Aya hadn't felt this way in a long time.

What kind of feeling was it exactly? Anger? Regret? Resentment? In any case, it was all negative emotions, jumbled up and filling her mind, buzzing as if her head was going to explode.

Strange, the distortion of reality had ended, so why did it feel like time was passing so slowly?

Staring blankly at the girl's soft body being pierced and collected by the icy steel cables, Aya clearly wanted to do something, but her body was completely motionless like a statue.

It wasn't until that petite figure was swallowed and disappeared into the closed chest of the magic puppet that her senses were liberated and everything returned to normal.

"Hey... this has to be a joke."

Although that child could be clingy at times, calling her "mommy" over and over again, it was actually quite cute. It would be good to just keep her as a pet. Otherwise, why would she come all the way to the neighboring country to find her?

She couldn't understand, how did she suddenly lose her? Wasn't it supposed to be a happy and teasing relationship? How did it reverse in just a minute?

...

"Could that be...?"

Even Heffy, who had witnessed the reversal, was stunned, his eyes fixed on the astonishingly powerful magic puppet with an expression of disbelief.

A technology that existed only in theory, the ultimate artificial weapon created with magitech technology.

"Mechanical... incarnation?"

...

Hermes was probably the only person in the room who could still laugh. In the instant Chirp was devoured by the magic puppet, the last piece of the mechanical incarnation puzzle finally fell into place. Now, the machinery he was in could no longer be called a puppet.

By conventional measures of combat power, Hermes' magic puppet now possessed the ability to manipulate the laws and had firmly crossed the threshold of the Holy Rank.

Even if he wasn't a so-called god-level existence, an ordinary human who had no understanding of the rules of the Holy Rank entering the realm of Holy Rank with magitech machinery could be considered a god of the mechanical realm.

"So this is the level of a god? It feels amazing to hold the world's rules in my hands... it's fantastic!" Hermes murmured as he synchronized with the heavy god-machine through neural connection.

With a clang, the damaged armor plates of the heavy god-machine's external attachments fell off one after another during the battle, along with all the weapons. With the power of the Holy Rank, these things were just a burden to him.

After shedding the armor plates and weapons, the heavy god-machine had transformed into a slender and graceful humanoid figure, revealing its final form as the mechanical incarnation.

"Fool, you're getting arrogant over a mere Holy Rank... Although I don't believe in gods, with your level, you're far from being a true god," a voice filled with mockery suddenly rang out, grabbing Hermes' attention.

Standing on a severed rail high above, the girl holding a sword smirked at Hermes and slowly raised her middle finger.

"Silver War Maiden, right? I've heard a lot about you... but this time, even if you're a dragon slayer, you won't be able to stop me."

Obtaining the power of the Holy Rank at a critical moment was like a perpetually poor and destitute person suddenly receiving a massive fortune. Even Hermes couldn't help but change his somber tone, and the end of his voice involuntarily showed a hint of arrogance.

"So, you're the fool." Tiran gently pulled out the long sword embedded in the rail, "No one wants to stop you, I just plan to cut you into pieces."

"Hahaha, alright then. Let me see just how far the power of mechanical divinity can go! After killing you, the renowned Dragon Slayer, the whole world will be astonished at the pinnacle of Magitech technology!" Hermes, at this moment, completely resembled a child who had just received a beloved toy, completely oblivious to the sinister killing intent in Tiran's voice.

The Heavy God Machine raised its hand, and a buzzing sound resonated from its chest as it unleashed the power of Holy Rank. Distortions spread throughout the surrounding scenery, and ripples of spatial waves surged towards Tiran, as if they were about to swallow up that tiny figure in the next moment.

"Space, huh? Come then." Tiran gently swung his sword, seemingly weak and powerless, yet it also shook the space. The counter-rippling waves directly collided and clashed with each other.

In an instant, the shockwaves from the clash of Holy Rank powers spread out. The main building, which had remained immovable in the intense bombardment, began trembling violently. The reinforced alloy walls cracked one by one, and Beinrich and Shuma, who were spectating nearby, quickly retreated into the back passage. Before they had a chance to look outside again, the entrance to the passage was completely blocked by a segment of rail, which had been lifted from below.

"Everyone, evacuate immediately! Seal off all the entrances to this place!" Seeing the scene of spatial distortions, Heffy realized that it was not a battle that an ordinary person could touch. He issued a life-or-death order without hesitation and turned to leave.

...

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Suddenly being grabbed by Beinrich and pulled back, Shuma was stunned for a moment before struggling to free herself, but she couldn't break free from the mercenary's strong arms.

"Saving your life!" Beinrich ignored her and ran along the passage towards the one leading back to the surface.

"Let go! His Highness is still back there..." Shuma panicked. She was tasked with protecting the princess by order of the king, and leaving at a time like this would be an undeniable dereliction of duty for a proud female knight.

"Are you an idiot? Does His Highness, with his power, need you to protect him? Besides, don't you understand the situation yet? The power gap is too large. Once a battle of that level starts, even a brush against us could cost us our lives!"

While Beinrich spoke, he kicked open a security door in front of him and rushed into the stairwell.

"This is the mission entrusted to me by His Majesty... I..." Shuma bit her lip, but her struggling weakened.

...

Boom, boom, boom...

Amidst the continuous explosions, the atrium was completely destroyed by the residual shockwaves of the Holy Rank clash, and the firelight caused by ruptured mana supply pipes were everywhere.

"Cough, cough..." Tiran swung his sword, dispersing the smoke in front of him with a gentle breeze, and at the same time, coughed lightly. He looked at Hermes, who had fallen to the bottom of the well due to the broken rail, with an expression in his eyes that was not only cold but also somewhat helpless.

Hermes had only just reached Holy Rank, and with his original background as a technician, it was impossible for him to instantly grasp the rules of Holy Rank. Even the clash just now was just the most basic utilization, which was more or less on par with this semi-Holy Rank opponent of his.

But the fact was, no matter how comparable they seemed, the other party was a true Holy Rank, with a much stronger foundation than himself. He realized that he was lacking a little, and if he had known earlier, he should have set higher conditions when making the deal with that guy. If that guy really was a deity in this world, giving him a cheat code to immediately reach Holy Rank wouldn't have been a problem either. By breaking through Holy Rank earlier and reaching a higher level, what happened just now wouldn't have occurred.

But now is not the time to consider these things...

"Go and die!"

A surge of ice blue chi swept out from Tiran as its center, more massive than any previous eruption, with most of its power directly hitting Hermes.

The ice blades containing the rules of space firmly bound and froze the Revenant God Frame, making it impossible to break free immediately even for Holy Rank. In a brief moment, two bright lines spread from Tiran's hands, distorting the surrounding space and converging towards these two lines little by little.

Two "swords" composed of the rules of space.

They were similar to the Sky-Scorching Sword that once shattered the sky when it defeated the Angel, except they couldn't break space and consumed much less.

The blades fell silently, and once they hit, even Holy Rank would be reduced to nothing but ashes.

However, the ice layer was broken before the blades descended. Among countless white ice dust, a silver wire of the same radiance halted Tiran's decisive kill.

This guy, is he copying my moves?

"After all, he has just entered this level. Although it is inappropriate for a magitech master to plagiarize, there is no other way." Hermes chuckled lightly.

"Tch!" Tiran gritted his teeth and swung the blade again.

In the continuous clash, waves of space swept over the entire research institution and even deeper into the ruins. If it were to be compared metaphorically, the two of them were almost using tsunamis as weapons to collide with each other on the already turbulent sea surface, causing concentric ripples to ripple and expand, with the range of impact only getting larger.

As the spatial vibrations spread, even the underground city of the ruins was shaken. The once lively market was interrupted by sudden alarms. People from all over were at a loss, not knowing where these vibrations came from. Even earthquakes did not have such strong tremors, right?

On the battlefield at the center of the fluctuation, Tiran had already abandoned the space blades. After several flashes, he appeared in front of Hermes, and with a punch imbued with the power of the rules, he struck the Revenant God Frame's head directly, smashing the metal faceplate and causing the metallic humanoid to fly out hundreds of meters, crashing into the well wall.

The already precarious well wall collapsed in large chunks again after this impact. Among the various debris falling, a space blade horizontally slashed out.

Tiran only had time to create a shield of rules using the remaining Holy Rank power before he was sent flying with both the shield and himself, breaking through three or four walls in a row.

"Lately, luck hasn't been on my side..."

At the bottom of the cave he was knocked into, Tiran lowered his head and looked at his body covered in scars. He tugged at the corners of his mouth with self-mockery as blood seeped from his wounds, staining his clothes with splotches of blood. "How did it become so pathetic again? I thought I was supposed to be an amazing transmigrator with no explanation needed?"