Chapter 324: Cybernetic Abilities (1)

As cracks appeared in the floor, the countless debris of components Lennok had created were sucked in and vanished.

Kagagagagak!!

Immediately after, other researchers, sensing the anomaly, began to bellow in harsh mechanical voices.

“Deck control has been seized!! Is this Pallard O’Con’s doing…?!!”

“That’s practically impossible!! At this point, with physical synchronization over halfway complete, for someone other than Adamant Thunder to seize control…!!”

“No, the epicenter is in the computational core. But how could they think of winning in terms of computational power from such a distance?!”

Making the Mobile Fortress Treffen’s body isn’t the end of it.

Unlike the human body, machines don’t operate by senses, but require precise calculations and logic circuits.

Naturally, to move each component of the fortress as if it were his own body, a corresponding amount of computational power must support it.

But Lieutenant General Treffen, who had lived his entire life as a physical ability user for decades, couldn’t possibly possess the computational power to control a fortress hundreds of meters in diameter by himself.

While he might be intelligent to some extent, the computational power required to control a fortress of this scale was a complex domain even for an Archmage.

Therefore, Gearsight’s researchers had set up a computational core to allow Treffen to manipulate his body freely, adjusting it so that Treffen could synchronize with his body while the core supplemented the fortress’s computational power.

However, they had assumed that even if the fortress’s computational power were seized at this point, where physical synchronization was nearing completion, there wouldn’t be a major problem.

Yet, the sheer scale of the computational power being seized from beneath the deck at an unbelievable speed was far exceeding the expectations of the Gearsight researchers.

‘It seems Davi did better than I expected.’

Lennok nodded, quickly confirming Pallard’s presence vanishing into the sensory range.

Lennok had never expected Pallard O’Con to be able to do anything special from the start.

Underground within the wildly shaking deck. An extreme environment where, due to Treffen’s physical synchronization, passages could disappear at any moment, and one could be crushed alive.

But despite this, Lennok had insisted that Pallard endure to the limit before escaping, instead of escaping immediately.

This was because he had been waiting for Davi to locate the computational core within the mechanical sphere, using the distraction caused by Pallard.

Kwajik!!

He clutched the shattered robot head with his gloved hand.

The voice that had been speaking rapidly just moments ago quickly began to fade.

“Backup network invaded… Data, erased… This, can’t be…”

“I needed to confirm exactly how far your plans reached.”

Lennok replied, letting the fading voice drift away.

“To thoroughly leverage the superiority of information and ability, I did my best to ensure that no data was transmitted upon encounter.”

Eujijijijik!!

Lennok began to walk, gazing at the mechanical parts that shattered and vanished beneath his feet.

“Because I believed that the gambit I threw would become a deadly blade to pierce Gearsight.”

“Is that so. Number 8 also, in this way…”

Charururururuk!!

From the deck floor that had swallowed the broken mechanical parts, countless mechanical soldiers began to rise once more.

But this time, the gaze of the reassembled soldiers was not directed at Lennok, but at Treffen, who stood far away on the Machine God’s palm.

Lennok, surrounded by the mechanical army protecting him, slowly stepped forward.

“Shall we go.”

Cheolkeok!!

Kwoooung!!

Inside the mechanical sphere, hundreds of meters in radius.

Hot winds raged chaotically, and in the chaotic center where mechanical waves constantly surged, hundreds of forces, split in two, clashed with each other.

Kwaaaang!!

But this time, they were not facing a lone wizard, but the same forces, sharing identical parts and magical power sources.

Simultaneously seizing partial control of the mechanical sphere, Lennok had succeeded in creating a minimal allied force around him, sufficient to withstand the overwhelming numbers that were rushing towards him.

All this, to confront Treffen, who had been sitting atop the Machine God, biding his time.

“Around two minutes. The timing is roughly right.”

As Lennok muttered to himself, he smoothed the cuff of his sleeve, and a pencil appeared between his fingers.

Without hesitation, he plunged it straight into his forearm, and at that very moment, Lennok’s body traversed dozens of meters, leaping over the waves of the army.

Pallock!

Without a single acceleration that would burden his frail body, Lennok, having crossed dozens of meters, landed before Treffen.

His coat fluttered, and magic surged.

Creation-Type Unique Magic: Double Refinement

Partial Thunder, Construct Fire, Ignition Resonance.

[Crimson Thunder Kill]

Pazzzzzzzzzik!!!

A destructive afterimage created by forcibly weaving together close-range bombardment magic, which is considered top-tier in terms of penetration and compressed firepower.

A violently rotating compressed mass of magic in Lennok’s hand glowed, dyeing the flashing electric current red.

The air in the vicinity burned and withered the moment the wizard’s form flashed past its target.

In the fleeting moment the wizard’s form flashed past its target, a polarized crimson lightning struck the crown of Treffen’s bowed head.

Kwaaaahhh!!

The aftermath of that impact. Just a slight graze caused the Machine God Treffen was leaning on to be half-destroyed, and the thick wall of the mechanical sphere evaporated.

“Kwoooohhhh!!!”

The roar of the Machine God, screaming in pain. Even its echo faded faintly amidst the wreckage swept away by the fusion of lightning and explosive flames.

High-intensity close-range compressed fire, unleashed without prior preparation.

Moreover, it was a preemptive strike, forcibly closing the distance and unleashing it by slamming in Enakphil’s five fingers.

The judgment was to inflict a fatal wound before Treffen’s adjustments were complete and seize the initiative in the ensuing battle.

But the voice echoing from beyond the evaporated wall of the mechanical sphere was incomparably calm.

“Truly a fatal move.”

“……”

Shoooooooo-

An unidentifiable piercing sound resonated in the spacious cavity inside the sphere.

Through it, Treffen’s low voice echoed resoundingly.

“To hack the fortress’s computational core and neutralize the entire facility, seizing control in such a short time… It’s even harder to believe that you didn’t do it yourself.”

“I thought you might have blacked out, but you’ve been watching the whole situation until now?”

“Why wouldn’t I. Everything happening in this place is a part of me.”

Treffen’s words seemed somewhat transcendental.

Immediately after, something slowly rose from the corpse of the ruined Machine God.

Treffen’s human body, completely battered. Yet, the magical aura swirling around him was utterly serene.

The iron mask he had worn crumbled away, revealing Treffen’s bare face.

It was the aged Lieutenant General Treffen that Lennok knew. But amidst his sharp features and wrinkled skin, not a single piece of human flesh or muscle remained.

Smooth metallic skin. Eyes crafted from intricate artificial crystals.

Lieutenant General Treffen, the commander of the Defense Force, had truly succeeded in shedding his humanity and reconstructing himself into a mechanical body.

Whiooooo…!!

A wind blew.

Even Lennok, having realized that Treffen’s adjustments were complete, did not move rashly, but quietly observed his movements.

It wasn’t merely because it was difficult to gauge how much stronger his opponent had become, or what qualifications and power he had seized.

Lennok himself was genuinely curious to see how far this man before him could ascend.

He had grown tired of seeing Archmage-level superhumans struggling, lamenting the time they had left.

But most of those were futile struggles based on vague hope, without proper means or methods.

Not a single being had shed their humanity through such systematic technology and procedures as Lieutenant General Treffen before him.

Even if his method and direction were thoroughly twisted, Treffen had clearly succeeded in transcending the human species itself by transferring his consciousness into a machine.

What kind of outcome could be achieved if the soul and consciousness of an Archmage-level ability user, who had already completed their Hierarchy, combined properly with a body that had cast off the limitations of its species?

“Truly, it is utterly chaotic. Not even a fragment of order can be found.”

Treffen glanced at the struggling mechanical forces beneath the Machine God and muttered.

“Shall I just revert everything?”

“…What?”

Treffen did not answer.

He merely vanished from Lennok’s sight, reappearing as if transcending space high above the peak of the mechanical sphere.

Paat!!

Floating serenely in the air, he slowly extended his hand, gazing down at the ground made of deck plates.

At that moment, half of the army Lennok had seized control of, and the other mechanical soldiers desperately fighting, all ceased their movements simultaneously.

An unnatural halt, as if their power had been cut. But Treffen’s touch did not end there.

Karararararak!!

At that instant, the forces under Treffen’s control began to regenerate their broken bodies in an instant.

Components that had been crushed and flattened by Lennok’s bombardment and impact were restored to their original state, as if time was rewinding.

These restored mechanical parts surged in all directions, constantly knocking down and raising hundreds of mechanical soldiers.

The soldiers who rose again after a death, unlike before, formed strict formations and ranks, and instantly began to trample the forces Lennok had seized.

Only then did Lennok realize what Treffen had done, and his mouth fell open.

“You’ve given up on adjusting the entire fortress as your body. From the moment the computational core was seized, you abandoned the parts whose control was taken and completed the adjustment…?”

“There is no act as foolish as regretting what has passed. Even the time spent trying to reclaim seized control is meaningless.”

Treffen shifted his gaze to Lennok and said.

Did he know that he was uttering words completely contrary to his past actions?

But perhaps this very appearance, where his own values were completely overturned, was what truly defined transcending humanity.

Contrary to Lennok’s thoughts, Treffen’s words continued.

“Now I understand why Gearsight entrusted me with this profound wish.”

“……”

“Ascension is an impossibly distant and remote ideal. That is why it is worth pursuing, even at the cost of everything.”

A declaration filled with conviction. Lennok shook his head at his unwavering voice.

“So, now you’re saying you’ll become a component for ascension, not for revenge against the city council?”

“Yes.”

Treffen, who had appeared behind Lennok, replied.

“Even if all of us fall while walking that path.”

Kwaaaang!!!

“Ugh…!!”

Shield completely shattered. Triple-layered ice pillar penetration.

If he hadn’t recognized the space-transcending reactivity and moved to counter it, it wouldn’t have been strange to sustain an injury close to fatal.

More importantly, the fact that the shield was not just shattered, but forced Lennok to move.

If he felt the same anomaly here as he did when fighting Gearsight’s combatant, Rundel, then there could only be one answer.

“Cough…!!”

Even by maximally dispersing the impact and shattered balance to reduce physical strain, the rapid deterioration of his body’s condition itself could not be prevented.

His vision blurred instantly, his head violently reverberated, and his body lost balance.

If it weren’t for the forced strength of the doping drugs, it would have been difficult to even maintain consciousness.

Lennok coughed up phlegm mixed with blood, rose, and muttered as he looked up at Treffen.

“You’re manipulating the space inside the sphere. To think this much is possible even after hacking the computational core and seizing control…”

Treffen’s body moved freely through space as if there were no distance limitations.

Even if he couldn’t completely manipulate space, it was clear proof that he had touched a fragment of it.

This also somewhat resembled the divine ability shown to Lennok by Myeong, the level 8 monster known as the King of the Underworld, a black wizard from Pandemonium.

This level of mastery, even after using Davi to seize control of the mechanical sphere’s computational core.

It wasn’t hard to guess how much more powerful he would have become if he had properly completed the synchronization and adjustment process with the entire mechanical sphere.

Edmuth Treffen’s Miniature Universe: Iron Machine God’s Passage, was the very power that temporarily allowed him to transcend humanity within this colossal body.

If it’s the power of a Miniature Universe that gains a part of the abilities of a level 8 Extreme Ability User, then it’s probably possible to borrow a part of that ability to interfere with space as a result.

Currently, due to Lennok seizing partial control of the mechanical sphere, he is merely able to float freely in space only within that combat body.

Originally, it might have been possible for him to manipulate and control the entire internal space of this massive sphere.

“If you’ve realized that, then you must know all this resistance is meaningless.”

Treffen’s eyes glinted as he slowly stepped onto the ground and spoke.

Immediately after, tens of thousands of components burst from the fallen Machine God’s body, spinning and simultaneously beginning to be sucked into Treffen’s body.