Halochassis

In the city proper of Luminous City, everything was bustling with activity. The wide stone streets were crowded with merchants pushing wooden carts, low-level adventurers moving between shops, and ordinary citizens going about their daily routines. The voices of people blended together into a constant murmur, occasionally drowned out by the clatter of carriage wheels or the ringing of a distant blacksmith’s hammer. Above the streets, colorful banners fluttered between old stone buildings, their fabric snapping softly whenever the wind passed through the narrow gaps between the towers.

It was already noon, and the sunlight was pouring down upon the medieval city. Shin had decided to escape the noise for a while by going to the balcony on the fourth floor of the Librarium, where he could look down at the streets without being caught in the crowd. The balcony overlooked a large portion of the city, giving him a clear view of the tiled rooftops, bustling marketplaces, and winding streets that stretched toward the distant walls. In one hand, he held a goblet filled with a Manhattan cocktail, the reddish liquid catching the sunlight whenever he moved the glass. He lifted it to his lips and took a tiny sip, letting the bitter sweetness settle on his tongue before lowering the goblet again.

From where he stood, the city proper looked almost peaceful. The people below laughed, talked, and hurried through their routines without any apparent concern. There was no visible sign of the murders, violence, or chaos that is consuming the slums. No screams echoed through the streets, no buildings stood in ruins, and no blood stained the stones beneath his feet. It was almost unsettling how normal everything seemed, as though the horrors happening elsewhere belonged to another world entirely.

Shin leaned against the stone railing and continued watching the streets, his expression calm as he slowly swirled the drink in his goblet. The scent of alcohol mixed with the warm afternoon air, while the faint sounds of conversation drifted upward from below. He watched merchants haggle over prices and children chase one another between adults, his eyes moving lazily from one part of the street to another.

Then he spotted someone familiar.

A blonde man wearing round glasses was making his way through the crowd below. Even from the fourth floor, Shin immediately recognized him. The man looked tense, moving much faster than the people around him while repeatedly glancing over his shoulder.

“Aether,” Shin muttered under his breath.

As though he had somehow sensed Shin’s gaze, Aether suddenly looked upward. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Aether raised a hand in greeting. Shin responded with a small nod before turning away from the balcony. He took another brief sip from his goblet, then made his way toward the stairs leading down to the lobby of the Librarium.

When Shin reached the lobby, he found Aether waiting there.

The engineer was visibly sweating. His blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and the collar of his shirt had become damp from perspiration. His breathing was heavier than usual, and his eyes carried an urgency that immediately separated him from the calm atmosphere of the building. Aether’s gaze quickly dropped toward the goblet in Shin’s hand, and he squinted suspiciously at the liquor inside.

“Have you heard the news?” Aether asked breathlessly. “The headquarters of the Iron Bandits is being attacked!”

Shin’s expression barely changed. Instead, his eyes shifted toward the people nearby. He glanced to his left, then slowly turned to the right, checking whether any scholars or visitors were paying attention to their conversation. Once he was satisfied that nobody was listening, he took another calm look at Aether.

“Let’s go to my office,” Shin said nonchalantly.

The two of them climbed the stairs toward the upper floors. Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls as they passed several scholars carrying stacks of books and documents. Shin remained completely composed, walking at an ordinary pace as though they were discussing something as insignificant as a research project.

At one point, Shin passed one of his fellow scholars and gave the man a polite smile.

The scholar returned the greeting without a second thought.

Aether, however, could hardly believe what he was seeing. His fingers tightened around the edge of his sleeve as he watched Shin walk ahead of him without the slightest trace of panic. To Aether, Shin looked almost completely uncaring. Not only had Shin failed to react with surprise when he heard the news, but he had also shown no intention of rushing toward the battlefield.

It made Aether suspect that Shin had already known about the attack before he arrived.

Then there was the goblet in his hand.

Aether could still smell the liquor whenever Shin moved beside him. While their comrades were potentially fighting for their lives, Shin had been standing on a balcony, drinking a cocktail and calmly admiring the scenery of the city.

By the time they finally reached Shin’s office, Aether’s frustration had grown into a burning knot in his chest.

Shin opened the door, allowed Aether to enter, and followed him inside. The moment they were both in the room, Shin closed the door and locked it. The metallic click of the lock sounded strangely loud in the quiet office. Only then did Shin place his goblet carefully on a small side table.

“Aren’t you worried about our comrades?” Aether asked.

“Of course I’m worried,” Shin replied.

His voice was steady, almost too steady.

“But there is nothing we can do. Alexander, the Chosen One, is with the raiding party. Going there would be tantamount to suicide.”

Aether stared at him in disbelief. His brows furrowed, and his jaw tightened as he struggled to contain his anger.

“But still…” Aether clenched his fists until his knuckles turned pale. “What about Risha and Adzeel?”

“I already sent a raven,” Shin said. “They’re on their own.”

The words hit Aether like a slap.

“Fuck you,” Aether said through clenched teeth. “Seriously, fuck you, Shin. You’re just chilling on the fourth floor balcony while everything right there is happening.”

Shin did not flinch. He simply stood beside his desk, his gaze fixed calmly on Aether as though he had expected the outburst.

“If you want to go there and be a worthless hero, then so be it. I won’t stop you,” Shin said. His tone remained cold and controlled. “But I will tell you this: doing nothing is the best thing we can do right now. Jumping straight into a battle against an enemy that cannot be defeated is a fool’s errand.”

Aether’s teeth clenched harder. He wanted to argue.

He wanted to tell Shin that they could not simply abandon their comrades and pretend nothing was happening. He wanted to demand that Shin do something, anything, instead of standing safely inside an office while others risked their lives.

But every argument that came to his mind collapsed under the weight of Shin’s reasoning.

Alexander Goldheart was there. The Chosen One. The man whose power made confronting him almost impossible.

Aether knew exactly what that meant.

His fists slowly loosened as the anger drained from them, leaving behind a heavy sense of helplessness. His shoulders dropped, and he looked toward the floor. For several seconds, the office remained silent except for the faint ticking of a clock on the wall.

Aether gritted his teeth, but eventually ran out of words to rebut Shin.

After a few more seconds, he let out a long, exhausted sigh. The sound carried all the frustration he could no longer express.

“Fine. Give me one of those,” Aether said, pointing at the goblet of Manhattan on the side table.

Shin glanced at him for a moment before reaching for the bottle. He poured another drink into a clean glass, the reddish-brown liquid swirling beneath the light from the nearby window. The sharp scent of whiskey and vermouth quickly filled the quiet office. Aether grabbed the glass the moment Shin handed it to him and gulped down nearly half of it in one go.

The liquor burned down his throat, but Aether barely reacted. He lowered the glass and stared at the remaining drink as though he wanted to drown his frustration inside it. His shoulders were still tense, and his fingers remained wrapped tightly around the glass.

“Fucking hell. Is there really nothing we can do right now?” Aether asked.

“I think you already did what you can do,” Shin replied. He leaned back against his desk and calmly folded his arms. “You delivered Mastema’s Full Armor Module yet?”

“Yeah.” Aether took another smaller drink, allowing the alcohol to linger on his tongue before swallowing. “With Armaros’ Wing Buster Module, they can at least put up a good fight. They might even take one or two of the Celestial Wardens with them if they’re lucky. Well, maybe not the Chosen One and the Untouchable Windwalker, but still.”

Aether exhaled through his nose and looked toward Shin.

“Your Gamma Ray Module still needs some work, though.”

The mention of the modules briefly pulled Shin’s attention away from the current situation, but before he could respond, another thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

His eyes narrowed. A memory flooded back into his thoughts.

He remembered the grand conference at Cathedral Exa only a few hours earlier. He remembered the massive crowd of adventurers gathered in the courtyard, the Celestial Wardens standing above them, and the Chosen One delivering his passionate speech that had sent the gathered warriors into a frenzy.

More importantly, Shin remembered who had entered the portal.

He had watched the Celestial Wardens carefully as the groups departed, memorizing every face he could see.

One was missing.

Shin had never seen Saint Elwyn enter the portal.

As far as he could remember, Lireina had remained behind with Saint Elwyn while the other Celestial Wardens and the waves of adventurers proceeded into the slums. It was possible that Saint Elwyn eventually followed after Shin stopped watching, but there was no certainty that she had.

There was another detail that bothered him.

Saint Elwyn had not looked particularly enthusiastic during the Chosen One’s speech.

While the other adventurers were shouting and raising their weapons, Saint Elwyn had remained comparatively quiet. She had not shown the same excitement as the others, and there had been little indication that she was eager to participate in the massacre.

That small detail gave Shin an idea.

His gaze shifted toward Aether, who was already drinking again. Shin knew the stories surrounding him. He knew about Aether’s hatred toward Saint Elwyn and how badly the engineer wanted to kill her with his own hands.

Perhaps this was the opportunity they had been waiting for.

Shin slowly reached for his goblet and took a mouthful of Manhattan. The bitter taste spread across his tongue as he considered the possibilities. Then he lowered the glass and looked directly at Aether.

“Actually, we might be able to do something.”

Aether immediately looked up.

“Not in saving the Iron Bandits, though,” Shin continued. “But in fulfilling our grand objective.”

Aether’s expression changed from frustration to curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Saint Elwyn…” Shin paused for a moment, making sure his thoughts were clear. “She might still be in Cathedral Exa. Alone. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but it’s worth a shot.”

For a moment, Aether simply stared at him. Then his eyes widened. His grip suddenly loosened. The glass slipped from his hand and fell toward the floor.

“Let’s go get her, then.”

The empty glass struck the wooden floor with a sharp crack, but neither of them bothered to look at it. Aether was already turning toward the door, his previous frustration replaced by a completely different kind of determination.

Shin followed him out of the office.

The two quickly descended the stairs of the Librarium and returned to the busy streets of Luminous City. The city was still alive with activity despite the chaos unfolding elsewhere. Merchants continued calling out to potential customers, carts rattled over the stone roads, and the smell of freshly baked bread mixed with horse manure and the faint smoke coming from nearby workshops.

Neither man paid much attention to the scenery.

They moved quickly through the streets, weaving around pedestrians and keeping their heads low whenever they passed large groups of adventurers. Aether’s pace was noticeably faster than before, almost as though he were afraid that every passing second might give Saint Elwyn enough time to leave the cathedral.

Eventually, the massive structure of Cathedral Exa came into view.

The golden cathedral towered over the surrounding buildings, its enormous spires shining brightly beneath the afternoon sun. Its walls were constructed from pale stone and decorated with gold-trimmed arches, while enormous stained glass windows reflected the sunlight in brilliant colors.

Several towering statues stood along the path leading toward the cathedral.

Each one depicted a Celestial Warden.

Their stone faces watched over the streets with solemn expressions, their weapons and armor carved in exquisite detail. To ordinary citizens, the statues represented divine protection and hope. To Shin and Aether, they were reminders of the enemies they were preparing to confront.

As they approached the cathedral grounds, they immediately noticed something unusual. There were far fewer clerics than expected.

Normally, Cathedral Exa would have been filled with priests, acolytes, healers, and other servants of the church. Today, however, only a handful remained behind. The rest had seemingly been deployed elsewhere, most likely assisting the raiding party in the slums.

The cathedral felt strangely hollow.

The enormous halls still stood proudly, but many of the people who normally filled them were gone.

Shin and Aether continued forward until they reached the main entrance. Two crusaders stood guard in front of the massive gates.

Both wore polished armor that gleamed under the sunlight, and each carried a weapon at their side. Their posture was rigid and alert, clearly prepared to stop anyone suspicious from entering.

Shin immediately stopped. Aether nearly walked into him.

“Wait,” Shin whispered.

The two quickly moved behind a nearby stone wall, keeping themselves out of the crusaders’ line of sight. Aether cautiously leaned forward to peek around the corner before immediately pulling his head back.

The guards were still there.

Shin pressed his back against the wall and quietly studied the entrance. His eyes moved from the crusaders to the cathedral doors, then toward the surrounding buildings and possible escape routes.

He slowly exhaled.

“Looks like this is as far as we can go without any disguises,” Shin said. His voice remained low as he glanced toward Aether. “We have to plan for an attack.”

“I have a plan,” Aether said.

Shin raised an eyebrow.

Aether pointed toward the cathedral entrance with absolute confidence. “I will attack in the front. And you…” He paused, apparently struggling to formulate the rest of his brilliant strategy. He then pointed at Shin. “You will attack in the front.”

Aether hiccuped.

The sound echoed awkwardly between the two men and the stone wall behind them.

Shin slowly turned his head toward him. He stared at Aether with an expression of pure disbelief.

They were both tipsy from the Manhattan cocktails, and Shin was aware that his own judgment was not exactly at its sharpest. However, he had failed to account for one important factor.

Aether was apparently stupid when drunk.

“That’s your plan?” Shin asked, his voice flat.

Aether nodded proudly. “Yes.”

“It is the same plan twice.”

“It is twice as effective, then.”

Another hiccup escaped Aether.

Shin closed his eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache forming behind his forehead, and they had not even begun the attack yet.

Before Shin could stop him, Aether reached into his equipment and pulled out the Halochassis glove. The metallic device reflected the afternoon sunlight, its intricate mechanical components giving off faint clicks as Aether slipped it onto his hand.

“Aether, what are you doing?” Shin asked.

“Executing the plan.”

“That isn’t a plan.”

Aether ignored him.

He raised the gloved hand and whispered the activation code.

“Awaken, Samael.”

The moment the words left his lips, the Halochassis glove came alive.

A series of metallic components unfolded from the device with rapid mechanical clicks. Plates of armor expanded from his hand, raced up his arm, and spread across his shoulders and torso. Segments of black metal locked into place over his chest while white armor formed around his limbs. Bright blue energy began flowing through narrow channels in the armor, illuminating the seams with an unnatural glow.

The transformation continued in seconds.

Metal wrapped around Aether’s legs and feet before finally sealing around his head. A helmet formed over his face, accompanied by a sharp mechanical hiss as the visor illuminated with cold blue light.

When the transformation was complete, Samael stood nearly three meters tall.

The giant power armor towered over Shin, its broad frame casting a long shadow across the ground. White and black plating covered its body, while glowing blue lines ran through its armor like streams of concentrated energy. Behind Samael, a pair of enormous metallic wings unfolded with a thunderous mechanical clatter.

The sound immediately caught the attention of the two crusader guards.

They turned toward the source of the noise.

For several seconds, the guards simply stared.

The towering machine stood directly in front of the cathedral, practically impossible to miss. Its glowing eyes burned through the afternoon light, while its enormous wings spread behind it like those of some mechanical angel.

One of the crusaders reached for his weapon.

“What in the name of Goddess Exceria is that?!”

Samael did not answer.

The metallic wings behind him suddenly separated.

Dozens of individual segments detached from the larger structure, each one unfolding and reshaping in midair. Within seconds, the wings had transformed into a swarm of floating metal swords.

The blades hovered around Samael in perfect formation.

Then the tips began glowing blue.

Aether’s voice echoed from within the armor.

“Target acquired.”

The floating swords fired simultaneously.

Blue beams erupted from their tips, slicing through the air with enough force to make the surrounding stones vibrate. The crusaders barely had time to react before the concentrated energy struck them.

The entrance was engulfed in a brilliant blue flash.

The sound of the attack exploded across the cathedral grounds, followed by a violent shockwave that kicked dust and loose debris across the street.

When the light finally faded, the two crusader guards were gone. Only scorched marks remained where they had been standing.

Shin stared at the devastated entrance. Then he slowly looked toward Samael.

“You could have at least warned me.”

Samael turned his enormous helmet toward him.

“I thought it would be more dramatic.”

“You’re drunk.”

“I am victorious.”

“You’re still drunk.”

Samael ignored the comment. He stepped forward, his heavy metallic feet striking the stone pavement with loud, deliberate thuds. The floating swords continued circling around him as blue energy pulsed through their edges.

Then Aether’s voice boomed through Samael’s armor, loud enough to shake the cathedral gates.

“Saint Elwyn!”

The enormous mechanical wings spread behind him once more.

“I have returned!”

Samael raised one armored fist toward the cathedral.

“And I bring your destruction!”