"Alright, don't be sad. Let's eat some cake."
Placing the finished cake on the table, Blanca ruffled Griseo's hair.
Then she stopped, not doing anything else.
"Mom, why aren't we lighting the candles?"
"Oh, we will. But not by me."
Leaving Griseo with a mysterious smile, Blanca went to the living room and turned off the lights.
The sudden darkness left Griseo confused.
But the next moment, a few flickering flames appeared.
"Griseo, happy birthday. Am I late?"
"Dad!"
Hearing this voice, Griseo looked closely at the face illuminated by the flames.
Then she recognized him.
Jumping off her chair, Griseo ran barefoot to Ato and hugged him.
"Hahaha, my precious daughter, how could I miss your birthday? I finished my tasks for the next few days early just to be here. Hmph."
"Dad, you're hurt again."
When Blanca turned the lights back on, Griseo noticed new scars on her father's body.
Although the wounds had healed, the scars remained ugly and prominent.
While MANTIS warriors could heal quickly, scars were harder to remove.
But it wasn't impossible. Mobius had developed ointments to erase scars.
However, Ato had rushed back today and forgotten to get some.
This made Griseo notice the scars.
Each scar was at least five centimeters long, a testament to how brutal the battles were.
"Ahaha, these are just minor injuries. Your dad saved a lot of families, including kids like you."
"Dad, I understand now. I don't want you to do such dangerous things, and I don't want you to be a hero.
But I know this is what you want to do. You want to protect more kids like me. So, I just hope you don't get hurt."
Touching the raised scars, Griseo spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Hahaha, I got it. I'll be more careful from now on. Let's eat cake."
Ruffling Griseo's hair, Ato stuck the candles into the cake.
"Make a wish, but don't say it out loud, or it won't come true."
"Mm, my wish is..." For everyone to live happily.
With that, Griseo blew out all the candles.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it."
Hearing the knock, Ato stood up to answer it.
As soon as he opened the door, a white figure smeared cream all over his face.
"You jerk, Ato! You didn't invite us to Griseo's birthday!"
"Hey, hey, Chang Yuan, ambushing me like this is so unfair."
Wiping the cream off his face, Ato's mouth twitched.
Oh, so that's how you want to play, huh?
"Come in, everyone. I was planning to bring the cake to you later. You're all so busy these days."
Stepping aside, Ato welcomed everyone in.
"I like your hospitality. Next week, I'm sending you to guard the other side of the ocean."
"You, watch out, or I'll sneak into your house and beat you up tonight."
"You'd have to beat me first. Hahaha."
Time flew by, and several peaceful years passed...
"The Herrscher of Binding will be born in a few years. It's almost time."
Every day now, Chang Yuan felt a knot in his stomach.
He was afraid the Herrscher of Binding would spawn right at Fire Moth's headquarters.
If that happened, while they wouldn't be wiped out, at least 99% of their combat power would be lost, along with several key scientists.
"Vice Captain Chang Yuan, Dr. Vill-V says she's detected signs of a Herrscher. She wants you to come over."
"Got it."
Hearing that the Herrscher had appeared—and not near them—Chang Yuan felt a weight lift off his chest.
He quickly headed to Vill-V's Spiral Workshop.
"You're here. Take a seat."
Hearing footsteps, Vill-V, the 'Expert,' didn't even turn around.
Instead, she watched the nine artificial Herrschers—her children—heading out on their mission.
"In that area on the satellite map, there's no signal. It's even interfering with the satellite. That can only mean the Herrscher of Binding has been born there.
But that's not the main point. The main point is that the no-signal zone is moving. That means the Herrscher of Binding's enhancement is mobility."
"How confident are you?"
"100% confident, but..."
Vill-V, the 'Expert,' didn't continue.
Chang Yuan, understanding why, also fell silent.
Elysia was also part of the mission, but she was only responsible for delivering the final blow from a distance.
If things went south, she could escape. Her escape skills far surpassed Chang Yuan's, so she was the only one going. Anyone else would be a liability.
"Sigh, I knew she'd go."
Looking at the figure on the satellite map, Chang Yuan felt a pang of melancholy.
The artificial Herrscher with the authority of the Herrscher of the Void quickly led the group toward the Binding Field.
But Elysia had been left ten kilometers away.
This battle would claim no lives, except where the Herrscher was born.
"Everyone, it's time for our sacrifice. Are you ready?"
As the firstborn artificial Herrscher, Prometheus took on the role of leader, looking at her siblings.
"We're ready. We understand why we were created. Even if our lives are short, we've lived them to the fullest."
"...I'll find a way to keep us alive."
For some reason, Prometheus felt compelled to say this.
After speaking, she looked up at the sky.
She knew about the satellites and that Vill-V was surely watching them.
Then, Prometheus smiled slightly. "Dr. Vill-V, no, Mom, don't be sad about our departure. We're just data, AI.
We've already uploaded all our data to the terminal. We'll be reborn. Don't be fooled by the Ship of Theseus. We'll always be your creations, your children."
In the satellite feed, Vill-V, the 'Expert,' trembled as she deciphered the lip movements.
She had thought she could face this calmly, but in the end, she was shaken.
From an angle Chang Yuan couldn't see, tears streamed down Vill-V's face. This was the first time the genius had ever cried.