After resting for a while, the two of them set out again. In the end, they crossed the Barren Lands, took a ship, and arrived on the Dark Continent at the ruins of Noxis's former base. Senylais still failed to recall anything truly important. Even though many nations had later dismantled and removed a large number of materials and components from the base in the name of "research," when Adrian revisited the place, he suddenly noticed something he had overlooked before:
"I remember people from the Guilan Team said that Noxis spent years collecting a huge amount of Light-element energy in order to become a god. But later on, it seems no one ever brought up where all that Light-element energy went."
With that thought in mind, Adrian immediately used magical communication on the return trip to contact friends scattered across the continent and verify information from multiple sides. In the end, he discovered that none of the countries had any record related to this. And according to the recollections of the first group of Light-magic specialists who had visited the ruins, there was indeed no sign inside Noxis's site of any massive Light-element residue, nor any evidence that such energy had been stored there.
"If that's true, then there's only one possibility: before your group even arrived, some key items in the base had already been taken away by someone else."
After some time, Reed—speaking through the magical communication terminal—arrived at a startling conclusion. After all, at the beginning nobody knew what had really happened inside Noxis's base, or what exactly should have existed there. Only later, after Meredith's latest prophecy, did people realize that the future crisis had been completely resolved.
Fortunately, if a vast quantity of Light-element energy still existed somewhere on the continent, it shouldn't be possible for it to leave absolutely no trace. After Adrian asked the Sage Alliance's Meredith to check the monitoring records across different nations, she finally found a lead and sent the result back to Adrian.
"The Light-element concentration around Erge Hills has shown an obvious abnormal increase over the past year?"
That was an extremely suggestive clue. Adrian clearly remembered that the destination the Heavenly King Team had originally planned to reach was precisely that area. It was only because a system-issued task changed midway that the plan had been shelved and gradually forgotten. In academic circles, there was also a theory that Erge Hills had once been an ancient-civilization site. Now that Noxis's hidden identity had come to light, it was hard to say there was no connection at all.
"Perfect timing. We arrived yesterday in Orhus—the capital of the Crestvale Republic—through a teleportation array. Over the next few days, we can investigate on the side and then contact you again."
The call ended. Adrian turned around and lightly patted Senylais, who was sleeping beside him, reminding her that today was the best time to go to the Orhus market.
After returning from the Dark Continent, Senylais—unable to hold it in any longer—finally confessed her feelings first. Adrian had wanted to wait until she recovered her memories, but after trying so many methods with no success, he couldn't help feeling discouraged. And since she had already taken the initiative, the two of them naturally ended up together. Their relationship progressed far faster than it had before her amnesia—several times faster, in fact.
At the Orhus market, besides wandering around, sightseeing, and getting a taste of foreign culture, they also ran into an unexpected incident.
In a narrow alley, they saw several people dressed in black-and-white clothing being chased by others. Adrian and Senylais happened to be standing directly in the group's escape route. Desperate, the fleeing group shouted for their help.
Things like this happened all the time on the continent. Adrian didn't really want to get involved, but Senylais—new to the world and bold—insisted on stepping in and helping the underdog.
There was another reason as well: she had been learning swordsmanship from Adrian for some time and felt she had improved greatly. Since the pursuers didn't seem particularly strong, this was a perfect chance for her to test her progress.
Of course, in the capital city—crowded and full of eyes—Senylais couldn't casually reveal wings. She also deliberately used an ordinary longsword. If she used the Water Abyss Sword, a celestial weapon, the "practice" value would be minimal.
Adrian moved first, quickly dealing with the stronger enemies. Then Senylais selected one opponent whose strength was close to her own and fought one-on-one. The pursuer was only a low-level fighter—barely even third tier—but once cornered, the man suddenly leapt back, muttered something under his breath, and called down a burst of light from the sky. The impact slammed straight down onto Senylais from above.
"Not good!"
Adrian had been watching closely, but even he hadn't expected this. The power of that descending light clearly exceeded the level of ordinary high-tier magic. Adrian immediately finished off the last pursuer and rushed over to check on Senylais.
Fortunately, an angel's body was terrifyingly resilient even without wings deployed. Other than pain, Senylais suffered no real injury. Still, it made no sense: how could someone below the third tier produce such an overwhelming magical strike? The two of them couldn't find any explanation.
After successfully saving the black-and-white-clad group, they finally learned who these people were.
They belonged to the Natural Element Sect.
"The Natural Element Sect?" Adrian had heard of it before.
It was an extremely old, small religious group. Their faith was unusual: they did not worship any specific deity, but rather an "awakened spirit" said to be born naturally from the elements themselves. The sect had long hidden in the southern regions of the continent. Because the existence of a "natural elemental spirit" had never been conclusively proven within the magical community—and because most people had never even heard of it—the Natural Element Sect had remained obscure. Adrian never expected it to still exist in the present era.
"The people chasing you were from the True Church?" Senylais blurted out.
Hearing that the pursuers were from the very Church she belonged to, Senylais initially found it hard to believe. For her, it was like being struck by a ridiculous irony. In the Crestvale Republic, the True Church's influence wasn't as overwhelming as it was in the Astralrealm Kingdom, so any illegal activities would be hidden carefully. That was why Senylais hadn't recognized them at the time.
But Adrian sensed that those pursuers—who had clearly concealed their identities—were "off" in some way. He asked why this was happening. The Natural Element Sect members immediately launched into furious accusations; it sounded like they had been oppressed for a long time.
It turned out that in the later years of the previous Pope's rule, since nearly all religious matters across the continent were already under the True Church's shadow, the Church had taken a relatively tolerant, hands-off approach toward tiny groups like the Natural Element Sect.
But after the new Pope took power, everything changed. Not only did he enforce a zero-tolerance policy toward other faiths, but in the last two years he somehow learned that the Natural Element Sect still preserved certain important relics left behind by an ancient civilization. After failing to obtain them through open negotiations, the True Church began targeting them in secret, with an apparent intent to eradicate the sect completely.
"Even though I'm with the Church too, if everything you said is true, then what they're doing is absolutely unacceptable."
Senylais had never joined the True Church purely out of faith. After hearing the full story, she was outraged and firmly took the Natural Element Sect's side.
At this point, the rescue could have ended. However, the Natural Element Sect members pulled out a portable magical communicator—one of the new devices the Sage Alliance had developed and begun selling in recent years—and contacted their higher-ups. After reporting what had happened, they received urgent instructions and warmly invited Adrian and Senylais to visit their headquarters.
"Erge Mountains?"
The Natural Element Sect's headquarters was hidden in a place like that. Hearing the name, Adrian immediately connected it to Erge Hills. The two were geographically close: hills often bordered mountain terrain, and the Erge Mountains sat right between Erge Hills and Orhus. Under normal circumstances, it was at most half a day's travel.
Adrian already intended to investigate Erge Hills, and the ancient relics in the Natural Element Sect's possession were also worth attention. After all, there had long been suspicions that Erge Hills contained a vast underground ancient-ruins complex. Adrian agreed without hesitation.
If it were just Adrian and Senylais, they might not even need half a day. But with the sect members along, it wasn't until sunset that they finally arrived.
Though it was called "headquarters," when they saw it with their own eyes, they realized it was just a small mountain village—only a scattering of houses. No wonder the True Church had never been able to find it.
The so-called "headquarters" was simply the largest house in the village. When Senylais was guided inside, she found it almost completely empty—no lamps, no light. Only one thin, elderly man sat cross-legged on the only bed. He was said to be blind, and he laughed softly before speaking:
"Lord of the Elemental Spirit, you have finally arrived! Through communion with the elements, I learned long ago that you would save our members from disaster today, so I have been waiting here for you."
"What 'Elemental Spirit' are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous. And how exactly are you 'communing with the elements'—to the point of predicting the future?"
Senylais, of course, wouldn't accept that title, but the old man's words still piqued her curiosity.
"Heh-heh… Our world is made of elements. In theory, as long as one truly wills it—and persists—anyone can hear the voices of the elements…"
It sounded simple, but doing it was difficult. The sect leader explained at length, yet Senylais still didn't look particularly interested. Then she suddenly remembered that Adrian had once told her she might be the reincarnation of a Water-element angel. On a whim, she cut the old man off and asked directly:
"Then do you know I have amnesia? Is there any way to help me recover my memories?"
"You… have amnesia?"
The old leader clearly didn't know that. He paused, but after thinking for a moment, he unexpectedly gave them a direction:
"If you merely wish to recover memories, then I suggest you go to the top of the 'Vilai Tower.' It is said that from there one can reach the heavens, bathe in the supreme radiance of the elements, and perhaps regain what you have lost."
"Vilai Tower? I've never even heard of it. Does the continent really have a place like that?" Adrian doubted it immediately.
But after asking in more detail, they learned the answer:
It was beneath Erge Hills.
Because the Natural Element Sect had lived near Erge Hills for generations, they knew the local terrain extremely well. The underground caverns beneath Erge Hills were extensive, forming many large subterranean spaces. There truly was a massive ancient ruin below—but unfortunately, in the last two years, the True Church had discovered how to enter it and had occupied it long-term.
The "Vilai Tower," according to the sect leader, was merely one part of the ruins. The sect's ancient relic—passed down and guarded across generations—was the key needed to open the tower. That was why the True Church had resorted to any means necessary to seize it from them.
"This is the key?"
The leader had kept the key on his person. When Senylais saw him remove the necklace from around his neck, she couldn't help feeling surprised. It was simply a coin-sized metal disk. On it was engraved an equilateral triangle, and inside the triangle was a human figure with both arms raised. Its meaning was unclear.
"Lord of the Elemental Spirit! Our sect has been entrusted by the divine to safeguard this key until your arrival. Now it can finally be returned to its rightful owner. What comes next will be the hardest stretch of the road. Are you certain you truly want your memories back? Truth is cruel. Recovering your memories may not be easy for you…"
Perhaps he had foreseen something. The old leader solemnly placed the disk into Senylais's hand and warned her. But Senylais was already thrilled at receiving the key and assumed he meant the True Church's occupation of the ruins. She didn't take it to heart. Moreover, recovering memories had been the ultimate goal of her travels with Adrian—she had no intention of giving up.
"Don't worry. I already decided I won't run away anymore. Even if I recover my memories, it won't change anything between us. Right, Adrian?"
As she spoke, she instinctively clasped Adrian's hand and looked to him for confirmation.
"Of course. I searched for Feliciana for so many years for this day. No matter how hard it gets, we can face it together."
Adrian nodded firmly. With their insistence, the old leader had someone guide them to the entrance of the underground ancient ruins.
The entrance was actually a cave several kilometers outside Erge Hills. Because it was inconspicuous and the path inside twisted and turned, the secret had remained hidden for a long time.
Not long after they entered, they ran into True Church guards stationed there. These guards weren't very high-ranked, but just like the pursuers in Orhus, once they had time to react they would immediately summon that terrifying "flash" of descending light to counterattack. And the higher the caster's rank, the greater its power—until even Adrian had to avoid taking it head-on.
During the fighting, Senylais's soul glove slipped off by accident, and she lost the ability to call forth the Water Abyss Sword through it. But in the crisis, she seemed to no longer need the glove—she summoned the sword again through sheer will.
This time, however, the sword's effect was different. Instead of draining opponents, it displayed an extremely sharp cutting power.
In Senylais's eyes, this sword felt like the weapon she had first summoned during her earlier kidnapping—when she hadn't relied on any external item at all. The underground light was dim, but under the glow of Adrian's magical lamp, even Adrian could faintly sense that something about the sword was wrong. With no time to dwell on it, Adrian subdued one guard and immediately questioned him.
"What is going on? How has the True Church become like this? And what exactly is that 'flash' power? With what you're doing, can you still claim to be faithful to the Lord you once revered?"
The guards answered in much the same tone as many believers in the Holy Capital. They even denied the old god they once worshiped and instead made the Pope himself the object of their faith.
"The 'flash' is the mighty power granted by His Holiness the Pope! Yehovah is not our lord—he was fabricated, a false god! Only His Holiness the Pope is our new hope, the true future god of the Church! Once His Holiness ascends, the True Church will reclaim its glory and restore its former might!"
So Pope Eminem wasn't in the Holy Capital at all. He had been hiding here in the underground ruins of Erge Hills. From the guards, Adrian also learned that the Pope was in the middle of an ascension ritual—and if it succeeded, he would become a true god.
"Then the things missing from Noxis's base really are here!"
Adrian never expected that after Noxis, the Pope of the True Church would also be racing down the "path to godhood." According to the guard, the ritual wasn't complete yet—meaning it could still be stopped. Adrian didn't hesitate. He and Senylais immediately rushed toward the core structure deep within the ruins, where the Pope was secretly conducting the ritual.
Along the way, they met constant resistance. The Church members weren't individually high-ranked, but they were numerous, fanatically loyal to the Pope, and their summoned "flashes" grew more and more powerful.
Finally, when Adrian and Senylais were blocked outside the gate of the core hall, Eminem's voice rang out from within, ordering everyone to stand aside and allow the two of them to enter.
At last, Senylais finally met the Pope she had long dreamed of seeing.
Eminem floated in midair inside the vast hall. All around him were metal canisters, each radiating the presence of Light-element energy and enveloping him in it.
On his head, he wore a strange metal mesh cap—shaped almost like a lid, comically so at first glance. Yet the moment Adrian and Senylais entered the hall, they felt an overwhelming pressure and authority radiating from him—something no ordinary expert could compare to.
The canisters and the surrounding architecture matched Noxis's base perfectly. Adrian already understood that the True Church had been behind it all, but he still demanded to know why Eminem had done this.
By now, the Pope had stepped into a demigod-like state. With that level of power, any casual strike could rival—if not exceed—the strength of an elemental angel. That was why he could afford to let them walk in.
The truth was that there had been another hand behind Noxis. The one who first discovered Noxis's broken, ruined machine body was none other than Eminem. Eminem had been stunned by the being—humanoid in appearance yet utterly nonhuman inside—because Noxis's knowledge and technology surpassed anything in the Sage Alliance.
When Eminem learned that Noxis possessed ancient methods related to "becoming a god," he immediately chose cooperation. He had long suspected the True Church's god was false, so he had no moral objection to "creating" a new god. He provided resources and a base for Noxis to build power—though at the time, the previous Pope still ruled, so all conspiracies were conducted in secret.
Because the process required massive Light-element energy, it was Eminem who orchestrated Michelle's attack on Edenmere from behind the scenes. His goal was to drag the angel race into catastrophe: whenever an angel died, enormous Light-element energy returned to nature. Unfortunately, Michelle suffered a major setback in Edenmere, and the plan didn't proceed as smoothly as he wanted.
When Eminem acted in front of others, he always hid his identity beneath a white cloak. He was also the one who later manipulated the Empire's Emperor Reider into assisting Michelle in seizing the mysterious person behind the Cycle of Rebirth. That plan continued until the Radiant Glory Team invaded Edenmere—only then did Eminem finally gather enough Light-element energy for the ritual.
After Noxis was defeated, Eminem—who had been observing everything from the shadows—secretly recovered the canisters that stored the Light-element energy. But artifacts like the "Divine Principle," which Noxis had hidden extremely well, were never recovered in time. In the end, those items were taken by Adrian's side when they arrived later. Since "Divine Principle" was merely a defensive tool designed to counter rule-manipulation powers, revealing himself for it wasn't worth the risk. Now that Eminem was already Pope, he still needed that identity to pursue even larger ambitions.
He upgraded his plan and decided to carry out the god-making process himself. Unlike Noxis, he had a soul—an advantage Noxis could never possess. Using the plans and technology Noxis left behind, Eminem spent these years building the necessary devices in the Erge Hills ruins—where he had first found Noxis—including the strange metal cap on his head.
"The side effects of so much Light-element energy are extremely dangerous. Why can you stay here unharmed for so long?"
Adrian was deeply puzzled. Eminem seemed to have remained in this Light-saturated hall for a long time, without even using protective magic.
"Do you know what happens when Light-element energy gathers in vast concentration? The resulting 'inertia' makes living beings sluggish—this was one of the main reasons ancient humanity nearly went extinct. But Noxis had a device that could protect the brain that houses the soul from those side effects, and deliver the elements directly into the depths of the soul. That is the secret of becoming a god!"
Eminem spoke with extreme arrogance, openly admitting that he allowed Adrian and Senylais in because he wanted their abilities—and he was offering them one final chance to join him.
Adrian refused first. He had never believed in gods, and he pointed out that even the True Church in the past had not forced everyone to believe. He then pulled out the golden Gatling gun he had treasured for years, trying to resist.
Eminem didn't even move his body. With a casual wave of his hand, he crushed Adrian into the ground from a distance within a few short moves. Adrian instantly lost all ability to fight and was pushed to the edge of collapse.
"And you?" Eminem asked calmly, turning to Senylais. "As the reincarnation of an elemental angel, I value your potential. In the future, I can grant you a position second only to mine."
Seeing Adrian knocked unconscious so quickly, Senylais panicked and rushed to check him. Eminem spoke again with unsettling composure.
"You bastard—what gives you the right to think I'd submit to you? You hurt Adrian. I'll fight you!"
She raised her sword, flew upward, and struck hard at Eminem—only for him to block her effortlessly.
"With your identity, you're not even qualified to say that." Eminem's tone stayed patient, deliberately mocking her while tempting her. "If you submit now, with my power I can heal Adrian immediately. I can even 'fulfill' the two of you."
"What do you mean I'm not qualified? I'm Feliciana—Adrian's fiancée—and I love him! That alone is enough. How dare you say I'm not qualified!"
Senylais was furious, but she couldn't do anything to him. She couldn't even touch him. Eminem seized her weapon from afar and held it before her eyes, forcing her to see clearly:
This was not Feliciana's Water Abyss Sword.
It was the Condensation Sword.
"Your true identity is the Wind Angel Nicola. You are not Feliciana."
Only then did the truth come out.
In the final battle at Noxis's base, both Nicola and Feliciana had been critically wounded. By sheer coincidence, that triggered the Soulglow Necklace's protective mechanism, bringing both souls within its protection. But the Soulglow Necklace's resurrection function could only restore one body. As a result, Nicola's soul and Feliciana's soul ended up sharing a single body. Two souls struggling over one body led to a major side effect: loss of memory.
Eminem had been observing the battle's developments from afar, so he knew what had happened. Although Feliciana's soul initially held the advantage, because she had no memory she didn't understand who she was or what was happening, and she instinctively relocated away from the battlefield.
After that came the process in which Aunt Bev found "Senylais" in the southern part of the continent. Since the Grand Duchy of Erebamia was also within the Church's influence, Eminem located Senylais's whereabouts years before Adrian did.
But at first, Eminem didn't fully understand Feliciana's mental state. He feared that if Feliciana suddenly recovered her memories, she would cause an enormous upheaval and ruin his plan. So, to be safe, Eminem chose not to bring her back to the Holy Capital. Instead, he "let her be," allowing Senylais to continue living in Kabinda—while monitoring her closely in secret at all times. Only when Adrian appeared did Eminem feel forced to take action.
In the end, those groups that had repeatedly tried to abduct Senylais were all True Church agents. Eminem attempted multiple times to prevent the amnesiac Senylais from returning to Adrian—yet every attempt failed. These outcomes were within his expectations, so he deliberately used the Church's internal opposition forces during the Church's transition period. Even if the abduction failed, those forces could still be eliminated cleanly. That was why the second wave of kidnappers had been so numerous and so strong.
"No… No way… That can't be true. You're lying!"
Senylais had heard of Nicola before. From Adrian's perspective, Nicola had always been an angel who strongly disliked him—hot-tempered, forceful, and possessive. Later, Nicola vanished, and no one knew where she went.
Senylais had never imagined that she herself could be Nicola. Meanwhile, Feliciana's soul—constantly suppressed—only surfaced for brief moments.
According to Eminem, the only way to completely break this state was for Senylais to voluntarily give up her hold on this shared body. Only then could Feliciana awaken without restraint. But the price was devastating, making it effectively impossible. So Eminem offered what he called a "bright road": if Senylais spoke a single word of submission, he would ensure this truth stayed hidden forever and grant her an exalted status.
"Bullshit. Even if I really am Nicola, I would never take orders from a monster like you! And besides—you've been hiding down here for more than half a month. Why haven't you succeeded yet? There's only one explanation: just like Noxis, you can't become a god!"
In that moment, Senylais's mind flashed through her life like rapid scenes—being taken to Kabinda by Aunt Bev, meeting Adrian, everything she had lived through over the years. In the end, she chose resistance without hesitation.
When she summoned the Condensation Sword again and struck at Eminem, the flow of time around her seemed to slow abruptly. Eminem immediately realized that Nicola's time-manipulation power was awakening. He did not dare relax and quickly used his demigod power to counter it.
Nicola's abilities were still in recovery; they were not yet enough to truly frighten Eminem. But Senylais's words reminded him of something crucial: the ascension should not have taken this long. Was it because not enough Light-element energy had been infused into his soul? With that thought, Eminem increased the output rate of the energy canisters around him.
"Yes—this is the feeling! So this is what it feels like to be on the verge of becoming a god!"
As the canisters accelerated, Eminem's power surged. Chaotic streams of information poured into his mind through his soul, and he felt as if he had reached a state of omnipotence and omniscience.
But his joy lasted only an instant.
In the very next moment, he sensed a terrifying cracking sensation from within his soul. He stopped the infusion immediately.
That saved his life—but his soul had clearly been damaged. Eminem, panicked and confused, realized his power had dropped, and many things he had "known" a moment ago were slipping away.
"Ha… are you scared now?"
On the other side, Senylais—who had been knocked away—struggled back to her feet. She said it like a taunt, but she had personally felt the massive gap between them. Still, she wasn't completely hopeless. A reckless plan formed in her mind. Seizing the brief window in which Eminem was too shaken to react, she stumbled to Adrian's side. Seeing Adrian on the verge of slipping away, she finally decided to risk everything.
"I am who I am. If I can save Adrian, then even if it costs everything—so be it!"
The soul glove had been retrieved and placed into the storage ring earlier. Senylais pulled it back out, put it on, and forced its power to the limit, shouting at the top of her lungs.
She had once accidentally overused the glove and experienced the agony of her soul nearly slipping beyond her body's control. If she could, she would never want to experience anything like that again. But now, only Feliciana's full awakening could reverse everything. Senylais chose to release the body completely and return it to Feliciana.
"Wait—how do you have that?"
Eminem never expected her to produce the soul glove. It was a convenient tool capable of separating soul and body without directly damaging the body, and Eminem immediately moved to stop her with all his power.
But it was too late.
Senylais had already spoken the activation spell one moment ahead of him. Instantly, blue light burst across the hall. Feliciana's soul fully awakened.
Then a huge pillar of blue radiance crashed down from above, piercing through the thick earth and engulfing Eminem completely.
…
No one knew how much time passed.
When Nicola finally woke again, she found herself lying on the ground, unharmed. She touched her body—and realized it was no longer Feliciana's body. She had returned to her original form. When she spread her wings again, she discovered she had advanced all the way to twelve wings.
"I rebuilt a new body for you. Good thing you woke up in time—everything is finally over. Honestly, you should have been able to advance long ago. But sharing one body suppressed your growth."
Feliciana's voice sounded beside her. Nicola looked up and saw Feliciana smiling at her. It turned out that the moment Feliciana fully awakened, she ended Eminem with a single decisive strike. After force-feeding himself Light-element energy, Eminem's soul was already dangerously unstable. He had no strength left to resist.
As for healing Adrian and saving Nicola, those were trivial tasks for a fully restored Water Angel.
"Well… 'Vilai Tower' probably refers to this hall, doesn't it? The Pope's gone anyway. Let's try the key and see how to get to the 'top of the tower'?"
Adrian's injuries were lighter, and he had regained consciousness earlier than Nicola. After speaking with Feliciana, he now understood that "Senylais" had not truly been Feliciana, and he couldn't help feeling awkward around Nicola. He suggested that, since they were already here, they might as well fully explore the ruins.
Behind the area where Eminem had been, there was an ancient-technology console. Adrian didn't know how to use it, but Feliciana and Nicola found it faintly familiar. Feliciana removed the disk necklace and lightly scanned it over the console.
"Authentication successful. Teleportation channel to the Nabidos has been opened!"
A synthetic voice spoke as a space resembling an elevator was revealed behind the console.
"'Nabidos'? What is that? And I thought these ruins didn't have a second level. Is it going downward?" Nicola frowned.
But since they had come this far, they could only move forward.
The three of them entered the "elevator." The door closed. A brief flash—then the door opened again, and the view was completely different.
They were in a massive control room. Several chairs sat inside. To the left, beyond an enormous transparent window, hung the curved silhouette of a huge planet.
At that moment, they understood.
The "Nabidos" was a spaceship parked in orbit.
And its interior space was enormous—complete with everything needed for long voyages: ecological modules, medical rooms, cryosleep pods, and more.
In outer space, both Feliciana and Nicola, as angels, could clearly sense that aside from Light and Dark elements, there were essentially no other elements present. In particular, when sunlight directly illuminated the ship, the intensity was far stronger than on the ground; the Light-element concentration rose noticeably, somewhere between the surface world and what Edenmere used to be.
They split up to search. The only puzzling thing was that the ship had clearly been abandoned for a long time. Dust lay thick on the consoles. They saw no living person anywhere—even after checking all areas, including the cryosleep section, they found no sign of life.
"Could there be some kind of monster hiding somewhere?" Feliciana muttered, reminded of old horror stories. Because they didn't know how to operate the system, they also had no way to access any "ship log" or equivalent.
But Adrian spotted several words on one instrument panel and quickly called them over.
"Remaining quantity of Lantine Oasis dedicated space-based conventional missiles: 0… Connection to the control platform: lost…"
Everyone understood immediately: the so-called "heavenly punishment" that had once struck the sky city of New Parristol was very likely launched from this ship—which explained why there had been a strict quantity limit.
Beyond that, they found nothing else—until Nicola noticed two blinking points on the map display beside the teleportation room.
"This is a map of Eldoria Continent. It looks similar to the current era. One blinking point should be Erge Hills, where we came from… and the other—judging by its location—seems to be the Holy Capital, Jethrobaines."
Adrian studied it and arrived at an astonishing inference.
From this teleportation room, returning to the surface might allow them to go directly to the Holy Capital.
But Jethrobaines was a massive, prosperous city that people had searched inside and out for years. How could a teleportation device like this still be active there?
"There is one place that might make sense." Nicola immediately thought of it. "Why don't we just teleport and find out?"
Everyone agreed. The three of them were among the strongest beings in the world—what was there to fear?
The teleportation room doors closed. Another blink—then the doors opened again.
Outside was a straight corridor, decorated in the familiar style of ancient civilization technology.
"Yes. The map shows we've arrived in the center of the Holy Capital," Adrian confirmed after checking again. "This should be the underground area you mentioned. Whether it's inside that rectangular structure… I can't be sure yet."
At the end of the corridor was a room. They opened it and stepped inside—only to find a cryosleep chamber, nearly identical to the ship's cryopod equipment. There was only one difference:
One pod contained a sleeping person.
"An ancient human… still alive?!" This discovery was explosive—this wasn't an artificial intelligence, but a living human being. Unfortunately, mist and condensation obscured the view, making the sleeper's face impossible to see.
Adrian was cautious. Considering how seriously Galadra and Noxis had treated the person inside that structure, Adrian suggested they proceed carefully: contact the Sage Alliance immediately and also bring Elara from Edenmere here before attempting to open the pod.
But Nicola couldn't be bothered with that much restraint.
Seeing a green button beside the pod, she reached out and pressed it.
A wake-up prompt sounded, and the person inside began to stir.
A few minutes later, the pod opened automatically from within. A woman stepped out.
The moment they saw her face, everyone froze.
"Feliciana, Nicola, and Adrian—we finally meet again. I didn't expect you would actually find this place…"
It wasn't anyone else.
The person greeting them, one by one, was Cyrae…
No—she should be called Cyra.
She stood there smiling at them, as if she had always known this day would come.
Main story complete. Next, there is still a final portion told from Irene's perspective, revealing some behind-the-scenes events that Feliciana and the others never got to see.