Case 347: A world without her.
To , Eva has always been a pillar of hope.
She snatched from the jaws of death and gave a new life two decades ago. Just because of that, I'm eternally grateful. But her worth to is much more than that. She has been with as a companion for just that long, and I couldn't imagine a world without her.
Without her reassuring presence, without the fulfilling essence that has been a part of Sylvia's heart since her conception.
''...''
So, when I can no longer sense her traces—not even a sliver of her being around , panic sets in.
A colossal sense of unease falls on , echoing so piercingly inside my head as my heart races. In an instant, countless possibilities flash through my mind.
Is she alive? Where did she go? Did soone take her away?
But of course, it isn't hard to pinpoint the culprit. In this world, the only person who can clash with Eva is her sister, Eve. So this is how it has turned out. This is what their plan was.
By taking away our anchor—the only hope to this continent—they will finally have a chance of ruining us.
I won't let that happen.
''This isn't the ti for sleeping!''
Imdiately, I wake everyone up and quickly explain the situation. Whether they have done anything aside from kidnapping Eva is still unknown, but it is best to alert my closest companions first.
''...Let's be cautious. We can probably tell your parents and the top officials, but not the masses.'' Tina frowns. ''Not the military either. We can't allow panic to ruin the operation.''
''No, shouldn't we pause it to search for Eva?'' Liana chis in.
Sighing, Sariel puts her palm on the elf's head, ''It will break our montum. It's an all-out assault plan, one that consus too many resources to pause. Besides... if there's a place she can be, it's most likely close to the heart of the demons.''
...Yeah.
At this point, retreat is no longer an option. Say we cower now, they will only co back stronger and destroy us. The only way forward is to take the initiative. Even without Eva, I think we can manage sohow.
Since the responsibility for opening the portal will fall on , I have to work harder.
''Phew...''
There's no need to panic now. It does nothing.
Trust in Eva. She won't be defeated so quickly. Yes, we only need to save her, and everything will be over.
''Let's go.''
Even without words, I believe my reliable partners already understood my intentions. As they swiftly prepare to leave, I pat Anna and Luna's backs, hopefully shaking off their fright.
''I... I need to save Mother Goddess...!'' Anna dashes off the bed, her tail gliding in the air.
Turning to , Luna says determinedly, ''I'll work on locating Eva. It's my fault for not raising my guard enough this ti, so I'll make up for it.''
''I don't bla you, Luna. But I'll have to ask you—please give it your best.''
With everything ready in no ti, we rush to HQ directly and notify my dad, who's also looking sowhat restless.
''What?! Mother Goddess is missing?!''
''Dad, has anything else occurred?''
Clearly trying to gather his thoughts, my dad shakes his head in disbelief and takes two deep breaths. The pair of blue eyes fixing on afterward is undoubtedly brilliant.
''For now, nothing serious.'' He says. ''However, strange weather phenona and faint symptoms of natural disasters have been reported. Nature is suffering.''
I'd expected that much since no matter how good the planet managent AI is, we can't expect the world to run perfectly without Eva's tinkering. Now that it is acting up again, it seems Eva has really gone missing.
This can't go on. We'll first have to stabilize the machine before it gets more complicated.
Assuming the operation proceeds as usual, there's not much ti left. Taking the lead, I delegate the task of monitoring the AI tower to Emy and Liana. Sariel has a more extensive understanding of this topic, but without her, we'll lose too much firepower. Besides, the two elves will do well in the forest, where the destination is.
Just in case sothing happens to them... although they won't be alone there, most certainly.
''I'll work on the portal imdiately,'' I tell Dad. ''Does Everwood have more firepower to compensate?''
''Sohow, yes. If we roll out the prototypes, then...''
''Please do that.''
Anna and Tina are two essential combatants for our troops. They both belong to the support class, which is indispensable. But we only have Sariel as our main ans of dealing damage, and maybe I can also be counted.
We need more raw power. Quicker, and more destructive.
Damn it... do I really need to use the nuclear bomb...? I'd snuck one into my space warehouse, but it just seems so overkill sohow. No, maybe leaving it for the final fight is smarter.
For now, missiles and ordinary explosives are the way to go.
As such thoughts flash across my mind, I can't help but instinctively yearn for the working table, where I spend ti making ammunition. Not now. I need to pour energy into the portal.
Thankfully, I'd heard Eva explain it before, so it's not impossible to recreate. I can still do a lot afterward as well, relying on the stock of divine-powered bullet tips I'd made.
In the rush, I concentrate my everything into my duty, not paying attention to the clock. By the ti I finally work out how to put the rift accurately, the operation is already nearing its start.
Thunderous footsteps outside pull back to reality, and I rush out with my three companions, leaving the focused Luna at the base. In ti, she should send us the divination's results.
''Let's hope this works...''
Crossing entire corps neatly situated in rows, we soon reach a spacious launching site. Here, about a few dozen launchers are being propped up, ready to fire the scarcely manufactured and expensive long-range missiles for an early strike.
When these things fire, the portal will start to manifest.
It will have to. If not, the enemies will have the ti to recover and raise their guard. It's a heavy responsibility, and it makes terribly nervous.
Steeling my mind, I slowly begin to wind up my divine power.
*****
In a dark, secluded room, faint laughter can be heard.
''Ah... my beautiful sister...''
A female figure shrouded in a dark purple mist runs her fingers on the unconscious woman's cheeks, her own flushing.
Eve can't control her twisted smile.
Just thinking about the things she will be able to do to her sister... it arouses her. It was certainly worth the ti to plan for this kidnapping... no, this 'reconciliation.'
A goddess whose soul remains brave and untainted, such as Eva's, is of the utmost quality.
What could be more exciting than trying her very best to... taint that soul? Giggling to herself, Eve ponders this question.
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