The natural laws were impossible to break, but they could be twisted. There were no perfect laws or natural laws in this world. Since intelligent creatures had a sense of self and a desire to fight for benefits, they would naturally learn how to find loopholes.
At this point, everyone had a rough idea of what had happened even though they were making wild guesses.
Freedom was the instinctive desire of most independent souls. The Sky Tower Spirit unhesitatingly created even more of its own kind after being freed from its shackles, transforming these ruins into its own home.
When considering how Barton had taken Catalina away more than ten years ago, the Sky Tower Spirit had already planned this out. Plus, there were many traces left behind on the way here. It was highly likely that this change had already occurred more than twenty years ago.
The Sky Tower Spirit's encounter with the Death Council's undead mage had been an opportunity. That undead mage had taken advantage of the dimensional instability here to summon creatures from the Undead Planes. He had actually managed to summon Conservation's undead bone dragons. And when the Sky Tower Spirit killed off the summoners, the Sky Tower Spirit had used this opportunity to contact Undead Emperor Conservation.
From the Sky Tower Spirit's perspective, what it wanted the most was naturally to remove the shackles on its own body, its troublesome master — the original Sky Tower's commander.
However, it was limited by its creator's core natural laws. Not only was it unable to attack, it couldn't even indirectly cause the original Sky Tower's "accidental" death. All it could do was help the original Sky Tower.
But …
"Help me eliminate all the humans residing in that city. We shall pay a sacrifice to allow you to enter this world and become your most trustworthy ally."
The Sky Tower Spirit didn't even tell the original Sky Tower Spirit what the original Sky Tower Spirit's target was. It only followed a certain command that had long since been eliminated. The original Sky Tower's master had "coincidentally" been in that city, so it was only a pitiful accident. Naturally, the core alarm wouldn't have been triggered … Fine then, it would seem that all intelligent creatures would naturally play around with the natural laws. Even the undead that had just recently obtained their freedom wouldn't be triggered.
In that case, it was obvious what had caused this entire incident. The Sky Tower Spirit had indirectly killed its "master" in order to obtain complete freedom. It had betrayed its mission by sacrificing the slumbering souls of the Sky Tower. The Sky Tower Spirit intended to use these souls in exchange for an "ally" to carry out a cruel massacre.
Perhaps the Sky Tower Spirit didn't have a complete personality, but it was at least ten percent capable of being selfish.
But now, the Sky Tower Spirit's greatest fear had occurred. Not only had its original master survived the Undead Calamity, he had actually returned here.
"Intercept the intruders."
It was only able to give such vague orders. It wasn't even able to create any direct hostility towards the original owner, not to mention an order to kill Katerina. In fact, due to the base's relationship with itself, it had to do its best to prevent its guards from killing Katerina.
Thus, a scene that no one knew how to evaluate appeared.
No matter if it was the sentinel puppets' electricity or the iron golems' heavy hammers, they were clearly going to smash Catalina, but they suddenly turned around and smashed into their companions. Or, before they could even finish their attacks, they were directly torn apart by their companions' cannons.
Not to mention killing her, even trying to stop her would be a violation of many basic rules.
Catalina, who did not even have the strength to truss a chicken, ran to the front without hesitation and became an invincible shield. All the others had to do was to take advantage of the moment when their opponents were in a state of confusion to break through.
"297th floor, 298th floor … almost 300th floor underground."
Although the elevator couldn't reach more than 300th floor, the rest of the elevator went smoothly. It seemed that the ruins' guardians hadn't been prepared for their sudden ambush, so they only had ordinary guard and cleaning puppets blocking their way.
But even so, the number of people in the team kept decreasing. This wasn't because of battle losses, but mainly because iron doors and railings suddenly rose and fell, separating everyone.
Those who were separated could only find their own paths. But after suffering some losses, the assault squad adjusted their formation and moved closer. Katerina walked at the very front. It was obvious that the assault squad was using her as a shield, and the effect was even better than before.
She was just like a minesweeper. As soon as she walked past, the traps would automatically retract, and the iron doors that were already locked would automatically open. Even the iron bars that separated everyone would automatically rise when she lay down, making it almost impossible for anyone to pass through.
* Boom! *
After turning a corner, they met an assassin that was crouching on guard. However, the light on the head of the iron tree-shaped puppet was still constantly flashing. Its alloy blade was still as sharp as ever after so many years of wear and tear, and it had already locked onto this human female's vitals. Unfortunately, the puppet was unable to cut through, and its head was instantly blown off.
Suddenly, the door to a nearby room opened, revealing a screen filled with red letters. Just as Timlad was about to go closer to take a look, he was pulled back by Catalina who was panting heavily.
"Hah, don't … don't go, that's a trap. The red letters represent top-level secrets. As long as we get close, it'll use the excuse of protecting the Sky Tower's top-level secrets and directly … explode this room and even this entire floor."
The Sky Tower Spirit was far more sly than Timlad had expected. Even the usually carefree Timlad couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
By now, it had already been more than two hours since they came down from the elevator. Catalina was sweating profusely, and her face was filled with fatigue.
Although everyone was also carrying her as they ran, such a long period of physical exertion was more than enough for an ordinary girl.
Yet, this proved once again that it was ridiculous to think that anyone who suddenly awakened their past lives would be able to do anything in the world. Their physical body was still their physical body. Even if they had past experiences and potential, it would still take time and sweat to develop.
Right now, Catalina was sweating profusely. Her face was pale, and her sweat was dripping onto the floor. Judging from how she suddenly bent over and coughed, it was likely that even breathing was painful.
It was obvious that Catalina couldn't run anymore, so everyone could only stop running.
As Barton supported her, he looked at her with a complex expression. In less than a single day, his daughter seemed to have transformed into a completely different person. How could he possibly accept this?
"Relax, Father, I'm still here … it'll be over soon."
Karwenz did her best to smile. She placed her hands on her chest, covering her heart. She was calming her breathing, as well as telling her father that she was still that ordinary barmaid, her father's precious daughter.
"… Reincarnation is the same as starting all over again. Even if you have more memories and knowledge, that's only the equivalent of receiving a few years of education and learning in advance. It doesn't mean that you're a completely different person. Your family will still be your family, and your lover will still be your lover. That's my personal experience, as well as common knowledge in the academic world. "
Timlad wasn't worried about revealing his secret. After all, in the past seven years, the new generation of Dawn's Children had already revealed many secrets about the Cycle of Reincarnation and the soul.
Seven years ago, before the Aillé Faction's Gods chose to enter the Hades, many Valkyrie Gods had taken advantage of the Cycle of Reincarnation and reincarnated with their memories and knowledge. Even though it had only been a short seven years, the seeds of the Cycle of Reincarnation had already begun to sprout, and many secrets about the Cycle of Reincarnation had been revealed.
However, Timlad's words helped Barton feel more reassured. He gathered his spirits and focused all of his attention on preparing for battle.
From a certain standpoint, Barton's team didn't use the elevator to directly reach the level closest to the core area. That was because the enemy had the blueprints as well, so it was only natural that they would heavily guard the elevator entrance in the core area. No, the most direct method would probably be to weld the elevator's door shut.
But if Barton's team came down ahead of time, the information would surely be leaked. Soon, the guards of the other floors would arrive here to provide reinforcements. The further down they went, the more difficult it would become.
But just as Barton's team was about to set off again, someone came to find them.
"A white flag? Those metal heads actually know how to raise a white flag? "
Under the white flag was a group of cautious puppets. Compared to the clumsy puppets from before, these puppets seemed rather special …
"They seem like real people."
"… Look, their eyes seem real, and they seem so intelligent. F * ck me, that black-haired one is actually crying!"
These puppets were female humanoids. Most of them had beautiful appearances and enchanting figures. Some had black hair, some had red hair, and some had purple hair. Their stature and skin color were all different. Some were wearing ball gowns, some were wearing bikinis, and some were even wearing less. Their exposed skin was no different from a real person's. It was obvious that they weren't puppets for manual labor.
Although they were wearing revealing clothes, they were all secretive and wriggling around as if they didn't dare to approach.
"Ha, it would seem that those prehistoric people really know how to enjoy themselves. Could it be that they're seducing us? "
Diyana whistled. However, the one who teased them wasn't a male. Instead, it was the female Diyana. The Dark Elf generously swept her eyes over the female puppets' sensitive areas. Not only did she gesticulate, she even made strange hand gestures. In the end, she looked down at her full breasts in satisfaction and smiled proudly.
It was as if Diyana felt that the Dark Elves were superior to the exquisite fake flowers.
"Could it be that they intend to negotiate?"
As the leader of the group, Old Barton took the first step forward. His warhammer was still at his feet, but he suddenly waved his spear. His sword energy left a mark on the ground, a dividing line that indicated to the Dark Elves that they shouldn't get too close.
This caused the surrounding people to reevaluate the seemingly ordinary Old Barton. After all, casually waving out sword energy was already something that only a Sword Saint could do. This old mercenary, who was a bit older than him, saw it.
"Dfasdasccda …"
A white-haired female puppet spoke up anxiously. However, that string of numbers gave everyone else a headache. Fortunately, Timlad immediately translated for her.
"They say that they're Master's servants and slaves …"
It turned out that they were artificial souls created by their "Master". However, after they obtained their sense of self, they felt that they should obey society's laws and thank their creators for being able to serve them. And so, their furious "Master" forced them into these puppets from the olden generation as punishment.
When they learned that their true Master had returned with reinforcements, they voluntarily came over to help out.
However, after Timlad finished translating this mechanical code, he fell into deep thought. Since he was an expert from the Haletdam generation, everyone naturally thought that he was thinking about something and didn't dare to disturb him.
However, if Roland was here, he would unhesitatingly kick Timlad when he saw the suspicious liquid at the corner of Timlad's mouth.
"… The previous me in my previous life was such a waste of an opportunity. I can actually buy this with money. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to accept a cute little girl. Yep, I'll use research as an excuse! That red-haired girl seems like an older sister … No, as long as I can research her properly, I can create a real 'older sister'! "
Should I say that it was to be expected of those bastards' brother? As a famous Myth-ranked hero, Timlad was actually thinking about such things on the battlefield while everyone was waiting for him …
"Lord Timlad, you've made a decision?"
"Ah, I definitely didn't want to accept those puppets … what decision?"
Timlad's expression was filled with astonishment, and he accidentally said something. However, the next instant, he had a calm expression, as if his slip of the tongue was nothing more than an illusion.
"Oh, oh, oh. Yep, I understand now. From a professional standpoint, the leap from artificial intelligence to artificial souls is equivalent to the awakening of self-awareness. Every individual is different, and when considering how the old generation treated artificial intelligence, theoretically speaking, what they said makes sense. However, I'll need to carefully research the specifics by myself. Yep, let's start with that red-haired girl! "
Everyone around him had helpless expressions. Perhaps Timlad's words were quite professional and righteous, and his expression was filled with righteousness, making him seem quite convincing. However, his claw that was making a caressing motion revealed his true thoughts.
"This little pervert …"
"Stinky brat!"
However, Barton was in a difficult situation. He had already said before that Timlad would be in charge of the ruins, and his decisions had been quite reliable. However, Barton didn't dare to believe that Timlad was acting like this.
"No, there's no need to think about it anymore. Kill them all."
At this moment, Catalina, who was still sitting down and resting, spoke up calmly.
Not only were the dolls stunned by her words, even Barton's companions paused in surprise. However, the next instant, Barton unhesitatingly carried out his daughter's order. He continuously swung his spear, and a blade formed from sword energy tore apart a black-haired doll.
Seeing that Barton, the leader, had already acted, the others naturally wouldn't wait any longer. They immediately began killing the dolls.
"Wait, wait, at least leave one behind … leave one behind. I'll make it, and everyone can get rich together!"
Unfortunately, nobody listened to him. Even the two Northlands girls who were quite close to him pretended not to see him. No, they were already pretending not to recognize him.
These dolls obviously didn't have any combat abilities at all, so they were soon reduced to a pile of scrap. Amidst the pile of broken limbs, a certain engineer was silently crying, as if he had just lost his most beloved family member.
It was obvious that his companions weren't as sentimental as him. Catalina walked over and spoke to the doll's head that had just spoken.
"A doll will always be a doll? Do you want to know where you exposed yourself? Do you want to know where you went wrong? "
However, there was no response even after a long while. Just as everyone thought that Katerina was overthinking things, the bionic eyes on the doll's head lit up again, and it suddenly spoke. This time, it didn't speak in the strange female voice's digital code. Instead, it spoke in the common male language with a cold, synthetic male voice.
"… Strange, this should be completely true to the situation. Not only that, I also took into account a man's desire to mate, which should be able to affect your judgment. Even if you don't believe my words, as long as you read the information in my words, I should be able to lead you to a dead end. How did you see through me?"
And so, Catalina chuckled as she suddenly stomped down on the doll's head.
"Why should I tell you?"
The next instant, she covered her foot and jumped up. It was obvious that this metal head wasn't something that her tiny foot could handle. And so, the mysterious, cold, and capable woman image that she had just established completely disappeared.
* Crack! *
Barton, who felt heartache for his daughter, directly stomped on the doll's head and smashed it into smithereens while glaring at everyone around him to tell them not to laugh.
However, his gaze towards Catalina was now filled with much more love and gentleness. After all, he had seen many women jumping up and down with tears in their eyes. It was just that it was only the foot of an ordinary table that dealt a critical blow to Catalina.
"Wonderful, that brat wasn't lying. She's still that clumsy, kind, and good child. She actually didn't tell me that all of this would happen. Damned Roland, I'm going to get even with you when I get back …"
Once her father regained his rationality and Catalina regained her stamina, it was time for her to resume her journey. Right now, she wasn't too far away from her target, the core area.
Not long after she began her journey, Timlad, who couldn't hold back his curiosity, came over to ask Catalina about this. When Catalina replied, many ears inexplicably gathered around her, wanting to hear more gossip.
"You saw through it? You didn't see through it? There's no precedent of artificial intelligence awakening on such a large scale, so how could I possibly make such a judgment? Your judgment was correct. It's highly likely that artificial souls will appear in the future. However, our most important task right now is to go to the core area. How can we trust a guide who came out of her own volition at such a time? We should just kill her and steal her information. I just didn't expect that she would be exposed so easily. It would seem that artificial souls are still lacking in terms of human nature. "
"Then aren't you afraid of killing the wrong person? Artificial souls can't lie in front of their master. The more I think about it, the more I feel that she was telling the truth. "
"If I kill the wrong person, I kill the wrong person. I can kill the wrong person, but I can't let the wrong person go. Also, why are you such a sissy? You're still making such a fuss at a time like this. You're not manly at all."
Catalina ran to the front as she said such valiant words to Timlad.
Timlad, who had just paused in surprise, finally understood why the person in front of him had become the commander in chief of the Sky Tower.
"Right, since you're the product of a collective soul fusion, that doesn't mean that the original soul must have been female, right? Could it be that you're a real man!? "
"I'm a woman!"
Alright then, it would seem that Timlad really needed to change his bad habit of accidentally spilling the beans. Sooner or later, he would die.
Catalina suddenly turned around and kicked Timlad right between his legs. Timlad immediately clutched his vitals and knelt down, causing all the men present to instinctively feel a chill and pain …
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