Chapter 106

KWA-KA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GAK!!!

Phew… anyway, this is incredible. Just when is this going to end?

Since the fissure is swallowing the waves of light entirely, I haven’t sustained so much as a scratch, but everything outside that protection is in total chaos. Walls are being carved away, melting, and burning…

I even caught the scent of burning rubber. Looking down, I realized my shoes were starting to melt from the heat of the floor.

“Aieee….”

As I stood there scowling, I could hear faint voices of encouragement from behind.

“…ni! That’s sick!”

“…beoni! Keep focusing until the end!!”

“Mister! Fighting!!!”

Judging by their overly cheerful voices, they didn’t seem to think for a second that I might get hurt or fail.

Glancing back, I saw them comfortably watching my battle from outside the blast radius, shielded by thick layers of physical and magical barriers.

Chel had a sly grin, Kelly looked full of trust, and Elizabeth looked bored.

As for Ailet… you brat, are you still filming?!

You guys… I appreciate the faith, but at least try to look a little worried! You’re in full popcorn-mode!

And then—

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAAA!!!

Kugugugugugu…

Shyuuuuuu…

Just as the fissure, which had been infinitely absorbing the torrent of energy, began to close due to the restorative force of space…

“…@#%@&&##$%#.”

…the horrific surge of energy finally met its end.

The labyrinth corridor was charred black. The air, thick with scorching heat, was incredibly dry. Rainwater leaking through the massive hole in the ceiling turned into steam with a sharp hiss the moment it touched the ground.

And there was the robot, its head bowed, chest and two arms charred black.
It had the distinct aura of a Chinese-made mini 4WD car that I used to see as a kid—the kind that blew its engine and got tossed into a junk box. It truly had been a “final blow” in every sense of the word.

“Whew…”

I let out a long sigh and loosened my stiff body. Since it was a technique I was using for the first time, I couldn’t help but be nervous about potential variables.

As Chel and the other women approached, patting my arms and shoulders with praise and affection, the lion—who had stayed by the robot’s side until the end, singeing parts of his brown fur in the process—began to clap his paw pads.

Excellent! Young Lord! As you may have heard, my friend is also deeply satisfied with your struggle as he met his end.

“…How would I know what he said?”

He said, ‘It’s damn hard.’

“…He said what?”

‘It’s damn hard,’ he said.

“…You’re totally faking this ‘communing’ thing, aren’t you?”

Not at all. To a silicon-based monster, the word ‘hard’ is the highest form of praise. Is it not the cliché of clichés to praise one’s enemy at the final moment and die with a satisfied face?

“Did you read some weird stuff in that library? Your knowledge seems extremely biased.”

“…Orabeoni. Hold on.”

Chel stepped forward, tugging on the collar of my shirt.

“Enough small talk. It’s your turn now, isn’t it? Mr. Talkative Lion.”

“……”

The lion fell silent for a moment. A bitter smile followed.

I suppose so. Happy times must always come to an end. It is indeed my turn. Who among you shall step forth? Of course, you are welcome to all attack at once. Ah, I do not say this to look down on you. I am merely stating that you have the right to do so.

“About that. How about we wait five minutes before starting?”

At Chel’s unexpected proposal, the lion let out a joyful growl.

Oh, are you granting me more time to converse with you? I truly thank you for your mercy….

Chel waved her hand with an exasperated look.

“Save the nonsense for the afterlife. That broken tin can over there is about to spit out its mana stone and items, and I have no intention of letting you two turn the rewards Orabeoni worked so hard for into a mess by brawling on top of them. So, I’m saying we should settle the tab first before we fight.”

Ah, the settlement….

The lion scratched his head, looking embarrassed by his misunderstanding. Man, the more I look at him, the more human he feels.

My apologies. There is no mana stone or item. No settlement can be made yet.

“What?”

My friend has died, but he has not yet fulfilled his purpose. Only when that purpose is complete will the settlement you wait for be realized.

“Purpose? What purpose for a dead guy?”

Instead of answering, the lion placed a paw on the head of the deactivated robot.

Then, the mouth of the charred, stationary robot clattered open, and once again, unintelligible sounds flowed out.

“@$%@%!$%@!$%…”

“…What?”

Ah, to translate roughly, it means ‘User Authentication Complete.’ It also means he will now return to his original function.

Immediately after, the robot exploded into individual components with a loud Bang! Just as I was wondering what this sudden explosion was about—

Thud! Clack! Click-clack.

The disassembled parts began to latch onto the lion’s body as if claiming those spots were their original homes.

Thump! Clatter! Click, click, click.

We watched the scene unfolding before our eyes, mouths agape with shock.

“Xel’naga preserve us….”

“My god… Mister. What on earth am I looking at right now?”

And then,

Despite being formed from the robot’s parts, not a single trace of the original robot’s silhouette remained. Wearing futuristic, silver full-body armor, Iron M—no, the Iron Lion stood before us. He pulled his helmet down firmly over his head and grinned, baring his teeth.

This is my friend’s true purpose.

“……!”

“……!!”

“……!!!”

Silver full-body armor. In his right and left hands, he held a greatsword and a round shield made of the same material as the armor.

He called himself a knight, and sure enough—aside from the design being far ahead of its time—he was the very picture of a textbook knight.

I shouted toward the lion, questioning him.

“Hey! You said that robot died! Why is a guy with a face like yours such a liar!?”

It was no lie. This armor was originally created for the purpose of assisting me. Since I cannot carry it around all the time, it functioned as an independent entity guarding the 5th floor in the form you saw. That friend was… well, it is unpleasant to say it this way, but a sort of sub-personality for that form.

“……”

I apologize for the unintentional lie… but now that my friend is gone and only the armor and I remain, my words are the truth.

“Hmm….”

Chel, who had been scanning the Iron Lion(?) up and down, let out a whistle of admiration.

“He’s gotten significantly stronger.”

At that, Elizabeth pouted and grumbled.

“Well, obviously he’d be stronger putting on armor over his naked skin.”

Chel shook her head.

“It’s not that simple. He’s a 10-Star now (Archmage or Master level).”

“A 9-Star jumps all the way to 10-Star just by putting on a suit of armor?”

“Yeah. And it’s not a borderline 10-Star either—he’s at the upper end of it.”

And then, there was her. A personality-disordered woman who had no intention of backing down from such a burning situation. With hazel sparks flying from her eyes, she started her engine.

“Hmm. I see. 10-Star, and a high-tier 10-Star just a hair’s breadth away from 11-Star, you say?”

“Hey. Wait. Surely you don’t mean….”

“It’s my turn this time, right? It really is my turn, isn’t it?”

Chel shook her head with a sigh.

“…Phew, Kelly. It’s not that simple. Even for you, a 1-on-1 with that armored lion will be difficult unless you go into a Mana Rampage.”

Kelly let out a snort and swept her hair back with a cool smirk.

“Then I’ll just make it rampage. In that state, I can even trade blows with a Master.”

For the record, “Mana Rampage” is Kelly’s trump card.

A normal carrier’s mana rampage is closer to a self-destructive move that explodes all at once, but in her case, she can control the rampaging mana to a certain extent.

‘In other words, she can spread out the output of the rampage and use it like a booster.’

“You meathead…”

“Ah, whatever. Anyway, I’m fighting. I’ve held back for a long time. It’s the last fight anyway, so I don’t need to worry about the aftermath. Orabeoni, you won’t stop me either, right?”

Chel asked me with a troubled expression.

“Orabeoni. You’ve sparred with Kelly in that state several times, right? What do you think?”

I shrugged.

“Well, to be honest, it’ll be hard for her to win. Like she said, she can hang with a Master in that state… but that just means she can put up a fight, not that she’s on the same level. Still, I don’t think she’ll die. I can step in if things get dicey.”

“So we’re just letting her do it?”

“Yeah. Let her play.”

I patted Kelly’s shoulder as a sign of permission and encouragement.

Kelly beamed and gave me a hug.

“I dedicate this battle to you, Orabeoni.”

Smack.

Leaving a surprise kiss after the soft embrace, Kelly ran forward, humming with joy.

Then, with a flushed face, she shouted bravely toward the lion.

“Come at me!!!”

With her blue hair fluttering, she took a spring-like, athletic stance, ready to pounce like a wild horse.

Mmm. As expected, a beauty makes anything look like a masterpiece.

By the way, her outfit today is a tight-fitting female suit (it’s an artifact, so the elasticity is incredible).

She had thrown off the jacket long ago, but the tight white blouse and black pencil skirt revealed her physique without filter.

“…Nice.”

“What?”

“Huh? Oh… I mean, her spirit is nice.”

Meanwhile, the lion looked troubled, waving his massive greatsword up and down in an obvious display.

I am not trying to brag, but won’t it be hard alone? I am quite strong now.

Kelly wore a thick sneer at the lion’s words.

“What’s this one-year-old brat talking about?”

Immediately, Kelly’s hair rose into the air strand by strand, enveloped in a bluish light.

Since the opponent was who he was, she had activated Mana Rampage from the very start of the battle.

Gooooooo…

No matter how “controlled” the Mana Rampage was, a rampage is still a rampage.

Knowing it would eventually lead to exhaustion, Kelly didn’t waste time and threw herself forward, swinging her four-meter halberd with all her might.

KWA-AAAAANG!

The lion raised his shield to block it, but was sent flying back by the unexpected power.

“Kugh!?”

“My weapon is just as big as your sword, you know. Do you know why? It’s big so I can beat up oversized jerks like you who don’t know their place. You greenhorn.”

“What!!”

Though momentarily flustered by the ambush, the lion was no pushover.

He calmly blocked the ensuing barrage with his shield and swung his greatsword at Kelly.

Kelly didn’t retreat a single step from the incoming blade; she crossed her halberds to parry and immediately moved into a close-quarters struggle, blades locked.

“KRAAAA-HAP!!!”

Kelly let out a shout that seemed to spit fire.

The lion was stunned to find that an Elf barely taller than his knee was holding her own in a test of pure strength, and he was forced to step back.

“You think you’re hot stuff just because you got a bit stronger? You, a brat who hasn’t lived even a fraction of my lifespan, who’s been cooped up in a room with zero real combat experience—what? ‘Don’t attack alone’? Don’t make me laugh!”