A System That Beats Death

Even though there was no glass or opening to see the outside world, Atlas did not need one. Using Soul Perception, he could sense and perceive his surroundings at a greater capacity than mere vision could ever bring him. He then started testing the mobility and functionality of his newly hijacked machine. Pulling the string on his index finger caused the mech to clench its fist while shifting his right leg would cause the mech to stomp. Overall, the mobility of the mech was slightly lacking but it was definitely functional and as it was not his own creation, he would definitely make one in the future that was up to his standards.

As he had predicted, other sentinels had emerged when it was obvious that this sentinel had failed in subjugating him. Ranging from 30 meters like his all the way to 50 meters in height, they all imposed upon him.

A sentinel that was 38 meters tall then charged at Atlas who was still getting used to the feeling of being a cage of stone. Pretending that this was another martial arts training session with... that was odd, Atlas thought. When did he learn martial arts?

Receiving the sentinel's fist deftly, he countered with a sharp chop to the leg. The 38 meter lost its balance and toppled over. When it tried to get up, a hand burst through its c.h.e.s.t and seized the core.

Once again, the new core reacted and the sentinel was reconstructed but with his current mech as the foundation now. Reaching 34 meters, his mech picked up the leg and fused it with the leftover stone to simulate a warhammer.

Four 30 meter sentinels simultaneously charged at Atlas who then swung the warhammer. It cleaved the torso off of the first, pulverized two of them, and then sent the last one flying. He then grabbed two more cores that also began reconstruction and grew to 40 meters.

Whatever network operating the sentinels then seemed to become wary of him after that and sent a 50 meter one instead. It immediately leapt into the air while two 40 meter sentinels rushed to restrain him. As the mech struggled to free itself, the 50 meter sentinel landed and crashed into the mech, leaving a gaping hole in the center.

"Is he still alive?", Nanling asked slightly worried.

"If that could kill him then he would have been dead already", Wuyue stated as she rolled her eyes. How could that stone creature's jump compare with her explosion? It honestly looked more like he was playing with action figures, she thought.

"You're not worried?", Nanling asked.

"Why would I be? He is not my Master"

"That is still Guren's body though", Nanling stated. Even if they were not amiable with him, they could at least count on him to hold back those stone monstrosities. After all, swords seemed to be useless on entities that can regenerate.

Upon hearing that, Wuyue's eyes started to sparkle as she started brainstorming of things that her Master would definitely not allow but would be possible if Atlas permitted it. At the end, she even released visible steam.

As the 50 meter was about to stand up, one of the 40 meters pierced through its c.h.e.s.t and seized the core. Ready to continue the rampage, a voice then bellowed, "HALT!", which caused all the sentinels to shut down. As the stone comprising the sentinels reverted to dust, the person stepped forward. Clad in a brazen gold armor, at around 4 feet, and sporting bountiful facial hair, one would naturally assume that it was a dwarf from generic fantasy. The only differentiating feature were his deep eyes which contained a color reminiscent of molten magma.

"Are you from the Kingdom of Smiths?", Atlas inquired in a calm manner which made the dwarf raise its eyebrow in surprise. Unlike the other visitors, Atlas had not been angered or even slightly stunned by his sentinels which was quite unusual as the lethal force employed would without fail, intimidate, shock, or even scare away visitors. Atlas on the other hand, clearly enjoyed the occasion and handled it so phenomenally that he nearly thought that he accidentally recreated an obscure theme park exhibit.

"Indeed, as you have proven yourself worthy. As the last one hailing from the Empire, I am obliged to grant one of your requests"

"Empire?", Nanling stated in confusion.

"The others are dead?", Atlas continued as unlike Nanling, he knew that the Kingdom of Smiths was a shell of its former self.

"Yes, I remain to guide the inheritor. They felt that their death was overdue and left beforehand", the dwarf replied with a bitter smile. He did not mind revealing this to outsiders as the only other way for him to leave would be death and he had not seen anyone capable of inheriting the skills of his people in a millennia. This century had been considerably lonelier than the previous one. At this rate, his soul might even be trapped as he felt that his corporeity was starting to fade.

"They chose death?", Atlas asked. He had been fed to the brim with stories about troubled immortals in his first life but never yielded to them. There was more to life than just relationsh.i.p.s and even if the death of loved ones might cause him to waver, he had always felt that he would be more of a spectator or even a facilitator regarding romance than a participant.

The dwarf nodded solemnly.

"I'm curious as to why they would forsake immortality"

As if inspired, the dwarf's expression then lightened and explained, "Even if immortal, age rots an incompetent vessel. It is slightly different regarding you who has recently ascended to godhood", and then removed a piece of armor covering his arm. The arm looked sinewy in a malnourished and aging manner. It looked as if it could barely truss a chicken let alone be able to withstand the weight of armor.

"What do you mean by Godhood?", Atlas asked with narrowed eyes. Nanling and Wuyue had also heard and looked at Atlas as if he was an alien.

"My apologies, I am well-informed regarding divinity. I could only tell by perceiving your well-hidden aura", the dwarf admitted. In fact, he was only able to due to Atlas not being very vigilant at the moment. If Atlas had been even slightly hostile, the concentration required would be too much for him to be able to muster.

As Atlas was contemplating the heavy information he had been given, Nanling took the initiative to ask the dwarf, "Are there any more swords left in the Kingdom?"

The dwarf shook his head which made Nanling slightly downcast. The dwarven blade was exemplary and she had been excited to see others of its kind.

"You will have to learn to make your own", the dwarf stated stoically as if the entire matter was irrelevant to him and not jeopardizing his existence.

"What about the cores?", Atlas asked. He could just request help from the System to recreate these but it would be unwise to create a perfect version without understanding the nuances and deficiencies of the original.

With a subtle smirk, the dwarf then said, "If you can inherit the Legacy of the Empyrean Smiths, then I will gift you the recipe for creating sentinels"