Sovereign of the Ashes

As Sein examined his newly upgraded, crystalline Magic Cube, he could not help noticing a missing piece at its center.

It was the tiny cube fragment he had sent toward the eight-winged angel during their previous battle.

Now that the cube had completed its latest metamorphosis, Sein could not help but wonder if it could finally breach the last firewall that had once prevented Fermera from fully breaking free?

With that in mind, Sein activated the cube in his hand and attempted to establish contact with the fragment once more...

***

On the outer perimeter of the Steel Ruins...

The eight-winged angel sat cross-legged atop a shattered spire, her arms folded before her.

Only six metallic wings remained on her back, a clear sign that her current combat strength no longer matched her former prime at Rank.

In addition to energy blocks, Gallant Federation robots also had mechanisms for harnessing solar energy to a limited extent.

This was especially true for angel robots, whose wings possessed powerful energy-gathering properties.

As a result, even after Fermera led more than ten thousand angel robots in breaking free from the Gallant Federation’s control, they faced no immediate energy shortages.

As newly awakened intelligent machines, these angel robots were noticeably reserved and silent.

Fermera herself had remained motionless for a long time.

The other intelligent robots nearby moved only within a limited area and observed their surroundings with fresh curiosity.

Only after awakening and gaining intelligence did they truly begin to notice everything around them.

Much like newborn infants, they were fascinated by even the smallest details.

Suddenly, something deep within Fermera’s body stirred, causing the metallic wings on her back to quiver slightly.

She knew exactly where the disturbance came from. It was from the cube fragment within her.

The fragment was almost formless, drifting aimlessly through her body ever since it had entered her.

It had lingered near her spine, then moved toward her chest, and at times even passed through her wings along the way.

The tiny cube moved as if it were recording and analyzing her physical structure.

Given her capabilities, Fermera could have expelled the cube fragment from her body at any time.

Yet she sensed no hostility from it.

Although the Magic Cube could enhance the Burning Flame Unit’s power, the energy contained within this cube fragment was too limited and offered no meaningful enhancement to someone as formidable as Fermera.

At most, it only gave her a pleasant feeling.

More importantly, the fragment possessed the ability to gradually decipher her third-layer firewall and perform minor repairs on her damaged systems.

Fermera was not bothered by the presence of this tiny foreign object within her.

However, in a fleeting instant, a sudden flutter rose from deep within her core, causing her body to tremble involuntarily.

Her surface temperature climbed rapidly.

As she shifted slightly, an unfamiliar sensation spread through her systems.

Was this the result of gaining sentience and self-awareness?

In the past, Fermera had felt no pain, and physical abnormalities had never interfered with her command execution.

But now, as she gradually acquired traits associated with “life”, she inevitably encountered complications unique to living beings.

The Astral Realm, after all, maintained its balance.

To gain something was to lose something else.

That faint internal disturbance caused Fermera’s eyes to narrow slightly as her gaze fell to her chest.

The aesthetic preferences of Magus World humans and those of the Gallant Federation humans were remarkably similar.

Both were humanoid species. Aside from Magus World humans being slightly taller, there was little outward difference between them.

Fermera’s appearance aligned closely with Magus World human standards.

The federal scientist who had created her had clearly intended a near-perfect replication of the Radiant Celestials’ angels.

As a result, high-tier models like Fermera possessed well-proportioned frames, reflected in her balanced build and graceful silhouette.

As Fermera looked down, a blue rhombus-shaped crystal slowly emerged on her chest.

This cube fragment had evidently undergone a transformation since entering her body.

Though the sensation initially unsettled her, Fermera quickly adapted.

She even reached out and gently touched its smooth surface with her fingertips.

In the next instant, a brilliant azure light suddenly erupted from Fermera’s body.

In the skyscraper on the other side, Sein watched as the numerical value representing the progress of cracking Fermera’s third firewall surged before his eyes.

Previously, the cube fragment had taken an agonizingly long time to breach barely 3.6 percent.

Now, with the upgraded Magic Cube supporting it...

20 percent... 40 percent... 60 percent...

In the blink of an eye, the value shot toward 80 percent.

The Magic Cube in Sein’s hand radiated a crystalline blue glow.

As Fermera’s third firewall was being cracked, the Magic Cube was simultaneously consuming its stored laws energy.

To Sein, the cost was well worth it.

If successful, it could grant him a peak Rank Five subordinate, or even a combatant capable of rivaling Rank Six strength.

Fermera’s internal damage was of little concern. Once he got her on his side, Sein planned to embed the Magic Cube directly into her body to accelerate her recovery.

The rapid dismantling of Fermera’s internal restraints also sparked another thought in Sein’s mind.

Could he use the Magic Cube to cause mass defections among enemy robot legions on future battlefields?

The upgraded cube clearly demonstrated overwhelming control over intelligent machines.

Robots modified by the cube would not only awaken self-awareness, but would also develop a reliance on both the Magic Cube itself and its owner—Sein.

Sein had long lacked dedicated cannon fodder legions. He had previously considered the Pyrelings, supplemented by allied legions such as the Huusians and those from Planet Klythera.

Now, however, he realized that capturing enemy legions directly was far more efficient and cost-effective.

After all, the Magic Cube only needed to expend its stored law energy when converting advanced, high-ranking robots like Fermera.

When it came to ordinary cannon-fodder robots, the cube consumed only standard energy.

Coincidentally, the laws the cube had recently absorbed included those related to energy storage and gathering.

Once these abilities were refined and strengthened, the cube’s long-term energy recovery efficiency would increase dramatically.

When the Magus Civilization’s high command had first obtained the Magic Cube, they had envisioned using it to influence and seize control of the Gallant Federation’s vast legions of expendable robots.

At the time, that goal had been unrealistic.

Now, with the cube’s continuous evolution, that long-held ambition was finally beginning to take shape in Sein’s hands.

Could Sein accomplish what even the overlord-level beings of the Magus Civilization had failed to achieve?

Of course, that depended on whether he could continue feeding the cube enough law energy from technological artifacts.

When the firewall breach rate within Fermera reached 98.67 percent, a furious roar erupted within a covert experimental facility far behind the Gallant Federation’s frontlines.

Syphen, the federation’s top scientist, had finally realized what was happening.