Chapter 37
Chapter 37
It was disadvantageous.
Cult had to admit it willingly.
Their power output was comparable, but the difference in combat experience was immense.
Moreover, while Cult relied solely on divine power, Tillis possessed overwhelming close-combat skills.
There was no way to win in a direct confrontation.
‘Hmm… should I start retreating?’
However, Cult could withdraw at any moment.
Tillis was a burdensome opponent, but Cult’s defensive abilities were extraordinary.
The reason Cult had managed to hold their own against Tillis so far was precisely that difference.
They would ultimately lose if they only defended, but…
‘In terms of forces, we have the upper hand.’
Eden could overpower Remegaton.
In terms of unity, there was no need to argue, and the difference in strength between factions heavily favored Eden.
Just learning the identity of the Arbiter was already a significant gain. Anything more would be greed.
Thus, Cult acknowledged that it was time to retreat and prepared to withdraw.
And then—
Kwarrrrung!
A monstrous creature with countless legs suddenly burst through the mountain.
Fushiiiiik!!
Its massive body swam through the mist created by its own steam.
Kkikikikikik!!
The grinding of countless interlocking gears echoed.
The machine, ablaze with fire that engulfed the forest and channeled all that heat, rose, its jaws filled with steam.
“This is getting interesting.”
Cult quickly realized that this was one of Johan’s schemes and smiled gently.
They had known all along that the two were in cahoots.
Johan had blatantly removed himself from Cult’s view using Ex Machina’s over-technology.
Even if Cult had assumed Johan had simply escaped, a well-timed support had arrived.
Tudududuk.
The centipede-like machine moved its countless legs.
The flames it had absorbed slowly permeated its body, frost forming on its massive form.
“Hmm?”
“Oh?”
Tillis and Cult tilted their heads simultaneously, puzzled by this bizarre phenomenon.
Neither were particularly strong in science, but even they could tell that what they were witnessing was absurd.
The fire had been enough to scorch an entire mountain.
Yet in an instant, all that fire had been absorbed by the centipede, and its body began freezing over.
Fushiiiiik!
The massive centipede, jaws steaming, finally moved at an unimaginable speed for a body of its size.
Tadadadadadak!
The monster leapt over the mountain, heading straight toward Tillis.
“Oh my.”
Tillis easily dodged.
Despite the creature’s enormous size, the movement was simple enough for her to evade.
She swung her sword to strike the centipede, but one of its body segments rotated just as she tried to stab it.
That was the segment Tillis had aimed for.
“Ah…”
Her eyes widened as she peered into the centipede’s interior.
There, on one face of the machine, a gleaming light was visible.
Where had the fire capable of burning a mountain gone?
The answer lay right before her.
Ziiiiiing!
A bright light, combined with overwhelming thermal energy that seemed to set even the sky ablaze.
“The heat output is incredible.”
Cult, observing from a distance, clapped their hands and cheered like a child.
“But that still won’t be enough. Researcher from Ex Machina.”
The power was immense, but it wouldn’t kill Tillis.
Having faced her directly, Cult knew this.
If it could, Cult wouldn’t have even considered retreating.
And sure enough, the path of the heat revealed wings veined with what looked like blood vessels.
Thump!
The blood on the wings pulsed through the veins as they spread.
“I can feel the spirit energy…”
Tillis remained unharmed.
She might have been slightly surprised, but she easily withstood the thermal energy.
Rather than struggling, she smiled, realizing the presence of a powerful demon.
It was a rare gain after a long time.
“This situation is amusing.”
Tillis watched the centipede move with a thunderous noise.
Behind it, the smiling prophet was visible.
The situation was undoubtedly disadvantageous.
The Arbiter, already difficult to defeat, now had Ex Machina’s war machine as additional force.
It was going to be a grueling battle.
Yet Tillis seemed to relish the chaos.
“I shall consider it an honor to devour you all here.”
After surviving this fight, she would surely grow even stronger.
Amid the three-way battle between Koran Rekias, Cult, and Tillis, the plan Emily and I had was simple.
“We just need to extract Koran Rekias, right?”
“What about your friend?”
“That guy? Not my friend.”
“Oh.”
Cult would manage somehow on their own. If not, so be it. Survival of the fittest applies.
“If we get caught in the middle, we’re dead.”
“Really?”
“…You might be fine.”
I observed the battle shaking the mountain.
No wonder they dared challenge an empire.
The difference was clear.
Koran Rekias’ trump card, despite its massive size and splendor, was already getting battered.
If this were a war, that’d be different—but in a fight between superhumans, it was just a large target.
Victory was already tipping toward Tillis.
Though she seemed injured and fatigued, it was minor compared to the half-destroyed mechanical centipede.
“I don’t dare approach. I’d be swept away halfway up the mountain.”
Emily nodded.
No scolding, no pity—just acknowledgment, which was oddly reassuring.
“But to rescue Koran Rekias, we still have to get in there.”
He must be observing the battlefield.
From the summit, he could see everything.
We had to act before Tillis destroyed the machine and killed him.
This battle was already lost. Koran Rekias knew it. Yet he wouldn’t back down, blinded by hatred.
“Emily, you handle persuasion. I’ll make the opportunity.”
“Understood.”
If I, a stranger, tried to persuade him, it would be meaningless.
I didn’t genuinely care if he lived.
To convince someone so obsessed with revenge, only someone who sincerely wanted to save him could succeed.
Emily would likely have a better chance than me.
“Here’s the plan: we enter here.”
I indicated the small tunnel I had used.
Koran Rekias’ lab, like any Ex Machina lab, had an emergency exit.
Criminals had to be ready for sudden capture.
I had escaped through it.
“This is the fastest route.”
It also meant we could reach his lab without drawing the attention of the three beasts above.
Even a small shrimp like me could avoid being crushed if I struck at the right time.
I decided the method. It was my contract.
“So, understood? Start digging.”
Parts of the tunnel may have collapsed as the machines ravaged the mountain.
I didn’t do lowly labor—after all, I was a noble.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
Emily nodded obediently.
From her, I could see why she was an Ex Machina officer.
A bizarre mechanical device extended from her back, clearing the path.
Even by modern Earth standards, her tech bordered on over-technology.
…Right, I better not defy her.
Tillis exhaled deeply.
Her body streaked with exhaustion, she swayed slightly.
But that sigh marked the moment of her victory.
Koran Rekias’ mechanical trump card lay in shattered pieces.
Cult, sensing inevitable defeat, withdrew.
Only one remained.
“Good and evil collide and annihilate each other.”
It was harvest time.
Tillis staggered toward the summit.
She solved problems mostly with force, but she wasn’t stupid.
The machine’s operator must be nearby.
A device this precise and massive could only be controlled from a vantage point.
The summit offered a full view of the battlefield.
“Good meets good and spreads.”
Tillis was called a saint.
She approached the righteous in a righteous way, always sincere in her desire to help others.
“Evil devours evil and grows.”
Tillis was also called the Arbiter.
She applied the methods of the wicked to punish the wicked, her mind becoming as ruthless as the foes she judged.
“Then I shall become the greatest evil to save the world.”
Tillis drew her sword and faced Koran Rekias.
A monster born from twisted justice argued.
“What savior would such a selfish monster hope to judge?”
Bang!
Koran Rekias fired at her.
His machine was already destroyed.
An old, frail body—unsuitable for combat.
But he wouldn’t yield.
He couldn’t accept that this monster was called a saint.
“Who gives a monster the right to distinguish good and evil!”
Bang!
He had already offered his life.
He only wanted to fell the creature before him.
Had she been a hypocrite, he might have hesitated.
She wasn’t even that.
“Maxwell’s demon!”
Koran Rekias unleashed his soul in fiery attack.
Snowflakes scattered around the intense flames on his palm.
Thermal energy perfectly converted.
“Masstema.”
At that moment, Tillis’ contracted demon, Masstema, spread its wings.
The grotesque wings extinguished the flames with a single flap.
Tillis smiled, feigning incomprehension.
“Then who shall be the arbiter?”
“This one…!”
“The right to judge belongs to those with power.”
“Ugh!”
Tillis grabbed Koran Rekias’ neck, lifting him.
“The person with the greatest power here is me.”
Simultaneously, Masstema’s wings enveloped Koran Rekias, breaking his demon contract and absorbing the demon.
“This spirit requires knowledge I lack to serve properly.”
Tillis, having absorbed Maxwell’s demon, smirked wryly.
Though powerful, the demon was difficult for her to wield.
With it, Tillis added her 69th demon to her control.
“One remains now.”
Tillis freed Masstema’s wings and placed her sword on Koran Rekias’ neck.
The blade rose once, then fell like a guillotine.
The old man who sought revenge achieved nothing, bowing his head.
And at that moment—
Paat!
Something leapt from the ashes of the barren ground.
I knew.
With direct force, I couldn’t defeat Tillis.
So I knew.
Weakness and cowardice were my greatest weapons.
Paat!
I crawled through the ashes and reached my target.
Burned by residual sparks, covered in sweat and grime, it didn’t matter.
Process didn’t matter.
The only thing that mattered was the opportunity, right now.
“Haah…”
One breath was enough.
A single breath for the perfect strike.
Tillis was undoubtedly a monster.
Even Yuna had noticed—her perception was flawless.
-If all conditions were right, I could have killed her.
But Yuna displayed confidence. She was far inferior to Tillis, but…
-Her senses aren’t exceptional, are they?
Tillis had weaknesses.
If there’s a gap, an assassin could exploit it.
-I got caught because I didn’t know. Now I know, I won’t get caught next time!
I had been ignorant.
I hadn’t realized Tillis’ spirits were watching, exposing me.
Now, it was different.
Tillis’ normally invisible eyes, now blood-tinged, revealed themselves.
Sixty-eight demons swirled around her.
“Hup!”
I dodged the eyes.
Crawling hideously, holding my breath, I waited for the right moment.
It wasn’t about skill. I just had to remain unseen.
Tillis had many eyes.
But having many eyes meant her perception wasn’t perfect.
Exploiting that gap was a basic yet flawless strike, taught by the world’s greatest assassin.
Crack!
The perfect strike I had learned sank into Tillis’ brow.