Of all Demon Lords, Lydia was the weakest—at least when it came to physical abilities.
In Magic, she was somewhere in the middle. In essence, an average Demon Lord.
However, her true abilities weren't tied to those things. After all... for her race, they could be whatever they desired!
>VWUUUUSSSHHH<
Miasma swirled around the Demon as her temper rose to a point where she could no longer control her primal desire—
—Destruction!
"I've had enough."
Instantly, several whips emerged from behind her—like tentacles.
They were at least six, but thanks to their rapid movements, it would be hard to estimate just how many of the rubber-like protrusions appeared.
>WHUUSHHH!!!<
The whips made sharp sounds as they lunged at the Automaton, intending to demolish it and charge at the target behind.
The hulking figure knew the dangers of the incoming attack and acted accordingly. Boosting its body with Mana, it decided to confront the threat rather than avoid it.
A proper evasion would have been possible, but that would only put Ana in danger. In order to balance the scales, a frontal assault was inevitable.
>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!<
Casting multiple Spells to slow down the white whips, the Automaton proceeded to generate something that was locked within his arm.
It was a small metallic item, similar to a hilt of some sort. However, once the Automaton's Mana was poured into it, the handle brought forth a blade from its edge.
>VWUUUUUMMMMM<
With an intense blue light emanating from the blade, the Automaton lunged at the whips that still approached despite its barrage of Magic Attacks.
>FWISH!<
Utilizing the blade fluidly while calculating the most optimal angle to strike, the Automaton twisted its body and slashed the tentacles.
The rubber-like whips were tougher than metal, while also being fluid enough to bend, retract, and lengthen at will.
However, having gotten enough data to support its combat potential, the Automaton's moves—Martial Arts combined with Magic—were absolutely superior.
"Gah!" Lydia groaned, annoyed without end by the Automaton's strange movements.
She could tell that she possessed more power than the machine, but it was capable of feats no living being could perform.
It was precisely because the Automaton was an automated construct that was developed using an intricate System that it gave her such trouble.
Not only was it evading her attacks at a stable pace, but it was also counterattacking.
"Tch!"
Lydia increased the number of her whips, and then proceeded to utilize Magic.
Once the numbers increased, the Automaton had his hands full, so she focused on the enemy beyond it—the girl called Ana.
Her three Automatons still hovered around her, ready to defend if the situation called for it.
"That won't stop me!"
Lydia had been conserving her Miasma since the start of the fight, but she didn't plan on doing that any longer.
Other than the stockpile she would leave for escaping and an emergency, the Demon Lord intended on using her full strength to decimate the target.
From her shoulder emerged two extra limbs, and they pointed in Ana's direction. Another head appeared from Lydia's neck—smaller than the initial one.
"I'll simply divide my attention."
And so, while she was focused on the Automaton on one end, her other aspect would be finishing off the little girl.
>VWUUUUSSSHHH!<
Lydia generated a Spell bordering the highest Tier of the Advanced Stage once more, readying the launch at the girl. However, that was simply a prelude.
The second head of the Demon Lord grinned sadistically as she began processing another Spell, this time in the Peak Level.
>BOOOOOMMMMM!!!<
As expected, the three Drones acted in tandem and blocked the initial purple blazing strike.
But, the moment this was done, the next Spell began appearing. It was a blazing inferno coupled with a storm of lightning.
Having the destructive capability that lived up to its Peak Level name, the whirling storm of flames and lightning lunged in Ana's direction.
"Ah, this could be a bit dangerous." She whispered, watching the blast draw nearer.
>BIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
A large portion of the building was devastated.
Had it not been for the defensive measures given to the building, the whole place would have been destroyed to smithereens.
"How's that?!" Lydia grinned, finally getting rid of the girl that brought her so much distress.
As for the Automaton that had proven to be quite bothersome, it was now struggling in the grasp of so many tentacles.
Unable to move its trapped limbs, it merely fidgeted and spasmed.
Lydia felt satisfied that she had finally defeated the girl and her annoying toy. They proved to be nuisances, but the end had been set from the start.
'She was stronger than I gave her credit for...' Lydia thought to herself, turning to the device behind her.
As expected, despite the conflict, it remained unscathed. Happy to be finally returning to her initial mission, Lydia used her tentacles to completely break apart the Automaton behind her.
Scraps and pieces landed on the hard ground as the smell of burnt flesh and devastated machinery filled the air.
Victory was a matter long foregone.
She approached the device, now returning to her state as Maro.
The defensive barrier around the weapon was made to ensure nothing could pass through unless they were recognized.
Lydia was aware that even she could not break such a complicated and powerful defensive array. To her knowledge, it was made by none other than Neron Kaelid.
That left her no choice but to use one of the authorized personnel.
Now taking the form of the few who were granted access to the device, Lydia planned on destroying it completely.
'I can't delay any further...' She thought to herself.
"You really want to destroy it so badly, uh?" A voice appeared behind her.
'Wha—?!'
"Command: 6754 Zeta—Maro protocol."
Before Lydia could move another muscle or react to anything, her body halted completely. It was a forceful submission to the voice she had just heard.
As if that wasn't enough, Lydia could feel herself falling asleep.
Her eyes were closing, and her consciousness was fading fast.
>CLACK<
>CLACK<
Sounds of gentle footsteps echoed in the wide room, and a terrible sense of foreboding crept upon the Demon Lord as she was rendered completely defenseless and vulnerable.
"Well, looks like the results work perfectly, after all." A voice emerged from behind her.
"Experiment Complete."
