"Queen, Demon One is under bombardment. Our temporal shields are about to give out!"
"What? What's happening? Damn it!"
"Massive nuclear missiles and planet-class bombs! Over fifty thousand high-yield missiles detected and still increasing. Planet-class bombs are over eighty and counting!"
For the first time, panic spread across Mogiea's face, her complexion alternating between flushed and pale. She knew Demon One was doomed. Though the temporal shields could absorb and convert attack energy, they had an upper limit. The combined power of the detected missiles far exceeded this threshold.
"Atai, Ato, get Shuai out of here, as far as possible. She's a third-generation entity; her revival resources are immense. Do you understand?"
Without much thought, Mogiea urgently commanded. The situation was dire, and minimizing losses was critical. Shuai's survival was paramount.
Atai, Shuai, and Ato were present and heard Mogiea's orders.
"No, Queen, I'm not leaving. Let me stay with you!"
"Don't argue, Shuai. If you acknowledge me as your queen, then get out of here. Ato, Atai, take her away!"
"Yes, Queen!" Ato replied stoically, without complaint.
Mogiea stabilized herself after giving her orders. She had temporarily severed her connection to Demon One, allowing its computational power to focus on Shuai's escape. Meanwhile, she only had a portion of Karl's Big Clock computational power available, which still rivaled that of Demon One.
"You're both fools! Keisha, fallen freedom is the future of the universe, and ultimate fear is real. It will consume you someday! And you, Ethan, why must you oppose me? Joining the great, unparalleled Queen Mogiea on the path to the ultimate future of the universe isn't good enough for you?"
Furious, Mogiea launched both her demon claws at Ethan, accompanied by two dark Adamantite chains. Her intent to kill Ethan was evident, moving faster than he could react.
In an instant, Keisha's silver wings shielded him.
"You owe me an explanation!" Holy Keisha's voice echoed from behind Ethan.
Explanation? No way! Ethan ignored her, dodging the subsequent chains, and taunted Mogiea.
"What ultimate future? People haven't even figured out their own lives, yet you dare speak of the future? Ridiculous!"
"The universe is 13.7 billion years old. Who are you to talk about its ultimate future? You're just a clown!"
Ethan's seemingly casual retort carried weight, while Keisha eyed him with curiosity. After mocking Mogiea, Ethan turned to Keisha.
"Use your Holy Domain to immobilize her!"
Without waiting for Keisha's response, Ethan charged at Mogiea.
Silent, Holy Keisha pondered, "Ethan, what secrets do you hold?"
Enraged by Ethan's taunts, Mogiea prepared to attack but found herself immobilized again.
"Keisha, you witch!"
Mogiea screamed, but to no avail. Despite her enhancements, Holy Keisha could suppress her, especially now.
Seeing Mogiea trapped, Ethan took a deep breath, his eyes burning with vengeful fire. Clenching his dark Adamantite sword, he thrust it into Mogiea's chest.
No surprises; the sword pierced through her without resistance. Despite her third-generation body, it couldn't withstand the Adamantite weapon, which was lethal to super soldiers. However, it wasn't enough to kill Mogiea.
"Do you think this can kill me?" Mogiea, feeling the piercing pain, broke free from Keisha's hold and grabbed Ethan by the neck, lifting him.
Ethan didn't resist. Instead, he gripped her arm tightly, refusing to let go.
"Ha!"
"Mogiea, Lilith the Apocalypse King! Do you know Nova's nine million souls died in agony?"
Protected by his Nova Armor, Ethan remained unaffected, smiling at Mogiea. Suddenly, he roared, "You must die with them!"
"Aiden, detonate the heavy nuclear bomb!"
"Received, BOSS!"
"Nova, it's up to you now, Aiden!"
With Ethan's roar, his Nova Armor's chest began to glow.
"Hahaha!"
Mogiea, puzzled by Ethan's laughter, checked her dark data.
"Damn, you want to die together?"
She tried to let go, but Ethan's grip was unbreakable.
Fear gripped her heart, forcing a desperate decision.
"Karl..."
Boom.
The world went silent, and colors faded.
---
"Hello, I'm Ethan!"
"..."
"Not yet capable of mature thought?"
"Correct, Holy Leader. It can only respond to our commands. Developing mature thought requires extensive deep learning, especially human circuit simulation and learning."
"I see. Do we have a target for the human circuit simulation?"
"We plan to upload data from Nova Laboratory personnel, Holy Leader."
"If so, why not use my data for the first learning target?"
"But, Leader, isn't that a bit...?"
"No need to argue. Just do it. You may leave; I'll handle it myself."
"Yes, Holy Leader."
Ethan donned the device to read his memory data, issuing the command.
"Confirm command: upload my human circuit memory data, conduct deep learning, then permanently delete."
"Command confirmed!"
As the mechanical voice confirmed, Ethan's data, including past life memories, began uploading. He blacked out.
Opening his eyes, he found himself in a vast, dark space, with occasional light flickers.
"Who are you? And who am I?"
A cold voice echoed.
Ethan looked around but saw no one. Puzzled, he wondered, "Where am I? Wasn't I uploading my human circuit data?"
Wait! Uploading data? Could it be?
Testing his theory, Ethan spoke, "Hello, I'm Ethan. Who are you?"
"Ethan? Ethan? I know you; you're not from this world. I've seen it!"
Just as I thought! Ethan's expression confirmed it.
"I know who you are now. What should I call you?"
"Call me?"
"I have no name!"
"How about I give you one? How about Aiden?"
"Aiden? Aiden!"