Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 704 - 590 Entering into a Contract

Chapter 704: Chapter 590 Entering into a Contract

Can humans forever triumph over the Ancient Mystics?

Masasuke Hazuki still remembered the Gaseous Giant God in the cage, who, despite its aged appearance, stared at him with burning eyes and said that its brothers would eventually return one by one, and the numerous Mystics harbored by humanity would reappear in the world. The prolonged war had already begun, and the Godslayer who had slumbered for a thousand years would return, bringing with him the ultimate treasure coveted by all Mystics.

At that moment, all human efforts would vanish like soap bubbles, returning to the very bottom of the Four-Star Chart, once again becoming slaves to Witches and Mystics.

He had once dismissed it as the ramblings of a foolish deity. Until he saw everything turning into reality, people had tried their best to suppress their fears at the bottom of Pandora’s box, and now it had been pried open again. Someone had not only released Zenith but also rescued the Forest Master, who would commit such an atrocity, bringing terror back to the world of humans.

Working for Nestor Corporation was like walking alone in the dark. Masasuke Hazuki looked around.

How could these people accept everything around them with peace of mind?

The Nestor Corporation, which had been established for less than a decade, took only 50 hours to defeat the New Xisheng Group, and the vast Ocean Descendant became their servant, while landfills and waste pits turned into dense forests full of ancient creatures... Mysterious phenomena that invited suspicion were becoming the norm here one after another.

In other corporate territories, all Mystical phenomena were contained to the greatest extent to ensure that people lived in a logical, understandable world.

But here, people were gradually walking alongside Mysticism. The laws of the world changed abruptly, and they relished in it, accustomed.

To what extent had people’s cognition been distorted?

The bloody sacrifices of humanity and all their efforts were made so that they would never have to kneel to invisible shackles, and now all those honours had turned into bubbles.

"Does holding such a secret ceremony also count as a part of the justice you serve?" Masasuke Hazuki turned to look at Seeking Shadow.

"What?"

"Ceremonies like these have been eradicated, controlled, erased. Where did you get this from?"

"You don’t need to know." Seeking Shadow didn’t know how to explain either.

"If I don’t need to know, then why invite me to join your oath? Isn’t the oath meant to establish mutual trust and unity among us?" Masasuke Hazuki said.

Seeking Shadow was troubled and looked towards the others.

Rinne’s attention was all on Aiden the Crusher, but she could hear their conversation.

She raised her head and glanced at Masasuke Hazuki. He had always worn a black suit and sneakers, meticulous and indifferent. Now, however, he showed a rare hint of anger.

"As long as our goal is noble, the means do not matter. Besides, you are using secret techniques yourself. We are on the same path, aren’t we?" Rinne said.

"Yes." Masasuke Hazuki said.

Masasuke Hazuki walked towards the dark room.

The mystical atmosphere seemed like thousands of invisible tentacles, constantly expanding outward, hinting at all sorts of eerie and strange occurrences. But Masasuke Hazuki had seen too much, and at this moment he simply proceeded expressionlessly.

Step by step he approached the black sanctuary, imagining himself as a lone knight, solemnly heading to dark chambers and execution grounds.

It’s no obstacle to act; sometimes one righteous person surpasses a gathering of the wicked.

"Wait a moment." Seeking Shadow lifted her hand.

"What is it?"

"Perhaps no oath is necessary because you are a just person. I know your kind well. We should carry out justice together, at Jialong Slope." Seeking Shadow turned towards Masasuke Hazuki, her eyes equipped with high-definition cameras and synthetic blue membranes, currently adjusting focus, observing everything about Masasuke Hazuki.

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you," Seeking Shadow said earnestly, "And I believe you will not betray my trust."

Masasuke Hazuki paused in his steps.

But this squad... felt more familiar than any order from the Alliance.

"The oath is necessary." Masasuke Hazuki cast aside his thoughts and walked in.

Passing through the semi-transparent plastic curtain, in the black chamber, the ritual tools were already prepared, simple, consisting only of a wooden bowl and a Golden Branch soaked in the clear water in the bowl.

Chiyuki Sajou stood in a plain white Witch outfit next to it, holding a ritual instrument called the "Coin Bundle," which was a kind of ceremonial tool used to communicate with the Mystics, resembling a long staff with several white cloth strips tied at the end, interwoven and folded.

When Chiyuki Sajou gently swung the Coin Bundle in her hands, faint blue ripples emerged in the air, like tender buds growing.

"Others will join our oath in time. For now, let us four establish trust in each other." After saying this, Chiyuki Sajou began to draw Secret Scripts in the air.

Under her drawing, a dark golden rune emerged from the air. Chiyuki Sajou reached out to touch it, closing her eyes, and bound her soul to it.

Soon the Secret Script displayed an animal-like pattern, roughly resembling a small black marten.

Jiro Sajou was sitting in a corner of the chamber, then he also stood up, closed his eyes, touched the rune, and joined the oath, and from it emerged a second mark, shaped like a spotted hyena with mouth slightly ajar.

Masasuke Hazuki caressed the oath, and from it emerged the third mark, shaped like a translucent wolf.

Rinne finally walked in from outside.

She glanced at the oath in the secret chamber, where the runes of the oath itself had spread out like tree roots, radiating golden glimmers in all directions. The secret scripts’ patterns and lines resembled some kind of complex plant in their precision, as if each person’s joining made the power of the oath even stronger.

Rinne silently reached out to touch the oath, and upon it appeared the fourth mark, shaped like a fox, a pure white fox crouched low, as if poised to hunt or ready to attack. She smiled at this result.

They all felt some kind of intangible chain and bond form between their souls, signifying that they could not attack each other or harbor wicked thoughts or cross swords.

"This is a powerful oath, once we harbor any designs against each other, our souls will burn," Seeking Shadow said as she walked in last. She was a Synthetic Human, lacking a soul to participate in the oath.

"Hazuki’s soul imprint is particularly faint," Chiyuki Sajou noticed the different animal marks on the oath.

Everyone else’s mark was quite distinct, only Masasuke Hazuki’s appeared semi-transparent as if it could vanish at any moment.

"That’s because my soul was damaged during training and isn’t whole," Masasuke Hazuki replied indifferently.

He had prepared in advance for an opportunity to break the Forest Master’s oath, the cost being that he could never be near nature again and must always be accompanied by an artificial environment. Now he didn’t need to renege on the oath; Masasuke Hazuki had to act at the right time.

"Let’s go, I trust he won’t do anything he’ll regret," Rinne said as she walked outside, looking back closely at Masasuke Hazuki.

Masasuke Hazuki returned her look with his usual indifference.

After arriving at Jialong Slope, everything will be clear.

Rinne clasped her hands behind her head, her thoughts completely affected by the news of Aiden the Crusher.

Aiden the Crusher was a monster soldier created by the Namisis Group, a terrifying being with over 99% of his body altered. He had participated in defending the company’s assets at least 400 times and had never failed.

His firepower and combat prowess far exceeded anyone Rinne knew. What was worse, Aiden had the most advanced subjective slowdown implants installed in his extensively altered body, capable of withstanding the strain they placed on him.

... Namisis Group’s most powerful creation, Battle Witch too had been dismembered by him, brutal and cold-blooded.

The last squad Rinne joined was wiped out at the hands of Aiden the Crusher, with none surviving, her heart filled with towering hatred.

Namisis Group had released information that Aiden the Crusher had entered Jialong Slope, with the intent to protect corporate assets.

Therefore, what Rinne needed to do was to avenge her past at Jialong Slope and thoroughly settle her history with him.

She and Seeking Shadow made their way to the technology department at Nestor Headquarters.

Rinne opened a huge metal supply box, with indents carved in various shapes into the leather cushion below, filled with weapons and equipment of different sizes and shapes. A female technician stood by, helping them register the conditions of the goods being checked out.

"The biggest boomer," Seeking Shadow knelt on one knee, hugging a rather large red laser shotgun from the box, a prototype weapon from Nestor Corporation’s armory department, codenamed "Flame Tide."

"It’s powered by miniature nuclear fission batteries, each capable of firing four shots," the technician reminded them.

"I can still run around with this on my back," Seeking Shadow, light in stature, took a few steps and found it did not hinder her movement.

Rinne took electromagnetic pulse grenades from inside and put them in her Witch Armor’s carrying gear; essential for combat against mechanical foes. Of course, she intended to use hacking methods to infiltrate them as well.

"There are many healing injections and tool kits as well," Seeking Shadow liked to stockpile resources. She packed and carried all these things with her.

They then proceeded to meet with the overall commander of the operation at Jialong Slope.

"Who’s going to lead us? Aledy? What kind of person is fit to command, one who directs Witches, troops, and the Disciple Squad?" Rinne guessed continuously.

When the door opened, Rinne saw Kojima Kanako sitting at the far end of the room.

"It’s Kanako," Seeking Shadow observed intently.

"What’s her superpower? Especially good at commanding or something?" Rinne was somewhat unconvinced.

"She’s very wealthy," Seeking Shadow walked into the room.

Kojima Kanako looked at them and smiled, asking them to take a seat.

"This operation is of great importance; we need not only to expand our influence at Jialong Slope but also to address potential mystical risks," Kanako said.

"We must also acquire that copy of Digital Mind," Rinne quickly added.

Without Digital Mind, it would be difficult for her to continue making progress.

"The goals will be achieved one by one, but we need sincere collaboration. I hope we establish our action base at Jialong Slope first, at Xisheng Hotel in Cold Bay where we will depart together," Kanako said softly.

"Understood," Seeking Shadow nodded.

"Deploying so many people, what about the secret defenses of the Northern Archipelago?" Rinne quickly thought of this.

"They are temporarily secure," Kanako murmured. "Strangely, our potential enemy ’Ghost Warrior’ has been incommunicado for several months now."