Balanza.
"I am Alan Drake One-Arm Jones,
chief scholar of the Intelligentsia Guild's Armed Archaeology Division,
leaving this record as intelligence for those who come after.
A few months ago, I reached a partnership with Screwllum, a member of the Genius Society.
We excavated the ancient ruin known as the 'Machina Emperor's Mausoleum,' which has a potential disaster rating of Ω, and prepared to unveil its mysteries.
According to the records of the Emperor's movements left by the inorganic legion, the original purpose for constructing this ruin was to 'store the inventive inspirations of Rupert I, generated while in Contemplation Mode.'
But that wasn't the truth.
What the ruin actually stored was one of the wreckage pieces of a difference engine created by the Emperor. This wasn't the first piece the Corporation found; it was the ninth.
This terrifying device had demonstrated the ability to continuously enhance its own computational power and decision-making functions during the war, showing the potential to become the third-generation Emperor.
When the wreckage pieces get close to each other, they emit a resonance signal.
To prevent the possibility of the Emperor's return, the Corporation never dared to store two pieces of wreckage in the same place.
The first eight were all sealed away in different research institutes.
And this ninth one was handed to me. It was brought to Balanza, where we began our research.
Emperor Rupert, truly worthy of his legendary status as a member of the Genius Society.
The things it created... even with many of the Intelligentsia Guild's mortal geniuses gathered together,
we still couldn't figure out how the Emperor wrote the 'Anti-Organic Equation' into these unthinking components.
The research hit a bottleneck.
I believe this bottleneck is a warning to those with restless ambitions to stop.
The 'Anti-Organic Equation'.
I sincerely hope that no one in this world ever manages to crack how it truly works.
This equation is too dangerous. Whoever masters it will have essentially carved the name of Emperor III onto themselves.
The brutality of the Emperor War is known to all. Letting it slowly fade into history is the best outcome for everyone.
But then, a disaster struck.
All the machines in the research institute were paralyzed in an instant, and all control systems were hit by an unknown intrusion.
The method was completely unsolvable, just like the 'Anti-Organic' equation left by the Emperor. There was no way to even begin cracking it.
The Intelligentsia Guild fought with all its might but could not overcome it.
With the subsequent arrival of the Antimatter Legion, I finally figured out who the intruder was...
—A Lord Ravager, Iron Tomb!
After seeing this Lord Ravager with my own eyes,
I think I now understand why 'Iron Tomb' specifically targets technologically advanced civilizations, and why there are only reports of the horrific state of the world after its arrival, but never any eyewitness accounts.
Because it is a virus, something akin to an equation!
Formless and bodiless, its existence cannot be captured by the naked eye!
Perhaps this is heretical of me,
but rather than a creation of 'Destruction,' Iron Tomb seems more like a creation of 'Erudition'...
I have every reason to suspect this Lord Ravager's origin is identical to that of Celenova.
I ask that whoever finds this notebook seek out Screwllum of the Genius Society to verify my hypothesis.
Balanza is likely doomed.
My hand trembles as I write these words.
The terrifying part isn't that the Antimatter Legion or 'Iron Tomb' has arrived.
The terrifying part is that no information can be sent out.
No one knows of the bloody storm unfolding here.
And also...
'Iron Tomb' has catalyzed the difference engine wreckage left by the Emperor!
The various high-tech weapons once used for our own protection have now become Balanza's greatest threat.
If nothing changes, the shadow of Rupert will soon sweep across the cosmos once more...
Emperor III will make Balanza its first stop, and it will not cease until it has reclaimed the throne of the first.
—Alan Jones"
A vast wilderness.
A few dozen people who were lucky enough to escape the chaos at the research institute huddled together here for warmth.
Under 'Iron Tomb's' control, the various high-tech weapons normally used to defend against external threats would surely all be aimed at the people living on Balanza.
But right now, they couldn't even fend for themselves.
The one-armed man, his rugged face a stark contrast to his scholarly status, put down his pen with a grim expression and closed what might be the world's final record of Balanza.
"Miss Topaz, have you been able to contact the Corporation?"
Alan Jones took a deep breath, then turned to look at the only hope present.
"No."
Topaz raised a finger to the special communicator in her left ear, then shook her head.
She had tried to contact the Corporation, but the only response she got was static.
"Don't the Ten Stonehearts have a special communication network?"
Alan Jones asked, his face dark.
"We do, but it's also down."
Topaz was in a foul mood as well.
The Synesthesia Beacons are one of the Corporation's most valued assets.
And the Balanza Forge is a crucial processing base for the Synesthesia Beacons.
Therefore, whenever a new batch of Synesthesia Beacons is about to be completed, the Corporation sends someone to escort them to the headquarters at Pier Point.
Sometimes it's the Market Development Department, other times it's the Strategic Investment Department.
This time, it was the Strategic Investment Department.
And she was the one who came.
"Oink."
The pig-like Warp Trotter rubbed against her leg, as if sensing her terrible mood.
"I'm fine, Numby."
Topaz sighed, crouching down to stroke its head.
"It's a Lord Ravager. Even for me, it's difficult to come up with an effective solution on the spot."
Topaz's words were laced with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Emanator-level powerhouses are extremely rare even within the Corporation.
The 'Topaz' might give her the power to look down on ordinary Pathstriders, but it's completely outmatched by an Emanator.
Rumble!
A blast of heat with a zero-frame startup rushed toward them, the countdown to Balanza's destruction echoing clearly in everyone's ears.
"It's the Enigmata Cannon..."
As a project modified by the Intelligentsia Guild itself, Alan Jones was very familiar with what a commotion of this scale meant.
The Enigmata Cannon, a creation of Enigmata, Member #77 of the Genius Society.
A stellar-scale weapon.
It can teleport its beam over vast distances to detonate directly on the target. No travel time, no deviation, a complete zero-frame startup.
It could be called the most perfect weapon.
"It really doesn't leave any time to think..."
Topaz gave a bitter smile, feeling helpless against 'Iron Tomb's' swift and decisive actions.
She stood up and took out the Cornerstone that symbolized her status, the 'Topaz of Debt Retrieval'.
"At this point, this is the only way."
Topaz looked down at the Cornerstone resting in her palm.
The Cornerstones are distributed by 'Diamond'.
If it's destroyed, there's no way 'Diamond' wouldn't sense it.
With all means of transportation cut off, this seems to be the only way to break the current stalemate.
"Bring it on!"
Topaz's eyes were resolute as she clenched her fist around the Cornerstone.
She stretched her right arm, the one holding the Cornerstone, toward the sky, and the power of 'Preservation' surged forth!
An earthy-yellow barrier marked with ancient runes enveloped the dozens of people, including herself.
The sense of security brought by the unwavering aura of 'Preservation' rose in everyone's heart.
"Losing one Cornerstone to allow the Corporation to cut its losses in time... it's a worthwhile trade."
Topaz muttered to herself.
The beam of the Enigmata Cannon flashed in an instant!
Whoosh! Bang!
The Enigmata Cannon's attack, from startup to impact, was practically light-speed.
But even so, a shooting star and an arrow were even faster than light, managing to counter its zero-frame startup!
BOOM!!!
The bullet and arrow intercepted the beam, and the three powerful forces canceled each other out!
The explosion high above kicked up a fierce gale, and the aftershocks from the clash battered against the 'Preservation' barrier again and again.
Topaz felt the fluctuations of Path energy.
She instinctively turned her head, looking toward the rescuers who had launched those two attacks.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"For my cup size and power level!"
Leon and Boothill stood back-to-back not far away.
"To enact true love and justice!"
Boothill tipped the brim of his hat with his left hand, his right hand extended straight forward, gripping a revolver whose muzzle was emitting white smoke from the shot just fired.
"The versatile, EX-tier, triple-threat character of fine taste!"
Leon held Vanquisher vertically, his right hand lightly pinching the bowstring, striking an incredible 45-degree profile pose—a certified heartthrob.
"We are the Galaxy Rangers!" x2
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