Chapter 88: The Mechanical Goddess
Miasma overflows, and countless [Ragments] manifest their forms from the darkness.
“Leave the small fry to me.”
It was Sophie who took the vanguard.
“[Gale Magic Sphere]. [Gale Magic Arrow]. [Gale Magic Slash]. [Gale Magic Spear].”
The countless offensive spells released raged like a storm, crushing the [Ragments] one after another.
The army crawling out from the miasma had its momentum halted and diminished.
“Hahaha! As dexterous as ever, Sophie!”
“Don’t get too close, it’s troublesome.”
Though not Brother Robe, Sophie is indeed skillful as always.
Activating the magic in both hands simultaneously, her control is also perfect. It is a technique enabled by Sophie’s genius.
“I’m good at dealing with large numbers. So, you guys focus on the big ones.”
“Thank you!”
Next to jump out was Noel. Her target, needless to say, was the helmeted girl.
“Alfred, I shall support my brother.”
Following her brother was Princess Marietta.
“Hmm. In that case, the one I should face is…..”
Brother Robe’s gaze fell upon Loretta, standing amidst the fray like a blossoming flower.
“Miss Loretta, is it?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Don’t expect any mercy.”
“I’m not expecting any. What I expect is for that confidence-filled countenance of yours to become distorted.”
“I cannot fulfill that expectation.”
Distorted malice and brazen violence clashed.
Brother Robe’s iron fists and Loretta’s sword. The two forces created shockwaves that shook the very ground, colliding again and again.
“[Transcendence]!”
And I donned Alvida, simultaneously activating [Transcendence] as well.
Against Lucille, I couldn’t afford to hold back.
From the start, I swung my blade at that evil woman with full force and maximum acceleration. Lucille too generated miasmic blades to counter, meeting my attacks head-on.
“Lucille! This time, here and now, I’ll crush you!”
“The one you’re fighting here and now isn’t me, is it?”
“What are you…!”
“Didn’t I tell you? That it would happen soon.”
It seemed Lucille had sensed something. Responding to her warped smile, the surrounding miasma stirred.
“—[Mechanized Railgun Form]”
A golden flash streaked across the battlefield.
A slender beam of magical power, as if taking aim between Lucille and I, grazed the earth, incinerating any [Ragments] in its path.
“That was the [Fifth Attribute] just now…!?”
As Charl said, that magical power belonged to the [Fifth Attribute].
And from the darkness, the figure that manifested was a girl equipped with a mechanized suit of armor on her left side, and a long barrel of a magitek cannon.
“Makina…!”
Even if she were to discard her mechanized armor and armaments, returning to an elegant dress, I would not mistake her identity.
“Al sama…..”
“You’re safe, then.”
Why Makina could unleash an attack of the [Fifth Attribute].
Why she fired a restraining shot between Lucille and I.
Why Makina had separated from us in the first place.
“Yes, I’m alright.”
“I see……I see. Thank goodness, really……”
There were many other questions that surfaced, numerous uncertainties.But none of that mattered. The mere fact that she was unharmed filled me with relief.
“I’m glad you could reunite safely. I’m happy too.”
“………..Lucille, you…!”
“Ahah. Don’t make that scary face. Rather, I helped Makina, you know?”
“Don’t spout nonsense…!”
“Al sama.”
Makina cut off my words, taking a step forward.
“Look, I can finally stand by your side, Al sama.”
“Makina…?”
“I can finally tell you. There’s something I want to say.”
Step by step, her movements akin to water gradually spilling from a vessel, Makina approached me.
“What’s wrong? Were you done something by Lucille after all…!”
“I love you.”
“…………!?”
The burning earth. The roars and death throes of [Ragments]. The sounds of battle.
The words Makina spoke were so ill-fitting for the scene, or perhaps precisely because of that, they reached my ears clearly.
“I love you, Al sama. I really, really love you. I’ve always, always wanted to tell you that I love you.”
“Wait. What are you saying……”
“It’s true. I’m not being brainwashed by Lucille or anything. I’ve……I’ve liked you for a long time, Al sama. I didn’t intend to tell you. But now that I’m the Princess of Orchestra, I can.”
In an instant, a radiance emanated from Makina’s entire body.
A golden light. Unmistakably, the magical power of the [Fifth Attribute].
“Look at this. I became human. I have the body of the Princess of Orchestra. This body is mine now. Since I’m royalty, I can stand by your side, Al sama.”
“You became…human?”
“Makina was an artificial human created through Orchestra’s technology.”
“What……………!?”
Lucille giggled derisively at my astonishment as she drew closer to Makina.
“In other words, she was a created life. But that’s different now. We transplanted her memory…her soul, into the preserved remains of the [real Makina-Orchestra]. The current Makina is no longer an artificial human. She has acquired the flesh of a princess, a true human being.”
What is this? What is Lucille saying?
Makina was an artificial human? They transplanted her soul into a princess’s remains?
“It’s all for you, Alfred. Out of love for you. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Stop this nonsense…! Return Makina to normal!”
“It’s impossible. The soul transplant is already complete. And besides…..”
“Ah, I’ve always wanted to say this……”
Prompted by Lucille, Makina’s eyes wavered.
“I hid it. I didn’t intend to say it. I didn’t want to trouble you…because I was just an abandoned child, unworthy of Al sama……But, but, but, but! Now I can say it! Because now I’m—the Princess of Orchestra!”
And her expression was painted with elation, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“[The Fifth Attribute’s] magic power! Royal status! With these, I can stand by your side, can’t I Al sama? I can convey these feelings to you, right?”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Makina ran and flung herself into my chest.
The body of the girl embracing me was more slender and delicate than I had imagined, to the point where it almost didn’t feel like the Makina I knew.
“I can touch you now, Al sama. I can tell you I love you! I’m……I’m human now! Not just an imitation! Not merely a created existence! I have a human body!”
The emotion Makina was directing towards me was akin to love or affection.
I could understand that. It resonated with me. I had never expected it, never considered it.
I cannot deny my bewilderment. But more than that, I was concerned by Makina’s abnormal behavior.
“Makina! Get a hold of yourself! Hey!”
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She was not being brainwashed. It wasn’t anything of that sort, I understood.
But what was this, then?
“Oh dear. The binding of flesh and soul seems to be wavering. Did it glitch after all? I thought it might work, but what a pity.”
Lucille shrugged, seeming genuinely disappointed, as if her expectations had not been met.
“[Makina-Orchestra] and that artificial human body. Even if the bodies were nearly identical, a corpse is a corpse. Transplanting a soul into that—of course it wouldn’t stabilize. Rather, if such a method were possible, people wouldn’t weep and wail over the dead.”
“So you…you did this to Makina on purpose…!”
“Please don’t say such cruel things. Look, even in those silly picture books humans love to draw, there are stories about [miracles of love], right? I just wanted to bet on that.”
“Stop this nonsense!”
“I’m not fooling around. As one who governs [Love] among the [Children of Six Emotions], I do believe in the power of love. And everyone loves those kinds of stories, don’t they? Betting on a [miracle of love] development. But…ahah. It didn’t work. Gambling is hard. I should learn from the [Snow Fairy].”
I want to kill her. I want to tear apart the woman before me into eight pieces, right now.
My head is filled. Rage rages like a storm, painting and filling me with murderous intent and hatred. My glare at Lucille seems ready to spew forth blood at any moment.
“[Fire Magic Spear]!”
The swirling magical flames took the form of a spear, assaulting Lucille. Though the strike was blocked by miasma, a figure pierced through the raging fires, forcefully hammering down a flash of their sword.
“Alkun, get Makina-san!”
“Charl…!”
“I’ll handle Lucille…!”
Charl’s entire body erupted with the magical power of the [Fifth Attribute].
Disregarding exhaustion, opting for an all-out, short-term decisive battle. With Charl’s immense magical reserves, overpowering through brute force would likely be more effective than attempting any tricks. Even Lucille was being pressured by the overwhelming might attributed to the [Fifth Attribute’s] violence.
(If I want to save Makina, now is the only chance…! But how?)
If Lucille’s words were true, there was likely only one way to save Makina.
“Nii Nii!”
Scattering the surrounding [Ragments], Sophie joined up with me. Anxiety was evident on her expression.
“Sophie! Makina is…”
“I understand the situation. I overheard most of it.”
“…Tell me your opinion.”
“I agree with what you’re thinking, Nii nii. I think that’s the only way too.”
“Thanks. If you share my view, I can be confident.”
I grabbed the shoulders of Makina, whose gaze was unfocused and emotions unsteady, and forcefully met her eyes.
……Cold. Her body was so unbearably cold, hopelessly sad.
“Makina!”
“Al sama…………I became a princess……to stand by your side…”
“Makina—abandon that body!”
“Eh……?”
“Return to your original body before your soul breaks! Then you’ll be saved!”
In her current state, Makina’s soul was under strain from being forcibly transplanted into a dead body. So if her soul returned to her original body, she should be fine.
“…Your original body and magic pathways are still connected to Makina’s. If you discard that flesh, you can return to your old self. There’s still time. So hurry…”
“No.”
Cutting off Sophie’s words, Makina uttered a refusal.
“No, I won’t……No. No. Absolutely not, I refuse……”
Makina embraced her own body.
“I……became human……I became a princess…………I won’t go back to that body, never…!”
“”………!?””
Magical power erupted violently from her entire being, blasting Sophie and I away.
“If I went back to that body……a puppet’s body can’t……touch Al sama……can’t be loved by him!”
Her cry was a wail, a scream.
Her hidden feelings. Her created existence. Surely various facts and truths had driven Makina to this desperation.
“I won’t let go of this body! Never!”
“You’ll destroy yourself!”
“I don’t care! I don’t want to go back to being a puppet!”
Responding to Makina’s sobbing screams, the high-density magical power of the [Fifth Attribute] gradually took form.
“Why? Why is this happening? For Al sama? But……No, I don’t want to……I don’t want to go back to that body anymore……So, so, so……!”
The unstable wavering of magical power concentrated on Makina—and burst forth.
“[Mechanical Goddess]”
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