’Boommm...’
Jacob’s punch created a terrifying shockwave before the floor fell silent. Jacob’s gaze locked onto the floor, where faint geometric etchings shimmered—barely perceptible to the naked eye. It appeared the moment Jacob’s punch landed on the ground.
Jacob’s Eyes of Judge shimmered violently as he pressed his palm against the ground.
"It’s a powerful formation."
The material beneath him was no ordinary material. Every fiber of its structure pulsed with density and resilience.
’She wasn’t lying when she said this space is made with Quasi-Myth rank materials. Even a full-force physical attack from me didn’t leave a scratch. But I didn’t try my best either...’
Suddenly, Jacob stood up, and a soul force imbued with the concept of earth law gathered around his leg. The next moment, he stamped down.
’BOOOOM...!’
A shockwave tore through the chamber, blasting dust into the air as a massive crater formed—but barely a shallow dent marred the surface of the sealed floor. The runes repelled the force with eerie precision, absorbing and redirecting the excess energy.
Jacob was astounded, "Tsk, it’s still not enough."
With a grunt, he lifted his right hand. A ripple spread from his body as he channeled every drop of strength into a single concept—Law of Void.
’Nihility!’
The light dimmed as blackness gathered. His arms turned pitch-black, layered with the shroud of nothingness. The next moment, Jacob’s hand struck down. The second impact wasn’t as loud, but it was absolute.
The Law of Void was something no one had ever come in contact with within the Legendary Plains, and Void was something that everyone dreads.
The Void was on the same level as Time and Space and was one of the strongest Law Concepts Jacob had acquired. However, the soul force required to use it was massive, so Jacob kept it as one of his trump cards.
At this moment, a perfect hole formed beneath his feet, the material simply ceasing to exist for a moment, bypassed by the void’s authority. But even then, he only managed to pierce a dozen meters before he felt resistance return.
The very air resisted his descent. It wasn’t because his Law Concept was weak, but because his own prowess was not enough, and the materials used to build this layer were simply too powerful.
But Jacob pushed forward with full power, using the Law of Void. When he broke through the final layer, a rush of stale, metallic air surged out—cold, ancient, and laced with spirit pressure.
Jacob dropped into the hollow space below, but his soul force was already down to only 20%.
He suddenly found a dull blue glow lighting the cavern. Crystalline walls of glass-like material stretched around a spherical core, hovering in the center of an intricate mechanical cradle.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of rotating constructs floated in orbit around the core, each etched with layers of unknown runes. Some glowed faintly. Others were cracked, rusted, or completely inert.
But the core itself still pulsed—like a sleeping heart.
’Is that the Spirit Core of the SNIM Race? A Machina Unit?’ Jacob’s eyes were locked on the spherical core within the mechanical cradle.
Furthermore, the core seemed to be releasing chaotic undulations as if trying to mend something, and it was quite obvious it was trying to regain control over the Timeless Tower, which Jacob had disrupted.
But at this moment, the core suddenly blinked furiously as a static yet panicked voice rang, "Intruder detected!"
Suddenly, the crystal wall of this hidden floor lifted, revealing rows of tall cubicles. Within these cubicles were humanoids clad in pitch-black robes with golden-bronze outlines.
’Constant Assassins...and they are Baron Rank!’ Jacob instantly glimpsed the strength of those Constant Assassins.
They were all the Baron Assassins and of Legendary King Rank, the strongest force of the Timeless City. Who would’ve thought there would be 50 Legendary Kings protecting this place?
Those Baron Assassins’ listless bodies suddenly showed a hint of vitality as if they were coming alive. But Jacob didn’t want to wrestle with them and instantly sprang into action.
He grabbed the Baron Assassin, who was still not fully active, and threw him into the Infinite Space without any resistance. Seeing that his theory worked, Jacob moved even faster and, without giving those assassins any chance to revive, sent them into the Infinite Space.
They were precious research subjects and, to say the least, legendary kings, so Jacob was happy to ’take them’ from the Timeless City’s hands.
After Jacob captured 49 Baron Assassins, the final one was completely active, but he alone wasn’t enough, and Jacob directly crushed his head before sending his corpse back.
"First line of defense failed!
"Activating the battle suit!"
’Still not giving up?’ Jacob was intrigued as he looked at the Machina Unit.
If he wasn’t afraid of damaging it and wanted the entire thing, he didn’t mind using force. After all, this thing was scarce, and it was the only way to fight against those other SNIM Race members like SAAI and Undying Will.
But an unexpected turn of events occurred. The crystalline cradle vibrated violently, each segment of its structure shifting and splitting apart in response to some hidden directive.
The entire hidden chamber began to pulse in rhythm with the core’s heartbeat, as if the walls themselves were syncing with the awakening machine spirit.
The hundreds of floating constructs surrounding the core—some cracked, others inert—suddenly sprang to life. Arcs of pale-blue lightning danced between them. Glowing formation circuits lit up one after another, like a cascading wave of reactivation. Runes long-forgotten by most mortals spiraled in the air.
Whirrrrr-chkkk—GRRRNNGHHH—FSSSHHHK!
Mechanical limbs unfolded from hidden compartments in the floor and walls. Segments of armor plating floated upward, drawn toward the pulsing Spirit Core like metal to a magnet. It was as if the entire space had been designed for this single moment—for this transformation.
Jacob’s eyes gleamed with shock and a hint of curiosity of a researcher, "It’s not just the heart of the city... it is a weapon. A battle suit like a Machina Exoskeleton!"
The Spirit Core began to ascend, slowly rising as the mechanical components converged. The outer plating restructured with fluid precision. Joints aligned. Servos snapped into place.
A spinal chassis connected to a chest cavity, into which the glowing core fused like a nucleus within a body.
An armored helm formed around the core’s upper housing, shaped like a faceless mask of crystal alloy. The outline of a humanoid figure—five meters tall—took shape before Jacob’s astonished gaze.
A distorted yet commanding voice resonated from the suit’s semi-formed helm:
"Initiating Sentinel Protocol. Combat Form: Humanoid Exoform. Sentinel Unit Constant Machina—Activated!"