2026-01-18 08:40:54“Calm down!” said the Rust Worm, his voice rising an octave. “Look, it’s open!”
He opened the suitcase lid with a quick jerk.
Valerius leaned forward, squinting. Inside was no gold. Or a pile of glowing power cells. The suitcase was empty. Except for a small black device affixed to its center. A red LED light blinked on it.
“It's not gold,” said Valerius.
“No,&rd
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CHAPTER 109: NANO ASSASSIN
Valerius rolled under the table ruins right when the second nano assassin thrusted its elongating finger to his head position earlier. That heavy wooden table split in two.Valerius drew his spare dagger which was a small weapon that felt like a toy compared to the enemy in front of him and tried to find an opening."Use heat!" shouted Rask.The old man fired a shot from his rifle towards the first assassin. That large-caliber bullet pierced that silver body, creating a large hole, but that hole immediately closed again in seconds as the liquid metal fused back."They need a stable temperature to maintain their form integrity! Burn them!" shouted Rask.Rask tried to reach the emergency steam tank in the corner of the shack, but the third assassin blocked his way, transforming its body into a sharp net sweeping towards the old General.Rask was pinned between
CHAPTER 108: ASSASSIN SHADOWS
"You dare lecture me about guilt, Boy?! I saw ten thousand people burn to death just because of one order of mine!"Corvus Rask's voice exploded. The old man moved with terrifying speed for someone his age.Before Valerius had time to blink, Rask's large and calloused hand had already grabbed the collar of the boy's mantle and jerked him until Valerius's back slammed against the hot steam reactor pillar.The metal glass on the table tipped over, and its contents spilled soaking the ancient military schematics that for two decades had been covered in dust. Rask's gray eyes that previously looked dead and dim, now ignited with rage.The distance between their faces was only a few inches; Valerius could smell the sharp aroma of cheap gin, stale tobacco, and self-loathing that had been boiling for twenty years."You want to know what it feels like to be a legend?" hissed Rask now lowering his voice to a whisper far more terrifying than his shout earlier. "A legend is when you trigger a st
CHAPTER 107: THE NIHILIST'S HERMITAGE
"Lower your weapon and leave. I am done with the wars of children and dead kings."That voice was heavy, hoarse like the friction of stones, and sounded colder than the blizzard that was raging around them.Through the blinding white curtain of ice, the muzzle of a large-caliber sniper rifle remained extended stably, aiming right at the point between Valerius's eyes.Valerius froze in his place. He could seemingly feel the cold air from that rifle barrel even though their distance was still separated by a few meters.Behind him, Grimbolt reflexively activated his hydraulic system. The Titanium-X plates on his arms clinked when preparing to make a counterattack."Do not move, Grimbolt," whispered Valerius. His breath came out in fast puffs of steam. He raised both his numb hands into the air and let his ice axe fall to the snow. "General Rask... I do not come to fight.""Everyone who brings iron that big comes to fight, Kid," replied that giant silhouette then slowly stepped out from t
CHAPTER 106: THE FROZEN LAND
One month later.The blizzard roared like thousands of hungry wolves, tearing apart the ice mist that shrouded the peaks of the Rust Mountains. Visibility was no more than two meters.Every breath Valerius took immediately turned into ice crystals clinging to the hood of his mantle. The copper wire mesh inside his mantle glowed a faint orange, struggling hard to maintain Valerius's body temperature at a stable thirty-six degrees.At thirteen years old, Valerius's body had been forged by the harshness of camp life. However, the cold of these mountains was an enemy that could not be fought. Even though the mantle given by Edna tried to provide warmth, he still suffered from severe cold."Grimbolt... functional... status?" Valerius asked with violent trembling, his teeth chattering even though the mantle felt warm against his skin."Internal chassis temperature... minus forty-five d
CHAPTER 105: CORVUS RASK
"We have the Thorne forces and the rebel remnants, but we lack a strategist to pierce Kael's true Praetorian Nanotech formation."Lady Aris Thorne's voice broke the silence in the main hall of Grind Valley. Three days had passed since the wreckage of the "Tyranny" Air Fortress crashed into the Wasteland.The hall was still filled with lingering dust. However, the scent of victory could be smelled from the warm soup being distributed to the citizens.Valerius stood beside Grimbolt, who was sitting on a large platform. The giant robot was undergoing intensive repairs by Edna to stabilize its Titanium-X integrity post-fall.Valerius turned toward Lady Thorne. The leader of the Western Clan stood tall in her elegant black dress, which looked in stark contrast in the middle of the still-grimy cave."Tyranny is destroyed, Lady Thorne. Our skies are clear," Valerius replied. His voice now carried an authority that could not be ignored.Lady Thorne stared at Valerius and said, "The skies are
CHAPTER 104: PROTECTORS
Valerius looked up, staring at Bartholomew with streaming tears. The mute giant only gave a single slow nod, a thin smile carved behind his dirty mask. Bartholomew had redeemed his duty, which was to protect what Grimbolt could not protect at that time.An immense relief flooded Valerius's chest. His mother survived. The chain of past failures had been broken.However, that relief was soon replaced by a new sting of anxiety. Valerius slowly released his hug, then looked back toward the Wasteland expanse, where a giant pillar of black smoke soared touching the sky from the crash site of the Tyranny Fortress.One of his protectors had saved his mother on earth. But his other protector had just fallen from the sky.Valerius wiped his tears roughly, his eyes now radiating an undeniable firmness. He stared at Bastian who had just come out of the bunker with Edna."Bastian. Prepare a T
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