Chapter 1307 - 594: The Secret of the Flesh Robot

Chapter 1307: Chapter 594: The Secret of the Flesh Robot

Herbert is a man without feelings. (Self-proclaimed)

He offered no help to the bewildered Legion Commander, ruthlessly handing him over to two Legendary Heroic Spirits.

Heroism judges deeds, not intentions.

Though the Legion Commander’s actions had been forgiven by Herbert, he was indeed a tragic hero and a victim deceived by the Destiny Church.

However, he also needed to provide an explanation to those companions he had "deceived."

This explanation was not an apology, but the Legion Commander’s responsibility to personally clarify the truth to the other heroic spirits.

Watching the Legion Commander being "escorted" away by Julia and Gall, his silhouette resembling someone marching to his death, Herbert felt no emotional stir, even leisurely stretching.

That’s right, I’m just an emotionless killer.

It’s far more effective to let the parties involved resolve their own issues than for an outside leader like him to intervene forcibly.

Some wounds need to be unveiled and disinfected personally to heal completely.

Yes, let them interrogate him thoroughly.

As a qualified leader, this is not the time to meddle blindly.

Although he wasn’t familiar with Julia and Gall’s personalities, he imagined they wouldn’t do anything extreme.

With strong abilities and the support of the Divine Kingdom’s orthodox "righteousness," there wouldn’t be any issues with the allegiance of the Heroic Spirit Legion.

For Elda, this was a remarkably perfect victory.

This battle, while not exactly bloodless, resulted in minimal casualties on both sides.

Except for a few heroic spirits who, failing the ordeal, broke down and turned into dried Soul Crystal Cores, all other heroic spirits accepted reality.

Ah, and the Monster Girls didn’t come out completely unscathed.

Two fools in Fighting Spirit were so mad about having a draw that they were grinding their teeth, nearly getting sick from anger because two Legendary Level Demons and Vampires irritated them.

Herbert didn’t bother with these clowns, giving a token bit of comfort before tossing them back together.

It’s certainly not because I want to watch women fight!

After successfully capturing the Heroic Spirit Legion, Herbert didn’t immediately push deep into the Mist Mountain Range.

This wasn’t intentionally stopping short.

In fact, Elda’s Heroic Spirit Legion had already begun gradually advancing internally.

The previous battles were resolved entirely by Monster Girls Herbert brought from the Monastery, without contributions from Elda’s heroic army.

The reason Herbert arranged it this way was simple: he didn’t want to see the heroic spirits slaughtering one another.

They were survivors left behind after the Divine Kingdom shattered, future companions in a shared journey, not meant to kill each other.

And now, it was their turn to step forward.

Herbert stood on a high ground, calmly observing the orderly deployment of the heroic spirit units below.

The silver brilliance of spirit armor shimmered with a haze-like luster under the thinning eternal fog.

This was the first time in thousands of years that the power of the Divine Kingdom advanced as a unified force into the depths of their homeland.

"It’s time for you to lead the charge."

Advancing deeper was their best venue for showcasing strength.

This is a reverse pioneering.

It’s Elda’s advancement into the Mist Mountain Range, ownerless for thousands of years.

Deep within the Mist Mountain Range lurked not the lost heroic spirit companions, but older and more dangerous mist creatures, realities and dangers that settled over time.

This is both a reclamation and a tempering.

Later, the heroic spirit legion will join the lineup once they’ve adjusted and will fight together.

They will then renegotiate, once more becoming comrades in arms.

The soul of an army truly coalesces in shared, external battles.

Valentina took Fremay and others to reinforce the rear, preparing for potential dangers.

As for Herbert himself, he didn’t participate in the advancement because another matter compelled him to stop.

Miss Dark Elf captured something of greater interest to him.

The mechanical construct corrupted by flesh.

...

"Svanni, have you discovered anything?"

After finally shaking off the persistent Miss Hungry Dragon, Herbert arrived at Miss Dark Elf’s temporary lab.

Upon entering, Herbert glanced at the material of the lab, his lip twitching slightly.

Sure enough, it was crafted from flesh.

The walls, workbench, even some tool outlines bore a moist, life-like texture, faint pulsations visible on their dark red surface.

Several lamps emitting a ghostly blue light from spirit mosses embedded in the fleshy walls served as illumination, casting the space in a bizarre yet tranquil atmosphere.

However, the air was not unpleasant; rather, it was filled with a soothing, gentle fragrance.

Svanni was currently absorbed, with her back to the entrance, leaning over a dissecting table formed of flesh, where the partially dismantled construct lay.

"You’re here."

Upon hearing Herbert’s voice, she merely tilted her head slightly. Her deep purple eyes shimmered with the unique sparkle of a fervent researcher under the dim light, her hand never pausing as she wielded a precise bone blade.

"You’re here just in time."

Svanni, after subduing the flesh-corrupting robot, did not leave. Instead, she immediately set up an experimental laboratory on site to conduct a more detailed analysis.

"I haven’t congratulated you on advancing to Epic level yet, but you should see this first."

Her voice retained its usual coldness, but if listened to carefully, one could catch a trace of suppressed excitement.

"This thing... is very ’interesting’."

"It’s not simply parasitized or corroded by flesh but rather an... cognitive-overturning deep integration."

Svanni skillfully used the bone blade in her hand to open up a semi-metal, semi-flesh armor plate, revealing an even more complex structure underneath.

Gears intertwined with blood vessels, rune circuits tangled with nerve bundles, emitting an extremely faint, moaning-like energy humming.

"Look here."

She pointed with the knife tip at certain junctions, saying, "The corrosion of the metal and the growth pattern of the flesh are perfectly aligned, as if ’grown’ simultaneously under the same law."

"This isn’t an effect that could be achieved by later parasitism; it’s more like... it was set into this symbiotic form upon forging or birth."

Her speed of speech slightly increased, showing the excitement within her heart: "The key point is the residual consciousness wave inside. I attempted to capture and analyze it and found that it indeed is not a singular will."

She raised her head, looking at Herbert, the dim light in her eyes growing stronger as she spoke slowly: "Just as you predicted, this robot’s consciousness is not singular but rather an ’universal consciousness’ forcibly glued and stirred together from countless fragments."

"Chaotic, painful, yet bound by a powerful framework, maintaining the minimum operational threshold."

"If not suppressed correctly, it might explode upon stimulation... Haha, conveniently, I am quite skilled in this aspect of operations."

Assigning a master of flesh manipulation to handle this situation is definitely highly appropriate.

From previous interactions, Herbert had already sensed something amiss with this flesh robot, seemingly harboring significant secrets.

Deliberately avoiding the flesh robot back then, he now realizes it was quite a wise decision.

If it were Valentina takings action instead of Svanni, a wrong move might have led to an unfavorable outcome.

It probably wouldn’t hurt Miss Hungry Dragon, but this flesh robot likely wouldn’t survive.

Herbert approached the dissection platform, his gaze sweeping over those precise yet bizarre internal structures, raising an eyebrow to inquire: "You mean, numerous fragments?"

"Yes."

Svanni nodded affirmatively, pointing at a crystal container at the head of the mechanical body that had been cut open, inside soaked a mixture of silver metal shards and dark red meat buds.

"Within here are at least dozens of different fragmented wills coarsely fused together, conflicting yet forced to coexist."

She paused momentarily, her tone becoming somber and furrowing her brow with some doubt: "This approach somewhat resembles the God of Sinful Desire’s methods, but it feels somewhat off..."

"The style is off?"

Herbert interjected, squinting his eyes as he silently sensed the cold and sticky aura emanating from the mechanical body.

"To be precise, the ’purpose’ and ’refinement’ are different."

Svanni organized her words, shaking her head: "Sinful Desire’s creations tend more towards chaotic proliferation, the unleashing of desire, and the distortion of instinct."

"Whereas this one, although forcibly fused, carries a sense of meticulousness."

"Pain is precisely controlled at a threshold that doesn’t completely collapse yet provides driving force, consciousness is shattered yet maintained at minimum functionality by a framework."

"This is too precise; it doesn’t seem to be something He would do."

Miss Dark Elf contemplated for a while, finally summarizing: "So, I believe this should not be His handiwork but rather the ’masterpiece’ of another Divine familiar or involved in the realm of flesh."

"It’s just..."

She slightly furrowed her brow, shaking her head: "Currently, there’s too little information to determine its specific attribution or understand why it was done."

"What is the purpose of creating such a painful, inefficient hybrid? Is it merely to manufacture a war machine? There ought to be more direct methods."

The strength of this flesh robot is not considered weak, reaching Legendary level power, an almost unbeatable existence for mortals.

Yet, for true powerhouses, this strength seems somewhat insufficient.

Spending so much effort only to create a Legendary Level mechanical body?

Or is it perhaps just an abandoned experiment?

Additionally, why did this thing appear in the Mist Mountain Range?

Even Nenasha doesn’t recognize this thing, nor does she have related memories... Hmm?

At that moment, deep in thought, Herbert suddenly sensed a hint of anomaly.

His gaze fell upon the partially dismantled head of the mechanical body.

Although the main sensory organs had been removed by Svanni for research, within the empty metal skull cavity, there seemed to be a gaze faintly... looking at him.

Hmm?

What’s going on?

Are you spying on me too?

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