"That makes thirtyyyy!"
Swinging his spear in Arcadia's corridor, Greg was out of breath in front of the Empire's armors that came rushing in one after another.
"There's no end to them."
Julius, fighting beside him, agreed with Greg's opinion.
"You're right. But we can't let them get in Leon's way."
"You mean Fin? Honestly, I didn't want to make him fight Leon."
Greg knew that Leon and Fin were friends.
That was exactly why he didn't want them to fight.
However, Julius's opinion was different.
"That guy made up his mind to that extent. It would be tasteless to stop him."
"—Yeah, you're right."
The drones standing by behind the two were taking out replacement weapons from the containers on their backs.
Greg discarded his battered spear and received a new one.
"Alright, next is—huh?"
He immediately leaped away from the spot, and a single magic armor descended from the ceiling.
"These guys are punching way too many holes in their own fortress."
The knight clad in the magic armor was terribly battered.
He must have pushed himself to the limit to get here.
The opponent also wielded a spear.
"You wretched descendants of the defeated. You should have just perished quietly."
When the opponent thrust his spear forward, Greg caught it and closed the distance.
"My one redeeming feature is that I don't give up easily."
While trading light banter, Greg sensed the opponent's strength.
(This guy's strong. The fact that someone like him pushed himself to come this far—that's proof he's pretty rattled, isn't it?)
The opponent seemed to have sensed Greg's strength as well.
"You're young. You rely too much on your machine's performance, and your spear skills—!"
The opponent was right.
The knight wearing the magic armor was stronger than Greg.
(This guy's stronger than me. But!)
"Sorry. I'm gonna rely on my machine's performance."
When he fired the machine gun built into his arm, the opponent fell back even while taking hits.
"A concealed weapon?! What underhanded tactics!"
"If it's to beat you, I'll use any means necessary. I—we can't afford to lose!"
Greg's spear turned red.
The blade was heated, and that part glowed red.
He swung the spear around, and when the opponent caught it, that part began to melt.
"Tch!"
Judging that catching it was dangerous, the enemy retreated once and then closed in again.
He thrust his spear forward.
"Such an obvious—"
But the enemy used the spear he was holding as a decoy—extending the sharp tail at the rear of his magic armor, he tried to skewer Greg.
As the tip of the tail closed in on the cockpit, Greg immediately sacrificed his left arm to block the attack.
"Magnificent. But this is the end!"
Unable to move, the enemy tried to stab his spear into Greg.
"You think this much is gonna surprise me?!"
Inside the cockpit, he pulled the trigger on the control stick.
Then, from the container attached to the armor's backpack, numerous stakes were fired.
Pierced by those stakes, the enemy separated from Greg.
"Da-damn it. If only it weren't for that machine."
The opponent collapsed, looking frustrated.
Greg acknowledged those words.
"That's right. You were stronger than me. The reason I won was thanks to my machine's performance."
The opponent was smiling.
"How gracious of you to admit it. As I thought, it's youth—"
He shifted his gaze from the now-still enemy to the enemies coming to attack.
Even with the knights wearing magic armor defeated, the morale of the imperial soldiers didn't drop as much as he had thought.
"You loser!"
He pierced the armor of the enemy attacking him with his spear, kicked it away, and let go of the spear.
"There really are a lot of them."
Julius handed Greg a weapon.
"Sorry, my follow-up was late."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I didn't get interrupted."
Greg was worried about Leon, who had gone on ahead.
(Leon, you'd better come back safely.)
◇
The Arroganz, on Luxion's autopilot, reached Arcadia's power reactor.
The power reactor existed at the center of Arcadia, in the shape of a pillar.
The room matched it, shaped like a cylinder.
On the black pillar, countless red lines were spread out like blood vessels.
As if it were pulsing, they repeatedly glowed weakly and then strongly.
"So this is the power reactor—the device that produces mana."
He had set foot in a place that Old Humanity had been unable to reach for many years, but Luxion had something he was more concerned about.
"Master, how are you feeling?"
"The worst."
Leon, who replied instantly, was drenched in sweat.
Thanks to using the enhancement drug, his body was under considerable strain.
He had used a neutralizer and various other medications to finally be able to hold a conversation.
"Until just now, your consciousness was hazy, so considering that, this is sufficient."
"Yeah, thanks to that, I made it in time for the important moment."
When Leon gripped the control stick, the Arroganz opened its containers and fired missiles.
When the drones standing by behind him began their attack in the same way, the power reactor automatically deployed a shield to block the attacks.
Leon furrowed his brow.
"Can't you make this easy for me?"
"I propose attacking at close range."
If they broke through the shield, they should be able to destroy it without issue.
The power reactor itself shouldn't be built to be that sturdy.
Even if it were—the Arroganz could destroy it.
"Got it. Before that, we need to resupply."
Having used up his weapons, Leon turned around to swap out containers.
The Arroganz purged its containers and assumed the stance to receive new ones.
Just as he was about to receive one of the containers the drones carried on their backs, Luxion executed an emergency evasion.
"Master, an enemy!"
"Of all the timing!"
The drones were burned and exploded one after another.
Not all of them were destroyed, but even so, swapping containers with enemies around was difficult.
And the opponent was a bad matchup.
Luxion picked up a familiar voice.
"Yo—it's been a while."
Descending from above the cylindrical room was "Brave."
It was the form Fin wore as armor, about one size larger than the other magic armors.
"Brave."
Leon showed a smile.
"I've been wanting to see you, Fin!"
As he said that, Leon was retreating at full speed, trying to receive his backpack.
Due to the Arroganz's structure, the nozzles that generate thrust are attached to the backpack.
Even if it can float, without the backpack, it can't gain speed.
However, Fin had read Leon's thoughts too.
"Me too—Leon!"
When the drones tried to hand the backpack to the Arroganz, Fin interfered.
He fired fireballs and destroyed the drones.
"Stop getting in the way!"
"I think highly of you. That's why I won't hold back!"
Against the approaching Brave Fin was piloting, Luxion continued his calculations.
"Master, preparations are complete."
"My partner's pretty reliable too."
"Of course. Please don't compare me with Brave."
Brave, who had been listening to the two's conversation, got angry.
"You said it! I'll show you that me and my partner are the strongest combo!"
Leon, who had been retreating until now, stopped, and the drones also pointed the container openings toward Fin.
"Go ahead and try to run, Fin!"
At Leon's words as a signal, missiles were fired from the containers one after another.
The drones' weapons were also used, with such momentum as if to exhaust all the ammunition they had brought.
Though it was wide, it was still a corridor too narrow for armors to fight in.
Fin immediately thrust his left arm forward, transforming it into the shape of a shield to catch the attack.
And then he was blown away.
The Arroganz dashed along the floor and overtook Fin.
"Did you think something like this would work, Leon?!"
When Fin turned around and swung his sword down, Leon caught it with his battle axe and held that position.
"This much is gonna work!"
Luxion kept his attention behind them.
"Come—Schwert."
From among the wreckage of the destroyed drones, Schwert, one of the backpacks, floated up and flew over.
Originally an airbike—a flying motorcycle—it had been heavily remodeled by Luxion and was now Luxion's backpack.
Its appearance, almost like an aircraft, slowed down as it approached Luxion's back to combine.
When Brave tried to attack, the Arroganz held him down.
Leon was getting flustered.
"The Arroganz is losing in raw power."
"Once we combine, output will increase. Please endure until then."
Fin and Brave were also panicking.
"That backpack?! This is bad, Kurosuke!"
"I'm working on it! But this guy's in the way—damn it!"
When Schwert docked onto the Arroganz's back, Luxion immediately began his actions.
"Output rising. Ready when you are."
Leon pushed the control stick.
"Oraaah!"
The Arroganz's twin eyes glowed red, and it shoved Brave away.
Schwert's armor slid open, and lasers were fired from the round lenses lined up there, attacking Brave.
Fin separated from the Arroganz and retreated with his shield raised in front.
Seeing that, Leon turned his back and headed at full speed toward the power reactor.
"W-wait! Tch! You damn things!"
The remaining drones clung to Fin and got in his way.
"Sorry. Playing with you comes later."
Though Leon was grinning lazily, he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Master, let's prioritize destroying the power reactor as is. Fighting now is dangerous."
"I know."
Leon, who wasn't in his best shape due to the drug's effects, looked pained.
He was narrowing his eyes.
When explosion sounds came from behind, Luxion immediately calculated.
(He's going to catch up to us faster than I had thought.)
Having acquired Schwert, propulsion had increased, but even so, the other side was a magic armor.
Brave had once been a Named, and there was no doubt about his excellence.
(If we destroy the power reactor first, Master won't have to fight Fin. If that happens, the use of the drug—won't be necessary.)
What Luxion was concerned about was solely Leon's use of the drug.
He was thinking about Leon returning alive safely.
However, despite Luxion's wishes—Brave was closing in.
"Leeeoooonnn!"
Luxion immediately revised Brave's capabilities.
(Faster than predicted. At this rate—)
Leon, seeing Fin catching up, gave Luxion an order.
"Luxion—administer the drug."
Being ordered by Leon, Luxion could not refuse to administer it.
(To use it a second time this quickly—)
"—Understood, Master."
From the backpack on Leon's back, the enhancement drug was injected.
And seeing Leon suffer, Luxion thought.
(There is nothing I can do.)
When Leon was released from the suffering, he raised his face.
With the second dose, blood immediately began to flow from his eyes.
(The interval between uses is too short. At this rate, with a third dose, Master's body won't hold up.)
Leon turned the Arroganz around, and while flying backward, attacked Brave.
The lasers assailed Brave, but Fin skillfully dodged them.
Watching that movement, Luxion realized.
(Could it be that they're doing the same thing too?)
Brave was showing performance beyond expectations, but if Fin was administering drugs the same way Leon was, it would all add up.
He picked up the audio of Fin and Brave.
"Partner! Don't overdo it!"
"If I don't overdo it here, when will I?! For Mia's future, this much is nothing!"
It seemed Fin was also using powerful drugs.
Leon also seemed to grasp the situation from hearing this.
"You're doping too?! We're like-minded, Fin!"
"—You too?!"
They both seemed to be laughing.
Luxion regretted that these two had ended up fighting.
(—If it weren't for the past, would Master not have had to fight his friend?)
That was the regret that he himself had become a burden to Leon.
Passing through the corridor, the Arroganz once again emerged into the room with the power reactor.
He immediately attacked with Schwert's lasers, but the power reactor cast a magical barrier and didn't let the attacks through.
"Even Schwert isn't enough?"
"—Yes. However, I judge it difficult to attack at close range."
Brave, having drawn his greatsword, was closing in on the Arroganz.
The Arroganz also drew its greatsword from Schwert and caught Brave's attack.
"I won't let you. Mia's future—I won't let anyone take it away!"
Hearing Fin's resolve, Leon roared as well.
"My precious niece's life is on the line too. As if I'd back down!"
His niece—he meant Erika, his niece from his previous life.
However, Luxion knew.
The reason Leon was fighting was not solely for Erika.
If it were just for Erika, Leon would have moved her to somewhere safe and ended it there.
Though he said various things with his mouth, it was for the children who would be born in the Kingdom from now on.
The usual Leon would probably make light remarks like "You can't trust that kind of sense of justice, you know."
However, though you couldn't tell from his attitude, Leon was kinder than most.
(—Master.)
What Luxion had been seeking was a Master who would destroy the New Humanity.
And now, here, Leon had granted him that wish.
To Luxion, that was very sad.