Chapter 154: The Abnormal Automaton

"Precise location of the mana fluctuations detected. Proceeding to target. Please continue providing relevant mana fluctuation signals to assist in calibration."

A Nightblades team stationed in the capital's shadow near the location of the Destroyer-class automaton swiftly moved toward the source of the mana fluctuations without any hesitation.

"Mana fluctuations stable. Target is not attempting to conceal itself. Target at significant depth, close to the Abyss. Bolster mental defenses and beware potential mental contamination."

The Nightblades responsible for surveillance at the operations hub closely observed the unknown mana signature, which was continuously radiating energy as it moved, then efficiently and concisely relayed this information to the operations team.

"Understood. We've brought equipment to bolster our mental defenses. Depending on the situation, we'll either destroy or intercept the Destroyer-class automaton. Keep us updated on any changes."

"Of course."

The eleven-member team maneuvered through the underground city of the capital's shadow while maintaing a link with the operations hub via a communication crystal, ensuring they had the latest updates on the automaton's movements.

Their hoods were pulled low, their faces obscured. They moved in unison, advancing in a swift and orderly manner. Even in the chaotic depths of the underground city, no one was foolish enough to provoke these battle-hardened Nightblades.

The team consisted of four intermediate knights, all specialized in defensive techniques; three rangers, with the strength of intermediate knights and also enhanced agility and perception; and three magicians, one with talent and basic training in wizardry.

Their leader was Gilbert Mann, an advanced knight in his thirties. He looked older than his years, a testament to the countless life-and-death missions he had endured. Despite lacking outstanding talent, he had clawed his way to strength through sheer perseverance.

This eleven-member team was an elite, versatile unit frequently dispatched for scouting purposes. Its members were masters of both covert infiltration or direct confrontation.

Gilbert couldn't help but frown at the information that was being relayed. Though he had a wealth of experience, the sudden appearance of the Destroyer-class automaton puzzled him. These high-end war machines, jointly developed by dwarves and gnomes, were built for frontline combat: they could defend against devastating bursts of damage and deal crippling blows of their own. How had one ended up in the capital's shadow?

Furthermore, the automaton remained near the Abyss, never straying from its initial location. According to the surveillance data, it hadn't moved since its initial burst of powerful mana-based shockwaves.

"The first signature was likely from the Destroyer-class automaton firing its unique annihilation beam. Then, with no further targets in range, it entered standby mode."

As they advanced, Gilbert analyzed the automaton's behavior. These constructs possessed rudimentary artificial intelligence: basic logic cores that allowed for simple decision-making and tactical execution. However, without an external operator, their observational accuracy and decision-making capabilities were limited.

With this in mind, Gilbert stopped the team once they were some distance away from the target, then retrieved a magitech device from his pack.

A metal framework was unfolded and placed on the ground. Atop it, he set a translucent cube, its surface densely interwoven with fine metallic circuits resembling an intricate array. Finally, he inserted a mana crystal into the structure, activating the device.

A specialized anti-magic field spread outward from the device, designed specifically to block remote control via mana signals. Though the automaton had shown no signs of being externally controlled, Gilbert wasn't about to take any chances.

"Remote-control mana interference device in place. We should be dealing with an automaton that's acting purely on rudimentary intelligence. Though it's powerful, it shouldn't be too difficult an opponent for your team. Good luck."

The surveillance hub quickly detected the formation of the anti-magic field and concluded that this operation would likely be a straightforward one.

"Let's hope so," Gilbert murmured grimly. Things seemed to be progressing smoothly. Since the automaton had been discovered, it had not left its location. However, his natural caution kept his optimism in check.

"Followers of the Lady of the Night, start your prayers. Invoke any divine spells available. The effects of the Lady's divine arts are significantly stronger within the capital's shadow, and her Shadow Veil is highly effective at concealing us from detection."

Following his command, those among his team who worshiped the Lady of the Night began their prayers, himself included. Many stationed in the capital's shadow had quickly embraced the faith of the Lady.

Their familiarity with the Church of Nightfall made it clear that worshiping this deity carried no risks. Moreover, they soon discovered that her divine arts were far easier to use in the capital's shadow and that the Nightblades seemed to be given a stronger blessing compared to assassins or other guild members who had independently turned to the Lady of the Night.

It was almost as if the Lady of the Night specifically favored the Nightblades. This had little to do with the deity's own preferences and everything to do with adjustments made by Wang Yu through the Tree of the Night.

The Nightblades, an organization with a large base and relatively stable discipline, were an ideal vessel for the Lady of the Night's faith. From any perspective, nurturing them as the Lady's followers was a logical choice.

Thus, Wang Yu had used his "void programming" abilities to allocate more of the Tree of the Night's resources toward the Nightblades. Any follower who was determined to be a Nightblade received preferential access to divine power, accelerating their mastery of the divine arts. Thanks to this adjustment, the number of followers of the Lady of the Night among the Nightblades was rapidly growing.

Half of Gilbert's squad, himself included, were followers of the Lady of the Night. Because they were in the capital's shadow, the divine power of the Lady resonated with them effortlessly. By now, Gilbert was already capable of casting third-tier spells, while the other five believers could cast second-tier ones.

The Lady of the Night's primary domain was concealment. Naturally, her divine spells followed this theme.

Their prayers and mental links were transmitted to the Tree of the Night, where Wang Yu's programming caused an extra share of divine power to be allocated to the Nightblades.

The surrounding darkness began to writhe. Empowered by five second-tier and one third-tier spell, it took on a life of its own and enveloped the squad members completely. Their existence vanished into the abyssal shadows.

"Move forward," Gilbert commanded calmly.

The squad resumed their advance toward the automaton.

On the platform outside the cavern that the duergars had excavated, the Destroyer-class automaton stood motionless. After unleashing a disintegration beam that eradicated all the gray dwarves, it had fallen into a dormant state. The light between the gaps of its metallic frame flickered, dimming and brightening in a rhythmic cycle, almost as if it were breathing. Its twin crystalline eyes followed the same pulsating pattern.

Suddenly, its metal body twitched: a sign that it had detected a target. However, there were no threats in sight on the empty platform.

Perhaps a minor error in its logic core had triggered this misjudgment.

The metallic frame slowly relaxed into a neutral position as the automaton lay dormant.

But soon, a series of subtle metallic grinding sounds started to echo from within the automaton. It began exhibiting unusual micro-movements—turning its neck only to reset it, and clenching its articulated fingers into a fist before releasing them.

Its actions were disturbingly unnatural, as if an unseen force were toying with it, manipulating it like a puppet.

The logic core flagged malfunctions in operation. In response, the flickering light in its optics accelerated for several seconds before abruptly vanishing, a sign of a system reboot.

As the mana glow reignited, the automaton's behavior underwent a stark transformation. It lifted a metallic hand before its crystalline optics, staring at it with an almost inquisitive intent.

Slowly, it opened and closed its fingers, then used its other hand to twist them. Metal groaned under immense force. Oblivious to its own strength, the automaton crushed its own hand with terrifying force, distorting its fingers beyond recognition.

The finger that had been forcibly moved was now twisted and deformed. No matter how the Destroyer-class automaton attempted to control it again, it was useless. Losing interest in the now-unresponsive digit, the automaton lowered its metal head slightly, mimicking a human gesture, as if examining its own body.

Its arm extended, fingers trailing across its metallic frame. Without the concept of strength, its touch was neither gentle nor controlled. The immense force of its grip pressed dents into its chest and other parts of its body.

It couldn't help but radiate a sense of... joy. It seemed to have acquired something like a body, though one different from all the others in its memory. The world before its eyes was an abstract and monotonous image, perceived through embedded alchemical circuits and magic-powered sensory feedback, but interpreting that information seemed to come naturally, as if it had been born with the ability to understand and comprehend.

It took an awkward step forward, its metal foot planting itself on the ground. Due to its immense weight, cracks spread across the rocky surface beneath it. Then came a second step, and a third. Its initially sluggish and unnatural movements gradually became more fluid.

The Destroyer-class automaton, after its reboot, seemed to be operating far more smoothly than before. That was precisely what made it so unnatural.

An alchemical construct's logic core inherently lacked the capability to fluidly control a body of such immense power. The sluggishness and mechanical rigidity it usually exhibited were a direct result of the logic core being insufficient to sustain seamless operation.

Yet at this moment, something—some unknown existence—seemed to have taken over this alchemical automaton's body. Though it was a construct of metal and machinery, the presence had effortlessly claimed control over it as if occupying a lifeless vessel, making it move in a disturbingly human-like manner.

Its head abruptly lifted, gazing toward the pitch-black tunnel left behind by the duergars. The automaton's magic-powered sensory detection indicated that the tunnel was empty, but its own perception could detect eleven entities. Their presence provoked deepset revulsion from the entity.

Those presences remained motionless within the tunnel. They were fundamentally different existences from what it was, and they resented it. Malice sprouted within its mind. The thought of annihilating these detestable presences grew organically.

And with that malice came a sudden surge in magical energy within the automaton's body. An instinctive understanding of its own capabilities seemed to blossom within its mind. It would use this body to destroy these vexing presences.

It channeled mana into the twin crystalline panels on its head, both densely inscribed with runes. Mana was converted into searing heat and blinding light that erupted forth in a single beam of destructive power that fired directly into the depths of the tunnel.

"Guard!" Gilbert roared, the moment the Destroyer-class automaton began charging up its attack.

For some reason, the Lady of the Night's veil had failed to obscure their presence from this strange automaton, and it had abruptly launched an assault on the special ops team. The Nightblades raised their shields in unison. Four heavily armored knights stood unwaveringly in formation to intercept the molten beam. In an instant, all four activated their potentials, each specifically tailored for defense: deflection, dampening, blocking, and reflection.

The devastating beam veered slightly off course under the influence of these abilities. What did strike the Nightblades was weakened dramatically, and the remaining energy was successfully blocked. Additionally, part of the energy was reflected, canceling an equal part out and diminishing the power of the beam further.

Even so, the beam's power remained terrifying. The team's specially crafted shields began to melt and crack after mere seconds, but the combined effect of the four latent potentials did allow the team to successfully defend against this overwhelming attack that would have been capable of carving a straight path of destruction through an entire battlefield.

But just as the beam was about to dissipate, one of the heavily armored knights suddenly clutched his head in agony. A chaotic surge of emotions was invading his mind—pain, madness, and an inexplicable, pure malice.

Gilbert's attention snapped toward the affected soldier immediately. His sharp gaze instantly identified the source of the anomaly: the crystal affixed to the back of the knight's head, meant to provide mental protection, had shattered.

"Powerful mental contamination! Stay alert!" His warning came the moment he recognized the danger. The intensity of the mental pollution was far stronger than anyone had expected.

Sweeping his gaze over the other three shieldbearers, Gilbert noted with alarm that their own crystals of mental fortification were already covered in cracks and on the verge of shattering. Just how strong was the mental pollution this automaton was giving off?!