Chapter 299: A World Made of Gears - 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: A World Made of Gears - 6
Even in such a disadvantageous situation, Maximilien’s fighting spirit blazed. Seeing him without a single thought of retreat, I was left speechless.
What is he, some kind of protagonist? Why is he burning so brilliantly?
I wanted to applaud Maximilien's attitude, his refusal to stop even after achieving so much, always striving for what lay beyond. If life is a flame destined to one day burn out, then his pyre, having consumed everything, would leave no color behind. He would leave nothing but colorless ashes on the ground and become the wind, flying to the ends of the sky. Ah, what a fleeting yet brilliant life. A round of applause, everyone.
However, remembering that I was his goal, the hand that was clapping awkwardly moved to the back of my head. No matter how much fun it is to watch a fire, if that fire is trying to burn you, you have no choice but to run for your life. Or stamp it out.
That was precisely why I had to kill Maximilien, even though I liked him. His desire would burn me to ashes.
Probably into some bizarre, unheard-of entity called the King of Sins.
I reacted immediately.
“We have to fight! Ria. Remember the ‘if you get touched, you lose’ rule?”
I asked, worried she might have forgotten a story from so long ago, but Historia answered fluently.
“Heeh. You mean that rule you forced on me to score points when we first sparred? Of course, I remember. Some lanky guy made a ridiculous suggestion, so I told him to give it a shot, and what did he do? He shamelessly aimed only for my weak spots, didn't he? Kehkeh. Back then, I was so pissed off I seriously wanted to kill you.”
“Seeing how you remember even the useless parts, I guess I worried for nothing!”
As Historia chuckled, the ground beneath us suddenly shook faintly. Maximilien was using alchemy to melt the floor beneath Historia and me, trying to turn it into a swamp of brass. I sensed the change and was about to flee.
Thump. Historia stomped her foot down hard on the Steel Beetle. Gon Qi Art—the energy she unleashed from under her foot spread like an earthquake. The steel plate buckled slightly, and the impact caused a few gears to break off.
To use alchemy, one must have a near-perfect understanding of the target object. If it deforms during the attempt, the alchemy fails. This is why it’s so difficult to use alchemy in actual combat.
Thanks to Historia’s stomp, the alchemy was nullified. The directionless mana evaporated.
Having instinctively struck alchemy’s greatest weakness, Historia asked with little excitement over her own accomplishment.
“Why? You want to play that game?”
“Not with you, with the Warforger!”
Historia narrowed her eyes and asked.
“…What part of that old man are you so eager to touch?”
“I’m not eager to touch him, and touching him isn’t the goal in the first place! I have a certain trick up my sleeve that can neutralize him if I make contact!”
“Heeh, just kidding. I know. I saw it earlier.”
Maybe it’s because she took those drugs, but her words are flying out without passing through her brain. I should probably end this quickly before her condition gets any worse.
“You got it, Ria? I’ll support you and look for an opening. I’m counting on you!”
“Counting on me? Hmmm, for free?”
“I get it, so just go!”
Even in this urgent situation, she was smiling with her eyes. Was this really going to be okay?
Fortunately, my worries were unfounded. Historia instantly closed the distance to Maximilien and began to relentlessly pressure him.
Clang, clang, clang. Every time their fists and arms met, it sounded like steel crashing against steel. Maximilien’s hands were steel prosthetics, but I had no idea why Historia’s limbs were making the same sound.
Historia extended her arms and legs in wide, sweeping motions. Her punches and kicks, linked with her Qi Art, flowed together naturally and fluidly. When she stepped, Gon Qi Art supported her entire body; when she threw a punch, Geon Qi Art burst forth. The Qi, now one with her body, made her movements several times more agile and swift.
In contrast, Maximilien’s movements were as systematic as the hands of a clock. When Historia threw a punch, his jointed gears moved with precise speed and angle to block it. His arms and legs moved at completely unexpected angles, deflecting Historia’s attacks outward. He remained entirely on the defensive until he saw an opening, at which point he would unleash all the power he had been storing.
Without any warning, his arm clicked and detached, extending by about a meter. It was a feat only possible because his elbow and shoulder were gears, not joints. The surprise attack, impossible to predict without reading his thoughts, shot toward Historia’s body.
‘Just as I expected. I thought he was gathering power.’
But you don’t have to be a mind reader to engage in psychological warfare. Historia spun the gun in her hand, gripping it by the barrel. The gun became an excellent hammer. She brought the handle down on Maximilien’s arm.
CRAAANG!
The alchemic steel forged by the Military State’s greatest alchemist clashed with the steel infused with the Military State’s strongest Qi Art. The result of the spark-filled confrontation was a draw. A collision of forces that defied weight sent them both flying back in opposite directions.
But Historia’s gun wasn’t actually a hammer. It was merely a barrel for firing Qi, and swinging it was a secondary use.
Qi flickered from the gun held in a reverse grip. A blue flame reflected in Maximilien’s monocle.
BANG!
Maximilien’s head snapped back nearly ninety degrees. Struck by the Qi-infused bullet, his body slid backward.
But he didn’t fall. Historia lowered her stance and observed him.
‘It hit. No, did he block it?’
His monocle was broken and dangling. A large bruise was forming on his face. But he was still alive.
A self-moving monocle. It was an artifact for seeing the unseen, but also a piece of protective gear he had painstakingly crafted to defend himself. The moment he detected the muzzle flash, he had moved the monocle into the bullet’s path.
‘Didn’t have enough time to gather my Qi, I guess. A shame. I thought it was a perfect feint.’
Regardless of Historia’s disappointment, she had the upper hand in close-quarters combat. Seeing no chance of victory in a brawl, Maximilien slid backward and scraped the steel with his fingers. A pure white light was etched deep into the surface, and the steel plate was cut and peeled back as if by scissors.
Through the gap, countless gears were visible, packed tightly together. Maximilien reached his hand toward them.
Maximilien’s arm became a magnet. The mere act of bringing his hand close caused innumerable gears to swarm and stick to it like bees. The gears clinging to his arm broke free from my control, spiraling up his arm to find their places. Each gear remembered its position and moved to reassemble itself.
In an instant, Maximilien was equipped with a massive and functional mechanical arm. Its fist was the size of Historia’s torso.
‘That’s strange… The arm looks bigger than before. Am I seeing things?’
You idiot. It did get bigger.
CRASH! The mechanical arm extended and slammed into Historia’s front. It was several times larger and longer than before. This wasn’t something she could parry with the handle of her gun. Historia crossed her arms and leaped backward.
“…Ugh.”
Staggering from the immense impact, Historia was pushed back.
Now. I followed half a beat behind her and shouted.
“Ria! Move 8!”
Historia reacted instinctively.
Back when I was at the academy, I had outstanding theoretical knowledge but abysmal practical skills. Regardless of my true abilities, the Military State revokes opportunities if you don’t receive a good evaluation based on their set standards.
So, I conspired with Historia to put on sparring displays that were several levels above my actual skill.
We would decide on the moves beforehand and assign them numbers, so she would move accordingly when I called one out. By choreographing the fight, even a third-rate performance could look like a duel between masters. Instead of wasting energy on suspicion or caution, we could pour all our strength into our movements.
Just like now.
Historia, who had retreated, pivoted to her right on her left foot. At the same time, I dashed toward her back. A collision seemed imminent. But for a single moment, we both twisted our bodies, our backs brushing against each other. In that fleeting instant of crossing paths, Historia pushed me forward with her shoulder and arm.
Thanks to her, my body shot forward as if launched.
It was much faster than the old days, but it didn't matter. Like it or not, Maximilien had no choice but to connect gears to his arm because of his ability. Alchemy was, at its core, a technique for changing matter. It needed a power source to move, and for the already-optimized Maximilien, there was no option other than gears.
If so, the moment I touched him, it would be a repeat of before. I would exploit his unique magic, travel up the gears, and destroy his body from the inside.
‘The one to be warier of than Major General Historia. The King of Humans. His ability, even a fragment of it, is absurd.’
I reached out my hand. My fingertips were just about to touch Maximilien’s mechanical arm. If I could just touch it, I would destroy it irreversibly and completely. My ability was his ability.
‘You will travel up the gears and attack me. You will use my own power to break me, leaving me unable to even resist.’
Maximilien knew that fact all too well.
Even while fighting Historia, his gaze through the monocle was fixed only on me. Even though I had suddenly burst from behind Historia, he had kept his attention on me.
‘In that case, I will sever the connection before you can touch it. I will prevent that power from ever reaching me.’
Tch. It’s a bust.
Time to draw up a new plan.
CRASH! Maximilien detached the mechanical arm from his own prosthetic. He had pulled it out so hastily that gears that couldn't escape in time scraped against the inner walls with a metallic screech. He abandoned the creation, which had cost him considerable mana and gears, without a shred of hesitation and retreated with all his might. He threw away all semblance of dignity, even rolling on the ground to get away from me.
A shower of gears rained down before my eyes. I immediately shouted.
“Number 2!”
Historia swiftly grabbed my cape. My body stopped dead in the air, my raised feet scraping at nothing. The mechanical arm collapsed in a heap right in front of me, but thanks to Historia pulling me back, I avoided a collision.
“Keck!”
Would it have been better to just crash? The cape pulled at my neck and shoulders, choking me.
After a few coughs, I composed myself and said.
“If this keeps up, it’ll turn into a war of attrition. Ria, how much Qi do you have left?”
“Hmm, I dunno… If I really push myself, maybe I can keep shooting?”
“And if you don’t push yourself?”
“Two shots.”
So, two shots was her limit.
If we were at full strength, a war of attrition would be the right answer. To create one mechanical arm, Maximilien was tearing off the back plating of the Steel Beetle for materials. I also had the ‘traps’ I’d set up while fleeing earlier, so the gears he could use would soon run out.
But right now, we were also near our limit. We were the ones in a hurry, so we had to make a decisive move.
“What about your ultimate technique?”
“If I push myself, I can just barely manage it.”
“Barely even one… We’ll have to bet on that. Alright, this time, I’ll create the opening.”
It was less a plan and more just brute force. With no other options, there was only the will to somehow get it done.
This was normal. This is how all beasts live. They die running, they die fighting. Sometimes they even die from eating the wrong thing.
I didn’t want to, but I had to protect myself. I drew a card from my pocket.