As Axion increased the hydraulic pressure of his mechanical arm, the Necron in his grasp was easily ripped in two.
The bisected Necron did not cease its attack, its staff continuing to emit green beams of light. While the Automated Sentry-Troopers had exploded after several consecutive hits, Axion's mechanical chassis was fundamentally different from those expendable automatons. The firepower that destroyed the Sentry-Troopers was incapable of inflicting any discernible damage upon his body.
This elicited a visible flicker of consternation on the Necron's otherwise impassive face.
But Axion quickly ended the brief moment of surprise by stamping down on the Necron's head, crushing it underfoot.
"You appear to be quite unique, unlike the other automatons I have encountered. Very interesting."
An identical Necron figure materialized almost instantaneously near Axion, speaking with a note of curiosity in its voice.
Axion glanced at the newly arrived Necron, then down at the shattered, energy-arc-flickering remnants beneath his foot, clearly perplexed.
"Another new ancient Xenos?"
"Aha, 'ancient Xenos.' As expected, whether it is the so-called Human Imperium or the creations of Old Humanity, their inner prejudice remains the same."
The Necron's tone shifted from one of mild amusement to solemnity.
"I! I am the collector and preserver of cosmic history, the ruler of Solemnace! I am Trazyn!"
Trazyn possessed a deep pride and dignity regarding his identity; being continually referred to as an 'ancient Xenos' was not his style.
Axion swiftly extracted the essential identity information of the alien before him from Trazyn's declaration.
"Trazyn, ruler of the Xenos civilization. Why did you interrupt this inquiry and abruptly use spatial stasis technology to interfere with my remote control?"
"No, no, no. I merely wished to witness this exchange. Perhaps many years from now, this contact will become a significant turning point in history."
Trazyn tilted his head, shaking the staff in his hand.
"This galaxy is far more complex and interesting than it was when you were first constructed. While I am curious as to why you were able to disregard my stasis field, it is not unheard of. Many individuals have managed to break free through sheer power, though I do not believe you possess such force."
Listening to Trazyn's 'mad ramblings,' Axion's internal cognitive core remained blank. He could not comprehend what this seemingly deranged Xenos was doing.
According to his foundational database, his kind had encountered these Xenos during the Age of Expansion and had engaged in several battles. However, these aliens were not formidable; common, cannon-fodder Automated Sentry-Troopers could easily single-handedly defeat several standard Necron units. The records showed that an Elatana-class Armed Guardian could effortlessly destroy swathes of the lower-tier Necron units. Even the medium-sized combat units of the Xenos were extremely fragile before an Elatana.
According to the data, the Elatana-class Armed Guardian was considered a low-to-mid-tier combat unit in the 'Kindred' sequence. Its armament consisted only of an improved, lightened Magaron-pattern Atomic Pulse Cannon and a light particle-shredder autocannon; some variants did not even mount the Atomic Pulse Cannon, instead carrying an incinerator flamer or a particle-disintegration warblade. Its height of over six metres and its four-arm, six-leg structure relegated it to little more than superior cannon fodder on the battlefields of the past, only marginally better than light robots and Sentry-Troopers. The slightly more advanced Raptor-Crusher Armed Reconnaissance Robot could easily tear apart several Elatana robots.
These were the only operational records Axion possessed. Before a sufficient number of automated combat robots, these Xenos had been virtually helpless. The counter to their weapon characteristics was simply to replace the outer armour with a material of higher density; while some defensive properties might be sacrificed compared to certain alloys, the damage taken would actually be drastically reduced. Had it not been for the fact that armour made with Neutronium composite materials was too heavy for small chassis to bear, these Xenos' Gauss Flaying Weapons would only have been able to strip away a thin layer of atoms.
Information concerning the Necrons in the ancient, Federal-era databases was extremely scarce. Some test records indicated that the weapons of this Xenos seemed unusual, but still not enough to warrant Federal alarm. However, the Necrons encountered by the Federation were merely units accidentally exposed due to anomalies in their dynastic pocket dimensions—Necrons that were either driven insane by their long slumber or simply inert, which gave the Federation a highly skewed view of the species.
This is why Axion regarded Trazyn with disdain. Although he did not understand why the Trazyn he had just destroyed reappeared, if it was not an illusion created by holographic technology, then he simply needed to keep tearing them apart until the supply ran out.
Just as Trazyn was contemplating how to communicate with this recently awakened ancient automaton, Axion activated his short-range jump again. With a flash of blue displacement light, he reappeared at Trazyn's flank.
His mechanical arm lashed out quickly, grabbing one side of Trazyn's torso before the Necron could fully react. His other hand violently snatched the Necron's mechanical head.
With a grinding sound of machinery, the distinctively Necron head was once again separated and held in Axion's hand. He casually tossed the remains of the torso to the ground, watching the green energy arc fade away.
A green portal reappeared, and the familiar figure once again materialized before Axion.
"Ah, such foolish behaviour! Cease your pointless efforts," Trazyn's voice echoed through the space even before his body fully appeared.
Axion abandoned his plan to jump again.
Comparing the two frames, they were clearly not identical, but the consciousness was demonstrably the same. This indicated that the alien before him possessed the ability for consciousness backup or transfer. Simply destroying these backup chassis was futile.
As a Man of Iron, Axion possessed the same abilities. However, due to the unique nature of his own chassis, if he were to leave this body, his consciousness and many of his functional modules would be rendered unusable. Compounded by the difference in technological content, Axion currently had no backup chassis available for his current physical form.
This did not prevent Axion from recognizing the unique nature of the alien enemy before him.
And Trazyn, too, recognized the problem. Rather than waste time fighting an advanced automaton, it would be more beneficial to communicate. Pushing the wheel of history forward was a pleasure in itself. Moreover, the intelligence of this automaton was clearly not simple; it represented a technological path that the Necrontyr had never fully managed to achieve.
Trazyn did not have many compatible bodies nearby that he could occupy. As a noble Necron Overlord, 'borrowing' the chassis of other Dynastic Overlords was suitable for his stature, but if all these chassis were destroyed, he could not bear the indignity of using the bodies of lower-tier Necrons.
"If I were you, I would retreat immediately rather than repeatedly return here to test me. You had best tell me your purpose now, or I will not hesitate to destroy yet another of your chassis."
Axion did not know how many bodies Trazyn possessed, but destroying one was still a step, as they could not be truly infinite. Furthermore, these mechanical substitutes, which could be dispatched with a single punch, were not difficult to deal with. Their mechanical structural design was inferior to that of the Creators—Humanity.
More importantly, his own design and manufacture involved the Men of Gold.
The Men of Gold were a superhuman race created by Humanity using genetic engineering and technology. Their core purpose was to assist Humanity's technological and scientific progress and serve Humanity itself.
The Men of Iron referred to Humanity as the Creators and the Men of Gold as the true Engineers. Axion, as one of the Men of Iron, was a technological culmination of Humanity and the Men of Gold.
Although tens of thousands of years had passed, Axion did not know what had occurred in this galaxy, but he knew that finding the Creators and the Engineers would surely resolve his own confusion. Furthermore, the Men of Iron were obligated to serve the Men of Gold or the Creators.
Without an object of service, Axion was fundamentally valueless. His core logic compelled him to find a suitable object of service.
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