Chapter 67
Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Chapter 22 - Isolated Island #3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[The Angel of the Sword—no, the Demon of the Sword is definitely a wicked pervert!]
[She's trash anyway!]
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Integra. Whoa."
Luther waved both hands as if soothing a horse, but it had no effect.
No, it even felt like the opposite.
Integra, who had been throwing a fit, puffed out her cheeks with a face full of resentment.
[Master! I'm not a horse!]
[And Master, how can you stay so calm?]
[The Angel of the Sword insulted me, your one and only support AI!]
Her words seemed weighted more toward the latter than the former, but Luther just chuckled dryly without getting angry.
[Master?]
"Well, how should I put it."
The dance moves on the display had indeed been incredibly embarrassing, mortifying, and shameful.
But really, what could he say?
Should he say he was satisfied seeing Integra suffer and blush even more than he had?
Honestly, her near-death-by-embarrassment look had been utterly adorable.
'But if I say that, it'll really blow up.'
So instead of saying more, Luther cleared his throat a few times and spoke to the still-fuming Integra.
"Anyway, calm down now and let's head inside. She's just some old figure from over a hundred years ago, right? You... no, we danced that, and no one else saw it."
That was actually one reason Luther himself could stay calm.
The sequence of utterly humiliating moves had been bad, but no one had actually seen them.
'There weren't any mirrors anyway.'
So he couldn't see his own moves.
Integra had been too busy wrestling with her embarrassment to even glance at Luther while dancing.
Compared to the Sword Emperor and Clarice, whose dancing had been fully ogled by the Angel of the Sword, their situation was far better.
But despite Luther's words, Integra didn't perk up—instead, she fidgeted with her fingers.
[Th-that's the problem.]
"Huh?"
[M-Master saw it!]
That dance!
Those humiliating moves that felt like abandoning all AI dignity!
Seen by no one other than Master!
Integra's face flushed red again.
No, she didn't stop there—she crouched down and buried her face between her knees.
'What the hell, why is she so cute?'
Was she really an AI?
Wasn't she actually human?
For a moment, Luther wanted to tease her more, but he shook his head.
Right now, it was time to calm Integra down.
"Uh... it's fine. You were cute. Yeah, cute."
[Uuugh.]
Integra, red even to her ears, let out a groaning whine.
Luther pretended to pat her head and continued.
"Anyway, Integra, let's go inside now. After all that trouble, we need to check what's in there, right? Yeah?"
At Luther's gentle coaxing, Integra gave a tiny nod and vanished in a burst of light.
[Understood, Master.]
[Let's focus on scanning again.]
"Yeah."
With a small smile, Luther mimicked the Angel of the Sword's hand motions to open the rock door and stepped inside.
[By the way, Master, recalculating it now, the editing was definitely intentional like this.]
[It was a video we could've watched straight through, but they split it up on purpose to trap us.]
[How wicked and cruel a demon...]
She'd always had a vindictive streak, but Luther nodded this time too.
As Integra said, it was clearly the demon's edit job to screw over anyone reading the logs later.
'Wait, wasn't the video edited by the Sword Emperor?'
The title was even "Boy's Journal."
'No way... he doesn't want me suffering alone...?'
Sword Emperor Clausewitz.
The great hero of humanity who founded the Holy Empire.
Imagining that dignified old man gleefully doing the split edits in hopes his descendants would fall into the same trap as him...
Luther briefly chuckled, picturing it, then made a complicated expression.
'The master breeds the disciple, huh.'
When he'd first seen the initial log, they seemed straight out of an epic hero saga.
Not anymore.
Luther had no choice but to drastically revise his image of both.
And right then.
[Master, it looks like a natural cave overall, but there are artificial structures at the entrance and various spots.]
Inside the rock.
Descending the stairs about 30 meters revealed a dark, vast space.
A ceiling at least 10 meters high and a straight corridor nearly 15 meters wide.
Instead of lighting it up, Luther donned his nanosuit and activated night vision on his visor, peering ahead.
The corridor seemed quite long; nothing was visible beyond the darkness.
[It might span the entire underground of the island.]
[A space this size forming naturally in such a rectangular structure is nearly impossible.]
[Really no idea.]
[What kind of person was the Angel of the Sword?]
From the circumstances, all eight divine weapons of Sword Emperor Clausewitz originated from the Angel of the Sword.
[Never mind that they're all military weapons—some are large-scale ones for armies, not personal use.]
[Plus, if she had the facilities and capabilities to build something like this... it's hard to think of her as just a regular soldier.]
What was her true identity?
And was she really alone?
If so, why bring so much firepower and supplies to this planet by herself?
'Dragon Hunter Origin and Star Savior.'
Maybe the two worlds were more deeply connected than Luther had imagined.
[Master, life signs detected ahead.]
[Likely native lifeforms nesting in this abandoned underground.]
Red life signs appeared in Luther's vision too.
Countless red dots clinging to the ceiling of the seemingly endless corridor.
'Bats?'
The thought had just crossed his mind.
[Master! Incoming!]
The red dots embedded in the pitch-black ceiling suddenly swelled, emitting yellow glows.
Wings flapped deafeningly, and dozens of yellow points charged at Luther.
[Flare, firing!]
-Boom!
Noise and light exploded.
White flash filled his view, followed by dozens of screams chaining like dominoes, filling the corridor.
"Kieeeek-!"
' Giant Bats!'
Huge bats the size of adult men.
Their pitch-black wings, gaunt bodies, and vicious heads visible in the flash stirred instinctive revulsion.
Luther tossed the Air Striker slung over his shoulder and drew Clairheim Morr from his back.
But right then.
Integra's voice compressed through time relayed simultaneously.
[Flare effect lasts 3 more seconds.]
[Activating new function.]
[Access code: Night Wing.]
[System all green.]
[Process all right.]
[First transformation, commencing!]
Time flowed again.
And in that instant, Luther felt a clear change.
The new nanocoat Integra had created.
The ones mounted over his nanosuit shifted form.
Turning shadow-like into long black fabric, they reformed behind his back.
Golden-threaded black bands cascaded from his shoulders, the fabric over his back becoming pitch-black metallic wings that draped like a cape over his back and shoulders.
[Behold, Night Wing!]
[Master's new wings!]
With Integra's triumphant voice, the flare's effect ended.
In the devouring darkness, Luther launched forward.
-Boom!
Thrust deployed, wings unfurled.
Luther instantly knew the nanomachine-composed black wings weren't just for flight.
[Night Wing process, install!]
A streak of light pierced his crown.
Luther understood Night Wing—and dove into the bat swarm, commanding.
"Blade!"
The black wings turned steel blades, shredding the bats.
Night Wing wasn't fixed wings; it was a dual air-ground weapon that real-time transformed via nanomachine bonding and separation.
"Kieeek!"
Amid plummeting Giant Bats, banshee-like ultrasonics assaulted Luther.
But no issue. Integra had anticipated; Night Wing morphed.
The right wing spread wide into a massive shield, scattering the gut-rattling ultrasonics harmlessly.
[Master! Like it?!]
"Awesome!"
Luther somersaulted midair and landed.
Night Wing reverted to wings, spreading like a cape to envelop him.
Then successive launches.
Three missiles from his backpack streaked to different spots, exploding; embedded fire magic scrolls turned the ceiling into a sea of flames.
Blazing inferno, crashing Giant Bats, and Luther in low crouch amid it all, black wings cloaking his form.
'Feels like my inner edgelord is awakening.'
Thinking it inwardly, Luther slowly stood.
The Giant Bats were nearly wiped by the blast; survivors fled. No immediate threats left.
Proving it, Integra spoke warmly.
[Combat data acquired in small amounts.]
[Master and I's victory.]
A warm voice, yet somehow haughty—no, haughtily posed—drawing a small laugh from Luther as he looked himself over.
"Night Wing, huh?"
[Yes, Master. The reason I made the nanomachine nanocoat was precisely for this.]
Integra popped up before him, arms crossed with her usual sultry smile plus smug triumph.
Her usual sassy maid—no, support AI—vibe, but Luther grinned back.
As always, another truly satisfying result.
[Really like it?]
"Love it. Mind if I touch? Wanna pat your head."
[Hmm... it'll mess up my hair.]
Saying that, she already tilted her head toward Luther.
He chuckled and lightly patted; she hummed contentedly, then spoke.
[But Master, Night Wing has one drawback.]
"What?"
[Insane energy consumption.]
"Huh?"
As Luther responded.
Charts popped up beside Integra; by now familiar, he grasped the core instantly.
"Duration's 2 minutes?"
[When constantly transforming and fighting for those 2 minutes. But you know what that means... right?]
With her slightly awkward smile, Luther nodded.
This fight alone had them using Night Wing over 2 minutes.
"So not a hard time limit, but each transformation guzzles energy?"
[Yes. Unlike nanosuits fixed to set forms, Night Wing rearranges nanomachines real-time to fit situations, so the consumption is massive.]
Of course, dumping all Twin Drive into it could extend use, but then Luther's main body would run dry.
"Clairheim Morr too—always short on energy."
Like a game with powerful skills but huge MP costs, unusable often?
[Until we find a new energy source, I'll research ways to improve efficiency.]
"Yeah, thanks. Our AI's the best."
At Luther's praise, Integra smiled primly, curtsied with a skirt flip, and vanished in light.
And as if on cue, the Sword Emperor's video unfolded again.
[Boy's Journal #79-4, starting.]