The mushroom forest appeared vibrant and majestic, yet a strange atmosphere blanketed everything: there wasn't a single trace of a living creature. The extreme silence evoked an unusually hollow and uneasy feeling in their hearts.
"It's strange. Why isn't there a single living soul in a place like this?"
Shinji wondered aloud, his eyes scanning the surroundings incessantly. The others could only shake their heads; no one had an answer. Meanwhile, the two brothers, Lumber and Gumber, strolled along behind them, munching rhythmically on the Skily cakes from the ant tribe.
They continued their trek, the space filled only with the sound of wind whistling through the mushroom gaps and the rhythmic thud of their footsteps on the fine soil. Suddenly, Shinji's pace faltered. He caught a peculiar sound—the frantic flapping of wings echoing from afar.
"What was that sound?"
Strangely, no one heard it but Shinji. Omelet, flying ahead, turned back to reassure him.
"It's probably just the wind whistling through the mushroom caps, don't worry too much."
Above them, pure white clouds drifted so low they were level with the giant mushrooms. They felt very unusual, unlike natural water-vapor clouds; it felt as though they could fall at any moment. Omelet checked the leaf map again; they were still five miles away from the great tree Perga.
Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle sliced through the air. A massive object plummeted from above at a terrifying speed. They looked up, but before they could even figure out what it was, it had nearly hit the ground. The group instantly dove to either side.
BOOM!
The ground cracked open, and clouds of dust billowed upward. As the dust settled, the object lying in the crater wasn't a rock or a piece of metal, but... a clump of cloud. It had fallen with the weight of a thousand tons yet still looked white and fluffy. Lumber, driven by curiosity, stepped forward to touch it.
"What the hell is this? Do clouds just fall out of the sky now?"
It felt soft on the outside, but when pressed firmly, the interior was rock-hard, as if it were a boulder wrapped in a thick layer of wool. Seeing no sign of a threat, the group decided to ignore it and move on, as the deadline given to them by Odin was fast approaching.
However, as soon as Shinji's group vanished behind the giant mushrooms, the "cloud" began to writhe. A crack split open along its side, and from within, a demonic hand with razor-sharp claws thrust out, followed by a long bird-like beak that clicked together with a gruesome sound.
In the Heavenfield briefing room, the Grand Commanders had all gathered. Ares and Umi were already seated at the large round table, facing the stern and majestic Supreme Commander Odin.
"Hey grandpa, what's the big rush calling us here?"
Ares spoke up with his usual carefree attitude. Odin remained silent, not yet ready to answer. Just then, a shouting voice echoed from the hallway:
"Get out of my way!"
Grand Commander Prometheus arrived, looking enraged, his face perpetually set in an intimidating scowl. He yelled at the guards at the door before casually sitting down next to Ares, propping his long legs up on the round table. Ares sat with his arms crossed, waiting, while Umi sat perfectly upright, creating a sharp contrast in their demeanors.
Odin cleared his throat, breaking the tension with a piece of vital information:
"Tetsutaro just sent me something very interesting. The Sernik continent next to us has not yet been attacked by the demons."
Ares's eyes lit up with sudden interest.
"Ah, that sounds interesting. So, what do you want us to do, grandpa?
Back on that same morning at Tetsutaro's quarters, he pressed a button to open the heavy steel door. An automated lift system carried him up to the surface. The early morning sun shone upon the Commander's half-human, half-machine face.
"So fresh. Being the one who designed this place is quite handy—no one can tell me where I can or can't go."
Just as he was about to stretch and welcome the sunlight, Tetsutaro froze. Standing before him was a tall figure, clad in a heavy cloak and a mysterious mask. The stranger stood tall, clutching a shattered spear, with blood constantly dripping from his body.
Tetsutaro immediately went on high alert, his right arm transforming into a dark gun barrel as he slowly approached:
"Hey, who are you? What's your business here?"
The person didn't answer, only staring at him with hollow, deep eyes. A faint, raspy voice whispered:
"Drink..."
As soon as the word left his lips, the figure collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
Back in the present, the Grand Commanders now understood the situation. Umi spoke up:
"So, you want us to go there?"
Prometheus looked irritated and snapped:
"This is ridiculous. What's the point of doing something so useless?"
Odin answered calmly:
"It's not useless. If that place hasn't been invaded yet, it means there are still animals and humans there."
Ares immediately caught his grandfather's drift.
"Ah, so you want to go there to bring back livestock and more people, right?"
"Exactly. We need more food supplies and manpower."
Prometheus stood up and walked out first. Only Ares and Umi remained.
"The person from the Sernik continent is in the infirmary. If you're interested, go there and talk to him."
Odin said as he began to walk out as well.
"Ah Ares, I'm hungry. Go buy me something to eat."
Odin called back to Ares just as he stepped out the door.