"Alright, let's begin the modification. According to this design from Faust, you will undergo a complete transformation and become absolute killing machines."
The titan's core crackled with static. "...We 【tower-builders】 were created to build the Tower of Babel. Killing life and tearing the earth asunder is not our duty."
"Our existence is solely for the welfare of humanity... to create the Kingdom of No Stories..."
"Shut up!"
Seeing that the titans still had objections, Selena couldn't help but slap the central sphere and shout, "You're acting like you're doing this against your will! Where exactly is the Tower of Babel making its fortune now?"
"I have no interest in things of the distant past. To wallow in self-pity over an irreversible tragedy is an ugly sight. If you want to create something, do it now and look toward the future!"
"When even survival is a problem, do you really have time to cling to your pedantic dogmas?!"
Under the princess's forceful dominance, the frost-walker's small protest failed to make a ripple. Although the intelligence of these alchemical creations had reached an almost inconceivable level—to the point where it wouldn't be strange if they possessed souls—their underlying code ultimately took effect.
As the 【Snow White】 who could soothe machine spirits, she was the master they had to obey.
Thus, under Selena's direction, a massive overhaul of the units began.
All modules in stock were reassembled and reconstructed, and then...
The reborn module, poisonous module, taunt module, windfury module, rush module, divine shield module, replication module... piece after piece was installed and then removed from the titan's body.
The blueprint left by Faust treated all seven titans as raw materials. Every part of the 【tower-builders】 except for their cores was to have its essence extracted and melted together to eventually create what Mephistopheles called... the peak mecha of the Golden Age.
Legend had it that during the Golden Age, a single "Zilliax" model mecha could camp at the entrance of a fiend's nest and start a slaughter. It was terrifying.
Since the preparations had been completed long ago and the blueprint's layout was exceptionally clear, the "Zilliax" reached its preliminary stage of modification within a few days with the full cooperation of all frost-walkers.
The essence of all the titans—whether it was the mana circuits, the computing cores, or the ancient alloys—those non-renewable and hard-to-replicate products were all gathered together.
Compared to the hundred-meter-tall Great Titans, the seven-in-one Zilliax had its size cut by more than half.
But in terms of power, it was vastly superior to the seven knock-off titans that had been instantly killed by the grail knight.
Selena stood on the bridge, took a few steps back, and said, "Not bad. Move a bit, and remember to say the lines."
Whirrr—
Accompanied by the sound of the furnace core under load, the massive modified mecha bent its knees and arms, the glow of mana flowing over its brand-new metal shell.
"Unity. Precision. Perfection..."
A magnetic voice rang out. Even though it was just a synthesized voice of an alchemical construct, one could seemingly hear an arrogance and wildness that looked down on everything within it.
"Primitive!!"
Selena looked at the refreshed, tall machine and said, "Yes, now that looks like something. Although the color scheme is a bit ugly, your spirit is quite high. The beauty of a machine still depends on the sense of flow."
"Speaking of which, you don't have a name yet?"
The titan's core responded, "Our identification code is..."
"Not a serial number! How can numbers count as a name?" Selena interrupted, her hands behind her back. "Since Faust designated this modification as Zilliax, then your combined state shall be called Zilliax."
The titan's core replied, "...Understood."
Just as Selena intended to continue testing Zilliax's performance to see if she could use this unit to forcibly break through the fortress defenses, another message came from the central sphere beside her.
"Princess, a unit has broken away from the enemy's ranks and is heading toward our base. They are requesting entry into the town."
The princess of Midwinter smiled upon hearing this and brushed her long black hair over her shoulder. "Oh? Another group of defectors surrendering to my charisma? This is nothing unusual. Just incorporate them into the combat sequence. There's no need for me to decide on such matters."
"It's different... They claim to be the royal guard of the Qingxi Kingdom, and they are here to find Lord Faust."
Clack—
Selena's black boots stopped, making a crisp sound.
"Faust's subordinates?"
The black-haired girl rested her hand on her chin, falling into thought.
She remembered Faust had indeed said before that if the prince hadn't returned by autumn, the Qingxi Kingdom would send people to find him.
Furthermore, Faust had mentioned that the key to solving the curse lay with the group of Qingxi people coming to Midwinter.
"It's not even autumn yet. They've arrived early."
Selena said calmly, "But since they are here for Faust, let their leader wait at the mansion. I will go meet them."
Regardless of the circumstances, Faust was her guardian knight in the Midwinter Kingdom and had been lost because of her. It was only right for the princess to explain the situation in person.
A moment later, Selena returned to the mansion in the center of town. This place had originally been the local administrative office, but after the frost-walkers moved in, it had been turned into a simple alchemical base centered around this building.
Viviana had been invited into the mansion after entering the town. The large waiting room was surrounded by heavy bookshelves, with several tables, chairs, and chaise longues nearby.
As evening approached, the dim yellow lamps provided warm lighting for the waiting room.
The pale-gold-haired girl sat upright on a sofa covered with a rug. While waiting, she took off her hood and flipped through a magazine at her side.
Her slightly curly pale gold hair almost merged with the dim yellow light as it draped over her shoulders.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her soft cheeks were flawless and untainted by dust.
Faust always described Viviana's appearance as being as picturesque as a poem and otherworldly.
This childhood friend herself was like a being that had stepped out of a midnight dream, destined to return to a fairy tale book after a single night's dance.
When Selena arrived on the second floor of the waiting room and looked down, she saw such a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
"Hoh..."
Snow White couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She gazed at Viviana's profile, her lips curling into a subtle smile.
Then, Selena walked down the stairs and approached Viviana.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Viviana closed the magazine and looked up.
The gazes of the two witches met at this moment, and time seemed to freeze.
Clear, pure silver eyes met magnificent, radiant purple eyes. Both pairs of beautiful eyes revealed a look of amazement, as well as... a hint of hostility.
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