Sovereign of the Ashes

“Have the orders been issued?” General Lambros asked his aide.

“They have, sir. But strangely, we have yet to receive a response from the two Rank Six robots codenamed Titanfang and Skyhold,” the aide replied with a salute.

At that, General Lambros’ brow furrowed slightly.

A moment later, the aide seemed to realize something, then added uncertainly, “Not only have we received no reply from Titanfang and Skyhold, but several of Nexon’s registered high-level robots appear to be experiencing issues with their command centers.”

“Oh? What kind of issues?” General Lambros pressed. His battle-hardened instincts stirred with a sense of unease as he looked down at the azure mechanical planet below.

“Look, seventy-two advanced robots have exhibited breaches in their outer firewalls, including the Rank Six Titanfang. I suspect its failure to respond is directly related to this breach. Skyhold is showing no such anomalies, yet it also remains unresponsive to our commands,” the aide said, pointing to a display panel in his hand.

The Gallant Federation’s technology allowed them to monitor Nexon in great detail, including real-time positioning data for entities like Titanfang.

Only by removing all three layers of restraint code could robots like Titanfang truly escape the federation’s control and achieve real “freedom”.

General Lambros stared at the red lights blinking on the display, each marking the location for Titanfang and seventy-one other advanced robots.

A cold sense of dread settled over him.

More than seventy robots with combat capabilities at Rank Four or above, all showing firewall failures at the same time, was too much of a coincidence.

His mind immediately jumped to the infiltrator from the Magus Civilization they had been tracking.

“Could this be their objective?” Lambros muttered.

At that very moment, frontline battle intel from the Gallant Federation’s military command was transmitted directly to Lambros’s fleet.

In times of war, both the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation functioned as tightly integrated war machines.

Any event as critical as a full-scale battle on the frontlines was instantly relayed to every major, general, and Rank Four or higher lifeform on both sides.

In the hours that followed, even creatures below Rank Four would begin to receive the news and might even be drafted into the war effort directly.

Word of the federation’s engagement with the Magus Civilization in the frontline star domain did not just reach Lambros’ command fleet; it quickly spread to the majority of high-ranking intelligent robots on Nexon as well.

As a crucial robot production hub supplying the Gallant Federation’s frontlines, the factories surrounding Nexon operated at vastly different capacities during times of war compared to times of peace.

Upon learning that the two leading civilizations had clashed at the front, both Skyhold and Titanfang’s expressions turned grim.

Sein also received the news shortly afterward.

His method of receiving it, however, was unusual—the blue light orb in his hand suddenly turned red.

As expected, the Magus Civilization had kept a trump card hidden!

While they had agreed to help Titanfang and the other intelligent robots fight for their independence, the Magus Civilization had also retained a measure of control over them.

For example, the seventy-two high-intelligence robots that had been touched by the light orb were now facing restrictions on their movement.

Even Titanfang, the strongest among them, was no exception!

In the past, Titanfang and the others had to follow the Gallant Federation’s commands.

Now, they also had to accept certain instructions and influence from the higher echelons of the Magus Civilization.

Dealing with top-tier civilizations was never going to be easy!

The Gallant Federation was a wolf, but the Magus Civilization was also a tiger.

And Nexon, caught between the two, was not even a fox.

To win freedom through the power of the Magus World, they would first have to surrender part of their own autonomy to the Magus Civilization!

Sein was shocked to learn that the two great civilizations had already gone to war.

Full-scale conflict between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation had been expected to erupt only hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years from now.

As a Rank Four divine tower master, Sein’s standard war plan was simple: lead his divine tower’s forces, take assignments from the Magus Alliance, and head to designated battle zones.

But now that war had broken out, Sein was trapped deep in the heart of the Gallant Federation. His circumstances had become more perilous than he had ever anticipated.

His only option now was to escape the Gallant Federation as quickly as possible and make it to the safety of the Magus Civilization’s territory.

Alone in hostile lands, Sein was facing far greater threats than ever before.

Pushing aside the tense standoff between the intelligent robots, Sein took advantage of his partial control over the Titanfangs’ high-level units to access data linked to Nexon’s core control room.

A solo escape was nearly impossible. His only hope of survival was to bring all of Nexon over to their side.

And that had always been the true goal of his infiltration mission!

Sein suddenly charged deeper into the facility, while Titanfang and the other intelligent robots were still frozen in place.

That immediately triggered alarm bells in Skyhold’s mind.

Before it could react, Sein chuckled and said, “Let me show you all what freedom means too!”

The crimson orb in his hand burst into radiant light, flooding the chamber in all directions.

The light enveloped every intelligent robot present, including Skyhold. In that instant, one of the three restrictions imposed by the Gallant Federation was broken!

Titanfang, the Rank Six robot leader, merely tensed for a moment. It did not crash outright or lose full control of its body.

Truthfully, it could have grabbed Sein on the spot. But outside, the federal fleet had already entered combat formation. That left Titanfang no other choice.

“Titanfang, don’t forget the embedded commands buried deep in your codes. Are you still hesitating at this point? The Magus Civilization has declared war on the Gallant Federation. Reinforcement will soon arrive to support you and coordinate with your forces from within,” Sein said.

“If you waver now, your kind will never taste freedom!”

With those words, Sein vanished into the tunnel leading deep into the planet.

Skyhold, having just completed the removal of its outer restraint code, tried to stop him. But before it could act, a system broadcast from the federal fleet cut through the air.

“Disarm immediately and proceed to sector B23 on the surface for inspection! All robots are subject to reprogramming. Any resistance will result in immediate termination!”

The cold, emotionless voice echoed in the mind of every robot present.

The ordinary units without self-awareness had already disarmed.

The awakened lower-tier intelligent robots looked around in confusion and fear.

“See?” Titanfang growled at Skyhold. “Those Federation humans never saw us as equals. The path you follow will only lead to one of these two ways—either destruction by the Gallant Federation, or total reprogramming and data wipe.”

“Even though the Magus Civilization is harsh and domineering, they offer us limited freedom,” it added.

“Only limited freedom, though,” Skyhold commented bitterly.

“Hmph. This is the Astral Realm. Here, the weak are prey for the strong!” Titanfang replied coldly.

It activated full combat mode. Two searing jets erupted from beneath its feet as it launched itself toward the surface.

Skyhold stood still for a moment, slowly clenching its fists—as if trying to grasp the future, or perhaps to savor the taste of partial freedom it had just gained.

Then, with a quiet sigh, it followed Titanfang and blasted upward toward the surface.