Stinger and Thunder Halberd immediately stepped in front of Han Wu. On Loki’s side, the Metal Tyrannosprite lifted him onto its shoulder while the other Tyrannosprites charged forward.
The Commandrasprites were small, and the charging Tyrannosprite easily scattered their formation. However, their assault rifles were no joke. The Tyrannosprites’ large frames made perfect targets, and a barrage of gunfire killed two of Loki’s Digital Sprites on the spot.
Loki’s heart ached at the loss, but for the sake of the Machinedrasprite ruins, he had to press on. He urged Han Wu to advance alongside him.
Han Wu figured this was only the first section of the ruins and not the time to turn hostile. He ordered Stinger to clear the Commandrasprites blocking their path. Stinger was fast and could fly. Without even using a skill, it impaled every last Commandrasprite.
The dead Commandrasprites dissolved into data. The energy that didn’t disperse solidified into small screws scattered across the ground. Han Wu had Stinger collect them and discovered they were no ordinary screws. They were made from an alloy called Dragon Metal, a material capable of enhancing draconic traits.
Han Wu asked Loki whether he wanted any of the screws. Loki declined without hesitation, so Han Wu kept them according to their agreement. He offered no explanation for why he needed them, and Loki didn’t mind. They were minor gains. The real rewards lay further ahead.
They continued forward and soon encountered more mechanized Dragon Digital Sprites. This time, they were Sealdrasprites. Unlike the Commandrasprites, Sealdrasprites carried no firearms and relied entirely on melee weapons. They were agile and struck with precision. Under their assault, Loki lost another three Tyrannosprites.
Han Wu sent Stinger to deal with them. Once the Sealdrasprites dissolved into data, they left behind a collection of bolts forged from Dragon Metal. They also dropped a special material: a long blade.
Loki passed on everything again, and Han Wu took everything without a shred of hesitation.
Pressing onward, they arrived at a facility resembling a factory. Production lines hummed along rows of assembly stations, manufacturing the very Commandrasprites they had just fought.
“These production lines will keep churning out Commandrasprites nonstop. We have to destroy them,” Loki said with conviction and ordered his Metal Tyrannosprite to unleash its finishing move, Giga Cannon.
The missiles exploded, and every production line was either hit directly or caught in the blast, causing the entire manufacturing system to shut down.
Han Wu was impressed by the Giga Cannon’s power. Its destructive force rivaled the Nuclear Locust’s Self Detonation. However, the latter was an ultimate Digital Sprite that died after detonating. In contrast, the Metal Tyrannosprite was only a perfect Digital Sprite, yet it emerged unharmed after firing Giga Cannon. It merely needed a brief cooldown before it could fire again. Compared to the Metal Tyrannosprite, the Nuclear Locust had little to offer beyond its low summoning cost.
This only strengthened Han Wu’s desire to find a dragon-type evolution path for his core locust units and further boost their combat power.
While Han Wu was deep in thought, Loki and the Metal Tyrannosprite rummaged through the wrecked production lines and found a special material known as the Black Box. Its function was to help mechanical Digital Sprites learn powerful skills. Loki claimed he needed it and pointed to his Metal Tyrannosprite as justification.
Han Wu didn’t contest it. He wanted to see what Loki was really planning.
Beyond the production lines, they continued fighting through waves of Commandrasprites and Sealdrasprites. Stinger and Thunder Halberd dispatched them easily. After breaking through layer upon layer of resistance, Loki led them to a control room. Inside stood a terminal that controlled the entire ruins.
The moment Loki saw it, he burst into laughter. “I’ve finally found it.”
Loki rapidly entered commands into the terminal, and a blueprint appeared on the ruins’ display. It detailed every step of Machinedrasprite’s assembly process, including the exact placement of each component.
Han Wu quickly noticed that the Black Box Loki had taken from the production line was the Machinedrasprite’s core.
“You knew all along that the Black Box was the Machinedrasprite’s core?” Han Wu asked coldly.
Loki no longer bothered hiding his intentions. “Of course I did. Thanks to you clearing out all those annoying minions along the way, I was able to get my hands on the Black Box without any trouble.”
Han Wu was puzzled. “With your strength, you could’ve handled those minions yourself.”
“That’s true, but this place’s real guardians haven’t appeared yet. They only wake up when someone tries to build a Machinedrasprite, like right now!”
Loki shoved the Black Box into the terminal. A piercing alarm echoed throughout the ruins. The floor beneath them cracked open, and two massive Dragon Digital Sprites rose from below.
[Gigadrasprite (Perfect Digital Sprite)]
[Megadrasprite (Perfect Digital Sprite)]
Although they were only perfect-tier, their auras indicated that they were Heavenrender life forms, just one step away from the World rank.
As the two colossal Dragon Digital Sprites awakened, Loki operated the terminal with practiced ease. Multiple layers of transparent glass panels materialized around him and sealed him inside. His Metal Tyrannosprite, however, wasn’t so lucky.
The two Dragon Digital Sprites immediately targeted the Metal Tyrannosprite. Without Loki’s commands, it couldn’t even last three exchanges before the Gigadrasprite and Megadrasprite tore it to pieces.
After the Metal Tyrannosprite’s death, they completely ignored Loki behind the glass. Their eyes shifted to Han Wu, Stinger, and Thunder Halberd. They were clearly coming for them.
Safe behind layers of protective glass, Loki grinned. “I’ll need you to handle these two Dragon Digital Sprites for me. I’ve got a Machinedrasprite to build. If you will excuse me, I hope you survive. Hahaha.”
With that, Loki descended through the glass barrier into the pit where the two Dragon Digital Sprites had been dormant. Another control room lay below, one that was normally impossible to access while the two guardians stood watch. Now that Han Wu had drawn their attention, Loki walked straight in.