Chapter 7

In a dimly lit room, the faint glow from crystal lamps cast shadows on the sturdy stone walls. The place was filled with a faint scent of metal, mixed with the smell of old wood from the shelves containing ancient documents. 

This was not just an ordinary meeting place. It was the command center of Anti-Solaris, an organization that operated in the shadows, opposing Helix's dominance by any means they had.

In the center of the room, a man sat calmly. His brown hair was slightly disheveled. A long black robe enveloped his body. Thin glasses perched on his nose, reflecting the dim light of the room every time he moved slightly.

In front of him, a woman stood tall, listening intently. There was no excessive expression on her face, just a sharp, focused gaze. Silence filled the room for a few seconds before the man finally spoke. 

"How's the progress on Project MANTARA?"

The woman didn't answer immediately. She seemed to think for a moment before finally saying, "The young man is still alive." 

The leader raised his thin eyebrows slightly. "Still alive?"

The woman nodded slowly. "More than that. It seems he's starting to undergo changes." 

The man didn't respond right away. His long fingers patiently tapped the surface of the wooden desk in front of him, creating a slow rhythm that was almost like a countdown.

"So, their experiment really succeeded," he muttered, more to himself. 

The woman in front of him remained silent, allowing the leader to think. The room fell silent for a moment before the man finally stood up. His robe fluttered slightly as he moved towards a long table in the corner of the room. 

On the table, a weapon lay calmly. A long spear, gleaming in the dim light. The spear was no ordinary weapon. A soft glow emanated from its blade, as if sacred energy had infused the metal. Intricate carvings adorned its handle, displaying ancient symbols that only a few could understand.

The Spear of Light. 

The man gazed at it for a long time, as if trying to understand something hidden behind it. 

"This weapon..." He muttered, his fingertips touching the spear's handle carefully. The woman behind him waited.

The man took a deep breath, then spoke in a whispery voice, "This weapon... is not just a human creation." 

The Spear of Light, a legendary weapon that shouldn't exist in this world. The brown-haired man looked at the weapon with a sharp gaze, as if trying to penetrate the secrets hidden within it. Behind his thin glasses, his eyes reflected the glow of light emanating from the spear's blade.

"I never thought we could obtain this," he said softly. 

The woman standing behind him remained silent, allowing the man to get lost in his own thoughts.

This spear was not just a weapon. It was a legacy of the terrifying event that shook the world about ten years ago—the Princeps Eruption Catastrophe. 

Back then, the sky was torn apart by Scourge energy, and the world was rained upon by black lightning that destroyed everything. Cities that were once majestic crumbled in an instant, swallowed by distortions in space and time. Monsters were born from the darkness, making humans their prey.

In the midst of that chaos, a light descended from the sky. Eyewitnesses who survived the disaster spoke of a glowing spear that appeared out of nowhere—a weapon said to be connected to the networks of God. 

Some religious leaders even believed that this spear was a gift from the Archangel Gabriel, while others speculated that it had a connection to the Princeps Cores, the main source of Scourge power. However, despite its extraordinary power, not just anyone could wield the Spear of Light.

The man sighed, his fingers hovering above the spear's handle without actually touching it. There was something that made him hesitant, something that bothered him. "It's pointless if we can't control it."

The woman behind him finally spoke up. "This weapon doesn't belong to ordinary humans." 

The man narrowed his eyes. "And that's what makes it dangerous."

No one knew for sure why this spear was so selective in choosing its users. Religious leaders believed that only those deemed sacred could wield it. 

The man adjusted his glasses, then gazed at the Spear of Light lying in front of him again. The spear still glowed faintly under the dim lighting of the room, as if it had a consciousness of its own.

"This weapon wasn't always like this," he said. 

The woman behind him listened intently. 

"This spear used to be just a fragment of one of the Princeps Cores, a shard of something larger, something that shouldn't exist in this world."

He stood up, stepping closer to the long table where the spear was placed. With the tip of his finger, he lightly tapped the metal surface without directly touching it. 

"Helix realized the potential of this fragment. They didn't want to let it become just an ancient artifact. So, they did something no one would have thought of—they turned it into a weapon to fight against monsters."

The woman's gaze changed slightly. "A Regnaria Core?" she muttered. 

The man nodded slowly. "A core from a Princeps entity—a creature born from Scourge energy. If someone could master a Princeps Core, they could control a small part of the power that once destroyed the world.”

Silence filled the room for a moment. 

"But there's one problem, to fully activate this spear, we need a large amount of Scourge energy—enough to create an imaginary spatial distortion in the reality dimension." 

The woman remained silent, allowing her mind to process the words. Scourge energy was not something that could be controlled easily. Even its mere existence was enough to cause massive destruction.

"So, that's why Helix keeps collecting Scourge energy?" she finally asked. 

The man smiled faintly. "Not just that." He turned around, gazing at the woman sharply. "Unfortunately, Helix doesn't just have this spear."

The brown-haired man looked at the woman in front of him with meaningful eyes. His hands were still clasped, while on the long table in front of him, the Spear of Light emitted a faint glow. However, their conversation was not yet finished. 

"Helix doesn't just have this spear," he repeated softly.

The woman straightened her body, listening intently. 

"They recently found a fragment of the Rod of Divinity in the ruins of the Atlantic Ocean floor." 

The woman's expression changed. "The Rod of Divinity... You're not joking, are you?"

The leader of Anti-Solaris sighed, then walked to the side of the room, opening an old wooden drawer and pulling out a document. He placed it on the table, then pushed it towards the woman. 

"According to legend or myth, the Rod of Divinity is a weapon once used by Prophet Moses to defy Pharaoh. With that staff, he showed miracles, parted the sea, turned water into blood, and brought various signs of God's greatness.”

The woman gazed at the document carefully. Inside, there was a sketch of an ancient staff that had broken into several pieces. 

"However, after centuries, this staff broke apart. Some of its fragments disappeared, scattered to various parts of the world." 

She pointed to a highlighted section in the document. 

"One of those fragments is known as The Guardian's Stone."

The woman furrowed her brow. "The Guardian's Stone?" 

"A crystal stone similar to the Princeps Core, but emitting an essence of absolute divinity." 

He walked back to the table, gazing at the Spear of Light, as if comparing it to the stone they were discussing. 

"Legend says that when Moses met God on Mount Sinai, something was left behind, proof of His existence. And this stone... supposedly is part of that proof."

The woman fell silent, trying to digest the words. 

"If The Guardian's Stone indeed has a divine essence, wouldn't that mean Helix could use it for-" 

"Yes," the man cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "For something even bigger than Project MANTARA.”

The room felt increasingly silent, as if the air around them was tense. However, there was one problem. Most of the fragments were still missing. 

The leader of Anti-Solaris adjusted his glasses, then spoke in a more serious tone. "Only one fragment has been found. Hidden inside a Catholic church in Rome."

The woman raised her eyebrow. "Rome? Under Vatican protection?" 

The man nodded. "The Vatican may not fully realize what they're protecting, but if that fragment falls into Helix's hands, they'll be one step closer to achieving their goal."

The woman crossed her arms over her chest, thinking for a moment. "What about the other fragments?" she asked. 

The leader of Anti-Solaris smiled faintly. "The other fragments..." He gazed at the document once more. "Remain a mystery."

The room remained silent, only the sound of the leader's breathing was audible. He leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ceiling lit by the dim lamp. "Retrieving this fragment won't be an easy task," he said, his voice heavy.

The woman in front of him remained silent, allowing their leader to speak further. 

"The Helix Industries Corporation has monopolized almost the entire world, from the military, the Valkyrie troops, their academies, to the advancements in science and technology." 

He moved his finger across the wooden table, tracing its surface with a thoughtful expression. 

"They control everything, under the pretext of saving humanity from the threat of Scourge energy and contaminated monsters."

The woman didn't respond with words, but her gaze changed. Something was turning in her mind—not just an analysis of Helix's strength, but a newly emerging awareness. This war... wasn't just a war of ideologies. It was a struggle to seize power that approached divinity.

From generation to generation, human civilization had always sought something greater than itself. The power to transcend its limits. But now, Helix was on the threshold of something far greater than just science or technology. They wanted to create a new shell for humanity—something that could overcome physical and existential limits. They wanted to master the essence of divine power.

The leader of Anti-Solaris noticed the change in the woman's expression. He smiled faintly, then looked at her straight. "And the young man running Project MANTARA..." He paused for a moment, letting his words hang. "...could be the key in the midst of this struggle.”

.....BERSAMBUNG.....