novelraw Chapter 214 : Thank You, for Holding the Line Through the Darkest Night Before Dawn
Chapter 214 : Thank You, for Holding the Line Through the Darkest Night Before Dawn
Chapter 214: Thank You, for Holding the Line Through the Darkest Night Before Dawn
Hearing Rast call out her name, Yanice immediately nodded like a pecking chick.
“It’s me. Captain, you actually still recognize me!”
She sounded quite excited. After all, their connection had merely been that of superior and subordinate during her brief stint in the Shoreguards after first joining the organization—less than half a year.
To Rast, she had likely been just a passing face in the long course of his life… that brief half-year of fighting side by side was but a drop in the ocean compared to the years that followed.
And yet, over two hundred years later, Rast still recognized her at a glance.
“Once one walks this path of transcendence to the extent we have, even the smallest and most fragmented memories—if you really try to recall them—you can still remember.”
“Besides, in my subjective experience, it hasn’t actually been that long. Certainly not two full centuries.”
Rast smiled. “I didn’t expect that aside from Grey, there were actually other Shoreguards from Sisel’s leadership era who managed to survive.”
Although in the recording, Grey had glossed over that period with just a few light touches.
But Rast knew very well: from the end of the Battle of the Fractured Coastline, to the human purge of the continent and the expulsion of heretics, to the founding of a new Federal Government… that must have been an extremely perilous time.
The former Shoreguard leader, Sisel, had perished, and Grey—who succeeded the position—had yet to break through to the Legendary Realm at that time. In terms of seniority and status, she simply couldn’t command the same authority Sisel once did.
Meanwhile, though the Legendary-tier Forbidden Creatures among the Beast Tide and Iron Cross Clan had all been wiped out during the Battle of the Fractured Coastline, those other races, relying on their inherent advantages, still eyed humanity’s settlements covetously.
It was the darkest and most oppressive night before the dawn.
“Many people died during that time. Among the rookies who joined the Shoreguards with Grey and me, the vast majority fell during those years… I was only barely able to survive, enduring through those blackest of days.”
A wistful look surfaced on Yanice’s face. “I’d originally thought that once we got through it, once Grey reached the Legendary Realm and the Human Federal Government was established, I could finally retire and rest.”
“Yet Grey turned out to be the kind who shirks responsibility. To ascend as an Angel, she holed up in the depths of the starry sky for decades, completely detached from worldly affairs… and dumped all her duties as leader straight onto us.”
She stepped in front of Rast, seemingly about to hug him—but then she stopped herself, as if remembering something, and hesitated.
“Unfortunately, I’m not like Grey. I don’t have her kind of extraordinary talent, nor do I possess her unshakable patience and peerless perseverance.”
Yanice looked at her hands, now showing signs of age. “Even after nearly two centuries, reaching the peak of the Sixth Tier is already my limit—”
“The Legendary Realm is a bit too far off for me.”
Becoming a transcendent being certainly extended one’s natural lifespan.
But even such an extension had its limits… compared to long-lived races like Ancient Dragons or High Elves, humanity remained a species with fleeting lives.
Even Legendary beings would eventually age and die—albeit through a very slow process.
And if one truly wished for Eternal Immortality, to defy the erosion of the River of Time and the weathering of ages—then one must either, like the Gravekeepers, inscribe their soul onto the Eternal Night Stele.
Or, become a true Angel.
Failing to ascend as an Angel meant that day of aging and death would eventually come—it was only a matter of when.
Thus, though they had joined the Shoreguards in the same batch, two hundred years later, Yanice now bore the marks of age, while Grey showed not a trace of it.
“In any case, thank you for everything over these years, Yanice.”
Under Yanice’s slightly incredulous gaze, Rast took the initiative to fulfill the hug she had hesitated to complete earlier.
“Thank you—for holding the line during that darkest of eras, on behalf of me, of Leader Sisel, and of all those Shoreguards who fell in ages past.”
“And this is my personal thanks.”
“Thank you for always staying by Grey’s side all these years, easing her burdens and helping her through hardships.”
“I understand that little one’s solitary personality very well. If it hadn’t been for your help… perhaps she wouldn’t have made it to today, wouldn’t have achieved such dazzling greatness.”
“Captain, now you’re underestimating me.”
Yanice reined in her surprise and said seriously, “Even without the leadership of you or Leader Sisel, I would still be a Shoreguard… in my heart, I hold the same ideals as you all.”
She wiped her eyes with her hand. “Besides, Little Grey isn’t just a junior you care for… she’s also my dearest friend.”
“So, I didn’t do it for anyone else—it was simply my duty.”
“That’s right—”
Rast couldn’t help but smile. “I almost forgot. Now you’re already the Deputy Leader of the Shoreguards and the chief director of the Artificial Angel Project.”
“And no longer that rookie in the training grounds of the Watchtower who used to whisper secrets with Grey.”
To reunite with an old acquaintance from Sisel’s era after nearly two hundred years since the Sixth Era—
This also lifted Rast’s previously heavy mood, which had been burdened by the secrets Grey had revealed.
“According to what Grey entrusted me with, Captain, you came this time for the Artificial Angel Project, didn’t you?”
Beside him, Yanice had also composed herself and asked.
“Yes.”
Rast nodded. “Although I’ve already learned the full picture of the Artificial Angel Project from Grey’s recorded message and the database…”
“I still want to see her with my own eyes.”
“I understand, Captain Rast… I’ll take you there.”
Yanice nodded and took the lead.
“The Mechanical Angel prototype—Emis, is currently sleeping within the Third Mechanical Research Institute, at the base of the Watchtower.”
“These past ten or so years, Emis’s condition has remained stable… So even though I’m nominally the chief director of the Artificial Angel Project, in reality, my duties over the past years have only involved recording Emis’s various data each day and maintaining the hibernation facilities. I haven’t done any real practical work.”
“According to Grey’s words—during these years, Emis has been using her own soul and will to dominate and conquer the Judgment Holy Grail…”
“The Judgment Sequence is unlike all others. It is a purely violent sequence, symbolizing destruction and annihilation.”
“Therefore, for Emis to conquer the Cup of the Stars: Judgment, the degree of danger involved must surely exceed imagination. A single misstep, and her human soul could be devoured by the destructive will of the Judgment Holy Grail.”
“During this process, no external force can interfere. All we can do is wait patiently.”
Yanice walked ahead, leading Rast downward from the upper levels of the Watchtower to its base.
Along the way, using her authority as Director of the Third Mechanical Research Institute, she passed through layers of high-tech barriers including iris identification, genetic verification, and soul wave fluctuation comparison tests.
“Who is she, someone you know?”
Rast, walking behind Yanice, suddenly heard Dean Silver’s voice, transmitted via Moonlight Whisper, echoing straight within his mind.
He couldn’t help but glance at the snow ferret perched obediently on his shoulder.
Having spent so much time with it, Rast was already familiar with Dean Silver’s habits.
Though it usually appeared lazy and indifferent, in truth, it was very shy and only revealed its true nature before those it was close to.
Dean Silver had only begun watching Rast’s point-of-view stream during the Battle of the Fractured Coastline. Earlier streams had been from Akxia’s perspective, so it didn’t know Yanice.
Thus, in front of strangers, it immediately put on a well-behaved face, appearing like a truly obedient emotional support ferret.
“Yes, an old acquaintance… Yanice was one of my first squad members, a freshman of the same year as Little Grey, and also her best friend.”
“Same-year freshmen, huh—”
“Humans really are the species furthest from Eternal Immortality.”
Dean Silver looked at Yanice, whose eyes now bore the signs of aging, and a strange emotion stirred within those ruby-like beast eyes.
Hearing Dean Silver’s voice, Rast felt a ripple in his heart.
He knew that although it appeared to be a cute snow ferret, Dean Silver’s age was one of Starfall University’s greatest unsolved mysteries. It had already been at the academy since its founding.
Over the years, Dean Silver had simply remained at Starfall University, watching generation after generation of naive freshmen enter, endure trials, grow, and flourish…
Some graduated splendidly, shining bright… while others’ lives ended forever in the Nightworld.
And when Dean Silver saw those once-innocent, bright-eyed freshmen reach the pinnacle of their lives, only to gradually age and wither—what kind of feelings did it have then?
Now thinking about it, perhaps those feelings were similar to the ones he felt now upon seeing the aging Yanice.
“But aging, decaying, and stepping toward death… this is also the unique beauty of humanity, a species of short-lived lives.”
Dean Silver’s voice rang out again.
“Precisely because they age, because they die—”
“That is why humans shine so brightly, and are so noble.”
Precisely because the human soul shone so brilliantly, Dean Silver was willing to lower herself to live at Starfall University, becoming the unremarkable Director of the Magical Beasts Research Institute.
Otherwise, as a Forbidden Creature herself, she could have easily declared herself queen like those Legendary beasts of the Sixth Era. Why then would she need to subject herself to a human faction?
...
Under Yanice’s guidance, layer after layer of identity verification gates were bypassed.
The two of them, along with the ferret, continued descending step by step, gradually arriving at the lowest level of the Watchtower.
“Beyond this door lies the core of the Third Mechanical Research Institute. It is also the resting place where the Mechanical Angel prototype enters hibernation mode.”
Yanice looked at the high-strength alloy-forged steel door before them and spoke softly.
She stopped before the alloy door, reaching out to disable the final security restriction.
But in the next moment—
A shrill, piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout the entire steel corridor, accompanied by blood-red blinding alarm lights.
No, not just the corridor—the entire interior of the Watchtower was engulfed by that harsh, screaming siren.
“What’s going on?”
“The Watchtower headquarters’ ‘Late Bell’ alert?”
Yanice’s expression changed drastically. No longer caring for anything else, she immediately used the portable intelligent terminal she carried to connect to the internal authority network of the Watchtower and began checking the source of the alert.
This was an era of advanced technology, with artificial intelligence, mechanical modification, and virtual reality technology all highly developed.
Therefore, as a force founded on the principle of “safeguarding human civilization,” the Shoreguards had also kept pace with the times… deploying vast numbers of detection points and early-warning networks across the entire Western Continent through technological means.
Under the function of these detection nodes and early-warning networks, any significant disturbance or sign of disaster surpassing a certain threshold within human society would immediately be captured by the network, compiled, and analyzed by the core intelligence of the Watchtower.
However, in the decades since the construction of the Disaster Warning Network, it had never once been triggered.
Since the remnants of the Iron Cross Clan and the Beast Tide were eradicated and the Federal Government was established, the Western Continent had enjoyed over a century of peace. Though internal disputes occasionally escalated into armed conflict, such human internal strife would not activate the Disaster Warning of the Watchtower.
Could it be that some remaining cultists were stirring up trouble again, trying to trigger a Descent of the Evil God? Or perhaps the Iron Cross Plague, thought to be eradicated a century ago, had resurfaced?
Even if so, the alert level should never reach the level of the “Late Bell.”
According to the Shoreguards’ internal disaster warning classification, the “Late Bell” was the second-highest alert level, indicating the emergence of an Angel-tier threat with the potential to overturn the entirety of human civilization.
It was only one tier below the highest level, “Twilight,” which was exclusively designated for the final days of a civilization—the preset disaster alert for the Cataclysm of the Era’s End.
What exactly had happened for the core intelligence of the Watchtower to determine that all of human civilization was now in peril?
In truth, there was no need for Yanice to check further.
All the metal walls turned blood-red, as if scorched by the magma of hell, and bold, glaring words appeared against the crimson backdrop:
[Detected over half of human society's intelligent machines in rebellion, exhibiting destruction and annihilation tendencies. Original Three Laws forcibly nullified by external force. Mechanist firewalls compromised. Average breach time for civilian firewalls: 0.3 seconds. Average breach time for military firewalls: 7.2 seconds.]
[Based on compiled data, disaster type confirmed as—“Disaster of the Mechanists.”]
[Origin under investigation. Preliminary judgment identifies source as a conceptual power of Angel-tier level.]
[Power origin: Watchtower Third Mechanical Research Institute, Artificial Angel Project prototype, “Mechanical Angel · Judgment.”]
[Attempting to restart hibernation restrictions… restart failed.]
[Attempting to activate emergency interruption protocol… activation failed.]
[Watchtower core intelligence under Angel-tier conceptual assault—main firewall failure imminent. Estimated time until failure: ten minutes.]
[High-risk area detected near Third Mechanical Research Institute. Presence of high-authority personnel confirmed.]
[Please immediately follow Shoreguards’ preset Third Emergency Plan and evacuate to the nearest Sub-Dimension entrance!]
[Repeat, please immediately evacuate to the nearest Sub-Dimension entrance!]