The steel knight sent flying by Henry's punch rolled across the ground.
Eventually, the momentum slowed and he stopped, rising to his feet with composure.
From the hole in his abdomen, a mixture of magical power and blood trickled out.
But the flow soon reduced to just a seepage.
His internal hemostasis mechanisms had activated, sealing the breach.
Similar mechanisms were likely installed throughout his entire body.
He was designed for prolonged combat.
If I told the director, he'd surely latch onto the idea with glee.
The steel knight extended his free arm toward the Demon Lord Army.
At the same moment, everything from his elbow onward detached and slid away.
Inside, a metal cylinder was mounted.
(That's a small tank cannon.)
I recognized its identity instantly.
The structure and magical formulae left no room for doubt.
As expected, magic power concentrated within the cylinder—or rather, the barrel—and was discharged as a beam of light.
Its target was the Demon Lord Army.
With that power, it would punch through defensive magic without question.
This was likely the steel knight's highest-output weapon.
I teleported the golem I was controlling directly into the beam's path.
My main body was back at the Royal Capital, but I could still accomplish things like this.
Magic cast without issue.
I deployed the internalized magic power sword and mixed miasma into it.
A standard frame would shatter from the influence of miasma.
However, this golem had undergone specialized processing.
It had acquired a degree of miasma resistance, allowing it to operate without problem.
I swung the magic power sword down against the incoming beam of light.
The severed beam split, its trajectory drastically deflected.
It flowed away into the sky above.
There was no damage to the Demon King's army behind me.
"Hmm."
I looked at the magic power sword.
The blade was crumbling, its tip disintegrating into motes of light and dispersing.
The spell formula couldn't withstand the beam's impact.
Furthermore, the arm used for the slash was slightly eroded.
The beam must have grazed it during the severing.
I had been careful to avoid being hit, but remote operation introduces some deviation.
It seems the slight difference in angle resulted in a hit.
A minuscule difference, but in battle, that determines life or death.
I'll have the research lab look into improving the precision controls.
"General, my apologies. You saved me."
"It's fine. Protecting my subordinates is my duty."
I shake my head in response.
Henry has more than fulfilled his role here.
There's no way I'd blame him.
From the start, I intended to intervene in the battle depending on the situation.
And it allowed me to spot potential improvements for the golem, so there was no downside.
"Leave this part to me. You all pursue the magic-engineered army."
"Understood. Call me if it gets dangerous."
Receiving my orders, Henry obeys without protest.
In truth, if he continued fighting, he would likely defeat the Steel Knights.
I can't even imagine a scenario where he'd be forced into a disadvantage.
He should be able to secure victory without sustaining any serious injuries.
However, it would be more certain if I fought.
It would be easier to minimize casualties among our forces, and I could respond far more effectively to any unforeseen circumstances.
Henry judged his position and restrained his own desire to fight.
He yielded the aftermath to me because he understood it would lead to a smoother victory for the Demon Lord's Army.
(He's growing as a commander, it seems.)
The Demon Lord's Army, having switched targets, executes a wide flanking maneuver, closing in on the magic-engineered army at the rear.
The Steel Knight doesn't move.
He stands utterly still, his gaze fixed solely on me.
If we strike at the Demon Lord’s Army, that will create an opening for my attack.
Realizing this, the Steel Knight could do nothing about the flanking Demon Lord’s forces.
Everything was proceeding exactly as I had planned.
“…………”
“…………”
I face off against the Steel Knight.
In the silence, it was the one who moved first.
The Steel Knight fired beams of light in rapid succession from one of its arms.
I deflected them as I closed the distance.
Midway, I forced open the chest plate of my own frame and launched a projectile.
It was a special round designed to disrupt the target’s formulae.
A new weapon recommended by the Director.
Against a Steel Knight reliant on its golem, it would have a devastating effect.
A direct hit should render it incapacitated in an instant.
The Steel Knight stepped forward, hefting its halberd.
It intended to swat the special round aside.
Judging from its performance so far, it would likely execute the maneuver without difficulty.
(—Not if I have anything to say about it.)
I cast my magic.
I used a focused gust of wind to accelerate the special round.
The special bullet whizzes past the halberd as it tries to parry. Realizing his defense wouldn't arrive in time, the Steel Knight was already attempting to evade this time. Seeing this, I teleported and circled behind him. From there, I raised both arms, grabbed him, and restrained the Steel Knight with magic. As a result, the special bullet struck the Steel Knight's right leg. Metal fragments scattered. The Steel Knight's right leg had been torn off and fallen away. At that moment, I felt an impact in my abdomen. Looking down, a halberd was stabbing into me. The Steel Knight had attacked me through the hole in its own torso. It was a counterattack utilizing our close proximity. Still, that was nothing more than a futile struggle. The special bullet had hit. The structural collapse had begun. No matter what it did, its activity wouldn't last long. (Of course, I won't let my guard down...) I began to absorb magical energy from the Steel Knight. The golem component of the Steel Knight fell into malfunction, and its power to resist rapidly weakened. I hooked my arm under its jaw and lifted it up, then grabbed the halberd to pin it. I made sure it couldn't move an inch.
Meanwhile, the Steel Knight was putting up fierce resistance.
Repeatedly driving elbows back into me as I restrained him from behind.
He also kept kicking at my knees, attempting to destabilize my stance.
When those were blocked, he began to emit a holy attribute light from his entire body.
It appeared to be generated by an embedded arcane formula.
It was trying to corrode my armor.
Then, openings appeared at various points on his body, and numerous chain-mounted blades were launched outward.
These were also imbued with the holy attribute.
The chains performed elegant somersaults, one after another piercing into my back.
They were channeling the power of the holy attribute directly into my body.
With each impact, the golem's body emitted a dull thud.
But the damage was minor.
Not enough to immobilize me.
He had clearly anticipated that I would be the operator, so he'd built the body to prioritize durability.
With my usual frame, it would have been destroyed long ago.
The Steel Knight was equipped with holy attribute weaponry specifically to counter the undead.
Unfortunately, its effectiveness was limited.
Even its impact on the soul was being suppressed by the golem's functions.
(To launch an attack of this magnitude without being a mage is commendable, but I am not so easily undone)
Coolly contemplating this, I proceeded to drain him of his magical energy.
The Steel Knight let out a faint groan, then went limp and lost consciousness.
I bound the Steel Knight meticulously.
Then I severed the limbs that were not flesh and bone.
They were unnecessary parts for interrogation.
They weren't vital to survival either.
The Steel Knight was barely alive.
The golem components were performing life support.
It seemed like an emergency function.
Even when its magical energy was depleted, they had designed it to prevent death.
It was forcing magical power out by straining the natural heart.
Quite a high-performance system, really.
Its lifespan would probably shorten, but it didn't seem on the verge of dying today or tomorrow.
For the purpose of interrogation, this shouldn't be a problem.
(Now, what's happened over there?)
I looked towards the rear.
The battle was completely one-sided.
The half-destroyed Arcanum Corps troops were being scattered without resistance.
Though it seemed a few strong individuals were mixed in, Henry was taking them down without mercy.
As expected, he was truly among the pinnacle of human strength.
In pure hand-to-hand combat, not even the Demon King's Army had anyone who could match him.
(That should quell the invasions from other nations.)
The Steel Knight, who had achieved such tremendous results in the recapture battle, had been neutralized so effortlessly.
The army he led was annihilated as well.
The nations, who had been gaining momentum, would think twice before rashly considering an invasion of the Demon Lord's domain.
In the meantime, I intend to extract information from the Steel Knight.
I must formulate measures against the man who calls himself a demigod.
The challenges of this time still remained.