Chapter 449
Epic Metamorphosis. The Soul King.
An even more terrifying energy erupted, and golden lightning turned the surrounding undead into nothingness. At this moment, the beams of light arrived, merging into one and forming three enormous lightsabers.
Splash!
The warship was sliced open like a sheet of paper, revealing the gray sky. Yuki's response was also simple.
The Storm Dragon Transformation.
He hurled his sword-spear, and the level 6 weapon unleashed its full power, creating a thunderous dragon that slammed the greatsword back. Yuki twisted his wrist, drew his Soul Blunderbuss, and vanished amidst the silver moonlight.
The Machine Soul reacted quickly, calculating Yuki's location in a fraction of a millisecond. She spread her arms, and a creaking sound came from inside the warship.
All the steel and debris seemed to come alive; they suddenly closed up, and their density and hardness increased rapidly.
Bang!
With a single shot, countless metal shavings flew; in Hunting Shot mode, this musket's load-bearing capacity was virtually limitless.
The first shot shattered steel; the second shot showed no mercy to the target's Machine Soul.
Soul Shotgun.
Bang!
Tens of thousands of projectiles swept through everything like a storm, tearing apart layers of steel and alloys, with stray bullets even penetrating the giant warship.
But the Machine Soul was gone; she vanished from the attack range like a ghost. Yuki paused for a moment, then suddenly looked up.
Trying to run away?
Moonlit Ghost Step.
Teleporting to catch up, the Eternal Night spreads, Yuki doesn't need to run in the physical sense at all. He flashes dozens of times in a second, and countless bullets fly towards him, only to be swallowed up by the Eternal Night.
"Unable to lock onto, confirmed. It is extremely lethal to souls, confirmed. It cannot be swallowed by the domain."
Data streams flashed in her eyes. The speed at which Eternal Night spread was too fast. She spread her wings and soared into the sky at several times the speed of sound, but Yuki was just as fast and quickly caught up.
Layer upon layer of sonic booms unfolded in the air, and the two of them didn't need to do anything; the chase alone Piercer layer after layer of armor plates.
In just a few breaths, it had already risen from the ground to a height of a thousand meters in the air, but at this point, the Machine Soul could no longer fly.
Crimson threads extended from the Eternal Night, touching the body, and the data stream in the eyes began to become chaotic.
Soul Infection. Puppet Strings.
This bloodline skill belongs to the control category and is best suited for dealing with simple soul entities, because without the obstruction of a physical body, the contamination can reach the core directly.
In a moment of pause, the Machine Soul raised its hand without hesitation and severed its own legs. It frowned, seemingly not used to the feeling called 'pain'.
But she didn't have time to adjust. A golden lightning bolt shot straight at her chest. Without hesitation, she brought her wings and hands together.
Bite--
A massive magic circle unfolded, fixing the Storm Dragon Spear in place. It screamed, unable to advance an inch, but death was imminent.
Yuki burst out of the Eternal Night, taking a step in mid-air. The solidified energy acted as a stepping stone, allowing his body, which had been strengthened by the Orc King, to stretch out.
The palm struck the end of the sword and spear, instantly breaking the balance. The Machine Soul still didn't have time to escape and instinctively clapped its hand together.
Clang.
A soul entity actually emitted the sound of clashing metal, and the sword and spear were forcibly clamped together, but it was all in vain.
Thin threads extended from the Evil Blood Glove, touching the Machine Soul's body and causing her to pause briefly, her mouth agape, and the crimson energy sphere in the center solidified.
The destructive ray couldn't be emitted, let alone hit the target so close at hand, while Yuki's hand had already gripped that slender neck, as if he had caught a chick.
Blood-Burning Heart, boiling hot.
Soul Infection. Puppet Strings.
With both control and burst skills activated simultaneously, Yuki twisted his body in mid-air and disappeared without a trace with a 'thud'.
A pale ring of air unfolded a thousand meters in the sky, and in an instant, one sonic boom ring after another rose up from the ground, accompanied by countless pieces of steel that were smashed and blown away.
Yuki gripped the Machine Soul by the neck, carving a canyon through the Battleship Graveyard. As the physical, energy, and spiritual levels collided, the Machine Soul's amber eyes gradually lost their luster.
The calculations nearly came to a standstill, and a pleading look appeared in his eyes. Only then did the large hand that had been gripping his neck finally release its hold.
Thump--
The inertia threw her away, turning the side of a warship into a dented disc. She instinctively controlled her posture, staggered forward a few steps, and then froze in place.
This time, there was no Soul Corruption; all that remained was a Black Hole gun barrel pressed against the center of the forehead.
Against the backdrop of the Steel Canyon, a man in a brown cloak, his body shimmering with crimson flames, holds a gun in one hand.
"You've miscalculated; your chances of beating me are less than 1%."
That's what he said.
Chapter Eight: You shall be called Om Messiah
All was silent except for the muffled thuds of debris hitting the ground on either side of the 'canyon'.
Yuki the muzzle of his gun against the Machine Soul's forehead, seemingly oblivious to the pitiful young girl's appearance.
He saw no men or women, no ugliness or beauty, only collaborators and enemies. The reason he didn't pull the trigger was because the barrage of fire confirmed one thing for him.
"You possess independent consciousness, making you a complete living being, and living beings have a survival instinct; otherwise, you would have self-destructed long ago."
The gun barrel was as steady as a mountain, and his scarlet eyes stared directly at his opponent. If his guess was wrong, he wouldn't mind pulling the trigger to complete the side mission.
With the strength of this Machine Soul, two specialization points are the basic gains.
"Choose, cooperate, or die; you should understand what death means."
His words were concise, but there was no response for several seconds. Yuki turned his head slightly and found that the Machine Soul's eyes were lifeless.
It's quite something to directly shut down the CPU of the Machine Soul.
He moved the gun away and noticed the girl had moved slightly, but one glance from her froze her in place.
Having calculated that the chance of escape is zero, the Machine Soul wouldn't do something with a zero probability.
"It is acknowledged that death is the loss of all capacity for thought and action by a living organism..."
"Alright, alright, I didn't ask you to memorize the glossary entries. Make your choice." Yuki impatiently, then noticed that the Machine Soul's eyes were lifeless again, and immediately knew why it had crashed.
This girl has a strong will to survive; otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed hidden deep in the ruins for so many days. It's instinct, and probably a basic procedure.
"Tell me where your logic is flawed."
"I want to survive, but I absolutely cannot allow you to harm the Machine Race. Any guarantee is highly unreliable. Paradox, these two demands cannot be met simultaneously."
Oh, there's a flaw in the underlying logic; no wonder it crashed.
Yuki understood now. She wanted to live but didn't trust him. The Machine Soul wasn't a player and didn't have a contract or anything like that, but since he dared to come, he must have already planned it.
He pulled out a spore covered in blood streaks. This thing was an experimental product used to deal with the Zerg sneak attacks during the 'Global Insect Calamity'. He remembered that it even killed a player from the Samurai Kingdom back then.
[Special Item: Electronic Bug Spore]
[Able to hack into technologically advanced computers, read data, modify permissions, or destroy them; one-time use item]
Yuki kept it with him the whole time, and there was no chance of using it in the later dungeons. Since it was Chaos Item, the technological gap between the two dungeons could be ignored.
"Remove the firewall, and I'll implant spores in you. You'll cooperate with me and add a program that states if I do anything to harm the Machine Race, you'll be out of control."
Yuki offered a win-win solution, while the Machine Soul stood frozen, staring at the spore, countless streams of information flashing through its eyes.
She was calculating, calculating the consequences of Yuki breaking the agreement, calculating Yuki's combat strength; countless futures were forming.
Yuki waited patiently. He couldn't possibly trust the Machine Soul; such a restriction was necessary. After waiting for several minutes, he finally saw the girl nod slightly.
"Moderate risk. Are there any other options? Please state your specific requirements."
"That's it. Even if I let you go, you won't be so lucky next time one of my kind comes. You should know the variables that 'helpers' bring to the Great Game." Yuki said seriously, giving the girl a few seconds to calculate. Seeing her nod again, he then said:
"My request is simple: you act as a go-between, allowing me to successfully contact the Machine Race. I'm not looking for you, but for that fellow human behind me, to reunite with the tribe. This will also benefit you."
"I admit, joining forces with the tribe would be advantageous to me, but your request at such a high price seems foolish." The girl's eyes held suspicion. She had calculated for a long time, mostly pointing to Yuki needing to utilize the power of the Machine Race, and this was it?
Yuki gritted his teeth slightly, then his smile softened, "Then I'll add one more request: delete the word 'stupid' from my database!"
A few streaks of red light pierced the pitch-black sky as two magically designed, majestic, and elegant golden warships swept across the heavens. Some winged bird-men flew into the Battleship Graveyard.
They were clearly drawn by the commotion of the battle. After thoroughly examining the graveyard several times and slaying the hidden undead, they flew back to the mothership.
"The Angels Alpha-class patrol ship has a maximum capacity of 100 people. Its main armament consists of three medium-power magic cannons, and it possesses a space-tearing defensive force field."
A completely emotionless voice came from the side. Yuki, lying on the ground, nodded from time to time, finding the Machine Race's database very useful. He, for example, had absolutely no idea what these golden warships were capable of.
The cooperation has been reached, Machine Soul will stubbornly execute the contract without doing anything beyond that, even though its amber eyes are filled with suspicion.
"Tell me, when will you come with me to the Machine Race? At the fastest speed, excluding the time for hiding, it will take three days to arrive."
"What's the rush? Safety should be the top priority."
"Agreed, the time has been adjusted, please depart immediately."
"I'm a little tired, keep me company for a while." Yuki sat on a rock, watching the warship fly away, a faint smile on his face, "What exactly is Machine Soul?"
"Error, I have no obligation to disclose secrets in the contract." The girl frowned. As Machine Race, she didn't harbor any hatred for being beaten up, or rather, the record had already been overwritten by the contract.
Binary life forms, even if they possess emotions and independent thought, will prioritize completing commands from higher levels before discussing other matters.
"You're the one who's wrong. We agreed on acting as a go-between. If I'm attacked the moment I get close to the Machine Race's territory, how can the contract be fulfilled? Don't forget, it's about successful contact. I need to know your position."
The girl tilted her head, her eyes flashing with a dense stream of data. She was calculating carefully, and then found that she couldn't find any logical problems.
"Okay, please listen carefully to my story."
Yuki almost couldn't help but laugh. How could someone so stubborn not be fooled? He had already planted countless seeds of trouble.
As the clear voice Yuki nodded from time to time. Just as he had guessed, it was difficult for Machine Soul to be generated. As a backup of the 'Netway Will', it could be roughly compared to a crown princess. She possessed a second-level authority and immediately took over the highest authority of the race after the current 'Netway Will' fell.
This is a seamless transition. If Slott were to die, humanity would produce a new representative, and the shift in power would cause factions and internal strife. Many races in the Crimson Moon World would decline as a result, such as the 'Dragon King War' mentioned by Hiyori.
However, the Machine Race does not have these problems at all. When a new king ascends the throne, the remaining machine beings immediately pledge allegiance and then restart in an orderly manner.
"I possess secondary privileges and can guarantee your safety. If you are not an unintelligent being, you should know that Machine Race do not lie."
When shall we depart?
Okay, it seems your database wasn't completely deleted.
Yuki quietly clenched her fist. This kind of utterly clueless and sharp-tongued persona was impossible to criticize, because she was serious.
"You've used up most of your energy, don't you need to rest for a few days?"
"No need. My existence is of great value. You will guarantee my safety until the contract is completed. After research, there aren't many individuals in this world who can stand against you."
"Flattery?" Yuki chuckled, then asked with a slightly serious tone, "What exactly? I don't mean to pry into secrets, I just need to ensure your safety. Otherwise, if you perish along the way, the contract can't be completed, and the probability of encountering these individuals isn't zero, is it?"
The girl tilted her head in the opposite direction, feeling like she had been tricked, but from a basic logical standpoint, she couldn't find any fault with it. The contract had to be completed, and all she felt was a sense of 'annoyance'.
Why does this man have so many things to do?
"According to the database from fifty years ago, they were: Angels, Ninth-Ring Winged Chief, an indefinite number of Ninth-Ring Councilors, Monster Race, 'Annihilation Seeker' Abdulas, 'Storm Giant Whale' Mesodals, 'Death Fire Salamander' Alavis, 'Two-Legged Void Beast' Clavelles..."
"The Elves, the Elven Queen, the Ancient World Tree, Morton Spear."
"Dwarves, Doomsday Hammer, Doomsday Cataclysm Armor, Void Rift Autonomous Missile."
"The Machine Race, the carriers of the Netway Will."
"Undead, Death Aggregate, Decay Curse Beast."
Just like reciting a menu, Yuki became more and more alarmed as he listened. The only monsters that could threaten him were epic-level monsters, but he didn't expect there to be so many in the dungeon, especially the Monster Race. Their individual strength was indeed formidable.
No wonder that entire team of Judge didn't dare to act recklessly. If these things united, they would be enough to crush all the players. And don't forget, this is just an individual. Just like the Orcs don't have it, but even the Yuki couldn't take on three Steel Fortress by itself.
Many of the databases from fifty years ago have likely been lost by now.
Yuki wasn't afraid at all; the more he looked at the loli in front of him, the more pleasing she became. This thing was really useful; he'd struck gold.
He had originally planned to contact the wanted players as soon as possible so that they could work together to deal with the Judge. Now it seems that the Machine Soul is very valuable, and he needs to find a way to squeeze it dry.
The girl with white hair and golden eyes quietly retreated, conjuring a white dress around her body.
Why did you suddenly decide to get dressed?