Chapter 270: Ship of Theseus Part 8

In the original walkthrough, Lobelia’s help was necessary.

Thanks to her stupidity, she wasn’t able to come along. But fortunately, someone even better than her exists here.

No, maybe not quite “better”.

When it comes to the mental aspect, he falls short of Lobelia.

Still…

“Haha! Indeed, there’s no way to deal with the Power of Destruction!”

It’s a relief that he seems to have pulled himself together.

There was no longer any hesitation in Theseus’s sword.

He had enough time. He had faltered.

But just as one eventually becomes used to things, Theseus too had grown numb to grief.

– But Theseus, you look quite exhausted, don’t you?

“Oh? And here I thought you’d never worry about me.”

– Your jokes are never funny.

“You damn geezer.”

Swords and cutting-edge weapons were clashing fiercely, but the conversation between the two sounded like a quarrel between family.

Something about it made the heart feel warm, just watching.

But unfortunately, the situation wasn’t something we could view optimistically.

– Hmm, this time the damage is quite severe.

If the Scriptwriter had gone into battle with that machine from the start, things would’ve been far simpler. So why is he only bringing it out now?

It must mean that deploying that unit itself required giving up a great deal.

Yes, the moment that unit detached from the main body, all the machines around it stopped moving.

It meant that all remaining resources were being funneled into that single unit.

And that means there’s no more wasted power.

The Scriptwriter had accepted defeat and brought out his asymmetrical war asset.

– This is my body. Your abilities leave fatal wounds, yes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be healed.

Rumble!!

A loud mechanical roar, like a motor spinning violently, rang out as the back of the dark monochrome unit began to shudder.

Bang!

Eventually, a part on the back of the unit fell off, revealing a furnace-like grinder glowing red-hot inside.

– Gears were originally made based on the human body. So it stands to reason there are abilities that correspond to that.

Kaaaaaaahhh!!

A storm raged forth.

Four spiraling tempests, created by the Rack Gear’s ability, spread out from its back like wings.

Boom!

And the mechanical devices caught in those winds began to get pulled in.

– When you’re hungry, you eat. Food turns into energy. Energy is used to heal wounds.

Clank-clank-clank-clank!!

The mechanical devices that had been pulled in were sucked into the furnace exposed on its back and shredded with a deafening roar.

– Hmm, not bad.

The parts that had been destroyed by Theseus’s power were restored as if nothing had happened.

Just watching the scene made me feel dizzy.

This vast space was literally filled with so many mechanical devices that calling it a mountain of machines wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

If all of those were spares meant to repair the Scriptwriter’s damage… then we have no chance of winning.

“Sir Theseus! You must destroy the furnace on its back first!”

“Are you telling me to strike from behind like a coward?!”

– That’s right, Johan Damus. You’re asking me to show my back now?

“Wow, birds of a feather, really…”

Lunatics.

Are they seriously planning to fight while sticking to their ideals in a situation like this?

That’ll get them killed, I swear.

Am I the only one here who actually wants to win this even by playing dirty?

“Emily, how are you feeling?”

“…It’s way too hot.”

“Uh, okay, but don’t go trying to strip or anything. Keep yourself wrapped up.”

I calmed down the dazed Emily in my arms.

Whew, yeah, it must be hot. Even I’m sweating just from holding her.

I guess that really was a finishing move.

“Hoo… Should I join in too?”

I don’t know how much our odds will improve with me in the mix, but it’s better than doing nothing.

Our original goal was to reset the self-evolution system anyway.

Ariel… probably still needs more rest.

As a mage, she can’t return to the front line without recovering her mana.

Who can still fight here…

“……”

I looked up.

If Yuna, whom we sent to the top floor, had successfully joined up with Helena…

It’s about time for her to return.

If that’s the case, I should be ready for when she does.

If I openly show that I’m aiming for the furnace on the Scriptwriter’s back, Yuna will understand.

“Haa…”

I deployed the Perfect Gear again.

My arm felt like it was going to fall off, but if this operation fails, it’s not just temporary…it’s the end of the world.

“Ugh!”

Grabbing my right arm, I broke into a run.

Target: the furnace.

Attack: the disintegration beam from the Planetary Gear.

The goal isn’t to land a successful hit. It was just to clearly show what I’m aiming for.

Ziiiiiiiiiinnnnng!!

I raised the output and fired.

Booooom!!!

A level of firepower I couldn’t have even imagined in the past bursts from my right arm.

With this, I could probably take down the early-second-year version of Lobelia, couldn’t I?

I guess I really have grown.

The problem is, everyone else has grown even more.

And sure, this power might be a bit of a cheat… but whatever.

– Are you kidding me? You think I’d get hit by an attack like that?

“You’re really killing the mood right out of the gate.”

The Scriptwriter dodged effortlessly.

But it’s not like I’m throwing out meaningless attacks either.

In acting, realism is key.

Rather than accidentally giving away my real target, it’s better to make it clear what I’m aiming for.

Urgh!

I grabbed my right arm and activated the Geneva Gear embedded in the Perfect Gear.

Thin metallic fragments flew toward the sides of the beam and clung to it, adjusting its trajectory.

The bending disintegration beam once again curved subtly toward the Scriptwriter’s back.

– A decent attempt, but your execution is still too sloppy.

The Scriptwriter casually tilted his head and caught the beam in his open palm.

He didn’t even dodge. My self-esteem took a hit.

Am I really stronger now?

Looks like I’m stuck playing the pest again.

“Phew…”

I deployed the Babel Gear.

Transforming my arm, I swung it like a whip.

Each time the whip struck the ground, the Pinion Gear’s ability ruptured the terrain.

– All noise, no substance.

“I didn’t ask for your feedback.”

Another failure.

Next, I tried the Spur Gear and the Worm Gear.

One after another, I unleashed every gear at my disposal.

All of them fail.

– You idiot. That’s not how you use those.

And then comes the criticism.

– Keep that up and you’ll die.

Followed by a bit of sincere concern.

Ugh, no wonder my head’s spinning. Looks like I really am at my limit.

“Guhk!”

Blood gushed from my mouth as my body collapsed forward.

This damn body….hasn’t even done much, and it’s already falling apart.

But this should be enough.

Craaaaash!

A thunderous crash, like something being slammed down.

“Well, you’ve gotten a bit simpler since last time, haven’t you?”

– What is this, a revolving door? Things just keep popping out.

A teasing voice.

Yuna who had been sent to the top floor finally returned.

And the fact that she was back meant that…

“W-Wow… Teacher, how many gold coins should we be charging for this?”

“Can’t we take care of the treatment first before talking money?”

It also meant that the Prophet and the Holy Knight had joined the fight.

Yeah…did you really think I was fighting like that with no reason, risking my life? I only managed to keep going, coughing up blood, because I had Helena as a backup life.

***

Rotation battle.

Yeah, this was a rotation battle.

I wanted to charge in with everyone all at once, but there was no time for that.

As soon as Helena healed one person enough to move, they’d rush in.

And just as that person fell, another would be treated and sent back in.

Only Theseus had been fighting from start to finish without leaving his position.

The rest of us were in a constant cycle, wringing ourselves out like dry rags as we coughed up blood and fought in turns.

“This is insane.”

Even with Yuna and Helena joining in, and after getting Ariel and Dietrich back on their feet, we still couldn’t stop the Scriptwriter.

We hadn’t even come close to destroying the furnace, let alone touching his body.

His self-evolution system had completely nullified all of our unique traits and advantages.

In reality, only Theseus who could ignore type matchups could deal proper damage.

To fix that, I had to make contact myself…

But unfortunately, I hadn’t even come within 30 meters of the Scriptwriter.

“This won’t do.”

At this rate, we’re doomed.

We don’t have the time or breathing room to test out more options.

Now, all we can do is go all in on a gamble.

“Helena.”

“Yes?”

Our Prophet, despite all the healing she’s been doing, still looked completely fine.

She may have low output, but the power inside her runs deep, like an ocean.

It’s terrifying, honestly.

Seeing things like this makes you wonder how we ever managed to take down Kult.

“You can return him to his original state, right?”

“I’m already doing that, though?”

“Not that…I mean him.”

I pointed at the Scriptwriter, currently fighting Theseus.

Theseus was reaching his limit.

That man might be a monster himself, holding out this long, but he can’t last much longer.

The Scriptwriter’s machine is just too strong.

At this point, I had two gambles I could play.

One: reset the resistance and experience that the Scriptwriter’s self-evolution system had built up through combat.

And then, in that weakened state, launch an all-out attack to force a full system reset.

This move could only be used once.

If the Scriptwriter ever finds out that Helena’s power can even affect objects, there’s no way he’ll leave her alone.

For now, he’s letting our healing slide because he’s steadily growing stronger through his self-evolution system.

But if that healing gets sealed off, we’ll truly be wiped out.

So this has to succeed. No matter what.

“Guys, I know you’re all struggling, but I need you to push just a little further.”

Now, it’s the final push.

Yuna, Ariel, Dietrich, Jeff, Emily…and Helena.

It’s time for an all-out assault.

***

This is the end.

This time, it really will be the end.

So…

“Move—aaaaaaaah!!”

I unleash the Perfect Gear once more.

After repeated healing and overexertion, my body is already falling apart.

According to the Prophet, if I push the Perfect Gear any further here, I’ll reach a point where healing won’t even matter.

So whatever happens, this is the last time.

Ariel twisted all of the Scriptwriter’s long-range attacks with her telekinesis, coughing up blood in the process.

Emily’s whip managed to grab the Scriptwriter’s wrist for just a moment.

Yuna worked in cooperation with Theseus to throw off his vision.

Jeff and Dietrich, with a shield and sword in hand, carved a path forward.

I followed behind them, preparing the Perfect Gear’s final function.

I entered the 30-meter radius.

The distance I had never managed to reach….until now.

I pushed further. 25 meters. 20. 15. 10…

And then finally….I found myself face-to-face with the Scriptwriter’s machine.

– So you’ve come at last. I’ve been waiting for you, Johan Damus.

The Scriptwriter’s mocking voice rang out.

– In order to kill a walking pile of variables like you, I had to create an opening like this.

Clank!

The Scriptwriter’s body shook violently.

Charging at him now were four powerful fighters. Theseus, Yuna, Jeff, and Dietrich.

– I know how to give up the flesh to take the bone.

But he ignored them all. His eyes were fixed solely on me.

Theseus and Dietrich’s swords, Yuna’s dagger, Jeff’s shield—

—they all cut, stabbed, and slammed into the Scriptwriter’s body.

And in that very moment—

– It’s been fun, Johan Damus.

Thud!

The Scriptwriter’s arm, now sharpened into a deadly shape, pierced straight into Johan Damus’s chest.

***

His body went limp.

A jagged chunk of metal had driven through his chest and burst out his back.

In the moment Johan Damus was skewered by the Scriptwriter and left hanging in midair—

Craaaack!!

Yuna wrenched Johan free from the Scriptwriter’s grasp. Her eyes trembled as she dragged across the floor, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened.

– It wasn’t out of sentiment that I spared your lives.

The Scriptwriter’s body was in a state of disrepair.

His machine-like form had taken heavy damage from the other four’s attacks, half of it already torn apart.

But he was a machine. That much damage wasn’t enough to kill something like him….something undead.

– I acted that way to make sure the most cautious and fearful one among you would be the first to die. Look….when I pretended to spare your lives, even someone like him rushed at me, wagering his pathetic life.

Rummblleee!

Once again, a storm howled through the air, drawing in the scattered machines around them.

Booom! Thud!

The repair process began again, this time even more violently than before.

A massive mechanical device that hadn’t fully melted in the furnace came slamming onto the Scriptwriter’s back with a deafening roar, crushing and reshaping itself as it latched on.

– Hmph. This should do.

The Scriptwriter’s body hadn’t fully healed. But it was more than enough to kill the rest.

“…….”

Yuna, Ariel, and the Misfits could only watch it all unfold.

Johan was dead. His heart had been pierced.

Maybe Helena, the Prophet, could have brought him back—

But she had already exhausted her strength.

She had poured every last drop of her divine power into that final gamble, pushing her body past its limits.

By the time Johan had begun to move, she had already collapsed.

Crack!

Yuna grit her teeth.

Staring at the Scriptwriter’s calm expression, she tightened her grip on the weapon in her hand.

– What are you all doing?

The Scriptwriter spoke.

He whispered like a demon.

– You must think there’s no point in living anymore. So why just stand there? Why not come at me?

And they did.

No…at least, they wanted to.

“Khuhk!”

Until Johan coughed up blood.

“Jo… han?”

His heart had been pierced.

Even now, you could see straight through the gaping hole in his chest.

There was no mistaking it.

“Ha…”

Johan’s lips curled upward.

It was a smile.

Maybe it was because his lungs had been taken along with his heart, but no sound came out, yet Johan was grinning slyly.

And in that moment—

– ……?!

The Scriptwriter’s newly formed body, which had been repairing itself with mechanical components, shook violently.

***

There were two gambles.

The first was using Helena’s divine power to revert the Scriptwriter’s resistances. And then, during that opening, launching an all-out assault.

That was “one”.

Then what was the second gamble?

It was the move prepared in case of failure. A card that could’ve been played at any time, but was saved for the most decisive moment. For the moment of failure.

When the Scriptwriter pierced my chest to kill me… honestly, I was scared too.

If he’d known I was a coward, he should’ve expected I’d use Babel Gear to relocate my vital organs.

Just in case, I had used the Babel Gear to shift the location of my heart and other major organs.

Of course, if my body had been completely hollow, it would’ve been obvious, so I filled the empty space with substitute flesh.

The feeling that my body wasn’t mine anymore nearly made me puke…but whatever. I was alive.

Tap. Tap.

As I gently patted Yuna who was holding me tightly, I gave a quick wink to Ariel who was staring at me from a distance, stunned.

“Johaaan…”

Yuna whimpered, while Ariel let out a sigh of relief and collapsed.

I couldn’t forget to calm the two of them down. I hadn’t told anyone about the second plan.

It was improvised.

Even now, I wanted to explain it to them, but that was impossible.

I couldn’t move from my current state until Helena got back up.

Right…because I couldn’t return my organs to their original positions.

– Johan Damus… don’t tell me—?!

The Perfect Gear was already out of my hands. Or more precisely, it had already infiltrated the Scriptwriter’s body.

The method was simple.

The moment the first gamble failed, I activated the reset system on the Perfect Gear and threw it away.

Later, as the Scriptwriter sucked in everything nearby to repair himself, he absorbed it along with the rest.

That was it. A truly simple method.

A reckless, brute-force plan that even a kid could’ve pulled off.

– Ha… Hahaha! You lunatic. You really are a lunatic!

If the Scriptwriter had realized the Perfect Gear had been discarded, things could’ve gone horribly wrong. But luckily, he seemed to think he had eliminated the variable by killing me.

We couldn’t defeat the Scriptwriter. We couldn’t find any openings, and even catching him off guard was impossible.

So we found someone who could.

The Scriptwriter Deus Ex Machina himself.

That’s who I made absorb the very thing he feared the most, with his own hands.

– You’ve won, Johan Damus… So, does it feel good, winning like that? You filthy, underhanded bastard.

I raised my middle finger at the grumbling Scriptwriter.

My highest form of praise.

Seriously now, of all people, you shouldn’t be saying that.

Ah, really… Look at the state I’m in. I went and acted all high and mighty, and now this.

The Scriptwriter let out a dry chuckle, like someone who had laughed themselves out, then slowly turned around.

Only one thing remained.

The process and outcome of the experiment had both been obtained. Now it just needed a final period.

A final punctuation mark for the grand failure report on this experiment.

And that role had already been assigned.

“Old man.”

– Theseus…

“…There won’t be any pain.”

The hero raised his sword.

– In this condition, you think I’d feel pain?

As always, the King of Machines responded with a joke.