? Until now, and from now on. Forever. Plato shook his head as if he had completely given up.

"It is futile. The endless game will simply repeat itself again. Can someone like you really flip the board? Yu —the visitor from an unknown star."