Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 140. Astrid Ember Lorne

The freezing breeze swept across the open ground. The snow-covered field was a few inches deep and uneven. In some places, small slippery mounds had formed, mimicking a certain landscape from the real world.

“It’s cold! Wow!” Nyrethein exclaimed, visibly shivering. She was awfully underdressed for the scene. Soon, Zetius noticed a maid approaching her with a luxurious mink coat.

She thanked the maid, slipped into the warm fabric, and rubbed her hands together.

“She’s so goofy…” Zetius muttered, then turned to find Aurelia staring at him. Clearly discontent.

The girl narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Who’re you talking about?” she asked sternly, crossing the boundary into his personal space.

“I~I was talking to Cubie,” Zetius stammered. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead.

Aurelia snapped her gaze to Cubie, who immediately shook her head in denial.

“You’re looking at the Celestius Nyrethein, aren’t you?” Aurelia asked, her tone oddly self-deprecating as she glanced down at her own small frame.

“Yes… But not in that way. I think she’s been watching us,” Zetius whispered. At that very moment, the Celestius did, in fact, glance their way again.

Aurelia covered her mouth in surprise. “You’re right!” She swiftly turned to Friederich. “Why?”

Friederich merely shrugged, as if to say, How should I know?

***

The alleyway was dark and icy cold. Slivers of light slipped through the vertical slits, casting long lines across the brick floor.

Astrid inhaled the sharp air into her lungs, steeling herself for the battle ahead. Behind her, the mages of Aries stood in solemn silence. Eleven strong gladiators.

Soon, the announcement echoed through the arena. “Thank you for waiting! Now that we’ve had a taste of the entrée, without further ado, let’s jump into the main dish! The team battle~the Warband Trials!” Severan emphasised the last words, his tone whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

“On the red team! The remnants of the greatest Warmonger arcanists — the Flame of Aries!” he roared. The battle horn’s theme burst forth in sharp, rapid blasts, bold and warlike, echoing the wild rhythm of a charging inferno.

The massive gate began to lift. Gears and chains clanked loudly within the hidden compartments.

A cold gust swept into the long corridor, but the disciples of Aries did not flinch. They stood their ground, unmoving, unyielding.

Destiny has dawned upon me... Zeta's here, watching. After all those years of living under his shadow, no more, Astrid contemplated, her expression calm and resolute.

She glanced over her shoulder, a bloodthirsty smile spreading across her face.

“Let’s show them. Remember no mercy,” she commanded.

They nodded, their eyes gleaming with malice.

As they stepped into the battlefield, cheers and whistles thundered through the dome. Astrid spun, her red cloak flaring behind her like dancing flame. The crowd erupted into hysteria.

“Undoubtedly, someone’s a rising star…” Aurelia muttered, grimacing, clearly holding a deep grudge.

Severan waited for the crowd to quiet before theatrically gesturing to the opposite side. A group of mages in navy-blue robes advanced toward the centre.

“Now, the contesting side in blue — the Templar of Aquarius!” he declared, his voice brimming with ecstasy. He blew into his hands again. This time, the battle horn released a low, haunting melody, like a call rising from the deep.

Their leader, a striking elf, glided forward with noble grace. His steps were so light they left almost no trace upon the snow. Long black hair cascaded down his back. His skin was pale, as if untouched by sunlight.

His dark eyes locked with Astrid’s. A soft smile, almost too polite, graced his feminine features. One hand held a staff, and with the other, he extended a courteous gesture for a handshake.

Astrid didn’t budge. Instead, she turned to the side and spat on the ground. "Heh, I hate pretty boys," She sneered inwardly.

The mockery only made the crowd roar louder.

The elven mage bowed respectfully, then returned to his post.

On the pentagonal platform, Severan floated upward and opened his palm toward the red team.

Astrid nodded and raised her fist high to signal readiness. The host mirrored the gesture, and the elven mage raised his staff with a charming smile.

“Now, the stakes are even higher! The victor shall be granted the Lunarius title!” Severan announced.

Suddenly, he paused. The Celestius mage waved at him to come close. Severan’s moustache twitched in surprise as he hovered toward the edge of the Crowned Balcony.

The crowd murmured with amusement and curiosity.

The smiling Celestius whispered something into his ear. Severan turned back to the audience with an air of exaggerated grace. “Additionally, any spectacular display of warmongering shall earn a boon from Celestius Nyrethein Vale herself!” That was the bonus the crowd had hoped for. Their cheer became deafening.

Astrid’s smile widened. Her ruby eyes gleamed with renewed resolve. She knew exactly what she had to do to earn the Celestius’ favour, and precisely what she desired in return.

“Ready, fight!” the host shouted, blowing the short blast of horn.

And so, the vicious clash of Warmongers began.

Behind the blue team, mages formed a line and immediately began casting. Glowing blue lines were etched into the air, forming a three-dimensional construct.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Charge! Don’t let them finish!” Astrid bellowed, leading the red team into the fray. Behind her, a barrage of fireballs hurled skyward in arched trajectories.

“Wasting no time, such a strong start!” Aurelia exclaimed, stomping the floor in excitement.

The elven leader raised his hands. “Phoros!” he chanted. A disc-shaped barrier manifested and intercepted the incoming fireballs.

The collisions erupted into fiery bursts that sprayed across the snow, melting it on contact.

The barriers had formed a shield behind the blue line, protecting the golem casters as the rain of hellfire continued.

The grand display of oppressive flame against a defensive barrier was like a firework. The audience grew louder and rowdier in excitement.

The arcane construct began to take shape, forming limbs and a torso from glowing clay-like energy.

Cubie had fallen silent, her eyes fixed on the unfolding process.

“What’s wrong, Cubie?” Zetius asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Am I a construct… like that one?” Cubie’s voice wavered with uncertainty.

Zetius frowned. An existental crisis? Is that why she always avoided constructs?

"No," he said firmly, a gentle smile touching his lips. "You’re not a construct. You’re my daughter." He had spoken the words aloud, even if doubt lingered in his heart. Whether she was born of magic, machine, or something in between, one truth remained unshaken. He had created Cubellina. And in that truth, she was indeed his daughter.

“Zetius…” she murmured, cheeks flushed with warmth.

The crowd suddenly roared with deafening intensity. Cubie quickly spun around to watch the battlefield. Astrid had already obliterated the front line.

Zetius’s jaw dropped as he saw Astrid crush the crested helm of the elven mage. Flames raged around her. His agonised scream echoed into the distance, sending shivers through the crowd. A girl in the stands screamed in terror.

The elven mage's eyes bulged, as though they were about to pop.

In the background, the remaining blue members writhed in pain, rolling across the snowy ground, only to be stomped by the red mages. Each impact echoed with a chilling crunch.

Crested helms shattered like glass, one after another.

This was no longer a sport. It was a slaughter. Ruthless. Inhuman.

Zetius’s blood ran cold. Beside him, Aurelia clutched the fabric of his arc coat, clearly terrified by the merciless display of overwhelming power.

The crowd fell into stunned silence. The only sounds were screams and wails from the battlefield.

Unhinged laughter rang out from the Crowned Balcony. It was Nyrethein Vale. The Celestius watched the cruelty unfold with a wild grin. Her silver eyes seemed to glow with insanity.

On the field, Astrid dropped the limbless body of the blue team’s leader. It slammed into the snow, painting the ground with crimson.

She swept her eyes across the petrified crowd.

“What?!” she shouted, her voice hoarse as she lifted both her arms to the sides, palms skyward.

Seeing their pale faces, she grimaced. “Is this not what you want?! I’m bringing wars to all of you,” she bellowed at the top of her lungs.

Her gaze eventually settled on Zetius. He nodded solemnly.

“I understand what she’s trying to show them. In part, she truly means it. They’re completely out of touch with the front lines. The horrors of war have become abstract, reduced to numbers on a board, lines in a report, and fleeting text on a newsfeed. To them, it hardly feels real,” he reflected, somewhat resonating with her sentiment.

Zetius could almost smell the ash, recalling the moment he once crawled across a battlefield with only one hand. So much pain...

Then—

The snowy ground ruptured. A giant mace flew at Astrid with powerful momentum. She quickly crossed her arms.

“Magnetos!” she chanted instinctively.

A magnetic field whirred to life, enclosing her. The cup-shaped mace slammed into it, shaking the ground so violently that even the spectators felt it. The crowd gasped in disbelief.

A twelve-metre-tall golem loomed above the scattered red mages. Its eyes glowed with vengeance. Its once clay-like surface had solidified into a metallic carapace, resembling an Armatus with an insectoid exoskeleton.

“They finished it?!” Aurelia exclaimed, springing to her feet and gripping the metal railing.

Friederich stepped beside her. “Yes. Even though the Templar members were completely decimated, the match can’t end until their construct is destroyed,” he explained, pointing at one of the helms embedded in the golem’s chest.

Zetius joined him. “They’re not completely stupid after all. A desperate move, but a clever one,” he muttered, grinding his teeth.

On the ground, Astrid bellowed, “Retreat!” and gestured for her mages to withdraw. They scrambled away, forming a defensive circle.

Simultaneously, the Virgo mages in dark green cast levitation spells and transported the injured off the field for treatment.

***

Astrid, leader of the Flame of Aries, stood tall with squared shoulders. A drop of blood trickled from her nostril. She wiped it away with her thumb, leaving a red smear.

Her ruby eyes gleamed with the fire of a new challenge.

Her men hesitated, ready to assist, but she raised a hand to stop them.

“I’ll take it from here,” she declared.

The golem let out a mechanical hum as it prepared to attack. Its massive mace slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of snow.

Astrid dashed forward and slid beneath the golem’s parted legs.

“Empyrion, fire!” she shouted, conjuring a surging orb of flame at her fingertip. The blast shot upwards, piercing the thigh and exiting through the shoulder.

“Bingo!” she shouted, landing nimbly and turning to assess the damage.

The metal golem let out a screech and began to collapse. But only briefly. Its carapace chimed with a divine resonance as it began repairing itself.

“What?!” Astrid gasped in perplexity.

The golem spun and swept its mace along the ground.

“Magnetos!” she chanted again, conjuring a barrier.

The metal rod struck her spherical field with all the golem’s weight behind it.

Astrid let out a fiery roar, both hands pressed against tonnes of metal. Her barrier shattered into fragments. The mace struck her—

But she had anticipated the angle and nimbly leapt aside, narrowly escaping a lethal blow.

Around the stadium, the crowd’s hysterical cheering returned. The suspense and thirst for blood had erased their earlier terror.

Most excited of all was the Celestius mage of Gemini, clapping and cheering with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Aries! Aries! Aries!” she chanted, and soon the crowd followed, as if bewitched by a spell.

One of Astrid’s hesitant comrades called out, “Astrid! Let us help!”

She glanced over her shoulder, clearly captivated by the fight. “No. Do not interfere. I’m just hyping up the crowd,” she said with a smirk.

Then she clenched both fists and twisted upward, her arms bent and held slightly at her sides. Her eyes locked onto her enemy, and then onto Zetius.

A smirk curled across her face, her eyes glowing red.

Zetius grinned, electrified. He subconsciously leaned on the guardrail, his hand clenched around it.

“Finally. You’re using your trump card,” he muttered in anticipation.

“Empyrion Dynamis!” Astrid roared, her voice surging with raw power.

Dozens of crimson butterflies spiralled around her, engulfing her form in a vortex of fiery light. Her eyes pulsed with mana, glowing like twin rubies ignited from within. She opened her palms, revealing the red scarabs of might embedded in each.

Veins traced with molten energy illuminated beneath her skin, casting a fiery glow across her body. Her lean muscles expanded, rivalling the physique of a beast Wildren. Her crimson hair lifted, dancing in the still air like tongues of flame.

The immense energy radiating from her caused her red cloak to disintegrate, unable to withstand the surge. A thunderous shockwave erupted from her dual-cast arcana, reverberating through the stadium.

The crowd erupted into cheers once more, electrified by the display of overwhelming power.

The real battle was only just beginning.