About half a day later, the trio stood next to a boundary marker. Adam asked, "So, the new boundary line has only been pushed out by seven thousand kilometers?"
Iron 27 replied, "That's right. After you left, the Metal Eaters hit us with several counterattacks. We had to pull back, and the folks at headquarters decided that seven thousand kilometers was the best compromise. Any less, and we wouldn't gain much; any more, and it would be too tough to hold. But there's a weird thing: once we moved back to this spot, the Metal Eaters completely pulled back too. I had Windflame 222 scout deep into their land, and from where the parental body used to be to here, it's like they've almost given up on this area. Barely any defenses."
Adam took note of that. Garfield had mentioned something similar---not just here at Ironburg, but all along the Titan front, they were seeing the same thing. It looked like the Metal Eaters were indeed pulling their forces together.
When weird things happen, there's usually a reason behind it. The Metal Eaters had been sticking to the old strategy for years, and giving up so easily didn't make sense. Adam was convinced they were planning something big.
As the sworn enemies of the Titans, the Metal Eaters would have noticed any changes in Titan's power. They wouldn't just sit back and let Titan get stronger.
Adam thought Lord Svorsi was being too hopeful. If he were making decisions for the Metal Eaters, he'd never let the enemy beef up. The smart move would be to strike before they were ready.
But Adam kept these thoughts to himself. He figured the Titans probably knew this too. Maybe they were too caught up in their sudden good fortune to see the risk, or maybe they had a plan in place. Either way, it wasn't really his place to sway their decisions.
Shaking off all these complex thoughts, Adam pulled out two of the latest Stealth Gears and tossed them to his companions. "Here, try these on. They're an upgrade from the original ones. Unless you attack first, even the level-four Metal Eaters won't sense you."
They were both super excited and started messing around with the new gear right away. Qi 31 said, "These are awesome! Imagine if we could get these to every Titan on the front..."
Adam cut in, "I've left the blueprints back in York. But these are pricier to make than even the top-level Grafted Gear, so it's not easy to hand them out everywhere."
They were a bit let down, but their excitement quickly came back. They were about to head into territory that even the Royals hadn't touched. The risks they'd face on this mission paled in comparison to the excitement of exploring new lands.
While they were gearing up, Adam called Sofia over in her combat mode and equipped her with a Stealth Gear too. Then he climbed onto the dragon and they set off towards the coordinates Garfield had given.
...
The core area of the Metal Eaters was called "the Land of Divine Revelation" by themselves.
Now, seven terrified broods with transcendent power were gathering there.
They had gathered to discuss Titan and Adam.
All the broods were covered in countless spikes that not only dug into the land around them but seemed to reach into space itself. Energy from every direction was pulled in, changing into odd colors that couldn't escape, and sucked into these seven dark voids.
These broods were the strongest followers of the Devourer, leading both the highest and lowest ranks of the Metal Eaters. They called themselves the Angels, the direct descendants of their Father, the Devourer.
"A command from Father has come. We must capture that being from another dimension," announced a chilling voice from the largest brood. This voice set off storms and whirls of energy that obliterated even the smallest dust particles. The power it wielded was unimaginable.
The Titans had already sensed Adam's presence, and the Metal Eaters, stronger than the Titans, had also been aware of this outsider. To them, Adam was merely a weakling from another realm, not worth their attention or effort.
However, this "weakling" had now become an annoyance to the Metal Eaters. The Devourer had directly ordered that Adam be captured alive to crush the hopes of the Titan.
The seven Angels were furious. They felt their oversight had angered Father and brought disgrace upon them.
After collectively glorifying the Devourer's might, the seventh Angel said, "The outsider hides among the Titans, those fools will surely resist."
"War!"
"Only war will show these fools that they have survived this long only by Father's mercy!"
"We must make it clear to the Titans, they are nothing more than cattle we raise! They have no right to fight back!"
The first Angel's cries echoed, while the other Angels stayed calm.
The regular Metal Eaters guarding outside the Land of Divine Revelation were shattered by the force of these roars. Yet, none fled; instead, they filled the ranks again with deep reverence, ready to meet their end.
"But didn't Father say we should limit their space but not wipe them out? What if the Pretender is still alive..."
Spikes suddenly shot out from the first Angel's brood, stabbing into the seventh Angel. Then, it suppressed its anger and said, "The seventh! Are you doubting Father? The Pretender is merely a false deity. Do you think he can stand against Father?!"
The seventh Angel let purple blood seep from its nest, quickly clarifying, "No, that's not what I meant," and then fell silent.
The fourth Angel spoke, "First off, we have countless members, enough to totally destroy the Titans. But how far should we take the war? We have to remember, losing our food source means we can't evolve."
All the Metal Eaters knew this; they and the Titans were stuck in a messed up relationship: Titans would evolve slower without them, but without Titans, their own evolution would completely stop.
"Father's attack on the Origin is now at a critical point. All heretics who stand against Father must be wiped out," the first Angel declared with a chilling intent to kill. "Once we break the Pretender's grip on the Origin, our whole race can evolve. Then, we can use Titania as a stepping stone to spread Father's glory all over the void. By then, it won't matter whether Titans exist or not because we will become perfect beings, having Titan's powers."
"So, we can't have any slip-ups now. Plus, Father mentioned that the intruder from another world is really important. He likely comes from a world rich with resources and diverse life. If we capture him, after we evolve, we can take over his world. Then, we'll have endless resources, and our life forms can evolve forever."
The Angels felt a surge of excitement, desperate for a new world. After blocking Titans' routes, they had eaten up all the worlds Titan had found in that part of the void.
The void was too empty; despite searching non-stop for more than four thousand years, the Angels hadn't found a new world.
Now, they finally saw a new hope.