1161: Mech?

The Red Knights continued retreating. I thought they might make an attempt to rescue Nameless and the others, but I guess there’s nothing they can do against a divine sword.

The Cardinal Flag Knights gave us nasty stares since we killed their captain, but they did not act on their anger.

『What’s going on with Maleficent…?』

Despite my curiosity, the black dome remained there in the middle of the battlefield, without any way for us to peek inside.

Might as well take this chance to check the results of Cannibalize.

I think my mana capacity rose by a bit over 900? I also got the Squad Enhancement skill. That’s definitely weaker than Cardinal Flag’s skill, and the range seems smaller too.

I already noticed the skill’s effects on Urushi, who we had monitoring the black dome. His aura gave off just a tad bit more power than before.

Seems pretty useful on its own, but it’ll be more impressive when combined with March of the Valkyrie. I guess we’ll only know the true value once Fran leads a larger force.

In the meantime, the two armies continued falling back to their respective forts, though the Kranzel army seemed more confused than Raydoss’s.

Probably because Maleficent’s eerie black dome was closer to our side. Just one glance at it was enough to make your average soldier panic.

But before the armies had completed their retreats, the dome popped open from the inside.

The huge shockwave generated by this explosion blew away the nearby Kranzel forces.

（Something silverish came out!）

『Whoa! What the hell is that?! A m-mech?!』

This revealed a bipedal, humanoid robot made out of a silver metal, about five meters tall.

It looked similar to a slender set of full-body armor with a little too much ornamentation. I call it a mech instead of a golem or living armor because it was just so mech-like. Look at that glowing red eye, the pipes and cables at the joints, and the backpack-like attachment.

The body was a shiny silver with vivid, red detail lines running all over. Anyone can tell this guy is strong! That color scheme is only allowed for the main character or rival!

（Mech?）

『Uh, a cool-looking doll thing made of metal. They’re not really alive but they move around and fight stuff.』

（Isn’t that just an iron golem?）

『Kinda similar, but they’re completely different!』

（Hmm?）

But where did this mech come from? It appears to be working for Raydoss based on its standing.

Maleficent had already recaptured Persona, carrying the girl in his arms. Meanwhile, Hideman and the human radiating an evil aura were nowhere to be seen.

Did they get into the mech? Or did Maleficent kill them already? Someone please explain!

（What now?）

『Hmmm…』

I tried to appraise the mech, to no avail. That said, it radiated a huge amount of mana, and I heard an engine-like rumbling sound coming from within. This mech might even be stronger than the heavenly dragon.

Should we really challenge such an unknown opponent…?

「They’re still fighting!」

『Tch! First things first, we’ve got to cover the retreat! Our army will get caught in the clash!』

「Roger!」

What we do is basically the same as before. Protecting our army from arrows and mist shifted to protecting them from the battle between the mech and Maleficent.

Frankly speaking, this might be even more dangerous than before.

My biggest worry was if Maleficent had returned to his senses. He seemed so pissed earlier that he didn’t care a bit about his allies.

Kranzel’s forces had abandoned all sense of caution and started sprinting away. We kept an eye on them as we observed the battle from the skies.

The mech took the initiative by firing a beam of light from the hole in its palm. Lasers as the first move, huh? Furthermore, its abdomen opened up to reveal a flamethrower.

Both of these weapons were infused with as much mana as high-tier spells.

Yet Maleficent completely nullified the hits without leaving the slightest shockwave.

The divine sword Hell appeared to be good at defense, as expected from its shield-like shape. And it did more than just block. Any attack hitting the shield was diverted elsewhere, as if by teleportation.

Lasers were dispersed by barriers, and the flames got sucked right into Hell’s gate.

「I may have taken Persona back, but your crime still stands. Now you’ll pay the price of your actions!」

Good. He still seems angry, but not as much as earlier. Taking Persona back apparently calmed him down a bit.

「Fuhaha! Maleficent-kun is not your only opponent! Do not forget about me!」

Furthermore, Jean summoned additional undead to attack Nameless and the others. No doubt he intended to support Maleficent by distracting the enemies aside from the mech.

But in the next moment, all of his undead were annihilated.

「Maleficent-kun! You are hitting your allies!」

「Because you’re getting in my way! Stand back! This guy belongs to me!」

Okay. Despite the calm appearance, Maleficent was still absolutely furious. Though not intentionally targeting Jean’s undead, he showed zero consideration for them.

『Urushi! Avoid getting too close!』

（Woof!）

Urushi was carrying Dore on his back, waiting for an opportunity from the air. However, approaching now will only result in endangering themselves.

Due to both the mysterious mech and the still furious Maleficent.

「The appearance of a divine sword wielder is unexpected, but that girl is capable of becoming the Holy Mother’s vessel! Our mother requires this tribute! Do not let her escape!」

Nameless shouted something weird while pointing at Persona. Holy Mother? She’s the second seat of the Black Skeleton Corps, right? Not entirely sure why, but it seems they wanted Persona for some purpose.

Upon hearing this, Maleficent’s entire body trembled.

「Tribute…? You dare…! Filthy undead…! I’ll make you regret ever speaking those words!」

「Kakakakah! Offer up your lives to me!」

Following Nameless’s shout, the mech launched another barrage of attacks.

From there, the battle turned hellishly intense.

The mech’s frame contained an entire arsenal of weaponry: light rays, flamethrowers, freezing blasts, electric waves, physical bullets, and so on. Of course, it could also use its huge body for powerful tackles, especially since it had high maneuverability.

Sudden movements were made possible by some sort of force emitters all over the metallic body.

Naturally, they took their fight all over the battlefield. Many Kranzel adventurers failed to escape, getting crushed beneath the giant machine.

Maleficent made no attempt to save them. He only had eyes for Persona, and anyone else was trivial.

『We’re gonna have to abandon this fort, aren’t we?』

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