Dark Moon

The Deroid combat mech—humanity's enemy. Judging by armor tough enough to shrug off mana distortion, lightning wouldn't do a damn thing either.

But I didn't think I was out of options.

Once. That was all I needed. The moment current punched through into the machinery, that hulking combat suit would seize up and drop like a broken toy.

The problem was landing that one hit.

"Hahaha! How long has it been since I last used this thing?"

Clank. Clank.

Prong's arms transformed into machine guns. Three barrels on each hand locked onto me and opened fire. Fifty-caliber rounds hammered my barrier. Under the relentless barrage, the shield shuddered—then shattered completely in under ten seconds.

I wasn't just taking it, though.

As low as I could make it.

A spear of lightning formed below knee height and tore across the wasteland toward him.

Climb up from underneath.

The Lightning Spear struck the mech and detonated, scattering current across its surface. Exactly as I'd intended, the electricity clung to the nearest metal and raced over the plating. Over the plating—and nowhere else. Not a single spark made it inside.

"Useless. This is a Deroid special battle suit. Did you really think it wouldn't have EMP countermeasures?"

The gunfire cut off. He'd run dry. I had one barrier left. Time to reinforce.

Jet engines flared from his back. That massive frame leapt and landed right in front of me in a single bound.

"You know why humans fear the Deroid? Because we're machines. Your fragile flesh will always be crushed under steel!"

His arm shifted from gun to mace. A massive iron club that looked ready to flatten my entire upper body smashed into the barrier.

It shattered like glass.

The force was stronger than I'd expected—I flinched—but I forced my focus back into the fight. Lose concentration in combat and you die.

Meeting him head-on was suicide. First, distance.

I rose into the sky.

"Running away? Well, I suppose that's the only choice you've got. But you think I'll just let you go?"

"I'm not running. Today, this place is your grave."

He used the jet engines on his back to launch himself after me. The raw power of the leap carried him past me, higher still. His mistake.

Judging by the way he moves, he's not used to piloting that battle suit.

Even so, he was adapting fast. Drag this out and I'd be the one at a disadvantage.

On the way down he aimed for my head. I threw myself sideways and slipped past the strike.

That was when five fighter jets rose from the direction of Neo London, chasing the Deroid craft that had dropped the battle suit. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The Deroid jet didn't flee—it turned to fight.

Drawing Neo London's attention on purpose? Keeping them from looking this way?

One against five in aerial combat. Surprisingly, the Deroid jet held the upper hand.

Artificial intelligence. A perfect pilot that never makes a single human error. Looking at it like this, no wonder Neo London keeps losing to the Deroid.

I wasn't particularly worried about Neo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠London, though.

Their real power wasn't fighters, missiles, or tanks.

It was the Knights.

The moment those monsters took the field bare-handed, the Deroid jet wouldn't last long before it got shot down.

"What the hell are you looking at, idiot?!"

"First time I've seen a dogfight. Figured I'd watch."

"You crazy bastard!"

He leapt again and appeared right in front of my face.

"Of course, every other sense I have is locked on you."

I amplified the pull. First-class magic—but the same spell hit completely differently depending on the caster. Fifty times normal gravity slammed down on Prong's combat suit. We were in midair. No ground to brace against. He plummeted like something had yanked him toward the earth.

"Not a chance!"

The jet engines roared louder. That massive frame overpowered the fiftyfold gravity and clawed its way back into flight. Watching that flashy aerial recovery, I urgently triggered Charna again.

I barely slipped past his attack. The mace whistled past my skull by two centimeters. No barrier left—my heart lurched hard.

The jet engines are burning red-hot. He's pushing them past their limit. Pushing this hard… because he's afraid I'll run?

Prong had lost his subordinates because of me. To him, it must feel like he'd lost most of everything he owned. He talked calm, but inside he had to be seething.

Without Charna I'd already be dead. Then again, I'm only standing toe-to-toe with him because I trust it.

I dodged the mace by a hair again and slipped a hand into my coat pocket. Blue Distortion petals brushed my fingers. I hesitated—just for a second. Use everything I had left in that pocket and I wouldn't be able to research Blue Distortion anymore.

…With enough money and time, I can always get more Blue Distortion.

Hundreds of blue petals scattered from my hand. Telekinesis kept them drifting slowly around me.

"What the hell are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you doing? That little distortion won't work on me."

"I think otherwise."

Mana-field distortion wasn't completely useless against him. His armor had warped—slightly—under spatial distortion. In other words, it was a matter of output.

Hundreds of Blue Distortion petals, every drop of mana I've got left… there's a chance.

I dodged the mace and unfolded the formula.

Hundreds of Blue Distortion petals resonated as one. Space itself turned blue. Inside that field, Prong's movements slowed.

He tilted toward the ground and redlined the jet engines—he'd decided to escape the field first. But under the force field's influence, every motion crawled.

I clenched my teeth. Managing the mana force field was brutal. The second my concentration slipped, I'd get caught in the distorted space myself.

Finish it before that happens.

Spatial distortion flared. It locked onto the combat suit's right shoulder. Space warped. The Deroid battle mech tore apart like a cheap robot toy. Through the wreckage, I could see Prong inside.

It's over.

The distortion swung toward his head—and in that instant the battle suit disassembled, blocking my line of sight. He seized the opening, broke free of the mana force field, and plummeted toward the ground.

Roles reversed. Kill him before he gets away.

A spear of lightning formed. Not enough on its own. He was a cyborg who'd tanked a Thunder Break. One Lightning Spear wasn't going to finish him.

The Blue Distortion petals still scattered through the air gathered under my telekinesis. Hundreds of them clung to the Lightning Spear.

Lightning Spear. Blue Distortion. A compressed mana force field. A three-layered weapon, hurled at the falling man.

The spear punched clean through his chest and detonated.

CRACK-ZZZZZZZT!

Massive current and spatial distortion erupted together.

I swallowed hard watching it. I'd thrown the strike without overthinking it—and the power far exceeded anything I'd expected.

Like a giant blender. The spatial distortion is the blades… step inside that and there wouldn't even be bones left to collect.

Only after the distortion faded did I descend.

Human flesh and mechanical scrap littered the ground in every direction.

"Damn it…"

I turned toward the low curse. Half a face—only the mechanical side still barely intact—was all that remained of him.

"To think I'd die in a place like this… Soon… soon you'll die too."

"Instead of spitting out pointless curses, how about you just crawl off to hell already."

"Hell? Death is the end. There's no afterlife. No gods either."

"Well. That's your opinion."

I stepped closer to finish him. I didn't need to. By the time I reached him, what was left of his mechanical body had already become scrap metal.

I scanned the surroundings.

Almost nothing that could lead back to me. The Blue Distortion I'd used had burned to ash and scattered on the wind.

"On my way. Keep the engine running."

Mission successful.

Invisible Blade and I split up once we entered Neo London.

Before we parted, she glared at me. There'd been a hesitation as she got out of the car—maybe something she'd wanted to say.

I let out a quiet breath of relief when she left without a word.

After Prong, going straight into a fight with Invisible Blade was the last thing I wanted… Glad she didn't stab me in the back.

Her staying quiet was a real blessing. Saved me a lot of wasted time.

Now I can restore my mana roads.

My hands trembled with excitement on the wheel. I forced myself to stay calm, returned the car, then called a carriage and headed for the entrance to Aira Street in District E.

At Gomez Clinic, I handed Lana Gomez the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bag.

"What was stolen from your daughter. I wiped out the Prong gang."

Lana Gomez took the box and opened it. Confirming the ornate dress inside, she nodded.

"Just as I heard—your skills are the real deal. Neo London's in an uproar right now. Word is a Deroid fighter jet went up. Anything to do with this?"

"Prong made a deal with the Deroid."

"Even more of a bastard than I imagined."

"The mana road restoration? Can you do it right now?"

"I've got all the materials. I could start this second. The real question is what you want. Doing it now?"

"Good. Get up. We're going to the operating room. The surgery won't take more than five hours, even if it runs long."