Benedict observed it closely. He had to admit that the monster’s pitch-black hide was just like his own ears.

A Black Beast howled as it charged the camp’s defensive line. A Knight speared it with his Knight Lance and flicked it upward. At that moment, the monster shifted its posture, rising from a beastly, four-legged stance to stand upright. This gave the three newcomers a clearer view—it was undeniably a mutated Elf.

Rorschach and Caroline also joined the battle. With a flurry of hand gestures, Caroline unleashed several sharp blades. They resembled invisible streams of sword energy, but were actually displaced spatial rifts. They moved through spacetime like sharp, rapidly propagating waves, slicing cleanly through every vile spawn in their path until their energy was spent and they vanished into the distance.

Rorschach raised his left hand and swept a [Molten Beam] over the monsters approaching the camp, filling the air with a scorched, foul odor. Immediately after, a fierce gale erupted, scattering the stench and herding most of the vile spawn together. He extended his other hand, causing a giant palm to burst forth from the shattered flagstone path. With a wave and a clench of his right fist, the giant hand seized the gathered monsters and squeezed tight.

Viscous, dark-red fluid trickled from the gaps between the fingers of the giant earthen palm. The other surviving vile spawn shrieked madly at the hand, their raised tentacles trembling uncontrollably.

"The corruption is systemic and total. They must share a synesthetic connection." Having finished his test, Rorschach relaxed his right hand. Chunks of flesh and blood slapped wetly onto the ground.

The Knights stared blankly, watching the two Mages fight. The remaining vile spawn shot the camp a venomous glare before whimpering and fleeing. It was the first time the soldiers had repelled an assault from the vile spawn completely unscathed (by watching), and they swarmed forward, cheering.

"I’ve never seen such powerful Mages! I always thought Casters just waved sticks around to perform little firework-like tricks. That was incredible! Thank you so much!" James acted as if he were old friends with Rorschach and Caroline, approaching them first to talk.

Caroline picked up the conversation. "Actually, Mage Heisenberg does have a Magic Staff, but he didn’t use it. Why not take it out, Mage Heisenberg?"

Rorschach replied smoothly, his expression unchanging, "It’s broken. It’s currently in my Storage Ring." He then held out his hand, showing Caroline the ring Bart had given him.

"My skill in Alchemy is decent. Would you like me to try and repair it?"

"No, thank you. The energy-storing crystal is shattered." Rorschach turned and asked if they could enter the camp.

As their benefactors, they were naturally allowed to pass. However, the Knights were divided on whether to allow Benedict, this "vile spawn," to enter.

In the end, Rorschach settled the matter. "You have all witnessed our power with your own eyes. The most logical course of action is for us to personally guard this... ’vile spawn’." Benedict’s face flushed. He didn’t know why words were failing him, but that didn’t stop him from nodding in agreement with Rorschach.

Seeing that the "vile spawn" obeyed the Mage left the Knights deeply shaken. The others also came to agree with Rorschach; if Benedict were to fully degenerate, it would be best to leave him in the Mages’ hands.

"Have you been near the camp this whole time?"

"Yes. Ever since the outbreak of the vile spawn, the entire city has become a ruin. We lost contact with our main order and have been forced to hold out in this camp." James naturally fell into the role of a guide, explaining things to Rorschach’s group.

’They’ve been in the Ancient Ruins Area this whole time, and right on the other side is the "Civilized World" of the Core Area.’ Rorschach didn’t point this out, instead playing along. "We were honing our skills in a Magic Tower deep in the forest. When we came out, we found the city in ruins. What exactly happened?"

James didn’t doubt their story at all and laid everything bare. "Before, they still had the form of Elves, just like the one you captured, Lord Mage. Then, a few months ago, reports of corruption started trickling in. These monsters destroyed the city. Most survivors evacuated, but we were ordered to guard... to hold our ground."

They walked toward the heart of the camp, which corresponded to the point of light on the map: the location of the Lord of Order’s seal.

"So what you were ordered to guard is in there?" Rorschach asked, his gaze falling upon the largest barracks. It had been reinforced into a semi-permanent fortress, built with massive stone blocks. Sappers stood watch on its roof, sentries were posted at the gate, and two three-man squads patrolled the building’s perimeter in alternating shifts.

"No, no... That’s just our commander’s tent—the Knight Commander’s. If you require an undisturbed environment to study the individual vile spawn, we can clear out the infirmary. Thank you; we had no casualties this time thanks to you." James thanked them again, rambling on about how the vile spawn were growing more numerous and harder to deal with, and how difficult this attack would have been without the help of Rorschach and Caroline.

While speaking, he tried to lead Rorschach away from the command tent.

"I’d like to speak with the Knight Commander." At his words, James froze for a moment. At the same instant, all the other guards stopped moving.

It was as if they had all jammed... The pause wasn’t long, however. After a one or two-second delay, James said, "Very well. I’ll go announce you."

Finally, they were permitted to enter the heart of the camp. Inside the barracks, which had not seemed particularly large from the outside, an impossibly massive machine was operating. The small fortress was little more than two stories tall, but upon entering, they saw the machine was at least five stories high—or even taller, as it was half-buried below ground level.

Countless brass mechanisms reciprocated, while parallel and intersecting gears spun at varying speeds. The clicking and clacking of innumerable components sounded like a perpetually winding clockwork device. Occasional brutal impacts and a tooth-grinding, screeching friction indicated that the machine was not in perfect working order.

Looking down past a rusty guardrail, they could see the buried portion of the machine venting white steam, and hidden within the mechanical symphony was the sound of ocean waves.

"Is this a Differential Engine?"

"You’ve got a good eye, but you’re a bit off," the Knight Commander said with a touch of humor. He appeared from the side of the machine and clasped Rorschach’s hand. "The Burning Lion Knight Order thanks you. We salute you!"

Rorschach continued to observe the machine. It overlapped perfectly with the point of light on his map. Seeing that the Mage was completely engrossed by the massive device, the Knight Commander explained, "It’s the Analytical Engine—Istani’s largest and most advanced. It is a trophy signifying our triumph over the Elves and Dwarves, the very pinnacle of human intellect."

"So what can it analyze?"

"Ah... Lord Mage, we are but simple soldiers ordered to stand guard. We can’t answer your question. In fact, its maintenance is already a huge headache for us. All I can tell you is that it is constantly performing a very, very important calculation."

Caroline asked, puzzled, "What is its power source?"

The Knight Commander still offered no comment. Rorschach used [Communication Skill] to send a message to his teacher: "Look at it with [Arcane Vision]."

Caroline did as instructed, and her breath caught in her throat. The machine’s body was no longer made of metal castings; instead, it was a construct of gears and circuits made of Spiritual Light, operating at speeds the naked eye could not perceive. It was an energy node, constantly channeling and transmitting both Magic Power and the power of the Lord of Order. And its terminals were... located on every single member of the Knight Order.

Rorschach vaulted over the railing. The instant his hand touched the machine’s surface, everything in the camp—aside from the newcomers—came to a complete halt.