The one to step forward again this time was the Priestess.
A woman whose face was half-hidden by the tiara over her eyes, dressed in pure white robes and a veil.
Verom silently observed her.
He did not make the foolish mistake of judging an opponent by their appearance.
‘If she has stepped forward with such confidence, that must mean her skill matches it.’
Verom's prediction proved correct.
When the Priestess who came forth to face him opened her right hand wide, divine power flared up like fire and condensed into a sword.
In her opposite hand, a round shield symbolizing the sun took form.
‘No... that’s not all.’
Golden divine power gathered around her body, forming a helmet and armor.
The Priestess—now wearing radiant armor and shield, gleaming as though forged from the sunlight itself—radiated an overwhelming presence.
Seeing that sight, Rine’s eyes widened in shock.
The name of the Priestess who stepped forward this time was Jenis.
Her specialty was close combat, as she now demonstrated—fighting with sword, shield, and armor.
Rine thought to herself,
‘The powers of the two Priestesses who fought earlier were different too. So Priestesses each use different forms of divine power?’
Though their strength stemmed from divine energy, their fighting styles varied entirely—some summoned manifestations, others fought bare-handed, and some forged weapons and armor out of holy light.
“Elder Sister. Go.”
“Thank you, Jenis. I’ll leave this place to you.”
Catherine led Rine and the remaining Priestesses away.
“You think I’ll just let you leave, Saintess?”
Verom swung his sword to block her path.
Along the arc of his blade, crescent-shaped waves of blood-red energy shot forward.
Catherine didn’t even try to dodge or block them.
The reason was simple—Jenis stepped up to shield her.
When Jenis raised her round shield, a burst of light radiated outward, expanding until it covered the area around her.
The crimson slashes struck the shield in rapid succession, yet Jenis didn’t budge an inch.
Behind the golden visor of her helm, her eyes shone with light.
Seeing this, Verom realized he couldn’t underestimate her.
He had meant to seize the Saintess—but now, he was the one being held back by a Priestess.
‘That wind-using woman and the elven elder are fighting elsewhere too... if they’re that strong, then these Priestesses are no joke either.’
Perhaps keeping even one Priestess tied down here was a small blessing for him.
‘If a Priestess is this strong, then the Saintess—her superior—must be far stronger. I felt it the moment she dodged my attack... she might be someone beyond what I can handle.’
Then there was no helping it.
Verom's sword flared once more with crimson aura.
“Well, fighting a pretty lady isn’t really my taste, but I guess I’ve got no choice. Shame to scar that lovely face.”
“You speak rather frivolously for someone who looks so solemn.”
Priestess Jenis rebuked him.
Encased in living armor, Verom's first impression was charismatic and stoic—so her reproach struck precisely at odds with his appearance.
Verom let out a laugh, shoulders shaking.
“What, just because I’m wearing this, I’m supposed to talk like some antique knight?”
“At the very least, I expected that much.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, miss. I don’t talk like that.”
From within his helmet, Verom’s crimson eyes glowed with seething fury.
“Because I really hate that kind of thing.”
* * *
While the battle raged outside, another fierce fight was unfolding inside Galaharad Fortress.
“Tch! This thing’s seriously pissing me off!”
Inside a massive powered armor, Seridan swung her mechanical arm at the Liquid Golem.
But the creature truly was liquid—it opened a hole in its body to let the punch pass through, then clamped tightly onto the arm.
The Liquid Golem’s body constricted around the armor’s limb, and with a crackling sound, the powered suit’s arm shattered apart.
“Damn it, that’s strong!”
She’d gathered durable materials for this build, yet before the Liquid Golem it came apart like straw.
“So you’re using the same materials but reinforced even further? Not bad!”
“Ohoho! Keen eye, miss! But that alone won’t let you defeat my Liquid Golem!”
“Hah! You think I came without backup plans?”
Seridan manipulated the powered armor’s controls and boosted output from its core—the Magnetic Cube.
Wuuuuum—
The cube engraved with black and faint blue runes glowed brighter, releasing intense magnetic force around it.
Yet the metal-bodied Liquid Golem didn’t move at all.
“You thought I wouldn’t prepare against magnetism? Not a chance! The very first feature I built into this Liquid Golem was magnetic field insulation!”
“Hah! You even designed it to counter your comrade’s technology. Pretty damn two-faced, huh?”
Seridan had heard from Ludger whose magic the Magnetic Cube was based on—and so she immediately saw through Victor’s scheming.
When Victor created the Liquid Golem, he had incorporated defenses specifically to counter Lesley—whom he considered the biggest threat.
Even considering their poor relationship as fellow First Orders, this meant he had anticipated fighting him one day.
“So you planned to betray your own from the start?”
“My my, betrayal? That’s such an ugly word. I prefer to say I returned home—to the Lumenis Church, where I belong!”
At Victor’s command, the Liquid Golem morphed into the shape of a sharp spear and thrust toward Seridan’s core.
It was caught by the powered armor’s arm—the same one that had shattered earlier.
In the blink of an eye, the limb had reassembled cleanly, seizing the Golem in one hand and slamming it to the floor.
“So that’s it. The magnetic surge earlier was to collect scrap for repairs, wasn’t it? Plenty of metal debris to use here.”
“Realized it too late!”
The cube’s magnetism extended outward, drawing the surrounding wreckage into the powered armor.
Pieces floated up and clamped onto its frame, thickening the armor plating.
Ludger’s finely crafted Magnetic Cube combined alchemy from the <Ars Magna> series with magnetic magic—allowing every scrap of metal it pulled in to reshape itself for perfect fit.
The metals altered by the cube’s stored alchemy fused seamlessly, becoming new armor—or entirely new weapons.
Just like now—
Clack!
Metal fragments gathered into both of the armor’s hands, transforming into heavy rifles.
Given the several-meter-tall frame, they looked more like cannons than guns.
The massive barrels aimed at the Liquid Golem.
Ziiiing.
The muzzle glowed blue as magnetic power built up—then fired.
A brilliant flash sliced through the air in a straight line.
The blue streak pierced not only the Liquid Golem but also targeted Victor himself behind it.
Yet the railgun’s projectile never reached Victor Dreadpool.
Thunk!
An Automaton suddenly sprang up beside him and deflected the round with one hand.
KWA-KRA-KRA-BOOM!
The laboratory behind Victor was obliterated, but he stood untouched.
“What the hell is that thing now?”
Seridan stared wide-eyed at the newcomer.
It looked like an ordinary mannequin—yet it had just batted away a railgun slug and its arm was unscathed.
While Seridan hesitated, the Automaton moved.
Each stride covered several meters; in an instant it was upon her, punching straight into the armor’s thick torso.
BOOM!
The impact was unbelievable for such a small fist—the powered armor staggered backward.
Its strength output was abnormally high.
“Grr! Doesn’t matter! I’ll just crush you with size!”
She pushed the output to maximum and tried to counter—but then realized one of her feet wouldn’t move.
“What the—?!”
Looking down, she saw remnants of the Liquid Golem, pierced by the railgun earlier, clinging to her ankle and anchoring it to the floor like a shackle.
While she was caught off guard, the Automaton approached again, clenching its fist.
Clack!
A sharp hidden blade extended from its wrist.
Even more shocking, the blade gleamed with a faint blue aura.
“Aura?!”
Seridan’s eyes widened.
Aura—? An Automaton using aura?! Aura was supposed to be a knight’s exclusive ability!
While she was still reeling, the aura-charged blade was already inches away.
Even the powered armor couldn’t withstand a direct hit like that—it would pierce both the hull and the pilot.
At that moment, Arfa stepped in.
BOOM!
A powerful side kick from Arfa struck the Automaton in the ribs, sending it tumbling across the floor.
“You all right?”
“Thanks! But damn it, my foot’s still stuck!”
As Seridan struggled with the Liquid Golem gripping her leg, Bellaruna—who had been quietly mixing reagents—hurled a vial at the creature.
Ssshhhhh!
The Liquid Golem’s surface corroded rapidly, melting away like ice cream on asphalt.
Seeing this, Victor’s face flushed with excitement.
“Incredible! A reagent capable of melting my Liquid Golem—which resists corrosion, rot, magic, and curses! What material did you extract to make that?! I must know!”
“Do you really think I’ll tell you?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t! I’ll just capture you alive and open up your head myself! Ahh, I’m so thrilled! New knowledge I haven’t seen before—I can hardly stand it!”
At his ecstatic cry, Bellaruna grimaced in disgust.
“Ugh. You make me sick.”
If Ludger had been there, he would’ve muttered, You’re one to talk.
“Fufufu! Such marvelous companions! An elf who wields reagents, a dwarf specialized in engineering, and an Automaton boy nearly indistinguishable from a human.”
Victor had already discerned Arfa’s true nature.
“That makes you the perfect test subjects for my masterpiece. Let’s see if you can withstand it.”
One by one, Automatons emerged around Victor.
Featureless white faces without eyes, nose, or mouth.
Ivory bodies flawless except at their joints.
They looked like prototype models—but after witnessing that power, no one could underestimate them.
“Come now! Entertain me!”
Counting the one Arfa had kicked aside, five Automatons now stood before them.
All identical in appearance—and likely in performance as well.
‘Aura, and now this... If they can use that kind of power, we just have to avoid close combat.’
Seridan aimed the railgun at the Automatons.
At that moment, all five raised their right hands toward her simultaneously.
“What are they—”
She never finished the sentence.
From each Automaton’s palm flared circles of blue magic.
[Shaking Flame]
[Roaring Thunderbolt]
[Exploding Ice Flower]
Three spells of the Third Circle fired toward Seridan, Bellaruna, and Arfa all at once.
“Everyone, behind me!”
Seridan shouted and stood in front of Bellaruna, pushing the Magnetic Cube’s output to maximum.
Arfa quickly ducked behind her.
A blue magnetic barrier formed, blocking the incoming magic.
Enduring the blasts and dazzling explosions, Seridan roared,
“Magic?! How the hell are they casting spells?!”
“I—I think those Automatons have magic formulas stored inside them!”
Bellaruna had noticed the mana circuits engraved on their bodies.
Her guess was right.
Within their frames, magic stones and engraved formulas allowed them to unleash pre-inscribed spells at will.
Automatons that possessed both knightly and magical abilities.
What irritated Seridan even more, though, was the black Automaton that appeared behind the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ five ivory ones.
‘That one’s dangerous.’
She could feel it—the instant that black unit moved, things would turn deadly.
Then Arfa spoke.
“Can you buy me a little time?”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes.”
Arfa’s voice was firm, filled with conviction.
“I can do it. I learned this from our teacher.”
