It began grandly.
The tangled mass of cables beneath our feet started to writhe and shift.
Balancing on the swaying cables, like a ship caught in a storm only for a moment.
“Yuna!”
“Whoa? Whoa, whoa, whoaaa?”
We were naturally cut off from one another.
Don’t tell me he plans to take us down one by one even after all this?
A forest of machines and cables formed in an instant.
– No reason to leave the two of you be when you’re clearly conserving your strength.
A serpent made of wires raised its head and spoke.
It seemed he had realized Yuna and I were hiding something.
We had prepared a way to deal with that, even if we got caught. But I didn’t expect him to avoid the situation entirely like this.
At this rate, we’re just castaways.
“You’re seriously dirty and low.”
– Why thank you for the high praise.
He just has to get the last word in.
– Now then, shall we begin Act One? Emily, you might want to open your eyes now. I know it’s a rare opportunity and all, but this story’s something that’ll help you too!
At the Scriptwriter’s gleeful voice, Emily who had been slumped over on my back slowly raised her head.
She staggered as she got off my back. I wasn’t sure when exactly she’d regained consciousness.
Maybe she’d been dozing in a half-awake state.
Either way, I was spared the trouble of waking her up.
Especially now that I’d been cut off from the others…there’s no way I could handle this alone.
Thank god.
– Now, when do you think was the true heyday of technology? What kind of world do you suppose led me to start dreaming?
“Is this important?”
– It’s just background lore; no need to take it too seriously. Still, it doesn’t hurt to know.
Ever since hearing that human Theseus’s answer, he’s been downright excited.
Does that mean the unease he’d been carrying deep inside is completely gone?
He feels even more disoriented than he used to… no, this is worse than before.
– Yeah, it was always hot back then. Thick steam puffing out from crude chunks of metal. Those were the grimy aesthetics of the time.
“Steam engines?”
– Yes! I’d expect you to know that, at least! It was your teacher’s field, after all!
Emily tilted her head in curiosity, and the Scriptwriter lit up with delight.
The origin of Ex Machina.
He launched into a lengthy account of how he came to dream.
– Now! Act One begins!
Fwoooossshhhh!!
At the Scriptwriter’s proclamation, machines connected by cables began descending from above one by one.
As if his earlier words had been foreshadowing, steam-powered mechanical devices appeared, dangling like puppets on strings.
Clank!
Once the machines touched down, the cables detached from their bodies.
Creaking like puppets with their strings cut, the machines collapsed to the ground only to slowly rise again with the same jerky movements.
Fwoooossh!
Hot steam hissed out, spreading through the air.
The forest of cables shifted again, reshaping itself into a new form.
It was like a recreation of a long-past landscape… or perhaps a dreamlike illusion.
It evoked a sense of the past, yet it was a time that had never truly existed.
“Does this all have some special meaning?”
– None!
Steampunk.
– But still, it should make for a good enough sample.
“A sample, huh…”
The Scriptwriter wasn’t exactly fond of combat. But when he fought, it was always for one of two reasons.
The first: when someone or something posed a threat to him or his research.
The second…
– Now, before the experiment begins, let’s run a light check. Johan Damus. I wonder just how capable you are now.
…was when the fight itself was part of an experiment.
I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or pissed off, but either way, it seemed the Scriptwriter intended to treat us as the latter kind.
Of course, his objective still fell into the former category. That meant letting my guard down wasn’t an option.
– Now! Begin!
“Haa…”
For the first time in a while, I drew my sword.
Honestly, it might’ve been the first time since we entered this place.
It would’ve been better if I never had to draw it at all… but that’s just not how my life works.
“Emily, how’s your body feeling?”
“I’m alright.”
“Then protect yourself.”
They were just machines made of scrap metal. With steam engines for power, I doubted they’d have any real output.
If he thought he could gauge my skills using toys like these, he was in for a disappointment.
“Hup!”
Skaak!
I didn’t even need the help of the cursed sword.
With just my regular blade, I rushed in and sliced the scrap metal before me clean in half.
Sure, I’ve mostly been fighting monster-level opponents lately. But that doesn’t mean I’m weak.
I’ve probably reached the same level as my fellow Cradle classmates by now.
Considering everything I’ve been through, it’s not such a far-fetched idea.
– Good, good. Let’s move on to the next one!
Fwoooosh!
I had barely finished dealing with the hunk of junk in front of me when another one came charging in from the distance, with steam hissing from its joints.
“Well, this one’s a bit better.”
The ones I fought earlier were androids modeled after humans.
Wearing out-of-place steampunk garb, those things were worse than the scrap-metal golems made by low-rank mages.
But this one was different.
A steam-powered tank on wheels, making use of its inherent strengths, rolled in.
“Whew…”
I focused, forming a proper sword energy.
This one was big. Cutting it clean in half in one swing wasn’t going to happen.
Honestly, I was just complaining about how insulting it was to be pitted against glorified junk… but now that the easy winning streak was over, I found myself missing it.
It’s not every day I get to act this overpowered.
“Let me help too.”
It was right around the time I was gauging the timing to intercept the approaching tank, sword energy at the ready.
Crack-crack-crack!
A strange sound came from behind me and before I knew it, a whip had materialized in Emily’s hand.
It was the same one I’d seen before.
The one that shredded my arm.
“……”
A bit of PTSD hit me.
I swallowed dryly and turned my eyes back to the front.
“Alright…”
Craaaaaaaaack!!
The crack of the whip may have sounded weak, but it was followed by a deafening roar, as if the ground itself had been torn apart.
Emily’s whip ricocheted wildly, striking in every direction.
It bounced off the cables on the floor, bending and twisting. But it always remained true to its course.
It was a joint creation between her and her teacher Coran Lekias. So a built-in homing function seemed only natural.
Crack!
As Emily’s whip wrapped around the wheel of the approaching tank, it lost its balance before it could even reach us and rolled grandly across the ground.
Boooooom!
It looked like the aftermath of a brutal traffic accident.
Despite all my readiness, the scene turned into a disaster zone from just one light strike by Emily.
Watching it unfold, I felt the world spin before my eyes.
I still had a long way to go.
I should really stop getting ahead of myself.
– Too easy? But this one’s different! I’m sure it’ll feel nostalgic. You’ve seen it before, after all.
The Scriptwriter’s cheerful voice continued to ring out.
At this point, is he a clown or what? He’d fit right in with this Misfits group.
– Now, feast your eyes.
Booooooooooom!
But contrary to his upbeat tone, what appeared next was more than enough to drain the color from our faces.
A monstrous creation that had once toppled a mountain.
A mechanical construct with hundreds of limbs digging into the earth and massive jaws wide open.
Pshhhhhhhhhhhh!!
It let out a scorching heat, almost as if it were spewing fire beyond the steam.
“…This crazy bastard.”
The curse slipped out before I could stop it.
Anyone would have at the sight of that giant centipede-like machine.
It was the ultimate weapon Coran Lekias had once unleashed upon Tillis.
His greatest masterpiece.
– The finale of Act One.
Whoooooooooooosh!!
Engulfed in flames, the giant centipede charged straight at us.
– Lekias Dramaticus!
“…Wow.”
Someone’s having a blast…
***
The machine that had once managed to push Tillis to the brink, even if just a little—
Coran Lekias’s masterpiece had been reborn in the hands of the Scriptwriter.
Honestly, I’m not sure which version was more impressive.
Still, the Coran Lekias’s original one probably wins out.
“Whew…”
We’d wasted quite a bit of time.
And it hit me again, just how much I was lacking.
Firepower.
I was seriously lacking in firepower.
It took thirty whole minutes just to take down that one machine, Lekias Dramaticus.
And even that had only been possible thanks to Emily’s help. On my own, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
During the fight, I had to draw the cursed sword and even deploy the gears embedded in my right arm.
Yeah. I’d already burned through everything I had.
– Well then, shall we move on to Act Two?
“……”
I caught a rare glimpse of Emily frowning.
She extended one of the helical gear legs behind her in a threatening gesture, clearly displeased at seeing her master’s invention used up this way.
– Fine, fine. Seems like everyone’s having a good time. I’ve gained some useful data myself.
The Scriptwriter, unfazed as ever.
I could feel the heat rising in my head.
That bastard’s already dead, and yet I still want to kill him again.
“You’re about to see me angry.”
Emily declared calmly.
To be honest, I’d never seen her go all-out before.
Not even in the game.
She was fundamentally a character on the side of good, so it made sense.
But there were plenty of hints at just how powerful she really was.
The Scriptwriter’s assessment. Her rank as an executive. And her field of expertise.
– Excellent! Then let’s see what—
Ziiiiiiiing!!
A high-temperature beam shot out from the tip of one of the helical gear legs, instantly melting through a nearby speaker.
A total of four legs fired those beams.
Ziiing! Ziiiiiiiiing!
Every movement of her legs drew crimson lines across the environment, as if sketching with heat itself.
Cables strewn across the floor were sliced clean in half, and towering machine structures burst apart one after another in a chain reaction.
Even the massive machinery in the distance, the core of the Scriptwriter’s main body, seemed unable to ignore the onslaught, pulling up other mechanical units to block the attack.
“……”
Hssssssssss—
After pouring out her fury in a blazing storm of heat rays, the helical gear went silent, perhaps to cool down.
Emily’s area of expertise.
The cutting-edge field receiving the most attention in the modern era.
“Magic engineering is seriously broken.”
Her research was, without question, the closest thing to the future.
– Very good. At this level, we can skip ahead a few stages.
And yet, the Scriptwriter remained as composed as ever.
At this point, it was almost terrifying.
How could someone be so utterly indifferent?
Well, he wasn’t human anymore, I suppose…
– So, another familiar face? You must’ve passed a few on your way here.
Boooooooom!
A huge, muscle-bound monster crashed down from the sky.
Minos. The same creature Ariel and Theseus had to take on before made its fearsome return.
I couldn’t even muster a bitter laugh.
We were already drained from taking down that giant beast… and now this? Are they just going to keep coming?
– Now then, let’s continue the experiment. I’ll be watching with great interest to see how you tackle this one.
The Scriptwriter was unlike any enemy we’d faced before.
He was more prepared than anyone, and he’d stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
But what made him truly terrifying—
– A bit early, but this is Act Seven.
—was that he wasn’t just an exceptional individual. He was a legion unto himself.
We hadn’t even reached the Scriptwriter’s true form yet.
And we were already in this state…
– Just about one and a half steps left to the final act.
The road ahead looked hopelessly bleak.
We couldn’t hold back anymore.
There was no room left to keep any trump cards in reserve.
If I was going to strike, it had to be now—
And it had to be a blow that left the Scriptwriter reeling.
“Whew…”
What I learned from Olga Hermod wasn’t just how to train my mind.
All that mental torment I endured had one purpose:
To create a single, decisive variable.
Of course, there was a problem.
The method I’d prepared meant nothing without Yuna.
And now that we’d been split up, there was no way to communicate with her.
So I had no choice but to trust her.
“I’ve read your script. But don’t you think it’s about time you realized something?”
– Hmm? Realized what?
“That I’m not a character in your play. I’m the one standing offstage.”
It had always been that way.
That was both my escape and my identity.
Watching the protagonists from afar—
And never stepping onto the stage myself.
That had always been my motto—
To stay out of the spotlight and not get dragged into the chaos.
Unfortunately, things had never quite gone as planned.
But this time would be different.
Of course, this wasn’t exactly about staying offstage anymore.
Basic illusion magic
[Kaleidoscope]
A character onstage might only be able to mess up the play—
But I was someone who could destroy the stage itself.
“The set design is impressive.”
Refraction of light. The most fundamental principle of illusion magic.
I shaped it into angled mirrors.
It might only be “basic” but fundamentals are everything.
The extreme of the basic.
– What are you planning?
All I did was cast [Kaleidoscope].
Just one difference.
“I’m just doing everything I possibly can.”
Large, vast, expansive—
I poured every last drop of mana into it, creating thousands of mirrored shards.
The setting was already cluttered with cables and mechanical parts,
And now the mirrors layered over it made it even more chaotic.
Wider, vaster—
Enough to swallow this entire space.
“They say only an Archmage can use original spells, right?”
The reason is simple.
It’s because only someone who’s reached the absolute limit can even attempt such magic.
But if it’s not an “ability” but true “magic” then there’s still a chance.
Just… a chance that’s so slim, it’s practically nonexistent.
“You know me….I’ve never done things by the book.”
All I did was cast Kaleidoscope.
The largest-scale Kaleidoscope I could possibly manage.
Now, just one thing remained.
“Puhihihi!”
Her laughter rang out.
Bright, cheerful, full of life—
And it echoed from every direction.
Yeah. This was it.
The greatest variable I had prepared to face the Scriptwriter.
The joint spell between Yuna and me.
Olga Hermod’s Original Spell
[Kaleidoscope – Synesthetic Expansion]
A tidal wave of overwhelming information.
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