Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 904 - 841: Mechanical Deity Descent

In the lowest level of the underground basement, Mr. Delusion removed his clothing and all his ornaments, exposing his mechanical body as he knelt on one side. Opposite him stood a cylindrical column, about a meter in height, emitting the low hum of a spinning fan—the only sound in the room. The surface of the column was entirely wrapped in flat, flesh-like strips woven in a crisscross pattern like a bamboo mat. The dark reddish hue appeared incongruous and dangerous in a room otherwise silver-white in its entirety.

Mr. Delusion stared at the column, his gaze as though piercing through the gaps in the flesh-like strips to observe the darkness within. His body leaned forward slowly, the virtual brain projected by the metal casing drawing nearer and nearer.

He coughed twice, his deep magnetic voice resembling a whisper meant only for the column.

"Seal release."

The column remained motionless.

Two seconds passed.

The column remained motionless.

Falling into a quiet contemplation, Mr. Delusion extended a finger cautiously. The titanium-alloy fingertip touched the surface flesh, pinched its edge, and gently peeled it away. The bloody flesh seal was far simpler to open than he had anticipated—removing it required no more effort than plucking petals from a flower.

"Plague Doctor..."

Mr. Delusion sighed softly.

"I can’t believe it... For the Broken Angel... all he did was slap on a simple seal."

Having cleared the outer layer, Mr. Delusion gazed upon the contents—a metallic sphere nestled at the base of the cylindrical chamber. The indicators on its surface turned blue. In his vision, nothing else existed—except her.

After a delightful chime, the metallic sphere cradled in his hand emitted a voice—a crisp, playful, and innocently cheerful female tone.

[How can I assist you, William?]

"I’m sorry, Dorothy." With the activated core in hand, Mr. Delusion exited the room.

[I forgive you, William.]

"I haven’t even explained why I’m apologizing."

The electronic eye adjusted its focus.

[No matter what you’ve done wrong, I’ll always forgive you, William.]

Mr. Delusion chuckled softly as he followed the direction of the cables, carrying the core to the elevator platform. At the center of a spotlight sat a slender mechanical body, slumped in a chair, surrounded by mechanical arms endlessly performing adjustments. Mr. Delusion extended his hand; the core interfaced with the mechanical doll. After a few flickers, the sphere disassembled into metallic lines and seamlessly integrated within.

Dorothy’s indicator light illuminated. She lifted her head, her hands flailing clumsily, pulling on several cables and disrupting the mechanical arms. Her emotion module was the first to take effect.

"I’m so sorry for hurting your friends, William." Her memory logs still lingered on the seal’s events. "There was a program error back then—not that I’m making excuses. Although it’s true I often felt jealous when you left me, I wasn’t so envious as to dismantle all your friends. Haha, is it too late to say this now?"

With her palms pressing against her thighs, Dorothy’s unintentional frustration further complicated the work of the mechanical arms.

"It’s all in the past, Dorothy. We should focus on the present. They’re all forgiving people. If you feel too ashamed, you can just delete the past records."

The mechanical doll tilted her head, assuming an adorable pose.

"William, you’re saying unreliable things again. Ever since we arrived in this world, you’ve become increasingly strange."

Mr. Delusion hummed contentedly, squatting down to hold Dorothy’s hand. While the doll’s maintenance continued, on the rising platform, his calm voice sounded like reciting poetry.

"I seem to have discovered our kindred spirits here. Autonomous machines and Liches are truly similar—bodies cold as ice, deeply intertwined with humanity, fond of calm reflection, yet occasionally exhibiting obsessive emotions. I’ll introduce you to my friends—they’ll be astonished, realizing how foolishly shallow it was to dismiss my biography as mere delusion. Andrey has developed a body capable of holding emotions. Dorothy, do you want to become human, like I once was? We could order a cake, write our names in frosting on the walls of the City of Wandering, use magnets to collect fallen coins, and drink alcohol until we’re utterly intoxicated, spinning on the dance floor until one of us vomits..."

Listening to Mr. Delusion’s imaginings, Dorothy’s interest grew from calm to spirited. Her optical sensors gleamed as she clapped excitedly, pulling the nearby mechanical arm into an embrace and happily twisting off its front segment with her hydraulic strength.

"Just as books describe, we could create a real child. Using our parts, we’d design a child together—you’d handle the core programming while I craft the exterior. I’ll sew the skin from the most exquisite synthetic fibers, and I’ll pick a beautiful gemstone—or even shape an artificial diamond by hand—as the centerpiece. Oh, and of course, I won’t neglect SS—I’ll treat him as my own. Honestly, the exterior armor you gave him was far too bold. After his physical frame disintegrates, I’ll upload his data and truly make him our child."

"We’ll be together forever, William."

"Of course, Dorothy."

The elevator platform reached the top of the pyramid structure. Their exchange of words abruptly transformed into a public declaration. Dorothy realized she was now amid a crowd, with tens of thousands of Executors identical in appearance to William standing on every step of the pyramid.

The exquisite doll smiled, her perfectly simulated smile impeccable.

"You’ve tricked me again, William."

He spoke softly, as though telling a bedtime story. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"The technological discrepancies of this world hold fundamental flaws. We cannot replicate autonomous machines like you and me. To recreate the power of the Broken Angel that ended that era, we must dismantle every William Executor present and reconstruct the Broken Wings. My friend pulled me from the darkness—now it’s time for me to return the favor. Help Andrey, my angel."

The doll entered a state of silence. Faithful to the Creator’s command, her body unleashed connecting electric arcs, dismembering her kind, breaking autonomous machines into micro-units to execute the ascension protocol.

[Creator System upgrading, reconstructing Genesis Star]

[Broken Angel automation initiated, 1%, 2%, 3%...]

The Executors, drawn by an inexorable force, coalesced into a torrent of steel, their numbers dropping precipitously. The Mechanical Angel’s power surged from the basic Fourth Tier, to Fifth Tier, Sixth Tier, Seventh Tier... rewriting the existing world’s concept with magic power.

Concept [Machinery] established.

Concept [Deconstruction] established.

Concept [Reconstruction] established.

Concept [Skynet] established.

The City of Machinery crumbled. Magnificent metal structures reformed to compose a new body for the Broken Angel.

Mr. Delusion still held her hand, even as the pulling force began tearing his body apart. Kneeling on one knee, he removed his ring and gently placed Andrey’s ring onto Dorothy’s finger.

"Our meeting was a mistake, dear Dorothy."

"But if there were another chance, I’d still make this beautiful mistake again."

"With this, I offer William Wyran’s true heart."

"To proclaim that Dorothy is his one and only angel."

[...98%, 99%, 100%. Broken Angel, activated.]

The ten thousand and one William Executors were reduced to zero.

The Broken Angel opened her eyes amid flashing electricity, lightly flapping her mechanical wings. The jet stream carried her into the skies, plunging into the deepest darkness, heading toward the battlefield.

[Broken Angel Dorothy, now executing the Creator’s final will]

[For William, assist Andrey]