In the oppressing grey, cube-shaped room, two people were locked in a stalemate. if only their gazes could destroy, the room would most likely become nothing but broken rubble.

The intensity of the glare all but conveyed the sheer anger both of them felt.

"This was not what you promised me," Chelsea spoke first, and the oppressing atmosphere in the air becomes more palpable.

"Go and tell your grievances to the Propagator Monarch, then," the masked guy repeated, his voice gruff and stern under the covering accessory. "We all obey the Monarch, for she wishes nothing but the best for this world."

"I don't care what she wants to do with this goddamn place, I did my end of the deal, and it's time the Monarch extent the same gesture. Let me see her, now."

"She is not seeing anyone at this time."

"Don't give me that crap," Chelsea snarled with gritted teeth, tightening the grip on her massive axe until her fingertips turned white from the sheer strain.

"Enough, Chelsea."

There was a click from the direction of the door, then there was a voice, commanding and filled with confidence. The woman wore all black, glowing golden veins liniing her skintight attire.

"I have given you what you wanted, intel related to one of the towers while temporarily under your command. Now, give Michael back to me, as you promised."

"Lord Kyfran has determined that your information was not sufficient, causing a significant number of Children to lose their lives. He has decided that you can't have Michael back for now."

Chelsea did not respond. Fury swirled in her form, as she swung her axe to the side in a threatening gesture, slamming the chairs of the office-like room to shatter into splinters as they hit the wall. The man behind the desk stood up at the sudden attack, hands spread in preparation to use his skill.

[Code B - Kinesis Redirec—]

The skill was interrupted, as Chelsea glared at the man, her anger clearly visible through the white mask she wore. Without hesitation, she swung her axe at the man, decapitating him, blood staining the floor as his head rolled away. As if wanting to dissipate her fury, she kicked the head to the wall, with such an overwhelming force it splattered into nothing but a smear.

"Do you think I give a shit? Give my brother back to me."

The Monarch seemed to not even give the threatening display any mind, her tone relaxed as though she was merely dealing with a belligerent pet.

"Chelsea, I order you to calm down."

Her words carried a certain weight to it, the lines on her body glowing with a mystifying aura, giving the illusion of golden blood flowing within painted lines.

"You... Monarch, or whatever you are..."

Chelsea gritted her teeth as her mask, too, glowed in tune with the Monarch's body patterns.

"From today onwards— you cannot—"

She inserted her fingers to the side of her mask, pulling on it with enough force blood started to drip to the floor. Even as the pain shot through her, a warning, a threat for her to discard the intention, she did not even give it any heed, the pure-white mask now sporting cracks that start from the bottom of the eye holes. The spiderweb-like cracks started to spread with her pull, even as her fingers bled and protested the action, as every nerve of her body was set alight with pain at the defiance.

"I refuse to— honor our contract. You will not— use me anymore."

[Chelsea Limena]

[Child of Propagation (C)]

Unknown to either parties, the title started to distort, tearing and grinding on itself before it turned into black dots of irreparable data.

[Apostate of Propagation]

Her title changed, as the mask was finally peeled off from her face.

"—and I refuse to let you use my brother anymore."

She took out a small vial containing a purplish-red liquid that seemed to shfit and change with the slightest motion.

"You! How did you get that—"

Too late, Chelsea crushed the vial into dust, releasing a cloudy purple gas that coalesced into the form of a beautiful woman. She wore a luxurious black dress and a pair of fragile, sylphid wings shimmering in rainbow colors was folded on her back. Black chains decorate her dress and bind her wings, a contrast to her vivid red hair. A pair of glasses rest on the bridge of her nose, shining with an ominous aura under the lights.

"Lady Gaora, I have nothing but respect for you. Are you going to betray Lord Kyfran?" The Monarch narrowed her eyes, threat visible even as her eyes were obscured by the mask she wore.

"Do you think I care what the ant queen of Kyfran's personal project thinks about me?" Gaora spoke, her voice laden with such authority that the Monarch flinched a bit. Then, Gaora gestured as if she was forming a ball in the air, creating a sphere of light that faded as quickly as it came.

"There, my dear mortal. No one will be able to even touch your sibling without my permission," Gaora declared, her gaze tender as she looked at Chelsea. "Now, go, give me a good show."

The Monarch yelled, voice shaking as anger overtook her common sense. "Lady Gaora! Lord Kyfran won't let you go for this! That boy was his"

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"Kyfran this, Kyfran that, do I look like I'm afraid? One more word from you, and I won't hesitate to paint the walls with another smear."

Gaora glared at the Monarch, paralyzing the latter into silence. Even the air felt as if it cracked and buzzed under the former's command.

"That will be my favor to you, my dear mortal. If you can entertain me more, I may give you another favor, hm?"

With a tender gaze, and a tone so disgustingly saccharine similar to a pet owner to their beloved animal, Gaora spoke to Chelsea, then disappeared without waiting for an answer. Now, there was only the triumphant Chelsea and the enraged Monarch, the latter so consumed by the transgression that she was trembling where she stood.

"Children!"

The Monarch's command was absolute, and sounds of footsteps from outside followed her command as hundreds of soldiers poured in through the door, with hundreds more on the way from the cacophony still coming closer.

"Dispose of the traitor."

That was the Monarch's order, before she turned away, the crowds parting for her as if she was a goddess.

All of them moved without hesitation, surrounding Chelsea with the efficiency of thoroughly trained platoon. A powerful aura emanated from the soldiers' movements, a sure sign that, in some ways, the Monarch's order has enhanced their strength.

Chelsea gritted her teeth, her hold on her own weapon tightening under the realization that she was, indeed, severely outmatched. She took a deep breath, glanced at the cracked wall from when she kicked the poor sap's head off—

and then she bolted.

With a wave of her hand, her power was activated, and a golden aura bathed her body. One swipe of her axe to the side was enough to prove her increased strength, the simple gesture enough to throw away some of the nearby soldiers.

Another swing, and more soldiers were tossed to the side. The moment they fell, Chelsea was lifted up to the air and thrown to the wall, hard enough that black spots filled the edge of her vision. As her vision cleared, a few soldiers, bearing limbs that had turned into blades, lunged at her, ready to strike.

With a wry smile, Chelsea coughed out.

"Heh... you all are so eager to do that bitch's orders, it looks like..."

—

"And I escaped, that's the gist, really. There's no need to doubt I have beef with those masked bastards. We have the same goal."

"You can't stop there!" Lucian exclaimed. From his expression, it was clear that he was far too engrossed by the woman's story. "Hey, really, what happened next?"

"... Focus, Lucian, We have a more urgent problem here. Taking her with us, for example," Izabel said, clearly exasperated at the situation.

"I, well, I think we can take her with us for now, at least," Elliot offered, trying to defuse the situation. "She doesn't seem like the type that will stab us in the back. That... should count for something, right?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"No worries on that front, I won't. You have my guarantee, as long as our goals align, you'll get my help," Chelsea said, her tone still as relaxed as ever. Her cheery mood and demeanor was a contrast to the kind of story she told, and there was not even a trace of sadness, it was as if she was telling a story that belonged to someone else.

"... Alright, if everyone is for it, no reason for me to play contrarian.“

“On a more serious note, we do need allies too. There’s no guarantee of what will happen, and we’re at a disadvantage,” Lucian added. “Alright, assuming this is settled, we need to get a move on. The transport unit is moving closer.”

Lucian pointed outside, at a small transport unit moving at a moderate speed towards them. It was a bit wobbly, perhaps from its own weight and the lack of maintenance.

"You were using this...?" Chelsea asked. For the first time, the happy charade she presented so far gave way to an odd, uncharacteristic uncertainty.

"Yes," Lucian answered, his tone blunt. "I mean, this is the fastest way we could get to the northern area."

"We have someone to save there, too," Elliot added.

"I get it, I'll do my utmost to help, too, but, how are you going to keep it stable? This really doesn't look good for a long-distance travel."

"I can help with that."

As the transport unit's door slid open, Elliot stepped in first, then sat on the side, touching the wall with one hand. When he closed his eyes, a greenish glow surrounded the unit as its parts were restored, though not to a pristine condition.

[Minor Restoration]

Though it didn't return to its original, pristine state, it looked way more safer, and the unit no longer wobbled with the slightest weight.

"Come on in, it's safe. I'll enhance the restoration if needed."

"Thanks, Elliot," Lucien nodded in approval, then he stepped in. "No need to make it like new or anything. We can deal with a bit of swinging."

"Right, yeah," Izabel nodded. "You're our sole healer. Don't push yourself too much. We can just jump later."

"Got it, then. Let me know if you have to do it again."

With that, the unit started to move, guided only by what little systems remained functional after that fateful day.

—

"Vuer, what do you think that moth is talking about?"

The tower's territory looked a bit messy, remains of battle marring the forests and some of the tower's walls. Under her orders, the tower had started the repair process, each molecule forming bit by bit as the seconds tick by. Though she was able to make it go faster, she decided to repair it following the upticks of her mana regeneration, in case another challenger shows up.

"I cannot tell you that, either. There's not enough information," the dragon replied.

"Khaom, huh..." Alice muttered, "Was it the name of their system?"

"Most likely, yes."

Alice went silent, gears turning in her head.

Considering the visits, it seems that more and more people have started to flock to the tower, netting her some more food samples.

[Eggs]

[Sausage]

[Breakfast Wrap]

[Rations]

... Well, she could consider herself lucky, as one of the visitors had brought some fresh food from a preservation unit, and the tower did allow her to perform [Fragmentation and Creation] on each of its components, allowing her to both create the individual food items and the combined version. The rations came from the second party, as one person told her that they used to go on trips a lot before the apocalypse happened.

A promise to double the food borrowed was enough for them to allow her to take the samples.

Alice eyed the other notification she hasn't opened yet since she leveled up, and ordered the tower to open it.

[New feature unlocked - Tower Communication]

[Communication attempt remaining: 1]

[1 pending communication request]

She raised her eyebrows at the request.

"Is this related to how there are ten towers?" Alice asked.

"Yes, it is. From what I know, this feature exists so the towers can cooperate. However, I think you should note that from the internal system, I can see that to get another communication attempt, the tower will need a lot of stockpiled mana."

"It needs mana?"

"Of course. After all, mana is basically the Defiers' currency, even if it regenerates rather quick."

"Hmm, okay, that aside..."

She ordered the tower to open the request.

From the corner of her eyes, Alice saw that the tower glowed for a moment, before it faded as a notification was projected in front of her.

[Establishing communication...]

[Contact source: Defier of Desche]

As the notification disappeared, there was

The screen in front of her flickered to life, then, a video feed was projected in front of Alice. On the other side of the screen, there was a man, sitting cross-legged on the side of his bed. He wore a long, white hooded cloak that reached down to his ankles, while the hood of his cloak covered what seemed like long, fluffy blond hair. His blue eyes and smile carried a twinkle of mischief.

Behind him, though unfocused, Alice saw a grid of hexagonal blue, and every so often, it shook and vibrated, giving the impression of a disturbance.

"Hey there, Defier of Vuerga... Well, at least, that is how the system refers to you. I'm Erzen Blair, and as you probably saw, I'm the Defier of Desche."

Right as he finished speaking, a profile screen appeared in front of Alice.

[Erzen Blair]

[System: Desche]

[Level 7 Defier]

"I'm Alice," she replied, allowing the tower to project her profile screen to the other party as well. "Why are you contacting me?"

"Well, the other tower I tried to contact haven't answered at all. To be honest, one reason is--"

The screen shook, harder than before, and for a moment, the blue hexagonal patterns behind Erzen faded. He did not seem perturbed in the slightest, and simply waited as the patterns reappeared.

"I could use some help. Have you planted your [Gaze] at someone?"

He sounded sincere, even as his expression did not change despite the chaotic situation that seemed to be happening in his territory, if the shaking and sounds were anything to go by. Just before she answered, Vuer gave her a mental warning to not divulge who held her [Gaze] to just anyone.

"Ah, I--"

"Please," he pleaded. "You are the only other tower close enough for me to try contacting with a reasonable amount of mana, and the other tower didn't even answer. I can't open my territory to untrained visitors, or the situation will worsen. This is my only option."

The periodic shaking of the hexagonal grid behind him only reinforced the truth of his plea. Though Alice was a bit skeptical, too many unknown factors preventing her from just saying yes right off the bat, something felt wrong, and she knew all too well the feeling of having to face something alone.

Right now, as a Defier, Alice was mostly alone save for Vuer, both confined in their territory with no contact to the outside world.

"I understand. I will try to do what I can."

"Thank you," Erzen exhaled in relief. As he did, a small, blue armadillo appeared in the air, mostly curled into a ball save for the peeking snout.

"Dede, how much time do we have left?"

"As long as their numbers don't increase too much, the tower can still outrecover them while they get whittled down. However, we can't let this keep going," the creature replied.

"Okay, thanks. Sorry for the burden, Dede. I'll wrap this up in a bit," Erzen said.

The creature disappeared, and then, Eizen looked at the screen again. "Alice, I know there's still so much we don't know, but, if you still can't trust me, I have a little offer. It might not compare to the help you'll give me, but I already know what my tower represents. I'll tell you if you help me. If you haven't found what yours is, it might be of help."

"It might be useful, if what that moth from Khaom said is anything to go by," Vuer added.

"I can't promise anything, Erzen, but I'll try," Alice nodded. "I'll contact you later."

"Thank you, that's already an improvement right now. Contact me as soon as you can, Alice. Our towers have established a link, so it won't take too much mana for us to contact each other."

Erzen reached forward, intending to shut off the communication. Before he did so, he stopped and said again.

"Really, thank you, Alice. You're my only hope."

Alice nodded, and then, the communication was ended, leaving both her and Vuer in silence.