Chapter 78: secret weapon

The titan-class monster raised its colossal, four-eyed head toward the sky, unleashing an earth-shattering roar that shook the very foundation of the mountain.

Ren stood frozen in the dirt, staring up at the titanic beast as the shadow of absolute destruction swallowed him once more.

Velista’s cruel laughter echoed endlessly in his ears, leaving him trapped in the center of her sadistic playground.

Ren’s pupils contracted into needlepoints, his boots digging into the loose gravel as every nerve in his body wired itself for immediate evasion.

Meanwhile, miles away from the crumbling mountain coliseum, within the prosperous boundaries of the Lumiria territory, a vastly different scene was unfolding. Evelyn, Kael, Ryu, Reika, Miku, and Elysia had successfully suppressed and wiped out the horde of human-eating Aberrants that had launched a surprise assault on the realm’s outer defenses.

The heavy mechanized infantry and armed military units were pulling back to forward bases to resupply, leaving behind small detachments of royal knights and elite Vanguard Heroes to maintain a vigilant watch atop Lumiria’s fortified granite gates.

Below the main ramparts, Evelyn and her inner core gathered in a tight circle.

"The main offensive wave has cleared," Kael began, leaning heavily on the hilt of his greatsword as he looked around at the weary group. "What’s our next move regarding Commander Ren? We need to extract him from Velista’s clutches immediately."

"He’s right," Miku chimed in, a deep frown marring her youthful face. "Without Commander Ren coordinating our logistics, we’re sitting ducks. The Aberrants are hitting us at completely unpredictable intervals. Our heavy munitions are finite—if we burn through our high-caliber stockpile without his System forging capabilities, we won’t last another week."

Evelyn’s brow furrowed in deep concentration. She stared off toward the horizon, her mind sifting through memories of her previous encounters with the dark goddess. She knew Velista’s habits, her vanity, and the specific isolated sanctuaries she preferred to frequent when orchestrating her cruel games.

"We lost his energy signature during the initial spatial rupture," Ryu noted, checking the dead tracking crystal in his palm. "Princess Evelyn, do you have any idea where she might have taken him?"

"I can’t be one hundred percent certain," Evelyn admitted, her voice cautious. "Velista has a few specific strongholds she favors, but blind speculation will waste critical time we don’t have."

She paused, taking a decisive step toward the inner district. "Let’s gather at the Lumiria City Hall first. Sylvara might be able to use her spatial sensitivity to trace the residual ambient mana signature Ryu logged before the rift snapped shut."

The group exchanged glances, nodding in silent agreement before falling into formation behind Evelyn.

They navigated through the bustling streets toward the city center, where the Lumiria City Hall stood as an imposing testament to Ren’s otherworldly background. Built under his direct supervision, the structure eschewed the traditional arched stone and gothic spires of standard fantasy architecture. Instead, it was a sleek, sprawling complex of reinforced steel framing, tinted tempered glass, and smooth white composite plating—a striking piece of modern Earth engineering transplanted into a world of magic.

As they marched down the paved avenue, Elysia fell into step alongside Ryu.

"Ryu," Elysia began, keeping her voice low. "I remember hearing a rumor that Ren was working on an absolute high-potency strategic weapon. Something he classified as his top secret project. He mentioned it to you, didn’t he?"

Ryu gave a firm, single nod. "That is correct, Lady Elysia."

"What kind of weapon is it, exactly?" Elysia pressed, her curiosity clearly piqued. "Is it an oversized rotatory cannon, some kind of heavy explosive charge, or something else entirely? Ren mentioned he specifically designed a deterrent capable of taking down an eighteen-meter Apex Aberrant, didn’t he?"

Ryu glanced at her sideways, his expression solemn. "It is a specialized anti-titan platform. If the group wishes to inspect it, I have the security clearance to escort you to the containment zone. It might be precisely what we need to execute Commander Ren’s rescue operation."

Miku and Reika’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Wait, seriously?!" Miku exclaimed, her earlier anxieties briefly replaced by eager excitement. She then puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "Why didn’t the Commander tell the rest of us about a cool secret weapon from the start?"

Kael let out a soft chuckle from the rear guard. "He kept it strictly off the public records to prevent enemy intelligence from catching wind of it. Shadow operatives and royal defectors are everywhere these days."

Miku tapped her chin, pondering the logic. "Fair point, I guess."

"Besides," Elysia added, her eyes darkening slightly, "the displaced nobles from the old Starlight Kingdom capital have been causing constant friction lately. They’ve been trying to stir up unrest among the refugees because of how rapidly Ren consolidated power."

"They’re just bitter that a commoner built a safer, richer territory than their corrupt lineages ever could," Reika scoffed. "If it weren’t for Commander Ren’s absolute strength, those nobles would have surrendered Lumiria to the Aberrants weeks ago."

"Precisely," Elysia agreed. "Which is why those instigators are currently rotting in the subterranean lockup."

"So," Ryu interjected, bringing the conversation back on track as they approached the base of the grand municipal building, "should we inspect the prototype first?"

Evelyn halted at the entrance of the towering glass-and-steel hall. She turned back to face the group, her expression composed. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

"You all go with Ryu and check the weapon," Evelyn instructed smoothly. "I’ll head inside to meet with Sylvara and set up the tracking array. We’ll cross-reference our operational capabilities once I have a solid spatial coordinate."

The group nodded. Miku and Reika practically bounced on their heels with anticipation.

"Understood," Ryu said with a respectful bow. "I will guide them there now."

Evelyn turned and disappeared through the automated sliding glass doors of the municipal hall, while Ryu gestured for the rest of the party to follow him toward the western quadrant.

They bypassed the paved residential blocks, walking past the outer military perimeter until they reached a vast, empty patch of green grassland situated near the absolute rear corner of Lumiria’s outer wall.

Ryu came to a sudden halt in the middle of the open field.

Reika stopped beside him, blinking in confusion as she looked around at the barren grass and distant stone walls. "Uh... Ryu? Did we miss a turn? There’s literally nothing out here."

"Yeah, it’s just grass and wind," Elysia noted, scanning the empty perimeter. "Where’s the facility?"

Without saying a word, Ryu knelt down and gripped a thick tuft of sod near his boots. With a firm tug, he peeled back a massive, six-foot section of the ground.

The group gasped in collective shock.

The sod was actually a hyper-realistic synthetic turf layer stretched over a light composite frame. Beneath the disguised hatch lay a heavy, sloped steel door embedded directly into the earth. The moment the outer turf was pulled back, a row of embedded LED strip lights flickered to life, illuminating a clean, concrete stairwell leading deep underground.

"A hidden surface hatch..." Kael muttered, thoroughly impressed by the seamless camouflage.

"Commander Ren designed this decoy access point to keep the vault hidden from aerial reconnaissance," Ryu explained, gesturing toward the descending steps. "Please, follow me."

Stunned by the hidden engineering, the party descended the concrete staircase one by one. Ryu brought up the rear, pulling the heavy synthetic turf hatch back into place to seal the surface entrance behind them.

The subterranean corridor was lined with bright, flush-mounted white lighting panels that cast a sterile, futuristic glow across polished concrete walls. At the end of the long hallway stood a massive, blast-resistant double door constructed from dense, matte-black titanium alloy. Beside the frame sat a sleek, glass-faced terminal console.

Ryu stepped up to the console and aligned his face with the optical scanner.

A soft blue laser swept across his features, and a clear, synthesized electronic voice chimed from the wall speakers:

"Biometric signature confirmed. Officer Ryu. Clearance level: Alpha. Unlocking Main Vault Doors."

PNEUMATIC HISS—

The heavy locking bolts disengaged with a series of sharp metallic clacks, and the massive titanium blast doors parted down the center, sliding smoothly into the side walls.

As the heavy doors retracted completely, the party stepped into the main hangar. The ambient lights overhead clicked on automatically, flooding the cavernous underground chamber with bright illumination.

The entire group froze in their tracks. Their jaws dropped in absolute, unscripted astonishment, their eyes widening to the size of saucers as they stared at the colossal, unimaginable sight resting in the center of the vault.