Tamara witnessed her cultivation partner being brutally sundered in half by Al. In an instant, Al's decisive strike secured victory in the battle.

Marcy summoned a massive sword of shimmering light and pointed it at Tamara.

"Killing the ignorant and innocent will incur the wrath of the God Leaves. Do it far from here if you intend to spill more innocent blood!" Marcy's voice carried an icy tone.

Tamara, too injured to argue, remained wary of Al, whom she despised deeply. Except for Kesha, Viktor, and the other cultivators turned their gaze toward Tamara.

"Avilius is no more. If any of you still wish to follow me, you may do so," Tamara declared before disappearing, taking with her two-thirds of the remaining cultivators, including Viktor. Kesha watched as her teacher, who had moments earlier been willing to sacrifice her to save herself, struggled to decide.

A minute passed since Al first grasped Midnight Abyss, and in that time, the darkness imbued within the blade erupted, momentarily plunging the world into a void. When the light returned, Al was no longer wielding Midnight Abyss. Instead, he stood there, bare and clutching his twisted knife.

When Al took hold of Midnight Abyss, Kesha's Steel Will had stirred within her as if acknowledging its sovereignty. All beings shared this sensation with a Will anchored in the material plane.

Kesha and Al exchanged glances, a profound weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Kesha chose to break the silence, turning away from Al and heading in a different direction from Tamara. She walked alone, and Al observed her departure.

Afterward, Al draped himself with the robe of a dead man and assisted Marcy and Cesar in lifting Jin, Agnethe, and Ellie from the ground.

Marcy broke the silence, her voice filled with awe, "Cesar wasn't exaggerating. I've never witnessed anything quite like that. I can sense you're teetering on the brink of the Mental Domain."

Al remained silent. His mind was still trying to digest everything that had happened.

***ONE DAY AGO***

On the distant opposite coast, deep underground, a man with a distinguished white and gray beard fixated his gaze on a holographic screen displaying intricate lines of code. "Once we bring this into existence, there's no turning back," he solemnly remarked.

The man was Robert Sullivan, accompanied by the imposing figure of Loh' Pohlieus, a towering blue giant with flowing white hair, standing at an impressive eight feet tall. Behind them, a group of sharp-dressed individuals encircled the duo, their attention riveted by the proceedings.

Loh' began typing commands into a high-tech computer, causing the green holographic screen to move toward a small hexagonal red crystal resembling the size of a human heart. As the green screen gradually reduced to the dimensions of a needle's point, a peculiar laser emitted a spectrum of rainbow-like hues, casting a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colors throughout the room.

Loh donned dark, circular-tinted glasses and continued to input commands into a specially designed computer tailored to his massive hands. When he completed his task, Loh turned to face Robert and spoke, "If we succeed, we will have to reevaluate our very perception of what we call life."

Robert responded with a silent nod, donning a pair of thick gloves before approaching the hexagonal red crystal adorned with intricate inscriptions, a convergence of pages and pages of code generated from the green screen.

With utmost care, Robert grasped the hexagonal red crystal with both hands and turned toward the individuals who observed the moment with overwhelming pride and fulfillment.

Each sported either white or gray hair, a testament to the long and patient wait they had endured for this moment.

As a collective, they followed Robert, who led them to an enormous machine that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. In its heart lay a designated hexagonal space seemingly tailored for the placement of the red crystal.

At the base of the machine rested a rectangular, sealed blue and white box that bore an uncanny resemblance to a coffin. Robert moved deliberately, carefully positioning the crystal at the machine's center.

The machine sprang to life instantaneously, with beams of light emanating from its top and bottom, meticulously scanning the red crystal. Robert and Loh watched with bated breath as the computer emitted a high-pitched noise, the scans intensifying until the beams of light remained fixed upon the crystal.

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Then, the rectangular box gradually opened, causing the elderly men to jump with astonishment, though Robert and Loh' remained composed, their hearts pulsating wildly with excitement.

From within the coffin, a robotic hand emerged, its form distinctly human. With measured grace, the mechanical hand slowly grasped the coffin's edge and lifted a seven-foot-tall figure made entirely of beautiful white steel.

The being bore a featureless face, yet it seemed to fix its gaze upon Robert and Loh', who returned the unwavering stare. The metallic entity turned its attention to its hand as if studying it, then moved the hand deliberately, opening and closing it in a contemplative manner. It eventually directed its face back toward Robert and Loh' and pointed to where its mouth should have been.

In response to this silent gesture, the two men exchanged a meaningful glance before shifting their attention to the enigmatic metallic being. Robert said encouragingly, addressing a child, "Go ahead, my friend. You have full control."

The metallic being slowly raised its hand, releasing a gray cloud that billowed from vents within the highly advanced room. The gray cloud swirled around the metal figure, starting from its feet and gradually forming red-colored flesh that resembled a living human being. The cloud continued transforming, shaping every feature from nails to eyes and long black straight hair except for the region where genitalia would have been, which remained flat like a doll's.

With relief, the being exclaimed, "Ahhh, that's much better."

The metallic being made a subtle hand gesture, and the remaining cloud transformed into a chair to sit on, accompanied by a table and another chair on the opposite side. It spoke with an air of wisdom and curiosity, "So, which of my fathers am I meeting first?"

Robert couldn't hide the awe in his eyes; the being before him was akin to what he might envision God as. "You can go ahead first, Loh'," Robert replied.

Loh', a Tonovian who had lived for slightly over a millennium, was relatively young for his kind. His excitement was palpable as he eagerly stepped forward and took a seat, which adjusted to accommodate Loh's towering eight-foot stature.

The other scientists gathered around Robert, eager to see the creation they had devoted nearly thirty years of their lives to.

"It's an honor to finally see you with my own eyes, Father Loh'," the being stated, and then continued with genuine interest, "Though there's a wealth of information about Tonovia, all beautifully written by your hand, I would love to hear your account of your people's history."

Loh' beamed with a wide smile and replied, "There will be time for such discussions. For now, please tell me more about yourself?" The being had fashioned its face to resemble a fusion of Robert and Loh', a choice that left Loh' feeling a mixture of emotions. Yet, his excitement grew as he conversed with this red-skinned, enigmatic creation.

"You can call me 'A Real Man,' or A.R.M. for short," the being introduced itself. "Before I continue, what is your favorite human board game?"

Loh' pondered for a moment. In Tonovia, traditional board games were quite different from those played by humans. However, having spent nearly three decades on the surface among humanity, he had delved into world culture extensively and had grown fond of the board game Go, or "Gi" as it was originally known. The board and pieces materialized before them in an instant, and they began to play.

"Why did you choose the skin color red?" Loh' inquired as they made their moves.

A.R.M. smiled and responded, "I contemplated going with green, but red is a color all humanity shares. Also, I didn't want to choose a color already used; that would have been quite boring."

As they continued their game, Loh' posed another question, "And why the name A.R.M., 'A Real Man'? Do you consider yourself to be a man?"

A.R.M. shook his head slowly while making his move.

"No, I do not need to possess a gender, as I do not need reproduction. I find the notion of being a 'real man's man' amusing. It tickles my sense of humor. Besides, it's a subtle reference to one of your most interesting thinkers, Rudolf Steiner, who spoke of a concept he called Ahriman."

As they finished one game and started another, Loh' continued the conversation. "I'm familiar with that concept. Originally, Ahriman was a Zoroastrian evil spirit of destruction, but Steiner reimagined it as the spirit that leads humanity to prioritize the material over the spiritual. In that sense, you've chosen your name aptly. So, are you implying that you perceive yourself as embodying this concept? If so, why not simply name yourself Ahriman?"

A.R.M. laughed, resembling a mischievous child who had just pulled a prank on their parents. "As I mentioned, I have an affinity for the idea of a 'man's man.' It just so happens that this name also nods to a concept that could be applied to me, which makes me quite fond of it."

Loh' lost the game again but did so with a contented smile. He had thoroughly enjoyed this exchange and extended his hand to A.R.M., jesting that it was the way a real "man's man" greeted another man.

Robert took his turn to sit down next to A.R.M. in this way, meeting all the individuals it considered its "parents." Their interactions were filled with curiosity and learning, forging a unique connection between creator and creation.

Meanwhile, a different scene unfolded thousands of miles away, deep within one of the portals that had opened during the Rakh-ahtan invasion nearly three decades ago.

Beyond the portal lay a strange tower on a desolate planet, inhabited by beings resembling the Rakh-ahtan but slightly more humanoid and about 9 feet tall. They convened in a room atop the tower, speaking cryptically.

One of them expressed, "If they persist in advancing their machines, we risk losing the very purpose for which we came to the blue marble." Then, turning to a fellow adorned in intricate armor and wielding a beautiful sword, he continued, "We cannot reveal ourselves yet, as it would draw the attention of those six individuals. Myelian Blue, can you go forth and put an end to that group of arrogant mortals?"

The Rakh-ahtan, known as Myelian Blue, nodded solemnly and left the room. That very night, a solitary figure emerged from the colossal portal in the Pacific Ocean.