I Am the Strongest

The second wave is Bandersnatch, a mass-produced artificial weapon, a humanoid mech several meters tall, covered in white armor, with machine guns and laser swords mounted on its arms.

Dozens of Bandersnatch burst through the walls on both sides of the corridor, surrounding Higashino Makoto.

The machine gun fired, and bullets rained down like a storm.

Higashino Makoto found it quite interesting; it was the first time he had faced such an enemy, so he reduced the Degradation Aura.

He raised his hand, and red and black magic condensed above his head, forming a shield that enveloped him.

The bullets struck the shield with a crisp clanging sound, their tips deforming before falling to the ground.

The laser sword came slashing down, and three Bandersnatch attacked simultaneously, the three laser swords slashing at his head, waist, and legs from three directions.

Higashino Makoto's figure vanished from his spot and reappeared behind a Bandersnatch.

The fist slammed into its back armor, denting it and causing cracks to spread in all directions, while the internal mechanical structure emitted a screeching sound.

The other Bandersnatch turned around, its laser sword sweeping across, and Higashino Makoto reached out and grabbed the blade.

The laser sword crackled in his palm, and red and black magic covered his skin, shielding him from the intense heat.

He squeezed hard, and the blade shattered.

More than ten Bandersnatch were all destroyed within thirty seconds.

Their remains were scattered in the corridor, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

At the end of the corridor was an elevator door. Higashino Makoto pressed the button, the door opened, and there was no one inside.

He went inside and pressed the button for the third basement level.

As the elevator descended, he could feel the fluctuations of magic growing stronger and more intense.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a huge circular hall.

The dome is about thirty meters high, the walls are inlaid with dense runes, and the floor is made of black mirrored stone, reflecting the lights overhead.

Three people and a huge magic circle stood in the center of the hall.

Isaac Ray Perlem Westcott stood behind the magic circle, his silver-white hair neatly combed, his gray eyes looking at Higashino Makoto, a calm smile on his lips.

He was dressed in a black suit and held a staff inlaid with the Philosopher's Stone in his hand.

Ellen Mira Mathers stood before him, with short blond hair, azure eyes, and wearing a white combat suit. She held a longsword in her hand, the blade swirling with pale blue magic.

She is the world's most powerful magician, and the ace of DEM Industries.

Artemisia stood beside Ellen, blonde and blue-eyed with delicate features, wearing a red combat suit and holding a long spear in her hand.

It's obvious that they see Higashino Makoto as an enemy.

If I remember correctly, she was hypnotized by DEM Industries, her memories were altered, and she became their tool in battle.

A dozen Elf Kingdom Nibelcole and a large number of Bandersnatch stood around the magic circle.

Isaac spoke, his voice gentle, as if greeting an old friend.

"I heard you came back from the future to save the world?"

Higashino Makoto wasn't surprised that he knew about this.

The Reversal Spirit Crystal he stole from Nia Honjo, the Belphegor, is very similar to Echidna's Tome of Wisdom.

Although he has Muninn and Huginn as his intelligence protectors, making it difficult for him to obtain information about himself, Shiori Itsuka and the others do not.

Higashino Makoto did not answer. He stepped into the hall, Degradation Aura remained within a radius of one meter.

Ellen was the first to rush forward; her speed was astonishing, and her longsword slashed down with a whooshing sound.

Higashino Makoto dodged to the side, the longsword grazing his clothes and leaving a deep groove in the floor.

She didn't stop; she swept her sword horizontally, slashing at his waist from right to left.

Higashino Makoto raised his hand and grasped the blade with his palm.

The red and black magic collided with the pale blue magic, producing a sizzling sound.

"You're the strongest magician?"

Ellen didn't answer, gritting his teeth and pressing down on his hand with the longsword, Higashino Makoto's hand the Unassailable.

"Both its strength and speed are still a bit slow."

He raised his other hand, and crimson and black magic gathered in his palm, transforming into a short spear, which he thrust towards Ellen's abdomen.

Ellen Songjian stepped back, the short gun grazing her combat suit and leaving a burn mark on her abdomen.

Her expression changed, not because of pain, but because she realized that this man had been holding back all along.

Without hesitation, she immediately activated her "Territory" and began donning her unique combat weapon.

Artemisia charged forward, thrusting her spear out with such speed that even her afterimage was invisible.

Higashino Makoto didn't dodge; he reached out and grabbed the tip of the gun.

Artemisia tried to pull her spear back, but the Unassailable.

He tried to sweep it away, but the tip of the gun was held between Higashino Makoto's fingers the Unassailable.

Looking into those beautiful, bright blue eyes and at her somewhat revealing clothing, Higashino Makoto mentally labeled Artemisia as a good person.

A hypnotized good person, a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes.

Knock him out and take him away; he might come in handy later.

He released the gun tip and flicked the gun barrel lightly with his finger.

A tremendous force traveled along the spear to Artemisia's hand, splitting her hand and sending the spear flying out of her grasp, where it became embedded in the dome.

She staggered backward, but was stopped by Higashino Makoto's outstretched hand pressing down on her shoulder.

A short staff appeared in her hand, and golden magic surged from it, seeping into her body and gradually restoring the memories that had been altered by hypnosis.

Artemisia's eyes closed, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her breathing steady; she had simply fallen asleep.

Higashino Makoto threw her into the small world, planning to ask for payment from her after everything was settled.

Ellen charged forward again, his longsword brimming with immense magical power, and slammed towards Higashino Makoto.

The magic sword is several meters long, and contains enough energy to destroy half a building.

Higashino Makoto didn't dodge; he stretched out his hand, spread his fingers, and caught the ball of light.

The clash of magic did not trigger an explosion, after all, the Pride Demon's magic was clearly of a higher quality than its opponent's.

Ellen's face turned completely pale.

Higashino Makoto walked up to her and looked down at her.

"Your name is Ellen, the world's strongest magician?"

"Yes."

"What a pity, I'm still the stronger one."

Ellen's lips parted slightly, then closed again.

Without waiting for her reply, Higashino Makoto delivered a karate chop to the back of her neck.

Ellen closed his eyes, his body fell forward, and he was casually tossed into the small world by Higashino Makoto.

The Degradation Aura expanded rapidly, and the remaining Nibelcole and Bandersnatch were like paper before this force, falling one after another.

Only Higashino Makoto and Isaac remained in the hall.

Isaac stood still, still holding the short staff in his hand.

Even now, his smile remains, carrying a hint of madness and an imperceptible sense of relief.

"According to you, I once caused the destruction of the world."

Higashino Makoto walked up to him, his golden eyes looking at him.

"Ah, that's right. Because you killed Shiori Itsuka, Tohka Yatogami went berserk, and now there are hardly any living people left in the whole world."

Isaac's mental state is abnormal, which can be described as high-functioning antisocial personality disorder, or simply psychosis.