The Steel Falcon Takes Flight
Steelstone, who had downed the red potion and restored his right arm, looked back and forth between his right arm and me with an incredulous gaze.
"This... what the hell..."
"I just regenerated it. In your case, since it hadn't been long since it was severed, it wasn't too difficult."
"...I know plenty of espers who can regenerate severed limbs. That's not what I'm talking about. How am I still alive?"
"Huh? What do you mean—"
"This arm wasn't just physically severed; it was also sealed from treatment by an esper's ability. You signed it too, so you remember, right? Punk Technology's confidentiality oath."
Steelstone explained that his right arm had not only been physically severed but also had treatment sealed by an esper's ability.
If anyone attempted or received treatment, a contract would activate an ability that would cost their life.
Yet he was alive and well, so he couldn't understand how this was possible.
Hearing that, I clicked my tongue at Punk Technology's cruelty.
"What... they go that far against someone who's left?"
"Of course. To them, you were the only one who could stop them."
"Really terrible. The contract, I've erased it. It was an unfair contract."
"...So what do you mean by that."
"Don't you know that unfair contracts are legally void?"
I had previously looked into the ability used in the confidentiality contract. It wasn't some absolute law or concept that would unconditionally activate the moment the contract was broken.
It was merely an ability that, upon recognizing the breach, triggered self-destruction through one's own hormones or cells. So there were countless ways to deceive it.
"So you don't need to worry about that. What's important now isn't that, right?"
"...Right. What's important now isn't that."
Steelstone, hearing my words, turned his head slightly toward the TV. There, the Steel Titan was still being broadcast, slaughtering heroes and soldiers.
Now that many people knew how powerful that giant robot was, heroes and villains alike were joining forces.
Of course, the villains weren't helping to stop the robot; they had merely agreed to a truce until the situation was resolved. Even villains who didn't care about others couldn't ignore this. They didn't want the robot's hostility directed at them.
To stop the Steel Titan. Steelstone steeled himself, ready to do anything for that. Looking at him, I asked the questions I hadn't been able to ask yet.
"By the way, that robot. It wasn't made with pure technology alone, was it?"
"Yeah. If it were, it wouldn't be rampaging like that. You know the technology that went into making the Steel Titan isn't particularly special, right?"
Super Robot. In other words, what went into making the Steel Titan was ordinary steel alloy and utterly ordinary computers and software.
Of course, given the capital invested, it was the best among theoretically producible items—but that level couldn't possess the performance to casually ignore tank shells and fighter missiles.
The reason the Steel Titan performed that well was entirely due to Steelstone's esper ability.
"My esper ability. The power to craft machines."
The ability to make machines well. More precisely, the ability that if you firmly believe a machine will have certain performance when making it, it actually does. Hearing about that ability specialized in esper engineering, I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
'What a crazy ability. If someone like this had been on Earth...'
Humanity would probably have dominated the entire universe and toyed with space-time itself. Of course, there was a clear limit. If Steelstone didn't believe it was possible, it couldn't be achieved.
That was probably why he had created a giant robot instead of a bomb that could blow up an entire city in one go. In this era, the former was too hard to believe, but the latter wasn't so difficult.
It was an ability that was hard to utilize, but it didn't matter. In fact, it was much better. It meant that as long as you believed, it could achieve ridiculous performance.
"Let's do our best."
"—Yeah."
Steelstone's eyes burned with intensity. I was ready to throw more fuel onto his blazing passion.
The attack on P City. More precisely, W City, which had been attacked by the super robot Steel Titan, had turned into ruins. It was devastated to the point of imprinting upon not only W City's residents but also heroes and citizens far from war just how horrific the tragedy of war could be.
A hero was walking through those devastated streets. To rescue people trapped in collapsed buildings or ruins.
...Shit.
"—Is anyone there!?"
While walking down the street, the hero who caught a faint voice quickly ran over and dug through the building. With strength more like heavy machinery than human, the hero overturned the debris and soon found a citizen whose limbs were all crushed.
Though their limbs were ruined beyond use, they were still alive. That was fortunate. After all, those mere limbs could be fixed anytime by asking a doctor or healer.
"P-person..."
"Don't speak! You might get hurt... I'll get you to a doctor right away—."
The moment the hero hoisted the citizen onto their back, an unpleasant roar began echoing from afar. A long, booming sound like a whale's cry.
The sound emitted by the terrifying great demon king that had plunged not only W City's citizens but even the heroes into despair. Hearing that sound, the hero gasped and started running at full speed.
However, unable to go at full speed while carrying an injured citizen, the hero was soon caught up by the great demon king before going far.
Screeeech-! The moment the massive body, dozens of meters in size, descended to the ground, the running hero lost balance and fell. The only consolation was that they had carried the injured citizen on their back until the very end.
[Evil shall be punished.]
At the Steel Titan's words, the enraged hero shouted.
Evil? Where the hell is there evil here? There's only an injured citizen and the hero trying to save them.
If there's anything that can be called evil, it's...
"Evil is you, you damn tin can bastard!"
No matter what the hero shouted, the Steel Titan silently did its job. It raised its foot and lightly stomped down. There was no need to fire bullets, beams, or missiles. That would be a waste of energy.
It crushed the hero and citizen like stepping on bugs. Just as the hero and citizen, facing their impending death, tightly closed their eyes and were about to give up on life—.
Something that had rushed over from afar kicked the Steel Titan's leg and saved the two.
"H-huh-?"
"W-we're alive...?"
The two who had instantly moved away from the spot stared with mouths agape at the rabbit-eared beastman who had saved them. She smiled brightly and asked.
"Are you two okay? No injuries?"
"Y-yeah...... B-but you are."
"If you're not hurt, I'll be going now! I have to deal with that thing!"
Levitan said that and approached Galrm, who was struggling against the Steel Titan. Galrm, who had been barely pushing the leg away, muttered after receiving Levitan's help.
"Hmph- I don't need help."
"What're you saying. You almost got crushed to death alone-!"
"Never happened. So get out of the way. That one's my prey."
"You can't do it alone, y'know?"
"I won't say it twice."
At Galrm's firm words, Levitan stepped back as if to say 'do as you like' and dashed off to check if there were any other citizens who hadn't escaped.
Left alone, Galrm looked up at the giant robot staring down at him and let out a "Kuhuhu-" laugh. The identity of that majestic presence he had felt in P City not long ago was this guy.
"—Truly magnificent. That scientist. To give me such a gift......"
Galrm said that and took out two gene serums from his pocket. He recalled the scientist's words not to consume more than one. That unknown side effects might occur if more than two were consumed.
But it didn't matter. Galrm thought that at this moment, to fight that thing, dying would be acceptable.
"A man. Running away is true death."
Gulp-! After swallowing the two gene serums, Galrm felt an intense power swelling within him and let out a great roar.
And the next moment, Galrm's body was already in front of the Steel Titan's body.
"Glad to see you! Tin can!"
[—Hostile organism detected.]
"Instead of greetings first-!"
1 mile punch. Galrm's fist sent the Steel Titan's body flying far away. Hit by a punch that literally seemed to send it flying a mile, the Steel Titan stopped after not flying far, emitting steam from its entire body.
The robot's eyes gleamed. It meant it had acknowledged him as a worthy opponent. Immediately after, vicious weapons of war popped out all over the Steel Titan's body.
[Evil shall be punished.]
"Kuhahahaha-!"
P City's decisive weapon and the pinnacle of beastmen swung their might at each other.
Hearing the news about Galrm on TV, I hurried my work. The adjustments to the nearly completed robot were finished, and finally, Steel Series No. 2 revealed itself to the world.
I looked at Steelstone with eyes asking him to name it as before, and Steelstone nodded as if he understood and opened his mouth.
"Your name is......"
The moment a name was given to the newly born robot, it opened its eyes and awakened.
> [—Steel Falcon. Launching.]
And the next moment, a massive contrail streaked across E City.