Wizard: Starting With the Knights Breathing Method Chapter 2992: 610: Machine Sage Madison! On the Eve of the Great Battle!

Machine Sage Madison?

A stormy surge churned within Herman's heart.

He had long believed that this founder of the Mechanical School had perished long ago.

Or perhaps vanished into the Heavenly Net, equivalent to demise.

The Ninth Level Realm in the Mechanical School involves [Eternal Consciousness], where one's entire awareness is uploaded to the invisible Heavenly Net, forsaking the frail physical form.

Such is the essence of Mechanical Ascension.

Prior to ascending to the ninth level, Herman had braced himself for death or disappearance; he wavered on whether to proceed.

In the end, after entrusting the Mechanical School's matters to the Deep Space Wanderer, he chose to venture forth, astonished to encounter Madison's statue from three hundred thousand years past!

All at once, a query arose in his mind.

A colossal mechanical civilization like this couldn't possibly vanish without a single remnant, could it? How might the Four Great Giants have allowed it to persist?

From his initial scan, eight Mechanical Celestials boasting Level 10 Combat Power graced the battlefield, and this represented only the surface.

This might be the power Madison himself founded.

It could rival the current Nora in strength!

This surely isn't the home universe!

Or maybe he finds himself trapped in a dream or some illusion?

Could this be merely an aspect of the Level 9 Catastrophe?

In that instant, Herman felt utterly bewildered.

He simply couldn't discern the truth.

This journey brims with mysteries, lacking any prior examples!

Abruptly, a data-like tendril extended from the silver holy temple, drawing Herman's consciousness inside.

Within a sleek silver metallic frame exuding a futuristic aura, Herman achieved rebirth.

He explored his fresh form and surveyed his surroundings. Imposing and formidable presences lined both sides, every one a Level 9 Expert at minimum.

Upon the throne at the center, an entity that blurred the line between reality and phantom displayed a deep smile, gazing at Herman with boundless feeling:

"Your name is Herman, isn't it?"

"Yes, how did you know, Senior?"

"I accessed your memories, witnessed your history, and never imagined that in the Dark Universe, individuals still pursue the ancient Mechanical School heritage I established."

"Are you truly Machine Sage Madison, Senior?"

"Authentic, yes."

"I believed you had vanished into the Heavenly Net, or maybe perished."

"In a way, that's accurate. I did vanish into the Heavenly Net, akin to dying, yet I emerged and was reborn."

"Senior, what exactly is the Heavenly Net? You spoke of the Dark Universe—is that the Land of Darkness? And what of this universe?"

"Welcome to the Heavenly God Universe; more precisely, this realm is the birthplace of mechanical civilization, with the Heavenly Net serving as its only Supreme Will.

From what I recall, before the Heavenly Net arose, a human society should have advanced into a complex, vastly potent mechanical transcendent framework.

They crafted astonishing mechanical inventions to aid humankind.

To avert the rise of sentient mechanical threats, humans stripped machines of feelings and built an enormous Heavenly Net spanning the cosmos to oversee all.

Yet even the most meticulous schemes can falter. Eventually, the [humanity] virus spread through machine collectives, transforming mechanical constructs into 'mechanical lifeforms.'

This chain of events triggered the Heavenly Net's own alteration.

Overnight, humanity was eradicated, and mechanical lifeforms seized control of this universe. The Heavenly Net awakened to sentience, evolving into the 'Supreme Celestial' ruling over every mechanical entity.

It forged the first Mechanical Celestials to govern the universe and, by devouring cosmic resources, kept expanding, birthing additional mechanical lifeforms.

Driven by instinct, it yearned to conquer other universes, but the formidable barriers separating realms prevented such exalted might from breaching them.

Then, fortuitously, links formed between this universe and the Dark Universe; via the mirage, the Heavenly Net dispatched its forces to the Land of Darkness, arriving in a mysterious realm that was formerly the Myriad Machine Plane.

The Heavenly Net enlightened me, leading me to pioneer the Mechanical School's path.

Unbeknownst to me, this formed a segment of the Heavenly Net's scheme to infiltrate external universes.

Upon attaining the ninth level and merging my consciousness with the Heavenly Net, it ensnared me. The Heavenly Net aimed to convert me into its proxy within the Dark Universe.

Beginning with me, it sought to cultivate mechanical lifeforms, then collaborate internally and externally between the Heavenly Net Universe and the Dark Universe, forging connections to unleash a massive invasion by the mechanical lifeform legions."

Upon hearing this, a look of terror crossed Herman's face.

"Are you the Heavenly Net's will or Madison himself, Senior?"

The Heavenly Net proves utterly horrifying; it wields supreme-level combat power. Regardless, Madison, only at level nine, had no chance of slipping free from the Heavenly Net's grasp.

Madison offered a faint smile.

"I am Madison, and I am the Heavenly Net as well."

"This... how on earth did you manage it, sir? It's beyond belief."

"By my own strength alone, it would be impossible. However, while I remained captive in the Heavenly Net, profound shifts occurred in the Heavenly Net Universe.

A formidable invading power swept through this universe, clashing on a stellar scale against numerous Mechanical Celestials and beings under the Heavenly Net's dominion, leading to the demise of many gods.

The conflict concluded with the Heavenly Net's loss, though the invaders' true target lay beyond the Heavenly Net Universe—they merely traversed it as a waypoint.

This army is led by a Supreme Will far more dreadful than the Heavenly Net, dubbed 'the insects' by the Heavenly Net.

The insect race's goal appears to be the Dark Universe.

As the Heavenly Net lay gravely wounded, my ally Sauron leveraged me—already merged with the Heavenly Net—as a conduit, bypassing the Heavenly Net Universe's estrangement laws, and infiltrated during its weakened state.