Sovereign of the Ashes

As expected, any mature and successful technology had to go through countless failures or even a few painful lessons before it could truly take shape.

Before beginning the activation and analysis experiment on the planetary-class fortress, Sein had already used the Magic Cube to simulate countless possible scenarios.

Even during the experiment itself, he remained fully focused, using the power of both the Magic Cube and the Faceless Mask to observe and record every piece of data. Whenever an unstable phenomenon appeared, he tried to resolve it as early as possible.

But accidents always happened when one least expected them.

The sudden appearance of a strange spatial fluctuation disrupted Sein’s intense concentration.

The Faceless Mask had detected the aura of a Rank Six being. That sudden distraction, combined with Sein’s mental strain, destabilized the fortress robot.

This was a collapse of law power and energy!

In an instant, the entire fortress robot began to show signs of falling apart.

Fermera immediately gripped Sein’s shoulders, ready to escort him safely away at the first sign of danger.

Sein turned his head and said, “I’ll be fine. You go outside first. A Rank Six entity has appeared. Did you sense it? Although it hasn’t shown any hostility, we can’t let our guard down.”

“Get Belphane, Ximen Feixiao, and the God of Black Mist to go with you too! I’ll do my best to prevent the fortress from collapsing completely,” Sein said calmly.

The fortress robot was only Rank Four at most. Even if it disintegrated, it would not hurt Sein, who was already a Rank Five lifeform and had undergone body tempering.

Sometimes, this was simply what happened when mages became too absorbed in their experiments.

Even when a Rank Six creature of unknown allegiance had appeared outside, Sein still wanted to ensure that the ongoing experiment could be completed successfully.

Rational yet mad... Stubborn yet calm...

When these seemingly contradictory traits came together in a mage, they embodied the very essence of a Magus World spellcaster.

After receiving her orders, Fermera immediately left.

Yuri remained by Sein’s side for the time being, as her Burning Flame Unit had yet to be repaired.

Kigard was quietly admiring the “scenery” from a corner of the starry sky when, at some point, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a group of Magus Civilization powerhouses.

Belphane, the Rank Six female knight wielding a pair of iron maces, seemed ready to fight him.

Fresh from an intense battle, she still carried a murderous aura that had yet to fade.

Meanwhile, Fermera had her light blade pointed straight at Kigard’s mask.

Although she was not fused with Sein and did not currently possess the Magic Cube, the eight-winged angel had grown steadily stronger over the years. Her strength was not to be underestimated!

A robot capable of growth, huh?

In truth, Fermera’s growth potential had already surpassed that of Nexon’s intelligent robots.

Sein simply had not noticed this yet because he had not interacted with Aetherend and Skyhold in so long.

“Whoa, easy there! I mean no harm. We’re on the same side,” Kigard said hurriedly, raising his white-gloved hands to show he had no hostile intent.

He carried tokens of trust granted by the higher-ups of the Magus Civilization, as well as items provided by Gustavo.

Because of that, proving his identity to Belphane and the others was not difficult.

When Belphane saw the special emblem bearing the Magus insignia, the hostility in her eyes eased slightly, though her expression remained skeptical.

Fermera, however, did not lower her guard at all.

The eight-winged angel kept her light blade pointed straight at Kigard’s face, its tip almost touching the bridge of his mask.

Fermera did not care who Kigard was or what proof of identity he carried. She answered only to Sein.

If Kigard made even the slightest suspicious move, she would cut him down without hesitation.

Kigard felt utterly helpless. He had only just escaped the terror of being surrounded by a group of demon kings, yet now he had somehow ended up cornered by a group of Magus Civilization powerhouses.

Even with his mastery of spatial laws, escaping from such a tight encirclement would be extremely difficult. After all, he was facing two Rank Six powerhouses, several Rank Five powerhouses, and even more Rank Four powerhouses.

Before the tense standoff could continue, a thunderous boom suddenly echoed from behind the group, accompanied by the continuous clang of metal and violent fluctuations of law power.

***

“Master Sein, I am terribly sorry. This was my oversight. I disturbed your experiment!” Kigard said.

By the time he appeared before Sein, the latter looked utterly exhausted.

However, Sein was also wearing a mask, just like Kigard, so no one could see his expression or read his emotions.

“It’s nothing. What orders or mission have you brought?” Sein asked directly.

Behind him, the massive fortress robot had already reverted to its original form as a planetary-class war fortress.

A distinctive blue-violet glow of laws still shimmered inside and outside the fortress. It came from the Magic Cube and the large quantity of Energy Amethysts Sein had left behind to repair it.

Compared to its state before the experiment, the exterior of this secondhand planetary-class war fortress—especially its outer metal plating—now looked much smoother.

However, the internal modifications had been extensive, and many of its systems had suffered serious damage during the recent “experimental accident.”

More than two-thirds of the fortress’ weapons and defense systems were offline. Even its energy supply now depended heavily on the Magic Cube.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kigard’s sudden appearance had effectively rendered this planetary-class war fortress useless!

Of course, this was not because of any flaw in the fortress itself, nor was it due to any gap in Sein’s knowledge.

Once his technology matured further, this fortress should, in theory, be capable of transforming and switching into combat mode even on fiercer battlefields where elemental energies raged wildly.

Truth, after all, had to be refined step by step.

After Kigard briefly explained his identity and mission, Sein rose to his feet and flew with him toward the star domain where the Dawn Empire’s main legions were stationed.

That was where Gongsun Wudi was currently located. Sein also wanted to ask about the Dawn Empire’s plans for its forces now that the war in the Kales Star Domain was nearing its end.

Before departing, Sein glanced at the planetary-class war fortress undergoing maintenance. Then, he summoned the God of Black Mist.

“The situation earlier was too urgent. It was already difficult enough for me to stabilize the fortress and keep it from collapsing. I hope you’re not upset that I couldn’t save the divine emissaries who remained inside to handle its basic operations,” Sein said, offering what comfort he could.

The God of Black Mist, however, did not seem to care about the fate of his followers.

“To sacrifice their lives for Master Sein’s pursuit of truth is their honor!” he replied.

“Do you need others to continue piloting and operating the fortress? If so, I can summon another group for you,” the God of Black Mist offered respectfully.

Sein glanced at him and said, “Sure.”

In the end, it seemed that “God loves the world” was nothing more than a pretty slogan.

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