Sovereign of the Ashes

The red beam from the intelligent robot’s eyes scanned Sein from head to toe. After a moment, it stepped forward and led him toward the back of the warehouse.

During his time in the Gallant Federation, Sein had come into contact with plenty of their robots, including the angel-type model currently tucked away in his spatial storage.

No matter how beautiful or lifelike these robots looked, Sein still saw them as inanimate objects or just tools.

The gray robot leading the way had a dull, metallic exterior. Visually, it did not even come close to the angelic robot. But strangely enough, while the angel robot felt lifeless to Sein, this gray one seemed “alive”.

According to intel Sein had received from Klopp, it seemed even the top brass of the Gallant Federation had no idea that some of the robots in Nexon had already developed intelligence and self-awareness.

Maybe the scientists at the experimental base near Nexon had chosen not to report it, or it had something to do with a top-secret research laboratory hidden near Nexon.

Either way, one of Sein’s missions here was to uncover how robots like the Titanfangs had developed intelligence.

Following the gray robot, Sein entered an underground tunnel. The passage was dark and stretched on for quite a distance.

It clearly was not dug by the Gallant Federation military. The construction was rough, and there were no security systems or surveillance equipment anywhere along the way.

At the end of the tunnel, they reached a hollowed-out section deep within the asteroid where the logistics base was built. A spaceship roughly twenty meters long was docked there.

It was a standard military recon ship. The gray robot boarded first, and Sein stepped in right after.

Once inside, the robot barely did anything, yet the vessel lifted off and headed straight for Nexon.

Sein had expected the Mayhach-F Logistics Base to detect the spaceship flying on such an unusual route, or for some federation’s patrollers to intercept them. But nothing happened.

They drifted deeper into space without incident. This was a sign that the Titanfangs had planned everything well in advance.

Sein did not bother bombarding the gray robot with questions. Once inside, he simply closed his eyes and entered a shallow meditative state.

The growing pressure in his chest warned him that danger was close. He had to stay sharp and be ready for anything.

He did not waste time worrying about what might happen if the federation caught him.

All he could do now was focus on figuring out how to successfully complete the mission.

***

The recon ship was blazing fast. As expected, the Gallant Federation had deployed heavy layers of defense and anti-infiltration measures throughout the Nexon Star Domain.

If Sein had tried to force his way in alone, it would have been a suicide mission. One should never underestimate what a top-tier civilization was capable of.

But still, even the most secure fortresses often cracked from the inside.

Thanks to the support of intelligent robots like the Titanfangs, Sein encountered very few surprises on the way in.

The Nexon Star Domain was a medium-sized star domain, artificially created by the Gallant Federation.

It contained more than three hundred mechanical worlds with Nexon Planet at its center, and continuously produced vast numbers of robots and military equipment around the clock.

As one of the Gallant Federation’s largest robot manufacturing hubs, Nexon Planet itself naturally also focused on robot production and related research and development.

In contrast, the production of warships, planetary fortresses, mobile suits, and weapons was carried out in other star domains.

Aside from the three hundred mechanical planets, the federation had also filled the star domain with space stations and artificial satellites.

This region was one of the Federation’s heavy industrial bases, so it was not a place where many Federation humans lived. There were no so-called “life planets” here.

Apart from military fleets and garrisoned bases, the Nexon Star Domain was populated almost entirely by robots, plus a handful of scientists.

In a sense, those scientists were like the parents of these intelligent robots. They built them and, in doing so, unintentionally gave them the ability to think and develop intelligence.

Among the awakened robots, many, especially those led by Skyhold, felt a strong bond with those scientists.

And that was one of the trickiest parts of Sein’s mission.

If his plan failed, he would not need to wait for federal investigators to show up. The intelligent robots themselves, hoping to gain recognition and “human rights” from the federation, might hand him over without hesitation.

According to intel provided by Klopp, both Titanfang and Skyhold were as strong as Rank Six beings!

Whether more robots of that level existed in Nexon remained unknown. But Sein came anyway. He knew that high risk came with high reward.

***

The airship carrying Sein and the gray robot did not head straight for Nexon. Instead, it first stopped at an artificial satellite near the center of the Nexon Star Domain.

The satellite was roughly the size of a Magus World prism fort, though possibly even smaller.

By the time their airship docked at the satellite, more than a dozen intelligent robots were already waiting there. Each one stood over ten meters tall.

Sein’s gaze was drawn to the silver-black robot standing at the front and center of the group.

It was not the strongest-looking among them, but its presence was unmistakably commanding.

It reminded Sein of Levon Thorstein, the ruler of Purgatory he had met back in Faeloria.

Of course, the Bloodwar Monarch’s aura and sheer pressure still far exceeded that of this silver-black robot.

But still, this robot’s sleek, metallic frame radiated strength and resilience.

More than that, it gave off a youthful energy, like it carried conviction and a purpose.

The Bloodwar Monarch, by contrast, always carried an air of fatigue, weighed down by age and old injuries.

This silver-black robot was definitely one of Sein’s key targets on this mission: Titanfang, a Rank Six robot that had awakened to intelligence and independent thought.

As for the dozen or so robots standing beside it, every single one of them had also awakened to high levels of self-awareness.

Judging by their appearances and the faint fluctuations of power they gave off, all of them were at least Rank Four in strength!