Chapter 57: The One I Look Up To
Unlike the Ilgena World, filled with heavy rain, gloom, and thunder, the night in the Moldavia Territory was warm and tranquil. A dry summer wind blew from the western hilly wastelands, passing through the empty streets. Apart from the ever-burning Glowstone Lamps, the entire city had no light whatsoever.
Except for one place.
The Lord's Manor.
The Lord's Manor in the city center remained brightly lit even at night. On the third floor of the mansion, next to Joshua's study, there was a peculiar room. This room was covered with numerous intricate magical arrays, all drawn by masters from the Imperial Royal Mage Association, and some were even personally inscribed by Nostradamus. At the center of the arrays covering the room, where all the arcane power converged, a violet crystal rune core was embedded.
The crystal flickered with a hazy glow, and a small figure floated above it.
The Artificial Intelligence Girl seemed to be asleep, her eyes slightly closed, her knees drawn up to her chest as she floated above her own core. Runes swirled around her, flickering in and out of existence, as if guarding her.
At a glance, Number Three appeared no different from before. But upon closer inspection, one would notice that her delicate features had gained a hint of softness compared to the doll-like perfection of before. Her pale, almost translucent skin had taken on a rosy flush. Her blue hair, drifting in the air, swayed with the wind as if it were real. And her Gothic dress, clearly inspired by many different garments, only added to the illusion.
Compared to before, when her projection was obviously a mere illusion, the image of the Artificial Intelligence Girl during her rest was now realistic enough to fool the eye. Her days of observing humans had made her increasingly resemble a real human, rather than an artificial mind.
But then, as if disturbed by something, the dormant rune core began to flicker and activate. Number Three slowly opened her eyes, a faint blue light glowing within her pupils.
"Intruders."
She said flatly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness: "Those cultists again, always sneaking around in the middle of the night."
With that, a flash of light, and the girl's image vanished from the spot, leaving only the violet rune crystal still in operation.
Meanwhile, far away, in the Commoners' District on the edge of the city.
Six figures in black were moving swiftly, advancing toward the inner city.
Ever since their operation in the Imperial Capital was thwarted by Joshua von Radcliffe a few days ago, the cult had gradually shifted their primary sacrificial targets to Moldavia, seeking revenge against the warrior who had ruined their plans. However, because the Northern Lands were too remote and isolated from the cult's base, too few believers could reach it. So they had to focus on the main city to facilitate the gathering of their members.
But just as they were running, plotting their next move in their minds, a wave of arcane power rippled through the air. A small figure silently appeared above their heads.
"Ah..."
Number Three sighed softly, looking down at the six cultists who had frozen in place. She raised her hand, and a beam of light shot out, instantly piercing through the bodies of the six men.
The cultists didn't even have time to scream before they collapsed to the ground, their life force extinguished.
"Troublesome."
The Artificial Intelligence Girl muttered, glancing at the corpses below. She seemed to want to say something more, but in the end, she remained silent, returning to the third-floor room to continue her rest.
---
Meanwhile, in the Ilgena World.
The earth was trembling.
A colossal being walked among the hills.
Lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating the land outside the city. In the distance, a hundred-meter-tall giant rock golem was striding toward Babel Province, toward the figure radiating the light of Order Force.
That person's presence was like a lighthouse in the distance, its light faint but capable of piercing through the mist. Ever since detecting this repulsive aura, the primary target of all the puppets had shifted. They unanimously abandoned their sieges on other cities and converged on the capital of Babel Province.
The Stone Demons stopped their attacks. They abandoned the walls and puppets they were about to breach, paying no heed to the elves desperately pursuing them from behind. They simply obeyed the commands embedded in their minds, moving naturally, gathering together.
And among the countless gathered puppets, one giant after another appeared. They were formed from hundreds of stone puppets, with a significant number of Mithril and Adamantite puppets mixed in. They possessed unimaginable divine strength. In past wars with the elves, this tactic had never been used. But now, because of that aura's appearance, this ultimate technique of the Stone Demons—fusion—was deployed without hesitation.
At the weak points in space caused by the dimensional rift, an endless torrent of arcane power surged, providing these giants with enough energy to operate in this element-poor world. A rumbling roar echoed through the air. As time passed, more and more giants appeared, and the first stone giant had already entered the territory of Babel Province.
Because the gloom was too thick and the mist too dense, none of the Observation Arrays detected this scene. The elven cities, having barely escaped the Stone Demons' entanglement, were all breathing sighs of relief. Though they wondered why this was happening, none of them paid it much attention.
But on the outskirts of the capital, the Black Dragon had long sensed something was wrong. It slowly rose, looking around with some confusion. Its instincts were warning it to leave immediately—this place was extremely dangerous, and death could come at any moment.
But how could the Black Dragon be the type to flee in panic just because of instinct? No matter how dangerous, it had to see who the enemy was before deciding its next move.
Besides, its master was with it now. No matter how great the danger, it no longer seemed so terrifying.
As time passed, even on the outskirts of the capital, the earth could be felt trembling. This wasn't an earthquake; it was the rhythmic sound of footsteps. Not just the Black Dragon, but even the elves inside the capital noticed it. In the Sanctuary, a little boy fearfully told his parents what he felt. A nervous girl asked her boyfriend if he felt the same. And the Paladin, still helping the elves rescue people from the rubble, looked up, staring into the distance.
The footsteps grew heavier, the tremors stronger. Finally, a cry of alarm came from the mayor's office, which was monitoring the magical arrays.
"By the gods! What... what is that?!"
The voice was panicked, laced with a hint of hidden despair. Everyone else immediately dropped their work and rushed to see where the sound had come from.
And what was displayed on the screen was a colossal being striding forward.
This monster stood over a hundred meters tall, its body composed of irregular rocks. The colossus, formed by countless Stone Demons fused together, could crush hills with a single step. As it moved, forests were destroyed, rivers were cut off, and the villages and small towns it passed were easily trampled into ruins. Two massive points of light flickered in its head, releasing clear energy fluctuations.
Alarms immediately sounded. The city center's bells rang out, and the magical arrays transmitted nearly frantic shouts, ordering all citizens to take shelter in the bunkers. But even their voices lacked confidence. That colossus could easily crush an entire bunker full of elves with a single stomp. But there was no other choice now.
Faced with such a disaster, they were powerless.
Thanks to the superiority of their Divine Mechanism psionic bodies, Ying and Lin could both see the massive energy sources and fluctuations in the distance. The boy and girl frowned simultaneously. Lin's expression was serious, and Ying's face was equally solemn.
"This power... is more than ten times stronger than that demon in the Imperial Capital..."
The Black-Haired Boy was calculating, and the Silver-Haired Girl nodded in agreement: "But compared to Master Nostradamus, it lacks a certain essence. It hasn't reached the Ultimate level. It's just a very strong Gold-rank."
If that's the case, it shouldn't be a problem, the two thought, relaxing slightly. But then, more and more massive energy sources appeared in the distance, causing both Ying and Lin's faces to stiffen in disbelief.
"So many?!"
"Twelve of them?! And more are still appearing?!"
Even the two, who had seen their fair share of storms, were stunned. Although the colossi hadn't reached the Ultimate realm, their raw power wasn't far off. One would be manageable, two would be fine, but twelve, or even more... even they felt it was too much.
Not to mention this world's weak military strength. Even back on the Mycroft Continent, this would be a war machine that would force the Empire to take it with the utmost seriousness!
Just as the dragon and the two were starting to panic, a voice cut through the rain, reaching their ears.
"Alright, don't panic."
A figure emerged from the dark mist. Rain poured down in torrents, but not a single drop landed on this person. He paid no attention to the endless stream of colossal figures appearing in the distance. Instead, he said calmly: "Just a bunch of big idiots. Get ready to fight."
And upon hearing this voice, whether it was the Half-Dragon or the Divine Mechanisms, they all seemed to find their anchor. They responded in unison, their fighting spirit ignited.
Standing in the wasteland, with his back to the elven city, the Black-Haired Warrior looked at the rock giants faintly visible through the mist and darkness in the distance. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing an excited smile.
A brave person is called a brave person not because they are unafraid of hardship and powerful enemies.
But because their very existence brings courage and fighting spirit to others.
"This... is the life I've been waiting for."