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These machines were so much more advanced than any other technology that Parson had ever seen. Just how far ahead was Morgunov? Compared to the rest of the world, how many more years would it take before someone else could build machines like these? Twenty years? Fifty? More?

Even disregarding the emperor-level soul-strengthening, these things were absurd.

They could think. Seemingly, at least. Maybe the old bastard had just been controlling them somehow, giving them an appearance of autonomy, but Parson could've sworn that these robots were actively problem solving when fighting him. And they probably held plenty of other secrets that Morgunov hadn't even bothered to reveal to him.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like trying to suppress innovation was the wrong way to go. Maybe in the past, when the Mad Demon didn't exist, that tactic might have worked, but now? There was no suppressing Morgunov's genius. He could do whatever he bloody wanted, innovate however he pleased.

And if something wasn't done, then eventually, nobody would be able to keep up with him. Not even Sermung.

Assuming that wasn't already the case.

Morgunov did say that he'd come prepared to face Sermung himself, didn't he?

No, it was far too early to be thinking things like that. By any estimate, Lamont and Jackson will have at least been able to achieve a stalemate. That would buy time for Sermung to arrive and push Morgunov out of Sair.

And that, of course, would buy time for the Vanguard as a whole.

He wondered what Jules, Calvin, and Vernon would make of these machines. They were in the Vanguardian encampment as it was preparing to engage Morgunov, so perhaps they had gotten a good look at them during the clash. With any luck, the Vanguard would be able to capture one of these things for study. At the very least, word needed to get out about the leap in strength that the Mad Demon had made.

As if he wasn't terrifying enough before.