The Mecha-Kai Species During Dimensional Travel

Xiu Er couldn't figure out why the Old Residence had suddenly taken an interest in coming here, and she was currently unable to deduce its purpose.

"Oh~ A puppet without 'life,' yet possessing its own consciousness."

Tch.

Sariel was indeed formidable, with an incredibly sharp intuition. To be honest, after picking up Takuson, Xiu Er had stopped being in a hurry to meet Sariel—she just hadn't expected to run into her here.

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

And the result was that, physically speaking, like a traditional game's "mage," Sariel's body was pitifully weak compared to Xiu Er's.

But Sariel's true strength lay in her nearly boundless knowledge of magic—you could never guess what spell she'd use next.

If possible, Xiu Er didn't want to actually fight Sariel. Not because she couldn't win, but because she'd rather learn magic from her than rely on Analysis Replication.

Sariel had no idea what was going through Xiu Er's mind. To her, she'd simply stumbled upon something fascinating—in her eyes, Xiu Er was a bizarre "creature" unlike anything she'd ever seen, so unique.

"From the moment we met, you've been observing my body. Gathering intel in some way I don't know about, aren't you?"

"..."

"Well, how about it? Want to fight me?"

Sariel said this lightly, unaware of what she was about to face.

Xiu Er understood her meaning from those words.

Ah, so it still comes down to a fight. Fine, since she's the one stirring up trouble, I won't hold back—but I'll still rein it in to avoid extra complications.

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

The fragments of the Throne all flew onto the blade.

And Sariel watched it all with keen interest.

"Codex Opening—Pseudo-Codex—Gokurokugai: Final Sword—"

The sword's tip pointed straight at the golden-haired elf, whose face was alight with excitement.

Clap.

Takuson closed the Sacred Canon in his hands. With his help, the injured guards had been pulled back from death's door.

"Thank you so much for your help!"

The walls and floor around them were pitted and scarred everywhere, covered in traces of battle.

Fortunately, Takuson had extensive experience dealing with demons. That demon, despite its immense strength and high mobility, was overall even more powerful than that "Zera."

But no matter the demon, they all shared one weakness: a [disdain] for humans. And he'd capitalized on that, gaining the upper hand through strategy.

When he finished treating the last wounded soldier, a man dressed like a Guard Captain came before him and bowed deeply.

"Please forgive our earlier behavior."

Takuson recognized this captain—he was the one who'd kicked him out earlier when he'd reported the demon attack.

Now, it seemed the man had realized his mistake.

Takuson wasn't one to hold grudges, and he hadn't taken that incident to heart anyway.

"Ahaha, it's you. Forget the apology."

"It's the least I can do."

With that, he hung the Sacred Canon back at his waist. Having anticipated a fight earlier, Takuson had left his backpack at the inn, so he was quickly packed.

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

"Please wait, Sir Takuson!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Actually, the City Lord also instructed that you be rewarded for helping the city fend off the demon. Please accompany me to the City Lord's Mansion."

Hearing this, Takuson rubbed his chin, as if thinking something over.

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

"Might I ask, is your teacher the one who single-handedly stopped the demon outside the city?"

Yes, ever since Xiu Er had activated [City of Devouring Time] and created a barrier-like effect, all the guards in the city had been drawn to it.

Everyone facing that direction had seen it—within the barrier, Xiu Er's [slaughter] of those demons.

How incredibly powerful. To stand up for this city, to face the demons alone, and even wipe out every last one of the invaders.

Seeing the admiration in the man's eyes, Takuson's mood lifted even more.

If you praise my teacher, then we're brothers from different mothers.

"That's right."

"That makes things even easier. The City Lord originally planned to thank that powerful one as well. Since you're her disciple, this matter becomes much more convenient."

Feeling that things had become simpler, that captain's heart relaxed a little.

"That depends on how my teacher arranges it. Given her personality, she might refuse the invitation."

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

This captain also knew that the more powerful an existence, the more likely they were to have strange quirks. Besides, he was just here to deliver a message.

As for what happened next, that was no longer his concern.

Boom---!!!

For some reason, accompanied by a platinum-white energy shooting straight into the sky, the ground shook once more.

"What's happening!?"

That captain immediately grabbed a nearby guard who was observing the outside situation and shouted loudly for answers.

The guards, due to this sudden incident, had their just-relaxed hearts tighten again.

Only Takuson was different. He simply stared at the sky, looking toward the direction of that energy with a face full of shock.

Because he recognized that energy.

That was Teacher's!

What in the world was happening over there with Teacher?!

Chapter 28: Xiu Er and Sariel

The battle was about to begin.

The first to strike was Xiu Er, who appeared before Sariel in the blink of an eye.

Battles between Magic Users were decided by who could cast faster, and magic had no inherent strength or weakness—it was more about the mutual counter-relationship between them.

So in this world, the process of [Magic] combat was, in a sense, a kind of [rock-paper-scissors].

But Xiu Er naturally wouldn't choose to compete in magic against this founder of magic.

So she chose the [Warrior]'s way.

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

Looking at the massive sword blade so close, Sariel's face showed no expression other than excitement.

"But [Magic] isn't limited to 'attack' methods."

She merely traced a small hand.

Several Magic Circles instantly appeared before her—different types of [Defense Magic]. Yet over ten layers of shields couldn't slow Xiu Er's attack at all, shattered in an instant. This surprised the confident Sariel.

"This is more interesting."

The opponent's strength exceeded her expectations. The corners of Sariel's mouth began to curl up, and a Magic Circle also appeared beneath Xiu Er's feet at that moment.

Then, dark red flames erupted from the Magic Circle, instantly enveloping Xiu Er above.

All of this happened so fast.

Sariel quietly watched the wall of fire before her, slowly retreating backward. She was waiting for something.

Sure enough, the next second, a fireball burst out from the wall of fire, heading straight for this Golden-Haired Elf.

Suddenly, a giant hand made of earth emerged from the ground, catching the fast-flying fireball. Then, a towering Golem rose from the earth.

It covered the fireball with its other hand, and two more Magic Circles appeared in its palms. Purple electric light leaped between its hands, determined to destroy what was inside.

Bang---!

A golden sphere "burst out" from the center of the Golem's palm, flying toward the sky.

Xiu Er swung her [Final Sword], sending two sword auras toward the giant statue below and Sariel on the other side.

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

The defensive magic on the giant statue proved useless. It was split in two by this single slash, vertically cleaved down the middle, turning into two piles of mud that collapsed to the sides.

As for Sariel, the sword aura was fast—nearly reaching her in an instant—but she still dodged it. The small hill behind her, however, was unlucky enough to have its top sliced off.

Watching all this, the expression on Sariel's face grew more and more excited.

Now, Sariel naturally hadn't brought out those overly ancient magics with overly special effects. After all, ending a battle too quickly was always boring.

And Xiu Er's performance hadn't disappointed her expectations!

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

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

"Mm."

Takuson crouched down, stroking Volumen's soft orange hair.

"Where's Sister Xiu Er?"

"Teacher... she's still got things to finish."

"You mean that sky that keeps changing color?"

Volumen's little hand pointed at the sky on the horizon, which was shifting without pause. Every so often, a new streak of light would appear, and from that direction came endless explosions and tremors like fireworks.

The city's residents had been frightened by the sudden upheaval. None dared imagine what kind of destruction those attacks would cause if they landed within the walls.

"Mm. Trust Teacher."

"After all, Teacher is really strong!"

"I believe in Sister Xiu Er!"

While Takuson was visiting Volumen's family...

Over on Xiu Er's side, on the city wall facing that direction, several dutiful squads of guards remained stationed, recording intelligence at all times.

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

Neither Sariel nor Xiu Er were the type for that.

A massive boulder was lifted high into the air, its interior filled with the power of [Fire], turning it into molten rock.

A chunk of lava as large as a small hill fell from the sky. If anyone else had to defend against it, they would surely die without a burial place.

But Xiu Er was different. He merely watched the meteor-like lava calmly—at this level, it posed no danger to him at all.

"—[Codex Opening]—[One-Way Street]—"

A colossal golden passage opened above Xiu Er's head, rising upward, swallowing the entire "meteor" whole.