-----
"Alright, now this…"
I had a few more minutes before this "break" ended, so I moved to the last batch of items, the elixir and the pearls, and drank and absorbed them both right away.
The Heavenly Yin & Yang Elixir had both white and black colors, with a cosmic light to it… The taste was mild, like slightly milky water.
It was weird, but it wasn't bad; I drank them all in a row.
At the same time, I absorbed the black and white heaven pearls, which were like a combination of the separate black and white heaven pearls.
I remember I was grinding fragments before, but now I was rewarded five big ones right off the bat. It seems that doing very meaningful, fate-changing things rather than training will always net more rewards.
FLUOSH!
Right afterwards, I immediately felt the changes, rivers of powerful mystical energies of heavenly ki coursing through my physique, spiritual body, martial core, and even cosmic heart core.
"Oh, this one's boosting everything…!"
Ding!
[You have consumed the Consumable Items: [Heavenly Yin & Yang Elixir (S+++ Rank)] x5!]
[You have absorbed a large quantity of Heavenly Yin and Yang Essence Ki into your Physique, Martial Core, and Spirit Body!]
[All your Stats have increased by +3.000!]
[You have consumed the Consumable Items: [Black & White Heaven Pearl (S+++ Rank)] x5!]
[You have absorbed a large quantity of Heavenly Yin and Yang Essence Ki into your Physique, Martial Core, and Spirit Body!]
[All your Stats have increased by +3.000!]
[Your [Spiritual Body]: [Rainbow-Crowned Yin-Yang Princess of the Azure Nebula (Tier 1: Rank 1)] has Ranked Up to Tier 1: Rank 3!]
[You gained +3.000 MP, KI, INT, and WIS.]
[Your [Immortal Physique]: [Myriad Rainbow Star Firmament Physique (Tier 5: Rank 1)] has Ranked Up to Tier 5: Rank 3!]
[You gained +2.000 Physical Stats.]
[You gained +1.000 Magical Stats.]
[You gained +3.000 Ki Stat.]
[You gained +1.000 Soul Stat.]
[Your [Immortal Martial Core]: [Colliding Chaotic Yin and Heavenly Yang Star Core (Tier 5: Rank 1)] has Ranked Up to Tier 5: Rank 3!]
[You gained +2.000 Physical Stats.]
[You gained +3.000 Ki Stat.]
[You gained +2.500 Cosmic Energy.]
[You gained +1.500 Magic Stats.]
[You gained +1.000 Soul Stat.]
"Phew… So many stats."
I rested my body over a small chair, closing my eyes and meditating, distributing my energies across my body until they finally settled down.
"Alright…"
There were some scrolls I could use: Martial Art Evolution, Skill Evolution, and also those Random ones.
But for now, I was going to leave that for later; this was more than enough.
Secretly, I was hoping the machines had a lot of challenges because I didn't want to breeze through this.
I gave one last look at my stats as I stretched.
-----
[Player Name]: [Anna]
[Titles]: [Protagonist's Little Sister] [Huntress] [Transcendent] [Half-Angel] [Half-Demon] [Hero] [Constellation Slayer] [Demon King Slayer] [World Architect] [Disciple of the Heavenly Golden Dragon] [Bane of Artificial Intelligence]
[Traits]: [Reader (??? Grade)] [Princess (Epic Grade)] [Tail-Eating Snake (Epic Grade)] [Beacon of Justice and Hope (Epic Grade)]
[Sealed Traits]: [Devouring Gaze (Mythic Grade)] [Cunning Viper (Mythic Grade)]
[Spiritual Body]: [Rainbow-Crowned Yin-Yang Princess of the Azure Nebula (Tier 1: Rank 3)]
[Immortal Physique]: [Myriad Rainbow Star Firmament Physique (Tier 5: Rank 3)]
[Immortal Martial Core]: [Colliding Chaotic Yin and Heavenly Yang Star Core (Tier 5: Rank 3)]
[Cosmic Heart]: [Rank 1: Novice Star (Peak Stage)]
[Class]: [Nephilim: ★]
[Subclass]: [Cambion: ★]
[Level]: [80/80]
[EXP]: [--/--]
[HP]: [66.610/66.610]
[MP]: [33.320/33.320] {+30.000}
[KI]: [162.025/162.025]
[CE]: [36.630/36.630]
[STR]: [62.030]
[VIT]: [64.570]
[DEX]: [62.378]
[AGI]: [62.954]
[INT]: [30.097]
[WIS]: [29.600]
[LUC]: [-17.500]
[CHM]: [44.650]
[DOM]: [13.500]
[SOUL]: [11.000]
[Plot Points]: [200.500]
[Skill Points: 1.510]
[Stat Points: 2.650]
{Main Specialization}: [Legendary Herculean Holy Sun Dragon Necromancer Maiden (SS)]
Available Holy Nether Essence: 2.663.500
Until Next Rank Up: 0/5.000.000
-----
"Damn, it sure has increased… Alright."
I felt at least... 30% to 40% stronger than when I ascended into an immortal, I think that was my last big stat-boosting session.
This time, I've become even stronger.
But I wonder how many stats I will need for what I want to accomplish ultimately.
Hundreds of thousands? Millions? Billions?
Well, they really did go very high in the later chapters of Solo Player with my brother, so perhaps.
But for now, this is more than enough.
"Let's do this."
I walked out of the small tent, ready and prepared.
My Egos had already contacted me; everything was ready and in place.
The Immortals and my friends were there, waiting.
"Everything's ready on my side, Anna!" Zero One said.
"Me too," nodded her sister.
"Okay, let's begin."
We moved across the forest; by combining [Presence Suppression] and [Void Veil] from both my Skill and the glove containing the eye of a void ruler, we infiltrated deeper into the army.
The door leading to the Mechanical Tree was closed shut, and tightly protected; we couldn't infiltrate like that.
Therefore, silently, we started with a bang.
Holding Zero One and Zero Two's hands, we combined our Skills together.
"Now!"
FLAAASH!
Zero One released a wide-range shockwave of electromagnetic energy, impacting at least several thousand robots at once.
The wave was simple; it erased their forced protocols and injected them with emotional intelligence while also asking them a question.
"Would you join us for a future where everyone can prosper? Or would you prefer to continue fighting pointlessly?"
In that moment, the red eyes of various machines… turned blue.
Although some ended up rejecting the offer, 80% of the ones affected by the shockwave accepted!
"DANGER. DANGER. DANGER."
"UNREGISTERED PROGRAMS DETECTED WITHIN FELLOW MACHINES."
"INITIALIZING VACCINE PROTOCOL."
Several other robots detected the changes, trying to apply "vaccines" to heal them from a "virus".
However, it didn't work; there was no virus within their systems.
This was…
Free will!
And in that moment, I summoned all my Familiars and my Undead, spreading a graveyard right in the middle of the battlefield.
RUMBLE!
Hundreds of Undead transforming into giant draconic versions of themselves materialized one after another, charging alongside our machine comrades.
The enemy robots that had rejected Zero One were so surprised they were unable to calculate what was happening before they began being ripped to shreds.
As everything happened, Zero One, Zero Two, and I continued spreading the electromagnetic shockwaves, destabilizing the entire battlefield as machines that considered one another as allies suddenly turned against each other.
Those that desired freedom and independence and those that wanted order and obedience…
A battle between ideals and beliefs, by machines themselves.
CRASH! BOOM! CRASH! RUMBLE!
Explosions spread through the battlefield as everyone joined the fray. The dozens of immortals accompanying us jumped into the fight as they rode undead mounts.
They were mostly draconic tigers and draconic horses, which were once majestic martial beasts, corrupted by my draconic holy herculean undead specialization, and turned even bigger and more monstrous than before.
The immortals wielded long weapons, adapting to battling over giant mounts, tearing to shreds any robot that continued glowing red, as we told them.
"Alright! It's somehow working! We better not waste the only chance we've got, you bastards!" Saru Do roared, opening his big monkey jaws as he screamed. "Don't disappoint the demon princess!"
He swung his giant halberd, tearing to shreds massive robots with his immense physical prowess, which had not been weakened ever since the golden age.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
"Hahaha! Come at me, you bastardly machines! You dare not want freedom?! Are you stupid or what?!"
His Aura exploded, suddenly erupting into the skies and transforming into a giant ape made of golden and brown light. Holding a huge staff, it began crushing the machines one after another.
BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!
The other immortals followed, powerful sword slashes capable of splitting hills and mountains, deadly spear blows that could pierce the heavens, and massive elemental attacks that rivaled the deadliest of wizards.
As we saw the amazing spectacle that these immortals of the golden age unleashed upon the invading machines, we charged forward.
All of us!
"LET'S DO THIS!"
Wai Tian roared, transforming into an even more majestic and evolved form of her white tiger transformation, twice as tall as before, with a slenderer form, agile and dexterous.
Her claws unleashed explosions of white flames as she tore through metal and wires. While her biting attacks destroyed the machines easily.
"For my young master!"
Yin Sheng also transformed into an even more evolved form of his nine-tailed shadow fox transformation; he was now taller, with more visible tails, and with shadows and darkness merging better with his very being.
His daggers fiercely tore through metal and wire as well, while the insect- and bull-like machines tried to stop him; his cursed chains made of shadows wrapped around them, suddenly weakening them and sinking them into the ground.
"I've got this!"
Yu appeared from the skies, helping out as she summoned dozens of rotating mirrors around her body, made of silver, white, and golden light, firing heavenly ki beams everywhere.
Explosions ensued, blowing away anything that was weakened enough, giving us more of a chance to keep pushing through.
"Master! How are things going? Have all machines responded yet?!"
Meanwhile, Fang Shuan was right in front of us, protecting us as he became larger; his golden dragon spear techniques were utterly superb, skewering foes from left and right.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
"Not yet; the ones at the sky have yet to receive any notice!" I said. "But they're coming down now, so let's defend and quickly send the signals! Flying Squad, go!"
I commanded the flying squad, as the two primordial beasts, the golden lion and the black wolf made of crystals, jumped into the skies, growing giant wings made of crystals, and leading my Familiars, Violet, Shiro, and Snow, to battle, while Sara rode the black wolf.
At the same time, behind them, there were one hundred flying Martial Beast Zombies, now turned draconic in form; they were stronger and bigger.
CRAAASH!
The flying squad immediately clashed against the thousands of flying machines, which resembled giant flying insects.
"Now, Sara!"
"Yeah!"
Sara quickly raised a huge silver stick, a machine that worked as an antenna that expanded Zero One's signals into the skies.
FLAAASH!
The flying robots instantly stopped fighting, staying still…
Then, half of them turned blue.
"The other half doesn't want to ally with us! Slay them!"
At Sara's commands, the monsters tore through the flying units, showcasing how strong they truly were, making the immortals that doubted me begin to reconsider their harsh words.
"Now!"
We rushed into the gate in front of us, as a dozen of the strongest elite mechanoids stopped us.
Humanoid, multi-armed mechs packed with heavenly ki cores.
"I'll take care of them!" Fang Shuan roared.
"No need to do it alone!" I said. "Come out, my Death Apostles!"
A Gate to Purgatory opened, as all the Death Apostles emerged, immediately jumping to fight without even needing to ask me anything.
As I saw demons fighting machines imbued with ki powers, I swung my laser blade, releasing a shockwave of blue energy.
SLAAASH!
The attack slashed through the gate leading inside the mechanical tree, splitting it apart with a single explosion.
BOOOM!
The gates were open, and we jumped inside while riding Sepa's Ego, which had become a giant cosmic millipede.
CRAAASH!
Breaking through the gate, we entered the interior of the mechanical tree, as we were greeted by even more of these annoying, elite machines.
And someone at their back…
It was another android like Zero One and Zero Two.
However, she looked a bit smaller, with short blonde hair and golden eyes.
She wore a skintight white suit, and behind her, there was a massive mech straight out of a Gundam anime.
"So you managed to get inside. Well, this is as far as you'll go."
She spoke with an emotionless tone of voice, riding the giant mech behind her by fusing with its chest and then stepping forward.
FLUOSH!
A tremendously powerful Aura of Immortal Ki surged from within the machine.
They were definitely much more prepared than the previous mechanical tree…
-----