Yura, closing in, unleashed a spinning kick.
Its trajectory was aimed to shear across my face.
There was no restraint whatsoever in the attack.
(If I held back, I'd lose in the blink of an eye.)
I had the golem leap backward.
The tips of the specialized machine's claws passed right before my eyes.
Had my reaction been even a fraction slower, my head would have been pulverized.
Having successfully evaded, I fired the finger-mounted guns in rapid succession.
In response, Yura moved both hands at blinding speed.
Clamped between her outstretched fingers were the bullets.
She had tracked and caught the incoming rounds by eye.
Incredible dynamic visual acuity and precision.
"Adjusting attack speed and range -- complete."
Yura discarded the bullets, took a massive step forward, and drove her fist at me.
It was sharper and faster than the previous kick.
(Can't dodge in time, huh?)
That judgment made, I activated the defensive magic installed on the golem.
A few heartbeats later, Yura's fist shattered the barrier.
The force was like a drill boring inward.
Our defensive power was clearly insufficient.
I forcibly created distance by continuously using defensive magic.
My internal magic reserves dropped significantly, but there was nothing to be done about it.
This wasn't the time to worry about exhaustion.
(This is going to be a brutal fight...)
There was a fundamental performance gap between the prototype golem and my specialized machine.
Its reaction speed had limits, and my magic power was inferior.
Depending on where a physical blow landed, the situation could turn against me irreversibly in an instant.
But even if I wanted to try some clever gambit, all I could use now were the functions mounted on the golem.
From outside the barrier, I addressed Yura with my own body.
"Who taught you that martial art? It's not your own invention, is it?"
"Question answered—learned from the individual designated Henry."
"I see."
I accepted Yura's answer.
Henry, a bowman, also possessed peerless melee combat skills.
In that domain, he allowed no rivals.
I had seen him in the training grounds, felling increasingly large monsters one after another.
He operated within the bounds of humanity, yet constantly pushed its limits.
It made sense that Yura, having learned martial arts from such a Henry, would be strong.
He probably taught her out of sheer curiosity.
That Yura's learning ability was extraordinarily high was common knowledge among the officers.
Henry, who craves sparring partners, might be trying to cultivate Yura. (It's best that she's accepted by everyone too.)
I activated the magic swords equipped to the golem.
Currently, our clear advantage lies in one thing: technique. Specifically, my swordsmanship.
If I were to be defeated so easily, I couldn't properly test the golem's capabilities.
Since this also serves the purpose of teaching Yura how to use her power, I couldn't afford an ugly fight.
No matter how disadvantaged, I had to try my best.
"Master's threat level is rising—unmeasurable. Correcting estimated capabilities."
Yura closed in, launching a kick.
It was even faster than before.
The prototype golem's reaction speed was already struggling to keep up.
Against the howling kick, I intercepted and deflected it with a magic sword.
A blade formed of magic is very fragile.
I was careful not to break it.
"Attack failed—prioritize evasion."
Yura's posture faltered for a moment.
I seized the opening and flashed my magic sword.
Yura kicked off the floor, leaping backward.
The blade grazed the abdomen of her dedicated unit.
She lowers her gaze.
Faint cracks had appeared on the metal casing.
"W-what?! It was cut by a magic sword! Considering the specialized armor's hardness and the embedded formula, it should have been impossible to damage..."
The director's voice, filled with astonishment, reached her.
But she had no leisure to divert her attention that way.
Yura sprayed fire from the soles of her feet to take flight, holding her position looking down at me.
Then she extended one hand toward me.
Mana compressed, and was instantly emitted as a beam.
Facing the incoming beam, I swung my magic sword back and forth.
The cleanly severed beam struck the barrier, melting its surface.
A flaw had appeared in the formula.
If it took a few more direct hits, it would likely break.
"Confirming attack failure—changing tactics."
Yura, still in flight, charged in, unleashing a spinning heel drop.
I deflected it with my magic sword.
The impact sent a nasty creak through my forearm.
My knee was trembling of its own accord.
Without landing, Yura twisted sideways and followed up with a barrage of kicks.
Leveraging her flight ability, she pressed the attack ferociously.
I retreated while parrying with my magic sword.
I defended with meticulous care.
Technically, I was no worse.
I kept blocking steadily, waiting only for an opening to counter.
That was when I suddenly found myself unable to retreat.
A barrier stood towering behind me.
It seemed I had been cornered.
(How careless. Was I being lured?)
Reflecting only fleetingly, I reset my magic sword into position.
Yura, having landed, sprang upward and launched a kick at me.
I tried to dodge by crouching, only to realize it was impossible.
Due to the prototype golem's structure, I couldn't drop my body down quickly.
On top of that, perhaps from the accumulated stress, the actuators throughout my body were already faltering.
With no other choice, I deflected the kick with my magic sword.
The inadequate defense came at a cost—the kick shattered the prototype golem's shoulder.
The impact sent me crashing into the barrier.
"I've grasped the tactical advantage—shifting the ratio of offense to defense."
Yura, standing before me, brought her follow-up fist crashing down.
I swung my magic sword before it could connect.
The fist struck the prototype golem's chest.
Cracks raced across the outer shell, and black smoke leaked through the gaps.
However, I wasn't the only one to suffer damage.
"Arm damage detected – mobility impaired."
Sparks flew from the elbow section of her specialized unit.
The magic sword had damaged it.
Yura retreated and moved her arm, checking the extent of the damage. Her movements were visibly poor. High-speed strikes would be impossible for her now.
I also checked my prototype golem's drive systems. The shoulder where I'd taken the kick was completely broken, causing one arm to malfunction. The damage to the chest was also significant. With related magic circles destroyed, even firearms and defensive magic seemed unusable.
In the end, I had to rely on the magic sword to finish this.
(Since we've come this far, there's nothing left but to fight with everything I have.)
If this dragged on, it would only lead to a slow defeat. Having steeled my resolve, I charged toward her specialized unit.
From there, it became an exchange of high-speed combat.
Yura repeatedly unleashed close-quarters attacks with minimal openings, using her fists and kicks. Each blow was heavy and fast. With the prototype golem's performance, just keeping track of them was the best I could manage.
In contrast, I was fending them off with my magic sword.
Blocking or parrying incoming attacks, then countering.
This exchange was possible only because I was winning in pure skill alone.
The prototype golems' damage increased gradually.
Though I was keeping casualties to a minimum, it was clear these machines weren't designed for such fights.
They depleted quickly, their internal magical power draining at a considerable rate.
Their mobility was vastly inferior to that of a dedicated unit.
The battle eventually reached its climax.
Yura's fierce assault showed no sign of flagging as she pressed me relentlessly.
I deflected her movements with my magic sword while observing her closely.
Thus, I grasped her patterns.
Though she positioned herself to strike at my openings, there was a regularity to it.
(—Time to make my move.)
Anticipating Yura's motion, I swung my magic sword the instant her weight shifted.
Two slashes carved through both knees of her dedicated unit.
Yura's posture crumbled, sending her pitching forward to brace against the floor with her hands.
I moved to follow up with another strike, but my body wouldn't respond.
Checking my magical circulation, I immediately saw the problem.
The prototype golem had overheated, damaging the control system's incantations.
The shared vision was also failing, darkening my sight and making it hard to see.
Further, I saw the magical blade dissipate.
It had finally reached its limit.
"Detected fatal opening in Master—initiating counterattack."
The next instant, a powerful blow from Yura struck into the torso.
The outer casing caved in dramatically, leaving a gaping hole.
Internal components warped and jutted outward.
A razor-sharp, scythe-like kick connected directly with the head, producing the sound of an explosion.
At that point, most of its field of vision went dark.
Loss of balance was inevitable, and the prototype golem collapsed.
In its upward-facing view, the specialized unit stood over it, leg raised to strike.
(…So this is where it ends)
I severed my connection with the golem.
From my original body, I observed the state within the barrier.
The prototype golem's head had been shattered underfoot by the specialized unit.
There was no way it could move now.
Damage to other parts was also extensive; it was completely destroyed.
Yura emerged from the specialized unit and moved outside the barrier.
She came to a stop before me.
"Simulation combat concluded—Master, my deepest thanks for your cooperation."
"The feeling is mutual. It was instructive."
It was a good opportunity to learn about Yura's combat capabilities.
Without a doubt, she was exceptional.
Moreover, she was still developing, with plenty of room for growth.
Depending on what she learned, she would likely acquire even greater strength going forward.
She would surely become an existence worthy of being a fragment of a Great Spirit.
"Oh, truly a wonderful battle! Thanks to that, I've obtained valuable data! I plan to use this as reference to repair the damaged golem!" the director exclaimed, buzzing with excitement.
Clenching her fists, she continued to praise us at a rapid pace.
The preceding battle had apparently been that satisfying.
For now, our initial objective seemed accomplished.
"I'll be manufacturing an improved version soon, so please look forward to it! It will surely surprise Lord Dwight!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
As I responded to the director, who looked on the verge of collapsing from excitement, I glanced at Yura.
Her gaze was fixed on the specialized unit standing within the barrier.
She didn't say it aloud, but she might have taken a liking to it.
After conveying our desired improvements and functions for the golem, we departed the research institute.