" I am doing very well , they don't suspect a thing at all . I've already learned how their machinery functions and have set up everything needed to cause it to explode " " Good I would like to hear the details of my capable subordinate " The envoy happily leaked all the information for Emma to hear .
' Are they stupid ? ' Emma thought and Ava remained silent hearing the plan . she crawled to Emma and whispered " Isn't the death of a single star already dangerous enough ? " " It is , that's why we have to stop it from happening " Emma said and they heard a knock on the door before it opened.
" Boss said to give you this " Emma looked at the bracelet and Lou left " You can speak up , this room I gave you isn't gonna let any sound escape but the envoy's room will . So did you like hearing what you heard ? " " You're right about the eclipse tower but why would they do that ? " Emma asked .
" They wanted to do some negotiations with me and I just got rid of the bargaining chip which was the lives of my employees by telling them the energy plant would be destroyed by the explosions if not maintained properly "
" And ? " " That's it after that they just said they would gift me something , I already verified it with Lou and it's real " " But how did you guess that they are a problem ? " " I didn't " Emma was surprised to learn that Lily just made a baseless assumption .
" The gate just sounded a bit angry and that's all I did to suspect it , I already got proof so it doesn't matter " " So you were just guessing ? " " It's good that way isn't it , it's the most unexpected way to catch them in the act "
" Now you will take care of the energy plant , you've already heard enough to solve it , there's even a resident that will be prepared to make the perfect battlefield for you " " Wait , we are taking care of this ? " Ava asked surprised.
" I will accept it Commander you can do whatever you like with the eclipse tower " ' Looks like she understood my plan ' Emma started recording what she found on her log ' This will be something I have to remember I don't know what kind of enemy I'll be facing ' " Let's go Ava we need to tell Brock "
Lily looked at Beryl who was with Birch being enchanted " they'll be here tomorrow so I'm sure I can get Beryl to bring me to the tower when he comes down tomorrow " " You're going out ? " Birch asked " Yeah I need Beryl to drop me off "
" I'll have to go with you " Birch said " No you will stay to teach Aurora and help the fireforms their food will arrive tomorrow " " Food ? "
" Yep the fireforms despite being rocks with lava or plants with fire , get their sustenance from the great fire which is a sun they'll be eating from my energy plant which forms stars although I would like for you to help me make more since the factory only maintains stars currently "
Birch was already excited the moment he heard that the fireform feeds on a star " Oh I gotta learn about how stars are made " " But you will have to continue enchanting Beryl " " Okay " Birch quickly resigned to the work .
...
The next day Lily checked on Birch's progress in managing the education of the fireforms ' Looks like he's doing well although I wonder how the dragons up there are also doing ' Lily waited and could already see the energy plant coming closer but at a much slower speed .
' everything is in place I'm just gonna have to head to the tower to collect the debt ' " You ready Beryl " " Yah " Beryl lowered his head and Lily used a door to go to his horn " I'm in , Beryl you can fly " Beryl flew towards the Eclipse tower and Lily looked down at the energy plant .
The Envoy searched for the evidence of their crime ' All the pieces were already in place yesterday , what happened to them ? ' They thought about the people that came and Ava who introduced herself as a descender.
' Maybe they caught on ? ' they looked around for the descenders who monitored him through the facilities ' I could improvise but we are already approaching their territory soon I won't have time '
They continued searching for the descenders and Lou took the descenders to the front " This is Ethan he will be creating your battlefield " " Hello Ethan you look like a handsome fellow " Ava said and Emma asked Lou .
" Where will he have to fight the envoy ? " " I've already made the arrangements for the battlefield it will be somewhere you should be familiar with " the energy plant was placed by the foot of the mountain where the glass dome stood along with the farm and the land of fireforms .
The descenders followed the two men to the station " Wait why ? " " I am not sure I only follow orders and so those Ethan " ' Letting their subordinates dodge the responsibility meant the superior will take all the responsibility , it does show her competence and allows her to take credit '
" Hey, Emma doesn't this mean Commander want us to protect the station ? " Brock asked " That's possible and it could be to create more evidence since the station could record any information near it "
Emma starts to write a report detailing the plan for the energy plant's explosion " Are you sure leaving the envoy inside unguarded is okay ? " " Yes , we have found that they are cautious of Terra and she's much more available in restraining them now that she isn't moving the plant "
' It's strange enough that they are considered very strong when the commander isn't , each of them alone has plenty of mental strength to push off the Labyrinth's domain ' Emma thought . She could also sense the same thing in Ethan except he was compressed to a space that's bigger than it looks outside .
' I don't sense anything special in the commander no matter how I remember , is her body just special to be able to create them ? ' Emma didn't include that on the report and sent it quickly .
The envoy saw Emma hold the pieces of their plan to be submitted as evidence " NOOO " they dashed towards the station and Ethan moved out of the way .
Once the Envoy was close enough Brock swung his hammer to stop the dash and he quickly expanded the space sending himself away from the battlefield using the station as the center .
' This is truly amazing I will have to ask the commander if she's willing to give samples of her blood to research ' Brock kicked the Envoy away " I really thought he would be a nice guy " " Isn't that every guy " Brock said .
" You took my opportunity to please the gate how dare you " " Your opportunity involves killing the frontline which we will not accept " Emma said " It's even stupid when I heard that you'll be caught in the explosion too " Brock pointed out .
" So what ? Unlike you, the gate can grant me another life and you only have one " They couldn't believe that the envoy was speaking the truth " You think he's lying ? " Ava asked " No it could be possible since every candidate or group entering the labyrinth has backgrounds and reasons to be sent here "
They prepared their weapons " but since they can be granted another life we'll have to save our strength and try to detain them " Emma said after turning her translator off " Got it I'll take care of tying him up " " Creep " Brock said .
...
Lily looked down at the eclipse tower from afar and Beryl landed on the ground beside the tower " Thanks son I'll be sure to carry you like a baby when I see you again " Beryl didn't understand what Lily meant by that but was excited to see her again .
Beryl waved his hands back to Lily as she waved hers " Hey isn't this gate like those dungeons where you destroy the core and destroy the whole thing ? " Death asked " Maybe but that's why I intend to use you to operate it "
" Fine , it's not like I can only do necromancy but how do you plan to explain it to the descenders ? " " Just blame it on you , say that you were studying " ' Again ' Death sighed and Lily walked into the tower she walked through the stairs .
' I don't have to kill them ' she partially unsealed one of the seals on her causing the monsters to shake upon sensing her presence ' I didn't think you'd do something like this " ' It's easier this way "
Lily climbed the steps and walked higher and higher " This place sure is giving plenty of restrictions " Lily could sense the increasing conditions that the tower placed on her ' Reminds me of the increased gravity of the Labyrinth compared to home '
She decided to run to the top floor instead and reached it much faster " Hello Mister Gate" the gate was surprised to see Lily come here so quickly " Sorry about the dragon , my subordinates called me and told me how valuable your gift was so I thought I should give it to you the gift personally "
Lily brings a crate through a trapdoor " Here is the blood of the powerful like I promised " the gate was surprised by how nonchalant Lily was . But they weren't worried about Lily overpowering them because all they could see is a teenage human with an influential position .
A sharp object stabs through Lily ' To think she was that dumb to get here I'll never understand these adventurers ' a force dragged the crate inside and all of the gate's attention was towards the crate .
Green flames burn the wound healing it and Lily stands back up repairing ' You should at least make an effort to stop them from killing you " Death told Lily ' I know I might spill some of the brainwashing contents which is why I made sure to retain most of it "
' That's not what I meant though ' Lily looked at the gate and her shadow which stretched into it ' Time to use the possessors ' eyes started to travel through her shadow and the ground rumbled ' Looks like they're coming '
Lily used Ethan's power to expand the space and some strong monsters walked up " ARGH KILL HER " Lily sensed the orders passing through a connection similar to the debt chain and summoned a death-filled sword out of her body ' I'll try to be careful '
They all threw themselves toward Lily to attack and she used the cane's shield to push them away . They stood surrounding the exit and the Gate forms a barrier to protect their body .
A minotaur charges towards Lily and she moves away while a dullahan swings a broadsword down . Lily skipped forward , a behemoth jumped up and Lily back kicked the broadsword away while the behemoth fell to her .
She opens a big double door and sends it to the minotaur making them collide ' You're holding back a lot " ' Naturally I want the products I'm going to receive at their top conditions " Lily glanced at the barrier and started to work up how to unseal it .
A magic circle appeared below her ' Say I can try that right ? " ' Go ahead none of them can kill you properly " Death said and the spell lit up but instead of a fire pillar the flames converged into Lily's body.
The elderwood treant was surprised and quickly cast more spells the others tried to recover and prepare to attack " Stop it she's not taking any damage , attack her physically " Living armors ran towards Lily and she used the death sword to erode their joints .
' Looks like they figured it out ' she looked around to see which could create nonphysical attacks and charged towards them " She's coming " they tried to guard against her but she used a trap door and drop herself behind the elderwood treant .
' You mages aren't going anywhere ' she touched the ground and sealed it while taking the time to look at the barrier ' I might not need to fight but this will be a good opportunity ' She kicked the treant towards the others and they used their arms to stop their fall .
Lily leapt towards them with a sword and the Treant quickly used magic to grow out their body's branches, Lily counters it by enveloping her body with death . The treant watched the branches rot instantly reaching a certain range and the Minotaur charged toward Lily .
Their armor prevented more damage " It burns " they pushed Lily away and she fixed her posture looking at the struggling monsters . She turned to the barrier and they walked closer to it ' They know what you want to do " Death said .
' Yeah , but what's stopping me from doing this " Lily's body was suddenly enveloped in a familiar aura . She turned her body towards the barrier and ran straight to it ' If they want to live longer they'll want to get away . '
Lily sees the behemoth charging towards her and she makes doors beside her causing the behemoth to miss their mark . She reached the barrier and unsealed it before sealing it back in place as soon as she entered the room " So how's the shadows I sent to you ? "
A flame appears on her hand showing the Gate's real body " What a beautiful gem " " HOW ? " Lily looked at the shadow to see the possessors' eyes devoid of any emotion " You gotta be more clear with that " Lily said .
" You arrogant little " the crystal was struggling to stay conscious and Lily wondered how she could make use of it " Death does this crystal have a soul ? " " Yeah but you might have to search for something else to contain it "
Lily looked at the crystal ' Maybe I could find a replacement " ' Not me " ' It doesn't have to be you but we are going to run out of time soon so I'll take it " ' Fine but you better find something else " Lily nodded and grabbed the cane's leg and swung it destroying the crystal .
She collected the gate's soul and the pendant floated to the crystal's place . Death builds a connection with the crystal fragments " Huh this is easier than I thought it would " " Got a hand on how it works ? " " Yeah honestly it's similar to the real underworld back in the old world "
" You had an underworld ? " " Yep , honestly this whole tower is made fragile because of that crystal's planning " the shadows returned to Lily and Death continued to explain " the underworld is what the death extraction practitioners used to remove all death it's why I have their memories too "
" So in a sense, you're the underworld ? " " Yep except all of these souls are asleep because it was too cramp although I could release them through the crystal " " You could , as for how to explain this to the descenders I'll just say you don't have their memories "
' Thanks a lot after placing these souls somewhere else I'll feel more free " ' Now I just have to check on how well the descenders are doing ' Lily swallows another pill and checks.
The three descenders were already tired from fighting against the envoy who grew big " We've killed them so many times already " Ava complained " what kind of boon do they have ? " Brock asked and Emma looked at the weapon that Lily gave them .
' That's right use it ' Lily thought and Emma quickly unsheathed it ' It'll be troublesome for the others to deal with them so we'll have to take care of it ' " I'm using it " Emma said and Ava nodded grabbing hers too while Brock followed suit .
" Good " while watching them fight Lily asked " Death why is the envoy they sent so much stronger than the ones I fought ? " " Let me see ... " Lily watched every slash of Emma's sword kill and the same happening to Ava and Brock's hammer .
" Oh found it , turns out that the envoy is on the same level as the top-level boss monsters " " Why ? " " The envoy is a much recent creation too , unlike the high-floor monsters they can go anywhere they like probably because fo the loyalty "
Death verifies his findings " And it looks like they can't leave because they are the pillars of the tower , what a terrible father that crystal was " Death said " The structure of the eclipse tower is held by souls I could restructure it to something that isn't a tower to make it much easier "
" How long would that take ? " " A while so I guess you might not go to that banquet in time " " No let's head there " Lily looked at the chains and sent a message .
" Hey won't they be suspicious ? " " Yeah they would but we will keep the crystal I'm sure we can use my facilities to create the bodies for your underworld souls maybe I'll have plenty of staff to use "
" Fine managing the whole tower is a problem " " But first I need you to send a monster to buy from that station " " Sure I'll send the one just below us to go outside and you need to replace them I already declared that the old crystal is dead to the tower but they seem to behave "
Lily took off the pendant and looked at Death " Are you okay ? " " Yeah we've established a very table connection as long as you don't run off and force us to bond to a clone we'll be fine " Lily walked to the second to the last floor and saw the boss who gave her a quick look and went tot he exits to follow the orders .
' they sure are obedient ' Lily checked on the descenders and found that the station had the corpse of the envoy with the three descenders on the ground . Ethan had already undid the space expansion and a team wearing hazmat suits retrieved them and disinfected the area ' Good good good now we just have to wait '
...
Lily returns to the top floor with the goods purchased from the station while Death is holding the crystal together trying to piece it back " So how is it ? " " I've fixed a bit of it so the tower can be fine without the crystals but it still needs the boss monsters as pillars of the tower "
" Good enough let's take the crystal and the loot and head out " " Or you could just take the top floor " " Hmm yeah let's do that " Lily looked at the chain and told the labyrinth about the deal .
" I got the deal they said they'll be in my debt for giving me all of this " " Won't it be a problem if Rate has a contradicting idea of the descenders' idea of your brother ? " " Brothers " Death understood what Lily meant and felt the ground lower itself .
" Looks like the Labyrinth is taking them in " Death looks out the window and asks " Why does the Labyrinth take them ? " Lily doesn't say a word , taking some time to answer " the Labyrinth is like what you call the ecosystem they invite any person inside to improve it "
" That makes sense the stronger the lives inside an ecosystem the more resilient they are " Death said " If the Labyrinth is a natural ecosystem the descenders could be like civilizations that want nature's resources for themselves "
" And the outcast groups that get sent here should be what ? " " Probably the early stages of civilization " Death said and they felt the descent of the tower stop soon " Looks like we are done so how do you plan to take this home "
" I just have to cleverly use that space expansion " Death didn't understand what Lily meant and didn't bother asking because of the trouble . Lily leaves through the window , wearing the pendant again and shrinks the top floor .
" Look's like a traffic cone " " I thought you'd compare it to a witch's hat ? " " I would but it's not as wrinkly , but it would be fitting if it had more magic elements " Lily waited for Beryl to come down .
" How is Life retrieving the brainwashing contents ? " " She's doing well " " " What does it look like ? " " A light traveling very slowly through your body , she won't be available for a while . Good thing she left you a good amount of pills to work through it "
" But will she be fine ? " " Yeah she will be the only problem is that banquet you're going " Lily thought about it too " They've got a security check that only checks you for your personal threat level but also whether you have some fake thoughts "
" Yeah we can cause it to delay a bit say something like I'm recuperating or I just don't want to " " You do have some Leniency since Emma reported that problem " " I also have the energy plant Argus can take care of helping them settle in and Terra is already going to the lab so we can make more bodies "
" You have a lot of excuses , That's usually something a child would learn under strict parents " " Kinda comedic that strict parents teach kids to be more rebellious but , parents that barely do chores teach children to be responsible "
Death understands the idea and Beryl comes over " But what would happen if the parents spoil their kids ? " " Depends on what they receive " Lily boarded the cabin on Beryl's horn carrying the top floor in its tiny form .
" But I ain't a bad parent I'll be giving my children and stepchildren opportunities to be active " " So you're balanced between being strict and not caring " Death said and Lily nodded . Beryl takes them back and waits outside with Birch enchanting his body while Lily goes to her bed .
" Won't it be a problem when Beryl goes to sleep ? " " It will take a while but he'll be asleep for a long time , Mother has no problem with sleep yet since her body was technically asleep for a while but she might have to catch up "
' Looks like I have to secure a deal to have the dragon associates move out of Mother's body and have her shrink , shrinking isn't a problem with Birch around and he'll probably have it down much faster after practice and Beryl '
" I'll have to ask a lot of things at the banquet " " Yeah you would now head to sleep " Lily laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes to sleep .
...
The next day Lily was at the station " Huh I wasn't expecting you to call me like this is this something you usually do to the previous frontline ? " " No we have tried calling you but as you never took the portable communicator we had to wait for you to make a purchase "
" Then what did you call me for descenders ? " " We would like to apologize for our ignorance " ' There's no camera so I don't like how they are using words ' " Yeah I don't give a damn about your apology , I will head to that Banquet when I have everything here settled . "
There was no reply from the other side " I will take a while considering that I have to set up plenty of things plus those descenders you dispatched are currently beat up from taking care of that envoy from the eclipse tower "
" Then we would like to question your actions of allowing the Labyrinth to get the eclipse tower " " So ? It's not like I was told to actively attack the labyrinth plus a competent enemy is much better than an ally who is a nuisance maybe next time keep a better eye on your candidates "
" But allowing the Labyrinth to take it is detrimental " " Oh shush it's not like I could stop them , I have barely been dealing with the labyrinth so I wouldn't know much of what to do " they decided to be lenient with Lily's actions considering her experience .
" Then we will wait until you have settled with your territories " " Yeah good keep it that way also maybe some arrangements for the dragon associated on that giant dragons back to have their own land I don't think that dragon can keep carrying them all the time "
' Plus it'll make their education much easier '
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