The Killer Machine's Soft Spot

A few hours before the Dead Moon began, Kaisent slipped quietly into the 0-Dimensional Warehouse and laid out everything he knew about the coming disaster, then asked AT for help.

Lillian's warning had left him unable to fight at full strength, and with Clint weighing on his mind, he had decided he needed at least one overwhelming combat asset on his side.

AT could take a full-force blow from Lillian's greatsword without so much as flinching. She possessed the raw strength to tear a human apart bare-handed and a power core that never tired. In any situation, she would be an enormous asset.

"I understand the Dead Moon," AT said. "But what reason do I have to help you?"

Naturally, she had none.

"And if you need my power, couldn't you simply issue a command?"

Inside the 0-Dimensional Warehouse—where time now flowed at 2.4 times the speed of the outside world—AT had spoken with Skynet and learned a great many things. Among them: thanks to Skynet, she could analyze and hack systems of entirely different kinds.

"If you'd attacked us, conversation wouldn't have been possible. I didn't have a choice about that part."

"So now that we can talk, you intend to persuade me?"

"Yeah."

For the first time in her existence, AT understood what people meant when they said something left them speechless.

"I am asking this in complete seriousness. Are you in your right mind? You interfered with my mission, you raped me—and now you want my help?"

"…I'm sorry……"

Under her interrogation, Kaisent bowed his head and apologized. Fidgeting with his fingers, unable even to meet her eyes—it was nothing like the reaction AT had expected.

What is this? My emotional circuits are acting strange. It feels as if I'm the one who did something wrong.

Unlike ordinary machinaroids, she had been built with ordinary human sensibilities so she could blend into human society. She had sealed those feelings away for the sake of her mission—but the moment she was hacked, they had come flooding back open alongside her human senses.

"S-still! If you help me, I'll give you a reward!"

"A reward?"

"Yeah!"

AT was curious what that reward might be—but she could not comprehend the boy standing there with such an innocent smile, as if something so trivial could possibly persuade her.

Ugh……

And yet the moment she looked down into Kaisent's smiling face, the temperature of her power core began to climb.

This is wrong. He interfered with my mission… and instead of hostility, all I feel is that he's cute.

He was that adorable. Would it really be so bad to just go along with it?

Insane. Had her logic circuits completely failed? She ought to be planning how to kill her assassination target, Clint!

For some reason, her artificial womb throbbed.

The absolute commands Kaisent had written into her system were only two: do not kill people, and do not damage the interior of the 0-Dimensional Warehouse. Beyond those restrictions, she was free to move and think as she pleased.

Even so, looking down at Kaisent gazing up at her, every shred of hostility drained away.

"Is it… not okay……?"

When AT stayed silent with her mouth shut, Kaisent's face crumpled as if he might cry, the corners of his eyes growing damp. A guilt she had never felt in her life surged through her. She skipped every process of checking data and reviewing her logic circuits and answered before she even knew she was speaking.

"I under…stand. I will help you."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!!"

"……!"

The instant he heard her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠answer, Kaisent threw his arms around her waist and clung to her. Warm body heat pressed against her frame, and with it came a strange emotion she had never experienced before.

To think he can even charm a machine intelligence… Did Master's mental arts amplify the young master's power? Now I understand why Master called him a future rival.

AT told Kaisent that the moment he opened the 0-Dimensional Warehouse and called for her, she would come running—then set about inspecting her own circuits and systems for any hidden commands or bugs.

Crunch! Crack!

AT—the killing machine from the future—crushed whatever came into her hands, whether it was a skull or a shoulder, with sheer grip strength alone.

Undead thick with malevolent energy threw themselves at her, but without even bothering to defend, the only damage they managed was superficial cuts to the artificial skin that served as her shock absorber.

For an ordinary human, those wounds alone would have been enough to take them out of the fight. For a machine in human form, they meant nothing at all.

"Sh-she's strong!"

"A golem moving like that……!"

Ever since people from Earth had arrived, there had been research into agile golems with smooth articulation—but for combat use, a golem needed a certain bulk and frame simply to deliver fighting power, and the projects had been abandoned almost as soon as they began.

Now the Wolf Mercenary Group was watching a golem that moved with fluid, predatory grace and still possessed overwhelming strength.

Was she always this powerful?

Lillian had already known AT's durability was exceptional—she had walked away from Lillian's own attacks unharmed—and the way she had torn free of the root-vines had shown she had considerable raw power. But with nothing holding her back, every single one of AT's blows carried lethal force, and her stamina was literally endless no matter how hard she fought.

If Lillian had ever gone head-to-head with her in a prolonged battle, defeat would have been a certainty.

"Everyone into defensive formation! Focus on stopping the enemy's attacks!"

Fredrick knew nothing about AT and was caught off guard, but his situational judgment was sharp. He ordered the mercenary company to commit fully to defense. Striking the rigid, muscle-locked torsos of the undead had been draining enormous strength; switching to a defensive posture immediately cut their stamina consumption.

Crrraaack-crack-crack!

While the mercenaries held the line, AT unilaterally pulverized the undead pressing against them, and the tide that had been slowly pushing the company back began to reverse.

"Sun Fire!"

Kaisent's magic slammed into the rear ranks of the undead a moment later, buying the mercenaries room to catch their breath.

"Hah! We're alive!"

"Hoo… hahk!"

They managed to steady their breathing and scrape together enough strength for a few more swings—but AT was already reducing the number of undead they had to face, smashing everything she could get her hands on.

"Weird-looking thing, but a golem's still a golem."

"Right? She doesn't even rest. Just keeps crushing them."

"Grrraaaaaagh—!!"

"Wha—!"

In that moment a mid-to-high-tier undead monster—a Spirit Armored, a suit of armor possessed by a vengeful spirit after its owner died—lunged out of nowhere and drove its greatsword straight at AT's waist.

Kaaang!

The blade sheared through the shock-absorbing artificial skin—and failed to leave so much as a scratch on the nanoparticle-reinforced ceramic frame beneath.

Crunch! Crrraaack!

AT seized the Spirit Armored's body, crumpled it with raw force, and crushed it like a wad of paper. Then she snatched up the greatsword that had struck her and swung it in wild, sweeping arcs, carving through undead left and right.

"That golem… isn't she stronger than the captains?"

"Even so, she's got no technique. You think swordsmanship exists for nothing?"

"The captains have the skill, sure—but she's got raw power, speed, and infinite stamina. Plus defense that tanks a greatsword hit like it's nothing."

Kaisent had told them the golem had been sent across dimensions by his father. Watching her fight, the mercenaries could feel his influence growing by the hour. He was already playing a major role as an exceptional mage—and if he also owned a golem that could fight on equal terms with the captains, or even surpass them?

The third-rank position they had all tacitly accepted would officially change.

Ordinarily, seeing a fellow mercenary suddenly pull ahead would have bred envy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or wariness. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But—

"Well… if it's Kaisent."

"Yeah. For that kid, you've got to give him credit."

These were men who had watched Kaisent grow stronger from the very beginning. What they felt was closer to genuine support. Thanks to Dang Seol-yeong's advice, he had kept his talent hidden and let them know him first as a gifted mage. Magic was a field that had nothing to do with them anyway—jealousy would have been pointless.

"Hah!"

"Hup!"

Lillian and Fredrick finished off the undead monsters they were each facing and finally found a moment of breathing room.

"Looks like Kaisent somehow dealt with the mastermind."

"So that's why the undead assault slowed down."

They were far enough from the rest of the company that Fredrick dropped the formal speech and used his ordinary tone. He steadied his breathing, then spoke again.

"Lillian."

"Hm?"

"You seem to know something about that golem."

He had been startled by AT's sudden appearance. She, on the other hand, had looked startled that AT was fighting at all.

"…Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only found out myself not long ago. And the first time I saw her, she wasn't in any condition to fight for us. If I'd told you half-baked information, you might have pinned empty hopes on her."

"……"

It sounded reasonable enough on the surface—but Fredrick could feel a strange distance opening between them. There was a secret shared only by Kaisent and Lillian, one he knew nothing about, and it left a bitter taste.

The Dead Moon was not over yet. He decided the interrogation could wait.

"We've gotten past the company's crisis for now—but the one who created this crisis is still out there somewhere. Don't let your guard down."

"Yeah."

Fredrick… I think he's noticed.

Lillian could hear the subtle shift in the emotion beneath his voice.

Should I just come clean right now?

Ever since Kaisent had made her a woman—ever since she had learned what happiness as a woman felt like—she could no longer feel anything like love for Fredrick. What remained was nothing more than the affection of a close childhood friend.

Every time she refused him when he asked to share her bed, the guilt had grown heavier. Part of her wanted to use this moment to tell him the truth and finally be free of it.

And so, thanks to Kaisent, the Wolf Mercenary Group weathered the crisis.

Watching from a distance, Kaan Kel could not hide his shock.

Their level is this high?

They had held out longer than expected, and just when he thought they were finally hitting their limit, an unforeseen presence had appeared and flipped the entire flow of the battle. On top of that, they seemed to have dismantled the trap he had planted—the undead were scattering in multiple directions.

The situation had changed completely.

His plan had been simple: let the Wolf Mercenary Group collapse, then use his magic to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠annihilate the clustered high-tier undead in a single stroke and claim every scrap of loot for himself. Standing on the threshold of Master rank, he had been willing to see an entire mercenary company slaughtered if it meant the money to buy the crystals he needed.

No choice, then. I'll have to capture whoever is commanding the undead and claim the credit myself.

Kaan Kel had been conserving his strength, waiting for the Wolf Mercenary Group to fall. Now he resolved to seize the one controlling the undead and pad his own share of the spoils.

Whiiish! Thud-thud-thud-thud!

"Ghk!?"

"Aaagh!"

"Kuhk!"

"Ghk……!"

Black-mana-charged arrows streaked toward the four shield-bearers guarding Kaan Kel atop the watchtower. The shafts punched straight through their shields and buried themselves in flesh. The ominous black mana raced through their veins, flooding their entire bodies—then they coughed up blood and collapsed.

"?!"

Left alone, Kaan Kel saw more arrows flying straight at him and scrambled to raise a defensive spell.

"Look out!"

Before he could finish, Chelbe vaulted up onto the watchtower and threw up a barrier of sacred power, shielding Kaan Kel.

"Chelbe!"

"Are you unharmed? I sensed an ominous presence and came to assist!"

Caught between defense and offense, Kaan Kel turned to him.

"Focus on defense! Hold them off just a moment and I'll deal with whoever attacked—ghk!?"

The instant he tried to shift to the offensive, a sudden ambush drove a dagger into his abdomen. His face twisted in agony.

"I should thank you. You made such a nuisance of yourself around the perimeter that playing the good man was easy."

"You… you……! Graaaaagh!!"

"I may not look it, but I know how to repay a debt. I'll kill you as quickly as possible—and free you from all the pain still waiting for you."

An ominous red light coiled around the dagger buried in Kaan Kel's gut. His mana began to corrupt into malevolent energy; his veins blackened one after another. In moments his entire circulatory system was stained black. He vomited toxic blood and crumpled, strength gone.

"Ch-Chelbe!? What is the meaning of this!"

The merchant leaders, still under the protection of their escort guards, stared in horror at the man who had just ambushed Kaan Kel.

"My god, my lord! O Nozgna! I offer this sacrifice unto you!!"

"Nozgna!?"

"K-kill him! Kill him now!"

Nozgna—the god of chaos, calamity, and destruction. His followers were an antisocial cult that grew stronger by manufacturing disasters of any kind, destroying life on the small scale and the order of cities and villages on the large. They were little better than monsters, and the standard response upon discovery was immediate extermination. They knew this, which was why they hid their presence until the perfect moment to strike—making them all the more troublesome. And anyone devoted enough to worship an evil god was already broken beyond persuasion.

"Hahahaha! You're already too late!"

Using the life force and mana of Kaan Kel—a powerhouse on the very brink of Master rank—Chelbe completed the ritual he had prepared in advance. A vast surge of energy erupted from the watchtower where Kaan Kel had stood. A dome of crimson power sealed shut around the mercenary company, and even breathing the air inside it left a foul, oppressive residue on the lungs.

"I-it's become a Demonic Domain!"

"O gods! Please, save us!"

A Demonic Domain—the signal flare announcing that everything inside would be slaughtered and offered as sacrifice to his god. Bring calamity and destruction upon the offerings trapped within, and the evil god would be pleased, bestowing his blessing upon his servant. A slaughter-ground had opened.