n

n

nHilda and her team hurried to the patch of ocean that was marked by Avalon.

nIt is the last place where Wallace's traces was found.

n

"Everyone, scatter and look for any traces of battle!

" She said in the intercom.

n

"Yes, Leader!

"

nHer team answered in unison.

nThere was no way that Wallace would go missing without any reason. He was either caught in a trap or perhaps, fighting someone that would probably take a long time to be defeated.

nAs for him being dead, there was no way that would happen so they didn't even think about it.

n'There are rumors about the existence of Deep Sea Creatures… I wonder if that's something to do with his disappearance…' Hilda thought as she controlled her Radiant Knight to get close to the ocean..

nShe barely knows anything about the Deep Sea Creatures. As a matter of fact, she had only learned about their existence through Avalon's piece of information.

n

"Avalon… Do you know what his current situation is?

"

n No. There was only a little time to trace him so I was unable to exchange information with him.

n

"I see… Maybe he's just trying to tell us that he's fine and we shouldn't be worried?

"

nHilda made her guess after not finding any of his traces.

nNevertheless, they continued searching the area with their Mech Knights but it seems that Wallace had probably already moved away or perhaps, he had decided to hide underwater…

n

"Is it possible that he's together with the Deep Sea Creatures? He has a Bio-Armor right? I'm pretty sure he can survive there…

"

n There is a high possibility that it is correct.

n

"Hmm…

" Hilda smiled after hearing Avalon's approval.

nShe thought of continuing with the search for another half an hour before ending the mission. However, she soon heard one of her colleagues reporting an unusual phenomenon…

n

"Leader! This is the 2nd Unit. There are hundreds of sea creatures floating! They all seem dead! I will send you my coordinates…

"

n

"Hilda, this is the 4th Unit… We found some dead humanoid fish. They might be those rumored Deep Sea Creatures. Based on their injuries, they probably have fought an expert… Perhaps, a sword or blade user… Oh! Sorry, one of our Adepts just confirmed now that the cause of death is a sharp Mana Spell!

"

n

"This is the 5th Unit… We also found hundreds of dead Humanoid Sea Creatures. They were all cut into pieces… I think that Wallace is up to something.

"

nHilda listened to their reports. They could easily guess that this has something to do with Wallace since this was his last known location.

n

"Ugh… It's difficult for us to search underwater… We haven't even tried that within the game. Avalon, do you think we should go ahead and dive down?

" Hilda worriedly asked.

nThough she knows that their Mech Knights can move underwater, it is still completely different from moving in vacuum space.

n All the Mech Knight's spells and weapons would weaken by 20-40% if used underwater. The possible enemies are also Deep Sea Creatures that are extremely strong within their territories… I suggest that we select a few pilots that are experienced with the Arcanist Phase to search at least 1000 ft underwater.

nHilda nodded after hearing the suggestion. She had forgotten about their Arcanist Phase!

nWell, all their latest Mech Knights indeed have the Arcanist Phase feature installed in them but not all pilots have tried them in battle yet.

nSo selecting a few skilled pilots would increase the chance of their survival if they met a powerful sea creature.

nAnyway, they are also unable to find life whenever they scan the water using their Mana Spells…

nThat's right! They couldn't detect any living beings in the search area which is already quite suspicious. They should at least detect some signs of life coming from the fishes, right?

nThis only means that there is something blocking their magic or perhaps, there are really no living beings down there. They were all probably killed at this point…

n'But that's weird… There's no way that the Sea Creatures were only a few hundred in numbers…' Hilda thought as she relayed Avalon's idea to the group.

nIt only took five minutes before a group of six Radiant Knights was selected to search underwater.

nThis is a very dangerous mission and they have to quickly retreat if they have encountered a strong foe or perhaps, a mythical beast that is equal to a Space Beast underwater. It is not impossible to have such a creature like that considering that they barely know anything within the sea.

nThe ones who are selected are the leaders of each small unit including Hilda.

n

"Alright, everyone… Though there was no way that the one we will be facing here is stronger than that Spaceships we fought in outer space, we can't be too confident! Stay on alert!

"

n

"Yes, Leader!

"

nThe five others replied with enthusiasm… They soon activated their Mech Knight's Mana Shell to move unhindered in the water.

nFinally, the six of them dive down to search for Wallace's traces or anything that could give them clue about the cause of death of these sea creatures.

nMana Sense…

nHeat Detection…

nEcho Tracing…

nMana Spells including the radar system of the Mech Knights were used to find something out.

n

"Nothing… We'll continue heading down.

"

nHilda announced using their intercom as they go deeper. It didn't take long before the sunlight can no longer reach them as they met with darkness.

nThey can only use their Mech Knight's installed lighting system or their Mana Spells to bring out stronger light.

nBeep! Beep!

nSoon, their Mech Knights detected several movements below them!

n Mana has been detected.

n Astral Energy has been detected.

n Humanoid Sea Creatures have been detected.

n Connection to Wallace's Independent A.I. has been established.

n Transferring information…

n

"Finally! Wallace should be here! There seems to be a battle below! Be careful!

"

nHilda reminded everyone. They couldn't really see well even with the lights they have. They can only rely on their radar to find the location of the living creatures below them…

nBeep!

n Wallace's location has been found…

nAs soon as this was announced, the radar that was previously filled with red dots finally had a blue dot referring to Wallace's location!

nThen, Hilda heard a continuous beeping sound on the system as thousands of Yorian Race has been detected! They are now fighting a life and death battle against Wallace!

n