Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 138 Watcher

"I am the last 'Watcher' of the Mechanicum, created to watch over the Soul Forge." Her voice was still gentle, yet it held undeniable authority. "This knife is indeed the key, but what it truly unlocks is not the forge, but my complete form."

The system suddenly issued a sharp alarm in Robin's mind:

[Highest authority mechanical body detected]

[Emergency protocol activated: God-killing program loading.]

The mechanical heart's beating suddenly became disordered, and the cold mechanical sound became rapid:

[Traitor Detected]

【Execute the cleanup procedure】

The entire underwater clock tower began to vibrate violently, and countless mechanical tentacles stretched out from the walls and attacked the two.

Melinda's mechanical wings suddenly spread out, forming a protective force field.

"Now you understand why the Round Table sent you." Her voice remained calm amidst the battle. "Your dual souls are meant to be a weapon to restrain me."

Robin's dagger suddenly pointed uncontrollably at Melinda, the tip of the knife flashing a dangerous red light.

The system prompts ruthlessly:
[Target Locked: Mechanical Divine Carrier]

[Execute clear: Yes/No?]

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

Communication was suddenly interrupted.

Melinda smiled wryly at Robin. "Now, make your choice. Kill me and stop the furnace, or..."

She suddenly reached out and pressed her hand on the mechanical heart: "Trust me, let's rewrite this wrong world together."

The countdown has reached the last thirty seconds.

The entire seabed began to emit an ominous hum, as if a sleeping giant was waking up.
Robin's mind was in a mess, not understanding what was going on.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that his two souls coexist. It must be because his soul that traveled through time and space merged with the original host's soul that he was targeted.

The beating of the mechanical heart echoed like a death-defying drumbeat inside the inverted bell tower.

Robin gripped the Tang sword tightly, and the original short sword slowly turned into liquid, flowing towards the Tang sword and merging with it. The mechanical patterns on the sword had all lit up, producing a strange resonance with the surrounding gear devices.

"Melinda, you--" Robin turned his head, only to find that her silver eyes were shining like a stream of data.

"I'm sorry, Robin." Melinda's voice suddenly became mechanical. "I lied to you."

Her body began to break down and reassemble, and a sophisticated gear structure emerged from beneath her skin.

When the transformation was complete, the being standing before Robin was a semi-mechanical life form—a perfect fusion of silver metal and flesh, with three pairs of glowing mechanical wings extending from its back.

"I am the last 'Watcher' of the Mechanicum, created to watch over the Soul Forge." Her voice was still gentle, yet it held undeniable authority. "This knife is indeed the key, but what it truly unlocks is not the forge, but my complete form."

The system suddenly issued a sharp alarm in Robin's mind:

[Highest authority mechanical body detected]

[Emergency protocol activated: God-killing program loading.]

The mechanical heart's beating suddenly became disordered, and the cold mechanical sound became rapid:

[Traitor Detected]

【Execute the cleanup procedure】

The entire underwater clock tower began to vibrate violently, and countless mechanical tentacles stretched out from the walls and attacked the two.

Melinda's mechanical wings suddenly spread out, forming a protective force field.

"Now you understand why the Round Table sent you." Her voice remained calm amidst the battle. "Your twin soul will serve as the complement to my own shortcomings."

Robin's dagger suddenly uncontrollably pointed at Melinda, the tip flashing a dangerous red light. The system prompt ruthlessly displayed: [Target Locked: Mechanical Divine Carrier]

[Execute clear: Yes/No?]

The tremors on the seafloor suddenly stopped. The countdown froze eerily at "00:00:05."

Where Melinda's palm touched the mechanical heart, a dazzling silver-blue light burst out.

"Finally. I've waited for this moment." Her mechanical wings fully unfolded, revealing a metal skeleton engraved with ancient runes. "Robin, the true name of this blade is 'Judgment'. It's used to execute out-of-control systems."

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

[Warning! Core protocol tampering detected]

【Emergency countermeasures initiated】

A sharp pain hit him, and Robin's vision was suddenly covered in blood red.

He saw his arm raise the Tang sword uncontrollably, with the tip of the sword pointing at Melinda's back.

"Go." Robin squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, his muscles trembling as he resisted the system's control.

Melinda smiled with relief. "That's why you need the Judge." She suddenly turned and stepped forward to face Blade. "I've waited three hundred years for this day!"

The moment the tip of the knife pierced, the entire underwater clock tower lit up with countless silver-blue light paths.

The outer shell of the mechanical heart peeled away, revealing a beating ball of pure energy within. Robin could clearly feel his soul, originally "Robin," being ripped away, and a sharp pain erupted.

"what"

His consciousness split in severe pain - half was still the "knife-wielder" controlled by the system, and the other half was his true self, watching all this through the bloody vision.

Odom's voice finally came through: "—The system is the core consciousness of the original Crucible! It has been controlling the Round Table Council!"

Unfortunately, Robin didn't hear his last words.

The frozen countdown suddenly accelerated wildly to zero.

00:00:00
A strong light enveloped the entire clock tower, and then the inverted mechanical temple began to collapse.

Cress stood on the broken gear platform, watching all this in astonishment. He reached out with a trembling hand, trying to grasp the scattered energy points, but only grabbed a handful of nothingness.

"How is this possible?" His mechanical eye burst into sparks due to overload. "My plan. My..."

The lake water rushed in, drowning his roar in the roar of twisting steel.

When Robin opened his eyes again, he was standing on the shore of the lake in the city of Obeidi.

In the morning light, the lake water gently beats against the rocks, as if the stormy waves of last night had never happened.

His Tang sword lay quietly in his hand, but the Tang sword had become very unfamiliar now, and Robin could not recognize it at all.

In the distance, Bafia was organizing the Knights to clean up the ruins.

Odom's chain was missing a piece, but he was smiling more easily than ever.

When asked about what happened last night, all the survivors remembered was a sudden earthquake on the bottom of the lake.

Apparently, the Round Table Council and the Knights Guild joined forces to suppress the matter. The three parties seemed to have reached some kind of agreement, and the Wizard Council would honestly withdraw from the three western provinces.

Suddenly, Robin felt something on his chest and subconsciously reached out to grab it.

It turned out to be a square crystal plate.

Suddenly, blue text appeared on it.

"I'll come pick you up in three years! - Melinda."

(End of this chapter)