「 In an instant, a fierce wind, carrying snowflakes, howled, sweeping up sand and debris across the sky, as if it was going to swallow everything, blotting out the sun.
Fortunately, Stelle and the others dodged in time. Although the Engine of Creation's powerful punch didn't hit them, it created a huge crater in the ground.
The mechanical arm slowly lifted, and a robot the size of a mountain finally revealed its true form in the wind and snow. Cocolia, holding an ice spear, floated in mid-air, looking down at everyone as if she were a true god of creation.
"A robot ten thousand times bigger than Svarog!" March 7th was so shocked her mouth hung open. Facing a monster of this size, her Six-Phase Ice wouldn't be enough!
"Engine, crush them!"
Blinding light flashed and accumulated on top of the Engine of Creation's head. With Cocolia's command, a crimson heat ray shot out, instantly sweeping across the distant mountains. Accompanied by a series of mountain explosions, the ray changed direction and rapidly approached the group!」
「 .....」
~Frieren: Beyond Journey's End World~
"It seems this ancient machine can use attack methods similar to 'attack magic',"
Zenze's eyes widened, marveling.
"...No, Zenze, look closely,"
Seriel raised her right hand, her index finger wiggling slightly. A section of the image on the light screen was then magically frozen and duplicated by her, floating in mid-air.
It was the scene of Stelle dodging the heat ray, but Seriel was more interested in the slightly blurred background behind Stelle.
—It was the mountain range outside Everwinter Hill. The mountains swept by the heat ray seemed to let out painful wails, with explosions echoing one after another. The snow-covered rocks, along with the steep terrain, slowly shifted and fell.
The neat, precise cut lines, row after row, looked as if they had been carved by a divine blade.
"How far can the casting range of attack magic mastered by humans possibly be?"
Seriel extended a few fingers, slowly counting,
"Five hundred meters? A thousand meters? In recent decades, to my recollection... even the most skilled First-Class Magicians couldn't cast attack magic beyond two thousand meters."
"The reason for this is that concentrated magic power disperses with distance. Even if the magic power flies thousands of meters to hit the target, its power will be greatly diminished."
"Zenze, look closely at the mountain range behind them. Can you guess how far its attack range is? Probably more than dozens of miles, right? Even from such a distance, it can destroy mountains and cause explosions. Do you still think this is a method similar to 'attack magic'?"
After listening to Seriel's analysis, Zenze fell silent.
"If you ask me... this is a method far beyond 'attack magic'."
"Although the attack method is slightly singular, its power is unmatched. If it hit head-on, even I... probably wouldn't be able to perfectly block this blow, would I?"
A hint of a smile appeared on Seriel's lips.
—
「 "How are we supposed to destroy such a giant?" While dodging, Bronya raised her gun and fired, but the bullets did less damage to the Engine of Creation than a mere scratch. Just as the engine raised its fist, about to smash down, a red light suddenly appeared in the sky.
Himeko's orbital cannon descended from above, accurately piercing the Engine of Creation's left arm!
"...Himeko! It's Himeko!" March 7th, shouted excitedly.
"Hey, hey, can you hear me? The signal's really bad..." Himeko's intermittent voice came from Stelle's communication device.
"Himeko! You finally remembered us!"
"What are you talking about? Mr. Welt and I are always thinking about you all from orbit. This trailblazing journey is quite exciting."
"How did this big guy get moving... But for now, it's probably better to keep it still, right? The rest is up to you!" 」
「 .....」
~Akame Ga Kill World~
"I was originally looking forward to them ganging up on this big robot..."
Inside Night Raid headquarters, Lubbock showed a disappointed expression.
"If an Imperial Arm the size of the Engine of Creation appeared in the Empire, I wanted to see how they'd deal with it."
Leone patted Lubbock's back, laughing heartily,
"I say, your joke is too low-brow, isn't it? An Imperial Arm the size of the Engine of Creation? If something like that really existed in the Imperial Capital, it would be impossible not to discover it, right?"
"I said 'if', if...!"
Lubbock pouted.
"If there really was one, Mine, could you use 'Pumpkin' to blast off that mechanical monster's arm, just like Himeko's orbital cannon?"
"How could something like that be possible! Miss Himeko's orbital cannon is too overpowered!"
Mine hugged the gun-type Imperial Arm tightly. Although Pumpkin's power increased with the severity of the crisis, the cost was the depletion of the user's mental energy.
Theoretically, her "Pumpkin" could indeed achieve the firepower of an orbital cannon, but that only existed in theory... If Pumpkin were to truly unleash that kind of power one day, what level of threat would they be facing?
...Unimaginable.
"Mine, I will protect you,"
Akame suddenly spoke, then looked at Mine with a serious expression.
"You just need to stand behind me."
"...No way!"
Mine crossed her arms, turned her head, and let out a tsundere huff that drifted three hundred meters in the wind.
"If we really faced such a large mechanical Imperial Arm, Akame, your Murasame wouldn't be able to do anything to it, would it? Your Imperial Arm is suitable for slaying humans... like that Cocolia, you're suited to fight her."
"Speaking of which, this Lady Cocolia is flesh and blood, skilled in ice, and holds a high position in a country... she's really similar to Esdeath."
"Akame, why don't you try to put yourself in her shoes and see if you could defeat Cocolia?"
—
「 After exchanging glances, Stelle and Bronya decisively leaped onto the Engine of Creation's arm.
Moving up the arm, Stelle's target was self-evident.
"—Cocolia!"
Bronya raised her rifle and eliminated the Fragmentum monsters blocking Stelle's path, one shot at a time. She would do her utmost to ensure Stelle safely reached Cocolia.
During the ascent, the Engine of Creation activated again. Its massive body slowly stood up, and its raised arm directly caused Stelle to fall.
"Catch me!"
Just as she was about to fall, a faint blue silhouette glowed behind her. Seele swiftly dashed to Stelle's side, firmly grabbing her hand. The two spun and swung, the immense acceleration launching Stelle back into the air.
Though her feet were suspended, Dan Heng's spear precisely arrived beneath her. Stelle, quick-witted, grabbed it, swung herself around, and finally, with a bit of a scare, reached the topmost platform.
And there, Cocolia stood. She held a cold spear, suspended in mid-air, her gaze sharp as she looked at the uninvited guest before her. 」
「 .....」