Sovereign of the Ashes

The test run with Sky Tyrant did not go smoothly.

Joseph’s modifications that allowed intelligent robots to be piloted were still far from complete. At best, he had only just found what looked like a promising direction.

He could not promise it would ever succeed; all he could say was that the “prospects” looked good.

Sky Tyrant was an independent being, and Yuri was an engineer with her own consciousness.

Unless Sky Tyrant’s awareness was suppressed, Yuri’s thoughts would inevitably clash with its own, compromising the combat effectiveness of both.

On top of that, Yuri had always piloted mecha, which were built on systems completely different from Nexon’s intelligent robots.

To Sein and Yuri, the test was a failure.

Sky Tyrant performed way better on its own than when piloted.

But to Joseph, the result was both surprising and exciting.

Compared to his own attempts at piloting, Yuri’s skill and her ability to tap into the robot’s full potential were clearly on another level.

The experiment had not been a total loss. They found out that Yuri’s abilities as an engineer could definitely enhance Sky Tyrant’s combat performance.

That left Sein wondering: what if they built an intelligent robot tailored specifically for Yuri to pilot? Could that push her combat power beyond anything she had ever achieved before?

It was a tempting idea, especially since Yuri’s silver mecha had been severely damaged in the last battle. Once they returned to Magus World, he would have to forge her a new mecha anyway.

Sein remembered the Magic Cube in his possession.

In theory, the cube had the power to awaken robots to intelligence and self-awareness. What would happen if he used it on Yuri’s mecha?

The problem was, Sein still did not fully understand how the cube worked. He had never tested for himself exactly how it granted robots intelligence.

For now, all of these ideas would have to wait until they were safely back in Magus World.

Sein glanced around the research facility and then addressed Joseph and the other scientists gathered nearby.

“Grab all the resources and move all the experimental equipment you need out of here immediately!”

All of these federal scientists were under Sein’s soul control.

They were assets too, and if used properly, the value they could bring far exceeded even the mountains of supplies stored on Nocchi.

Ever since his journey into the Gallant Federation, Sein’s understanding of technological civilizations and his opinion of their scientists had changed a great deal.

As soon as he ordered the scientists to pack up, a loud explosion shook the ground, followed by the roar of battle outside the research base.

Through his crystal ball, Sein received urgent reports from Welks, Clint, and other Magus World powerhouses.

He was told that multiple federal fleets had arrived on Nocchi to reinforce this critical supply transit planet.

Not knowing how many reinforcements were coming, Sein immediately flew out of the research base to regroup with Clint and the others.

Sky Tyrant, the Rank Four intelligent robot, rose to its feet. Waving its claw, it said, “I’ll go with you.”

Sky Tyrant was a simple robot, but it still knew how to tell friend from foe.

Ever since the Gallant Federation destroyed Nexon and countless intelligent robots, the survivors had deemed the federation their eternal enemy.

Sein asked Sky Tyrant if it knew whether any of the others had broken through the siege, or if they had all perished.

Unfortunately, Sky Tyrant knew nothing.

After being incapacitated by the Federation’s secret weapon during the battle at the Alpha-007 Star Domain, it fell into a small wormhole and was captured by a federal legion before eventually being brought here.

Sky Tyrant’s yearning to learn the fate of its comrades burned even stronger than Sein’s curiosity.

When it expressed its wish to join the fight, Sein only raised an eyebrow before nodding. On the battlefield, an extra Rank Four ally was always welcome.

The only real benefit Sky Tyrant had gained from its time on Nocchi was that most of its body had been repaired.

Seeing that Sky Tyrant had been granted permission to join the fight, Yuri wanted to join as well. She longed to fight beside Sein again.

Ever since her silver mecha had been destroyed, her value at his side had diminished.

“In your current state...” Sein began, glancing at her.

“I piloted Sky Tyrant earlier. It was my first time with the controls, so of course I was a bit clumsy. But this time, I’ll do better!” Yuri said with confidence.

“Fine.” Sein nodded.

Letting Yuri pilot Sky Tyrant would serve as both combat training and a field test.

Data gathered in the heat of battle was always more reliable than anything pulled from controlled experiments.

***

By the time Sein left the research base, the battle over Nocchi had reached its peak.

The sky, once covered by Welks’ domain, was now riddled with holes, and federal ships were flooding through.

Heavy barrages of energy rays hammered the Magus World Army as they pressed the assault on Nocchi.

One of the space fortresses Clint had brought was spewing smoke. Due to its immense size, it was an easy mark for the federation’s support fleet.

The massive structure tilted dangerously, struggling to stay aloft.

The Magus World Army’s counterattack was fierce, but the real problem was the unknown size of the federation’s reinforcements.

Clint and the others had already sent distress signals back to higher command.

With Magus World holding the upper hand in this war, reinforcements were bound to arrive sooner or later.

For now, Sein’s closest ally above Rank Four was the Huusian King.

Sein had assumed the federation’s support fleets were here for Joseph and the other scientists who had not yet been evacuated from Nocchi.

After all, these experts working in cutting-edge fields were priceless to the Gallant Federation.

If not for the scientists, then perhaps their target was Sky Tyrant. After all, a Rank Four intelligent robot was an asset worth reclaiming.

Yet to Sein’s surprise, the federal fleets did not head for the research base at all.

Instead, they focused their assault on a heavy industrial logistics hub to the west of Sein’s position.