Under the leadership of Colonel Phillips, the trio arrived at a spacious underground chamber. The walls remained rough earth, and the floor was only partially covered, but even so, the sight was enough to astonish them.
"Sir, what is this place?"
"What? You three are allowed to go to the Sanctuary for advanced training, but I'm supposed to do nothing?" Colonel Phillips quipped.
"But this is… quite large, isn't it? Do the people up top know about this?" Peggy asked.
"Of course they do. It was their order. I just… expanded it a bit."
"So, we have a secret base now," Howard joked.
"Alright, Steve, this should be fine, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Steve set down the case on his back and stepped slightly away from the group. Closing his eyes, he released his Cosmos.
"This aura…" Even though he couldn't directly sense the Cosmos, Colonel Phillips still felt the shift in Steve's presence—an unshakable determination that could pierce through any darkness.
A second later, his eyes widened as the case behind Steve opened, revealing a shield. The shield disassembled into separate pieces, which then attached themselves to Steve's body. Phillips found his mind struggling to process what he was witnessing.
"Well… so this is a Cloth?" Phillips took a long moment to adjust his thoughts before asking.
"Yes, this is the Shield Constellation Bronze Cloth," Steve confirmed.
"Bronze Cloth? So that means you're just a low-level Saint?" Phillips had done some research into the ranking system of Saints—the lowest tier being the Bronze Saints.
"Uh… yes, sir, but that doesn't mean I'm weak," Steve defended himself.
"Really? You sure about that? There's a piece missing, you know. Are you certain this Cloth is even functional?" Phillips pointed to a blade-shaped red-and-white shield piece still hovering in the case.
"Uh… That's the exclusive weapon of the Shield Saint—[Blade of the Shield]. I don't have the qualifications to use it yet," Steve explained. Though he had become the Shield Saint, he had only just reached the minimum standard. Gaining the weapon's recognition was a challenge he had yet to overcome.
"Alright… so this Cloth is just for show?" Phillips examined the armor-clad Steve skeptically. The Bronze Cloth had the least coverage among all Saint armors, leaving areas like the upper arms, thighs, and abdomen exposed.
If this was all Steve had to offer, Phillips would be seriously disappointed.
"Sir, watch carefully," Steve warned. He took a firm stance, his hands moving in a precise, practiced trajectory before finally—
"[Bone-Crushing Spiral]!"
With a low shout, Steve's shield began spinning rapidly, generating a fierce whirlwind. He threw a punch forward, sending a small tornado hurtling toward the wall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed as a tunnel carved itself into the earth. The once-sturdy dirt wall crumbled like tofu under the relentless force.
"Enough! Stop before this place collapses!" Phillips, stunned by the power of the [Bone-Crushing Spiral], intervened. It was already stronger than a rocket-propelled explosive—perhaps even more so.
At Phillips' command, Steve controlled the diminishing tornado, retracting his fist. "Don't worry, sir. I used my Cosmos to probe the area. Even if I blasted through for several more kilometers, it wouldn't cause a collapse."
Phillips twitched at the casual remark. "Alright… this Cosmos thing really is something else."
"And this is just the beginning, sir. Firearms are useless against me now—unless you can guarantee two hours of continuous suppressive fire. Once I grow stronger, even explosives and missiles will be ineffective. Silver Saints, for instance, are completely beyond the reach of modern military technology."
"Great. So you're telling me that only an atomic bomb could hurt you? What a relief," Phillips said sarcastically, relieved at the thought that at least some countermeasures existed.
"Actually, sir, that's another issue," Steve added awkwardly. "Once someone breaks into the Seventh Sense, even atomic bombs won't work anymore. And if you awaken the Sixth Sense, you gain abilities like teleportation and telekinesis. Saints like Aiolos, Aiolia, Saga, and Kanon can all perform long-distance teleportation."
"Cough!" Phillips nearly choked on his own spit. He shot Steve a glare. "Couldn't you have told me everything at once instead of dropping bombshells one at a time?"
"This is why I insist—Sanctuary must be an ally, never an enemy," Peggy stated firmly.
"I agree, both personally and professionally," Howard added.
"Alright, alright, enough with the speeches. We're all in the same boat already," Phillips grumbled.
He then instructed them to be cautious about questioning from higher-ups, warning them not to disclose anything unnecessary. As for any potential trouble, he would handle it.
Later, at Howard's invitation, the three gathered at his home.
"Steve, do you really trust Colonel Phillips?" Peggy asked with concern.
"I do. From start to finish, I monitored his Cosmos—he wasn't lying. And he's a good, upright man."
"That's a relief. But Steve, have you thought about how you're going to explain the Cloth to the higher-ups?" Howard gestured toward the case.
"A souvenir," Steve answered without hesitation.
"Heh, you'd better pray they believe that," Howard sneered.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Leave it with me. They won't dare touch my stuff. Don't worry—I won't experiment on it. Even if I wanted to, I doubt I could open the case."
"I agree," Peggy added. "Our return has surely drawn countless watchful eyes. We need to be extremely careful."
"Alright then," Steve relented.
"But… I have an idea," Howard said, rubbing his hands together.
"Oh? What a coincidence, I have one too," Peggy replied with a bright smile.
"What is it?"
"Let's form a team," they said in unison. The two stared at each other in surprise before laughing.
"A private organization?" Steve frowned.
"Yes, Steve," Howard explained. "You've seen the threats Earth faces. Now that we know about them, we can't just sit back and do nothing."
"Howard is right. And there's another factor to consider—what if, one day, our country turns against Sanctuary? If we're still part of the system, what do we do? Our goal is to protect Earth, but any organization tied to the government is bound to become compromised. We need to stand on truly neutral ground," Peggy reasoned.
"Exactly. Steve, I know you're a soldier—"
"I agree," Steve interrupted.
"You do? I thought you'd argue—wait, you agree?" Howard looked at him strangely. He had prepared a long list of persuasive arguments, assuming Steve would resist.
"Yes. I enlisted to end war and bring peace. But I've also seen the corruption and darkness from above. And now, I'm a Saint as well. My mission is to protect the Earth, to guard love and hope!" Steve declared passionately.
Howard blinked in surprise, then turned to Peggy. "Your husband has quite the high ideals, huh?"
Peggy blushed but proudly linked her arm with Steve's. "That's my man! I'm proud of him!"
"Peggy."
"Steve."
"Oh, for God's sake, please spare me from this," Howard groaned as the couple ignored him to bask in their affection.
"This is your fault. If you can't stand it, go find someone yourself," Peggy teased.
"…I'll think about it."
Watching them flaunt their love day in and day out, even Howard was beginning to wonder if settling down might not be such a bad idea. However, he still hesitated—was it really worth giving up an entire forest for just one tree?
Meanwhile, in South America, Maierin and his companions finally set foot on land. Though he had intended to go straight to the United States, no direct ships were available, so they had first arrived in the Brazilian Federation.
Fate, he mused, could be strange indeed.
On the streets, he saw a young boy roughly bandaging himself. Maierin grinned and approached. "Why did you throw the match? That guy wasn't your equal, was he?"
"Who are you? Mind your own business!" The boy snapped, rising to leave.
"You have a kind heart. Don't throw it away for something as trivial as money."
The boy stiffened. He turned back, glaring. "What I do is my own business! Get lost before I beat you up!"
"Heh, I like your attitude," Ashura remarked.
"You bastard—!"
The boy raised a fist, ready to strike, but Maierin tossed something at him. The boy fumbled to catch it—and froze.
It was a solid gold brick, weighing at least three kilograms.
"What… what do you mean by this?" The boy gritted his teeth. He wanted to throw it back—but couldn't bring himself to.
"Payment. You like money, don't you? Follow me, and it's yours."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Just come along. Nothing too difficult."
The boy hesitated, then clenched his jaw and followed.