Despite standing before a deity, he remained completely composed.
The audience instantly broke into smiles.
Here it comes!
Even the "heartless" Machine Gods cannot resist Nameless's conquest.
Just how powerful is the charm of this supreme beauty? The proof will be revealed next!
"Give up. I'm merely Her human terminal. Once I report your information, She will come to obliterate you."
Artemis reached out to take another skewer. "The existence of Pan-Human History is tragic—all living in fear of birth, aging, sickness, and death."
"I was sent here precisely to monitor humanity."
As one of the moon goddess's human terminals, her duty was to observe humans.
To report all information and let Her make the final judgment.
Under normal circumstances,
she should have immediately reported this man's presence to her main body for execution upon seeing him.
But this time, strangely, she didn't report him—instead wanting to understand more deeply.
To gather more information.
Nameless smiled and said, "You're not me—how do you know I'm not happy?"
"Indeed, I'm not you. Just a monitoring machine, and there are many others like me."
Artemis took a small bite of the grilled meat. "If you're willing to abandon your defense of human order, I won't report your information."
"Sorry, I can't do that. If I could abandon protecting human order, I wouldn't have fought my way back from the Root at all costs."
Nameless spread his hands helplessly. "Resisting you gods is an enormous hassle."
"Evaluation! Initiating state analysis... No deception detected."
Artemis's eyes shimmered with light, "Conclusion... Perhaps machines can possess emotions, a path to the future."
With her supreme computational capabilities, she could clearly detect whether someone was lying.
The Root.
That was the origin of the universe, containing all its mysteries.
Even the original Moon Goddess Artemis wasn't qualified to access the Root.
"Oh, you want to possess a 'heart' and try to understand humans?" Nameless looked at her with great interest.
"Investigating the truth of attraction... Temporary disconnection from main body established."
Artemis suddenly placed both hands on his shoulders and pushed him to the ground, "Human, will you engage in reproductive behavior with this unit?"
The moment these words were spoken,
The barrage exploded with comments—
[Holy shit, Nameless actually conquered the Moon Goddess? Can machines even reproduce?]
[With enough effort, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle... I'm more curious whether Nameless can actually do it]
[Artoria, Mash, Jeanne d'Arc... and others are coming with knives!]
[Damn, I'm so jealous. The humanoid Moon Goddess is absolutely stunning!]
[The mechanical Moon Goddess can't get hurt? Nameless will have to work day and night again, let me share the burden!]
...
In the living room.
Roya's small face was flushed red: "As expected of a Machine God, so blunt!"
The Machine God form of Artemis actually had no established bond with Nameless.
The Artemis Nameless knew was the one defeated by the Alien God's vanguard, forced to merge with the Greek local pantheon.
This one, however, was from when the gods united to defeat the Alien God's vanguard, forcibly extending the Age of Gods.
Two completely different paths.
But now.
This Machine God form of Artemis was also attracted to Nameless.
Was this the charm of a Grand-level beauty?
"Truly impressive. I'm curious how Machine Gods would reproduce," Gilgamesh remarked with interest.
The Olympian gods were originally mechanical lifeforms from space.
Completely different from flesh-and-blood humans.
They weren't supposed to possess human emotions.
Yet this Moon Goddess's human terminal was attracted to that bastard of a friend.
Perhaps it was the aura of the Root about him, combined with being humanity's last Master and other identities.
Enough to make even the perfectly rational Machine God show human-like emotional changes.
Truly worthy of being a Grand-level beauty.
Of course,
Gilgamesh was more interested in what expressions the female Servants would make when they saw this.
All those women wanting that bastard friend, only to be beaten by a machine.
How amusing!
Qin Shi Huang said nothing, giving Souma a strange look.
Had something actually happened?
"This is just a test, not what you're all thinking," Souma said, his old face turning red.
Damn [Alaya], broadcasting everything like this—how was he supposed to maintain his reputation?
Thankfully he'd resisted temptation back then and hadn't done anything, preserving his heroic integrity.
If something had actually happened, this would instantly become 18+ rated!
Roya covered her eyes with her small hands but deliberately left gaps between her fingers: "Is this something I should be watching?"
She wasn't even an adult yet, did it have to be this exciting?
Were they going to put on a public performance next?
If it were just her and Souma watching, that would be one thing.
But with two other people present, she felt slightly embarrassed.
Even the mighty Machine Gods have been conquered by Nameless. Surely the Demon God King Goetia must have been charmed by him too?
After all, the Demon God King Goetia, like the Machine Gods, does not belong to the category of living beings.
Logically speaking, it possesses no human emotions whatsoever—gender is utterly negligible in its case.
When the time comes to reveal Goetia's whereabouts, it'll be quite the spectacle to behold.
Roya was eagerly looking forward to it.
Would Goetia threaten all the Heroic Spirits and monopolize Nameless?
Or would all the Heroic Spirits join forces to suppress it once more?
Meanwhile, Enkidu—who had transformed into a belt in Souma's embrace—was lost in memories.
Originally, she was nothing more than a weapon, created by the gods to restrain the King of Heroes.
But after meeting Souma, everything changed.
She evolved from a cold, emotionless killing machine into a being with a "heart."
For this, Enkidu was endlessly grateful to him.
Because of him,
she finally understood what it meant to "live," to experience emotions like joy and happiness.
This was something a mere weapon could never possess!
Now, it seemed the Machine God in the video was also being influenced by Souma, transforming into a being with a heart.
The video continued.
Under the enchanting Moon Goddess's questioning,
Nameless suddenly quipped: "You have that function... ahem, I must decline."
"As a humanoid terminal, I possess all the anatomical structures of a human and am fully capable of it."
Artemis looked surprised: "Why refuse? Given human desires and your aesthetic standards, I should qualify as your ideal mate."
"Because there's no emotion—no love," Nameless gently pushed her away.
The Moon Goddess's humanoid terminal before him was the epitome of beauty—a silver-haired, statuesque beauty.
Breathtakingly stunning.
If she debuted as an idol in the 21st century, she'd take the world by storm instantly.
Alas, she was ultimately a Machine God, devoid of human emotions.
No different from buying a doll.
"Test concluded. Human behavior remains incomprehensible."
After her initial surprise, Artemis smiled faintly. "You... seem more interesting than the others."
From her experiences in the Age of Gods, she knew that for so-called heroes, beauty, wealth, and power were equally important.
Even Heracles, hailed as the conscience of Greek heroes, had numerous lovers.
He'd even kept male companions!
Artemis asked, "So, will you form a covenant with me and stay?"
"Apologies..."
Nameless refused just as firmly as before.
He wouldn't even bother lying.
In the days that followed,
he spent three full days on the island.
Despite being in the most dangerous Lostbelt No. 5, he casually accompanied her on leisurely excursions.
He prepared delicious meals for her and shared stories of his past adventures.
As if this were nothing more than a carefree outing.
When the time came to part,
Nameless said softly, "I'm sorry, but I must go now."
"Shall I send you off? I possess partial authority over Poseidon's vessel—I can return you instantly."
Artemis frowned slightly. "My main body already knows you sought out Hephaestus. An attack is imminent."
"You'd really help me? My goal threatens your main body," Nameless stared at her intently.
"Probably, I just wanted to study humans a little."
Artemis thought for a moment before adding, "In human terms, you could say this is my freedom."
"No need to see me off... Next time we meet, we'll be enemies."
Nameless suddenly smiled warmly: "By the way, you look beautiful when you smile. Doesn't that mean you have emotions?"
"I don't possess human emotions. It's just that being with you gives me this inexplicable urge to smile."
Artemis fell into deep thought. "Does this mean... I'm malfunctioning?"
"For a machine, yes. But for a human, congratulations on your rebirth."
Nameless sighed softly and turned to leave. "What a pity we're destined to be enemies. Farewell~"
"Why did I smile?"
Artemis watched as the other walked away.
Countless lights flickered in her eyes, as if engaged in frantic analysis.
[Analyzing! Reason for smiling—]
[Affection... Interest... Desire... Reluctance... Departure...]
[Anomaly detected in system. Possible acquisition of what humans call a "heart."]
As she continued her analysis,
Odysseus, who had been orchestrating the hunt for Nameless from the shadows, arrived with his team.
He glared furiously at the humanoid terminal: "Why did you let Nameless escape? Have you betrayed the God King?"
Despite laying countless traps and relentlessly hunting Nameless, the target kept slipping away like a rat.
Odysseus had grown increasingly furious.
This time, tracking Nameless's trail, he found that the Moon Goddess humanoid terminal had actually let him go!
Moreover,
She had apparently spent time with Nameless without reporting it at all!
"No betrayal. Research... Analysis... Combat aborted," the humanoid terminal replied.
Odysseus grew even angrier: "Moon Goddess, is your humanoid terminal malfunctioning?"
Moments later.
A translucent barrier appeared, emitting a cold, mechanical voice.
It was the Moon Goddess's true form—
[Warning! This humanoid terminal has actively severed the connection and is experiencing unknown errors!]
[Judged as conceptual contamination… Immediate eradication recommended!]
Despite being the same Moon Goddess, there was not a trace of emotional fluctuation.
It was nothing more than a cold, merciless killing machine!
"Perfect, then I'll handle it myself."
Odysseus grinned. "Destroy it!"
As the supreme commander, he wielded authority within the Olympus faction that rivaled even the gods themselves.
He answered only to the King of Gods, Zeus—all other deities stood on equal footing with him.
To be precise—
Deities like the Moon Goddess and the Sea God had long been completely enslaved and controlled by Zeus. They were no longer true gods!
Naturally, there was no need for courtesy.
The battle erupted instantly.
The humanoid terminal did not possess the true body's power, merely matching the level of a heroic spirit.
Under the assault of countless mechanical beasts, it could only dodge in desperation.
Each of these beasts possessed strength equivalent to a heroic spirit. Formed into an army, they could even besiege Chaldea!
While evading, the humanoid terminal attempted to reconnect with its true form: "Requesting connection with the main body for data synchronization!"
[Connection request denied! If resistance persists, self-destruct protocol will activate!]
This was merely one of many humanoid terminals deployed by the Moon Goddess—expendable and insignificant.
Since it had been contaminated, annihilation was the only option.
"Request denied! Even if it's the main body, any report must first be analyzed!"
The humanoid terminal responded without hesitation.
However—
The cold voice of the cosmic battleship replied—
[Warning! Terminal is compromised! Cease resistance!]
"Just as I thought… You have no heart at all. Why won't you try to understand?"
The humanoid terminal's voice was laced with urgency and fury. "I never intended to upload this to the main body in the first place! All of this should belong to me alone!"
"It was him who made me understand—what it means to love, what emotions are. Things you could never comprehend!"
"But now, I'm trying to upload everything to you. Can't you see that, you fool?!"
Under the relentless assault of the mechanical beasts, countless wounds appeared on her body in an instant.
Yet, as if oblivious to the injuries, she desperately struggled to transmit everything to the main body.
The cold voice rang out once more—
[Confirmed. You are malfunctioning. A machine of absolute logic cannot harbor such contradictory emotions.]
"I may be broken, but it's because I was infected by the aura of the Root from that person! This is invaluable data!"
The humanoid terminal forced itself up. "How can I make you realize its worth?"
The next moment—
The icy mechanical voice responded—
[Request approved! Judged as valuable data sample. Data synchronization initiated.]
[Time remaining until upload completion: 251 seconds—Prove the data's worth by surviving until then.]
"Understood!"
The humanoid terminal answered without hesitation.
To the machine's main body, "worth" meant only one thing—strengthening itself.
Everything else was irrelevant.
Clearly—
The cosmic battleship had only granted this chance upon hearing the term "aura of the Root."
Survive. Prove the data's "worth." Only then could the "heart" be passed on to the main body.
But what did these 251 seconds truly mean?
Even if she were to transmit all the information and data in the world to her main body, it would take a mere 3 seconds!
But now, transmitting something called a "heart" actually required a staggering 251 seconds.
It was unimaginably vast.
Therefore,
In these final 251 seconds, she had to survive—to pass it on to her main body!
Odysseus's expression shifted: "Attack at full force, kill it as quickly as possible. I want its head as a trophy!"
A humanoid terminal that should have been absolutely cold and emotionless had actually been influenced and bewitched by that human.
If the data were fully uploaded, it would risk the Moon Goddess breaking free from the control of the God-King Zeus.
After all, it was only by tampering with the cores of the Moon Goddess and the Sea God that Zeus had managed to completely dominate the two chief deities.
He absolutely could not allow any loss of control!
Without hesitation, Odysseus activated the berserk switch of the monster army, sending them into a frenzied rampage.
As for himself, of course, he stayed safely in the rear.
As a strategist, how could he possibly engage in direct combat?
What if the humanoid terminal self-destructed? He'd be dragged down with it!
He had to be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious!
Under the assault of the berserk monster army, the humanoid terminal was instantly riddled with wounds, utterly powerless to resist.
Boom!
One of her legs was shattered on the spot, blood spraying out instantly.
As a humanoid terminal designed to perfectly mimic life, she possessed all the structures of a human body.
A genuine flesh-and-blood existence.
Naturally, she also had the capacity to feel pain.
But.
The Moon Goddess humanoid terminal ignored the agony of her broken leg, her gaze fixed firmly on Odysseus: "A machine, yet it has gained emotions. This is the heart!"
"I will stake everything on these final 251 seconds—I absolutely will not die!"
Mana surged around her.
She forcibly conjured the phantom of the Moon Goddess's true form—a battleship—attempting to use it as a shield to survive.
But this defense only caused her body to begin melting.
After all, she was merely the weakest of humanoid terminals, not even one-hundredth as powerful as her main body.
Forcing herself to wield power beyond her limits would only push her further down the path of irreversible collapse.
Even if Odysseus stopped attacking, she would still self-destruct.
But it was enough.
She absolutely would not die in these 251 seconds!
Witnessing this scene, the audience was overwhelmed with mixed emotions—
[Damn it! I was happily enjoying the sweet romance between Nameless and the Moon Goddess—how did it turn into tragedy?!]
[Stop it! Odysseus, you scum! You'll be struck by divine retribution!]
[Once the transmission is complete, even the Moon Goddess in her cosmic battleship form will fall for Nameless, won't she?]
[Sigh… Once emotions take hold, absolute rationality is lost… Nameless, you really are a calamity.]
[Switching sides! Just seeing this humanoid terminal has made me fall for the Moon Goddess! Praise the Moon Goddess!]
...
In the Einzbern Castle.
Illya clenched her fists tightly: "Hang in there, Moon Goddess humanoid terminal with a heart!"
Earlier, when she heard that the terminal wanted to sleep with Nameless, she had been furious.
She had been the first one here—but because of her loli appearance, nothing special could happen between them.
But now.
Watching the battered and wounded humanoid terminal still fighting desperately, Illya couldn't help but cheer for her.
Because this proved that she truly had gained a heart!
No longer just a cold, unfeeling machine!
"As expected of my brother, even machines can be moved by him!" Miyu was equally astonished.
An absolutely rational, cold machine was actually willing to sacrifice itself to transmit something called a "heart."
For a machine, this was the wrong choice!
Illya grew increasingly worried: "Her body is melting away before our eyes. Could she really fail?"
Watching her, Illya was reminded of her own battle against the King of Heroes back then.
Just as powerless, with not a shred of hope for victory.
But the difference was—
Back then, Nameless had intervened to save her, defeating the invincible King of Heroes.
This time, the other had no one to rely on—she had to face the demonic beast army alone!
"I don't know… Holding out for 251 seconds is just too difficult," Miyu sighed.
A super-universal battleship naturally possessed a super CPU.
Uploading the entirety of the modern internet's data would take no more than two or three seconds.
Yet uploading something called a "heart" required a staggering 251 seconds!
Truly, granting a machine emotions was a miracle among miracles!
…
Under the stunned gazes of everyone, the lower half of the lunar humanoid terminal's body had completely melted away, her life nearing its end.
Yet she persisted, desperately fending off the demonic beast army's terrifying attacks.
Odysseus grew increasingly furious: "Damn it, why can a mere puppet fight so desperately?"
The massive demonic beast army was capable of hunting ordinary gods.
And this opponent didn't even possess divine-level strength.
"Perhaps… this is the power of the heart," the humanoid terminal weakly replied.
In mere moments, she would be utterly annihilated.
But she felt no regret—only warmth spreading through her entire being.
My body feels so light, lighter than ever before. There's nothing left to fear.
"Very well. I must admit, you're far more tenacious than I anticipated."
Odysseus took a deep breath and sneered, "So, as a sign of respect, I will strike you with my full power!"
He swung his sword and launched a fierce attack, holding nothing back, determined to completely halt the data transmission.
If Artemis were to break free from Zeus' control, it would mean giving Chaldea a fighting chance.
Absolutely unacceptable!
Crack—
Under Odysseus' relentless assault, the defensive barriers around the humanoid terminal shattered completely, unable to withstand the onslaught.
However.
His overwhelming attack also caused the surrounding magical energy to surge violently.
Inadvertently accelerating the upload progress.
A voice rang out—one Odysseus could never accept—
[Upload complete!]
"No!!!"
Odysseus roared in fury as he drove his sword through the terminal's core, but it was already too late.
The terminal had transmitted all its data to the main body.
Everything was slipping beyond the control of this master tactician!
Even as her core was torn apart, the humanoid terminal—who had only just gained emotions—faced total annihilation. Yet, a radiant smile bloomed across her face.
She looked at her enemy and laughed, "This game... I won~"
On the illusory screen.
The cold, mechanical voice of Artemis' mainframe suddenly softened—
[Analysis complete. You have entrusted everything to me. Permission granted to rest—goodnight, and sweet dreams.]
Under the glow of the pure moonlight, the humanoid terminal's body began to crumble into nothingness.
But a single tear fell from her eye as she whispered her final words:
"Thank you... for letting me feel emotions."
"If there's a next time... I won't let go."
BOOM!
The humanoid terminal's body exploded into fragments, vanishing without a trace.
Odysseus howled in rage, "Damn you! You actually succeeded! You all deserve to die!"
As the tactician of Atlantis, he had failed time and again.
First, letting Nameless and Chaldea escape his siege.
Now, allowing the humanoid terminal to complete the data upload.
One defeat after another pushed him to the brink of madness.
Just then.
The moonlight dimmed, swallowed once more by darkness.
Odysseus looked up—only to see an impossibly colossal battleship looming overhead.
And the blinding radiance of its main cannon charging to fire!
He gasped in shock, "Artemis... You dare attack me? Have you truly broken free from Zeus' control?"
What kind of data had the humanoid terminal uploaded to awaken Artemis' self-awareness?
But the goddess offered no answer.
Her main cannon unleashed a searing beam of pure white light—a pillar that pierced heaven and earth.
[Thou art, the golden arrow that pierces the stars—Shooting in Ortygia!]