The World Is Mine For The Taking

"L-Leon, what is that...?" Rose asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"It's an automata," I told her.

Truthfully, this was the first time I'd seen something like this, but given that Scarlet — who was a cyborg — existed, I suppose seeing a metallic body wasn't entirely unheard of.

Still... Scarlet seemed to be from another world. I hadn't asked her much about her origins since she was always away, but now, seeing something like this... it was honestly shocking.

It not only caught me off guard — it shook me to my core. Maybe a cyborg like Scarlet wouldn't surprise me as much anymore, especially since this world had things like guns, but... how could something like this exist here?

In a world governed by swords and magic... in a world where technological advancement was barely past the basics... something like this simply shouldn't exist.

No... perhaps it could. The possibility wasn't impossible — not when portals existed that connected to other worlds. If beings from other realms could pass through... then maybe something like this automata had done the same.

The real question was... which world had this person — no, this robotic woman — come from?

Calling her a robot felt like an oversimplification, especially with how lifelike her appearance was. Her skin was incredibly realistic — too realistic. If not for those unsettling metallic eyes, I wouldn't have been able to tell she was anything other than human.

Her movements were flawless, fluid, and natural — not the stiff, mechanical motions you'd expect from a machine. This was... a perfect automata.

How something like this could exist in this world was a mystery — one I wouldn't be able to solve unless I got past her.

"An automata? Is it... a person?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"It's possible," I replied.

I couldn't be sure if there was a human controlling it or if it was acting on its own. There was also the possibility that it was a cyborg — someone like Scarlet. The skin was just too lifelike, and if not for those unnatural eyes, I would've mistaken her for a person entirely.

"Can you defeat it?"

"That's no problem," I assured her.

I reached out and called forth Ayuru. The blade emerged from the space between my palm, and I closed my fingers tightly around the hilt.

As soon as I summoned Ayuru, the automata's head snapped toward me with unnerving speed — so fast that it felt unnatural, almost inhuman.

Her cold, metallic gaze locked onto Ayuru, and a moment later, she shifted into a fighting stance. Her arm shot outward, palm open and steady.

I had no idea what she was preparing to do... until her palm began to shift. With a sharp metallic click, her hand transformed — folding and twisting until her forearm opened to reveal a hollow cavity.

No... not just a cavity — an...

...artillery cannon.

A low hum vibrated through the air as light began to swirl inside the hollow chamber, flickering and twisting like a miniature sun being compressed into a single point. The energy surged violently, crackling with power as it gathered strength.

She's about to fire.

The blast erupted from her arm in a searing beam of light, tearing through the air with a deafening shriek. Instinct kicked in — I activated Guardian, and a shimmering dome of mana enveloped us just in time. The beam struck the barrier head-on, detonating with a thunderous explosion.

The force slammed into the dome's walls, rippling violently as the shockwave tried to push outward. Cracks splintered across the ground beneath us, and chunks of stone crumbled from the ceiling above. Dust filled the air, choking my breath.

If that blast had hit without the barrier... the entire dungeon would have collapsed on top of us.

"Don't you think trying to blow us up inside a dungeon is going a bit too far?" I called out, narrowing my eyes at her.

The automata didn't answer. She remained motionless for a moment, her glowing eyes fixated on me with cold precision. Then, her cannon-arm shifted back into a normal hand with a metallic clank. Without a word, she stepped forward — slow, deliberate, yet utterly confident.

I tightened my grip on Ayuru.

"Stay back," I warned Rose.

The automata's gaze flickered toward Rose for a brief second before returning to me. The air seemed to thicken even more, mana swirling like an invisible storm.

She's not finished.

Her fingers flexed, and the seams along her arm began to shift again. The moment her hand twitched, I lunged forward, slashing with Ayuru before she could fire again.

Our blades met — or rather, her arm became a blade, extending into a gleaming edge of steel that clashed against Ayuru with a sharp screech. Sparks erupted from the impact, illuminating her face in a harsh glow.

Her strength was... overwhelming. The sheer force behind her strike nearly made my arms buckle.

Damn... she's strong.

I gritted my teeth and pushed back, forcing her arm away just enough to break free from the lock. Without hesitation, I leapt back to gain some distance.

"Leon... she's fast!" Rose warned from behind.

I knew that already. Her movements weren't just fast — they were precise, calculated, like she could predict what I was going to do before I did it.

The automata's gaze locked onto Ayuru once again, her eyes narrowing slightly — as if recognizing the weapon itself.

Before I could think further, her arm shifted again — the blade folding back as her palm twisted open once more.

Another cannon shot...!

"Rose! Stay back!" I barked, raising Ayuru as the automata's arm began to glow.

This time... I had to strike before she could fire.

The automata's arm flared with light, the energy swirling faster — a condensed sphere of mana charging at alarming speed.

I surged forward, Ayuru's blade glowing fiercely as I channeled mana into it. The moment her cannon locked onto me, I shifted my body to the side, narrowly dodging the beam as it tore past my shoulder. The searing heat scorched my skin, but I ignored the pain — there was no time for it.

With a swift step, I closed the gap between us, raising Ayuru high.

I brought my blade crashing down, lightning crackling along Ayuru's edge. Sparks danced violently as my strike connected with her raised arm — her steel limb holding firm under the weight of my attack.

She's durable...!

The automata's glowing eyes flickered as her free hand shot out, her fingers curling into a vicious claw aimed straight for my throat.

I twisted away just in time, her metal fingers grazing my neck — close enough that I felt the cold steel brush my skin. Without wasting a breath, I spun my body and slashed across her side.

CLANG!

The sound of metal on metal rang out, but this time, I felt Ayuru's blade sink in. A gash tore through her side, faint sparks flickering from the exposed wires beneath her artificial skin.

For the first time, the automata staggered slightly.

"Leon!" Rose cried out.

I barely turned before her arm morphed again — this time into a jagged spike that shot straight for my chest.

I raised Ayuru at the last second, deflecting the strike just enough for the blade to graze past my ribs instead. Pain flared across my side, and warm blood trickled down my skin.

"Guardian!"

I roared, forcing mana into my barrier once again. The dome flickered into place, but the automata was relentless — she launched another blast from her arm cannon before my barrier could fully stabilize.

The beam slammed into the half-formed barrier — cracks instantly spreading across its surface like fractured glass.

"She could even damage Guardian...?!" I hissed, gritting my teeth.

The barrier shattered in a burst of energy, forcing me back. My legs wobbled, my breath ragged. Blood seeped from my side, staining my clothes.

The automata stepped forward once more, her expression cold and mechanical — like death itself advancing with unrelenting precision. Her arm shifted back into its blade form, gleaming under the dungeon's dim light.

"Rose...!" I called out. "Use your fire magic! Hit her from the side!"

Rose hesitated for a moment before raising her hand.

"Raaaaaaah!"

A spear of roaring flames shot from her palm, hurtling toward the automata's exposed side — the gash I'd managed to leave earlier.

The automata turned, her glowing eyes flashing as her blade shifted to deflect the spell — and that was my opening.

I dashed forward, Ayuru humming in my grip as I poured everything I had into one final strike.

The blade ignited with crackling lightning, and I drove it deep into her exposed side. Sparks erupted as Ayuru's edge tore through her frame, digging into her core.

The automata's glowing eyes flickered — her body twitching violently as arcs of lightning surged through her metallic form.

"Must... eliminate..." her distorted voice crackled. "Protect... portal... must... eliminate..."

"Raaaaaaaahhhhhh!" I shouted, forcing Ayuru deeper.

The lightning intensified — her body jerking and convulsing as smoke rose from her frame. Her arm flailed weakly, her energy cannon flickering before finally sputtering out.

With a final surge of power, Ayuru's blade tore through her core completely — and the automata's glowing eyes dimmed into cold, lifeless orbs.

She staggered once... twice... before finally collapsing to her knees. The metallic clang of her body hitting the stone floor echoed through the dungeon.

I stood there, panting heavily, my grip still tight on Ayuru's hilt. Blood trickled from my side, soaking into my clothes, but I barely noticed it.

"You... okay?" Rose asked, rushing to my side.

I nodded. "Yeah... but..." I glanced down at the fallen automata. "Did you hear what she said?"

"Protect... portal..."

"...There's something deeper in this dungeon," I muttered. "And whatever it is... she was willing to die to protect it."