Chapter 92

“Chairman, what exactly are you doing?!”

Without the consent of reason, my tongue moved. Carisia is someone who must hide her identity from the Ten Towers, Argeyirion, and the Theistic Order alike.

For her to have come here in person—this should not have happened.

‘Did she use wind magic to seal her voice and send it to me alone? It seems like she’s somewhere around here…’

Carisia did not respond. Whether she didn’t hear the question or simply deemed my reply unnecessary, I wasn’t sure.

Instead, she showed me with her actions.

The activation of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of warheads ready to explode was neutralized. The flames conjured by magic flickered briefly before fading away entirely.

Was this interference magic?

A technique where a specific type of magic is cast at the same time as another to steal the opponent’s mana mid-cast and destabilize the spell structure.

To use such interference magic, one must target the moment when a spell has been initiated but not yet completed. However, Daro’s magic had clearly already been finished, and yet Carisia interfered with an already completed spell, rendering its incantation ineffective.

How is something like that even possible?

『I hacked into one of the auxiliary brains and canceled the command. This isn’t the orthodox way of countering with magic—it’s more of a shortcut.』

An answer flew toward me as if knowing the questions forming in my mind. Sometimes it gives me chills.

Is disassembling hundreds of spells one by one considered the proper method for Carisia? Normally, one would think about blocking or dodging them. Isn’t her approach somewhat unconventional?

『They haven’t noticed my involvement yet, but there’s a limit. At best, I can keep this up for a few seconds to maybe a minute if we’re lucky. Finish quickly and come back.』

There’s an absurd level of trust in her tone that makes me feel awkward. “Hurry up” against a Ten Towers elder?

There’s nothing to be done. Since the Chairman herself has arrived, it’s only fitting that I, as her loyal servant, wrap things up as quickly as possible.

I adjusted my grip on the high-frequency blade.

***

Ortes uses the high-frequency blade for several reasons, which can be summarized into three main points.

First, ease of supply. As mass-produced items, they’re easy to obtain wherever you go, and losing one wouldn’t be a big deal.

Second, versatility. Thanks to the magic-imprinting drive, it allows for multiple responses during combat against mages.

And third,

The “vibration” function of the high-frequency blade suits Ortes’ eyes perfectly.

During the battle against Adusiam deep within the Pluto Temple, Ortes demonstrated his skill by adjusting the vibration of the high-frequency blade to counteract soundwave projectiles.

Adusiam’s soundwave projectiles operated on the principle of resonating with the natural frequency of materials to destroy them. Ortes countered this by constantly changing the frequency of the high-frequency blade so that the soundwaves couldn’t lock onto it.

The reason he could devise such a countermeasure on the spot was simple.

The technology behind the high-frequency blade Ortes used fundamentally shared the same principles as the soundwave projectiles.

In the split second before another explosion command was issued, Ortes leapt onto the massive body of the mech Daro.

Daro calmly analyzed the canceled explosion command. There seemed to be some issue with one of the auxiliary computational devices responsible for lower-body operations, located in the abdomen.

Though unsure how the hacking occurred, there wasn’t enough time to expel the hacker’s influence before the approaching enemy reached him.

‘If the auxiliary brain that was compromised is interfering with direct attacks, then I’ll just use an alternative method!’

Daro responded not with an attack but by altering the environment. He applied alchemy to the giant mech’s body—not to make it inherently harmful through extreme temperatures, but to alter its friction properties.

Through alchemy, the property changed was friction.

Daro stripped the mech’s gloves of their frictional force, reducing the coefficient of friction to nearly zero. The surface of the mech’s gloves became smoother than ice.

The mech’s posture was already destabilizing due to the earlier explosions, lowering Ortes’ climbing angle from perpendicular to acute. However, the erratic movements of the mech posed greater obstacles than the mere angle change.

Removing friction at this point would render climbing impossible.

Ortes’ “eyes” detected the changes.

While overwriting the alchemical formula might work if it were still in the process of being cast, altering the metallic properties already transformed by alchemy after completion was impossible. A fall was inevitable.

Ortes decided to push his high-frequency blade to its limits sooner rather than later.

This time, the magic-engraved drive interfered not with an enemy spell but with the functionality of the high-frequency blade itself, removing the output limit on vibrations.

Next, his eyes identified the natural resonance frequency of the metal composing the mech. The blade’s frequency was calibrated accordingly.

Even if two objects share the same resonance frequency, destroying the material usually takes considerable time. But with the supernatural power of abilities now involved, the situation was different.

The high-frequency blade exceeded its usual cutting threshold. The black blade began to glow red as the vibrations generated intense heat, burning Ortes’ hands.

Maintaining vibrations beyond the limit could last only about ten seconds before the internal circuits of the blade would break down.

Ortes embedded the tip of the blade into the mech’s body. The magical barrier surrounding the physical armor faltered under the overwrite of the formula. The red-hot blade made contact with the mech’s armor.

A noise akin to the combination of tearing paper and an earthquake echoed as the silvery armor rippled, crumpled, and shattered. The destruction spread along the mech’s surface.

Fragments of the armor scattered, creating footholds for Ortes to step on. With the blade still lodged in the mech’s armor, Ortes sprinted forward, leaving a vivid scar that marked his path.

From thigh, to abdomen, to chest, finally reaching the heart.

By the time the collapse reached the location of the brain chip, seven seconds had passed.

Now, the high-frequency blade glowed not black but red, resembling molten metal freshly extracted from a furnace.

Daro employed the most basic defense mechanism: drawing metal from other parts of the giant mech to reinforce the area around the heart. As the armor thinned elsewhere, the region near the heart swelled to form a protective barrier.

Securing even a single second to prepare magic was the optimal strategy for a mage. Time for analysis and judgment before the next move.

And that was the critical mistake.

Because Ortes was not a mage.

The high-frequency blade was hurled. The crimson blade soared toward the mech’s heart.

What followed was an explosion. The blade, already at its durability limit, shattered into pieces, dispersing the flow of metal converging toward the heart. Beneath the silvery skin of the giant, the inner workings were revealed.

Beneath the steel bones and wire-muscled frame, the giant’s heart, circulating mana instead of blood, came into view.

Having discarded the blade, Ortes raised his fist—an action any wise mage would avoid.

He dove into the mech’s interior. Spears of steel pierced toward him as the mech’s bones mutated into lances.

Using these steel spikes aiming for his vital points as footholds, Ortes continued his charge.

Caught between sprinting and flying, Ortes’ hand tore into the mech’s heart.

Mana surged uncontrollably as the brain chip lost control over its circulation.

As the brain chip was ripped out, the mech-Mecha-Daro convulsed violently, resembling the final scream of a giant deprived of its vocal cords.

The luster encasing the giant faded as it collapsed.

The giant, whose thigh had already ruptured from the earlier explosion, finally fell to the ground.

From the initial explosion to the downfall of the giant, it all took merely tens of seconds.

***

Carisia was using the千里眼 (Thousand-Mile Eye) magic. Though it sounded like a common sight-enhancing magic, it was, in fact, entirely different.

Rather than enhancing physical vision, this magic manipulated visible light on the retina. By amplifying the visible light emitted by distant objects, it allowed her to see them as if they were right in front of her—a light-based magic.

Witnessing the silver giant fall, she sighed, filled with both relief and frustration.

‘Just what…’

How had a simple meeting with collaborators turned into this mess?

Carisia sent another voice-laden breeze to Ortes. He wouldn’t hear her words, but understanding what she said was easy enough—by reading his lips through her Thousand-Mile Eye.

The words Ortes had just spoken were these:

“What in the world possessed you to come here?”

Rarely emotional.

Feeling an inexplicable satisfaction from Ortes’ agitation, Carisia replied succinctly:

“The gem warned about the future.”

“I won’t die fighting one elder. Your presence here, Chairman, is far more dangerous.”

“Another one is coming,” Carisia added.

In the future Carisia foresaw, the Ten Towers elder Ortes was facing wasn’t alone—there was another. And the space portal remained open.

A brief silence. Ortes quickly responded.

“…Let’s head home!”