Leon sat in Shouki's facial cockpit, surrounded by dozens of purple tubes that coiled around his body like living serpents, connecting every part of him to the gigantic mechanical frame. The air inside the cabin carried a faint metallic scent and was charged with magical energy, as if the very walls pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
In his current state, one could say Leon had merged his consciousness with that colossal metallic body. From a certain perspective, it was as though he had crossed the threshold of humanity and achieved a true mechanical ascension.
"What… incredible power…" he murmured, almost unconsciously.
Streams of magical energy coursed through his body, flowing directly into Shouki's core. The artificial magic circuit absorbed this power like a network of artificial veins, glowing intensely. It was as though blood had been injected into the arteries of a slumbering titan — and in that instant, the mechanical giant opened its eyes to the world.
Inside the cockpit, Leon raised his right arm, slowly flexing and extending each finger. Shouki mirrored the motion with perfect precision, without delay — a flawless response rate.
"Leon-chan, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort or delay in motor feedback?" Anis asked, adjusting a sequence of glowing runes on her monitoring panel.
"Leon, also check if the neural sync is overloading your magic cortex. Even a small imbalance could cause accelerated fatigue," added Faruzan, her eyes fixed on a diagnostic crystal projecting real-time synchronization data.
Leon looked down at the ground through Shouki's external vision. The scale of everything felt completely different now. He thought about taking a step, but hesitated.
"If I move right now, I might accidentally crush you…"
"Everything's under control. The weight-compensation system and stabilizer dampeners are calibrated," Anis replied, typing quickly on the arcane keyboard.
"By the way, the pressure output from the central reactor is 742% above the projected average. That means the compatibility between you and the core is… absurd."
"To be precise, the current reading is 743.6%, and still climbing. That's something we've never seen in any test before," added Faruzan, frowning.
"I think we just broke every simulation model we had."
Leon gave a faint smile.
"I feel better than ever."
He then moved Shouki's colossal body with more confidence. Each step made the ground tremble, yet the control was so precise it felt no different from walking with his own human body. The only difference now was that he sensed an ocean of energy at his disposal — magical power on a scale he had never experienced.
"Anis, the pressure of this thing is unbelievable…"
"It's not just pressure. It's as if the mecha's structure itself acts as a magical force multiplier. At the current conversion rate, a single shot from the elemental convergence cannon would hit with catastrophic-level power," Anis explained.
"Not to mention, the internal regulation system is handling energy surges that should, theoretically, tear it apart in seconds," Faruzan added.
"That means the balance between the orichalcum catalysts and the high-purity mithril is working even better than expected."
"So basically… we've created something that shouldn't even be possible," Anis concluded.
Both were drenched in cold sweat. Only after Shouki was fully activated, its magic circuits blazing at full capacity, did they truly grasp the magnitude of what they had built. It was as if the gods themselves had opened their eyes… and something terrifying had awakened.
Even knowing that deep inside this colossus was still the boy they loved and admired, at that moment they felt an almost instinctive urge to revere him.
Shouki's body was primarily forged from orichalcum, a mythical metal with nearly indestructible properties, blended with ultra-dense rare minerals like mithril. The forging techniques used had been refined over millennia, producing a divine body so durable that even dragon scales couldn't compare.
Moreover, the entire stockpile of elven elemental stones from the Magic Kingdom had been fused and compressed into the core, enabling the mecha to freely wield every elemental power. Each one could reach up to 1000% of its original potential with the same magical energy consumption.
The strongest body.
The most powerful magic.
A set worthy of being called invincible.
And beyond that — the core was directly linked to Leon's soul, merging with his innate "Dragon's Power," inherited from the past. It was the fusion of the proudest soul with the most overwhelming pressure imaginable.
Leon savored the moment as if it were a wine a thousand times sweeter than any he had ever tasted. He felt as though his hands, though empty, were holding dominion over the world itself.
"World… I've become a god!"
Perhaps it was true — perhaps in that moment, he really had reached a divine level.
Still, building another Shouki was impossible. The cost was astronomical, and acquiring the materials nearly unfeasible. Even with the world's combined resources, it was unlikely to ever reproduce the perfect conditions that had created this unique masterpiece.
Standing at his peak, Leon began to wonder who could possibly face him in battle. Finding someone who could withstand even a single strike would already be difficult.
But then, an alarm cut through his thoughts.
"Beep-beep-beep-beep—!"
"Huh? Who's calling me?"
Leon grabbed a small magical communication artifact. While it couldn't be mass-produced like the cellphones of his past world, it worked perfectly for contacting close companions.
On the screen, the icon of a blonde-haired girl appeared — Ying.
"Hey, why are you contacting me now? Where are you?" Leon asked.
Before he could get a clear answer, a desperate scream echoed through the channel:
"Leon! Please, help me!!!"
"Huh?"
"I'm in the desert, being chased by a berserk dragon!!!"
The distant roar of the creature carried through the communicator.
"…Well, looks like I won't need to pay your salary this month."
"Ahhh, help me!!!"
---
(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."