“So those weirdos in black are right,” Emily summarized brief explanation by Mamacia Cocogar. “Alcra Shaxter created an artificial entity with processing ability far surpass anything in Phantasia. And it lured us here.”

“But why?” Artos Sevar asked.

That was the state the 33 Stars was left in after Hikma descent into the lab

“Why don’t we ask him?”

Serina pointed to the hole, and without waiting for anyone, she jumped down.

…

The ragtag misfit of 33 Stars followed Serina down the rabbit hole and gazed upon the conclusion of this incident. Crowds of freed survivors of all races and stations nursed their wound, gawking in disbelief at the object in the middle of the room.

It was a giant orb of transparent ice stretching from the ground to the ceiling, coating the up and down of the room in a thin layer of frost. Magnolia and Emily — the spell-casting specialist — looked at the complex seal of ice and cold. There was no evidence of magical language in this spell. Instead, the orb of ice was like a natural phenomenon created by carving an intent on fabric reality. The surrounding space contorted with cold in form of an orb that seal an enemy inside the prison of eternal ice. Its structure reminded them of natural magical marvel of nature and circumstance rather than a product of mortal mage.

Hikma stood far away from the crowd, reflecting on the corpses of people he failed to save.

Amitate walked toward the knight in black stoically confessing his failure in front of Salazar Aztellic mutilated corpse. And for once, the demon displayed the trait beside rampant arrogance.

“Dude,” Amitate looked at Hikma with a new understanding. “That bastard betrays all of us this is what he deserves. There is no use crying over that scumbag.”

“I know.”

Serina joined them after regathering her subordinate scattered among the survivors.

“What is happening here? This isn’t average death trap.”

Before Hikma could explain, the room shook.

Hikma’s eyes widened in panic as Rem rang the telepathic emergency bell.

“The base is about the collapse. Everyone gather right now!”

[Paradiso]

…

The center of the underwater facility that was the home of PALISADE’s operation, the control room where all the hell started, got its roof blasted off with Rem at its epicenter. PALISADE exploded the entire space in its take-off, blasting Rem into the steel wall. The warped space would severely injure any unprepared A-ranker, but Rem’s [Aura] allowed him to get out relatively unscathed. Rem’s groggy vision registered the rouge AI blowing a massive crater through the roof and demolishing the underwater dome. The Paladin of Dawn stared, suspended in disbelief, for a mere second as his brain assembled the alarming string of facts.

Dome went bye-bye + Roof got wrecked= Nothing stopping the ocean.

Rem leapt to his feet and connected himself to the entire universal force with [Tenshou]. He threw his hand up to stall the unstoppable waterfall powered by the oceanic pressure and gravity, while sounding alarms through his telepathic hotline.

PALISADE went lose. I repeat! PALISADE escapes. The aquarium dome has collapsed. Secure the civilian and protect the base life-support by any means necessary. I will try to delay the ocean.

Rem funneled the raw infinite power to hold back countless cubic meter of water crashing down in the unprotected base. PALISADE pretty shaved most of the layer of roofs that could protect against the downpour. How much area was exposed again? Probably around the diameter of 3 football field put together. Given the math, that equated to area 70000-meter square — roughly the area of 560 Olympic swimming pool.

“Why the hell is this so heavy?” Rem gritted his teeth and held on to dear life as his cells and organ protested the overheating they were put through. His eyes blurred his. The knee beneath him buckled as blood rushed to his head. Raw willpower was the only thing that supported him, but Remus Breaker refused to fail without offering his all.

Rem’s brain didn’t have time for math, but with he was pretty good at it. If Rem weren’t crushed by the ocean, it would take him about half a minute to work out that he is being crashed by 1400000 cubic meters of water, which accounting water density, weighing in around about 1.4 megaton. To give an image that was roughly 7630 Jumbo jets.

A-rank or not, Rem won’t by moving thousands of Jumbo jets soon. The best he managed was delaying the inevitable.

…

Cytortia heard the alarm bells, but she knew her job would be more complicate than Hikma. Soon the entire ocean would flood the base, she doubted Rem could hold back the ocean for long, which mean she needed to hurry.

Cytortia jumped from her workstation, loaded up every EMP grenade she made, and sped into the entrance of Ehto’s hideout. She stared into the flames of waiting inferno and cast the strongest defense she could.

Ehto needed every bit of power to move them out of the ocean, so Cytortia must do everything in her power to ensure the thermal reactor powering the entire base didn’t snuff out.

…

The sea halted for a brief second, but soon accelerated downward. Droplet of water rained down onto the facility a moment later. Soon the drizzling rain became a downpour. A minute past the gurgling masses of liquid splashed upon the ground. Titanic volume of water slipped at the two-minutes mark before the soaking wet Rem caught it again. His teeth ground from the immense strain, but catching that slip took all his remaining tolerance points, leaving the raw force of stubbornness to hold for exactly 30 seconds.

2 minutes and thirty-seconds was all the time Rem could buy for his allies to get ready.

The last thing Rem feels was a wall of furious tide hammering every part of his body.

…

Water flooded the top half of the base in a second, but Ehto Shaxter wasn’t spending the hard-earn time Rem bought idling. Emergency thruster activated over the base to bring the underwater facility to the air, but PALISADE’s exit damaged the base structure significantly. And let be real, PALISADE wasn’t the type who invest into maintenance more than necessary , the base was suffering from degradation and Luxinna’s rampage left it in an incredibly fragile position.

Torrent of water crashed into Hikma's barrier. Meanwhile, a small portion of sea slammed upon Cytortia’s shield. Rem ate the fist the tidal wave a full brain ratttling force.

Through all its miracles, the metal structure broke the ocean surface before they snapped into pieces of floating metal wreckage in one thundering chorus.

…

In the sky, squares of darkness leading to the void opened around a cyan orb. From them various contraptions emerged, cladding the orb in a shell of metal. More geometric forged machinery began sliding into place. Gears and pistons whirled, as technological advances clicked into place. Assortment of weaponry booted online as daimond shaped core of hardware finished assembling. Metal rail lined with Mana crystal slid from the hidden compartment and extended to form two layers of concentric rings.

It was the true combat-ready form of PALISADE, as Alcra designed. A fully-armed global satellite capable of securing and commandeering the entire Phantasia. It was around 50 meters in size, which was positively puny compared to what the Horizon Dawn took down, but PALISADE’s brute size wasn’t its strong suit.

“What the hell is that?” Luxinna yelled, looking at the mechanical juggernaut

“Lux, I don’t think it is friendly,” said the dead-exhausted Melody.

Several plating of PALISADE’s diamond core slip opened and cyan-color Mana-laser with homing capability continuously poured out from the beehive of firing cylinder. The two knights witnessed countless laser beam falling on them like a downpour.

“Fuck me,” Melody groaned.

Luxinna said nothing as she pushed her frenemies behind her and threw a [Guard Flora] as an umbrella against the carnage.

Explosion bombarded the ocean. The elf gritted her teeth as the flood of power sent towers of water and steam flying around her. She caught sight of the blasted machine open its central canon and fired what was effectively an orbital canon right at her face.

The thick of energy massive enough to cover Luxinna’s entire field of viw and shaved out mountain in a single shot swallowed the duo and vaporized the ocean behind them.

…

Every was dark. The emergency light went out a moment before the base began its ascend. Sound of waves and trickled water periodically echoed across the room.

[Aegis]

A disk of [Conceptual Seal] glowing with light emerged from Hikma's hand, allowing him to survey the room. No major injury so far.

“What is happening?” Mamacia Cocogar asked.

“Yeah.” A newly rescued stranger yelled. “What the hell is this place can anyone explain to me what is going on.”

“How did we arrive here!?” said previous stranger drinking buddy. “What the hell did those creepy robots want with us.”

Hikma was briefed.

“Long story short: you guys are lured into a trap created by a hyperintelligent pseudo-astral supercomputer who plans to create a super army using your DNA to invade Phantasia. We reversed the situation, and removed its control from this facility, but it won’t go down that easily. If no one got more question, I need to finish the job. You guys stay here and try to stay alive.”

“No fucking way,” Sorin Enma yelled. “No one plan to make me a lab rat and get away with. Where the hell is the AI!?”

“Probably right outside,” Hikma used [Holy Lorde] and blew a tunnel leading to the sun. “But seriously, try to hide and don’t drown. I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“Like hell, just how bad this stupid AI is going to be.”

It was then the glow of cyan light soaked the room.

Hikma’s eyes widened. PALISADE sure wasn’t wasting time.

“We are under attack!”

[Paradiso]

Hikma strengthened the surrounding barrier.

[Aqua Genesis]

Current of water wrapped around them as a pseudo protective shell.

To add a finishing touch, Hikma threw his [Trinity] out as a barricade.

Despite his defense, the orbital laser worth of power engulfed him anyway.

…

For Magnolia, the event leading to her present was those of confusion. She had been tested and humbled against a merciless threat she wasn’t prepared to handle. Then she witnessed the revelation of the mage who surpassed her utterly. To make it worse, such a powerful figure was a true believer in the ideal she deemed irreverent before the result. Finishing this humiliation, the worst day in her life turned to be a trap concocted by a glorified calculator.

Magnolia’s heart almost collapsed as she swam to a nearby flaming wreckage. The previous overwhelming attack carve the base in two and threw the staggering survivors to the cold ocean — barely surviving by finding on pieces of floating debrises.

To make it worst the image of their opponent was clear to see.

A massive machine floated in the sky like a second sun. Its geometrical body shielded by mesmerizing rotation of concentric rings. The cyan core glowed like the eye of a cyclopean hunger as it scanned the crowds.

Magnolia felt the fight being sapped out of her. Beside her, the soaked Emily Aztellic was uncharacteristically nursing the unconscious Aryssa they dragged from the water. It was funny how immediate threat united arch-enemies.

“How do we beat this?” said Emily.

“I don’t think we can,” answered the despairing Magnolia.

The cyan gazed glowed.

“Emily,” Magnolia stifled a deluge of tear. “I don’t want to die.”

“Me neither.”

The cyan light turn into a blinding glowed to usher death. But as the moment, the fight and hope of the shambling masses hit the rock bottom flames an arrow of crimson metal storm homed into PALISADE with enough force to rock it, but despite the titanic hit she failed to do anything.

All eyes turned toward the tattered vampire. Her veil was gone, revealing a face of beautiful marred by crimson vein across her skin. But those crimson eyes weren’t running out of the fight.

“What the hell are you doing?” Serina yelled. “Get up! If we are going to die, then fight to the last breath. Where the hell did you shelve your dignity?”

Next to Joshua drew his knife and wondered what could he do with it. Yurica was getting up on her knee despite trembling by in boot.

One by one, fighting spirit returned. People picked up their weapons and amassed their Mana for the final stand. They knew the gesture was pointless. However, even beauty existed in such pointless thing.

PALISADE witnessed the insignificant defiance and fired another orbital cannon.

Everyone stated throwing down defensive barrier. A wall of blood-color steel, Screen of lightning, wind walls, curtain of water and fire—even together they all positive puny compared to PALISADE’s Mana scrambling laser fueled by countless micro-Mana reactors that together rivaled the power of an S-ranker. The result was given. Even if the hundred survivors poured their strength together, the AI's superior weapon and efficiency would defeat them all.

The mathematical superiority should be obvious, but despite its advantage. The defender halted that enormous attack. Some unexplainable strength surged into their bone. It was a feeling of home, where no misery could take place. The land of warmth and life took a hold of battlefield and granted the exhausted band of former competitor the strength they needed to repel the attack.

Magnolia felt the injection uplifting scent that slowly erased every ache and filling her near depleted Mana pool. Even her damp clothing was drying itself. A quick glance at Emily confirmed that this wasn’t an isolated incident.

“Is you Mana…”

“Yes,” the demoness gaped. “I can’t believe it. Whatever this is, it made every Mana potion in the world a walking joke.”

“Yeah!” A newly revitalized Amitate leapt to the top of the largest wreckage a challenge PALISADE. “Okay, you piece of junk. What else do you get!”

It was then they heard a voice they won’t forget.

“YOU MORON! GET DOWN AND STOP TEMPTING FATE! ALL THE INJURED QUE UP HERE. ANYONE THAT CAN MOVE, HELP ME COORDINATE THE DEFENCE! I WILL LAY THE ENCAMPMENT. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T STRAY OUT OF THE FORT!”

Everyone turned to the source of a voice. It came from a hooded girl wearing a mask and a robe. A translucent emerald brilliance of forest and scent of wood wafted from her. A familiar bloodied mage in helmet hung on her shoulder -- injured but still breathing

They all recognized that fashion sense.

“Another one?” Emily voiced what everybody thought. “Just how many of these freaks of nature are out there.”

“I can still…” Hikma protested him being carried like a potato sack.

“Can still fight?” Cytortia said in unquenched outraged. “You would have drowned if I didn’t make it. After that crushed femur, 3 fractured ribs, concussion, and those internal bleedings, you are in no position to do anything. Your job now is too still and let [Tir Na Soal] fix your sorry ass.”

The Chronicler promptly shut up as Cytortia, codename Saint, pulled out an alchemical firework she modified and shoot it up.

The symbol of hope dawn shone in the sky, signaling the conclusive battle against PALISADE.