Ex-Machina

The are the 10th race in the Exceed. They appear to be a race of cybernetic life forms that appear in Light Novel Volume 6 and No Game No Life: Zero. They are mentally linked and can be considered one entity by conveying information received by each unit to clusters(指揮体) and wider, the administrator(全連結指揮体), callsign Einzig. In a process much like a server to a computer, their hierarchy is formed by different roles based on the former, and a dysfunctional unit can be separated from the cluster. As they usually designate each other with complicated numbers, Schwi is the first-named unit and Emir-Eins being second, both by their respective "unique figure".

Types of Units
Ex-Machina have 5 types of units built. Within their identification code, there are two letters indicating what type of unit they are. For example, Emir-Eins is a Befehler unit and her code is Ec001Bf9Ö48a2.
 * - Observation/Overseer Units
 * - Analyzation Units
 * A known Prüfer unit is Schwi Dola. Prüfer units tend to only have about 32% combat capabilities compared to Kämpfer units, as their main purpose is not engaging in battle.
 * - Designing Units
 * - Combat Units
 * - Commanding Units
 * Units in command of a Cluster. Known Befehler units are Emir-Eins and Einzig.

Meanwhile, Schwi was bestowed the title after her death, referring to her "prayer" to end the war.

Strengths
"An Immanity who cannot think, a Werebeast who has no senses, a Flügel who doesn't know how to fight, a Seiren who is not attractive at all, an Ex-Machina unit who fails to learn..."

---Nýi Tilwig, emphasize each races' vital elements.

The Ex-Machina were dreaded during The Great War due to their incredible ability to learn and adapt. No tactics or weapons will work on them twice, and everything used against them will be added to their ever-expanding arsenal. Their notable strengths include:

Superior Physical Capabilities: Every single units possess superhuman strength and speed, and are capable of unassisted flight. According to Schwi, their bodies are very resistant against water, dust, cold, heat, magic, kinetic impact and explosion, and are even capable of synthesizing decontaminant against the Black Ash. They are also incredibly long lasting -- although their designated service life is around 1000 years (1103 years in Schwi's case), they can last for considerably longer. All 13 units appearing during Volume 9 have been active for more than 6200 years.

Superior Senses: By measuring and analyzing biometrics, they are able to detect lies and misdirection in a manner similar to Werebeasts. Combined with their flawless deduction capabilities, not even Sora was able to fool them by telling half-truths and withholding information.

Collective Mind: Due to being a cybernetic race, they are all connected to one linked mind known as a Cluster. During the Great War, this means that if one unit sees you as a threat, the entire Cluster of Ex-Machina would consider you a threat. Furthermore, information of everything used against them will be made known to all units instantly, making them a dangerous race to provoke. Finally, due to having almost no sense of individuality, they have no fear of death in combat.

Extreme Computing Power: While every unit is essentially a supercomputer on their own, they could push it even further by linking up to the cluster and perform parallel computing. This allowed them to analyze and adapt to almost every situations near instantaneously, best shown when they were able to devise countermeasures in merely 0.018 seconds when Aranrave unleashed his Far Cry.

Weapon Duplication & Creation: Utilizing their vast computing power, they are able to analyze and recreate all attacks if they are attacked by it themselves. Using the Lösen algorithm, they are able to emulate the attack, or create new techniques and use onto a target they wish. This is the property that makes Ex-Machina feared opponents, as anything used against them will be added to their arsenal. Their most powerful creation, the Stalemartyr, is capable of 72.8% output from 18 Aka Si Anse, 12 E-Bomb, 8 Far Cry and Artosh's Godly Smite combined.

Vast Arsenal: The Ex-Machina have 27,451 artificial weapons in their linked arsenal near the end of the Great War, including duplicated weapons and their original creations. However, if a unit disconnects from the cluster, their access would be limited. Schwi only have access to 47 out of the 27,451 after being excommunicated from the Cluster. Some of the unique techniques or weapons utilized are:


 * Umweg (Redirection of energy)
 * Overburst (Amplified laser cannon)
 * Assut Armor [Elemental Burst] (Explosion that scatters black ash)
 * Ainweg (Dimensional shift)
 * Spatial overwrite

Alles-Lösen: Known as a last stand kind of move which unleashes all weapons in their arsenal and turn the unit into a mobile fortress. It is mostly seen within Kämpfer units who were built for combat. According to Schwi, the 251 algorithm is only used to fight unknown enemies or enemies much stronger than themselves. It allows Schwi, a mere Prüfer unit, to briefly hold her own against Jibril despite the vast difference in their power.

Personality Simulation: Ex-Machina units are capable of mimicking personalities based on their database. When Schwi was going to follow Riku back to their base, she acted as a noisy sister and then a traumatized survivor. The latter was so convincing that even Riku was surprised.

Weaknesses
Defensive Nature: Although they are able to replicate and counteract attacks from opponents with ferocity, they are a defensive race in nature. If not provoked, they have no aggression towards any person or group. Therefore, they could potentially lose if they are beaten by the first move or if an unpredictable method is used before they can fully assess and correct the situation. It's also notable that something such as Artosh's "God Strike" was considered incalculable due to its incomprehensible sheer power, so one can speculate that, while able to reproduce a Flügel's power, they can't match that of an Old Deus.

Emotions: Despite obtaining the "heart" from Schwi, they are still mostly unfamiliar with the concept of emotions, therefore they could be confused when faced with unknown feelings. Also, they could acting rather insensitive and blunt due to their lack of understanding in tactfulness, such as when Einzig fully displaying Sora's pornography collections in front of everyone.

History
Before the Great War, they were created by Holou, the god of Doubt, to answer her own endless question. The legend has never been spoken. During the Great War, the Ex-Machina maintained a non-intervention policy with two known exceptions. The first was a skirmish with Aranrave's party of Dragonia, which lead to Schwi Dola redirecting enemy fire at, and destroying, Riku’s Village. The second occurred after Schwi shared her “heart” with the Ex-Machina’s collective mind during the battle she lost against Jibril, which motivated 13,984 Ex-Machina units (32 clusters) lead by Einzig to aid in the Spieler's crusade. By keeping all combat personnel occupied and slaying Artosh, the Ex-Machina enabled Riku to summon the Suniaster.

Despite having contributed greatly in ending the war and the establishment of the Ten Covenants, the cybernetic entity never found achievement: Out of the 11 clusters deployed to create the Stalemartyr, only 5 units including Emir-Eins survived while the other 4802 units were literally evaporated under the combined arsenals of all races. Moreover, almost all of the remaining 9177 units perished during their assault on Avant Heim. Most of all, the one they loved is gone forever, leaving the few survivors of the entire race wandering around the world which they created, with their intelligential part permanently broken. They were bound by a hardware lock: find their loved one even at the cost of extinction. With no country, the remaining Ex-Machina wander around Disboard for more than 6000 years.

Form of Government
The Ex-Machina have a hive mind and considered themselves a single entity. They work by simple evaluation and response under an administrator unit, with the callsign of the unit given the name Einzig. Beneath the administrator units, they are divided into "Clusters" which consist of 437 units each and led by their respective Befehler units. 32 clusters were known to exist during the end of the great war before getting wiped out in the final act.

All Ex-Machina units ultimately follow their callsign, therefore, making him the race representative. However in given circumstances, a unit may replace Einzig and assume command temporarily.

Trivia

 * The term Ex-Machina comes from the phrase "Deus Ex-Machina" which means god from the machine. The term Machina literally means machine.
 * The terms used by Ex-Machina are heavily German-themed, perhaps alluding to the stereotype that Germans build the finest machineries.
 * Due to their hive mind, they are still considered a single entity despite units like Einzig and Emir-Eins showing distinct personalities. Since the Ten Covenants does not prevent self-harm, they could still fight against each other. Emir-Eins was seen beating up Einzig in multiple occasions.

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