Chapter 231: Standoff

Regaining consciousness the first thing Michael was greeted with was an annoying ringing in his head that didn’t seem to lessen.

’What happened?’ He wondered, for a moment, recalling how Cyberfang had appeared in front of him to shield him before being kicked away by the towering robot.

’Memory seems intact, so does my cardiovascular system, both arms are broken, a slight crack is running across my skull, and several ribs appear to be shattered. I should be able to continue to fight despite the harm done to my body. Final evaluation: damage is relatively low.’ Done with the assessment of his condition, his eyes promptly opened.

Instantly his pupils narrowed to the size of needles, and a radiant light blinded him for a couple of seconds. It was the color of intense orange mixed with a faint hue of red. A scorched scent drifted into his nostrils, his body starting to sweat uncontrollably due to the intense heat.

After adjusting to the difference in brightness, he was forced to blink a few times, making sure his senses weren’t deceiving him.

“Lava…”

The realization struck him like a hammer. Of all the places he could have landed, he had come down in the middle of a lava lake. Worse still, he found himself stranded on a small island at its center. The island was formed of scorched rock, somehow strong enough to withstand the surging liquid. It was the only thing that spared Michael from an agonizing, molten death.

He was now at the place where Hreh’tar aliens alongside two Monarchs were supposed to be lingering, biding their time.

Before he could utter a curse, a flash captured his attention. There at the very edge of the lake, a war seemed to be underway, with human and alien forces fighting tooth and nail, one desperate to get out, the other doing their best to stop them in place.

Considering that a large part of Magmorious’ troops had been stationed here, the fight was breathtakingly massive, and yet two colossal figures easily loomed above the surroundings. Emitting such powerful spiritual energy that there was no doubt these monsters were of the Monarch tier.

Had Michael not known better, he would have mistaken them for certain fantasy creatures that were popular in storytelling.

Leviathans.

Several hundred meters in height. Four limbs, two acting as arms and two as short legs, alongside a colossal head equipped with four pupils that scanned the world with cold indifference. Of course, being of the Hreh’tar species, it wasn’t surprising to see they also bore tentacles. Numerous sprouted from their backs, and even more from their mouths, painting a horrifying picture.

Undoubtedly these godlike beings had begun to act up due to the appearance of the rogue robot, awakened by the rampage it had begun to unleash on the capital.

The sight was… Pitiful at best. With a single glance, Michael was able to count more than five Lords, who fought desperately, yet their efforts seemed fruitless as the two Monarchs carved paths for the lesser aliens to proceed further.

“At least they don’t seem to pay me any mind…” Michael let out a sigh.

[M—M—Mas…]

As the ringing in his ears began to fade, he caught the sound of something beneath him. He glanced down and saw Cyberfang. The mighty beast was no more, its metallic shell largely gone, scattered into the lava and swallowed forever. Only its head and half of its torso remained.

And yet… the beast proved unfazed. Having activated its cooling system, it did its best to keep the surroundings at barely tolerable temperatures while Michael had been unconscious.

“Cyberfang…” A raw emotion began to tug at Michael’s heart. He would have never thought he would feel bad for an AI. But it was a fact, he stood alive solely because of the beast’s protection.

“Reserve energy and wait for me here. As long as your chip is whole, we can mend you to a new mecha. Understood?”

[Affir…]

At his command, the beast powered down instantly. A heartbeat later, heat far more intense than before slammed into Michael’s body.

With a groan, he slowly rose to his feet, eyes gleaming crimson. If he were to look from the positive side, the injuries he had sustained fueled his Warlock technique further.

“Not enough.”

But since that didn’t prove enough, he went a step further. Using Psychokinesis, he wrapped the energy around his body like attire, making his movements easier.

With a frown he glanced at the flowing lava that surrounded him. Before he could come up with a plan of action, a voice echoed from the little comms device Livia had given him.

“Michael!”

It was Claire.

“I don’t know how you accomplished it, but the robot ran away! We watched from afar, so we can’t tell what exactly happened, but at some point it abruptly turned around and bolted out of the capital!”

Michael’s eyes enlarged. The robot had deserted the city? The only explanation he could come up with was that it had decided to follow his trail.

“I remember it screaming something about a soul… Perhaps the use of Bypasser has painted me as its target?” He wondered.

“This would be great if it were true… it would mean all the capital has to worry about from now on will be the androids running amok.” He chuckled darkly.

Since he didn’t answer Claire right away, she spoke once more.

“Michael? Would you join the other front now? Where are you?”

With a shake of his head, he answered.

“Something unexpected came up. I trust you will manage without me.”

At that moment, a rumble shook the earth, causing ripples to form across the lava.

“So… it came.”

On the far horizon, a towering figure appeared, taking colossal strides as it drew closer. Just as Michael had theorized, the sentient AI had become fixated on him, choosing to follow him all the way to the lava lake.

“!!!”

Simultaneously the Lords that had been fighting the Monarchs exchanged glances before dashing back towards the capital. Why the colossal robot had gone to them didn’t matter, as they disregarded the battlefield without an ounce of hesitation.

“…”

Tense silence began to settle, the giant stopping before the two Monarchs as they wordlessly stared at each other.

’Regardless of the way I look at things. You appear to be royally screwed.’ Devil’s Tongue remarked in its owner’s head.

“Perhaps…”

Michael leaned on his soul weapon, observing what was about to transpire with great anticipation.

“Or maybe… I just found a way to kill two birds with one stone…”

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