"Almost done." The cashier was brewing a cup of instant coffee. "Only a few things left to do."
"Humanity inhibitor." dryly answered Melissa.
"Indeed. After that, there's only the boss and we're done here."
-By the way, I had a question.
-Oh ?
-When you saved us from the angel earlier, what element did you use ? All the constructs are cubic, but the one you used was spherical.
-Ah, I don't think I can tell you that.
-Uh ?
-It's a family secret.
-Understandable."
And with that Melissa went down the stairs again.
The room had changed. Or rather, as indicated the absence of five corpses, it was not the same room. Melissa and Jhin arrived on a metal floor. In a large glass tube in front of them, a gigantic embryo of... something was floating, a huge eye open, looking at them.
From every direction of the tube, many pipes, cables and wires went into the walls and into other machines accross the room.
"This," said the cashier from behind, "Is the Humanity inhibitor."
The trio stayed silent, the only sounds the beeping of machines and bubbles from the tube.
"I don't imagine there's a shutdown button." guessed Jhin.
"Indeed."
Jhin advanced, and using one of the iron bars he had gotten from Kanra, smashed the glass. Melissa advanced besides them and, using rust constructs cut some of the wires and pipes.
In a short bit, the tube was drained, and the fetus lay limply on the bottom, its eye looking without life at the one who had taken it.
"Humanity won't be restored," said the cashier, "Humanity can only be restored by those who want to, and only to themselves. But now, no humanity will be stolen by them. Their biggest weapon has been destroyed."
"Can't they make a new one ?" asked Jhin.
-Making a humanity inhibitor requires a Pennalegis embryo, as you saw. These are, in a way, holy, and is a great taboo. Angels gathered to live, so killing someone in the hivemind is a terrible thing to do."
The cashier advanced to a corner of the room, where stairs began and went downward.
"This is our final destination."