After passing through a sloping, narrow path between the houses, the view ahead opened up dramatically.
"This is truly... a breathtaking sight." Even Blaidd, a hardened warrior, couldn't help but express his admiration upon seeing the scene before them.
Aoko silently pulled out her camera, standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking most of the Eternal City. She captured the stunning view in front of her.
The majority of the city's structures were colossal in scale, something that would have been impossible to construct in a world without extraordinary powers or before the Industrial Revolution. This Eternal City in reality appeared even larger and more awe-inspiring than the models Aoko remembered from the game.
As she and Blaidd carefully walked along the edge of the cliff, they observed and pondered how this city had been built. Had the Nox people used some form of gravity-based magical technology to construct such a grand underground marvel?
Or perhaps it was because the people of the night had some deep connection to the giants? Aoko shifted her gaze slightly to the massive skeleton sitting lifelessly on a throne in the city.
It might have been a giant—or maybe not. In the Lands Between, most giants bore the fiery eyes of the Flame God, and their bodies were distinctly different from those of humans. Yet the remains of this giant before them, aside from its size, bore no noticeable differences from humans. Its attire and appearance were more akin to those of slender scholars or priests, rather than the savage warriors typical of fire giants.
Moreover, the enormous throne itself was a temple, and the blasphemous weapon meant to slay the Fingers was hidden within its sanctum.
Aoko couldn't discern the true intentions of the Nox people, but from their creation of the "Artificial Lord" and the "God-slaying Weapon," it was clear that their ambitions were aimed at overthrowing the system of gods and kings that ruled the Lands Between. They had come alarmingly close to success.
Unfortunately, one part of their plan had failed—the attempt to kill the Fingers' Mother, who held absolute authority over the selection of kings and gods. Though gravely injured, the Fingers' Mother, Metyr, had not perished.
In her madness and fury, Metyr summoned the Death Star, Astel, from the abyss of darkness, unleashing indiscriminate destruction upon the Nox's city. This annihilated the greatest native civilization the Lands Between had ever seen. The surviving nightfolk were too few to restore their ancestors' glory and now merely eked out an existence beneath this false night sky.
Aoko and Blaidd carefully evaded the patrolling Nox swordsman. As they brushed past each other, Aoko noticed that the Nox swordsman seemed faintly aware of their stealth. The white-robed, black-armored swordsman paused briefly, scanning the area where Aoko stood, but seeing nothing, continued along the designated route.
Trailing behind the Nox swordsman was a low-tier silver Tear. Unlike its higher-tier counterparts, this silver Tear could not transform into human form and could only attack like a slime. However, its artificial body was far superior to that of an ordinary slime. It could morph into sharp spikes to injure enemies.
Aoko held no animosity toward the Nox people, so there was no need to kill these ancient remnants. Avoiding them was the best course of action.
Blaidd, on the other hand, appeared somewhat tense. As a warrior, he likely preferred straightforward, head-on combat over this cautious sneaking. The careful stealth made him slightly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the stealth mission soon ended. Before them lay the entrance to a square. At the far end of the square stood the lower half of a massive female statue. Aoko wasn't sure if the statue depicted Queen Marika, as the Nox civilization predated even the establishment of the Golden Order.
"Be careful in a moment," Aoko warned as she cast protective magic on Blaidd, enhancing his resistance to energy damage. "There's a... special silver Tear in this room. It can replicate the appearance and abilities of its enemies. I want to see to what extent it can replicate me."
"Understood," Blaidd replied decisively. "But if things go sideways, I'll kill it immediately. Is that okay?"
"No problem. My safety is in your hands, Mr. Blaidd." Aoko smiled and patted Blaidd's arm. She couldn't reach his shoulder due to her height—Blaidd was at least 2.3 meters tall.
After making their preparations, Aoko steadied her breathing, gripped her Scarlet Staff tightly, and stepped into the domain guarded by the silver Tear.
From thin air, a silvery fluid materialized—the pinnacle of Nox technology, the Mimic Tear.
This silver substance, resembling the Mercury Magecraft from Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi's highest-class Mystic Code, began a complex transformation in front of her. Whether it was just her imagination or not, the transformation seemed slower than Aoko had anticipated, as if it faced some difficulty in the process.
Aoko didn't interrupt it. She held her staff and patiently waited for the transformation to complete.
After two or three minutes, a figure identical to Aoko stood before her. Aoko examined it, feeling a strange sense of looking into a mirror.
However, the expression on the Mimic Tear's face was eerily cold.
No, "cold" wasn't quite the right word. The replicated Aoko's face lacked certain human qualities, appearing more like a simple imitation, exuding an overwhelming sense of "emptiness."
Before Aoko could analyze further, the Mimic Tear attacked first. To her surprise, it raised its left hand—the one not holding a staff—and fired a barrage of magic missiles at her!
Aoko quickly responded, dodging with swift movements while using the small cosmic orb atop her Scarlet Staff to cast the spell "Primordial Darkness," absorbing all the unavoidable magic missiles.
She was astonished to realize that the Mimic Tear had replicated a portion of her magic circuits. As it cast the magic missiles, the circuits' patterns glowed brightly on its skin.
When the magic missiles failed to harm Aoko, the Mimic Tear immediately switched tactics. Holding the staff with both hands, it summoned a purple sigil of gravitational magic. A glowing orb of gravitational force materialized beside Aoko, its immense pull distorting time and space as it tried to drag her in.
Without hesitation, Aoko used her Mirage Step to escape the gravitational orb's range. She watched as the spell caused a collapsing explosion nearby, leaving a deep crater in the ground.
After Aoko disappeared, the Mimic Tear frantically turned its head, searching for her. However, when it finally located her, it seemed to experience a momentary illusion, as though countless eras had passed in the blink of an eye.
Standing before the Mimic Tear, Aoko wished to inform it that what it saw was no illusion. It was a glimpse of the ultimate mystery from another universe. She wanted to test whether the Nox's technology could replicate the Fifth Magic, the Root of the Swirl, from an alternate cosmos.