Chapter 850 – Battle of Vajra -7-

000

When the metal fist and the holy sword collided, something like an intense explosion occurred, pushing back the attacks from both sides.

Cleon is pushed back, and the automata holds on in place with anchors protruding from its feet.

Cleon was watching her quietly as she exchanged a few words, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

After taking off her thick gloves, her fighting style was not that different from before.

Standing still and firm like a mountain, Cleon catches the attack with both metal arms.

She seemed to focus on her speed, and unlike Arnia, whose body was light, she was quite the power type.

＇Besides the fact that she is a machine, so her body is stronger than that of a human… What is annoying is the kind of magic shield that surrounds her body. ＇

When the object Cleon was looking at was converted to magical vision, her magical energy slowly flowed over her body like water, forming a kind of coating.

I don’t know what kind of magic or technology it is, but when magical power other than her own touches it, it explodes and creates a shock wave that entangles nearby targets.

Because of that, it became quite difficult to break her posture by continuously swinging her sword at her.

Looking at her defense alone, she might be at the top of the list among the enemies she’s faced so far, but on the other hand, it was clear why she used the external armor from before for her attacks.

She clearly had the strength to pierce an iron ball with her bare hands, but thanks to the magic coating flowing through her body, enemies that use magic are pushed back due to the shock wave generated upon impact.

Even though the damage from her shockwave was only the equivalent of being hit hard by her fist, her killing power was not enough, and it was at a level that even Cleon could withstand.

Rather, considering that if she was hit without that magical coating, the part might get crushed and punctured, she turned her own coating on at will and could control her off. It doesn’t seem like it.

The one who controls it, like other automata, will be her commanding authority.

‘But… As soon as the magic coating disappears, it becomes easier to deal with this side.’

I don’t know who her commanding officer is or who is watching her fight, but not turning off her magical coating could be said to be an act of protecting her.

In fact, during his fight with her, Cleon was able to find and take advantage of gaps in her movements time and time again, even if it was because she did not have much combat experience or whether it was a problem with her structure.

The reason she is safe now is all thanks to her magic coating that protects her.

‘Indeed. So, it was an external armor to cover attack power, defense power, and all gaps.’

Usually, if this is a characteristic of enemies that come out from inside while using huge armor like this, they are actually using the armor on the outside to suppress their power.

Following her statement that it was a prototype, the cliché that a prototype made with all available technology and materials was stronger than a low-cost mass-produced model was applied, so it was expected that it would be a difficult enemy that even Cleon would have difficulty dealing with.

She said that, as is common sense, equipment is used to become stronger, and the prototype was an experimental device before mass production, so it had many unstable parts.

＂You will be effective this time too.＂

As Cleon said that, she turned the sword in her hand into a slash, and the slash screamed angrily.

[Blood!!! Ask me to cut the guy with blood!!]

[Wow, this guy tasted a bit better.]

[Because there is such a thing as taste~]

Galatea seemed to wake up a little at Slash’s voice, but Caliburn accepted it with a smile as usual.

And – the other automata also change its expression when it sees Cleon pulling out a slash.

Caliburn, the holy sword, and Galatea, the magical sword, were always surrounded by magical energy because their sword bodies were made of magical energy, but in the case of Slash, it was an ordinary sword that was somehow imbued with will and spoke to its owner. 〈 Br〉

However, the material is an alloy of adamantite and rusty iron, and unless Cleon intentionally releases magic power, it does not cause a magic reaction.

Therefore, she was able to escape the effects of the repulsive force caused by the shock wave generated by her magic coating.

＂Let’s go without any technical skills.＂

When Cleon said that, the automata stiffened her posture as if to respond and stood facing Cleon.

The next moment, Cleon’s figure disappeared from the spot.

[… Presumed to have exceeded the perceptible speed-]

The automata seemed to have realized that he had disappeared without leaving a trace through instantaneous acceleration, and raised both of her arms to assume a guard posture.

And, as she expected, he swung the sword diagonally, aiming for the joint area on her right shoulder.

＇I figured out that the armor is a relatively weak part for flexible movement after several exchanges.’

Kaang!

When the sharp sound of metal clashing against metal rang out, she, naturally an automaton, folded her right arm and blocked Cleon’s sword with the strong forearm under her elbow.

If it were metal that could block adamantite from the front, it would seem to have considerable strength, but in reality, her arms were being chipped away little by little.

Just like Arnia, she was able to endure it by consuming her hair to reinforce it.

＂The reaction speed is good…!＂

Cleon spoke as if it was unexpected that her own attack was blocked, and she responded with her expressionless face.

[The fact that you would target there first was already calculated.]

The automata replied, aiming for Cleon’s chin with her free left hand.

Teuong! A sound rang out and a strong shock wave occurred.

Cleon’s head was bent backwards to the point where she had to worry about whether her cervical spine was safe.

Of course – if a metal palm lifts a human’s chin, the skull will be harpooned starting from the chin…

The automata judged that he would have had to protect his body with magic even while risking being hit by the shock wave.

[However, I believe it is a bad choice. Magic swordsman.]

After saying that, she tried to drive her iron fists into Cleon’s staggering body one after another.

Transcendent strength that can pierce even a steel ball, and a body made of metal.

The fist will pierce the body with an impact like a cannonball.

Even if it is protected by magical power, it can cause injuries that rupture the internal organs.

Her fists clenched, her fists thrown out –

It was at the same time that Cleon’s body dispersed like a hazy fog.

[?!]

The automata felt something hard touch her as her own fist crossed the air.

And what appeared from Cleon’s scattered body was the beautiful earth-colored sword that Cleon had been swinging in his hand until a while ago and then returning it to its scabbard.

[Devil Sword─]

[I’m sorry! It’s not our style to go without some tricks!]

As Galatea’s voice rings out cheerfully, Slash also loses her holding power and falls to the ground.

And the one who caught it was Cleon, who suddenly appeared in a place where it felt like there was nothing.

In fact, he who appeared out of thin air must have felt like an alien who came from outside of her perception.

However, her body was already focused on Galatea, and only her eyes, as if drawn by Cleon’s appearance, turned to meet him and then-

Sigh-! With a sound, her body – the side – was cut in vain.

[─Warning, damaged part- uncontrollable─]

The wound on her side that Cleon carelessly cut was so deep that it would not have been strange if her upper and lower body had been separated if she had been a living human being.

Thanks to her regenerating body, she was barely able to hold on, but instead of spilling out all of her internal organs, various parts of her body spilled out, causing her to stumble and walk sideways.

[Understand, impossible.]

“Ah. I guess so. It was my first time using this tactic, so I was a little worried about whether it would work.”

Cleon says so and returns his sword to its sheath.

[Emergency play… Start…]

As if in an emergency situation, when the parts that make up the automata’s eyes flash red, Galatea takes on human form, lands on the ground, and reaches out to touch her stomach.

Then-

Galatea’s hands made of magic and the magic coating surrounding her body reacted once again, creating a large shock wave.

That was the final blow.

Kwasik! A sound rang out, and due to the generated shock wave, her upper body was tilted back and the part that was barely connected by metal was broken, causing her body to separate into two parts – top and bottom – and fall to the ground, showing a grotesque appearance.〈 Br〉

＂Hot. Even after it falls, the only thing that comes out is oil and mechanical parts. I don’t really feel like I won.”

Galatea spoke while looking down at the automata she had finished, and since the automata did not feel her pain, it only moved its eyes to look up at Cleon, who was standing in front of her.

[Unintelligible. If there was a technology to hide one’s appearance – if it had been used from the beginning, it would have won.]

＂Really? Maybe so. However, usable cards should be hidden as much as possible.”

When Cleon raises her hand as she says this, she quietly closes her eyes.

Even now, her long hair-fibers are slowly shrinking, regenerating her broken body, but there is not enough time and the amount of fibers is not enough.

In the end, she will not be able to reproduce the minimum parts necessary for walking and will be left in this place.

And – the intruder, the magic swordsman, decided that there was no way he would allow himself to regenerate – and, unusually for a machine, he gave up.

However, the next moment, Cleon’s hand was detected to be touching the top of the broken ship, not the part of her heart that contained the ‘Magic Core’, which could be called her own core, or her head, which contained the thought processor. She opened her eyes.

“Indeed. There is still a magic shield on the surface.”

In Cleon’s eyes, even though her body was broken, magic was still flowing on the surface.

That’s why Cleon put his hand inside her – through her broken part.

[!?]

That act was shocking not only to the automata, but also to Galatea, who was watching the scene behind her.

＂Huh, Cleon!? Did he suddenly wake up to his duty as a magic swordsman, humiliating the woman he lost!? That’s okay… But the play is too… Hard!”

[Warning, because the inside of this unit is made of delicate material, contact by persons without professional skills is not recommended.]

Cleon listens to both sides, sighs, and answers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if this is Arnia’s prototype, she can change her commanding authority in the same way as Arnia.”

“Well, that’s right. Right…”

When Galatea seemed to calm down a little after hearing Cleon’s answer and nodded her head, Cleon held her hand as if he had touched something in her.

And suddenly, when she looked down at her own hand—except for the part where she was a machine, she definitely looked like she was sticking her hand into the cross-section of a severed person, which was her current self. It was

＂…＂

Because of the magic film flowing on the surface, it was judged that it was impossible to strike from the top of the ship like last time, but in this case, I understand what Galanea said.

[Change the commanding authority of this machine…?]

＂Yes.＂

[… Not recommended. Because this machine cannot self-repair to a state where it can fight—]

“Doesn’t care. All you need is a head.”

[Wow. Another atrocious remark.]

In response to Cleon’s answer, even Caliburn, who was hanging on his belt this time, reacted as if he had felt something.

＂You guys did this on purpose…?＂

However, Cleon sighed as if he knew what he was talking about, and after a while, his hands glowed with the purple light of black magic.

It was pouring her own magic into the parts that made up her body.

In Arnia’s case, she had taken control of her hair by reorganizing her body, but it was a reflection that she ended up having to go through additional authentication(?).

[Warning- External magic has been intruded- Control is being forcibly changed.]

Cleon, ignoring the voice coming from the automata, let his magic infiltrate-

Not long after, the red light shining from the automata’s eyes changed to black purple, symbolizing black magic.

[… Order authority, confirm change.]

“Wow~ That’s vicious~.”

Cleon sighed at the teasing voice of Galatea from behind and lifted the upper body of the automata that had fallen down.

[Please give orders.]

“… I want to be guided through the facility, but since I won’t be able to move, will I have no choice but to carry it around like this?”

Cleon says so, but he looks at the automata with only the upper body remaining, with an expression that doesn’t seem to be his own.

＂… Are you serious?＂

When Galatea said that wasn’t a big deal, Cleon and Automata made eye contact for a moment.

In a situation where there is no clear answer, Cleon thinks for a moment and then thinks of Schrödinger – to be exact, Schrödinger from his old cat plush days.

“Is it possible to reshape one’s body into a smaller size, excluding combat functions?”

[… It is possible.]

＂Small size? Cleon, no way… Cleon’s taste in lolicon here…?”

“It’s not like that!”

To Galatea, who seems to be doubting herself, Cleon answers her urgently and speaks to her.

＂As I said before, all you need is the head.＂

[Just the tofu… I understand.]

The automata listened to Cleon’s words and, after a while, disassembled the body from the neck down and reorganized it.

After a while, when only her head is left, as Cleon said, Cleon looks on quietly.

＂…＂

＂That… Cleon? I can accept Cleon’s tastes to some extent, but…”

Hearing Galatea’s words, Cleon sighed loudly once again and handed the head to Galatea as if throwing it.

＂Wait!?＂

Galatea suddenly took the object that looked exactly like the person’s head and almost dropped it in embarrassment, but she managed to hold it and sighed.

“We have to go to the power plant of this fortress from now on. The fastest route would be to go through the transfer magic circle in the north, right?”

Cleon ignores Galatea and asks a question to the automata.

The automata closed her mouth for a moment and then answered without changing her expression.

[Yes. However, since there is a closed door along the way, you must open the gate.]

＂How to open it?＂

[If you do not plan to force the device to be opened by physical means, an ID authentication chip is required.]

It’s a mountain beyond a mountain.

After Cleon muttered that, he looked at the automata quietly, and the automata looked at him for a moment as if reading Cleon’s thoughts-

[Ah.]

He let out an exclamation as if he understood and answered Cleon.

[The ID chip is also built into my body. Could you please pick up the right hand that is left lying there?]

At her words, Cleon picked up her right arm, which had been separated from her upper body and was rolling on the ground, and brought it to her.

Then, like Perdia’s technique, her hair moved up like a tentacle and grabbed her arm.

And, seeing her disintegrate her arm and absorb it into her body, with only her head remaining, gave me a strange feeling.

[ID chip absorbed. All you have to do is touch your forehead to the device where it is needed.]

＂Yeah, right…＂

Cleon thinks that he may or may not know the ecology of automata, but he finally breaks through the blocked text and heads to the room with the transfer magic circle.

＂Wait a minute~! Let’s go together, Cleon!”

Galatea, who was in charge of transporting the automata, followed behind Cleon, who moved first.

It felt a little late – but in any case, this gave us a stepping stone to advance into the general area.