The once-stable output plummeted in an instant.
– What the hell…?!
The Scriptwriter, who had been relentlessly attacking Ariel, flinched and momentarily halted his assault.
– Power supply malfunction?
That should be impossible.
– The assassin girl has no strength left. I’ve already confirmed the remaining forces in the castle.
Among them, the only one capable of breaking through the generator’s security system is Dietrich, dragged down by Asterion.
Even the power of the Prophet can’t manage it.
Her ability of “Wholeness” was tricky, but it didn’t have the output necessary to breach security.
Same with Jeff. A paladin specialized in defense doesn’t even count.
The remaining 25 mercenaries and knights wandering the castle? They were just a bunch of nobodies.
– No additional intruders have entered. Could Johan Damus have hidden an ambush? No, I’ve been tracking his movements. If there had been an ambush, I would’ve noticed.
There’s no one else to call upon.
In fact, the opposing force was far weaker than expected.
Even Lobelia didn’t show up which was almost disappointing.
– There was no one within a 10 km radius of Creta to keep an eye on.
Johan’s greatest strength and his most valuable asset was Safe Clown Yuna.
Her participation was a certainty, so extra effort was put into locating her.
– Could it be… an attack from beyond? A sniper shot?!
As each possibility was ruled out, only that absurd answer remained.
Who did it, or how… those things didn’t matter now.
What mattered was that the Scriptwriter’s usable output had dropped drastically.
The reserve power was destroyed.
It was Immun’s doing.
– Remaining energy at about 5%. I won’t last ten minutes with this.
Trying to manage defense, regeneration, and offense all at once was a mistake.
Attempting to multitask in an already power-starved situation was pure foolishness.
Now, it was time to choose and focus.
– Well done…
Regeneration would have to be abandoned.
The wounds left by Immun hurt like hell, but eliminating the enemy came first.
Now that even the backup power was gone, there was no room to spare.
Squirm!
The Scriptwriter dismantled the Babel Gear that had been wrapped around his body.
The body, which had been undergoing restoration inside the gear, was once again exposed to open air.
– Let’s end this quickly.
Squirm!
But he didn’t discard the tendrils unraveled from the Babel Gear. Instead, he unleashed them at Johan and Ariel.
These were the same tendrils that had once wrapped around his mountain-sized body.
If all of that was converted into a full-on assault, not even Ariel would be able to withstand it.
Then the only one left would be Johan who was already struggling under the strain of the gears.
Victory was right in front of him.
All that remained was to defeat them, then slowly restore his power and body.
The plan would be delayed slightly, but that couldn’t be helped.
– Die!!
The Scriptwriter swung the tendrils.
Sometimes, the simplest weapons are the most devastating and this huge weapon of sheer mass danced like a storm.
Ariel fought back with every spell and ability she had…
– How long can you last, I wonder?!
Her limit was approaching.
She wouldn’t last even three minutes.
But what about the Scriptwriter?
Having given up regeneration, even with limited power, he could last thirty minutes.
Yes, a tenfold difference.
“Johan!”
In the end, Ariel prioritized something more important than defending herself… that was protecting Johan.
The previously calculated three minutes of resistance quickly dropped.
Thirty seconds.
In just thirty seconds, Ariel Ether would be silenced.
Shhhkk!
The Scriptwriter deliberately redirected a portion of the tendrils toward Johan.
Ariel, in a panic, rushed to block the attack to shield him.
– It’s over.
As a result, the defense around herself weakened.
Victory was within reach. All that remained was to strike through the opening.
The Scriptwriter prepared the finishing blow, riding the thrill of impending triumph.
But at that very moment—
“Yes, it is the end.”
– What…?
Johan’s calm voice rang out.
He had been so pitifully tossed around that the Scriptwriter had stopped paying attention to him.
But now, Johan was pointing a gun at him.
Not a gear.
A gun.
– That’s…!
A familiar weapon.
The same gun that had blown apart half of his body. A gun loaded with the Philosopher’s Stone.
Immun’s revolver.
Click!
The muzzle of that revolver was once again aimed at the Scriptwriter’s body.
This attack…there was no way to dodge it.
***
I’m a coward.
And I’m good at self-reflection.
That’s why I don’t act arrogant.
That’s why I salvaged the Philosopher’s Stone and the firearm from Immun’s corpse.
Yes, I felt guilty. The chill that crept up my fingertips made my skin crawl.
But I believed it was the right thing to do.
Click!
I took aim at the moment the pressure on me let up ever so slightly.
Amid the Scriptwriter’s voice, ringing with disbelief—
“You already knew, didn’t you?”
That this is the kind of person I am.
Bang!
The legacy Immun left behind once again pierced through the Scriptwriter’s body.
The Wonder Mage had said it. That Immun and I were the keys to this script.
And by now, I finally understood what that meant.
The mighty weapon known as Immun’s Philosopher’s Stone.
And my ability to generate unpredictable variables.
Those two things were the deciding factors.
– Johan Damus!
“Don’t pretend to be angry. There’s no way this is the end for you.”
A voice tinged with rage.
But the Scriptwriter’s body is a machine. It’s unthinkable he’d lose control of his emotions.
I had carved a path this far using every variable I could muster…
But what matters most is what happens now.
That giant body. It may be the Scriptwriter’s core unit, but…
“You’ve got a combat body, don’t you? Am I wrong?”
It wasn’t built for battle.
It couldn’t even move. It was practically just a sandbag.
Most likely, it was merely a work unit.
– No, you were impressive. You succeeded in utterly destroying my plans. So this anger of mine…it’s not an act.
From the melting mechanical shell, something began to emerge.
A body covered in countless cables.
It was only about the same size as me.
A clunky, black unit made of an unfamiliar metal.
Ssssshhk!
The connected cables snapped off, and the Scriptwriter’s voice which had been coming through external speakers now flowed directly from the new unit.
– You’re right. I do have a combat unit. I didn’t prepare it for this specific moment, but… It was all my arrogance.
Tap.
That steel body, once nestled in the middle of a mountain of machinery, dropped to the ground.
Without making a sound.
– So. What now? Do you have any means left to fight me?
“……”
No.
We’ve got nothing left.
We burned through everything we had before we even saw the Scriptwriter’s real combat body.
Both Yuna and Ariel were exhausted, and I was so overwhelmed by the burden of Perfect Gear that all I could do was take deep breaths.
It’s small, but that makes it even more frightening. That must mean this is the form the Scriptwriter deemed most optimal for combat.
It doesn’t even make a sound when it walks.
Is it made of metal light enough for that?
Bang!
I pulled the trigger without warning.
“Damn it…”
The Scriptwriter didn’t even try to block it. As if it didn’t matter, he took the hit from the Philosopher’s Stone of Immun head-on.
And that confidence was justified.
His body wasn’t scratched, and it didn’t even begin to transform.
– Go on. Let’s see how far your methods can get you.
“You’re quite confident, aren’t you?”
There’s no need to even try.
None of the options I have left will work.
But… fine. Even if it’s pointless, I can at least try to buy some time.
“Haa…”
I drew the demon sword.
Perfect Gear was already draining my stamina and mana in huge chunks, and now that I’ve taken up the demon sword too, I’m really nearing my limit.
“Hup!”
I swung the sword.
Not just the blade….I was pouring Perfect Gear’s power into the strike as well.
Clang!
The blade landed cleanly on the Scriptwriter’s nape.
But with a sound like hitting solid metal, the sword’s movement was stopped.
– Hardness.
Not even a scratch again.
I even added sword energy to the strike, but the defense was absurd.
I guess this was the material chosen at the end of his self-evolution.
It’s something to be proud of, honestly.
– Elasticity.
“Guh?!”
By the time I realized what was happening, I was flying through the air.
My stomach burned. Was that a kick from the Scriptwriter?
– And fluidity.
The Scriptwriter stood in the posture of having kicked me, but his leg was rippling like liquid.
That must mean he could change its form at will, even in that state.
“…What are you, the Terminator?”
It was just a metaphor….but if he really does have that ability, it’s downright terrifying.
In the movie too, that thing just wouldn’t die, and all you could do was run! You can’t even cut that with a sword. So what about magic?
He probably has magic resistance too. Of course he does.
He looked overwhelmingly stronger than Deus Ex Machina, who appeared as the final boss in the game.
Damn it. At least in the game, the first strike did something…
“I don’t know what kind of cause-and-effect nonsense is going on here, but why does everything just keep getting stronger…?”
The floating sensation faded away, and my body slowly started to fall.
If I crash like this, it’s instant death. I have to land properly at the very least.
“Are you okay, big brother?”
“…Yeah. Thanks. Emily, are you alright?”
“Yes.”
But now Emily has joined the fight.
She caught me midair and gently landed on the ground.
It’s starting to feel like for every one of us who goes down, someone else shows up to replace them…
With Ariel gasping for breath from exhaustion, maybe I should be thankful Emily made it in time?
Still, even with her here, I doubt it’ll change anything.
If Ariel and Yuna couldn’t handle this, what difference could Emily make?
“What should we do?”
“…Buy me some time.”
“Okay.”
We’ll make it.
Somehow, something will work.
We have to buy time.
Right now, the only one who can defeat the Scriptwriter is Theseus.
I know Theseus is already fighting another monster… but there’s no other variable we can count on.
“Overclock.”
Emily unleashed her own trump card. The blue glow of the Helical Gear started blinking red.
As a wave of heat burst out, Emily broke into a sweat and charged toward the Scriptwriter.
– The overheating issue still isn’t resolved, Emily. You’re not the type to make that kind of mistake, so this must mean…
Boom!
The Scriptwriter caught the leg of the Helical Gear with his bare hand.
Sparks flew. A blast of intense heat rushed over to our side.
It’s hotter than it looks… No, it’s far beyond what it looks like.
– Heat so intense that even high-performance cooling systems can’t handle it. So… your weapon was the heat itself?
Chiiiiiiiiiiik!!
The Scriptwriter’s black body couldn’t withstand the heat and began to turn red.
Just how intense was the heat for it to actually damage his body?
– Absurd. But… what a shame.
Twitch!
The Scriptwriter’s arm which had been holding onto the Helical Gear’s leg twitched.
Then, the area that had been glowing red gradually began to settle into a dark black once more.
Did he replace the overheated part? No, the very nature of it had changed.
Apparently, his adaptability remained intact.
– I’d like to observe a bit more carefully, but…
Bang!
The Scriptwriter drove the Helical Gear’s leg into the ground.
Then, doing the same with the other leg, he firmly planted both into the earth.
Without pause, he reached for the main body of the Helical Gear attached to Emily’s back and tore it out with his hands.
– I just can’t figure out what that brat’s thinking.
Thunk!
The Scriptwriter grabbed Emily’s neck, now that she was incapacitated.
– Take her.
Whip!
And he threw her at me. I was relieved….at least he hadn’t snapped her neck on the spot, as I’d feared…
“Emily!”
I reached out toward the flying Emily.
And in that very moment…
– Right. It’s hard to control your strength when your gear is deployed, isn’t it? You’re afraid you might crush someone if you’re not careful.
His voice came from my right.
Emily was still midair, yet the Scriptwriter had already arrived at my location a step ahead of her.
If that was the case, what was his goal?
– I’ll be taking this.
It was my Perfect Gear, momentarily deactivated so I could catch Emily.
No. Anything but that. If I lost it, my already near-zero chance of victory would drop to absolute zero.
But at the same time, I couldn’t just let Emily crash like that.
Should I redeploy it? Could I control its strength in time?
I hadn’t even been using Perfect Gear for a full week yet.
…No, more importantly, would resisting even matter at all?
In a split second, thoughts raced chaotically through my mind.
“I’m sorry, senior.”
Another voice rang out.
Slice!
At that exact moment, the Scriptwriter’s arm which had been reaching for my right arm was severed with a vicious slicing sound.
“You let your guard down.”
– Well, this is… unbelievable. You can still move in that condition?
“What about my condition?”
The Sword Saint Dietrich grinned confidently despite being covered in blood.
That guy…! As expected, he was incredible.
“Did you really think I’d go down just from fighting some monster like that?”
Thud!
With those final words, Dietrich slowly collapsed forward.
“No.”
– …Johan Damus, every one of your acquaintances is absolutely crazy.
Agreed.
He could’ve just kept quiet… Then at least he would’ve collapsed with some dignity.
As I was having that regrettable thought, something else struck me. Dietrich making it here meant there was another possibility.
“Well, isn’t it good to have a little personality? That’s how I see it.”
– …So you came, after all.
Standing at the site where Dietrich had fallen was the strongest member of our party.
– Theseus.
Theseus Vicious von Miltonia.
The final key to victory had finally arrived.
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