-Swoosh!

Rotheron felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the metal sweep past before his eyes.

If he had been even a moment late in evading, he would have been torn to shreds by the massive metal mass.

Even a 6th-tier magician's defensive magic would be useless.

Before such overwhelming power, it would be like trying to stop a rain of bullets with a single sheet of paper.

'More importantly, who was it?'

Rather than thinking about his survival, he wondered who had saved him.

"Ah, how bothersome."

An unknown force led Rotheron to the owner of the voice.

Only then could he see him—a man with pale features who, unlike usual, wasn't wearing his mask.

"Lord Andras?"

Rotheron called out to him, but Andras merely frowned and glared at the God of Machinery.

For Andras, the current situation was quite complex and unpleasant.

'I came because I heard the New Magic Tower was under attack, but what on earth is that?'

Andras felt a headache coming on.

The mechanical being currently shaking the New Magic Tower was, without a doubt, some kind of experimental subject that Nikolai had been secretly creating.

In the first place, something like that wouldn't have suddenly appeared if it weren't for Nikolai.

'This is troublesome.'

Joining hands with Nikolai had been business—giving and taking because they both wanted something—not out of goodwill.

If anything, they each secretly harbored intentions to exclude the other once this was over.

The situation unfolding now was merely the result of Nikolai moving one step faster.

Meanwhile, Rotheron was equally perplexed.

Not only had Andras, who could be considered the core of the opposing faction, appeared like this, but he had also helped him.

Though their relationship wasn't bad on the surface, the fact that they belonged to completely separate factions meant they weren't exactly friendly.

Andras could have left Rotheron to die in that situation without saving him.

Yet the fact that he had saved him struck Rotheron as surprising.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just wanted to say thank you for helping me."

"Hmph. No matter how much we growl at each other, we're not foolish enough to fight while facing an enemy targeting the tower."

"That's true."

Had they ever had such an open conversation before?

Certainly not.

Rotheron, who had lived hiding his identity behind a mask.

Andras, who had been living while suppressing his power with a mask.

They were now having a conversation together after discarding their masks.

Rotheron found this situation oddly fascinating.

Even though the tower was under attack, he couldn't shake this sentiment, though it seemed crazy to have such thoughts.

'So wearing a mask and dragging out his words at the end was because of verbal magic.'

Rotheron finally realized why Andras spoke in that way.

It also meant that Andras had been hiding the fact that he used verbal magic.

And he hadn't hesitated to use it to save him, either.

"What is the enemy's strength? How strong is it?"

"To be honest, I don't know. It's impossible to estimate."

"Hmm. It seems that way."

It was shaking the New Magic Tower single-handedly.

Had they not interfered, there was a sense of unease that the spire standing at the center of Isla Machina might have collapsed.

'So you've been holding out against a monster like that?'

How could one gauge the level of someone who could face a Magic Tower alone?

Even Clinton, who had reached the 7th tier—said to be unattainable by humans—wouldn't have been able to breach the solid defenses of the New Magic Tower.

That being the case, it seemed reasonable to evaluate the monster before them as at least 7th tier.

"We must be careful. That monster manipulates metal freely."

"Is it some kind of iron-colored magician?"

"That's the minimum. Each of the four mechanical arms floating around is equivalent to a 6th-tier magician."

And that wasn't all.

The creature's power seemed to have no maximum limit.

Moreover, it could also fire a massive repulsive force toward targets it made eye contact with.

Without any warning, just by turning its head, it could inflict a terrifying fear and pressure on its opponent.

"Can we win?"

"If I'd thought we'd lose, I wouldn't have chosen to fight."

Rotheron spoke with a hopeful tone for the first time.

"We have hope too."

Immediately after, a golden palm pressed down on the God of Machinery's crown.

The God of Machinery recalled two of its mechanical arms that had been pulling at the tower and confronted the falling statue's palm.

Not just one, but two arms.

While the statue's power was formidable, it was even more so to glimpse an emotion never before seen from the creature.

"Oh my."

Andras unconsciously muttered as he saw the man floating at the center of the statue.

Wondering what kind of insane monster was using such power, it turned out to be someone quite familiar to him.

At the same time, Andras felt a strange sense of relief.

If he had chosen to fight Rudger to the end back then, it wouldn't have been that steel monstrosity facing the golden statue, but himself.

No, he might not have even been given the chance to face the golden statue.

He had become a 6th-tier magician and was praised as one of the top talents in the New Magic Tower. Having even mastered special category magic, Andras had been secretly satisfied with the fact that he was strong.

But at this moment, he acutely realized just how much of a frog in a well he had been.

Faced with a true wall, Andras felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

If there was any consolation, it was that the current situation wasn't leisurely enough for him to fall into despair.

The surrounding space resonated with the collision of the statue and the mechanical arms.

The steam that had been overflowing everywhere was washed away, and a dazzling light burst forth.

The test of strength was forcibly ended due to the explosion.

The size of the statue behind Rudger diminished, perhaps because it was difficult to maintain that power.

Seizing this opportunity, the God of Machinery recalled its remaining arms that had been targeting the tower and aimed them at Rudger.

The authority of steel was activated.

Fragments that had fallen off, debris scattered on the ground, all sorts of metals lying around.

Receiving the command from the God of Machinery, they floated in the air and began to gather around.

-Whir!

All sorts of debris, differing in size and shape, gathered and moved around the God of Machinery.

Even the buzzing of tens of thousands of bees would probably be quieter than this.

At the sight of what resembled a school of sardines in the sea moving together, the magicians of the tower were speechless.

But these weren't simple sardines.

They had the power to tear apart even predators that tried to swallow them.

The vanguard of the sardine school turned its head toward Rudger.

It was a march of steel crossing the air.

The statue behind Rudger, instead of reaching out its hand, brought its hands together in prayer.

Then, countless hands like wings bloomed behind its back.

Thousand-handed Arhat.

Though diminished in size, golden palms, numbering close to a thousand, intercepted the incoming metals.

-Boom!

In the empty space between Rudger and the God of Machinery, more than hundreds of lights disappeared and reappeared every second.

Amidst this beautiful and dazzling clash of powers, those who moved without being distracted aimed for the God of Machinery.

Verom, with his red mane flying, raised his sword and swung it horizontally toward the god's neck.

A black line drawn in the air sharply aimed for the gap between the god's armor.

But the God of Machinery didn't respond with defense.

There was no need to.

-Clang!

Verom's strike only cut through the countless metal fragments circling the god, not even touching the core inside.

The same applied to Whiron's attack.

"Damn it! The defense is too thick!"

It hadn't been like this before, but as the battle prolonged, the situation changed.

The God of Machinery, possessing the body of an Iron Colour magician, grew stronger the more metal was available.

Moreover, the battlefield they were fighting on was Isla Machina, the place with the most abundant metal in the world.

The traces of destruction from fighting the God of Machinery. All sorts of debris generated from those traces became the god's hands, feet, and weapons.

The mechanical arms moved.

Like a puppeteer controlling a puppet, it wiggled its fingers, and some metal pieces gathered before it, starting to take shape.

"It's increasing more?"

What was completed was another mechanical arm.

Compared to the four arms the god was handling, it was a bit lacking in size and form, but it was undoubtedly an arm.

Each arm moved one by one to create a new arm.

With this, the number of large mechanical arms the god controlled became eight.

The more serious issue was that it was eight now, but it was unclear how many it could increase to later.

If it could keep making them as long as materials were available?

Although it might be a degraded version compared to the original, even accounting for that, the power of a single arm would easily surpass that of a 5th-tier magician.

They couldn't afford to drag out this fight.

[Scatter]

Andras' verbal magic activated.

There was no need to hide or measure his power.

Andras, utilizing even the mouths on his arms, flaunted his maximum output.

-Crackle!

Another mechanical arm that was being created lost its strength, drooped, and then scattered like dust.

-Crash!

Some of the angry steel broke away and aimed for Andras but Andras didn't come here alone.

"Everyone, move!"

The direct War Mage unit led by Andras intercepted the incoming debris.

The magicians of the New Magic Tower also joined in.

While some worked to restore the tower's interceptive system, others who knew how to fight came out of the tower and activated their magic against the God of Machinery.

The defense force, having regained their composure, also stepped in.

While evacuating the citizens, they attacked the God of Machinery using special artifacts that weren't made of metal.

The metal pieces gathered by the God of Machinery gradually began to diminish due to attacks from all directions.

It was like a sturdy rock being gradually chipped away from the surface by a heavy downpour.

Though there were still plenty of metals like a black cloud, if they continued to push forward with this momentum, it wouldn't be impossible to strike the creature's core.

But the God of Machinery wasn't just going to sit there and take it.

-Flash!

The moment a golden light burst through the gap in the black cloud, a massive repulsive force swept across the island.

-Boom!

An unprecedented force swept past, instantly collapsing 30% of the 5th floor of Isla Machina.

Isla Machina might have a structure that narrows as it goes up, but that doesn't mean the 5th floor was particularly small.

Yet, the creature wiped out nearly 30% of the area with a single strike.

Considering the debris falling like an avalanche onto the 4th floor, the range of damage would be exponentially greater.

And this couldn't be dismissed as simple destruction.

Thinking about what the fallen and collapsed "debris" was made of, the answer was clear.

The God of Machinery activated his authority as the collapsed debris floated up into the air.

The steel, which they had somehow managed to reduce, was joined by a massive new contingent.

The eight mechanical arms directly led these crowds.

Like a conductor leading an orchestra, as the mechanical arms wiggled their fingers and swayed, the steel cloud moved in various forms.

"How, how can we defeat that?!"

At the sight that defied common sense, magicians from the New Magic Tower showed signs of despair.

The God of Machinery, with its endless intense power and unbelievable scale of steel manipulation, was a disaster in itself.

The weak-hearted knelt and offered prayers.

Similar actions began to occur throughout the area.

-Zing.

The light of the halo above the God of Machinery's head intensified.

On the outer edge of the double halo, a faint third ring was beginning to form.

'No way.'

Rudger bit his lip at the sight.

Maybe it was because it was made from a relic.

The God of Machinery was absorbing "faith" from those who worshipped it out of fear.

The more faith it gained, the stronger the light of the halo became, and the more people despaired, the more unstoppable the god's power would become.

Just as Rudger realized this, Andras also understood and activated his verbal magic.

[Everyone, calm down]

The power of verbal magic spread throughout the battlefield, seeping into people's hearts.

Those who were kneeling and praying belatedly realized their actions and were puzzled.

They might have been terrified, but suddenly offering prayers?

As the power being fed into the halo stopped, the God of Machinery glared at Andras.

The unprecedented power that could not only push back but also crush with just a gaze.

Just before it activated, Rudger stepped in.

"Where are you looking?"

Some of the thousand-plus hands reached the God of Machinery's body and struck it.

Thanks to that, the gaze was averted, but the God of Machinery still had no intention of leaving Andras alone.

One of the newly created additional mechanical arms aimed its fist at Andras and fired.

Seeing the steel fist that easily broke the sound barrier, Andras wore a look of dismay.

Rotheron, Verom, and Whiron stepped in to block it, but there was still one arm left.

Currently activating verbal magic, he had no leeway to dodge or block it.

'Is this the end?'

Just as Andras was about to give up, something grabbed him from behind and pulled him to the side, just as Andras had saved Rotheron.

Looking down from the sky at the scene where the mechanical arm dug into the ground and blew away the entire area, Andras was perplexed.

'Who on earth?'

Andras was even more taken aback when he saw the being that had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"A wolf?"

An extraordinary wolf was holding his collar in its mouth, treading on the empty air.