The four of them nervously looked around, ready to run, but feared that any sudden movement would draw attention and result in an immediate attack.

"Can't we communicate?" Sura anxiously shouted, asking Flan.

"No matter how knowledgeable I am, I have no idea how to talk to these thousand-year-old mechanical lifeforms." Flan glanced back at the blasted open door, started moving closer to the wall, and raised the gun in his hand.

"Sorry, I'm leaving." Sherry's legs were shaking as he ran towards the passageway without looking back, ignoring the calls from the others behind him.

Several dim silver ion beams flashed through the passage, and before Sherry could escape, these beams penetrated his body, severing both legs and one arm. If he hadn't desperately twisted his body to dodge at the last moment, he might have been cut in half by these beams.

But his struggle soon reached a dead end, as a pair of knife-like sharp metal forelegs appeared before his head, piercing through the sturdy floor. Despite his best efforts to move his eyes, he could only make out the lower half of the mechanical body in front of him, resembling an insect's abdomen and multiple limbs.

While the others were desperately fleeing or taking action, Tilan stood motionless in the hall, her eyes fixed on the levitating Mechanical Angel as a peculiar psychic perception emerged in her mind.

If a normal person's consciousness was like a flame inside a lampshade, always somewhat hazy, the consciousness of this mechanical lifeform was like a flame with the lampshade removed, remarkably clear, and she could even hear the 'voice' of its thoughts.

'Detected five units of humanoid life; preliminary scan identifies four units as anomalous entities to be eliminated, one unit undetermined.'

'Unit 3 attempted to flee, triggering the Autonomous Combat Unit's attack, disabling its mobility.'

'Unit 4's combat capability assessed to be below Sequence 3, reducing threat priority. Unit 1's combat capability preliminarily assessed as equivalent to Sequence 7, marked as 'extremely dangerous,' significantly increasing threat level...'

In an instant, the green in her eyes turned red. Then the Mechanical Angel's jet ports on its back and limbs fully opened, its figure agilely twisting in midair as sixteen pale ion beams slashed through the spot where Sia had just been standing.

Moments before the opponent acted, Sia also moved. She kicked off, dodging the ion beam, and the broken sword in her hand glowed a striking red, the entire blade resembling a magnificent red glass, exuding a beautiful yet eerie glow.

The Mechanical Angel fired several more shots, many of which Sia dodged, while others she deflected directly with the sword's blade.

The opponent's prowess was roughly comparable to those high school winter festival competitors Tilan faced; fast and precise, its shooting trajectory automatically locking the girl's evasive space. Even though Sia was quicker, there were ion beams she couldn't avoid, forcing her to block them with her sword edge and body.

Another pale ion beam struck Tilan's shoulder, burning a gaping hole in her black dress, but the skin beneath remained unscathed.

This guy keeps moving around, Tilan thought while hovering in the air, pondering how to subdue it without causing damage.

If it was a full-on fight, she feared she would dismantle this incomplete Mechanical Angel into parts within seconds. But finding another Artificial Angel from the Fifth Epoch might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

There's no other choice, damage is inevitable, Tilan thought, feeling a surge of determination as she charged towards the aerial Mechanical Angel with her Demon Red Blade. Her figure shifted direction three times in midair, the sharp blade deflecting the opponent's rays. Once, she struck its arm, another time hit its head, and with one direct slash, tore the mechanical wings on its back into symmetrical wrecks.

The Mechanical Angel plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before struggling to stand, only to find Sia already descended in front of it.

Slender fingers emerged from the long sleeves of her black dress, pressing against its forehead as a near-time-stopping cold ice spread. Even for a machine, at this moment, it became sluggish.

[Loramiya (Loloria), encountering irresistible intrusion...]

[Loramiya (Loloria), energy reserves nearing 1%, unable to maintain combat mode...]

Though Sia handled the situation effortlessly, to the others, it was terrifying. The seemingly delicate girl fought the Mechanical Angel in midair so fast it couldn't be tracked by their eyes. Within seconds, she had ripped off its wings and sent it crashing into the ground. Now, she lifted its head with one hand, an invisible chill spreading, causing the spherical space's temperature to drop nearly 30° in seconds, making them feel as if plunged into an ice cave.

[According to the Third Mandate, Loramiya (Loloria) can no longer maintain autonomy. To prevent body and data from falling into enemy hands, the self-destruct sequence will be initiated...]

Soon after, the eyes of the Mechanical Angel began flickering between red and green, body joints and seams reopening as orange energy began circulating rapidly, countering the lowered temperature of the stalling mechanical body.

What a hassle, the girl thought, but at this point, she couldn't drive the other to despair and had to release her grip, sending the Mechanical Angel flying with a sword swipe to crash into the dome's opposite inner wall.

Falling from the curved inner wall, the Mechanical Angel struggled to stand again. Fortunately, once out of danger, the flashing self-destruct process in its eyes paused, and its gaze returned to a green hue.