“… Good news and bad news.”
Gazing at Canary, Mini Bubble Gum, and Lydia, Rhode spread his arms apart helplessly and said.
“Good news: we know where this place is, at the very least. Based on the things I found earlier, we’re now deep inside a moon base. As for the bad news, this isn’t the region where we came from in our real world.”
“Isn’t that a good thing, Leader?”
After hearing his words, Mini Bubble Gum seemed relatively optimistic.
“Since this isn’t our region, that means we can defeat them all! Since they attacked us, they are definitely hostile. Besides, we may have already exposed our identities here. In order to not create any more problems, why don’t we just eliminate them all?!”
After hearing Mini Bubble Gum’s remarks, Canary knitted her brows. Neither did she agree nor reject her suggestion. She also felt like it was impossible to be treated amicably here. This was why they might as well kill them all, so they could at least escape and avoid capture. But this time, Rhode shook his head and denied Mini Bubble Gum.
“No, we can’t leave this place for now. It would be best if we can gain control over this base. Since we arrived here, it means their signaling position is within this base. We have to find the connection between the two, so…”
“Rather than leaving this place, we are better off controlling the area and conducting an investigation. That’s my leader! I love this bold idea!”
All of a sudden, Mini Bubble Gum became excited, while Canary rolled her eyes and kept quiet. Well, she couldn’t be blamed. After confirming that this was her ‘native home’, she felt mixed emotions. Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were ‘good citizens’ who obeyed the law and hadn’t been treated to tea by any police officers in a police station before. And now, they had actually attacked an official army of a country. Moreover, they weren’t weak, fragile young ladies anymore, but were strong, formidable beings instead. The battle against the steel machines earlier boosted their confidence and now, Mini Bubble Gum was like one who had coincidentally awakened mysterious powers and in a delusion to take over the world.
“All in all, put this on first,” Rhode said, tossing two sets of fully-sealed armor and helmets to Canary and Mini Bubble Gum.
“Since we know where we are, we have to act cautiously so as to not reveal our identities. You know it. Just stay out of trouble.”
“Okay, Rhode.”
Upon hearing Rhode’s words, Canary nodded in response and put on the armor and helmet. She understood what he meant. Since this was their original world, it meant that Bubble’s and her original selves were in this world. If people in this world spotted their true identities through surveillance means, they would be in trouble. This was why, for safety, they had to prepare and not reveal themselves to others. Even though it might be too late now, it was better than not taking precautions.
Not only Mini Bubble Gum and Canary, but Rhode also put on the helmet. Logically speaking, even though Rhode was considered ‘missing’ or ‘dead’ in this world, he could never be too careful. As for Lydia, she didn’t need the space equipment as she wasn’t a being of this world in the first place. Besides, Rhode also didn’t believe that anyone would have a pair of archangel’s wings like Lydia… if someone like her existed on earth, wouldn’t the news have spread all over the world by now?
Shortly after, Rhode made his decision. Due to time constraints, he didn’t explain the situation to Lydia. After all, it was only after a few minutes after they defeated the steel machines. Upon realizing the terrible situation, they would definitely send in reinforcements. Rhode’s group had to take control of this base as soon as possible.
“Let’s take the elevators that were used to transport the machines. Remember, we may possibly face strong resistance and try not to kill anyone. But we don’t have to hold back if they attack us, Your Highness Lydia…” Rhode said, turning to the archangel with narrowed eyes. “… I know you have a lot of doubts now, but now isn’t the time for explanations. I will fill you in after we settle down.”
“Got it, Your Majesty Rhode.”
Lydia wasn’t a sluggish person, so it went without saying that she noticed the strange behaviors from Rhode and the rest. However, she also knew that this wasn’t a suitable time for clarifications, which was why she nodded in response and buried her doubts. But later on, Lydia witnessed a strange smile on Rhode’s face.
“By the way, Your Highness Lydia, face the enemies head-on, if possible.”
“Me?”
After hearing his remarks, Lydia asked in surprise. Rhode nodded.
“That’s right, Your Highness Lydia. I do understand this world to a certain extent. The steel machines we faced earlier are considered high-end forces in this world, at least on the surface. With your strength, you shouldn’t need to be too worried. Besides… with your identity, I’m sure people will notice your presence. If you can garner most of their attention, I will be able to enter their central control room and see if I can gain total control. Once I succeed, I will send you a signal.”
“Okay, I got it.”
After listening to Rhode’s command, Lydia gave a short response and nodded. She lifted her head and gazed at the tall, vertical ventilation ducts ahead, before expanding her white, elegant wings. Then, she vanished in front of them and meanwhile, Rhode shifted his gaze away from her.
“Let’s get ready too.”
As Rhode predicted, it was complete chaos inside the moon base. Their sudden emergence in the reserve warehouse had triggered the security alerts. The soldiers had to admit that the instant they heard the sirens, their hearts began to pound. Well, they couldn’t be blamed for feeling so tense. After all, the enormous dragon earlier had given them tremendous pressure. As everyone knew, the mysterious dragon seemed to be searching for something in the area. Could it be that their luck was so bad that they ‘struck the lottery’?
But shortly after, what made everyone heave a sigh of relief was that there wasn’t any sign of the enormous dragon, based on the surveillance cameras. Despite that, they couldn’t let their guard down yet. The enemies had destroyed the auto-defense robots within a minute. No matter who they were, the soldiers had to be on alert against such formidable enemies. Shortly after, pairs of fully-armored soldiers got into position and ran toward the warehouse where the clash occurred.
“Damn it, why must we always be the ones getting attacked!”
One of the soldiers sprinted, turning and grumbling to his comrade. They didn’t know what was going through the heads of the research supervisors to command them to check out the situation just because the ‘surveillance system was damaged’. What a joke. The combat machines used for heavy suppression were all destroyed, so how could humans like them be strong enough to resist the enemies? Even though the enemies weren’t that almighty dragon, they were also tricky enough to deal with!
As the soldiers arrived at the warehouse, the leading soldier suddenly came to a halt.
“Sir, high-energy response spotted ahead!”
“Everyone take guard!”
After hearing the captain’s order, the soldiers dispersed immediately. They raised their weapons and aimed at the heavy, steel gate ahead. They had a reason to act cautiously because rays of light were escaping through the gap of the steel gate. The light was faint, but was increasing in brightness gradually. Shortly after, rays of light passed through the impenetrable steel gate like blade rays and the blinding light reached its peak.
Boom!
In a loud explosion and powerful impact, the steel gate instantly shattered and flew into the air. Then, a blinding ball of light flew out from within. Looking at this scene, the soldiers raised their weapons quickly, aiming at the intruder with uncertainty.
“Everyone get ready! Fir—”
But that was the end.
The full command almost left his mouth, but was forcefully held back as he stared at the terrifying scene. The soldiers also widened their eyes in bewilderment.
“T-This is…”
The dazzling brilliance enveloped everything in its path. A young lady donned in an incredibly-elegant, long dress drifted casually in the air. Her beautiful face was so pure and sweet. The pair of white, majestic wings behind her expanded to the sides, sprinkling glittering golden dust. This view was so beautiful that it enchanted the soldiers.
“Oh, Lord…”
Looking at this scene, many soldiers laid down their weapons and stared blankly at the young lady in disbelief and widened eyes.
“It seems like the plan worked.”
Upon sensing the situation outside, Rhode displayed a proud smile. He knew that even though religions existed in this world, none had truly witnessed divine emissaries. And now, this true archangel of Lydia showed up before them. Even if she didn’t lay a finger on them, her sacred aura was sufficient to bewitch the soldiers. So, the next move would be…
“Canary, Bubble, are you ready? It’s our turn now!”
“Of course, Leader!”
Upon hearing his question, Mini Bubble Gum turned around, smiled at him, and gave a thumbs up.
“Remember, no Russian!”
Ding——!
At the same time, the elevator doors opened.
