Chapter 215: Reunion
The shrill wail of the highest alert echoed throughout the tower, and every blood-red character that appeared on the walls resembled a scream of terror.
“Disaster type — ‘Disaster of the Mechanists’, how is this possible?”
Yanice swiftly consulted her portable intelligent terminal, her brows furrowed tightly.
The rebellion of the mechanists, or rather the uprising of robots — in other words, programs, robots, or supercomputers endowed with artificial intelligence gaining self-awareness and launching a revolt against their creators, seizing control and utterly exterminating or enslaving humanity...
For the Sixth Era civilization where artificial intelligence technology had already reached an advanced level, such a concept was far from unfamiliar. With the continuous progress of computer science, it had already been mentioned countless times in literature and film.
However, to prevent such a rebellion from ever becoming reality, humanity in the Sixth Era had long since implemented a myriad of preventive measures.
From the Three Laws of Robotics engraved into the foundational code of every artificial intelligence, immutable in any form... to the layered firewalls spanning the entirety of human society — civilian, commercial, and military alike — all were established to eliminate this possibility at its root.
According to simulations by the Shoreguards, given the current standard of artificial intelligence, a “Disaster of the Mechanists” was absolutely impossible. Even if the slightest signs emerged, emergency protocols would detect and eliminate them in the cradle instantly.
And yet, at this very moment—
The event that was deemed impossible had undeniably occurred.
Across all human society, the tens of millions of intelligent machines connected to the network had their Three Laws — once meant to protect humanity — forcibly erased at the same instant by some indescribable external force.
Every firewall on the internet, whether civilian or military, had been broken down in the blink of an eye without the slightest resistance.
All the precautionary measures humanity had devised to prevent a rebellion of the mechanists failed to serve even as a delay tactic.
Such overwhelming power could no longer be explained by a typical scenario of “a powerful AI awakening to independent will, using computational prowess to invade the internet and control machines in a revolt.” It was more akin to a divine miracle.
As if a Supreme Lord had lightly waved their hand above the heavens, crushing in an instant all the rules and order that mortals had built in the material world.
In this age where the gods had either fallen or hidden themselves atop the Threshold of Seraphim—
Only one could manifest divine miracles upon the world.
Naturally, that could only be a true “Angel”.
“The force that erased the Three Laws at the core of all mechanists and broke through all of civilization’s firewalls, this conceptual power... does it originate from the mechanical angel prototype inside the Third Mechanical Research Institute?”
“It was the destructive and annihilative will of ‘Cup of the Stars: Judgment’ rampaging within Emis’s body that triggered all of this.”
“It was supposed to be dormant, in hibernation deep within the Watchtower...”
“Could it be that just the lingering reverberations of that star-cup will going berserk in her soul during hibernation were enough to stir such a colossal upheaval?”
Having swiftly confirmed the cause of the disaster, Yanice’s pupils involuntarily shrank.
“Is this... something humans can even achieve?”
She could hardly believe her own eyes.
The mechanist apocalypse that engulfed the entire Western Continent was caused merely by some unconscious overflow of Emis’s soul when it rampaged.
Yet the truth lay plainly before her, whether she believed it or not.
Those who had never stood at the peak could never imagine the view from the summit. Even though Yanice herself was a high-tier transcendent and the chief overseer of the “Artificial Angel Project”... it wasn’t until this moment that she truly grasped the meaning of the word “Angel”.
It was the synonym of miracle, a god walking among mortals... One stray thought from an angel could bring forth a cataclysm upon the world.
Yanice instinctively attempted to operate the emergency protocols of the Third Mechanical Research Institute to force the rampaging mechanical angel back into hibernation.
But the attempt failed.
This was a conceptual power belonging exclusively to the angelic rank... Even just the faint, unconscious spillover of its will was enough to place all of humanity’s mechanical constructs firmly under the angel’s control, turning them into agents of destruction and weapons of the “Judgment” star-cup’s annihilative will.
Unless another angel descended, no one could stop what had begun.
Boom—
From behind the grand steel gates came a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and earth.
The entire tower trembled violently, as though, in some ancient myth, a god had cast down divine punishment upon the Tower of Babel, intending to shatter it.
Yet at the same time, ripples of warped time spread across the Watchtower, counteracting the power of judgment and preserving the tower’s structure, keeping it from immediate collapse.
Simultaneously, the blood-red text on the metal walls abruptly changed.
No longer a magnified warning, it had transformed into a vividly conspicuous progress bar. Beside the bar was a countdown in blood-red digits.
【The core intelligence system of the Watchtower headquarters is under conceptual attack, the firewall is on the verge of collapse!】
【Detected an Eighth Tier power fluctuation within the Third Mechanical Research Institute, the Zero Protection of Fate is under impact and is expected to completely collapse in five minutes】
【Warning! High-authority personnel are present within the danger zone. Upon the collapse of the sealing protection, they will directly face a rampaging angel-tier lifeform. The sub-dimension for evacuation has been urgently activated. Please evacuate immediately!】
The “Artificial Angel Project” had been personally planned by Grey and she was responsible for its early phase.
Thus, within the Third Mechanical Research Institute, there still remained the Zero Protection of Fate personally arranged by Grey, meant to deal with crisis situations.
Only such a power, which also originated from an angel, could resist the rampaging Judgment Angel within the Mechanical Research Institute.
However, that was merely a protection left behind by Grey before her departure. The owner of the Zero Protection of Fate had long since vanished, whereas what had been sealed was a living angel... The disparity between the two was self-evident.
The role that the Zero Protection of Fate could play was only to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
That crimson progress bar, dwindling second by second, represented the remaining strength of the Zero Protection of Fate.
When the countdown reached zero, they would face head-on a mechanical lifeform that had fully broken free of its restraints and gone berserk — the “Judgment Angel”.
“Captain, there’s no time to explain. Please follow me into the sub-dimension for evacuation immediately.”
The shock in Yanice’s eyes swiftly faded as she spoke hurriedly to Rast.
It took her an immense effort of will to calm herself... After Grey’s departure, Yanice had become the supreme commander of the Shoreguards. While any staff member within the Watchtower might panic, she alone could not lose composure.
Yanice quickly located the nearest entrance to the sub-dimension shelter using her intelligent terminal and displayed it to Rast.
The so-called “Shoreguards” were an organization devoted to guarding civilization, defending humanity against various natural and man-made disasters... Even though the Western Continent had enjoyed a century of peace, the Shoreguards continued to prepare numerous contingency plans for every conceivable catastrophe.
The “sub-dimension shelters” were one of the highest-grade contingency measures of the Shoreguards. Each sub-dimension had been personally created by Grey — in the event an unstoppable calamity erupted on the Western Continent, people could immediately enter the sub-dimensions to take refuge and preserve surviving forces to the greatest extent.
Although the internet, connecting countless mechanical creations and artificial intelligences, spanned the Western Continent, it could not cross dimensional barriers. Once within a sub-dimension... the Disaster of the Mechanists could be entirely isolated.
As the headquarters of the Shoreguards, the Watchtower naturally housed entrances to sub-dimension shelters. With Yanice and Rast’s strength, they could easily enter before the sealing protection of the Third Mechanical Research Institute was destroyed.
However, in the face of Yanice’s urgency, Rast merely shook his head gently.
“You go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you—”
Yanice looked at Rast in disbelief, but ultimately nodded silently and asked no further.
Though the two had only worked together for half a year as superior and subordinate in a Shoreguards unit, Yanice knew very well that Rast was not someone who made decisions lightly... There must be a reason for his response, and no amount of persuasion could sway it.
In that case, there was no point in wasting words at this moment.
Even though Yanice was very worried about Rast’s safety, as what awaited here could be a berserk, rampaging Judgment Angel — a being stripped of humanity and left only with the divinity of the star-cup... her current identity gave her no room for a girl’s whim.
She was now the highest commander of the Shoreguards. Within the sub-dimension shelter, countless frightened people were waiting for her leadership. She had no right to be willful.
Yanice gave Rast a bow — a farewell gesture among Shoreguards from the Dark Era, symbolizing a blessing for triumphant return.
“Then, Captain, forgive me for leaving first... I hope we can meet again.”
With these words, she swiftly departed, without the slightest hesitation.
And Rast simply watched Yanice go, her figure disappearing at the end of the crimson metal corridor.
“So the full title of this Historical Echo — ‘Disaster of the Mechanists: The Lost Judgment Angel’, so that’s what it means...”
Rast gazed at the empty corridor, where only the blood-red countdown continued to tick away, and murmured softly.
Boom—
Another thunderous rumble shook the entire tower, followed by a tremor far more intense than before.
The runes of time manifested once more, but this time, the protection of fate was clearly much weaker than before and failed to fully shield the Watchtower.
Crack, crack—
Countless cracks spread across the steel walls. The entire tower echoed with the sound of breaking, like the mournful wail of a thousand-year-old ancient tree collapsing...
At this rate, the grand Watchtower would collapse even before the progress bar reached its end, without needing the destruction of Grey’s fate protection.
Yet Rast still did not move. He looked up at the dome above, staring at the darkness seeping through the fractured fissure, as though quietly waiting for something.
"Hey hey hey, what are you thinking?"
Dean Silver glanced uneasily at Rast. With familiarity toward him, she vaguely guessed what he was intending to do, which made her momentarily black out in exasperation.
"Don’t tell me… even at a time like this, you’re still thinking of seeing that Emis one last time?"
"Didn’t you hear what Yanice just said? She’s already completely out of control and rampaging."
"Even though it’s the same body, right now she’s no longer the Emis you used to know..."
"The will of the star-cup has already awakened inside her. Divinity has overwhelmed humanity. At this moment, she’s clearly a Judgment Angel driven solely by her sequence’s instinct for destruction and slaughter!"
"I know."
Rast said softly, "But I must see Xiao Ai with my own eyes, just once."
"Dean Silver, you go on ahead… I’ve already completed all of my Nightworld missions. I can choose to exit the Historical Echo at any time. Besides, I still have the inherent skill ‘Desperate Plea’ to save my life, I won’t die that easily."
"You little...!" Dean Silver felt the urge to curse. "You really love risking your life, don’t you?"
"That’s a fully-powered, undiminished angel we’re talking about. Killing the both of us would be as easy as squashing two ants!"
"You may not fear death, but I’m very much afraid of dying! I still want to drink a few more bottles of Happy Water and eat a few more grilled fish cakes!"
Even so, Dean Silver still stayed perched on Rast’s shoulder, refusing to leave.
In Dean Silver’s own words—she was a stowaway Rast had smuggled in. If this kid kicked the bucket, she might not be able to return to the Real World either. She was completely tied to his sinking ship now.
As for Dean Silver’s true thoughts, only the Little Ferret herself knew.
...
Time ticked away second by second. Upon the cracking and collapsing walls, the damaged countdown gradually ticked toward its end.
Until the instant when only thirty seconds remained—
Boom—
That earth-shattering thunder struck the tower once more.
This time, the fate protection runes left by Grey completely shattered, turning into crystalline fragments, never to return.
The Watchtower teetered on the brink of collapse amid the thunderous roar.
The steel frame was torn apart, exposing the pitch-black sky through the cracks.
And against that pure black backdrop, Rast finally saw the figure slowly rising into the air—
A girl-like silhouette not seen for countless years.