"Compared to those naless wastes who grow old and die... your death absolutely deserves this funeral..."
A hint of mockery and pity surfaced in his massive dragon-like pupils.
His dragon head slowly raised, his enormous chanical dragon claw gradually retracted from the shattered space, and amid the clanging of massive chains, he slowly retreated.
Because there was no longer any aning in keeping his main body here.
Although many chanical Consciousnesses had died because of that book, he didn't care, because the Hive's establishnt had essentially absorbed all the Uploaders from this world.
The only consciousnesses truly belonging to the Artificial Intelligence Civilization were him and his daughter who had been separated from him.
He would continue to command the assault on the Colossus's Tower.
And what had happened here today would rely beco a minor episode in his boundless lifespan, sothing that could be ignored at any ti.
Slowly, he was about to turn away.
But just as he turned his head, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a figure within that vast emptiness.
Buzz—
His pupils instantly contracted.
And inside the massive Hive, on the monitoring panels of the explosion zone, two overlapping light points instantly appeared.
"He's not dead?!"
At that mont, almost all the chanical Consciousnesses' expressions drastically changed, urgently turning to look at the images transmitted back by the monitoring panels.
Those six books had already been blasted away to who knows where in the explosive flas.
The continuous curse had also been lifted.
The field of vision was almost entirely filled with the lingering dust raised by the explosion.
But right in the very center of that dust, in the very heart of the searing molten rock, their panels slowly displayed the scene there.
They saw a silver-haired girl, burning.
Small-scale Cursed Arts sparks continuously exploded all over her body, her entire back was already unrecognizable, and one could even clearly see the shing of the scorched gears inside.
One of her arms had long since broken in the explosion, the severed end constantly emitting electrical currents and sparks.
Like a rose in a scorched flower field.
And beneath her, within the halo of Cursed Arts she had raised, the Young Man trembled, protected beneath her, having suffered almost no injury.
She alone had blocked all the damage for him.
"This... how is this possible..."
Inside the Hive, all the chanical Consciousnesses watched that scene, pale-faced.
But that Girl was not dead yet.
Right under their gaze, right within the burning dust, she silently, arduously, pushed herself up from the Young Man's body. Every movent was incredibly difficult, every movent would trigger continuous small-scale explosions across her body.
Yet she still stood up amidst the gale.
The wind whistled past her scorched silver hair; no one could clearly see the expression beneath that slender Girl's hairline.
She didn't say a word.
Like a statue from hell.
She lowered her head, and amidst the small-scale explosions across her body, she extended a shattered hand, forcefully helping the Young Man up, supporting his entire weight with her slender shoulders.
Then she supported him.
Step by step.
Arduous yet seemingly carrying an indescribable force, staggering forward step by step, moving out of the explosion zone.
At that mont, all the chanical Consciousnesses watching this scene were so stunned they forgot to act.
Even the gaze of the massive chanical dragon head surging within the black mist beca serious, motionlessly watching that Puppet Girl struggling forward amidst the flas.
"You're crazy! You're absolutely insane! You always call crazy, but in my eyes, you are the biggest lunatic of all!!"
Lynn, supported by her, trembled as he looked at her profile.
Suppressed by the curse, he could barely muster any strength; almost his entire weight was pressed onto this Puppet Girl.
And she still kept her eyes closed, silent, as if completely unable to hear Lynn's words to her.
She just supported him, forcefully trudging forward.
She rarely spoke.
Even back at the Doll Manor, she could go for years, even over a decade, without saying a single word.
She liked reading books.
Because since becoming a puppet, that was the only interest that made her feel alive.
For a long ti, she had perfectly followed the instructions given by the Manor, and perfectly adhered to every rule in the contracts and regulations.
Not because she didn't know how to resist.
But because after losing those rules and regulations, she felt she could no longer find a reason or aning for her continued existence.
So after Lynn tore up that Employnt Agreent in front of her, she fell into deep confusion, like a marionette whose strings were suddenly cut, unable to perform the splendid dance steps on the Stage anymore.
Fortunately, however.
This guy invited her again, and with a smile, invited her to protect him in the form of a free agent.
Although she didn't understand the difference or aning between these two forms.
She still suddenly felt.
As if a burden she had never quite understood, weighing her down, had quietly been lifted off at that mont.
"Idiot!! Idiot!! Run away quickly!! They are still watching this place, the God of All Machines is still here, the chanical Cult is still here, coming here is just seeking death!!"
"You think I'll thank you?! Don't be naive! You're just a thirty-day hire I freeloaded off of! I never treated you like a person at all!!"
"I've already told you! That was just an oral agreent! No regulations! No contract! When you encounter sothing you can't handle, just decisively abandon him!! Why did you co here seeking death like this!!"
Lynn almost hysterically, furiously, berated her.
He wanted her to run!
Escape for her life!
Because this was not a place she should be!
For just an oral agreent, it wasn't worth it at all!
"There is a contract."
Hei Xianyue kept her eyes closed, forcefully moving with him, step by step across the burning molten rock, and said softly:
"Have you forgotten? I used up one of your resurrection chances, so I gave you a promise. If one day you encounter a situation where you are certain to die, I will definitely co to save you. That's all."
"I have kept my contract."
Her voice still held no fluctuation, low, as if completely unfazed by the burning and shattering of her body.
Lynn trembled as he looked at her shattered cheek.
He finally rembered that so-called [Puppet's Vow], but he had thought it was just a joke; he had never imagined she would actually co to take such a risk.
"Then I'm telling you now!" Lynn said, his eyes blood-red as he looked at her:
"Miss Hei Xianyue! You are fired! All contracts between us are void from this mont on! Do you understand?! You no longer need to fulfill the obligation to protect !"
Hei Xianyue paused.
Silent.
But just for a mont, she acted as if she had heard nothing, continuing to support him and forcefully trudge forward.
That slender figure showed no wavering, as if carrying a great mountain.
"Didn't you hear ?! You're fired! You're fired!"
Lynn shouted at her, his expression ferocious.
"You don't need to fulfill this obligation anymore, you no longer need to protect !"
Hei Xianyue calmly kept her eyes closed, tightened her grip on his wrist resting on her neck, and finally said:
"Dismissal invalid."
"Before the contract is fulfilled, the Puppet's Vow cannot be terminated unilaterally. Execution refused."
At that mont, Lynn was almost beside himself with rage.
He didn't know if it was truly impossible to cancel, or if she was deliberately telling him this.
He really wanted to tell her.
You are not a machine! You are not a puppet!
I have always treated you like a living person!
"Kill them—!!"
And at that very mont, the chanical Consciousnesses inside the Hive roared, issuing orders to snipe and kill them once more.
They absolutely could not let this human who had killed countless of their consciousnesses live on, and they absolutely could not let him walk out of this city alive.
Because if he remained alive.
That would be the greatest insult to their chanical Cult, and it would beco the biggest stain in their history.
He must be exterminated!
No matter what!
At that instant, one chanical Consciousness after another descended upon the chanical swarm within the city. Accompanied by chanical roars, dense chanical Humanoids and heavy weaponry once again completed their revival.
From all directions.
Densely packed.
Countless chanical troops furiously charged towards them, and from within the Hive, countless chanical pods shot out, with large amounts of chanical armor being projected to their location.
Boom boom boom boom boom—
Rumbling artillery fire and energy beams once again fell around them in waves.
chanical Humanoids brandishing laser Blades swiftly charged forward, dense gun barrels aid at the staggering Girl, and they abruptly pulled the triggers.
Looking down from high in the sky, it was as if endless ants were madly charging from all directions towards the two figures at the very center.
As if to devour them!
To crush them!
That was the most rending fury and hatred from the chanical Units!
But right under Lynn's gaze, purple Cursed Arts light suddenly surged all over Hei Xianyue's body. She finally opened those pitch-black pupils, and in her suddenly spread fingers, threads shimring with Cursed Arts patterns flashed.
"Hold tight, Lynn."
This was probably the first ti since they t that he had heard Miss Puppet call him by his na.
It was still without any fluctuation, still calm, as if performing a trivial little task.
Then she danced the threads in her hands.
All energy seed to converge upon her at that mont. She leaped, purple patterns continuously weaving in her eyes, threads dancing a graceful Waltz around her.
Overloaded operation made her shattered Puppet Body erupt with trendous power once more.
Carrying Lynn on her back, she raised her head, constantly weaving through the hail of bullets.
Threads slid past her fingertips, her shattered left arm constantly sparking. Wherever each thread reached, a chanical Humanoid's neck was twisted, reflected in her pupils.
And she finally, on this frontal battlefield.
With this shattered body, completely proved the most outstanding aspect of herself as a combat puppet!
Protection.
Slaughter.
Execution.
"A soul of order."
The massive dragon head of the God of All Machines watched the purple-clad girl dancing amidst the ten thousand troops, his gaze showing a rare hint of appreciation.
But he quickly returned to icy coldness.
Because he knew, it had co to this.
He would not change his mind, his purpose, for anything.
Still struggling so hard, unwilling to die.
Then they must only use a more splendid death to affirm their struggle.
At that mont, the massive Black Inverted Pyramid in the sky abruptly split open in the middle, revealing a massive, pale silver cannon muzzle amidst chanical sounds, then aid remotely at the figure dancing within the purple Cursed Arts script at the center of the battlefield.
"Give them the final blow, let them die with enough dignity."
Following that icy voice.
The huge cannon muzzle rumbled as it began accumulating energy. Pale silver, dazzling energy streams crackled and popped at the muzzle, even causing tiny fissures in space.
That was the main cannon from the Hive!
Also the most terrifying offensive capability of the Hive as a weapon of war.
Below the Root level, no one could withstand the blast of this strike; this was the final declaration.
"Fire."
Following that indifferent voice.
Buzz————
A massive energy stream instantly left the cannon muzzle, drawing a pale silver curtain of light across the dark sky, illuminating the entire heavens.
At the center of the battlefield, Lynn, suppressed by the curse, abruptly turned his head, his eyes reflecting the destructive silver light shooting towards them.
His eyes instantly turned ferocious.
"Miss Puppet! Dodge!"
That forceful, ferocious shout made Hei Xianyue, amidst the dancing purple light, see that silver light shrouding the firmant.
And at that mont, her body was heavily struck by a bullet that had pierced through her thread defense, erupting in a shower of sparks.
Amidst the flying silver hair and bursting sparks, her body heavily hit the ground.
The dust on the ground danced in the death beams.
Lynn roared, shielding Hei Xianyue. His imnse willpower almost forcibly ignited his fighting spirit, and he sharply looked up towards the pale silver death beams.
In an instant, within his ferocious eyes, a certain pattern seed to instantly converge into a bewitching flower bud.
One.
Scattered violet.
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