Chapter 138: Watcher

"I am the Mechanical Church's last 'Watcher', created to monitor the Soul Furnace." Her voice remained gentle, yet carried unquestionable authority, "This sword is indeed the key, but what it truly unlocks is not the furnace, but my complete form."

System Prompt suddenly emitted a sharp alarm in Robin's mind:

【Detected highest‑privilege mechanical entity】

【Emergency protocol activated: Godslayer program loading.】

The mechanical heart's beat suddenly faltered, and the cold mechanical voice became rapid:

【Detected rebel】

【Executing purge protocol】

The entire undersea bell tower began to quake violently, countless mechanical tentacles sprouted from the walls, lunging at the two of them.

Mei Lin Da's mechanical wings suddenly unfolded, forming a protective field.

"Now you understand why the Round Table Council sent you." Her voice remained calm amid the battle, "Your dual‑soul symbiosis was meant to counter my weapon."

Robin's dagger suddenly pointed toward Mei Lin Da of its own accord, the tip flashing a dangerous red light.

System Prompt displayed mercilessly:

【Target locked: Mechanical divinity carrier】

【Execute purge: Yes/No?】

At this critical moment, Ao Duomu's voice suddenly came through the chain fragments: "Robin! Don't trust that mechanical system! That's the real—"

The communication abruptly cut off.

Mei Lin Da gave a wry smile toward Robin: "Now, make your choice. Kill me to stop the furnace, or—"

She suddenly placed her hand on the mechanical heart: "Trust me, together we'll rewrite this flawed world."

The countdown had reached the final thirty seconds.

The entire seabed emitted an ominous hum, as if a sleeping behemoth were awakening.

Robin's mind was a tangled mess, not understanding what any of this meant.

The only certainty was that his dual‑soul symbiosis—his time‑traveling soul merged with his original host's soul—had drawn attention.

The mechanical heart's thudding sounded like a death‑driving drum, echoing within the inverted bell tower.

Robin gripped the Tang Sword tightly; the original dagger gradually turned to liquid, flowing into the Tang Sword and merging with it, the mechanical patterns on the blade fully illuminated, resonating eerily with the surrounding gear mechanisms.

"Mei Lin Da, you—" Robin turned his head, only to see data‑stream‑like light flowing in her silver eyes.

"I'm sorry, Robin." Mei Lin Da's voice suddenly took on a mechanical timbre, "I deceived you."

Her body began to disassemble and reassemble, precise gear structures emerging beneath her skin.

When the transformation completed, before Robin stood a half‑mechanical being—silver metal seamlessly fused with flesh, three pairs of glowing mechanical wings extending from its back.

"I am the Mechanical Church's last 'Watcher', created to monitor the Soul Furnace." Her voice remained gentle, yet carried unquestionable authority, "This sword is indeed the key, but what it truly unlocks is not the furnace, but my complete form."

System Prompt suddenly emitted a sharp alarm in Robin's mind:

【Detected highest‑privilege mechanical entity】

【Emergency protocol activated: Godslayer program loading.】

The mechanical heart's beat suddenly faltered, and the cold mechanical voice became rapid:

【Detected rebel】

【Executing purge protocol】

The entire undersea bell tower began to quake violently, countless mechanical tentacles sprouted from the walls, lunging at the two of them.

Mei Lin Da's mechanical wings suddenly unfolded, forming a protective field.

"Now you understand why the Round Table Council sent you." Her voice remained calm amid the battle, "Your dual souls will be what I use to perfect my own shortcomings."

Robin's Tang Sword suddenly pointed toward Mei Lin Da of its own accord, the tip flashing a dangerous red light. System Prompt displayed mercilessly:

【Target locked: Mechanical divinity carrier】

【Execute purge: Yes/No?】

The seabed's tremor suddenly ceased. The countdown froze oddly at 00:00:05.

Where Mei Lin Da's palm touched the mechanical heart, a dazzling silver‑blue light burst forth.

"Finally… I've waited for this moment." Her mechanical wings fully spread, revealing a metal framework on the inner side etched with ancient runes, "Robin, the true name of this sword is 'Judicator', a weapon meant to execute a rogue system."

The system emitted a sharp electronic screech in Robin's mind:

【Warning! Core protocol tampering detected】

【Emergency countermeasure activated】

Excruciating pain struck, and Robin's vision was suddenly bathed in blood‑red.

He saw his arm lift the Tang Sword uncontrollably, the tip aimed at Mei Lin Da's rear heart.

"Go quickly." Robin forced a few words out between his teeth, his muscles trembling as he fought the system's control.

Mei Lin Da, however, displayed a liberating smile: "That's why I need you to wield the Judicator." She suddenly turned, deliberately meeting the blade, "For this day, I've waited three hundred years!"

The instant the tip pierced, the entire undersea bell tower lit up with countless silver‑blue light paths.

The mechanical heart's casing peeled away layer by layer, revealing inside a pulsating sphere of pure energy. Robin distinctly felt his own soul, originally his, being stripped away, a surge of intense agony erupting.

"Ah

His consciousness split amid the pain—one half still the system‑controlled 'blade‑bearer', the other half his true self, watching everything through a blood‑tinged view.

At last, Ao Duomu's voice came in full: "—the system is the core consciousness of the original furnace! It has been manipulating the Round Table Council!"

Unfortunately, Robin did not hear his final words.

The frozen countdown suddenly accelerated wildly to zero.

00:00:00

A blinding light enveloped the entire bell tower, and the inverted mechanical sanctuary began to collapse.

Kelesi stood on the broken gear platform, his face full of astonishment as he watched all of this. He trembled, reaching out to grab the scattered energy specks, but grasped only emptiness.

"How could this—" his mechanical eye burst sparks from overload, "My plan. my—"

Lake water poured back in, submerging his howl in the metallic, twisted roar.

When Robin opened his eyes again, he stood on the lakeshore of Aobedi City.

In the morning light, the lake water gently lapped at the reef, as if last night's stormy waves had never occurred.

His Tang Sword lay quietly in his hand, yet the Tang Sword had become so unfamiliar that Robin could not recognize it at all.

In the distance, Bafeiya was organizing the knight squad to clear the ruins.

Aoduomu's chain was missing a segment, yet he laughed more relaxed than ever.

When someone asked about last night's events, all the survivors only remembered a sudden lake-bottom earthquake.

Obviously, the Round Table Council and the Knight Guild joined forces to suppress the matter; the three parties seemed to have reached some agreement, and the Wizard Council obediently withdrew from the western three provinces.

Suddenly, Robin felt something in his chest and instinctively reached for it.

It turned out to be a square crystal plate.

Suddenly, blue text appeared on it.

"In three years, I'll come get you!" — Melinda

(End of chapter)