While the men around Minos and the robot felt their hearts racing, sensing that a fight was about to break out, Emperor Stuart said.
"Yes, I am. I defeated you and ended your life, robot. Perhaps you don't remember." Gulp!
The robot's eyes narrowed as it ignored the sounds of humans swallowing their saliva. "I don't remember anything about my past."
"Oh? Maybe that's for the best, robot. But what are you going to do? What do you have in mind?" Minos provoked, while his aura made the creature's body immobile, unable to move even if it used everything it had.
Minos asked. "Will you challenge me again? Or are you going to accept your current position? Let me tell you, without me, you will return to your state of death. If I stop doing what I'm doing, you will die if nothing else is done. So make up your mind quickly."
"I see... My life is in your hands. I wanted to attack you at first, human. I don't know why. Your smell and way of being make me want to attack you." It said, moving its neck in a strange, not biological way. "But my survival instinct overrides all others. I must keep my life, even if it means slavery." The metallic creature said in its virtual, emotionless tone of voice.
"That easy?" Minos laughed, seeing it would submit to him in order to survive. "Don't you want to challenge me? I can give you a chance, robot. The last time we faced each other, you gave me a hard time. I'm in the mood to show you our current difference."
Minos stopped pressing the creature and jumped back a few steps, maintaining the chaotic energy flow in the robot but now giving it freedom of movement.
As soon as it gained freedom, the robot moved, standing up as it re-familiarized itself with its body.
But it didn't move aggressively as everyone around it thought it would.
"I don't want to challenge you. That would be foolish. I don't remember my past, but you said you were weaker before but still beat me. What hope is there now that you're stronger? I don't have the honor to care about a humiliating defeat, but there's no point in a fight where the winner is decided before the fight even begins." It said dryly, feeling less and less like attacking Minos.
'Robots really are intelligent creatures...' Ruth thought as she watched the situation from a distance, remembering the attitude of this and the other alien protectors during the battle in the North Sea a few years ago.
Minos wasn't surprised by the robot's behavior, although he was disappointed.
The robot then stepped forward before drawing the sword at its waist and bending its knees closer to Minos.
"This one is willing to do whatever you say. Please, my owner, don't throw me away." It said as it placed its sword at Minos' disposal, following a code of conduct deeply ingrained in its being.
Even if it couldn't remember the origin of its movement, it knew that this was the correct way to subordinate oneself to someone else by bowing one's head, showing oneself to be inferior, and leaving one's weapon at the disposal of the superior.
Everyone waiting for a fight sighed in relief or disappointment, seeing that the experiment had been very successful but rather unexpectedly.
Minos accepted this without any problems.
"Well, from now on, you will be my squire! Accept my symbol and leave your past behind!" As he said this, Minos moved and made a hand seal as the energy around him became more intense than it already was, demonstrating his high-level powers.
A gigantic seal formed above the robot, becoming smaller and smaller as it approached, falling from the sky like a strange glowing meteor.
There was no shock when it reached its target. The seal simply pierced the robot's body and went to the essence of the individual, that special energy core very similar to high-level medicine.
Minos placed his mark on that being, but he felt a certain discomfort as he realized that something of that nature was already present in that being.
However, this other mark was much stronger than his, something he could not erase even in his current situation.
As he mastered the robot, Minos felt the battle between himself and the being behind the other mark, as he found himself in a strange illusion.
He suddenly found himself in a dark blue room where a creature in armor stood with his back to such a human as if waiting for him.
The air around him vibrated, while his aura was not a bit weaker than the aura of the strongest God in the Spiritual World.
'Are you trying to take what is mine?' This one remained motionless while Minos looked at this creature with an astonished expression, correctly recognizing who he was.
"Mechanical Emperor, I suppose. As expected, there is a sign of you on the robots of your empire... But will that be enough to stop me?" Minos asked, summoning up the courage to challenge that creature.
The creature moved his head and looked sideways at Minos, seeing that this enemy was much more formidable than he thought. "Iktun has informed me about you, Minos Stuart. I didn't expect you to be so good, but my men weren't wrong about you." He said aloud in the common language of the Spiritual World.
"But you're right. I can't completely stop you from doing what you're planning now. Keep this defective piece for now, and try to improve your strength a little more. I'll hunt you down personally once the universal wormhole is ready."
"Tsk! I'll be waiting for you, you bastard!" Minos clenched his fists before seeing the illusion shatter.
The Mechanical Emperor might be powerful, but the robot had already died once. Its death hadn't happened yesterday, but years ago!
Since so much time had passed since its artificial soul was destroyed, that God's mark had weakened to the point where Minos was able to temporarily overcome it.
After a few minutes of trying to control the robot, Minos succeeded. If the Mechanical Emperor didn't appear in the Spiritual World, he would have complete control over the robot in front of him!
However, in front of that God, everything would be completely different!
'Damn it!' Minos opened his eyes as he smiled bitterly, seeing that he had achieved something but had also attracted a very powerful opponent.
He didn't know how, but he felt that he hadn't talked to a memory or a soul fragment but to the Mechanical Emperor himself!
If that was really the case, the problem he would have in a few years would be tough to solve!
