✴

“Yet you ally yourself with a cult that welcomes boys!” you say.

“The cult is only temporary! When The One is seated on the Æthereal Throne, ÆON alone will rule as our immortal Goddess, the Sages and the cult will no longer be necessary! Neither will men!” she says.

“Of course they tell you that! What makes you so sure you can trust them to give up their power? What makes you so sure ÆON even wants to rule anybody?!”

The stars above you under her command begin to circle the sky around you, spiraling down all together, focusing into a single attack.

“The One will rule us because it is its destiny, and in our new era, I will ensure--” A rubber insulated vine coils itself around her shield, interrupting her. “What is--”

“You damaged Professor Reina’s garden!” Akiko directs more of her construct plants from the ground. They bind her wings and press in against her barrier. You can feel the pressure against Akiko’s technopathy through your connection to her. Anger flows through the empathic channel like you’ve never felt from Akiko before. “Now break!”

The vines’ insulation melts away as they glow bright green with æthereal energy. The cultist’s defensive layer collapses inward. The vines wrap tight around her legs, her arms, her neck, leaving you a clear shot.

Akiko’s empathic message is as clear as text: “Finish this.”

????-??-?? ??:??:?? Protogen > HELP

????-??-?? ??:??:?? Protogen > can’t...

Down below, you see Zeta, pressed hard by the great æthereal wolf and their mechanical turret swarm. Its shield is fading under the evocative assault. The beast closes in on it, with electric arcs dancing across its metal fangs.