Viewed from space, a planetary-scale hurricane spiral appeared above Disboard, its center aimed directly at Schwarzer.
She had already plunged into the starry sky alone; the destructive power of a Divine Strike would be too immense if it struck Disboard.
Of course, on the other hand, she was attempting to analyze it, as this distance offered the most observable information.
Artosh paid it no mind, slowly raising his hand, seemingly waiting for her.
"Analysis progress 62.14%, this is the limit."
Einzig's voice came through the consciousness link; the Machine Ex Machina's analysis of the Divine Strike had reached its limit and could not proceed further.
"Take… care…" The surrounding magical energy reactions were too powerful; Einzig's fragmented voice finally faded, leaving her alone in the universe.
Schwarzer packaged and took all the Machine Ex Machina's data, crushing the chess piece in her hand and severing the connection with the Machine Ex Machina.
Take care? Schwarzer gazed at the planet beneath her, and similarly, Einzig looked up at the sky.
'I'll be back.' She mouthed silently.
Everything in the future had yet to happen; she was the greatest variable, and the future of the Machine Ex Machina would be changed by her.
Einzig understood her meaning, offering her a smile that was not like a machine's, but like that of a truly living person.
Engraving this scene deeply in her mind, Schwarzer finally realized the profound impact she had caused, but she had no time to hesitate.
Amidst the terrified gazes of all life, light enveloped the entire starry sky, surging into the universe. Artosh had made his move.
Overwhelming power engulfed her entirely; under Artosh's slightly disappointed gaze, the robust body of the Machine Ex Machina instantly vaporized, no different from an insect he had crushed.
Yet moments later, he saw Schwarzer reappear within green flames.
The power provided by the core data allowed her to hold on for a while, but only just; once it was depleted, it would be her demise.
Fortunately, she had an ace up her sleeve; the plan was going smoothly so far, though it pained her a little to see half of her precious core data gone in such a short time.
She was gradually recovering against the power of the Divine Strike—no, she was devouring the power of the Divine Strike!
"System."
"I'm here!"
Hearing the call, the System immediately took over her body; the rest was up to it.
Green flames churned and spread over Schwarzer, forming a giant maw that unscientifically swallowed the power of the Divine Strike.
Spiral patterns flashed in her eyes as the flames, having consumed Artosh's power, converged in her hands, transforming into—a drill?
The magical light reflected a metallic sheen on its surface; no matter how one looked at it, it was a drill.
An invisible barrier appeared before her—the World Barrier. Under the System's control, the drill pressed into the void.
All beings observing this battle witnessed an absurd sight: the attack, which seemed capable of piercing an entire planet and evoked no courage to resist, was being devoured by Schwarzer without a single drop lost.
The universe on the other side shattered like a mirror, with dark fissures appearing one after another, finally breaking open.
The world was shattered; through the dark wounds, numerous galaxy-like discs floated within the fissures.
If War God Artosh's power, though beyond their imagination, was still within the realm of comprehension, then this scene completely shattered their worldview.
"What in the world is this?"
Jibril and the others, already exhausted, also looked up at the sky, sensing a power from those fissures utterly different from the 'Spirit Corridor', and far more potent.
No one could answer her; for a moment, all of Disboard fell silent, save for—War God Artosh, who rose from his throne.
He wondered how long it had been since anyone had made Him feel threatened. Was He, the self-proclaimed strongest, actually just a frog in a well?
He sensed the aura of a different world, and the continuously strengthening… Spiral Power… emanating from Schwarzer?
Like a spiral, it continuously broke through and grew stronger; the will contained within that power made Him yearn for a grand battle.
Alas, the current Schwarzer certainly wasn't qualified to fight Him. If that was the case, He would grant her more 'gifts.'
As Artosh rose, the almost vanished Divine Strike reformed, and magical energy appeared as if from nothing; He was squeezing His own Divine Essence!
"No, wait!" The System, noticing this scene, spoke with some alarm.
The hardest step, the World Barrier, had already been opened; if so much power were injected now…
"Boom—" Artosh didn't care for such concerns; the power of the Divine Strike increased yet again.
At this point, there was no other option. The System silently mourned for half a second for whoever the unknown victim might be, then took on everything.
A fierce explosion and light erupted in the cosmos; half the planet was enveloped in light at that moment. What vanished with the explosion were Schwarzer and the fissures in space.
The world returned to calm. Artosh boredly sat back on His throne, but this time He held a new expectation: not waiting for the weakest to defeat the strongest, but for the strongest, who would surpass the strongest, to defeat Him.
However, the other inhabitants of Disboard were far from calm, especially the races involved in the war, who were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
"Artosh actually possesses such power; our current weapons are utterly incapable of contending with it."
"And who was that divine being fighting Him? We found no information about them, and that fissure…"
"If we can't find them, then let's give up on that for now. The immediate priority is that we need weapons capable of contending with Artosh… with the Flügel."
Within the Elven cities, various elders held emergency meetings all night, as their relationship with the Flügel was among the worst.
Schwarzer's appearance brought them an intense sense of crisis, especially by revealing the power of War God Artosh.
"We must possess sufficiently powerful weapons! Ultimate Weapons capable of influencing the course of the war!"
Coincidentally, the Dwarves also made their decision; no matter how they discussed it, there was only one final answer: they needed power.
Not only War God Artosh, but also the powerful being who shattered the starry sky, made them feel a sense of crisis.
"Then it's decided. Begin development of the Ultimate Weapon. The project name shall be…"
"Marrow Burst." "Void Zero Aegis."
Coincidentally, the two races possessing the strongest 'inventive' abilities decided to create their own Ultimate Weapons.
Weapons developed at any cost to secure victory in the war were now put on the agenda.
...
'Final Resolve'
'Sensing the threat of War God Artosh and yourself, the Elves and Dwarves have begun their most frantic weapon experiments. Could the course of the war change because of this?'
Above the sky of an unknown world, brand new core data appeared in Schwarzer's hand.
She hadn't expected such an unexpected gain and happily put it away. However, the immediate priority was to confirm the nature of this new world.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 40 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Ms_Medusa