Chapter 222 - The Sentinel's Strength

Alex initially considered creating a small commotion with a spell.

A loud explosion would certainly attract the sentinel's attention, but there was an obvious problem. With so many sentinels patrolling the ruins, creating a large disturbance could just as easily attract several of them instead.

'No, that's too risky.'

There wasn't much time to think about it either. The sentinel was already heading north toward the disturbance, and Alex needed to act before it reached whatever had caused it.

He quickly settled on the simplest option. Alex raised his hand and shot toward the sentinel.

The sharp impact immediately caught its attention.

The sentinel stopped in the middle of its patrol and slowly turned toward the direction of the attack. Its head moved from side to side as it carefully observed the surrounding ruins.

Alex remained completely hidden beneath , keeping himself behind the cover of the ruined structures. He couldn't see the sentinel clearly from his position, but that wasn't a problem.

Aurora was already watching it for him.

She floated nearby, keeping her attention fixed on the sentinel. With Aurora acting as his eyes, Alex could observe its every movement without exposing himself.

For nearly a minute, the sentinel continued searching. It didn't seem capable of detecting Alex's presence. Eventually, after finding nothing unusual, it turned away and resumed its previous route toward the north.

'It worked.' His first shot had done exactly what he wanted. However, he couldn't simply let it continue toward Sherry.

Alex waited until the sentinel had moved a little farther away before firing a second at it.

The sentinel stopped.

But unlike before, its reaction was immediate. Its head snapped toward Alex's general direction, and for a brief moment, it remained completely still. Then it suddenly charged.

Alex's expression changed.

'It found me?'

He wasn't sure. The sentinel might have detected him, or it might have simply narrowed down the location of the attack. Either way, Alex wasn't going to wait around to find out.

He immediately moved through the ruins, keeping around himself as he silently increased the distance between them.

Behind him, the sentinel accelerated, and it was surprisingly fast.

Alex glanced at the live map in the corner of his vision. The red marker was moving rapidly toward him.

'It's coming straight at me.'

Alex changed direction, weaving between the broken structures as he tried to lead it away from Sherry.

Then the sentinel suddenly stopped.

A powerful attack erupted from its position. The blast tore through the surrounding ruins, sending fragments of stone flying in every direction.

Alex's expression hardened. 'What the hell?!'

He immediately moved again. Another attack struck the ground behind him, followed by another and another.

The sentinel wasn't simply attacking his last known position. It was firing in multiple directions, covering the surrounding area and leaving Alex with no obvious way to escape.

Alex ducked behind a collapsed wall as another blast smashed into a nearby building.

Dust and debris filled the air. He remained concealed beneath , but his expression had become considerably more serious.

'So it can attack like this too.'

The sentinel wasn't blindly charging after him anymore. It had realized that something was there, and now it was searching for him in its own way.

Alex tried to move stealthily through the ruins, but the sentinel showed no intention of letting him escape. Another attack tore through the remaining cover around him, reducing the already damaged structures to piles of rubble.

'This isn't going to work.'

With nowhere left to hide, Alex stepped out from behind the ruined wall and into the open.

Aurora immediately looked toward him with concern. "What are you going to do?"

Before Alex could answer, the sentinel's head turned toward him. The construct finally had a clear view of the intruder it had been searching for.

The sentinel's hands suddenly changed. Its fingers retracted as the structure of its forearms shifted. A moment later, both of its hands had transformed into long, sharp blades.

Alex narrowed his eyes and assumed an attacking stance.

He didn't have much choice anymore. Since hiding was no longer an option, he might as well find out exactly how strong this thing was.

Alex reached into his storage space and drew Bloodedge.

"Since I can't hide anymore, I might as well see what you're made of."

He tightened his grip and rushed forward.

The sentinel moved at almost the same time. Its blades swept toward Alex, but he shifted to the side and brought Bloodedge down in a powerful slash.

The two blades collided, sending a sharp impact through Alex's arm.

The sentinel didn't budge. Instead, it pushed forward with overwhelming strength, forcing Alex backward. His feet scraped across the ground as he slid several meters before finally regaining his balance.

Alex glanced at the sentinel. Their first exchange had accomplished nothing.

Alex immediately used , disappearing from his position and reappearing beside the sentinel.

Bloodedge flashed as he launched another strike at close range. The sword slammed into the sentinel's body.

Alex's expression changed.

The attack had landed cleanly, yet when he pulled Bloodedge away, there wasn't even a visible dent on its massive frame.

'Seriously?'

He had used roughly half his strength in that strike, and it hadn't even left a mark. Alex clicked his tongue and quickly moved away as the sentinel turned toward him.

'Physical attacks aren't going to be enough.'

His thoughts shifted toward magic, but he immediately reconsidered. A powerful spell would create a significant disturbance, and there were still numerous red markers scattered throughout the ruins.

'I can't use anything too destructive.'

If another sentinel was attracted here, dealing with one could quickly turn into dealing with several.

Alex glanced at the System Map. The other red markers continued moving along their respective routes. More importantly, the sentinel in front of him didn't appear to be sending any kind of signal or calling for reinforcements.

For now, Alex decided to avoid using large-scale magic. He had already attracted the attention of one sentinel, and there was no reason to make the situation worse by bringing the others here as well.

Alex sidestepped another sweeping strike, the blade formed from the sentinel's hand passing dangerously close to him.

He immediately countered with his own attack, striking at the sentinel's side before quickly retreating.

The battle continued like that for several minutes as Alex focused on finding an opening, using only his physical attacks and a few Tier-3 and lower spells to assist him.

The sentinel continued attacking with the same relentless movements, and Alex's stamina was gradually being worn down.

The sentinel wasn't giving him enough room to end the fight quickly, while Alex couldn't afford to use his stronger spells without risking attracting the other guardians. At this rate, he would eventually exhaust himself long before the sentinel showed any sign of slowing down.

Alex glanced toward Aurora.

"Aurora, do you have anything useful?"

Aurora looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"I think I have a better understanding of it now." Aurora said. "The sentinel isn't actually as advanced as I initially thought."

That surprised him.

"What do you mean?"

"It has impressive physical capabilities, but that's about it." Aurora pointed toward the sentinel. "It doesn't seem to use any sophisticated combat techniques, nor does it adapt particularly well. Its movements are fairly straightforward."

Alex looked at the sentinel again. The more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right.

Despite its overwhelming strength and speed, the sentinel's attacks were relatively simple and linear.

Aurora continued, "Its greatest advantage is its body. Whatever material it's made from is extremely durable, and its strength and speed are both impressive."

Alex frowned.

"So it's basically a really tough brute."

"That's a crude way of putting it, but... yes."

Alex couldn't help but sigh. That wasn't exactly comforting.

"There is something else." Aurora added.

Alex looked toward her.

"I believe it's weaker than it was originally."

His expression changed slightly.

"Given how much time has passed, whatever energy source maintains these constructs has likely deteriorated over the years."

She paused before adding, "I can't determine exactly how much weaker it has become, but if this sentinel were still at its original strength... you probably wouldn't survive even a single second."

Alex's expression stiffened as he looked back at the sentinel.

Despite everything he had thrown at it, he had barely managed to leave a scratch. Even using roughly half his strength in a direct attack earlier had accomplished almost nothing.

If he continued like this, there was no realistic chance of defeating it. At best, he could keep fighting it as a training dummy.

'A very durable training partner, at that.'

Alex let out a quiet sigh.

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Meanwhile, Sherry moved carefully through the ruins, following the direction of the disturbance Alex had pointed out.

After passing around another collapsed building, she suddenly stopped.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Mom... Dad..."

The words escaped her lips as little more than a whisper.

After three years of searching, wondering, and refusing to give up, Sherry had finally found her parents.