Did this count as having her prey snatched away?
Muelsyse had been ready to strike, drawing upon the water of the entire river to unleash one hell of an attack.
But then...
If anyone were to write a record of this battle afterward, it would only tell the story of Muelsyse fleeing in disarray, running until her teammates saved her. From beginning to end, she had contributed nothing—not a single shining moment. It was utterly humiliating.
Fortunately, this was only an illusion. There was no battlefield recorder to document her dereliction of duty.
Hephaestus was merely a mech modified from Schicksal harbor engineering machinery by Anti-Entropy's lobster doctor. It was inherently rather weak; its materials alone were inferior to those of the other two mechs by more than a tier.
Nian had sensed that difference the moment she swung her sword.
The greatsword slammed into the chassis, detonating the air. A leisurely hum of vibration came from the mech's surface, and Nian felt like a little monk striking a bell.
That sound represented the material's...
"It's full of impurities, and the purity has dropped drastically too. Both rigidity and ductility are worse. It's practically the difference between military and civilian grade. It's not even in the same league as the previous mech. This feels rather half-hearted."
Nian even yawned.
"Still, no matter how half-hearted it is, it can't be as half-hearted as I am. Let's wrap this up already. I'm really sick of this."
The greatsword rumbled.
Hephaestus nimbly dodged aside, suddenly transformed, and took flight. Its wings cut long, narrow trails through the air as it dropped beacons below while flying, surrounding Nian from six directions.
"Oh? Electromagnetic... what was this again?"
It was something that discharged electricity, anyway. She had no desire to get shocked, so she immediately