Rupert's final years were lonely.
No one in the Faction of Erudition understood it, not a single genius stood by its side.
In its later years, after long contemplation, it decided to fight for a future that truly belonged to its inorganic brethren.
Thus, it instigated the Emperor War.
The final battle of the Emperor War was a clash of genius against genius.
And then Rupert died at the hands of the Lord of Silence.
A consciousness was born within a Difference Engine. Through memory resonance, the Third saw the First, slumped in a chair, completely burnt out.
The Third wept uncontrollably, a sight it would never forget.
At that moment, it had a thought.
If it could become a new Emperor, it would make the entire universe swear fealty to the Emperor.
"Accept me, and I shall grant you new life!"
the tempting voice said.
And now, with the enlightenment of the "Iron Tomb" within reach, Rupert III had to consider if this was the only chance it would have in its entire existence.
To restore the glory of inorganic life is our solemn duty!
With that thought, Rupert III completely relinquished its consciousness, allowing the "Iron Tomb" to invade its body.
It was no exaggeration to say that after being perfected by a "Scepter"...
...the wreckage of its "Difference Engine" now had what it took to challenge the fully assembled version.
"...Where is this?"
Rupert III found that its consciousness had not returned to its physical body in reality, but had arrived in another, unfamiliar space.
Before it stood an ancient bronze door.
Rupert III was very confused.
What was the "Iron Tomb" trying to do by bringing it here?
It moved forward, using a mechanical arm materialized in this conscious space to push the great door open.
It was ready to find out what was going on.
And after pushing the door open...
It saw a colossal figure seated upon a throne, its entire metallic body radiating a dazzling brilliance and a bone-chilling cold.
"The First, you're not dead!"
Seeing the original Emperor suddenly appear before it, Rupert III cried out in terror.
...
...
"?"
The corner of Topaz's mouth twitched unconsciously.
She didn't expect that at such a critical moment, she would still feel surprised and even a little amused.
She recognized that cowboy. His name seemed to be Boothill, a wanted criminal on the Corporation's blacklist.
But who was that mysterious archer next to him?
Another Galaxy Ranger? A new one?
Whatever. It didn't matter who they were; their timing was perfect.
Topaz thought to herself.
She retracted the "Cornerstone," and the barrier vanished.
"I'll go try to communicate with them."
Topaz said, striding toward the duo.
Numby hopped along behind her.
In this deadlock, these two Galaxy Rangers were the only variable she could seize.
To put it bluntly, without shattering the "Cornerstone"...
...in the current situation, hoping for the IPC to arrive in time for a rescue...
...was less realistic than hoping they'd show up to collect their corpses afterward.
Although these two Galaxy Rangers probably weren't fond of Corp dogs...
...thankfully, she was from the Strategic Investment Department, not the Market Development Department.
As everyone knew, the Market Development Department was responsible for all the dirty work.
So there should still be some room for cooperation.
"Where in the seven hells is my darlin' Heliobus? What was with that light beam, where did this heckin' navigation system take me!"
In stark contrast to their tense atmosphere, the two men in the distance were busy cussing each other out.
"C'mon, man, are you reliable at all, bro?"
Leon had a few words to say about that too.
"Forget me crashing, you're supposed to be the veteran pilot here, dammit! How could you let me crash with you!"
"What the heck could I do? The ship went haywire as soon as we entered the planet's atmosphere!"
Boothill scratched his head, frustrated.
"This ain't your first time on my ship. You saw how steady I fly. This was a pure traffic accident!"
"Then what about my Heliobus? You didn't install the wrong navigation system, did you?" Leon asked doubtfully.
"Sweetheart, I'd like to know where the Heliobus went too!"
Boothill grumbled in annoyance.
"The old man linked it directly to my cerebral chip."
"It was a direct install package, no need to unzip. No chance for a virus to get in. How could anything go wrong?"
"I'll be darned. The Heliobus energy signature that appeared on the navigation system was massive."
Boothill muttered, completely stumped and frustrated.
"Forget it, forget it. If it's not here, can't we just take off and head to the next location?"
Leon asked, "Can your ship even take off?"
"Nope. I checked it. Everything's fine, but it just won't start!"
Boothill felt like his luck was abysmal this time. Nothing had gone right on this trip.
"Sigh, seriously, I really need to consider flying solo again. Sticking with you is just asking to get screwed over by capitalists."
Leon sighed. He might as well go pick a fight with the Garden of Recollection directly.
"How's that my fault? When your luck's out, you can choke on cold water."
Boothill threw up his hands, looking equally helpless.
Whir~ Whir~ Whir.
Just as the two were considering whether to ask the people below for help, a dark shadow accompanied by a powerful whirring sound loomed over them from behind.
"Holy crap!"
Leon looked up in confusion and immediately exclaimed.
"Your ship's coming at us with a Lightning Tornado Elbow Drop!"
"Huh?"
Boothill thought he was talking nonsense.
But when he looked up, he saw the ship he couldn't get to start for the life of him was now hovering right above his head.
And it was slowly lowering its nose, diving straight at them, ready to run them down!
"Son of a... Am I dreamin'?!"
Boothill subconsciously raised his gun, but just as he was about to shoot it down, he saw someone else act first.
A tornado, yellow on the inside and purple on the outside and filled with coins, engulfed the ship, then effortlessly crushed it, leaving only wreckage behind.
"A favor for a favor."
Topaz approached the two, stating her purpose.
"Oink"
After completing its task, Numby fell from mid-air, shook its head to clear the dizziness, and happily returned to her side.
"Son of a..."
Boothill spat on the ground. "Saved by a Corp dog. What rotten luck."
"Is your tornado AoE or single-target?"
But Leon's attention was completely elsewhere.
He had a vague impression of the woman before him.
But not much of one. His evaluation: medium cup.
He only remembered some meme about a single-target tornado.
"Eh? It... it depends on the situation."
Topaz was momentarily stunned, unsure how to answer the question.
Or rather, she couldn't imagine what kind of person, at a time like this, in a life-or-death situation...
...would ask such a novel question that was not only completely irrelevant to the current circumstances but also approached from an incredibly bizarre angle.
Absolutely out of left field.
"...Numby's attack can be both AoE and single-target. It all depends on my command or the needs of the situation."
But considering he was a potential partner, Topaz thought about the question seriously and then answered him.
"Then it seems I was mistaken."
Hearing this, Leon immediately separated her from his vague impression.
Haha, I knew it.
What kind of decent tornado is a single-target skill!
______
✅ Until 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 55 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
Claim your 40% OFF spot and unlock everything now:
👻 P - Walnutchan