"[Boost Magic – Electrosphere]."

Two balls of lightning, each nearly twice the normal size, appeared in Oxy's open palms and shot forth—

—And then they struck.

The electrospheres — their destructive power greatly augmented —

expanded rapidly. The electrical pulse that spread from them was huge and lit the entire warehouse as if it were in broad daylight. The magical lightning vanished as quickly as it had appeared, taking its power with it.

All of ken's minions were on the ground.

Only one person remained standing.

"Really… why didn't you fall like those other inferior lifeforms (caterpillars)…"

Ken staggered slightly, his black robes smoking as he clutched a stun rod—one of the many cybernetic implants embedded in his body. The device had shorted out from the electrical surge, its circuits fried.

His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"W-What was that?! Some kind of EMP tech? No… no military-grade weapon could be that precise! Unless—"

Oxy tilted his head slightly, fingers still crackling with residual energy.

"Hm. So your implants have built-in resistance to electrical interference."

Oxy felt it was a shame that he could not exterminate all the pests in one go, and then he consoled himself with the thought that all this was still within acceptable parameters. After all, it would have been boring to have finished everything off with just one spell.

"You aren't just a regular idiot, but an idiot who can use military grade implants!"

"…An idiot? An inferior lifeform (mite) like yourself dares call me an idiot?!"

Oxy wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Anyone who makes a mess of my plans is an idiot. Especially an idiot who doesn't know the meaning of strength and came here to find their death!"

"Now behold the supreme power of the Orb of Death that has drunk its fill of negative energy!"

Ken raised the orb in his hand.

It was a fairly rough-looking gem that gleamed like a lump of blackened steel.

It had not been polished and it looked more like a lump of ore than anything which had been manufactured. Oxy sensed something like a heartbeat coming from the Orb.

The six disciples of ken who had been electrocuted by the [Electrosphere] suddenly climbed to their feet, but those were not the motions of a living, thinking creature. The six disciples were now under control, and shakily drew themselves up between oxy and ken. Oxy watched the scene before him with doubt and puzzlement in his eyes.

"These zombies are my opponents?"

"Fuhahahaha, that's right. But they'll be enough for you! Attack!"

Controlled by the neurochips and other things in their body, oxy sighed as the half-dozen former disciples lunged at him with claws outstretched, oxy cast a spell on them.

"[Electrosphere]."

Once more a white globe shot forth. Where it struck, it generated a pulse of electricity which consumed all the disciples within its radius. The lightning vanished after a moment, and the disciples collapsed to the ground once more. Although he had easily dispatched his enemy, there was no joy on oxy's face.

Oxy turned his gaze to the black sphere in ken hand. It would seem the power of that item extended to letting him control multiple corpses at once, then that mean, that was the core which was controlling all the "zombies."

Still, this man had some nerve calling an effect like that "supreme power." To Oxy, the future ruler of the world and the leader of the Angels of Hell who had created him and all his comrades, was the only entity who deserved to be described as "supreme."

Just as unhappiness filled oxy, ken shouted at him.

"Pathetic! Your little sparks won't work anymore!"

Ken clutched the pulsing black orb tighter, just then, Oxy felt the ground underneath her start to shake, slowly, but surely.

Oxy was about to make a move when he heard something. It was the sound of something whistling through the air.

Oxy recalled his master's warning and flung herself to the side.

A massive creature rushed past Oxy's body, and after hovering behind Ken, it landed on the ground.

It was a composite entity that stood two meters tall, made of countless metals. It was designed to resemble a being with a very long neck, wings, and four legs — a Dragon. Its tail, also made from innumerable metals, lightly thumped the ground.

"Ha, ha! This is my ultimate creation, the vessel of doom for this city, I spent years creating this! A mechanical dragon! Satan himself!"

For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Oxy's face, which then stiffened up.

"Fuhahahaha!"

Ken's mad laughter echoed through the surroundings.

Oxy didn't say anything, instead, he now removed a small sword from his belt — along with its sheath — and then secured his sword so it would not easily slip out of the sheath.

"—I'll beat you to death."

Oxy strode forth.

The Mechanical Dragon swiped its forepaw in response, but Oxy nimbly evaded its attack. The wind of its passing tossed up Oxy's hair as he rushed in at the Mechanical Dragon's chest.

Then, he concentrated all his strength and swung with all his force.

His blow sent the two-meter-tall Mechanical Dragon flying. Shortly afterward, it hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash.

"What?!"

Ken's jaw dropped as he stared.

The mechanical dragon twitched on the ground, its metal limbs spasming unnaturally as internal systems short-circuited from the sheer force of Oxy's strike. Sparks erupted from its joints like dying fireworks, and a low, guttural screech—almost pained—escaped its jagged maw.

Ken's triumphant grin cracked into horrified disbelief.

"No… NO! That thing was built to withstand tank rounds!"

Oxy adjusted his grip on the un-sheathed sword, his expression bored. "Your toy lacks spirit." A pause. "...And adequate plating."

Ken hurriedly fled behind the Mechanical Dragon's vast body, and then he shouted:

"—You, who are you? A white… no, an Red-star mercenary?! There shouldn't be anyone like that in this city; did you pursue Zero or myself to this place?!"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Ken grit his teeth in agitation.

"Well, panicking like this does suit an inferior lifeform (click beetle) like yourself."

"You, you!"

Crafting this Mechanical Dragon had required twelve months of elaborate rituals and an immense quantity of sacrifices, not to mention an AI core for a brain. How could it be beaten so easily?

He had worked and planned many years for this.

Just as ken was turning red with rage, the Mechanical Dragon creaked as it slowly got up. There was a massive fissure in the metal plating which formed its chest, which spilled steel fragments as it moved. It could not take another hit like this.

"No! I won't! I won't let you!"

Ken used a handful to fire at Oxy so that he couldn't come closer, and, at the same time, nanomachines started climbing the dragon, like ants, one after another and slowly fixing the hole in its chest, repairing it.

"So it can be healed."

Ken ignored Oxy's word's and continued to repair it. Now the Mechanical Dragon's mentaly body was sturdier, stronger, and wreathed in nano-machines.

"Well, if you're doing that, I'll play along."

"[Better Armor], [Shield]."

Oxy layered defensive spells on herself as well. Once both sides had finished buffing themselves, it was as if a bell had gone off and the two of them went at it again.

Oxy swung his sword.

He landed a forceful hit on the Mechanical Dragon's foreleg, but then Oxy furrowed his brows.

Although he could easily strike his opposition like just he had earlier, this was hardly a good matchup for him. He was not skilled at melee combat and her weapon was not suitable for it either.

The Mechanical Dragon was made of an assembly of synthetic bones, metal plating, etc, so piercing and slashing weapons did very little damage to it. However, Oxy did not have bludgeoning weapons, which were ideal for the task, so he had to resort to using her small sword. Although he had the advantage, the poor balance of the improvised weapon meant he could not effectively damage the Mechanical Dragon.

Perhaps a specialized warrior might have been able to maintain his balance, but Oxy was a magic caster and did not know how to do so.

And, Oxy could very well destroy this peice of junk whenever he wanted. But, Lucifer had forbidden him from using magic too much, one or twice was the limit and he had already crossed it.

The Mechanical Dragon lunged forward with surprising speed, its repaired limbs whirring with unnatural precision. Oxy barely managed to sidestep as a metal-clawed paw slammed into the concrete where he'd stood moments before, sending spiderweb cracks through the ground.

Ken's laughter was shrill from behind his creation. "You see? My masterpiece adapts! It learns from every strike!"

Oxy rolled his eyes, flipping the small sword in his hand. Pathetic. If brute force wasn't working—he'd simply overwhelm it with precision instead.

With a fluid motion, he darted beneath the dragon's next swipe and drove the blade straight into a seam between armored plates—right where nanomachines still buzzed to seal the earlier damage. The sword bit deep, wedging itself into vital circuitry with a shower of sparks. The dragon staggered back with a screech like grinding steel... then froze mid-step as its systems locked up under cascading failures.

Ken's triumphant smirk died instantly.

"Learning isn't exclusive to machines," Oxy mused dryly while yanking his weapon free in one smooth pull.

The Mechanical Dragon began to wobble like a wounded beast, sparks flying from its fractured armor as it staggered. It was slowly dying, but it wasn't out of the game yet, as indicated by the nanomachines still diligently attempting to repair it.

Ken clutched the sphere with trembling hands, his earlier arrogance replaced by fear. "No…No! You can't!"

Oxy was about to hit it again but backed off as a few shots flew between him and the dragon, a look was all it took so see that It was ken shooting at him using a gun.

Oxy cursed under his breath as he ducked behind a nearby pillar for cover, dodging the barrage of shots. The situation had just taken an unfortunate turn.

And, ken's smiling wasn't helping either.

Oxy frowned.

Perhaps he had been distracted by ken's smile, but a shadow appeared over his face.

A white object filled Oxy's field of vision.

—he would be hard-pressed to avoid it.

He deftly ducked his head and braced the tip of his sword against his shoulder, turning his sword into a shield. The impact spread through his sword arm and the shoulder which took the blow, practically numbing his entire body and tossing Oxy's body into the air.

This was the result of the Mechanical Dragon aiming a tail swipe at his face.

"Ohohoho."

Though his balance had been broken, Oxy had not fallen down, his legs skillfully braced against the impact. Still, he had been driven back.

This was a good chance for a follow-up attack, but the Mechanical Dragon remained where it was. Its job was to protect ken, and so it could not stray too far from him. After sensing this from the Mechanical Dragon, Oxy shook his hands to clear off the numbness and soreness.

Oxy narrowed his eyes, taking a slow breath to steady himself. The mechanical beast had adapted—just like Ken had boasted. Its movements were more precise now, more calculated.

Annoying.

His fingers twitched at his side, magic itching beneath his skin—but he clenched them into a fist instead. Lucifer's orders were clear: no excess magic. Not unless absolutely necessary. And as much as Oxy hated to admit it... this overgrown toy wasn't worth breaking rules over.

Ken sneered from behind the dragon's hulking frame, wiping sweat from his brow with one hand while the other still clutched that pulsing black orb tight against his chest like some kind of twisted lifeline.

"You see now? You can't win!" His voice cracked halfway through the sentence in desperate bravado before he gestured wildly at Oxy with bloody fingers, "Nothing beats perfection!"

Oxy raised an eyebrow.

Perfection? Hardly. The only perfection here was the skill in which he was about to take out this mechanical junk.

"Now behold the power of the Orb of Death!"

The earth trembled, and Oxy body shook as well. This was a sign that something big was coming.

A massive fissure appeared in the ground, and a white monster slowly revealed itself.

"…Another one."

"Hmph, It's empty for now but after I kill you and your friend, I can spread death throughout the city and recover it all!"

Ken's shouting was angry and emotional, in contrast to the unfazed Oxy.

"Hyaah."

Oxy forcefully exhaled, then sprinted forward with preternatural speed.

Ken was taken by surprise and could not react in time.

The Mechanical Dragons stomped at Oxy, who had entered their attack range, with their forelegs.

Oxy turned and evaded the stomp of the Mechanical Dragon on his right, but the other one was waiting for him. It swept its tail along the ground, like it was going to scythe the grass.

The tail which had nearly hit him thundered through the air in front of Oxy as he leapt a long way back. Then, the tail suddenly changed its direction, swinging down on Oxy, who had just jumped clear.

Oxy avoided the earthshaking blow from the left, but the Mechanical Dragon on the right swiped its forepaw at him as well.

"Guhhh!"

he raised his sword to block the Mechanical Dragon's swipe. Although the paw's crushing pressure was extraordinary, Oxy still stood strong underneath it, and even forced it away. The right-side Mechanical Dragon stumbled several steps back, causing a brief lull in the action.

"…What are you?"

"It is because I was created by the one who is greater than the gods, the Supreme Being."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Even if you knew the truth, you would never understand, and to think you would go so far as to call me, one who spoke the name of the Supreme Being, an idiot… this is why I say human beings are inferior lifeforms and all of them should die."

Oxy turned a keen glare on Ken. It was a cold, piercing stare that made him want to back away from him.

The frightened Ken gave an order, as though to wipe away his fear.

"Mechanical Dragons, get her!"

The Metal Dragons kept within range of ken and made their move.

Oxy evaded the attack of one of the Mechanical Dragons and moved to close in, but he was forced to avoid the other Mechanical Dragon's attack and missed his chance. This back and forth played out for quite a while, until a decisive blow was struck.

Shoot.

Oxy subconsciously turned his head and avoided the bullet headed at his face.

That was a grave mistake. The attack would not have done anything even if it had hit, so he could have safely ignored it. However, it came right at him, so he evaded it by reflex. This was a mistake that only a magic caster, who had not improved their close combat ability, would make.

That mistake had grave consequences.

Whoosh! Oxy's field of view changed dramatically as an ear-splitting impact rang out. he was tossed to the side.

He experienced a brief period of weightlessness before falling heavily to the ground. His left arm had taken a tail sweep from one of the Mechanical Dragons.

The non-stop spinning disoriented him and he had no idea where he was.

His body was protected by all manner of defensive spells, so there was no pain. However, the two Mechanical Dragons raised their forelegs over Oxy.

One might say he was out of options — normally speaking.

"Surrender, and I'll spare your life. How about it?"

A sadistic grin bloomed on ken's face, as he assured himself of his impending victory.

Of course, Ken was not going to spare him. That look on his face was the kind that looked forward to the girl begging for mercy before he trampled her pathetic form.

Oxy, who had raised his torso off the ground, was so furious that his face was twisted up.

"…erable… human…"

"…What?"

Oxy looked Ken in the eye and said:

"You miserable little human being. How dare you utter such nonsense, you pile of trash."

Ken's eyes went wide and he shuddered with rage, and he gave the order to finish him off.

"Destroy her, Doom Dragons!"

The two Dragons raised their forelegs, and oxy smiled.

The words of the man he revered had reached his ears. He would hear him, no matter how far away his voice was.

"Oxy! Show him the power of the Angels of Hell!"

"…Understood. Then, I shall no longer face you as Ox, but as Oxy Annerose."

The Mechanical Dragons brought their forelegs down, intending to crush Oxy's body beneath their forepaws. At the very last moment, Oxy cast a spell before being reduced to paste.

"[True Teleportation]."

Oxy's field of vision immediately changed.

He was now about five hundred meters in the air. Without wings to keep him aflot, Oxy plummeted toward the ground.

The wind shear roared across his body and the ground drew close. Oxy laughed:

"[Fly]."

His rate of descent slowed and then stopped, until Oxy hung in the air, looking down on the battlefield from just now. Ken and the two Mechanical Dragons looked around in shock, as Oxy was nowhere to be found.

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