With Cassandra and several Sea Demon sisters working tirelessly, the layers upon layers of thorny growths coiling around the center of the Shadow Hall and completely enveloping the enormous pillar were finally stripped away in great sheets. These crystalline substances of unknown composition might once have possessed some very special "properties," perhaps even incredible power, but after the passage of countless years, their extraordinary qualities had clearly vanished entirely. Now, aside from being rather hard, they were no different from ordinary stone.
The high-frequency vibrating molecular blades sliced through a patch of thorns before them. With a clatter, the hard crystals fell away from the pillar. Cassandra, in her Sea Demon form, finally stopped her dozen or so tentacles. She retracted some of the cutting blades into her body, used the freed tentacles to cling to protrusions on the pillar's surface, and leaned her upper body close to inspect it carefully.
Under the dim lighting, those intricate yet exquisite, strange yet ingeniously structured patterns were finally exposed without obstruction. They looked... as if they carried an ancient and mysterious beauty.
"...This is incredible..." Cassandra could not help muttering softly. "I've never seen anything like this—there has never been any record of a similar style in the Sea Demons' long history. I'm considered quite knowledgeable among Sea Demons."
"Even the Sea Demons don't recognize it..." Gawain's voice came from the darkness around the hall. He had been watching the Sea Demons' progress, as well as the patterns exposed on the pillar. "But no matter what, this definitely isn't Pioneer style."
"Yes, not Pioneer style. The difference is far too obvious..." Cassandra murmured as if talking to herself. Her gaze traveled carefully up the pillar, studying its unusual style. It was built from some kind of alloy, its gray-black shell hard and