(POV - 3RD)

By the time Gray Raven and the lone Strike Hawk member embarked on Watanabe's trail in one direction, dusk has already fell but their trek has led them to a small foundation with pillars and metallic frames rusting everywhere.

Should they be on the right path then they need to take care of their surroundings thus Lee took the initiative to take a short patrol around the area while Lucia held back on the ground while waiting for Kamui and Kiryu to finish their own scouting inside.

"Outer rim survey completed, no possible ambushes confirmed." Lee reported, stepping back down from the ledge he stood on.

"And the route inside?" Lucia asked, almost expectantly.

"Liv's not here, so we have limited data collection capabilities, nothing to do other than to wait for Kamui and Commandant." Replied Lee, shaking his head as Lucia remained silent.

"What's wrong?" The Construct then inquired, sensing his leader's musing.

"Nothing... just thinking back to that time inside the shop, picking up the plushies with Liv..." Lucia began as Lee kept silent now, not wishing to dampen the mood.

"..."

"That sheep plushie, it felt like Liv... it had a warmth that should be unperceivable by all means but... there it was a warm feeling..." Lucia continued.

There was a light frown on her face, almost as if the emotion or thought she was feeling at the moment didn't really make sense... seeing how she is but a machine build for battle, the warmth as perceived by Lucia indeed felt foreign to the Construct.

"Even though Liv was the one who stayed at the back... it feels like she is the one that shines the brightest in battle." Lucia admitted.

"Perhaps when I was assigned to this squadron and under Kiryu... I might have supported his decision to take in Liv because of the light we both possibly saw..." She added.

"If I recall, Liv is the only one out of us three to be rewarded with an honour medal of the highest rankings. I may not express my sentiments well... but I trust her to know what to do in a situation like this." Lee remarked, agreeing with his leader's words.

"I'd think so too... and I'm sure Commandant does as well." Lucia responded with a slight nod.

"He certainly will, being who he is." The gunner Construct said, referring to Kiryu's treatment of the entire team even up to now.

"Speaking of which, he and Kamui are back." He added, both Constructs seeing Kiryu and the Strike Hawk member return.

"Oh, done with calling that 'Strike Hawk guy' now?" The said Construct remarked with a light snark but was cut off by Kiryu.

"Both of you can talk as much as you want later, the entrance we've seen is small enough only for a compact group of Corrupted coming in and out rather than in large quantities."

"Yup, you can basically divide them into two groups, one patrolling in and out and the others wandering outside the ruins." Kamui interjected.

"With all things considered, infiltration is the best option if we are to avoid combat and get to our objective faster."

"Then infiltration it is, everyone in optimal condition?" The Commandant questioned, looking at the team members one by one.

"My frame's all good, no systemic malfunction and my weapons are still working fine." Lee stated as Lucia seconded.

"I have no internal or external damage, weapon is also in optimal condition." 

"I'm ready and waiting, Commandant!" Kamui added, swinging his arms.

"I'd be more worried, the Ascendant was targeting you earlier and there was a spike in the virus level." Kiryu rebuked, helmet visor blinking as it scanned.

"However... you do appear to be in working order, as strange as it is considering your close contact with the Ascendant." 

"I'm a Tank-Type Construct, it'll take more than a fancy poke from a Corrupted to put me down!" Kamui said confidently.

"For some reason, I have a hard time believing it." Lee commented offhandedly.

"Don't... what was the word again..? Don't 'jinx' it?" Lucia added unsurely, having heard the term from Kiryu during every other missions they participated in.

"That's the term alright, glad to see you opening up more but for now... we're at the target area." Kiryu stated, spying out several Corrupted walking about.

"We need to move quickly, here's hoping Kamui's map is accurate." Lee remarked.

"Hey, I'll have you know my maps are 99.9 percent accurate!" Said Construct intoned from the side indignantly with a huff.

"Then I'll worry for the 0.1 percentage." Lee retorted with a scoff.

"I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, he is a Construct specifically attuned to scouting." Kiryu commented, earning pat on the back from Kamui.

"See, he gets it far quicker than you do!" 

"We get it, now shut up, we need to stay low." Lee ordered quietly as the group snuck around the wandering Corrupted, making sure to stay out of their lines of sight.

Thanks to the Constructs' in-built camouflage systems, they managed to successfully creep across the field of Corrupted, Kiryu was far more discreet as he moved along the very edge of the ruins, hiding behind several fallen structures in the ground.

Since they were separated, they maintained contact through their comms albeit silently though despite their current situation, Kamui couldn't help but ask one question out quietly.

"What is this place..? Looks like a plant but for what?" 

"I'm seeing an... oasis? Inside the building? Perhaps an organisation researching artificial biospheres that was taken over by the Forsaken." Lee answered.

"Could it possibly be a predecessor or some type to Babylonia's bio-system?" Kiryu deducted as Lucia interjected quietly, surveying around.

"Possibly, but something still doesn't feel right about this place..."

"The biodiversity here is too low for this area to be an artificial biosphere, not to mention the overall strange design." She continued.

"If that's the case, then it isn't a biosphere as we thought it was?" Kiryu said as Lee mused to his thoughts before speaking.

"I get it now, this place isn't what we assumed it was... 7 o'clock position, the building there should have collapsed long ago due to its weak foundations. 3 o'clock, a high-rising structure and the one in the middle is completely incongruent." Lee stated.

"Notice the abnormal buoyancies from the springs at 11 o'clock, this entire design makes this space fill up with an uncanniness to the details almost like a... M.I.N.D."

"If that's the case then we should keep an eye out for any mishaps, if the Forsaken came here before then we can expect traps laid out for us." Kiryu ordered.

"Everyone, stay sharp and-" He continued, turning around to the Constructs but only to see... nothing but empty spaces.

"..!?" If the Commandant was surprised, he made no indication of it before snatching out his GUTS Hyper and taking aim.

"Lucia, report in." He ordered, a finger on the comms but only hearing static in response and to no avail did it work with Lee or Kamui as well.

"...Vital signs are all green, no signs of a physical attack... an attack that targets the M.I.N.D? No, I shouldn't be affected too badly..." Kiryu deduced.

However, before he could continue his thoughts, several sets of metallic footsteps interrupted his musing as he turned around to see a small group of Corrupted having wandered their way into the ruins and the space between him and the Gray Ravens.

"...Since I'm apparently alone... guess I should be more cautious." The Commandant remarked to himself as he kept his eyes and ears peeled.

"No gunfire or cutting noises, can't hear Lee and Lucia nor can I see them. Teleportation? No, the technology here shouldn't be advanced enough."

"Communications are down so interferences with the electromagnetic frequencies? Should be emitting from something in this place if that's the case." Kiryu mused.

Suddenly, the Commandant switched off the safety of his firearm before unleashing a torrent of bullets into several Ground Monitors that caught sight of him, causing more of its metallic kin, a few Protectors and a Tamer to charge at him.

Kiryu wasn't fazed as he calmly reloaded another magazine into his firearm and shot again, precisely aiming for the heads of the Corrupted which took at least two or three bullets to dispatch while any machines that managed to get close enough met his Sparklence Blade.

The Tamer then lunged at him, its 'mount' charging at him with its tusks aimed to gouge him apart but only for a singular sword to pierce through its head as Kiryu held it in place. 

He immediately raised his GUTS Hyper as the Corrupted riding the machine raised its spear at him but only to be met with a bullet shot right into its crimson optic and head, killing it.

Kiryu pulled his blade back out from the robotic corpse before kicking the body towards another round of Corrupted approaching him rapidly, two Gardeners and a lone Pilgrim, the corpse of the Tamer Corrupted landed onto one of the Gardener as the former soon dashed at them.

The Pilgrim Corrupted raised its own firearm before taking a shot at him, one that Kiryu effortlessly avoided as he closed in the distance between him and the machine, just as the Pilgrim was about to take another shot, the latter struck with his own.

Unloading the last few rounds of bullets into the Corrupted that soon fell over with sparks all around it, Kiryu emptied the magazine as he tucked the gun back into its holster, using this opportunity to utilise his sword more as he sprinted at the Gardeners.

Briefly he wondered whether Lucia or Lee are also dealing with their own waves of Corrupted despite his lack of further vision in the area but he soon refocused his attention on his own targets in front of him.

One Gardener attacked first with a wide swing of its buzzsaw which Kiryu simply leaned away from before cutting his Sparklence Blade deep into the side of the Corrupted, bisecting its body as it gave away rather easily, allowing him to focus on his last target.

Said Corrupted was charging at him, digging its buzzsaw into the ground as it closed in the space between them though with the speed and trajectory the Gardener was running at, Kiryu could easily avoid the attack without any issues.

The Commandant quickly sidestepped before raising his Sparklence Blade and then letting it fall right onto the neck of the passing Corrupted, once more effortlessly decapitating the machine, allowing its twitching and sparking body to collapse onto the ground with the buzzsaw.

Silence filled the area as Kiryu replaced the Sparklence back into his uniform pocket before attempting another connection with the communication line though he wouldn't need to as his ears began to pick up faint and broken pieces of voices in the distance.

"-ee! Plea... pond... can hear... e..!" Although faint, the voice was undeniably Lucia's, her position was certainly further away than it was from the beginning.

Either she too had just fought off several Corrupted or she tried to search for him and the others to no avail until now since Kiryu started to hear another familiar voice enter the fray.

"-can hear you, but not due to the comms... my hearing has recovered..." Lee said aloud as the Commandant followed their voices which progressively grew clearer.

"What about your sight? Kamui, what do you see around you?" Lucia questioned but only to receive silence in return.

"He's not here." Lee answered for her, causing her to fall silence at the sudden admission.

"You didn't take the opportunity to boot him off somewhere, did you?" Kiryu asked out loud, earning a deadpanned gaze that he could FEEL in the air.

"Commandant! Are you alright?!" Lucia called out in relief.

"My status is fine, I daresay the same for you but back to my question, Lee." Kiryu answered before turning to the direction of Lee.

"I'm not THAT petty though the idea is tempting... but we should find a way to reunite first." The gunner Construct responded.

"If the interferences only messed with our senses then we shouldn't be too far apart seeing how we can hear each other better now." He added.

"Unless any of you had engaged with hostile forces as I had." Kiryu interjected.

"That too but so far, I had only a few run-ins with Corrupted though I can't say the same for Lucia." Lee replied as the said Construct spoke up.

"I did managed to neutralise a group of Corrupted- wait, I think I touched something."

"That's my shoulder." Lee stated plainly with Lucia responding back with nary a trace of embarrassment before addressing Kiryu.

"Oh, sorry... Commandant, how are you faring?" 

"Since the interference messed up my helmet and senses, I'm practically walking blind... hm? I'm feeling something warm... and soft." Kiryu remarked, patting around.

"C-Commandant, you're touching... my chest..." Lucia meekly said with just the tiniest of blushes adorning her face if she was visible.

"Oh, shi-... but I guess it's safe to assume we're still under the effect." Kiryu stated, quickly snatching his hand back and switching the topic as Lee thankfully interjected.

"But you're completely human... why and how would the interference affect you as well?" 

"Technically, I don't think I can qualify as 'human' with all the stunts I pulled off..." The Commandant thought to himself.

"There's no response from Kamui and all attempts at reconnecting with Babylonia failed as well." Lucia reported, having shaken off the earlier embarrassment.

"So we're under a form of EMP." Presumed Kiryu as Lee soon called out to them.

"If that's the case and if I'm correct, both of you, follow me." 

"Did you find something?" Lucia asked as the dark-blue Construct answered swiftly.

"Nothing concrete as of now but there should be a device of some sort that is causing these electromagnetic disorders in the air since it's obviously unlikely for these disruptions to be occurring naturally in this area."

Following Lee's guidance, the group then found themselves staring at a rather elaborately layout of the entire area structure, the appearance matched that of all the other places from where they stood but their attention was focused on something else.

"What are we looking for?" Lucia asked.

"This should be... a specialised form of an 'EM-Projection' device that can alter the electromagnetic fields of the spaces it occupies." Answered Lee, pointing at a certain space.

"Rather than directly deceiving our sensory organs, its functionality is more akin to draping a giant piece of veil over the real world and us included."

"So that sensory discrepancy we felt earlier was a maladjustment to this augmented space?" Lucia concluded.

"It should be... humans have long found other ways to deceive the senses even without considering the quality of this EM-projector, the cost still doesn't make up for this tech."

"Then how do we turn this projector off?"

"Rather simple, find it and shut it down and we need to start by looking for certain areas that seems out of place which is where the devices should be at."

Lee simply removes the EM-projector which causes a small portion of the area to dissipate as the abnormality rose further as compared to before.

"I see how it is now..." Lucia remarked, gazing at the differences in contemplation.

"Is destroying them an option?" Kiryu questioned, taking out the GUTS Hyper.

"Callousness aside, it would also be quicker to do so, provided that we know of the devices' location." Lee replied before he and Lucia heard a gunshot go off.

Both Constructs turned to see Kiryu holding his firearm and aimed at a smoking area that began to distort visually and with its uncanniness rising by several degrees.

"Quite simple but that clearly isn't the only one." The Commandant remarked, scouring the entire area for more disorders.

"Correct, to ensure the quality and accuracy of the projections, multiple devices must have been deployed to amplify their effects from various angles, we got two but that leaves who knows how many left." Lee stated.

"It's a mediocre trick but one I can expect the Forsaken to utilise due to their limited resources... though a trick like this wouldn't hamper us either way." He added.

"You sound quite confident." Kiryu noted as Lee fished out a small pendant from his collar.

"Confidence which stemmed from tools that are conveniently on hand which can help us out in this situation, such as this souvenir from Murray." 

"Murray... that's your younger brother in Babylonia, right?" Lucia inquired, earning nod from the gunner Construct as he explained.

"Yes, we talk occasionally since both of us find ourselves too busy with our delegated tasks to properly visit each other." 

"That's... quite nice." The ravenette Construct remarked rather quietly, something that Lee and Kiryu both picked up on.

"Do you... not have a family back at Babylonia?" The former asked but the only response he received was an unsure stutter from Lucia.

"Family huh... I should talk to father when I could..." Kiryu thought to himself, reminiscing the last time he and Daigo shared a moment together.

It has a while since then...

"Nevermind, I shouldn't ask any private information especially during missions. This toy is a mini graviton detector, something you can buy from a store near the living quarters." Lee said.

"It has its own commercial motto 'find me from anywhere' but the point is, this thing has a small detection area, highly inaccurate and easily disrupted."

"However, we can just move along with it and record its reactive signals and thus, theoretically deduce a vague but usable map out of here." 

"And from that map, we can reorient ourselves and triangulate the locations of the projectors." 

"Huh... who knew a random toy could be so convenient in this case." Kiryu commented.

"Indeed though I don't know what spurred that company to make this thing, it is nonetheless useful in this situation." Lee responded.

"Then we'll leave it to you, Lee." Lucia stated.

"Got it." Was all the said Construct replied with as he began navigating his way through the area with Kiryu and Lucia behind him.

Unfortunately, in the midst of minutes whereas Gray Raven and Kiryu have already deactivated several EM-projectors, the area around them still refuse to let up its delusional facade which led to the squad standing the middle of the entire mirage, contemplating their next moves.

"This is not working at all." Kiryu remarked, observing the surrounding with no visible changes, a sentiment that Lee shared.

"Turning them off manually by hand is too inefficient, time-consuming, there could up to hundreds of them around us." He said.

"What about we use an EMP grenade?" Lucia suggested.

"That's Strike Hawk equipment, not Gray Raven." Lee bluntly rebuked with a shake of his head though Lucia wasn't deterred.

"But you do have a habit of holding onto a new device you find, am I wrong?" She asked as the gunner Construct fell silent.

"...Well, you got me there, leader." Lee sighed, fishing out a single EMP grenade from his pocket.

"Unfortunately, one EMP grenade won't do much so we'll need to detonate it at the right location." He added.

"Either way, we still need to try." Lucia replied.

"Do or do not, there is no try." Kiryu cryptically remarked which earned him a deadpan from Lee who spoke up with an equally deadpanned tone.

"That is an ancient quote, why would you even remember something like that?" He questioned but nonetheless resumed his trek around the area.

"Quote? From what??" The Gray Raven leading Construct questioned earnestly, no understanding the issue.

"Ah... well, remind me to ask you all- Liv included once we get her back, for your opinions on watching movies back from the Golden Age once we get a break." Kiryu answered.

"Watching movies together huh... that sounds... nice." Lucia commented with just the tiniest trace of a smile etched on her face.

"Hm, I got no doubt she will agree to it." Lee added as well before glancing at the graviton detector in his hand.

"What's the matter?" Kiryu called out to him while keeping an eye out for any Corrupted alongside Lucia before getting an answer.

"Signals' practically going haywire around here so I can roughly estimate the optimal point of detonation to be in this area." 

"Let's not waste anymore time, if this is the best we can get then we'll have to take it." Lucia stated as Lee placed down the EMP grenade.

"Agreed and I, for one do believe we need to rendezvous with Kamui quickly, as much as I dislike it." The gunner Construct remarked.

"You can grumble about it later, now just focus." Kiryu said as Lee activated the grenade, feeling a sense of disruption coursing through the air.

As a result, the alloy covering the floor and walls began to show their true colours, digitally wiping itself out from existence as the projection around the group temporarily fell, revealing themselves to be standing within a rather large interior

"It worked a lot more easier than I expected... they must have prioritised production over protection against attacks like this." Lee remarked.

"Now we need to map down this place's routes and projector locations as fast as we could- wait, isn't that Kamui over there..?" Lucia began before picking a figure in the distance.

"Has he been here all along..?" Lee questioned incredulously as the Strike Hawk member took note of their presences before jogging over.

"You guys managed to break the spell too?" He stated with a grin.

"There was some complications but seeing we're all here, yes. Also, you never responded to our communication attempts earlier." Kiryu answered.

"My bad, my bad! I got too trigger-happy and broke my comms unit." Replied Kamui, holding out the said device that was angled oddly.

"Pass it here, I'll see if I can fix it." Lee demanded, taking out a small toolkit from one of his pockets as he held the unit close to him.

"My homeboy, Lee..." The Strike Hawk praised, earning a rebuttal from said Construct.

"Don't call me that."

"Knock it off you two, there will be a time and place for the both of you to argue." Kiryu ordered while letting his helmet take in the surroundings.

Three projectors at 2 o'clock, two more nearing 11 o'clock and another three at 9 o'clock, behind him stood four projectors spread out from 5 to 8 o'clock, that is if he doesn't turn around.

As Lee said, callous and crude but it is more effective than turning them off by hand which can also risk losing time and causing the devices to turn back on again so Kiryu took out the GUTS Hyper and then let out a barrage of bullets.

Each one hit their marks as the projections fizzled out and disappeared but the effects were not as hopefully expected as the entire area was suddenly lit up once again with the projectors themselves turning back on though the projections were not yet implemented.

"The projectors..." Lucia began, surprise marring her expression as Kamui looked around with a slight frown.

"They restarted themselves?" He said in slight frustration.

"Looks like I was wrong, these devices aren't as flimsy as I would had expected from a mass production, seeing that the EMP only lasted around a minute." Lee interjected.

"Can we search for Liv during the rebooting sequences of the projectors?" Lucia asked.

"Unlikely but we can try and search for a control source of these projectors." The gunner Construct responded before Kamui spoke up.

"Alright, showtime then! I'ma break down all those projectors twice as fast!" He declared, racing off into the temple, much to Lucia's chagrin.

"Kamui, wait!" She called out but Lee had another idea.

"Lucia, Commandant, don't let him out of your sights." He stated, much to their wondering confusion at the sudden request.

"Is there something wrong?" Lucia asked again, watching as Kamui did his tasks in the distance as Lee swiftly answered.

"Since we're on the comms line for Gray Raven, I was checking up on Kamui's Inver-Device... it was running on high-load mode and logs of him trying to turn off his comms system and GPS."

"He was trying to turn off his systems?" Kiryu repeated, making sure he heard right.

"Correct, I suspect he may have his own motives but for now, we should check in with him more often than usual just to make sure." Lee replied.

"If you say so, then I guess everyone knows what to do?" Kiryu said, silently turning to Lucia and Lee as they went to catch up with Kamui who is now entangling himself with Corrupted.

"Simple, act natural and hope that blockhead doesn't suspect anything back." Lee stated.

"Hey, hey! Wanna take a closer look at my sword?!" Kamui shouted, running at another batch of Corrupted while raising his weapon.

"Though with how he's doing right now... I can't tell if he's acting or not." Lucia interjected, watching Kamui demolish the Corrupted like nothing.

"Me too... and that's what worries me." 

"Lee, what do you mean?" 

"Nothing, just curious how he managed to carry out missions all on his own." 

"Lee..." Kiryu began, expecting another snide remark about the Strike Hawk only for the said Construct to shake his head.

"No, Commandant. I did not mean it as an insult but mere speculation, maybe he was just very lucky... even though luck wouldn't go on for this long." He stated.

"You suspect him of hiding something else from us?" Kiryu then questioned.

"As I've said, it's just speculation but another possibility would be that he's hiding something that can save him from dangers." Lee answered.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as the idea of the Strike Hawk member keeping something from them without any indication of what it is or if it could be hazardous to them.

Suddenly, another loud explosion startled the Gray Ravens as they turned to see more Corrupted approaching Kamui's position which spurred them into action, whether or the latter was keeping a possibly dangerous secret from them, that can wait.

They need to eliminate the Corrupted first.

=================================

Who knew apparent mindless machines hellbent on causing death and destruction would learn to retreat at the right moment when their forces are being routed, that's the thought which went through Kiryu's head as he heard Lucia call out just when he cut down another machine.

"The Corrupted are making an organised retreat!" 

"This is Corrupted we're talking about, they won't just retreat without any of us dead... Kamui must have won the lottery again." Lee remarked.

"Wait, hold on! They're grouping up over there!" Said Construct shouted, gesturing towards the remaining horde of Corrupted seemingly surround something.

"Are those more projectors?" Kiryu inquired, seeing the distinct shapes from within the cluster of mechanical bodies.

"Seems like it, they're even shielding them." Lee added, narrowing his eyes at the sight.

"Perhaps there's something different about them?" Lucia questioned as she brandished her blade in preparations.

"We'll find out soon enough." Interjected Lee as his Wolf Fangs flared up.

"Here goes!" A blur passed by as Kamui literally charged into the Corrupted, swinging his greatsword and bisecting and smashing apart any machines that got too close.

Thanks to his nature as a Tank-type Construct, the Strike Hawk member easily dispatched the group of Hydraulics but Lucia abruptly lunged forward before deflecting an attack aimed right at the former's exposed back as he turned to see another Corrupted.

A singular machine that stood above the rest figuratively and literally, what differentiated the Corrupted from the Hydraulics that were neutralised earlier is the former's elongated and more humanoid body with a pair of glowing red eyes as it wielded a large staff in its claws.

"...Any of you ever saw a Corrupted such as that?" Kiryu inquired, firing multiple shots into the machine which simply lunged forward with a swing.

Its elongated arms in addition to the staff itself was swung in a wide arc, forcing them to quickly back away lest they get hit, Constructs can obviously survive a hit but a normal human would most likely get fractured bones or bruised body.

"No, but I think we will find out soon enough." Lee replied, following suit and firing a barrage of flaming blue bullets at the machine.

Which is why Kiryu stood at the back, taking over Liv's position as support while the three Constructs under his command took the frontline. Lucia and Kamui attacked while Lee took a shot at every openings that presented itself.

It wasn't a lie to say the fight soon became one-sided as coordination between the team easily overwhelmed the Corrupted which fell as soon as Kamui drove his greatsword into its chest just as Lucia sliced off its arms holding the staff which was shot out by Lee.

"Target down." The Gray Raven leader stated.

"Now, Lee? If you please." Kiryu then called out as the said Construct walked up to the downed Corrupted before taking it apart.

"Leave it to me." 

...

"Are you done yet?" Kamui asked, leaning over Lee's shoulder as he watched the latter work, only to receive a rebuttal.

"It has only been a few minutes, would you like to do it instead?" 

"Eh, analysing and breaking down any sort of complicated data ain't my forte." Responded the Strike Hawk member.

"Then just shut up and wait, Liv is the best when it comes to dealing with technology but she's not here so this is the fastest we can do." Lee said irritably.

"Ah shucks..."

While Lee and Kamui bickered back and forth during the data analysis, Kiryu and Lucia took the opportunity to discuss their team's choice of arsenal that can be used in and outside of combat, namely adding more onto their current repertoire of equipment.

Sure, Kiryu had his own small set of tools that have proven to help them alongside their missions but it wouldn't hurt to add some more into their current arsenal though heavy considerations are required to proceed with the suggestion.

"If we follow Strike Hawk's example, procuring tools that can easily help us navigate our way through unconventional areas will greatly help us in future missions." Kiryu began.

"Additionally, tools that are useful not only in navigation but also combat such as grenades or perhaps secondary weapons in case your primary is compromised." He added.

"Then... should I start bringing a second sword into combat?" Lucia questioned, tilting her head at the thought.

Although her frame has its own unique ability to conjure out astral blades, there is a time limit to the entire materialisation of her spectral swords which meant she won't be able to use them for too long so another sword may prove to be useful in later battles.

"That is entirely up to you, if the presence of a second sword won't hamper your movements through the battlefield." Kiryu replied before continuing.

"Furthermore, if we are discussing bringing in another set of weapons then I do think the verdict of our squad members are essential but we can talk about that once we get Liv back."

Speaking of their currently missing member, Liv's weaponry consists of a pair of floating cannon so unlike Lucia, it would be more of a burden to bring a second pair of cannons.

However, knowing the Support-type Construct's gentle nature that shines over all three of theirs, the best alternative would be having Liv equipping a miniature first-aid kit for both humans and Constructs alike.

"Currently, most of the equipment of Gray Raven solely comes from you, Commandant. Ranging from C4s to your grappling hook and your helmet..." Lucia said.

"Which is why I want to increase the amount of tools from you three as well and I've also been meaning to ask, does your current frame have a limit to its sensory system?" Kiryu inquired.

"I am... not too sure, I mostly left the maintenance of my frames to others specialised in the act but I doubt it's anything too different from other Constructs." 

"Then would you also consider some upgrades to your system?" 

"Sensory system enhancements... it's not as if such as thing is non-existent but only certain types of Constructs would have those forms of upgrades." Lucia remarked.

"A good example I can think of is some members of the Purifying Force." 

"The Purifying Force..." Kiryu repeated, a glint of recognition sparking behind his eyes.

After all, who wouldn't have heard of the squadron solely and explicitly created to eliminate Constructs and other humans that have fallen to the Punishing Virus or defected against the entirety of Babylonia? Briefly, he wondered how the Forsaken had survived for so long.

Perhaps it was the lack of time for the Purifying Force to properly deploy against them or it was merely the belief that the entire operation to cull the Forsaken would be a waste of time.

"It's finished." Lee's voice snapped them out of their thoughts as he walked back to them with Kamui following before paraphrasing what he'd discovered.

"Soooo, what's the result?" Kamui asked curiously as Lee gave them all a review of his findings.

"This model of Corrupted belonged to a set of bionic mechanoids called 'royal guards', created to work in the Cultural Restoration Exhibition Hall and is responsible for showing different cultures by operating through these projectors."

"However, after the outbreak of the virus, researching M.I.N.D technology became the top priority for them which subsequently converted this entire place into a laboratory, responsible for all the research procedures."

"The royal guards- while lacking in their own M.I.N.D systems, can extract Construct consciousness from their M.I.N.Ds and upload into a central container for said consciousness."

"The one which we've just eliminated had already uploaded more than ten consciousness."

"So the Corrupted here actively sought to keep the consciousness secure rather than outright destroy them?" Kiryu stated.

"If we were to look at the patterns of all the Corrupted we've eliminated in past missions, they should have destroyed the M.I.N.D, Inver-Device and consciousness as well." Lucia added.

"All things considered, the Corrupted here were likely under the influence of an external interference which I've attributed to an individual named Gabriel." Lee concluded.

"Did you get that from the memory shell?" Kamui inquired from the side, leaning on his weapon.

"Correct, all recordings depict this Gabriel ordering the Corrupted here into researching M.I.N.D technology." Lee answered as the Strike Hawk tapped his head rapidly.

"Gabriel, Gabriel... from the info I have right now, there are several Ascendant members that are also similarly named and this Gabriel guy, he might be one of them!" Kamui said.

"Possibly, but we'll need more information than what we have now though it appears for now that M.I.N.D technology still seems to be impenetrable to the Corrupted here." Lee stated.

"The unique components that makes up a Construct's consciousness is tailored so that hte longer it's stored within a container, the more it deteriorates."

"So what these Corrupted can only do as a substitute or loophole is to plunder and find new consciousness and connect them into these projection devices."

"Then the creation of a virtual M.I.N.D is displayed within the real world with this roundabout way which allows them to observe and research it, as least to the best they could."

"Though that begs a question, how would they research this entire thing in the first place? It's not as if Hydraulics or Gardeners or Executors can take notes..." Kiryu thought to himself.

"Lee, can consciousness be copied?" Lucia suddenly asked, much to the confusion of said member who turned her way before responding.

"Why would you ask this of all questions..? Though from what I know, consciousness processing is much more difficult than it looks on paper, only the top researchers in the Science Council have the prowess and authority to directly fiddle with consciousness." 

"However, there have not been cases of consciousness being copied in Babylonia's databases, additionally any form of consciousness tampering has been strictly forbidden by humanity."

"So... who do these imprisoned consciousness belong to?" Kamui asked the elephant in the room as everyone fell silent.

"The Forsaken." Kiryu answered, piecing the puzzle together almost immediately once Lee listed out all the variables of this place.

Babylonia and the Science Council themselves have illegalised the acts of meddling around with a single consciousness so there would be no one to have their consciousness taken in the first place but on the ground, it's a different picture once the Forsaken enters the fray.

Though they are unaffiliated with Babylonia and their laws and order, that doesn't mean they will break the forbidden act of tampering with a consciousness but unfortunately, rules means nothing to the Corrupted which in turn, made the Forsaken into their lab rats.

So is that why Watanabe chose to take Liv in the first place?

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Frankly, I would be surprised if anyone's still waiting on this story but enjoy.