Autumn Festival

I woke up a bit earlier than usual, a mix of excitement and worry bubbling inside me.

Today was the Autumn Festival, a one-day, two-part event.

The morning was dedicated to celebrating the upcoming autumn season, while the afternoon marked the farewell to summer.

Only a select few knew the true meaning behind the second part of the festival, including the Flower Families and a few protectors.

Most neomans from other Grids would arrive in the afternoon for the second part.

However, because of recent incidents, many protectors were on high alert, especially after several Death Dolls were spotted and defeated in the past few days.

Right now, there were about ten protectors stationed at Grid 25, with two Guardians, including Professor Gregory and myself.

Guardians are protectors given a numbered title.

The other three Guardians were stationed in Fruma, assigned to protect other fronts in case of an attack.

Meanwhile, two Guardians were stationed in the Frontiers, including Akasha’s Reapers.

“You know, worrying won’t help anything,” Akasha whispered suddenly.

“Liz will be pretty worried if she sees you like this,” she added.

“You’re right, Akasha. Thanks,” I replied.

“Good, I’ll see you at the venue,” Akasha said.

“Oh, and before I forget, here’s the command code to unleash the full power of the Cosmic Blade,” she added.

“You can request permission to use it anytime, and I can send it to you.”

“Are we expecting something bad today, Akasha?” I asked.

“I wish I could say no, but after examining the Death Doll you defeated, I realized it’s similar, but also different,” Akasha replied.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“It means it was recently created,” Akasha explained.

“In simple terms, there could be more coming?” I asked.

“Most likely,” Akasha answered.

“Should we cancel the Autumn Festival?” I suggested.

“I considered it, but I don’t want the neomans to feel like they can’t enjoy the things they love because of fear,” Akasha stated.

“But…” I began.

“That’s why I’ve made preparations on Grid 25, just in case something happens. I won’t let anyone die,” Akasha assured me.

“I guess I’ll just do what I can to protect everyone,” I said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing you there, Akasha,” I replied.

“I’ll be counting on you, Seventh,” Akasha said before the communication cut off.

I followed my usual routine, but today I ran around the Autumn Festival venue for an hour.

When I was done, I returned home to rest and prepare for the festival.

Mom had already prepared my ceremonial wear.

It was an elegant kimono and haori made of silk, the color of the night sky.

The Obi has a golden color, adorned with white sakura flowers.

However, due to the recent events, I was instructed to wear my black battlesuit as an undergarment and customized traditional sandals that were as sturdy and flexible as my battle shoes.

Looking at the outfit, I realized that today I’d be Liz’s fiancé, which felt pretty special.

It made me anxious, but I had been waiting for this day ever since Liz and I started dating.

Mom and Dad just watched as I sat in the chair.

“Having second thoughts?” Dad asked, jokingly.

“Not really,” I smiled, replying.

“You two should start eating if you don’t want to be late,” Mom reminded us, placing a delicious breakfast in front of us.

After enjoying a delicious meal, I headed to the shower.

As the lukewarm water drizzled over my skin, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, what if something bad happens?

Despite Akasha’s reassurance, I couldn’t shake off the skepticism, especially considering the large number of neomans expected to arrived in the afternoon.

I knew there was no way any Death Dolls or other threats could breach Fruma.

The outer edge of the matrix was defended by thousands of automatic anti-material defense systems, and there were no places for Dolls to hide for another two kilometers.

Even if they got close, the Conceptual Barrier would prevent them from entering. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking that something might go wrong, so I knew I needed to stay prepared.

Lost in thought, I was jolted back to reality by a knock at the door.

“Rin, you’ll be late if you don’t get dressed now,” Mom called out.

“I’ll be out in a minute, Mom,” I replied.

I heard her footsteps as she went downstairs.

Looking at the clock, I realized I had less than 30 minutes before the Autumn Festival opening ceremony.

I quickly stepped out of the shower and into my room. Mom had already laid out my ceremonial wear on the bed.

In a rush, I dressed and did my best to tidy up my hair.

Grabbing six compressed black cubes, I headed downstairs.

“You look great,” Mom said with a smile as she saw me coming down.

I scanned the room, searching for Dad.

“Your dad left a few minutes ago,” Mom told me.

“I’ll be going now, Mom,” I said as I headed for the door.

“Take care, Rin. I’ll be there later,” she said.

“I will, Mom. See you there,” I replied.

After a few minutes at the looper, I arrived at the venue just ahead of schedule.

I spotted Liz looking around, trying to find me.

As our eyes met, we shared a brief moment of silent connection.

I smiled and quickened my pace toward her.

“You took your sweet time, Rin,” Liz teased.

“Sorry, Liz,” I said, feeling apologetic.

“Hmmph…” she pouted.

“I’m glad you came,” she added.

Liz looked stunning in her beautiful pink kimono, adorned with colorful flowers.

The silver flower hairpin she wore complemented her blonde hair, and the green gemstones embedded in the petals matched her beautiful emerald eyes.

For a moment, I was mesmerized by her beauty.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” a voice said from beside me.

I turned to see a cute young girl hiding behind Liz’s kimono.

She wore a scarlet kimono that matched her red hair.

“Rin, you’re worrying too much,” she said with a smile.

It only took a second for me to recognize her.

“Akasha…” I said, slightly startled.

“Who else, Rin?” she replied with a mischievous grin.

Although I knew Akasha could still appear in her child form, I was still taken aback, especially since she always used her grown-up avatar.

Without thinking, I patted her head.

“Rin!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, sorry,” I quickly said, pulling my hand away.

Liz chuckled at Akasha's reaction.

“I like this body a lot,” Akasha suddenly said.

Her appearance was so human-like that it was almost impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye.

“Is it really that strange to see me in this body?” Akasha asked.

“I’m just a little surprised,” I replied.

“Rin!” a familiar voice called out.

It was Ed, Liz's brother, along with Leo and Nel, both waving to get our attention.

Ed and Leo were in their combat uniforms, while Nel was dressed in casual clothes.

Liz waved back at them, signaling that we saw them.

Suddenly, a beautiful melody filled the air, festival music marking the official start of the Autumn Festival.

Looking around, I saw many residents of Grid 25 and some early arriving neomans from the other Grids.

Liz grabbed my left arm, and we walked toward the stage.

All eyes turned toward us as we made our way forward, Liz smiling the whole time.

As we neared the center of the stage, Liz released my arm.

I took her left hand gently and kissed it while kneeling.

“Please watch me, Rin,” she said.

“I will always watch you,” I replied, letting go of her hand as I moved toward the backstage.

As I returned to Akasha's location, a new piece of music started.

I watched Liz dance gracefully, her beauty and fluid movements captivating everyone in the venue myself included.

She cast a few glances toward me as she continued the ceremonial dance, which lasted for five minutes before concluding with a lovely bow.

The crowd erupted in applause.

Just as Liz was about to head backstage, a sudden alarm blared.

“Detecting high density heat signatures towards Grid 25,” the system warned.

“Deploy Aegis Shield,” Akasha commanded.

In an instant, a Blue Conceptual Barrier deployed beneath the Grid's outer layer.

A powerful red heat ray struck, shattering part of the outer barrier.

The intense heat surged through the venue, aimed directly at Grid 25.

After a tense few seconds, the heat ray ceased, the Blue Barrier still intact fully blocking the attack.

A moment later, the barrier vanished.

“Detecting colossal unknown objects at Earth's exosphere,” the system reported.

“Scanning the colossal object... identified: Andromeda, the flying fortress,” the system continued.

“Wasn’t Andromeda a humanoid robot”, I asked.

“Andromeda used to be”, Akasha replied.

“Third, bring it down,” Akasha ordered.

“On it, Akasha,” Professor Gregory replied.

“Aiming…, adjusting…, target lock-on, charging... firing... pierce the sky, Gungnir!” Professor Gregory shouted as he launched the Anti-material Railgun, Gungnir.

The Gungnir bullet traveled at an incredible speed of 30 km/s, roughly 87.5 Mach.

Within 20 seconds, the bullet struck Andromeda.

“Gungnir hit confirmed. Damage calculation to Andromeda: none.

The bullet was blocked by a powerful Multi-layer Precision Conceptual Barrier,” the system informed us.

“I see they're using the prototype of Aegis,” Akasha said.

“Requesting a follow up shot,” Professor Gregory called.

“Denied,” Akasha replied. “Gungnir won’t penetrate.

Andromeda is detecting the projectile's path and focusing on a single point.”

“Third, head here, we may need you here,” Akasha added.

“Got it. Heading to Grid 25 Autumn Festival venue,” came his reply.