Countless!

On the surface of Caelum, specifically on the Astrylite mothership, in a large room completely bathed in red, a half-meter diameter sphere floated silently, its color making it look like a beautiful golden jewel.

Zzzzh...

Suddenly, it started emitting a deep and mysterious hum. In the blink of an eye, small holographic particles, like shooting stars, emerged around it, swirling around the sphere in a whirlwind of light. They soon took the form of an imposing figure, revealing a being in golden armor, three eyes, and reddish skin. Its two black eyes gazed majestically, while the third eye on its forehead, a dazzling golden color, seemed to contemplate the mysteries of the universe.

This figure spoke with a deep, gruff voice, like that of a battle-hardened veteran.

[Once again, an unregistered object has been detected in the database, posing an unexpected situation for the third time today. For now, I will set aside the option of using the Crimson Guards and opt to send two soldiers, thus fulfilling my promise to that annoying Captain.]

Its voice was noticeably more humanized compared to Kraynnor's AI, even expressing dissatisfaction with its superior.

[Interesting, this time it has been detected in the underground facilities of this city... Nevertheless, two armed soldiers should be able to handle this situation, even in the presence of those primitive robots.]

With these words, it instantly transmitted the mission directives to the soldiers it had selected through their HoloSync devices.

...

A few minutes earlier, in the ruins of Caelum, two soldiers in black armor with orange lines were resting among the debris of an ancient building. One of them had his gaze fixed on the sky, lost in thought, while the other was observing something in front of him with great concentration.

The first soldier averted his gaze from the sky and, noticing the intensity in his companion's expression, approached him.

Looking at a small white device about two centimeters in size on his neck, which emitted a soft red light, he whispered, "Zyrgon, have you found an interesting transmission?"

"Hmm?" Zyrgon, the soldier absorbed in what was in front of him, startled and replied, "Why are you asking such nonsense? You should know what they broadcast on these dates."

His companion tilted his head in confusion, closed his eyes for a moment to remember, and then opened them wide with excitement, "You're right! It's been six months since the last Astral Tournament of Lumineos!" excitement lit up his face, but suddenly, he became petrified: "I-I forgot to place my bets! I was sure this time Prince Zephyrax would win most of the trials..."

Plaff!

A dull sound resonated as he slumped to the ground, with a dark expression suggesting that he felt his life had lost its meaning.

[Soldier Zyrgon, Soldier Draylith, have been commissioned to carry out a verification mission in the underground facilities of the city, with the goal of identifying an unknown object at this location.]

The devices on their necks, which were HoloSyncs, activated, and although it appeared that nothing was happening on the outside, their eyes captured the projection of a holographic screen displaying a complex map spanning six levels of depth. On the second level, a small, bright green dot shone intensely.

They immediately understood that this was the location they needed to head to.

"...Aren't there like millions of robots or something in those facilities? Shouldn't we bring the Xenotech?" Draylith asked with a nervous expression.

But Zyrgon waved his hand dismissively, "We don't need battle suits to deal with a bunch of primitive scrap. Just these two weapons and our regular armor are enough."

Bending slightly, Zyrgon picked up a long, grayish energy rifle, its barrel glowing intensely in a fiery red hue.

"Are you sure we can handle waves and waves of robots with just energy rifles?" Draylith continued to express doubts, but his companion looked at him with a furrowed brow: "Stop being so cowardly. When those heaps of scrap see the power of our weapons, they'll run scared."

Zyrgon concluded the matter with these words, "Anyway, we're only going to the second level. It's a quick in-and-out job. So, let's go!"

They advanced until they were directly over the green dot. Zyrgon, without hesitation, slid his finger along the metallic surface of his energy rifle, causing small red points to light up along its path, and the barrel emitted an intense red light, creating flashes of red energy crackling in the air.

Zzzzaaap!

Craaack!

An intense red light illuminated everything in a radius of several tens of meters, accompanied by a deafening roar of destruction. Where there had been earth and metal before, now a huge crater had formed, revealing its interior as dark as an abyss.

This drew the attention of the surrounding Astrylites, who approached with curiosity. However, upon learning that it was an authorized mission by the base's AI, they moved away indifferently.

Crunch!

Both of them looked down and took a leap, landing amid a pile of bones.

"Bleh! How disgusting! I had forgotten that we dumped the remains of that weak race here..." Draylith commented with disdain, looking at the countless bone fragments scattered around.

Zyrgon activated a pair of flashlights on his helmet, one on each side near his ears.

Immediately, they illuminated the worn structure, covered in dust and bones. Zyrgon began charging his rifle with energy, aiming at the ground beneath him. He had no intention of wasting time in this abandoned place; he was going to get to his destination through sheer force!

Crunch... Crunch... Crunch... Crunch...

Suddenly, they heard a multitude of footsteps around them. Focusing their gazes in the direction of the noise, the lights on their helmets illuminated the place they were looking at, revealing dozens of androids and rusty robots, each wielding pointed and blunt weapons.

Zzzzaaap!

"Pathetic primitive creations, out!" without hesitation, he fired his energy rifle.

Dozens of these robotic entities instantly turned to ashes!

"Haha, these scraps are completely defenseless against plasma energy. You were right; why fear a pile of debris from a civilization that didn't even reach Type One?" Draylith expressed his joy.

Zyrgon also smiled beneath his helmet: "As expected, I told you that using Xenotech was unnecessary."

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Just as he was about to fire into the ground again, they heard new sounds all around them. This time, Draylith raised his rifle, ready to deal with the situation himself while his companion created the hole.

"...What?"

But what he saw left them speechless. There were hundreds, no, thousands of robotic entities rushing towards them from all directions!

"What are you waiting for? Fire!" Zyrgon shouted as he switched his energy rifle's firing mode. It was in semi-automatic mode before, but now it was in automatic mode.

Zzzaaap-zzzaaap-zzzaaap!

"Y-yes!" Draylith changed his rifle's firing mode without hesitation and opened fire.

The disfigured robots and androids had their eyes glowing intensely in red, as if they had identified their sworn enemy, and they used every ounce of their bodies to move strategically alongside other machines in a coordinated advance.

Some even hurled their weapons from a distance, causing both of their armors to be filled with scratches.

"Turn to ashes, you cursed rusted scraps!"

Draylith shouted as he clung to his companion's back, relentlessly destroying robotic entities. He realized that if they kept firing, they would run out of ammunition in no time. As more and more waves of machines kept appearing, it seemed like they had no end.

The worst part was that their weapons were not unlimited. Despite carrying several plasma energy capsules with them, the rifles still needed time to cool down!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Unexpectedly, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble incessantly, as if the earth itself despised their presence.

Craaack! Craaack!

Both of them were left speechless as massive holes opened up in the ground. From these holes emerged countless metallic arms so long that they seemed to have no end, each one holding dreadful weapons at their ends.

Swish! Swish!

These mechanical appendages lunged toward them without a second's hesitation, unleashing a deadly choreography of coordinated attacks!

...

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier, Kraynnor ran tirelessly. Although he was unaware of whether using the cube had alerted the Astrylites on the surface, he had no other option.

There were simply an overwhelming number of robots!

When he looked back, he saw at least five Sages with hundreds of arms extending toward him in an attempt to capture him.

At this moment, he was in section forty-nine, about to reach fifty. However, he had run out of options; although he could evade the sea of robots, he was completely defenseless against the fierce mechanical arms.

Kraynnor began to consider the possibility of using his cube once more. After all, he hadn't come to this place with the intention of dying stupidly, let alone at the hands of human creations!

Craaack!

Suddenly, a powerful rumble echoed from all directions, causing the sea of machines and the Sages to freeze in place, their eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Without hesitation, Kraynnor seized the opportunity and continued running.

Zzzzaaap!

Another powerful rumble resonated throughout the library. The situation baffled even Kraynnor. Who could be so foolish as to cause such a commotion in a place filled with millions of killer machines?

All the mechanical entities, including the Sages, quickly rushed, and in no time, they arrived at section forty-six.

Zzzzaaap-zzzzaaap-zzzzaaap!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

This time, as if they had gone mad, the Sages began frantically pounding the ceiling.

Craaack! Craaack!

As expected, they ended up creating several holes in the ceiling.

The robots and androids did not hesitate and started to climb up their arms. Literally, tens of thousands of machines ascended to the first level at an astonishing speed!