The massive black tree continues to grow with a groaning sound.
The mana of the giant golem is serving as its nutrients.
Its overwhelming absorption disrupts the flow of circulating mana, resulting in the golem's deteriorating mobility.
"You little...!"
The golem directed its finger beam at the tree.
The beam only scraped the surface of the trunk, failing to cut through.
Most of its mana was being wasted on the tree, weakening the beam's momentum.
Still, with meticulous firing, it eventually managed to slice off a section.
The tree, losing its support, creaked loudly and began to tilt.
It peeled away from the golem's head and fell, obeying gravity.
However, the remaining part began to grow again.
Its roots had burrowed deeply throughout the entire head; even cutting it off was meaningless.
Pulling out every last root would likely be difficult.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on!"
John cursed and separated the golem's destroyed head.
It crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound and was immediately corroded by the miasma.
With its mana supply cut off, the budding miasma also withered and vanished.
From the cross-section of the headless golem, a metallic plate emerged.
It assembled itself automatically, forming a boxy, rugged head.
It seemed the golem was equipped with spare parts, allowing it to repair damaged sections.
The shape differs from the original likely to maintain compatibility with other parts.
It was designed so that any broken component could be replaced with an identical one.
This is essentially a field expedient, not a complete restoration.
Nevertheless, being able to perform repairs mid-battle would be revolutionary.
A blue light ignites within the box-like head.
It was clearly fixed in my direction.
With the absorption by the Great Tree ceasing, the golem appeared to have revived.
"You damn Demon Lord... I swear I'll absolutely kill you!"
Alongside John's enraged shout, the golem's beam and projectiles activated.
The weaponry mounted across its entire body bared its fangs at me.
(Lacking composure. No ingenuity in its attack methods.)
Without taking evasive action, I hovered in midair.
Dodge too much, and the damage to the city would escalate.
Currently, I had no intention of destroying this capital.
Above all, there was no need to bother avoiding it.
Against the approaching beam, I countered with hellfire carrying miasma, neutralizing it.
Its repulsive nature proved effective.
I have confidence in my own magical power, so there was no concern about being overpowered in an instant.
Furthermore, the magic contained within the golem had already been analyzed.
Adjusting to perfectly neutralize it was easy.
Then more than a dozen projectiles came flying in.
I deployed defensive magic in front of me.
Thousands of specially-made barriers.
The projectiles surged forward with tremendous force, but they decelerated with each barrier they pierced through.
The spell-disrupting mechanisms were wearing down.
That was exactly how I had calibrated the barriers.
Once every last barrier was shattered, I unfurled a net of magical energy.
It caught every single projectile firmly and bounced them back using their own elasticity.
"What!?"
John recoiled in shock, raising both arms of the golem.
The projectiles that had pierced through my defensive magic detonated.
The blast crumpled the steel forearms, and the shock threw the golem off balance.
It staggered backward through a sea of rubble, stumbling as it retreated.
"Hmph."
I assessed the golem's damage.
Both arms that had absorbed the projectiles were sparking.
The finger movements were wrong.
The operating mechanism must have been damaged.
In a human, that would correspond to the nerves.
It wasn't the kind of problem that could be repaired by swapping out parts.
"That's the stuff... held back just a little."
"I see."
In the midst of our exchange, I notice a change in the golem.
Its magic cannon had stopped firing.
Probably out of ammunition.
Unlike tank cannons powered by magical energy, the magic cannon required physical shells. It must have run through its loaded rounds.
From now on, the golem's long-range armament would be limited to its beams.
It didn't appear to be equipped with any other weapons.
It seemed they hadn't had the resources to bolster that aspect.
One could even say it wasn't necessary.
Considering the golem's overall performance, having just the magic cannon and tank cannon was sufficient. Against a normal enemy, it could attack from outside their range and completely suppress them.
For close combat, it had the crushing blows of its massive steel frame.
A prolonged battle like this was probably an unforeseen situation. This weapon was undoubtedly meant for short, decisive engagements to overwhelm the enemy in one go.
Improvements would eventually overcome these weaknesses, but I hadn't permitted that.
I was glad to have caught this now. If development had progressed further, I would have been forced into an even tougher fight. The scale of losses might have multiplied as well.
"You, how much magic power do you possess... you should have run dry ages ago, shouldn't you?"
"That's my line."
"Hah, doesn't seem like you're taking this seriously..."
The golem crouches as it charges forward.
Mid-run, it snatches up a chunk of rubble and hurls it at me.
(So that's your move.)
Launched by those massive arms, the debris becomes a mass projectile with considerable destructive power.
Far more potent than any crude grand magic.
But in the end, it's a desperate attack.
Dealing with it isn't too difficult.
I scatter it with a wind magic gust.
The rain of rubble passes by nearby.
Not a single piece hits.
"Open your guard!"
John's voice, triumphant.
Immediately after, an extremely thick beam of light erupts from the golem's torso.
The rubble was a diversion to draw my attention; the real attack was this.
"Naive."
I conjure a mirror-like barrier, catching the beam.
The light reflects straight back, returning to the golem's body from whence it came.
Whoa!?
The golem twisted its body to evade.
A grazing beam melted the cannon on its torso, gouged its right shoulder, and nearly tore the arm off.
It was severe damage, but swift movement had minimized the harm.
Had the beam hit directly, it would have blown a massive hole through its torso.
Its operator, John, would have been reduced to ash, with only the secret stone—capable of withstanding the beam's output—remaining.
The golem dropped to one knee, shielding its damaged right shoulder.
From the severed cross-section, metal plates emerged and welding commenced.
After a brief moment, the shoulder's damage was sealed.
The appearance was somewhat unnatural, but it didn't seem to hinder its movement significantly.
Its box-shaped head turned its blue eyes upward, glaring at me.
"You... what did you do!?"
"The Cursed Reflection. It became usable after analyzing the golem's magical power."
Since it wasn't information that needed hiding, I answered honestly.
I had intended to use it combined with the golem's full-power strike, but my scheme seemed to have worked out.
If this reflection decided the fight, that would be fine, but there was no need to be overly greedy.
Regardless, I had managed to extinguish one of John's trump cards.
Now, he could no longer recklessly fire his beams.
The psychological burden on him must be great.
Having his strategies steadily sealed off like this was undeniably eroding his hope.
Having seen those light beams so many times, I couldn't help but think of ways to counter them. Even as an ugly undead, I was once human—a sage. A trick like this is easy enough to manage, even single-handedly. In life, I fought against those who boasted of immense power. Situations where I held the advantage were truly rare—I could count them on one hand. I like to think I know how to fight when outmatched.