Ex-Machina on Dimensional Travel

Xiu Er currently could not deduce why the Old Residence had suddenly taken an interest in coming here, nor could she determine its purpose.

"Oh? A doll without 'life,' yet it possesses self-awareness."

Tch.

Sariel really was formidable. Her intuition was incredibly precise. To be honest, after picking up Takuson, Xiu Er had no longer been in such a hurry to meet Sariel. She just had not expected to encounter her here.

The moment Sariel appeared, Xiu Er began scanning her physical data.

The result was that, physically speaking, she was like a traditional game's "mage"—pathetically frail compared to Xiu Er.

But Sariel's true strength lay mainly in her nearly endless knowledge of Magic. You could never guess what kind of Magic she would use the next second.

If possible, Xiu Er did not want to truly fight Sariel. It was not because she could not win; compared to Analysis Replication, she simply wanted more to learn Magic from her.

Sariel did not know about Xiu Er's little schemes. To her, she had merely discovered something extremely interesting. In her eyes, Xiu Er was a strange "creature" she had never seen before, so utterly unique.

"From the moment we met, you've been observing my body. Are you gathering intelligence through some method I don't know about?"

"..."

"Well? Do you want to fight me?"

Sariel said it casually, unaware of what she was about to face.

Xiu Er also understood what Sariel meant from her words.

Ah, so we still have to fight. Fine. Since she's the one who started this, I won't hold back—but I should still rein it in a little, so I don't cause more trouble.

Xiu Er sighed inwardly. A throne abruptly burst from the ground behind her, only to be shattered by her greatsword.

Every fragment of the throne flew onto the blade.

Meanwhile, Sariel watched it all with great interest.

"-Codex Opening-Pseudo-Canon: Gokurokugai Sword-"

The sword point aimed straight at the excited golden-haired elf standing opposite her.

Click.

Takuson closed the Sacred Canon in his hands. With his help, these wounded guards had also been pulled back from death's grasp.

"Thank you very much for your help!"

The surrounding walls and floors were covered in traces of battle, riddled with pits and craters.

Fortunately, Takuson had extensive experience fighting Demons. That Demon possessed tremendous power and exceptional mobility; overall, it had been even stronger than that "Zera."

However, every Demon had a weakness: their contempt for humans. He had seized upon that weakness and gained a slight advantage through strategy.

When he finished treating the final casualty, a man dressed like a guard captain approached him and bent deeply at the waist.

"Please forgive our previous behavior."

Takuson recognized this captain. He was the very man who had driven him out earlier when he reported that Demons were attacking.

Now, it seemed the man had realized his mistake.

Takuson was not someone who held grudges, and he had not taken that matter to heart.

"Ahahaha, it's you. No need to apologize."

"It is what I should do."

With that, he hung the Sacred Canon back at his waist. Since he had known there would be a battle, Takuson had left his pack at the inn, so he quickly gathered his belongings.

Seeing that Takuson was about to leave, the Guard Captain hurriedly called out to him.

"Please wait, Lord Takuson!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Actually, the City Lord also instructed us to reward you for helping defend the city against the Demons. Please accompany me to the City Lord's Mansion."

After hearing him out, Takuson pinched his chin as though pondering something.

"But I don't have time right now. I still need to find my teacher."

"Could your teacher be the one who stopped the Demons alone outside the city?"

Yes. Ever since Xiu Er used City of Devouring Time to create an effect similar to a "barrier," all the guards in the city had been drawn to it.

And those who had actually been facing that direction had witnessed it: within the barrier, Xiu Er's slaughter of the Demons.

What an incredibly powerful person. She had stepped forward for this city, faced the Demons alone, and had even truly wiped out every invading Demon.

Seeing the admiration in the man's eyes, Takuson's mood improved as well.

As long as you praise my teacher, we're brothers from different fathers and mothers.

"That's right."

"Then that makes things easier. The City Lord had originally planned to thank that powerful person as well. Since you are her disciple, arranging this will be much more convenient."

Feeling that things had become easier, the captain relaxed as well.

"That depends on what my teacher decides. Given her personality, she might refuse the invitation."

"Regardless of the outcome, please inform your teacher."

The captain also knew that the more powerful someone was, the more likely they were to have some strange personality. Besides, he was merely there to deliver a message.

As for what came next, it was no longer his concern.

BOOM—!!!

For some reason, as platinum-white energy shot straight into the sky, the ground began shaking once again.

"What happened!?"

The captain immediately grabbed a guard who had been observing the situation outside and loudly questioned him.

Because of this sudden development, the guards' hearts, which had only just settled, were once more hanging in their throats.

Only Takuson reacted differently. He merely stared at the sky, looking toward the source of that energy with a shocked expression.

Because he recognized that energy.

It was his teacher's!

What happened to Teacher?!

Xiu Er and Sariel

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

The first to move was Xiu Er, who reached Sariel in the blink of an eye.

A battle between Magic Users depended on whose casting speed was faster. There was no true distinction between strong and weak Magic; more often, it was a matter of mutual counters.

Thus, Magic battles in this world were, in a sense, like a game of rock-paper-scissors.

But Xiu Er naturally would not choose to compete in Magic against the Founder of Magic Users.

So she chose the warrior's approach.

"Not bad. You know to target my weakness."

As she watched the massive blade looming right before her, Sariel's face showed no emotion other than excitement.

"But Magic is not limited to 'attacking.'"

She merely flicked her small hand.

Several Magic Circles instantly appeared before her. They were different kinds of Defense Magic. More than ten layers of shields failed to slow Xiu Er's attack in the slightest and were destroyed in an instant, surprising the previously confident Sariel.

"Now this is interesting."

Her opponent's strength somewhat exceeded her expectations. Sariel's lips began to curl upward, and a Magic Circle appeared beneath Xiu Er's feet.

Immediately afterward, dark crimson flames surged from the Magic Circle, wrapping around Xiu Er above it in an instant.

Everything happened so quickly.

Sariel quietly watched the wall of fire before her as she slowly retreated, waiting for something.

Sure enough, the next second, a fireball burst from the wall of flames and shot straight toward the golden-haired elf.

Suddenly, a giant hand made of earth emerged from the ground and caught the swiftly flying fireball. Then, a towering Golem emerged from the earth.

It covered the fireball with its other hand as well. Two Magic Circles appeared in its palms, and purple lightning crackled between them, determined to destroy whatever was trapped inside.

BANG—!

A golden sphere burst out from the center of the Golem's palms and flew upward.

Xiu Er swung the Final Sword in her hand, sending two sword waves toward the giant statue below and Sariel on the other side.

As they flew, the sword waves rapidly expanded until they reached the same height as the giant statue.

The Defense Magic on the statue's body did nothing. It was sliced in two by that strike, split vertically down the middle and collapsing into two heaps of dirt.

As for Sariel, the sword wave was incredibly fast, reaching her in almost an instant. Yet she still dodged it, while the small mountain behind her had the misfortune of losing its peak.

Sariel watched everything unfold, the expression on her face growing more and more excited.

Naturally, Sariel had not yet brought out those overly ancient Magics with excessively special effects. After all, a battle that ended too quickly was never interesting.

And Xiu Er's performance had not disappointed her expectations!

"Come on. Let me see just how far you can go."

"Brother Takuson, are you done with your work?"

"Mm."

Takuson crouched down and stroked Volumen's smooth orange hair.

"Where is Sister Xiu Er?"

"Teacher... she still has something to finish."

"You mean that patch of sky that keeps changing colors?"

Volumen pointed her little hand toward the ever-changing sky at the horizon. New flashes of light appeared from time to time, and that direction constantly erupted with explosions and earthquakes like fireworks.

The city's residents had been frightened by the sudden changes. No one dared imagine how much destruction those attacks would cause if they struck the city.

"Mm, trust Teacher."

"After all, Teacher is very strong!"

"I believe in Sister Xiu Er!"

While Takuson went to visit Volumen's family,

on Xiu Er's side, several diligent squads of guards still stood watch on the city wall facing that direction, constantly recording intelligence.

Fortunately, both sides had tacitly chosen to avoid this innocent city.

Neither Sariel nor Xiu Er was the sort of person to do otherwise.

An enormous mass of rock was lifted high into the air, its interior filled with the power of fire until it transformed into lava.

Lava as massive as a small mountain fell from the sky. If anyone else had to withstand it, they would surely die without even a corpse left behind.

But Xiu Er was different. She merely watched the meteor-like lava calmly. This much posed no danger to her at all.

"-Codex Opening-One-Way Street-"

A massive Golden Passage opened above Xiu Er's head and extended upward, swallowing the entire "meteor."