Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1629: Love

The deployment speed of the Rosen Dynasty Civilization’s remnant legions was considered swift. Even so, no matter how fast they moved, they could not resolve the immediate crisis within the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization ruins in such a short time.

Fortunately, the Gallant Federation legions were not capable of wiping out the garrison forces led by Sein and the others in a single sweep.

Meanwhile, the main legions under Feylis, White Stella, and the others were steadily advancing toward the battlefield surrounding the ruins.

Just as Bev had predicted, the core ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization were gradually turning into an overlord-level battlefield...

***

HALL-E realized that it had fallen in love.

The object of its affection was the crimson figure that had been flying through the skies for some time now.

HALL-E did not know whether this feeling could truly be called love.

Although it had existed longer than many overlords, HALL-E was still a robot. Before awakening its own consciousness, it had possessed no emotions at all.

It labeled this feeling as “love” because, while secretly watching that red figure from a hidden passage beneath the yellow sands, it felt a faint electric tingling spread through its chest.

This unprecedented sensation intoxicated HALL-E to the point that it neglected its routine duties for an extended period.

During that time, HALL-E encountered many things it had never seen before.

Humans with unusual appearances, towering giants, and strange entities it could neither name nor properly describe.

Yet among all these novelties, the one that captivated HALL-E the most was the metallic robot with blazing, fiery patterns painted across her surface.

The Magus Civilization had deployed large numbers of elemental puppets throughout its experimental bases on this site, assigning them to routine excavation and mining tasks.

In terms of appearance, size, and performance, these elemental puppets appeared no different from that metallic robot.

Even so, HALL-E felt nothing toward those puppets summoned by Magus Civilization mages. Its thoughts lingered only on the red figure that frequently patrolled the skies above.

Instinctively, HALL-E sensed that the red robot was one of its own kind.

That was why it wanted to get closer to her and ended up following her all the way here.

After awakening to sentience and enduring millions of years of solitude within the secret realm, HALL-E desperately needed a friend—someone like itself.

It was lonely.

Millions of years ago, HALL-E excavated PAL from the ruins. Since then, the electronic cockroach has remained its most cherished companion.

However, PAL was far smaller than HALL-E and was little more than its pet, unable to communicate with HALL-E in any meaningful way. At best, PAL could only engage in simple, low-level interactions.

Only the crimson figure before HALL-E had stirred in it a desire to communicate.

However, HALL-E’s secret crush appeared to be in trouble, and HALL-E found itself debating whether to intervene.

For a robot that had not encountered living beings in tens of millions of years, this was not a decision it could make easily or quickly.

***

The object of HALL-E’s affection was, naturally, the Burning Flame Unit.

Yes, the Burning Flame Unit. Not Yuri.

As a fellow metal construct, she had awakened self-awareness under the influence of the Magic Cube.

Whether in material composition or intellectual state, Burning Flame and HALL-E could be considered the same kind.

In fact, not only Burning Flame, but all of Nexon’s intelligent robots could be considered HALL-E’s kind.

Housed within artificial robotic bodies, yet possessing independent thoughts and intelligence, they gradually displayed traits of a new, emerging form of life.

It seemed that the study of “robot life” was not unique to Michaelis Bell, the late scientist of the Gallant Federation.

Millions of years earlier, the advanced Eiyurant Papillon Civilization might already have made remarkable progress in this field.

However, it remained uncertain whether intelligent robots like HALL-E had been common during the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s era.

Most likely, it had been rare... Otherwise, the Magus Civilization would have uncovered far more evidence of advanced robotic technology in the Eiyurant Papillon ruins they explored, rather than mostly square warships and inert crystals.

Moreover, HALL-E had not awakened its self-awareness during that era. Instead, it had only developed consciousness by chance during its prolonged existence within the sandy world.

If the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization had truly possessed such advanced robotic technology back then, HALL-E would not have lived alone in this subspace secret realm for so many years.

At this moment, the Burning Flame Unit, under her master’s control, was assisting the mages at the experimental base with a rapid evacuation.

Master Sein and Howard had already determined their destination.

It was another experimental base that lay to the south of this location. Though smaller in scale, it was protected by a layer of barrier that separated these two facilities.

Fortunately, when the Magus Civilization explored this top-tier civilization’s secret realm, they had refrained from using violent extraction methods. As a result, the energy barriers here remained largely intact.

The Magus Civilization mages had already identified narrow gaps in the barriers that allowed passage.

Even they had spent a long time locating those gaps back then, so the Gallant Federation’s legions would not be able to pinpoint them so quickly.

Moreover, the angel robot legion trapped beyond the outer barrier had yet to break through. This proved the astonishing strength of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s energy barrier technology.

At the very least, the magic shields of Magus World could not guarantee such formidable defensive power after tens of millions of years.

The evacuation proceeded swiftly.

Howard’s mage researchers packed up all research materials at top speed.

At the same time, the Magus World knights assigned to guard the ruins resolutely carried out their mission, standing at the very front to block the Gallant Federation legion.

Using bodies of flesh and blood to withstand firepower was not an uncommon sight in the skies above the experimental base.

“That energy barrier won’t hold much longer. You must leave now!” Sein shouted to Howard.

Within these ruins, Sein’s primary role was still that of a garrison mage, and his foremost responsibility was protecting Howard and his colleagues.

The energy barrier holding back Fermera and the other angel-type robots was now riddled with cracks and could shatter at any moment.

Howard had no time to hesitate. Unaccustomed to battle, the old mage was physically and mentally drained after prolonged fighting.

He nodded and yelled back, “Come back to us as quickly as you can.”

Before leaving, Howard could not help asking, “What did you have your mecha deploy earlier?”

He had long since recognized that Yuri, the pilot of the Burning Flame Unit, was from the Neisse Civilization.

“Nothing special. I just had her plant a bomb, just in case,” Sein replied casually.