Bastion remained skeptical of the sudden request, so he asked for confirmation.
"Do you mean actual help, or…?"
"I know I've been ignoring your offer, but it truly wasn't necessary at the time. This is different. I really do need your help," Seraphina said.
"When and where?"
"Next week. Meet me at the gate."
"Okay."
Seraphina hurried off, her expression tense and troubled, leaving Bastion standing there with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was finally being included in this group project. On the other hand, it meant something in Seraphina's plan might have gone wrong.
She had promised him she'd take care of the Demon Lord, so it probably wasn't something that would end in all their deaths. More likely, it was a situation that could cause mass casualties. Her small mistake during the auction still weighed on her, so this might just be her way of overcompensating.
Still, that left Bastion a week to get ready for a possible assault on some hideout. His cannon had long been ready but his autocannon was not.
He had visited Professor Hammersmith, who explained that there were complications with the precision required for the weapon's smaller components. Since Bastion had insisted on minimizing reliance on magic, he was working with limited mana output. In the end, he prioritized heat resistance, shock absorption, magical sights, magical rotation, and the firing mechanism.
This meant the feeder had to function purely through mechanical rotation, which required extremely fine parts to operate smoothly. While the parts were simple enough to craft individually, overbuffering made them loose, while underbuffering caused jams. At the speed they were expected to go, the smallest mistake amplifies the problem.
It was a complex piece of engineering that combined magic and mechanics. Magic replaced traditional bullet casings with heat resistance, allowing for caseless rounds that left no ejection mess. With no need to eject spent shells, the weapon could fire more rapidly. The motor was removed and replaced with a simple rotation rune, which significantly reduced the weapon's bulk. The primer was substituted with a magical firing mechanism, further increasing the potential rate of fire.
The only remaining mechanical component was the feeder, connected to a magic bag filled with bullets. Ironically, it required the most intricate craftsmanship. Its complexity made it the greatest bottleneck of the weapon, as even a minor flaw could lead to jams and disrupt the entire system. This issue significantly reduced the overall rate of fire.
Still, Bastion needed something less unwieldy than a cannon but more powerful than his whipsword to combat Rank 2 threats. He made his way to Professor Hammerfist's office, where the old smith was usually found after class.
"Professor?" Bastion knocked on the door.
"Come in," came a gruff voice from the other side.
Bastion entered to find schematics strewn across the floor, tables, chairs, and even stacked atop open books.
"How's it going?" Bastion asked.
"It's impossible. This feeder is too complex. It needs to be shaped into a rail but can't be hammered. It must be molded, then polished with precision. I can't do it," the professor sighed, clearly frustrated.
The M61 Vulcan's feeder used a linkless system, feeding rounds in a closed loop at the same pace as the rotating barrels. That was how it managed 6,000 rounds per minute without relying on springs or gravity.
"What about a gravity feeder?"
"Too slow. Kept jamming, had to lower the rate of fire until it was ten times slower than this masterpiece," he said, hoisting Bastion's schematics into the air.
"That's fine, considering the price I paid. Can I at least take what you've finished? I'd like to test-fire it."
"Over there in the chest," the professor waved dismissively.
Bastion walked over to a large iron-bound chest and opened it to reveal a literal treasure trove. There was easily a house's worth of materials ranging from Rank 1 to even Rank 3.
Bastion scanned the contents of the chest before spotting his autocannon resting on a pedestal. He retrieved it quickly, not trusting himself to linger around so much valuable materials.
It was surprisingly light for a weapon with six 1.5-meter-long barrels, thanks to the lack of a motor. A heavy tripod was bolted underneath, making it a pain to store or carry, but Bastion could manage.
"Rate of fire?" he asked.
"Six hundred rounds per minute. Should be stable enough for you to hip-fire."
That was more than enough for Bastion. It should handle Rank 2 enemies, as long as they weren't dexterity types. Bastion didn't trust his aim against fast opponents. Slow, bulky ones were another matter.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll return it once I'm done."
"Don't bother. Not until I finish this damn linkless feeder."
Bastion hurried out of the office and returned to his room, where a small assembly line of golems was putting the finishing touches on the 20mm bullets. They picked up unfinished slugs from a magic bag, clipped the excess, polished them, coated the rear with fireheart resin, attached a powdered fire crystal incendiary puck, and then stored the completed rounds in another magic bag.
The mold Bastion used measured roughly one by two meters and could produce a thousand bullets in a single cast. That part was easy. The hard part was the finishing touches, which would normally require a full factory assembly line to complete.
Fortunately, Seraphina had looked out for him and secured access to golems, saving Bastion months of mindless detailing.
Bastion took out the autocannon and removed the magazine drum on top. It was actually a magic bag reinforced with Rank 1 metal to withstand high intensity battles. The bag would be filled with bullets but had to be aligned with the arrow on its side to ensure the rounds faced the correct direction.
He grabbed a handful of bullets from the finished bag and began loading them into the magazine. Then he discovered a fatal flaw. He could only load them one at a time.
With a sigh, Bastion sent a pulse of intent filled mana to the golem responsible for placing finished bullets into the storage bag. He updated its instructions to load them directly into the magazine instead. He made sure to keep in mind the correct orientation the bullets needed to be loaded.
Now that his emergency weapon was complete, Bastion considered what other preparations he could make and immediately thought of enchanting trinkets. Unfortunately, he had been overspending lately between the auction, Lilia, the bullets, and the trinkets. He wasn't in the red, but he had already burned through half his funds.
He suddenly remembered they were the attacking party this time. The demon worshippers should be well stocked, right? They always seemed able to perform as many rituals as they wanted. Maybe it was time for a bit of reappropriation.
A week later, Bastion and a very nervous Lilia joined Seraphina and her party at the main gates of the academy.
"Good, you're all here," Seraphina said. "Let's go somewhere private first."
She led them west of Southspire, all the way out of the bustling town. They walked for over an hour until they were deep within the western woods, far from any signs of civilization.
"I've discovered the main hideout of the demon worshippers," Seraphina announced. "They're hiding underground, northwest of this forest. It will take us about a day to reach it."
"We're really going to fight the demon worshippers by ourselves?" Lilia exclaimed.
"Don't worry. You'll be safe as long as you stay behind me," Bastion assured her.
"That's not the point! Shouldn't we call the professors or the headmaster?"
"Some of the professors are spies," Seraphina said calmly. "They've either been placed by the cult centuries ago or are being controlled. They're very wary of the headmaster so they always have an eye on him."
"They're really dedicated," Aurelia muttered.
"Once we're there, we'll split into three teams," Seraphina continued. "Aurelia, Tobin, my brother, and Emberlyn will storm the front and draw their attention. Bastion, Elyra, and Lilia will circle around and cut off their escape. I'll sneak in ahead of time and make sure they're not prepared for us. Any questions?"
"How do you even know all this?" Lilia asked.
Seraphina gave Aurelia a look. Aurelia was briefly confused before remembering their convenient excuse for everything.
"Um… Oh, right! I received an oracle from the Goddess!" Aurelia said brightly.
The perfect excuse for every mystery in life.
"Right. Saintess," Lilia muttered, conceding the point.
The group continued northwest at a steady jog. There were too many of them to ride Bastion's summon, and Cyru's phoenix was only the size of an eagle. Despite that, their pace matched that of a cyclist weaving through the woods, allowing them to cover a significant distance.
During the journey, Bastion found a moment of privacy with Seraphina.
"So? What happened?" Bastion asked.
"The first time the demon worshipers were supposed to be discovered was during their attack on the night of the auction, where they planned to kill thousands. The next attack was scheduled for our second year, when we were expected to start diving into the dungeon. Their third attempt involved assassinations during classes, carried out by students, staff, or professors. I intercepted all of these incidents and significantly reduced casualties."
"Simply put, I was too eager. I pushed them too hard, too fast. Now they're compensating by accelerating their plans," Seraphina said, frustration creeping into her voice.
"A typical reaction when things start slipping out of control. Still, if it were that easy to move up their timeline, they would have already released the Demon Lord," Bastion said.
"They've changed their goal," Seraphina said grimly. "Instead of aiming for complete and overwhelming victory, they've settled for simply reaching the finish line. Rather than decimate the school and use it for sacrifices, they've chosen to sacrifice themselves."
"I've completely derailed the timeline, and now I have no idea what to do."
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