Over a hundred bronze golems thundered into the ancient hall—an unstoppable tide of metal feet, each step shaking dust from the vaulted ceiling. Their eyes glowed with cold, uniform light, marching in perfect formation. Among them strode five silver-class golems, taller and heavier, each radiating the oppressive aura of a grand magus realm opponent.

The sound alone—steel grinding, cores humming, echoing like drums of war—sent a ripple of fear through the Nova Roma magus.

"Do not falter!!" Julian roared, voice slicing through the rising panic. "I have sent the signal! Hold your ground—help will come!!"

The words ignited something in the Nova Roma magus. Fear hardened into resolve; their auras surged brighter, domains flaring as they formed defensive rings.

Julian turned to Emery—nothing needed to be said. The Nova Roma would face the tide of golems. Emery and his group would confront Dravic and the monstrous guardian at his side.

He then lifted his sword. His domain unfurled in a radiant sweep, a majestic golden halo unfurled behind him— along with an aura that wrapped his allies in shimmering gold. This was Julian unique law of Sovereign, gives a blessing of strength and protection. Even the half-conscious Casiel and Guskov stirred, breathing steadier as the blessing took hold.

"Fight!"

The Nova Roma formation charged forward like a spearhead, Poseidon on Julian's left, Athar on his right, Athena and the five magus surging behind with shields of light and fire as they collided against the bronze phalanx with a deafening crash.

While Julian led the charge, Emery turned toward the white artisan golem standing beside him.

"Send all worker golems to support them," Emery ordered.

The artisan golem's eyes flickered—then a distinctly feminine voice echoed from its core.

"Affirmative."

The twelve worker golems turned in unison and sprinted forward. Despite their awkward builds, they dove directly into battle, blocking blows, grabbing bronze arms, and throwing themselves as metal shields over Nova Roma magus, they widening the frontline in perfect coordination.

"Good job, VIA," Emery murmured.

Her voice replied through the golem, smooth and unhurried:

"Your wish is my command."

This was Emery's newly gain advantage.

When Dravic activated Randhall's key, multiple locked systems inside the artisan golem had awakened. VIA seized the chance, hacking into those newly opened pathways by injecting massive amounts of her own data into the system. She overwrote protocols, hijacked control layers, and in doing so became the artisan golem's new core intelligence.

But her reward was full command authority over the Artisan golem and its inherent authority over the worker golems. VIA now commanded twelve of them flawlessly.

Dravic, seeing Emery take what he believed was his legacy, flew into a rage and called the guardian golem to attack.

Emery's eyes sharpened. "Then let's test your new body"

Two identical constructs collided in a burst of metal and force, their frames forged from the same alloys and powered by the same core—yet their purposes could not have been more different. The guardian golem was born for battle: its arms unfolded into humming energy blades; its forearms split open to reveal hand-cannons; a shimmering barrier pulsed around its body like a second skin. Even its fists were reinforced with rare tier-8 alloys capable of chewing through high grade weapons. Worst of all was the precision of its combat algorithms—thousands of lethal patterns cycling with cold efficiency.

In barely a minute, the artisan golem was forced on the defensive. Each clash sent it skidding back, servos shrieking. Every dodge came a fraction too late. The guardian's blade carved sparks along its plating; a cannon blast dented its chest. Blow after blow turned the artisan into little more than a metal punching bag.

But Emery stay calm.

He knew the artisan had one advantage the guardian do not— the high tech artificial being, VIA.

A soft pulse vibrated from within the golem's core, followed by the calm synthetic voice.

[Analyzing combat sequence… processing fighting data]

[Downloading… recalibrating counter-patterns]

The updates were happening, but painfully slowly. Too slowly.

Emery grimaced. "Just hold on a little longer…"

Vic, ever the reckless one, perked up. "I can help!"

Of course he would say that.

Emery exhaled hard and summoned another help. "Livi—assist them."

A faint ripple answered him as shadow flared to life.

Annara and his dark-avatar were also sent to guard Vic while he unfurled his scrolls. Ink-lit runes bloomed into existence as Vic's hands blurred through formation seals. One talisman slapped onto the ground—chains of energy erupted upward, snagging the guardian's leg. Another flew and exploded into a net of glowing sigils, forcing the war-golem's next strike off balance. .

But even restrained, the war-golem tore at the bindings with monstrous strength, inch by inch breaking free.

And the whole time, VIA continued working within the artisan golem's mind—absorbing every strike, every motion, every weakness—one algorithm at a time.

This development twisted the possessed Dravic's expression into a dark scowl. His gaze locked onto Emery, and fury—almost feral—burned behind his eyes.

"You… you're the one who defeated Vashka," he snarled. "I will kill you for robbing my tomb!"

His voice warped as if two souls were speaking through the same throat.

A surge of chaos flared around him. Metal and flame roared together as Dravic unleashed his domain, and the Randhall hammer ignited in a violent blaze. A single step sent a shock of pressure across the hall—enough to crack stone, enough to warp the air itself.

Then he charged.

Emery bent the space between them instinctively, but even his spatial distortion fractured on contact. The force was too overwhelming. He swiftly activate his Icarus Wings, a burst of iridescent light propelling him out of the hammer's path at the very last heartbeat.

BAMMMMM!!

The strike hit the floor instead.

A storm of broken stone and shuddering shockwaves tore through the hall. Even the ongoing battles staggered—several bronze golems toppled over from the quake alone.

"What power…" Emery murmured, unable to hide both awe and concern.

Dravic bared his teeth in a manic grin. "So you do have interesting artifacts! Show me more—let me see all of them!"

He came again, faster than before.

This time Emery shifted fully into his Twilight Transformation—silver markings rippling over his skin, his aura sharpening like a blade. The empowerment barely allowed him to slip past another earth-splitting hammer swing.

BAMMM!!

Another shockwave. Another crater.

Emery landed several paces away, breathing evenly but focused, eyes narrowing as he carefully observed the man before him. Dravic's domain of metal and flame pulsed brighter and heavier than ever—like a forge on the brink of explosion. His cultivation had surged unnaturally; Emery could feel it. What had once been mid-stage Two-Cosmos had leapt toward high stage, perhaps even near the peak.

The reason became obvious.

Randhall's fragmented soul… aligning perfectly with Dravic's metal and flame mastery.

Armed with a tier-7 hammer and the awakened tier 7 armor, empowered by a broken ancient intellect, Dravic had become the worst possible enemy for a half-drained Emery.

The earlier fight with Vashka's, summoning the three Khaos guardian had eaten deeply into his reserves, left his spirit pool strained.

Emery needed a strategy.

And then he remembered the man's earlier words—the slips in his speech, the fractured identity struggling beneath the surface. Randhall had not fully taken over Dravic.

He took the gamble.

"I am indeed the one who defeated Vashka…" Emery called out, voice steady. "But tell me—who are you? Am I speaking to Dravic, or to Randhall?"

The reaction was instant.

Dravic's charge faltered. His steps stuttered. For the first time since the madness began, uncertainty flickered across his bearded features.

"I… I am… Randhall!" he barked, as if forcing the words out. "They called me the Celestial Machinist!"

Emery's voice softened just slightly.

"Not many know that name anymore. After all… All believe you died three millennia ago."

"Three… millennia…" Dravic muttered. His expression twisted, the madness in his gaze flickering like a candle in a storm. His eyes lost focus, drifting somewhere far beyond the present. "Dead… yes… I… did… This is… my tomb…"

Emery added a deliberate push to deepen the crack in his emotions. "Yes. Since your death, your faction crumbled. No one remained."

"They… They all died…" Dravic whispered, voice trembling.

There it was. The opening Emery needed.

Emery struck.

He gathered the remnants of his soul power and focused it into one precise, lethal spirit attack.

[Spectral Gaze]

The mental attack pierced directly into Dravic's unstable soul.

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