Three N.A.N.I. landed in front of Lumine, creating a stark contrast with the small and cute girl.
Leon: "Even though it's an antique from who-knows-how-many years ago, its technology is excellent—surpassing even modern times. I recently finished drafting a mass production plan. I want to build a mech army and conquer every nation!"
Leon couldn't stop fantasizing about the future.
One day, in the distant future, he would sit upon a throne of steel machines, with tens of thousands of mechs as his soldiers, awaiting his order to break through any obstacle in his path.
There are no soldiers more terrifying than robots.
They don't die.
They don't feel pain.
They don't feel fear.
They don't question orders, and even if commanded to self-destruct, they'll do it without hesitation. They have steel bodies far tougher than human flesh and blood.
When comparing their combat power to that of the Kingdom of Knights, regardless of environment or strategy, Ge felt that only a triple-eyed lamb could possibly pierce through the kingdom's front.
"However, it hasn't been tested in real combat since it was built. Today is a good opportunity."
As Leon watched the surveillance monitor in the castle, he was actually using [spatial magic] on a mirror to spy on the action.
Cute girl vs. robot.
Is there any man in the world who could ignore such a sight? Of course not! Leon sat on the couch, holding a bucket of popcorn and watching with enthusiasm.
But there was no doubt—this would be quite a show.
Lumine, however, who was being watched, was trembling.
The blonde girl let out a growl and screamed.
She attacked N.A.N.I. with all her strength, but only managed to leave superficial marks on its steel body.
It felt like she was seeing single-digit damage floating in the air.
Since her magic power had been sealed, she could only scrape it with the sword in her hand.
And each punch from those three steel giants could send her flying. Each strike could wipe out her health bar, and they even performed moves humans could never replicate.
For instance—a full-body spinning windmill attack!
If you got too close, you'd be knocked down instantly.
And to make matters worse, they could also launch homing projectiles.
"You should just kill me instead of torturing me like this!! H-Hey, I'm just kidding, don't come over here!"
Lumine ran away.
But no matter where she tried to escape, she was instantly caught up. She was as flustered as a tiny mouse being hunted by three large predators.
Still, Lumine did not give up.
After about an hour…
"I see. I've figured out the rules."
"Boom boom boom boom!!!"
As dozens of projectiles were launched by the three N.A.N.I., Lumine didn't panic this time.
Instead, she made only the smallest movements necessary to dodge.
No more reckless lunging. She simply tilted her head, raised her arms, or jumped lightly to perfectly evade every single shell.
The flames of the explosion roared behind her.
The blonde girl struck a dramatic pose as she walked slowly with the burning flames behind her.
Lumine: "Hmph~ Now it's time for my most iconic moment."
Paimon: "Lumine is amazing! Let's go!"
Leon: "Ooh~oh."
Then she charged toward the three mechs, predicting their attack patterns even before N.A.N.I. could act, and dodged with ease.
Even though she was just a girl, Lumine was still an adventurer who had survived hundreds of battles and overcome countless trials.
After being trapped on this floor and chased for an hour, she had finally deciphered the enemy's movements.
"If I get close, they won't use long-range attacks. Also... the tops of their heads are a blind spot, and their eyes are their weak points!"
Lumine declared as she drove her sword into a N.A.N.I.'s eye, instantly causing it to malfunction. Its previously fluid movements became clumsy and erratic.
"So, when I'm more than 30 meters away, there's over a 70% chance they'll use cannon fire, right?"
"Boom boom boom boom!"
"Boom boom boom boom!"
Exactly as Lumine predicted.
The two remaining robots, positioned far from her, launched long-range bombardments.
Though the homing missiles could be dodged, it was impossible to avoid them completely forever.
But she took advantage of that.
With her magical power sealed, relying solely on dodging would eventually exhaust her.
So she chose to use her strength strategically.
Let the robots destroy each other.
"Boom boom boom boom——!"
Just a second before a cannonball could hit her—
Lumine jumped beneath the damaged mech she had previously downed, turning it into a shield that absorbed all the incoming blasts.
One of its eyes darkened, arcs of electricity flashed from its broken frame, and eventually, it collapsed to the ground and stopped moving.
Lumine: "Two left!"
She turned her gaze toward the last two machines, and a fierce glint appeared in her golden eyes.
It took her another half hour to bring the remaining two down.
In truth, once she had deciphered their movement patterns, they had ceased to pose any real threat. With her combat skills, she handled them one by one, making each robot self-destruct.
Leon, who had been watching, couldn't help but applaud.
As expected of a girl who broke free from the confines of his script.
Even if the robots had faced off against one of his Night Raid girls, he couldn't guarantee victory in a one-on-one. But Lumine had triumphed against three.
That was truly extraordinary!
Leon stared at Lumine with desire—for the first time, feeling the urge to possess someone.
A girl this beautiful, adorable, strong, and smart... wouldn't it be a waste not to bring her under his command?
Though they currently stood on opposite sides, that was a trivial matter. If he wanted something—whether a person or an object—he would find a way to make it his.
And even if Lumine was intelligent and powerful...
Before absolute power, all she could do was kneel.
"Finally... we finally made it."
After countless trials...
The blonde girl finally reached the gate to the castle's final floor.
"That was no easy task."
"Paimon, I was the one doing the fighting."
"I was cheering you on."
Paimon scratched her head and replied with a sheepish smile.
Lumine felt completely drained.
The hardships she had faced along the way were greater than anything she had experienced in her entire life.
But the saddest part...
Even now, everything up until this point had only been an "appetizer"—and the real BOSS hadn't even made a move.
Back in Mondstadt, she had witnessed Leon's power. She knew he was destined to become the next King of Palettia.
What she was about to face... was a monster that even a dragon would submit to and die. A monster capable of destroying an entire kingdom on his own.
To be honest, she didn't think she could win.
But...
(I've made it this far, so of course I have no choice but to keep going! Otherwise, wouldn't all this suffering be meaningless? I need to uncover his true face.)
After entering the castle, the traps that had left psychological scars resurfaced in her mind, making Lumine furious.
She swore she would leave a red handprint across Leon's beautiful face.
With that in mind, Lumine kicked the door open.
"I'm here!!"
But in the very next moment—
"Sorry to intrude."
Before the girl could even finish her dramatic entrance, several blades were already pressed to her neck.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."