Vol 3: Chapter 30
Since this is the Labyrinth of Fear, the door might be opened by showing “fear”.
Though, there was one thing that weighed on my mind.
There is no guarantee that this hall is the innermost part of the labyrinth. Moreover, an automaton has appeared and is raging violently.
If this hall is indeed the innermost part of the labyrinth and this automaton is the challenge of the last trap, it would make sense to destroy it. I can think about how to show “fear” later.
On the other hand, even if this is not the innermost part, we still can’t move forward unless I take down this automaton either way. I’m worried that it’s not using emotional attack even though it’s a humanoid automaton, but it’s rather convenient for me because Mimino-san’s Mana Neutralizer is about to run out.
I concentrated all my mana on my right hand and activated【Fire Magic】.
The white flames cast off tremendous light.
(【Fire Magic】was blocked with the shield, and【Lightning Magic】was taken directly without blocking with the shield, but the magic itself was absorbed by the jewels.)
What this means is…
(There’s most likely a limit to the amount of magic the jewels can absorb.)
If the jewels can absorb magic inexhaustibly, there is no need to block with the shield.
In that case, I just have to throw a magic attack that cannot be blocked with the shield. Using【Lightning Magic】has recoil and the highest I learned with【World Ruler】was only 2-stars. So, the biggest magic I can use right now is the Mithril-rank adventurer Crysta-la-Crysta’s【Fire Magic ★★★★】.
It is the first time I’m using the maximum firepower in an actual battle. Even to shoot a test round, I need to carefully choose a suitable place.
However,
「Against you, I won’t need to hold back at all!」
I stuck out my right hand and supported the elbow with my left hand. A brilliantly flaring white flame was shot toward the Juggernaut.
Although “recoil due to magic activation” does not occur originally, “magic activation” itself puts a burden on the body.
An attack containing this much mana shook my right hand violently. A gust of hot wind arose from the high-heat flame, causing the hem of my clothes and my hair to flutter.
The Juggernaut right in front of me, naturally, tried to block the attack with the shield.
The moment it clashed, the space itself seemed to distort and the shock wave was transmitted even back to me. The surroundings became bright as if a flash grenade had gone off. The fog evaporated and an air flow was generated. The air swirled around the Juggernaut.
The white flames burned the shield hot red at the impact point, melted the alloy, pierced through, and flooded towards the body of the Juggernautーright around where a human’s navel would be. I saw the process of the【Fire Magic】being converted into mana and absorbed into the jewels on the chest through【World Ruler】.
That process was soon interrupted, however. Because of the high heat of the magic, or because it couldn’t absorb all the mana, cracks ran on the surface of the jewels, and it broke.
Hell Yeah!!!
「!!」
But the Juggernaut was still moving. It slammed the hammer in one of its left hands against its belly, scattering the【Fire Magic】with force.
Then the Juggernaut brandished its sword and swung down its spear, as if to say it can still keep going.
My mana is almost empty, and my body wants to rest.
(I couldn’t beat it…!)
The enemy’s movement was clearly slowed down, but there was still no sign of stopping.
One more attack.
I feel like I can beat it in one more attack!
Move please, my body!
「Kuu!」
I managed to dodge the blow by rolling sideways, and stood up. The Juggernaut had already moved on to the next action.
(…Hmm?)
I noticed that the Juggernaut’s movement was strange. It mounted the attack while protecting its body with the shield, but the way it was shielding was strange.
Normally, you would protect the place where the【Fire Magic】hit. However, the shield was protecting a little above the center of the body.
Is it protecting the jewels?
No, the jewels are already broken—then what is it protecting?
(It has lost its mechanism to absorb magic, but the Juggernaut is still moving… Could it be that…)
The Juggernaut’s lifeline is the internal-combustion engine. It should have an engine like Magi Engine. Or perhaps it has a mana tank that operates like a magic stone which supplies mana.
Although it is different from a normal human in that it has three heads and six arms, other small moving parts such as joints and finger movements are the same as those of humans.
Perhaps the mana tank is in the heart part?
Is that why it is protecting that part with the shield?
「Gah, I don’t have the time to think calmly–Crap!」
I was in the middle of dodging the Juggernaut’s continuous attack.
My feet slipped and my body tilted to the side.
I pushed the ground with my arms instead and leapt away from the attack. …That was too close. My knees are starting to give away. I can’t keep fighting for longer.
(How can I strike the heart? Throw my dagger? But if it misses, I can’t search for it in this thick fog. Ask for Zerry-san’s help? That’s all I can do for now…)
I unknowingly reached for the leather bag on my waist, and noticed a certain hard substance.
Wait, I can use this…
「Kuh…」
I was a beat too late to dodge. The tip of the sword grazed the sleeve of my clothes and tore it apart. Pieces of the fabric were sent flying into the air.
I don’t have the luxury to mull over things right now.
No choice but to just do it.
My opponent is an automaton. A surprise attack or waiting for a gap is too difficult. In that case, just ram it from the front.
「HAH!!」
I grasped the dagger I received from Border Earl Mule and threw it at the automaton. My aim – the lower abdomen, where I hit it with【Fire Magic】previously. The Juggernaut moved the shield and blocked the dagger. The dagger was repelled to the side.
I guess you can call it a computer-like movement? A precise movement that was like, “If I did this, it will respond this way.”
In other words, while defending with the shield, other places will be unprotected.
Clang!
The small sound came from the automaton’s mouth. The dry sound of metals colliding with each other. I’m glad I learned【High-Angle Firing Technique ★★★】—Who knew it would come in handy at a time like this?
The Juggernaut reacted with a twitch.
I thought, if the body is imitating a human being, then the mouth might be connected to the internal-combustion engine. No, it wouldn’t be a problem even if it wasn’t connected. What I learned from the previous【Fire Magic】attack was that the melting points of the metals that make up the Juggernaut was not very high.
In other words, I thought that if you throw in something that gets hot, it will melt through the internals.
What I threw was the fidget spinner-like tool that was sold cheaply at the magic shop.
It spins around, and eventually gets heated up to the point where you can’t hold it in your hand.
I remodeled it by adding combustibles on it to increase the amount of heat to the extent that it ignited—it was originally made to be a toy.
The Juggernaut swung around its weapons like it had gone crazy, and spinning around on the spot like a violent tornado.
Black smoke was already rising from its mouth, and eventually–
「!?」
Light shone from the eyes and the three mouths, the arms came off the joints and fell apart, and the upper part of the torso increasingly glowed red due to overheating.
「Shit, it’s gonna explode!!!」
It was unlikely that someone—especially Zerry-san—was nearby, but I still shouted so, as I ran away.
The Juggernaut exploded, accompanied by orange flames. Pieces of metal came flying my way, so I jumped forward and held the back of my head.
Even though I was only a short distance away, the fog started covering up the Juggernaut which was burning in blazing flames.
「I defeated it…?」
Just when I thought that the flames were yellow, it turned blue, and in the next moment it turned red and continuously turned to various colors. …I only hope it doesn’t let out any strange gases.
Ah, damn. This guy… sure was tough.
Zuzuzuzuzuzu…….
The ground shook with the sound of underground tremors. I thought the next enemy was coming and put up my guard, but nothing in particular happened.
「Gosh, don’t surprise me like that…」
I walked, dragging my tired body, in the direction where everyone should be.
Retrieving the dagger and salvaging usable parts from the automaton can be left for later. Though I wonder if there are even any salvageable parts left… That big weapon is just a lump of metal, so it may be useful, for dirt cheap, that is…
「Ahh……」
Maybe it was because the tension disappeared, or because of the extreme lack of mana—my legs stopped listening to me, and I fell face first on the ground.
And then I just fainted.
