Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 689 Disordered Space (Part 1)
"The eternal cycle seems to isolate this ancient race. In the world of the Creator, strength, wisdom, and morality appear to be an insurmountable chasm, like iron and stone with the same magnetic poles. As prosperous humanity declines and eventually perishes, the dragons always observe everything from some fiery corner, until the Creator's sacred decree arrives." — *Dragon's Words: The Beginning of the Era*

"What are you saying?" Atlanca's voice was tinged with disbelief and an indescribable, strange anger.

Indeed, making "Eternal Light" voluntarily and completely abandon his human body and transform into a powerful ancient dragon was one of his schemes.

After all, such a dangerous individual who is not entirely loyal to Nebusk is like a time bomb comparable to "divine fire," and if it were to detonate at the city's most vulnerable moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, he could only use the "Chaos Group" and the "completely monstrous" Ato to put the entire city and hundreds of thousands of citizens and soldiers in danger, thereby forcing the "Dark Night Investigation Team" and "Eternal Light" to make a choice.

Now, the "Dark Night Investigation Team" has been purged, and the "Dedication Group" scattered and fled into hiding in the wilderness the moment they received news of Atlantis's invasion. Hoshino Shota, the strongest member of the "Dark Night Investigation Team" and known as the "Star Ninja," has been trampled underfoot by his subordinates. The situation should be developing according to Atlantis's predetermined plan.

However, like any ambitious figure in the history of the five great empires, he overlooked the most important point: friends and enemies are not eternal, and the day a common goal is achieved is the day of betrayal.

"Tell me, tell me in detail!" Atlanca's voice trembled slightly, but overall it sounded extremely angry and agitated.

His hand, which was trying to put on the "Nebusk Type I mask," was trembling uncontrollably, so much so that this simple act of putting it on took him a full five minutes.

Fortunately, the heavy mask was enough to conceal his guilty conscience, anger, and nervousness—expressions that could shake the fighting spirit of the "Guards."

After taking several deep breaths, the tall, fully armed "guard" soldier in front of him finally spoke in a deep voice through the heavy armor:

"Just now, after you ordered the killing of Kazama Reiji and the other traitors of the 'Dark Night Investigation Team,' and arrested Hoshino Shota, the power used to maintain the dragon state of the 'Eternal Light' commander completely disappeared. Of course, the power of the 'Dragon Clan' itself was strong enough to maintain this battle and wait for the 'Final Silence of Thermite' to be unleashed. But... but, the power of the 'Arm of Klein' clashed with the 'Dragon Clan's power.'"

"Commander 'Eternal Light', His body was swallowed up by those arms."

"Swallowed???" Atlanca exclaimed in horror. Even though the heavy "Nebusk Type I Mask" completely concealed his expression, his trembling hands and legs still betrayed his emotions.

“That’s right, this is the ‘backlash of the ancients.’” Hoshino Shota, who had been pinned to the ground, briefly broke free from the restraints of the surrounding guards, got up, walked to Atlanca, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and the filth from his face, and said with a half-smile:
"All power has its source, and this source sustains its smooth operation. 'Klein's Arm'... no, it should be said that all rank monsters require a continuous supply of energy to maintain. And you, Atlanca, for your own selfish desires and a bit of sanctimonious ambition, you have purged us, and in the end, all that has come to you is disaster."

"Nonsense!" Atlanca, enraged, punched Hoshino Shota in the face with such force that it shattered the steel-like bones of the Lost One, causing a section of his face to cave in.

Even so, Hoshino Shota didn't seem to want to resist. He first laughed wildly a few times, facing the "Klein's Arms" that were suspended in mid-air by "ancient power" above his head; then, in a twisted and sarcastic tone, he said:
“‘Eternal Light’, as a physical entity, no longer exists, neither in body nor in soul. I know he was a spy you planted in the ‘Dark Night Investigation Team,’ otherwise, he wouldn’t have had such a deep sense of responsibility towards humanity and the city.”

"Those...those bodies belonging to the dragon race have turned into dark energy and returned to the universe. They belong to the Creator, not to humans, and certainly not to you, Atlanka alone. As for those bones and flesh, under the catalysis of the 'ancient power' and the 'heartless virus,' they have long since become filth emitting black smoke and smelling of sour decay. Now, it has gone out of control."

"Out of control? No, everything is still under my control!" Atlanca threw away the already smoking gun in his hand, grabbed Hoshino Shota's tattered Crusader-style mage robe with both hands, and shook Hoshino Shota's body back and forth until the parts embroidered with sunflowers and sunflower patterns were completely torn apart.

"'Out-of-control Ordered Monsters,' Atlanca! If you've ever read any history of Crusad's industrial era, you should understand why organizations spontaneously formed to manage Ordered Monsters, and why they were never truly controlled by the authorities, not even by the greatest emperor, Ivan XXII!" Hoshino Shota roared. Seemingly sensing anger, terror, fear, sorrow, panic, and other negative emotions, the "Arm of Klein," suspended in mid-air, began to twist uncontrollably. The surrounding space began to warp and intertwine in a completely incomprehensible way, making the space atop the "magnificent tower" resemble countless overlapping transparent prisms, shimmering with a dangerous light.

Only now did Atlanta finally realize his impulsiveness and ignorance.

"Why?" Atlanca asked, half-dazed, as she released Hoshino Shota's magician's robe.

“Because… ‘dimensions,’ energy tore through space, causing the ‘dimensions’ here to briefly overlap,” Hoshino Shota explained.

"Just like the 'Gnaj Line,' which was used to defend against the 'Heartless Wave,' 'Independent Armed Forces,' 'Lost Organizations,' and various anti-Federal groups. When such a strong barrier is forcibly torn apart, even a small hole will cause 'order' and 'stability' to collapse."

"Get out of here! We have to get out of here, or... these twisted things will devour us!" Atlanca frantically commanded.

“It’s no use.” Hoshino Shota’s voice was unusually calm and composed. Now, or rather, from beginning to end, he did not have the same extreme fear of death and pain as these Crusaders.

Now that the "Dark Night Investigation Team" has been destroyed and all its high-ranking members are dead, Hoshino Shota's perception of life is completely different from before.

"The collapse of 'dimensions' actually began long ago. By the time we noticed these obvious changes, we were already already in the midst of it."

"Explain yourself clearly, or else..." Atlanca grabbed a rocket launcher from a nearby guard, took a few steps back, and aimed it at Hoshino Shota's head.

"Threats? Hmph, there's no need for that. Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you." Hoshino Shota gazed at the space above him, which was constantly twisting and deforming, revealing a dazzling, diamond-like brilliance.
"'MB-1998: Klein's Arm' is based on the 'Sophia Gem' whose interior and exterior are uncertain. During the reign of Charles XII, scientists from the Empire and the Putoa Federation created the 'Klein Bottle' using various mysterious and extraordinary instruments within a stone slab left behind by the 'Ancient Gods'. Because its internal and external structures are connected, it can never be filled with water in three-dimensional space. Therefore, when the 'Ancient Power' revived within the 'Sophia Gem' and transformed into a pair of pitch-black giant hands, the Empire's scientists named it 'Klein's Arm'."

“Hoshino Shota, this name probably isn’t just because of his appearance.” Dark, who had been silent for a long time and had been “observing” the battle from the sidelines, finally asked. Clearly, at this moment, he was far more interested in the ranked monsters than in these Crusad humans who only knew how to betray and kill.

"During the reign of Ivan XXV, the Empire's chief scientists, Ivanrick and Ivana, while conducting a project called the 'Unknown Dimension Exploration Project,' accidentally discovered that the 'Arm of Klein' possessed the ability to tear through space and send information to other dimensions," Hoshino Shota recounted.

"At the time, out of a sense of rigor, seriousness and responsibility for scientific exploration, and under comprehensive protection, Ivana sent 13 'experimental-level special personnel' into the space torn open by the 'Arm of Klein', and obtained their sights and sounds through a unique 'brain-computer interface'."

"Among the messages that were sent back, three people claimed to have seen the boundless universe and a divine realm so magnificent that it could not be described in words. Five people returned to a point in the past of this continent and claimed to have witnessed the historical scene of Ivan I's coronation, and their accounts were almost identical to historical records."

"Where are the others?" Dakra asked casually, as if listening to an interesting history story, as he sat cross-legged on the ground with Wright.

"One person saw the Creator, but because he was a mortal trying to peek at a god, he was obliterated by a higher dimension and lost all traces of his existence. Another person saw the god 'Dragon Chief' and his eighteen 'Dragon Rulers'."

(End of this chapter)