Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided-Chapter 237. Dark Shrine

237. Dark Shrine

Astrid flicked her wrist, and Ziyue’s smug face vanished from the hologram.

"So much for my worry," she grumbled to herself. "Vipers don't appreciate the goodwill." She almost regretted calling the sass lass. Yep, that’s what I’ll call her in my head from now on.

Astrid strode into the shrine proper, crossing the inner ring where a floor of white gravel met levelled concrete. Fallen autumn leaves littered the ground, an uncommon sight in a place usually kept pristine.

“Astrid, we are in position.” Admiral Sandria’s monotone voice crackled through her comm, prompting her to glance at the cloudy sky.

From her vantage point, the Zeigerlich was merely the size of a bean drifting among the clouds, too distant to hear the distinct hum of its Arcanite engine.

“Thank you, Admiral,” Astrid replied with militaristic crispness.

“Any luck so far?”

“Not yet,” Astrid said, her eyes sweeping across the serene space. There were no birds, no animals, and no other people. “But I have a feeling something’s here.”

She stood for a long minute before the wishing altar, a simple wooden box at the far end of the shrine grounds, complete with a thick, braided rope and a bell. Mumbling to herself, she clasped her hands, offered a prayer to the gods, and finished with a soft shake of the rope. The bell chimed.

The warm sun had just broken through the clouds, its brightness seeping through her closed eyelids. Her hair and cape hung heavy in the still, dense air.

Astrid drew herself up, her hands surging with energy. With a powerful clap, she activated her might and defence buffs. Her crystal armour shimmered, humming with a majestic power she hoped would suffice for what was to come.

With heavy steps that crunched the gravel under her boots, she approached the main shrine — a large building with a two-stepped gabled roof and distinct red, overhanging edges. The ridge was decorated with V-shaped ornaments, ancient and sacred.

“I’m going in,” Astrid whispered into her comm. “All units stand by for parameter control.”

She climbed the short stone steps to the cast-iron-reinforced wooden doors. There was no sign of a breach, no damage at all. Carefully, she pushed the doors open just enough for a gap, and the rusty hinges groaned in protest.

Inside, it was completely dark — darker than she liked. A foul scent wafted into her nose, a decaying stench impossible to ignore. It was as if hundreds of rats had died and rotted within.

Gaia! She cupped her nose and swallowed the rising bile. The air must have been stagnant for weeks.

Taking a step back, she rammed her foot against the doors, blowing them off their hinges to skid across the floor. Sunlight filtered in, revealing a shifting, massive shadow. The creature stood easily four metres tall, its head almost touching the ceiling. Long, grey hair covered its wide back as it hunched over, munching on the corpses of the shrine’s residents.

No wonder no one’s tidying the place. They’re all food. Fury bubbled in Astrid’s chest. “A demon has been spotted. I will proceed to eliminate it.”

“Copy that,” Sandria replied.

The red arcanist walked into the chamber, her boots clapping heavily on the floor. Oddly, the lonesome demon was either too occupied with its meal or simply wasn't bothered by her presence. Good. The first to land a strike was often the one who won.

When she was five steps from the monster’s back, Astrid coiled and delivered a devastating blow to its fat body.

CLAP!

The thunderous sound echoed out, but the creature's thick, soft tissue merely rippled, absorbing the damage.

“Huh?” The fat monster glanced over its shoulder, its baggy eyelids and humped nose on a red-skinned head turning towards the disturbance. “You dare disturb me, puny human…” Its voice was a lazy drawl.

“You vile demon!” Astrid smirked, unleashing a relentless torrent of attacks. Her punches accelerated, exploding with power and sending high-frequency vibrations through the demon’s blubbery skin. Its body shook violently, its head wobbling as it let out a pathetic whimper.

“YAAAAAA!” Astrid pulled her fist back, her momentum lifting her feet from the ground. Then, in a drastic shift, she slammed her boots down, cracking the concrete beneath them. Her fist shattered the sound barrier with a sonic boom.

BOOM!

Her punch landed squarely in the monster’s side. The impact sent its body rolling, destroying a long, rectangular offering altar in a rumble of shattering sake cups, plates, and water vases.

“AHHHH!” the demon finally whined, scratching at the red, protruding marks on its skin.

“Ready to take me seriously now?” Astrid sneered, dropping fluidly into an attack stance.

“Please… please don’t hurt meeeeeeee!” the fat demon snarled, its voice a low guttural sound.

Heeding it no mind, she bolted forward, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. She delivered another powerful swing to its side, the fat belly swaying and distorting with the impact.

Again, she hissed and arched a left hook into its gut. This time, a massive explosion of blood and gore erupted, painting everything in dark crimson.

“Ugh!” Astrid leapt back, using her forearm and cape to wipe away the thick blood off her face. She grimaced in absolute disgust. “Should’ve let me know if you were going to burst like that, you damn pig!”

“Astrid, come in! Is everything alright?” Sandria’s voice arrived after a burst of static.

“No, it’s all disgusting ooze, all over me.”

“Do you need support?” Sandria repeated. Despite her flat tone, there was genuine concern in it.

Astrid didn’t reply immediately. She inspected the dark ooze of blood and entrails spilling from the tear in its belly. The demon didn't move. “It’s all clear! I’ll go ahead and close the portal now!” she reported sharply, her eye still twitching with infuriation. What a mess.

“Now, where is the gate?” Astrid muttered, scanning for the fissure. After a few sweeps, she located a black, rippling gate disguised behind a black curtain.

Clever, you overweight brat, she grumbled, hovering her hands over the fissure and casting the portal-closing spell.

Opening her mind’s eye, she grunted with deep concentration, imagining the door dissipating into specks of light. When she opened her physical eyes, the fissure was still there.

“How?! I killed the chieftain, didn’t I?” she gasped. At that moment, a strong wind flew past, shaking her muscular frame. She spun on her heels.

“The enemy isn’t dead!” she reported sharply, realising the fat monster was just a cocoon.

Hatching from the fleshy sac, a new monster revealed its thin, locust-like exoskeleton. Its eyes consumed almost two-thirds of its head, and four bug-like wings fluttered, suspending it in the air. The rattling voice it made was terrifying. "I asked you nicely… now… I'll have no choice but to eat you alive." The words held a chilling sympathy that didn’t reach its appalling voice.

Tsk! Astrid clicked her tongue, her brows furrowed into a deep crease, her eyes set ablaze.

Her feet planted firmly on the ground, her muscle fibres flexed, the veins popping under her skin. “Empyrion!” she growled in a low chant.

“Ooh, interestingly red…” the monster spoke, its integrated mouthpiece forming a strange smirk.

“SMASH!” Astrid bellowed and launched herself into the air.

A fiery flame, as hot as lava, imbued her fist as it arched through the air and clashed with the monster’s guarded hands. The momentum threw both of them back toward the ground. The insectoid demon landed forcefully on its two big legs, carving two long trenches in the floor, but Astrid’s fist was still pressed against its crossed arms.

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“RRRAAAAAA!” Astrid screamed, her voice resounding through the chamber. Pushing her power to its maximum, she drove forward, and a massive cone of fire blasted from her knuckle.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the entire structure. The demon spiralled into the air and crashed through the wall, sending debris, dust, and splinters flying outward.

Breathing heavily, Astrid emerged from the smoke, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight outside. The demon lay face-first in the gravel. It wasn't moving.

“That was fairly easy,” Astrid remarked, dusting her cape and shoulders. The bits of dust mixed with sticky blood wouldn’t come off easily. She couldn’t help but sigh.

“Youuuuuu…” a buzzing voice came as its four wings began flapping faster than her eyes could perceive.

Astrid bit down on her molar, bracing herself. A fist swung at her face, and she dodged.

A leg cut at her side. She raised her arms to guard. The collision rocked her, hard.

She grunted as shocking pain shot up her arm. Has my Adamas broken? Her mind raced.

Another attack slammed into her left side. Her arm blocked it with a deep groan.

“YOU VILE—”

Then she staggered a step. The monster seized the opportunity, landing its shelled fist on her face. Her Adamas shattered with a loud crack. Astrid’s head snapped back, her eyes rolled, and the metallic tang of iron filled her nostrils.

“I WILL NOT FALL!” Astrid roared, her eyes gleaming with concentration as her mind entered a trance-like state. The flow of power compelled every molecule of her being.

“Nice one!” the demon bellowed with ecstasy, retracting its fist for another strike.

Then came a thunderous drumming — ten bone-crunching blows per second rocked the air. From the sky, the flashes of flame from Astrid’s Empyrion technique were a blistering storm.

Sent by the admiral’s order, three Armatus units dove toward her location. “Astrid! This is Eric heading to your location!”

“RARARARRA!” Shards of Astrid’s armour cracked and littered the ground like shattered crystal, but the carapace of the demon’s exoskeleton remained unscratched.

Abruptly, the demon shifted to the side, and her fist hit empty air.

Realising her mistake, she raised her bloody arms to guard. A crushing boom erupted, and she was sent tumbling through the air, crashing into another building and leaving nothing but havoc and destruction in her path.

“ASTRID!” Eric’s voice yelled as his Armatus reached the enemy. His blade streaked through the air and slashed at its shoulder.

The attack landed perfectly, but it didn’t cut.

Instead, the locust demon caught the massive blade with its bare hands. Its antennae twitched, sensing the air. “Annoying…”

“Im~impossible!” Eric gasped, pulling back.

The demon didn’t wait. It chased, wings flapping at high velocity. It punched clean through Eric’s leg joint, and the demon ricocheted into the Armatus’s torso where the cockpit was located.

“DIE!” It smiled menacingly, clawing its way into the metal hatch. With a final punch, the hull crumbled, and the Arcanite engine detonated in a massive explosion.

The ground rocked. Astrid grabbed a broken wall to support her trembling legs. “Eric!”

Just then, another Armatus unleashed a barrage of missiles at the enemy's location, and consecutive explosions rang out.

“I’m here, Astrid,” Eric’s voice crackled over the comm.

Her lips parted in surprise before curling into a widening grin. “You tricky Knight!”

The demon’s figure emerged from the smouldering smoke and the erratic curtain of flame with calm and unhurried strides. Seemingly unscathed, its carapace remained a gross, vivid red.

Astrid blew blood from her nostril. “Stand down. Let me handle this one,” she said firmly, rotating her shoulders experimentally. Nothing’s too broken. I can still fight.

“EMPYRION~DYNAMIS!” Astrid chanted the dual-cast technique. Her cape erupted into feathers of flame, and her hair floated in the air with a terrible glory. Her pupils dilated, a sense of euphoria flooding her system.

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes my way!" she recited, slamming down her clasped fists. The demon rolled back and tried to jab in retaliation. That was when it got interesting. Astrid caught its hands, roaring flames radiating from her condescending smile.

“WHAT?!” its mouthpiece gasped—

Astrid slammed her boot onto its collarbone. With a powerful pull, a sickening crunch of snapping exoskeleton and a wet tear of flesh echoed as she ripped its arm clean off. Blood and muscle fibres dangled from the severed limb.

The demon let out a guttural cry for the first time, its large eyes darting violently. Astrid surged forward, tossing the arm aside.

Fear compelled its action. The demon spun, its semi-transparent wings beginning to flap.

In relentless pursuit, Astrid grasped one wing, then the other. Using her feet as leverage on its back, she heaved. The wings tore off with surprisingly little resistance. Astrid’s eyes gleamed with malice.

“AH!” The demon stumbled to the ground, looking back at her in full panic. “I yield! Don’t kill me—”

Her large hands crushed its face, pinning it to the ground. The antennae on its head whipped around violently, its ugly face contorting in mortified terror.

“AAAAH!” Astrid pulled with all her might. Its neck snapped, and a nasty liquid spilled out like a fountain, a spine and nerve fibres hanging from the severed neck like strings of gore.

“Y~you…” Its mouth stopped moving.

With a devilish smile, she placed its head on the gravel, and her boot crushed it with a satisfying crunch, leaving nothing but a thick stain on the ground.

“Look like a bug, die like a bug,” Astrid muttered. It was somewhat poetic.

“Um… Astrid?” Eric spoke up, his tone reluctant. He wasn’t sure which side was the bad guy after watching that unfold.

“What?”

“G~good work, I guess.”

“Thanks…” She strode through the wreckage, her radiating aura subsiding.

“How do you figure that out?” Eric asked, intrigued. “I wonder…”

Astrid grinned, brushing her messy hair from her face. “The demon’s exoskeleton is exceptionally high in its hardness. However, I figured its weakness might be its tensile strength, especially at the joints. I also used heat to weaken it even more.”

“Ugh… what does that mean?” Eric asked, landing his Armatus on the ground.

Astrid sighed and spoke in layman’s terms. “Sometimes, if pushing doesn’t work, try pulling.”

“Ah! Why didn’t you say so from the get-go?” Eric nodded to himself, motioning his Armatus to scoop wreckage out of the way and clear a path through the collapsing wall.

“Anyway… Thanks,” she said before proceeding inside to close the portal properly this time. Then Ziyue’s words struck her, and her face soured. “Demoness, my arse. Mine was just a bug,” she grumbled loudly.

Distant sirens blared, and soon the fire department arrived with their vessels. Nozzles mounted on top sprayed immeasurable amounts of water onto the roaring fire, restoring a semblance of peace and order.

“Good work, everyone,” Sandria’s voice brimmed with appreciation. “Especially you, Astrid.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Astrid stood by, her keen eyes watching for any remaining threat, although she didn’t expect any.

“Come back. We’ll patch you up,” Sandria said.

“Copy that,” Astrid replied, but she stayed until the firefighters had all left. Her mission for the day was not yet over. She flicked through her messages, and her lips drew into a thin line.

That evening, after a long scrub and a hot bath, Astrid found herself dressed in an uncharacteristically formal black dress, white flowers in her hands. She knew she looked awful in it, but it was tradition.

Once she entered the place of remembrance, she saw him. The tall, broad man, whose frame eclipsed her own, was standing by the gate. The sacred ground was lined with gleaming marble.

Lume Ember Lorne jolted to attention the moment he spotted her. His black suit was taut around his massive frame, and he wore a nervous smile that didn’t suit his rough visage.

“Hi, Dad…” Astrid said, clasping her bouquet tightly.

“Hi, Astrid…” he replied, scratching his neck.

“So, you came?” She asked, incredulous.

“Of course I did… I wanted to.” Lume cupped her shoulder, inspecting the plaster on her nose. His gaze softened. “We’re family.”

Her eyes glittered. She looked into his eyes, and a small, genuine smile painted her lips. “Right…”

“Shall we?” Lume outstretched his hand, and she took it.

Together, they strode through narrow rows of ornate tombstones until they reached an open space where a large, rectangular monolith greeted them.

The top of the stone was decorated with a flame-like edge, and the emblem of the Flame of Ares adorned the centre in gold. Below the emblem, lined rows and rows of names — her friends and her family, forged through thick and thin, blood and tears, in Empyrion.

“It’s been one month already…” Astrid spoke softly, her lips trembling. They did their best, protecting those people like they were supposed to.

“They’re heroes, honourable men and women,” Lume rasped, offering his daughter a comfort she didn’t know she needed. His presence grounded her.

Astrid knelt before the stone and placed the flowers, paying respect to the fallen heroes of the Thylin war, and to the Flame of Ares, whose legacy she would carry until her last breath.

“I’ll see you again in Elysium, my friends…”

The chill autumn air came with fallen amber leaves that drifted mesmerisingly through the air. Astrid had been quiet since they left the sacred ground.

Lume shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Umm… do you remember the grilling place I used to take you to when you were young?” he asked, gesturing toward the parking lot.

“Mmm,” she hummed.

“Well, the old man Tako has another branch opening in the city…” he trailed off. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Do you want to go with me? Just like old times?”

“Dad, I—”

Ring!

Lume’s phone rang. He quickly pulled it out and checked the screen. Astrid crossed her arms in displeasure. She had been hesitant at first; now she didn’t want to go at all. Her father was a busy man, a great admiral, but being a single father was not a role he had prepared for. Which was why she felt he was terrible at it.

Astrid peered at his screen. It was her new mom, Rye Au Norm. At this point, she might as well call her that, since they had been courting since then. The thought fuelled her fury, and her arms tightened across her chest.

To her surprise, Lume turned off his phone and put it in his pocket. A nervous smile returned to his face as he locked eyes with hers. “Well, pretty please?” he insisted.

Astrid sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

The man almost jumped for joy, but he had a demeanour to maintain. “Ahem, this way then, my prettiest daughter in the world!” he said, his tone a mock-velvet. As they stepped into the hovering car and it lifted silently into the evening sky, a warmth spread through Astrid’s chest that had nothing to do with her Empyrion.