He gave Alaric a contemptuous glance. "You want to join them, don't you?"

His tone shifted, dripping with mocking venom.

Alaric clenched his fist. The soft whirring sound of his robotic arm echoed through the tension-filled air. "What's your purpose in all of this?"

The man didn't answer with words. Instead, he raised both his hands and slammed them together in a sharp clap. The sound reverberated, and from the shadows on the right side of the room, a massive figure emerged.

Heavy footsteps followed…

The figure slowly became clearer, until a large robot stepped out from behind the wall. Its body was round and sturdy, with long mechanical arms on each side. Blue lights flickered in its eyes, spinning like a radar, signaling that combat mode was now active.

"Deal with him," the man ordered casually.

"Understood, boss." The robot's voice responded.

Without further command, the robot lunged into action. A blast shot from its right arm, followed by a powerful punch that shattered the floor where Alaric had been standing. Alaric leaped back, landing on the cracked wall. Without pause, the robot pressed forward, attacking with rapid, crushing blows, each one designed to obliterate.

Alaric moved with agility, dodging left, then spinning behind the robot. He fired a short beam from his device, but the energy bounced off the robot's protective plating, sparking harmlessly.

"Good…" the man's voice rang out arrogantly again. He stood leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, watching the fight as though it were a show. "You're fast, but not fast enough to last."

The robot came charging again, its speed increasing. Alaric gripped the robot's arm with both hands, his body pushed several meters back, slamming into the wall.

"Cheating!" Alaric shouted, using all his strength to break free from the crushing force of the metal arm.

The man only laughed. A loud, mocking laugh that echoed through the room. "Cheating? There's no such thing in this world, Alaric," he said with satisfaction.

"There are only those who are strong… and those who dare destroy others for that strength."

Alaric glared at him, his eyes blazing with determination. He knew the man wasn't just a villain... he was a symbol of the greed that had already claimed countless lives.

The robot's engine roared with a loud, droning hum. Rhythmic, yet filled with tension. The fan embedded in its chest spun occasionally, whirring like a warning.

It knew it was standing at the center of a looming danger that could strike within minutes. But Alaric wasn't the kind of man who would crumble just because someone mocked or laughed at him.

The man sitting behind him. The owner of the fortress, crossed his arms, watching Alaric from afar. His lips curled into a cold, taunting smile. "You think breaking a few walls and defeating one robot means you can win in my domain?" he sneered. "How amusing."

A low laugh slipped from his mouth. Sharp, grating, and smug. But Alaric only returned his gaze, expressionless. He refused to waste energy on empty words. To him... the only thing that mattered now was surviving… and winning.

The robot in front of him advanced again, its jointed legs clanging as it stomped forward. In a blink, its massive iron hand slammed Alaric's body against the wall. Scattering fragments of debris.

Alaric gritted his teeth, muscles straining under the crushing force. His arms were pinned once more. His breathing grew ragged. He tried to reach for the control on his Tactical Laser Emblem, but his movements were too restricted.

"How do I get out of this…" he muttered through shallow breaths.

His whole body trembled under the pressure. The only part he could still move was his legs. He pressed his feet hard against the ground, inching them forward to keep from being completely trapped. The pain was excruciating, but Alaric knew pain was no excuse to surrender.

The man behind him chuckled in satisfaction. "You really think that toy laser of yours can beat my creation? Only a fool fights technology with technology."

Alaric stayed silent. In that silence, his mind raced. His eyes tracked every minute movement of the robot. Each swing of its arm, the tilt of its head, even the rhythm of its glowing sensors.

And then he noticed something.

Its eyes.

Every time the robot locked its gaze on him, the blue light in its eyes pulsed rapidly, as if its focus intensified. But when it turned to something else, the glow dimmed slightly.

"So you only go full focus when scanning living targets, huh?" Alaric thought.

"In that case…"

Just then, bits of rubble from the ceiling crumbled and fell... either from the previous explosion or sheer luck. Some of it struck the robot's back, making it stumble slightly.

And just as he expected… its eyes turned away from him, shifting toward the falling debris.

A chance.

Without hesitation, Alaric seized the moment. He pushed with all his strength, twisting his body sideways to slip free from the crushing grip. The metal wall screeched, but he broke loose.

He gasped for breath, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "Finally."

The robot rotated its head, sensors locking back onto Alaric. But before it could move, Alaric was already on guard—standing tall in the center of the room, body tilted slightly forward in a combat stance.

Behind him, the man who owned the fortress rose from his seat. His relaxed demeanor was gone, replaced by pure fury. He slammed his fist onto the armrest, splintering the wood.

"Impossible… he broke free from that grip?!" he growled, his voice low and sharp. "That robot's strength equals two tons!"

Alaric glanced at him briefly. "Seems like brute strength isn't everything."

The man's eyes narrowed with anger.

Meanwhile, the robot reentered standby mode. The light in its chest flickered red. Its defense system recalibrating its sensors. But Alaric knew he couldn't just stay on the defensive.

He steadied his breathing, adjusted his footing, and locked eyes with the machine. His hands were finally free, and the Tactical Laser Emblem's controls were within reach.

"All right," Alaric said, his voice calm but resolute.

"If I'm fighting two opponents now…"

He straightened, his tone low yet firm.

"I'll make sure neither of them stays standing for long."

The robot lunged again... faster, more violent than before. The clanging of metal against stone echoed through the underground chamber, rebounding off the cold, mossy walls.

Each time its steel feet struck the floor, the tremor rattled Alaric's bones, pressing on his chest like a weight.

He didn't stay still. Moving swiftly to the side, he ducked just in time as the robot's giant fist smashed a stone pillar behind him into dust. Fragments flew, dust clouding the air, and from within that haze, the robot's blue eyes gleamed once more.

Alaric spun around and fired his Laser Emblem straight at the robot's chest. But the beam only scorched the surface, leaving a charred mark. Nothing more. It was as if the machine's armor was immune to heat.

"No way…" Alaric hissed, sweat dripping down his temple. He tried adjusting his aim, but every time he targeted a critical point, the metal closed up and hardened again. Designed, it seemed, to absorb heat energy rather than be destroyed by it.

From the back of the room came that same mocking voice.

"You'll never defeat this machine," the man said coldly. "It's powered by an endless source of heat. It will never die."

Alaric glanced toward him, eyes narrowing as realization began to form. "An endless heat source…?" he murmured, stepping back, head lowered in thought.

"That doesn't make sense… unless… it's not using ordinary energy."

His trained mind began connecting fragments of logic. "Could it be a synthetic plasma core? Or… a perpetual thermal reactor?"

He swallowed hard. "No. If that were true, the room's temperature would've skyrocketed. But it hasn't."

He looked back at the robot. The blue light in its chest pulsed steadily, like something alive rather than mechanical. "Or maybe… it's using a self-regulating system. A heat reactor that cools itself?"

Before he could think further, the robot charged again, cutting off his analysis. Its iron fist slammed down with earth-shaking force. Alaric rolled aside just as the floor cracked open where he had stood.

"Can't be extinguished, huh? Nothing in this world lasts forever," Alaric muttered bitterly, reactivating his Tactical Laser Emblem. A sharp blue beam extended from his wrist, brighter than before. He pushed the power to maximum, red warning indicators flashing across his visor's display.

The beam flared violently, and when the next metallic punch came, he met it head-on. The impact only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was enough to throw the robot off balance.

Only for a moment. The counterattack came instantly. Alaric tried to dodge, but one of the heavy blows slipped through his defense. The metal fist struck his cheek hard.

CRACK!

His body flew across the room, crashing onto the cold floor. His breath hitched, blood dripping from the corner of his lips. His vision blurred, but he refused to lose consciousness.

The man in the back spoke again, now with smug satisfaction. "You fought well, but it's pointless. That machine was built to replicate the heat of the Earth's core. Even if you destroy its entire frame, its power source will never go out."

Alaric coughed, clutching his aching chest. "The Earth's core…? So that's the secret," he whispered. "A heat source that never dies because it imitates nature itself."

In his mind, thoughts raced. "If the heat can't be extinguished, then the only way… is to break its balance. Cool down the core system…"

Suddenly, a soft mechanical voice chimed near his ear.

"Cooling compound at forty percent detected."

Alaric looked up. A blue holographic panel appeared before him, displaying rapid streams of data. Cooling levels, probabilities, and possible effects on the robot's system.