Edwin Lunar Chapter 27: The Guardians of Eidolon

Read chapter 27 of Edwin Lunar by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The underground tunnel trembled beneath Lunar Dominion Academy. Red emergency light spread across the ancient walls while dozens of Eidolon Guardians slowly emerged from the darkness ahead. Their black metallic armor reflected the corrupted Flame energy flowing through cracks across their bodies, and their glowing eyes remained locked entirely onto Edwin. "…The Heir has returned…" The mechanical voices echoed together like one mind speaking through many bodies. Carl immediately stepped backward. "Nope." The Guardians began moving forward. Slow. Heavy. Terrifying. Metal footsteps thundered through the tunnel while broken academy drones beneath their feet shattered completely. Lucien activated his Flame blade instantly. "Defensive positions." Iris's holographic scanner flickered rapidly beside her. "There are at least forty combat signatures." Carl looked horrified. "FORTY?!" One of the Guardians suddenly raised its arm. Ancient weapon systems unfolded from beneath the black armor while red energy gathered at the barrel. Then every machine aimed at Edwin simultaneously. Silence filled the tunnel. Edwin's ring burned painfully. For a second— He heard another whisper. "…command them…" Before he could react, the Guardians attacked. Red energy blasts exploded through the underground tunnel while Orion Team scattered between broken rail structures and ancient stone pillars. The first explosion shattered the floor beside Carl. "I WOULD LIKE TO RESIGN!" Lucien charged directly forward. Silver Flame energy erupted around his blade as he cut through the nearest Guardian with terrifying precision. Sparks exploded through the darkness while the machine crashed against the tunnel wall. But another immediately replaced it. And another. Iris activated tactical projections around the battlefield. "They're adapting to combat patterns!" "That sentence should be illegal!" Carl yelled while narrowly avoiding another blast. Edwin moved fast. The tunnel became chaos. Ancient war machines advanced relentlessly while corrupted Flame fire illuminated the darkness around them. Orion Team fought together instinctively now, their movements sharper than ever before. Lucien controlled direct assault. Iris predicted enemy movement. Carl distracted the machines through pure unpredictable survival instinct. And Edwin— Something about the Guardians felt wrong to him. Not just dangerous. Familiar. One Guardian suddenly lunged directly toward Iris. Edwin reacted instantly. He grabbed the machine's arm before it could strike— And the ring flashed silver. Everything stopped. The Guardian froze completely. Its glowing red eyes shifted slowly into silver light. "…Flame Heir confirmed…" The machine lowered its weapon. Silence spread briefly through the tunnel. Carl blinked. "…Did you just tame the murder robot?" Edwin stared at the Guardian in shock. "I didn't mean to." Then every other Guardian reacted. All forty machines suddenly stopped attacking. Their eyes flickered violently between red and silver while distorted voices echoed through the tunnel. "…conflict…" "…primary command…" "…Heir authority detected…" Iris stepped closer carefully. "They're connected to the same network." Lucien lowered his blade slightly. "The ring is overriding their command systems." Before anyone could continue— A deep roar echoed from somewhere beneath the tunnel. Not mechanical. Ancient. The Guardians instantly turned toward the darkness behind them. Then they moved aside. Like soldiers opening a path. Heavy footsteps shook the tunnel. Something massive approached slowly through the shadows below the Eclipse Vault. Carl whispered: "…I knew there was going to be a bigger one." Then it appeared. A giant armored figure emerged from the darkness. Twice the size of the other Guardians. Black armor covered its massive body while silver cracks glowed beneath the surface like trapped lightning. Unlike the others, this machine looked older. Stronger. Its head resembled an ancient warrior helme