Chapter 167: Ex. Generation Zero

It was a mess. But what was important was that Nair was able to receive the report on time... or at least, it was that.

"So, you are telling me you have not reported that Terrence had arrived? Didn’t you read the description? Any random or not normal event should be reported immediately. Terrence’s presence is definitely one of them!"

Nair’s voice was sharp and authoritative, clearly not intending to let them pass with flying colors.

Visible on her face was a mix of worry and disappointment, but at least there was a small feeling that she would be able to turn things around.

’Lady Commander is on an expedition. Out of all times, why does it have to be now?’

Nair bit her lip as she scanned through the digital tablet she was holding. Then, after scrolling for a moment, she stopped upon seeing one specific contact.

She sent a quick message to this person, then turned her cold glaze back to Filmos and Trillo.

"You will receive your punishment after this mission. For now, you have to make sure that everyone stays safe."

Filmos swallowed hard, his throat dry as bone. But Trillo still hadn’t recovered his composure.

"Hey, are you good?" Filmos asked, noticing his partner looking unwell.

Trillo shook his head, his hands visibly trembling at his sides. "People deep underground in subterranean sectors are wild and powerful. There’s a reason why they were stationed there. At each entrance and exit, there is a powerful guardian protecting that single passage."

"And?" Filmos asked, still not fully grasping the danger.

"Terrence is down there. He is furious—you saw him, right?"

Filmos nodded slowly.

"There’s a massive chance that Terrence might anger the guardian. Even if Terrence dies, the result for the entire city will still be catastrophic."

Before Filmos could even reply, the earth violently shook, completely shattering the peace within the city. The tremor didn’t stop quickly; it lasted for at least a full, agonizing minute, causing dust to rain down from the surrounding stone buildings.

Surface citizens rushed out onto the streets in terror to find safety. But most specifically, the squad the Lady Commander had dropped at Suran City immediately spring into action, rushing straight toward the central citadel’s underground entrance.

Soon, Filmos and Trillo joined the team, their boots pounding heavy against the cracked pavement.

"This could be Terrence and the guardian already fighting down there," Trillo muttered through gritted teeth, his face pale with dread. "Oh boy... I don’t know how we will even make the guardian calm down after this."

Filmos didn’t reply. He gripped his weapon tightly and focused all his energy on following the squad’s navigation straight down toward the subterranean gate.

Nair, along with seven specialized operatives who had arrived immediately after the report, led the way. Together with Trillo and Filmos, the group of ten quickly navigated the winding corridors until they found the massive, spiral staircase leading down to the underground cell network.

From a distance, two heavily armed guards spotted the advancing group. They immediately raised their rifle-equipped spears, pointing the lethal tips directly at them as soon as they sensed their approach.

"Halt right there! No one is allowed past this point!" one guard barked, his knuckles white around his weapon.

Nair didn’t budge or slow her pace. The nine squad members behind her stopped instantly upon her raised hand command, but Nair strode straight forward without a shred of worry. She reached into her coat and produced a golden badge, displaying an intricate carving and a high-ranking symbol of immense authority.

The guards squinted, noticing the radiant crest, though they didn’t fully understand its absolute weight.

"Uhm... who could you really be?" the head guard asked, lowering his spear just an inch while looking back and forth between Nair and her fully equipped squad. "All I see is that you are... from the First Company of Nara City. But even so, why are you here interfering with Suran City business?"

Nair met his gaze with an icy, unwavering stare.

"We are here to respond," Nair replied immediately, her voice carrying an absolute edge that left no room for argument. "Someone powerful has entered the subterranean sector without your notice. And before the worst possible scenario unfolds, we are here to stop it."

The two guards looked at each other, sweating beneath their iron helmets. Shaking their heads, they slowly stepped aside, clearing the path to the heavy iron grate behind them.

"We don’t care anymore. Just enter," the guard grumbled, waving them through. "But whatever happens down there, Nara City will answer directly to our city administration!"

Nair didn’t waste her breath on a reply. She simply gestured forward and commanded her subordinates to follow her down into the darkness.

As the squad began their rapid descent down the long, echoing spiral steps, the air grew noticeably colder, thick with moisture and the sharp, metallic tang of raw mana. The faint sound of muffled, explosive thuds echoed from deep within the earth, making the stone walls vibrate beneath their fingertips.

"How bad is it really down there?" Filmos asked in a hushed whisper, stepping beside Trillo as they traversed the wet steps.

"If the structural integrity of the Generation Zero layer collapses from their fight, the entire central square above will sink into a sinkhole," Trillo whispered back, his eyes darting anxiously around the dark arches. "And that’s assuming the guardian doesn’t decide to massacre everyone who crosses his path first."

The group reached the bottom of the staircase and carefully fanned out into the dimly lit, cavernous sewage corridor. Thick smoke and gray dust hung heavily in the stagnant air, reducing visibility to just a few paces ahead.

Nair held up her hand, signaling the squad to freeze.

Dead silence fell over the corridor, broken only by the steady dripping of water from the ceiling and the heavy, rhythmic panting of someone catching their breath.

As the dust slowly settled in the dim glow of a flickering yellow lantern, a dark, imposing silhouette became visible just a few yards away in the middle of the ruined path.

Filmos gasped, his breath catching in his chest as his eyes widened in sheer shock.

Standing motionless amid a sea of shattered stone craters was a single figure. His clothes were torn and singed with lightning marks, but his posture was upright, radiating a cold, dangerous pressure that made everyone’s skin crawl.

It was Terrence.

And beneath his boot, pinned effortlessly against the wet cobblestones, lay the unconscious, bloody body of the terrifying yellow-eyed guardian, his pale-yellow lightning completely extinguished. Terrence stood there in the quiet gloom, one foot planted firmly on top of the ancient entity he had just brought to his knees.