Nameless King



The crystals at the roots of the Tree were an indication of how great the plant or even the entity was. Each crystal was a true treasure and was not just for Construct, but for any race, even the Dragons and Arkans.

The past Tree also had crystals growing, and they were just as blue as the current Tree, containing just as much energy.

However, what Nitra was looking at now was nothing like that. This crystal was small, it could easily fit in Nitra's palm, but the power hidden within it mesmerized even powerful beings like Nitra or Wain.

Liang was as surprised as the others, however, he was in no position to wait for Nitra to become stronger. Without delay, Liang rushed forward, trying to get to Nitra as fast as possible.

'I don't know what it is, but it's obvious that if it absorbs this crystal, our battle will completely change. Even the normal crystal has so much energy in it that I had to unleash my Spirit... Shit, this is bad!" Liang internally uttered, speeding up.

He didn't have much time, too little time in fact, as Nitra was too far away. She was in the center of the Zero Area, while Liang was at its edge. 

No matter how fast he ran, no matter how strong his muscles were, he could not cover hundreds of kilometers in an instant.

Nitra felt Liang's eerie aura looming over her, but she didn't react to it. She got close to the crystal with her last strength, clutching it to her, and then she whispered with her eyes closed.

"I'm here... You're not alone anymore... I'm ready to take you in... I'm sorry it took so long... I just needed a sign..." Nitra said sincerely as real tears flowed from her mechanical eyes. 

The Guardians watching this scene were perhaps more surprised than the rest.

"Ah...? How is it possible...?" A guardian muttered in disbelief, "We've checked Zero Area hundreds, no, thousands of times! We should have noticed that there was something there!"

"Yeah... That's really strange... However, perhaps some of its energy was preserved from the previous Tree..." The other Guardian uttered a thoughtful expression.

"What? What are you talking about?" The first Guardian was puzzled.

"Well, I could be wrong, but if the Tree wanted to hide something from us, we wouldn't be able to detect it from the aura or energy waves..." The Second Guardian uttered with a deep gaze.

Zero Area was a special zone, and even those who accessed it were careful not to stay there for too long. It was more a place for grieving than for exploration, for it was the grave of the Tree that had given life to many of them. 

For this reason, it was forbidden to dig up ashes and soot or to build anything in the area. Well, those laws didn't make much sense, since no one was going to do that here anyway.

Though Construct were partly mechanisms, robots, but not completely. They had feelings just like everyone else, they were living beings.

Step. Step. Step.

Liang was quickly approaching Nitra running at full speed, but it was already too late. He had no chance of making it in time anyway. 

Suddenly, the black spear trembled before piercing Nitra's chest as well as the crystal.

For a moment, everyone's eyes went wide, no one could have expected something like this to happen, then powerful energy ripples began to emanate from Nitra.

At first, they were quite calm and slow, but, they quickly accelerated and increased in number.

Liang realized that he had already missed his chance, so he didn't try to break through them. Instead, he covered himself with his hands, creating a protective barrier of wind in front of him, watching closely what was happening to Nitra. 

The crystal in her hands shattered into tiny shards, quickly turning into an ink-like liquid with tiny stars and even galaxies floating among them. Then, the liquid penetrated Nitra's body, and streams of black flame erupted around her.

They weren't as powerful as the dark pillar from earlier, but it wasn't necessary. The streams of flame enveloped Nitra as if they were trying to protect her, slowly dissipating and being absorbed into her body. 

It was only a few minutes before all the flames dissipated and everyone saw the effects of Nitra's actions.

"Damn... It looks like she's been reborn..." Wain muttered with a dazed expression.

"I agree, I don't know what's going on here, but she's definitely gotten stronger, significantly." Sven said with a complicated expression.

Though a few minutes ago, Nitra couldn't even stand confidently on the ground since she was missing most of her legs, now she did so without difficulty.

Her hair was much longer, reaching her waist and a little darker as well as occasionally there were clusters of white dots like stars on the fabric of space.

Her arms, legs, and all her wounds were fully restored, but all her protective plates were gone and her skin became pale, almost snow-white.

In fact, now she didn't quite look like a Construct without the protective plates on her body, though, the main difference from the other races was their mechanical eyes.

However, Nitra's eyes had changed as well, they were black and the pupils white, but infinitely deep like the brightest stars in space.

The spear that had been her main ally in this battle was now completely gone. During the transformation it had finally disintegrated into ash, becoming a tree-shaped seal on Nitra's palm. It was a sign that she was the only one worthy to bear the legacy of the previous Tree.

Now, nothing remained of the one burned by the Progenitor of Undeads, well, except for Nitra herself, who now carried the legacy of the tree with her. It had become as much a part of her body as she herself. 

"You don't look bad, it looks like even your greatest treasure has realized that you're hopeless and can't handle me." Liang arrogantly said as he placed his sword on his shoulder.

He could feel how much more powerful Nitra's aura had become, but it didn't scare him in the slightest. For Liang it didn't matter how strong his opponent was, he was ready to fight anyone and knew that the outcome would always be the same - his victory.

Nitra answered nothing, and no emotion appeared on her face, then she looked towards the Tree and the Guardians.

She nodded slightly as if thanking them for their service, then she raised her hand.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The ground shook as a dense barrier appeared around the Tree, covering the Tree and the entire city in an impenetrable black dome. However, from within, everything was visible like through crystal clear glass.

"Hmm? Darkness? Wasn't lightning your attribute? Has it really changed?" Liang raised an eyebrow, asking.

"Can't you see that? It's still lightning, it's just that it's calm and there's less than 0.001% of it. Everything else is my pure energy not mixed with attribute." Nitra calmly replied, majestic and unhurried.

Liang shook his head, "Apparently you think things have changed now, don't you?"

Nitra sighed, "Well, I feel much more confident now it's true. However, I don't know what the outcome of our fight will be, it feels like something has changed in me, but I don't understand it..."

Marlis was frowning heavily as she intently scrutinized every change that occurred with Nitra.

"Is something wrong?" Sven asked with curiosity.

Marlis nodded, "Yeah... I don't understand something... Why are all her mechanical parts gone? Is she still half robot or is she completely made of flesh and blood like us?"

"Does it make any difference?" Osvald smirked, grinning widely.

"Agh...? What are you talking about?" Marlis gave him a puzzled look.

"She's a Construct anyway, she was and still is. What's more, she's the strongest in the entire Construct World and now her abilities have only increased!" Osvald exclaimed with an excited expression.

Then, he waved his hand, "This means that now Liang will have to use more! It's going to be a great battle! I'm sure today I'll see The Strongest One use his Form as well as she does!"

Wain nodded, "I think so too. Marlis, about your concern, I think Nitra has reached the highest point of evolution. Isn't the creation of real life the ultimate goal of any technology or mechanism?"

Marlis's eyes went wide.

Wain continued, "Her protective plates are gone and her eyes have changed, though you can't call them organic as much as mechanical. Perhaps she has no metal inside her now, but only organic organs, or perhaps there is a void and vast darkness inside her. By obtaining a part of the burned tree that merged with her body, she has become truly unique."

Wain sighed, "However, all of us who stand at the pinnacle of power are unique in some way. Liang isn't at all like the average Axalt either... In case you were wondering, I wouldn't say his Spirit is the most amazing thing he has..."

Marlis was puzzled since it seemed Wain knew more than she did, but she didn't bother to say anything. She silently turned to Nitra and Liang, waiting for their next actions.