The Evil God’s Heart, Holy Grail Divine Realm
Efil’s Extreme Flame Arrow flies in a straight line towards Zildra. Zildra, holding his bayonet at the ready, parries and intercepts it with a snort. The red projectile once again collides with the blazing arrow, causing a violent explosion within Zildra’s workshop.
"It seems that I can fire magic lumps at high speed from that muzzle. The fact that you respond immediately after I release an arrow suggests that there is no time required for firing, and the power is equivalent— From now on, all arrows I nock will be imbued with ‘Blue Flame.’ Gerard, please be careful of stray fires."
"I have the ‘Fire Dragon King’s Dragon Scale Armor’ that Efil gave me! Shoot with all your might without worry!"
"Understood."
The flame of the Fire God’s Bow changes from red to blue, channeling all magic into firepower. The arrowhead of the arrow Efil holds is engulfed in incredibly concentrated blue and green magic.
"Oh, such astounding magical power. The courage to not even care about self-destruction by one’s own flames, no, is this tactic only possible with the Fire Dragon King’s blessing? Interesting."
"Taking your time to analyze, you seem to have quite a bit of leeway!"
Gerard, approaching Zildra, was now very close. The blade of the Demonic Sword Dainsleif he carried was already releasing the magic it had absorbed and stored. All of it was for this moment, a power that seemed to groan and was directed towards Zildra. However, Zildra made no move to point his bayonet at Gerard, merely twisting his lips.
"Naturally. This is my workshop, and preparations for your welcome have long been made."
"—!"
From behind Zildra, two giant shadows appeared in Gerard’s vision. They were huge. Both boasted tremendous size.
"…Are they as big as the giant soldiers in Trisen?"
The reason for the workshop’s seemingly unnecessarily vast space was now apparent. It was to secure enough room to store and operate these colossal mechs, which towered over Gerard. Each step forward echoed with a ground tremor, and with the second step, their full forms were revealed.
Their armor design was more akin to mechs than golems. One was a quadrupedal humanoid with a metallic blue finish, the same color as Blue Rage, modeled after a centaur. It was equipped with a great spear that conjured images of a tower in its right hand and a heavy shield in its left.
The other was also massive, but appeared slender compared to Blue Rage, a gray humanoid. This one didn’t seem to carry any obvious weapons. However, its right hand was greatly enlarged, and wing-like equipment was attached to its back.
"These are the latest models, ‘Cyanrayne’ and ‘Dezez Gray,’ incorporating my technology and the wisdom of another world, based on the data of trial machines like Blue Rage. Gerard, although they couldn’t be called mere trial machines, several of my golems caused trouble for you in your life. As thanks for that, savor this."
Immediately after Zildra’s words, the two machines moved as one. Unlike their previous gait, Cyanrayne seemed to crouch its four legs. Before Gerard could react, the centaur was before him. Despite its size, Cyanrayne moved with a single leap, at a speed that defied sight.
"Nngh!"
Charged with a thrust of its lance, Gerard instinctively defended with his shield. There was no time to use the physical reflection ability of the battleship Black Mirror Shield, so he bore the brunt of the attack with sheer physical strength. Damaging the ground beneath him severely, Gerard managed to block the first wave of attack, and Cyanrayne continued to run past him.
"Efil, the big one is gone!"
"I see it! More importantly, here comes the next one!"
No sooner had Gerard blocked Cyanrayne’s attack than Dezez Gray descended from above. It approached with considerable speed, emitting pale blue light particles from its wings, and its movements were incredibly smooth. Its flight ability was so high that even Gerard’s slashes and Blue Flame arrows were dodged with minimal movement. It resembled the flying technique of the Fire Dragon King, but its flawless ability was unlike that of a living creature.
Simultaneously, Efil fired an arrow at Cyanrayne. As Cyanrayne charged through the workshop, smashing glass cases filled with unsettling liquids, it responded by thrusting its shield forward.
—KAAAH!
In front of Cyanrayne, a dazzling, multi-colored light exploded. The shield its golem wielded was likely made of the same material as the steel scabbard that once housed Nito himself. It was a material that would not bend when struck, nor be scratched when cut. However, it was not indestructible. In fact, that shield had been modified by Zildra into its current form. Efil’s arrow, with all magic dedicated to firepower and enhanced by the magic jewel of her mother, Rumi, blew away the shield, along with Cyanrayne’s arm.
"The left arm has been blasted… It doesn’t seem to be knocked out, though."
"Even knowing it can be destroyed is an accomplishment! That arm of his is probably made of the same material!"
After firing the arrow, Efil generated a Multi-headed Azure Fire Dragon, mounted it, and positioned herself near the ceiling. With her beautiful green eyes that could see for miles, she aimed to grasp the movements of the battlefield, including Zildra’s condition. While the distance maintained was to ensure Cyanrayne’s spear could not reach her, her priority was to anticipate Zildra’s unpredictable actions. While keeping all enemies in sight, Efil constantly communicated the state of battle to Gerard. This allowed them to share information about events occurring outside Gerard’s field of vision.
So far, Zildra was content to let his two machines fight, not directing his bayonet at Gerard or Efil. He merely watched the battle, as if observing an important experiment. However, he seemed to be muttering something, his lips moving frequently.
"With an Elf’s flame— destruction is possible— with a different process—"
—GUON.
From above Efil, a mechanical sound echoed from the ceiling. Looking up to see what it was, the workshop ceiling began to part left and right with a noise. As she confirmed that the space beyond the ceiling was another area, she felt a few drops of water land on her face.
"Is this… rain?"
Immediately after thinking that, the rain intensified, becoming a downpour that could be described as a squall. The water, falling like a waterfall, narrowed her vision, creating a situation where she couldn’t see more than an inch ahead.
"This is bad…!"
The worst part for Efil was that this squall not only weakened her flames. The light of her burning flames within the rain would reveal her position to unseen enemies.
"Efil! The light from the bird’s wings is heading your way! Sending location! Ah, now it’s the centaur heading towards me!"
"Thank you…! Your shield was destroyed, but don’t let your guard down!"
Within the workshop’s poor visibility, sword clashes rang out, and explosions continued. This time, the battle shifted to facing different opponents, leading to a back-and-forth offensive.
"Now, it should be about time to fill the entire workshop… I commend your ability to fight evenly with my latest machines. However, this is not a situation where you can take too much time, is it, Gerard?"
Zildra’s muttering was drowned out by the sound of the rain.
