When the ash fire passed through the first layer of silver-gray radiance, Saine did not immediately press forward.
The World-Realm Emperor Monarch, who had seemed within arm's reach, had already appeared in another stretch of starry space far away.
The flames that had originally fallen toward him reappeared from several different directions.
The Cosmic Realm Disc slowly rotated behind the World-Realm Emperor Monarch.
This level-13 peak being had not unleashed his full power from the outset. Facing Saine, who had yet to merge with the God of Machines, he mainly altered the surrounding space and observed the resulting changes in the Power of Ashes.
Saine reacted faster than he had expected.
Several wisps of flame that should have scattered into the distance suddenly converged, enveloping a spatial cross-section that had not yet fully closed.
The fire paused briefly, then passed through to the other side.
The World-Realm Emperor Monarch raised his palm, and a more solid layer of silver-gray power finally blocked it.
"Looks like those old records in Skynet were useful after all," Saine said with a smile.
"Then I'll have to try another approach," the World-Realm Emperor Monarch replied.
The ancient disc behind him tilted.
This time, the layers of space already spread out around them folded toward the center simultaneously. The ash fire beneath Saine's feet was squeezed into a smaller area under the sudden increase in pressure.
Saine raised his head.
An enormous mechanical palm slowly emerged from the gray flames, then slammed down on the steadily contracting space!
Amid a thunderous tremor, vast amounts of silver-gray radiance burst outward.
The God of Machines' rule true body had appeared before the World-Realm Emperor Monarch.
Compared with Saine's own body, this enormous mechanical form clearly possessed far more astonishing power.
Yet its sheer size was not