Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

There was no time to stop it. No, it was impossible to stop it. Even though the two sides were evenly matched before, Leah Efayeret instantly increased the output of the thruster nozzle and arms. This situation could not last long, but it was enough for her to reverse the situation in an instant.

Unlike ordinary swords, since it is still the flesh of a mortal human being, as long as it is scratched by the hot and sharp plasma blade, even if it is just a slight touch, it will cause a bloody wound, directly putting the situation at a disadvantage.

"Well!"

There was no feeling of hitting the target, no sense of achieving a hit.

Ella Heper's figure turned into a dazzling purple butterfly flying in all directions, and like a shattered mirror, she instantly disappeared from Leah Ephayet's sight.

Almost subconsciously, she turned her arms again, intending to use the plasma blade to block Ella's next wave of attacks. However, Ella Heper was unexpectedly one step faster. The lavender long blade danced, and at first glance it looked like the palm of a lover, gentle, soft, and slow, but under Ella's control, it carried a vague and elusive murderous intent, quietly and lightly cutting down, and passing diagonally across the waist of the "Arbitrator".

"Magic Power Invocation".

Whether it is signing a contract with the ancient beings in the Fey Wilds, or signing a contract with the great demon in the Abyss, or obtaining knowledge from the condensed entities of information and concepts, or being listed as a follower by the servants of God, or becoming all things of the Dark Kings, the essence is the same, that is, reaching out to the existence far different from humans, exploring, praying, and pursuing knowledge and power, is an act of treading on taboos.

The summoning of magic energy is the reward given by the taboo after stepping into it.

They may be gifts from the sect master's own knowledge, or they may come from the fragments of writing in an ancient book, or they may be insights gained from observing places that are absolutely not allowed to be set foot on. In any case, they are things that ordinary people can never gain under normal circumstances.

With a light and pleasant humming sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter, the lavender translucent crystal blade cut straight through the barrel of the "Conqueror Marduk". The barrel forged with Levistus alloy, that is, a refined gold-reinforced carbon steel alloy, was cut open like foam, and the cross-section was as smooth as a mirror. The broken part finally fell slowly and exploded in mid-air.

"A cruel curse".

Most people don't know that wizards are a profession that is very compatible with secret code mages. After all, their essence is to pursue taboos, record taboos, learn lost things, and ultimately transform everything into their own power. It is extremely difficult for most people to see the existence of these two professions in their lifetime, let alone see a person who possesses both.

It is for this reason that we can assert that Leah Efayeret is lucky - she not only saw one of them, but also saw an existence that possesses both.

"Cruel Curse" is one of the countless mysteries recorded in the nameless magic book.

This is a reinforcement of the curse, allowing the "Curse of the Curse Sword" to extend beyond a simple ability to balance the combat power of both sides, forming a subtle connection between the curse and the caster, that is, the Curse Swordsman, like an anchor, a chain tied to the Curse Swordsman and inserted into the enemy.

With the existence of this anchor, as long as the distance between the two parties is not too far, Ella can easily and conveniently teleport to the person she cursed, that is, Leah Efayeret at any time. She can freely flash in a small range around Leah, which brings her great mobility advantage in close combat.

Whether it was flashing into the air to pull him into close combat, or flashing to his side just now to avoid the direct bombardment of "Conqueror Marduk" and destroy one of his cannons, all of these were uses of this ability.

The blast blew up dust and ashes, forming a black fog that temporarily obscured everything. When the fog dissipated, Ella Hepper was no longer visible on the Arbitrator's monitor.

The dust still lingered lightly around her, like a veil woven of gray gauze, whether it was to conceal the girl inside the veil or the beauty outside the veil.

--Disappeared?

She avoided too much damage by abandoning a heavy artillery in time, only her clothes were damaged, but the firepower was reduced. She put the only remaining "Conqueror Marduk" on standby and began to increase the sensitivity of the main monitor, radio equipment and other sensors to guard against possible raids at any time.

This was undoubtedly a spell effect, but the "Arbitrator" had no way of telling which one it was - as a being that simply used mechanical technology to strengthen itself, she gained convenience and high power, but naturally felt uncomfortable with the "magic" that was on another route.

Just when she was on high alert, the curtain was torn apart.

The girl's veil was broken into two pieces, and what was coming towards her was not a long blade like a purple butterfly, but something heavy, firm, pure and holy.

That's the greatsword of the paladin!

Om-!

The long sword formed by the condensation of plasma would not make any sound of metal clashing, but the fierce buzzing sound it emitted was enough to give the "Arbitrator" a headache. Moreover, the unspeakable force was coming from her wrist. She was sure, certain, and very clear that it was definitely not the "Lunicia Agris" in the information, a power that a low-level human paladin could possess.

Unlike Ella Heper, who enhanced her strength through the connection of the curse, the woman in front of her, Lunicia Agris, seemed to possess that kind of power in herself. Just like the giant sword in her hand was no ordinary item, allowing her to have the ability to confront the "Arbitrator" Leah Efayeret head-on.

"Ah!"

Even the sounds made during the battle were so beautiful, but this girl just wielded a pure white sword that was almost bigger than her body with one hand, and with a flick, she dispersed the dust, shattered the curtains, and then slashed heavily at the delicate mechanical puppet—

——No, that's not right.

Another aura appeared from behind the Arbitrator.

By invoking the magical power of "melting into the shadows", Ella concealed her body in the always dark environment of the Great Forest of Lafkai. It seemed that she had already anticipated the movement trajectory of the "Arbitrator" and the attack of Lunisia. Therefore, she was able to ambush here without being able to move or act, and emerged at the most appropriate time.

There was no exchange, no communication, no battle plan between her and her.

Even so, it was as if they were dancing a sophisticated and flawless waltz between them.

The purple blade flashed, like a dancing butterfly, and went straight to the ribs of the "Arbitrator".

Even if I couldn't pierce her chest with the sword, I could at least cut off one of her arms.

The white blade flashed, like the light of the scorching sun, slashing across the waist and abdomen of the "Arbitrator".

Even if I can't cut off half of her body with one sword, I can still tear her legs and feet apart.

——What are you?

The dry and hoarse sound was like the tip of a knife piercing the eardrum, stirring, tearing, and chopping, causing the brain and ears to suffer together. Just hearing it was like countless beetles crawling in the body, rustling, and making one shudder.

A translucent battle axe made of dark green appeared in the air. It was not so much an object made of iron and wood as it was some kind of axe-shaped creature composed of a force field and in a state of decay. As soon as it took shape, it slashed towards Ella.

On the other side, the Mummy Lord's fist smashed straight towards Lunicia.

——Die.

The "blasphemous words" temporarily severed the connection between Lunicea's body and soul, so that she could only stare with eyes wide open, blankly and confusedly at the fist coming straight at her face, like a babbling child, not knowing how to resist, nor what resistance was.

"Stay away from her."

call out!call out!

Two rapid sounds of breaking through the air cut through the atmosphere and the darkness in the forest.

The pitch-black crossbow arrow arrived in an instant and pierced the head of the Mummy Lord from the sky.

This did not seem to pose much of a threat to it. It just sneered, and then, two black crossbow arrows appeared in its hands. With a simple squeeze, they broke in the middle and turned into free prayer characters that dissipated into the atmosphere.

However, this is enough for Ashlee.

The blue flames spewed out by the propulsion components burned the muddy ground. The figure of the mechanical girl, with only half of her body intact, passed by the land at close range. In her arms, she embraced her guide, her morning star. In her slightly cold embrace, the separation between Lunicia's soul and body gradually disappeared, and she returned to normal.

"I won't let you die here."

Lunicia once again looked at the pair of golden pupils, at the owner who was holding her in his cold arms.

Ah, that look, exactly the same as before.

At the ghoul's table, she did the same to herself who was unable to move and almost dying, just like a pair of dancing partners tapping their feet to the music on the dance floor. When one of them was about to fall, she reached out her hand, put her arm around the other's back, and once again pulled the other into her arms.

——Ah, she referred to herself as "I" again.

Although they were in battle, it seemed that because of the "blasphemous words", Lunicia's thoughts could not help but diverge. She recalled that since she left Shuichequ, she didn't like to use the first-person pronoun that clearly marked herself.

Of course, Lunisia was the only one whose thoughts diverged.

The output of the propulsion component increased again. While holding the body of the armored paladin firmly, the mechanical girl moved through the intricate woods. The nozzles distributed all over the soles of her feet gave her excellent maneuverability, allowing her to avoid obstacles while avoiding the prying eyes of the Mummy Lord.

She could see what the other party was aiming at her.

It must be some kind of magic.

"Mummy Lord, the magic that can be used in this situation is -- that's it."

Temporarily ignoring Ella Heper who was struggling with spiritual weapons and the "Arbitrator", Ashetherin once again raised the black crossbow with her other hand. All the prayer beads gathered in the magazine and gathered into crossbow arrows. Not one, not two, but a whole row of densely packed arrows. Even the shape and structure of the crossbow were changing in order to conform to the will of their monarch.

"Sparrow screen, unfold."

Following the mechanical girl's cold voice, the crossbow began to emit a slight and dense sound of mechanism operation, and the crossbow arrows really spread out like a peacock spreading its tail, aiming in all directions.

This is by no means a weapon created to target a single being.

The black iron fingertips placed on the trigger and pressed lightly.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The dense and numerous sounds of breaking through the air tore apart not only the invisible objects, but also the visible ones - insects, insects, insects. Countless deformed and huge locusts with sharp jaws and twisted shapes rushed towards the two of them like dark green and yellow clouds. They ate flesh and bones and tore living things apart, but were scattered by countless crossbow arrows before they touched the two of them.

However, even though their numbers had decreased significantly, the remaining deformed locusts gathered together again and swarmed towards Ashetherin!

"Plague Swarm"!

"Ashe, throw me over there!"

Lunisia gritted her teeth and gripped the hilt of the giant sword tightly with both hands.

"But……"

"It's just a five-ring spell, I can still think of a way!"

These were completely forced words - an enemy who could use fifth-ring spells was definitely not an opponent she could easily deal with, but even so, she still managed a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to die."

It wasn't like that time when he showed a gritting face at the ghoul's table, but the words he said were the same.

"I don't want to die here yet."

“…Don’t die.”

As if they were in sync, one party was ready while the other had already exerted force. The girl's mechanical wrist swung vigorously, and Lunicia was thrown heavily towards the locust swarm as she had expected. With her strength and the heavy and hard white armor, she was like a cannonball.

Ashetherin herself once again raised the crossbow towards the Mummy Lord, towards Collettes Shuheberil.

The mechanism clicked, causing the crossbow to shift from a wide-area strike mode like a bird's screen to a regular mode that focused on the power of a single strike, using its own mobility to contain the crossbow, preventing it from having a chance to attack Ella while also making it difficult for it to continue attacking Lunicia for a while.

call--

The flames wrapped around Bai Ren's body.

It was not the blood-red flame released by the priests of the God of War, nor was it the common raging fire mixed with red and yellow. It was white flame, like the pure white flame extracted from the day and thunder. Lunicia's body fell straight into the locust cloud, but there was no fear on her face, just like her brown eyes illuminated by the white flame, there was only the courage to move forward.

puff!

As countless locusts pounced on her body and began to eat her flesh, the white flames on the blade also brushed past the cloud of locusts, brushing past the magical lives condensed from the negative energy of the undead. One, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand - one after another, pure white sparks spread out like a cloud of fire.

The locust swarm, along with Lunicia's body, was set on fire by the "Burning Flame"!

I will be handling the onboarding procedures in the next two days - fried pork intestines and starch -!

Chapter 18: The Collision of Chess Pieces (Part 7)

pain.

It hurts.

There was piercing pain all over my body.

It was as if countless sharp knives were cutting her body, and salt was sprinkled on the wounds, causing repeated pain that pierced her mind. The divine flames not only burned the swarm of insects, but also her own body. Those holy white flames would not manifest as physical burning until they burned her soul to ashes. Even so, they still made Lunicia suffer.

Her entire body was burned by pure white flames, and she wielded a greatsword like a pilgrim clad in white clouds.

Want to scream.

Want to fall to the ground.

I want to roll over, I want to extinguish these flames.

Even so, she just gritted her teeth.

She simply tightened her grip on the hilt of the Avenger.

——Cut it off——

That voice, that familiar yet strange voice of a girl that she had only heard in her dreams, echoed in Lunicia's mind. It was a girl condensed from orange flames, wearing Lunicia's own face. Although she was on the battlefield, Lunicia saw something else.

There was a black horizon without any difference between high and low, and she was standing right in front of him.

The flames formed into a shape, full of resentment and sorrow, as if longing for something but with empty hands, and ultimately accomplishing nothing and having nothing. She was left alone, as if she could not see Lunicia's existence, and just opened her arms to the void in front of her, as if she wanted to grab something, as if she had wanted to grab something before, but in the end, she only grabbed the warmth of her own palms. She seemed to want to hug something, but she just hugged emptiness.

and so--

——Swing your sword——

"Ah-"

The girl gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.

"You don't have to tell me... I know it too."

Responding softly, the white flame poured into the girl's body through her lips, burning her lungs and wrapping her internal organs in pain like being cut by a thousand knives. She was like a pure white torch. Even so, she still did not scream. In front of her, the swarm of man-eating insects burned by the white flame condensed into an ever-changing sphere, making crackling sounds, and finally changed into a vague, indeterminate human shape.

It was like the figure of the Mummy Lord.

The giant sword was raised high, and then, wrapped in the whitest light, it was swung down heavily.

——"Supreme Slash"——

White light, accompanied by white flames, swept out along with the sword, wrapping the twisted locust figure. The sacred flames burned the countless evil souls, making them hum, flap their wings, and crackle. The speechless beings seemed to have gained the ability to speak, screaming, making indescribable weird noises, and finally turning into a pool of ashes that were blown away by the wind.

Only when the ashes of the burned locusts had completely dispersed did Lunisia stop focusing on "Scorching Flame Slash" and let the white flames burning her dissipate. Her knees softened and she fell to the ground. Although it was deep winter, she was covered in sweat. The remaining pain had not yet dissipated, stirring in her lungs, making her unable to use any strength for a while.

"Haah...haah..."