After Esperanza left the study, Cider went inside the laboratory and pulled the lever of the spaceti machine. Just turning it on consud an enormous amount of magic power.
To send Esperanza back to her original world would require additional magic power even after draining two people. However, sending her to a world of the sa ti period required much less magic power. Daria could co and go by herself to that extent.
'Still, magic power is insufficient though.'
Cider, who had been looking up at the red needle of the magic power ter, picked up the control panel he had placed on the desk. It was a bit lacking, but there was no problem.
After all, a magic power pouch was walking over on its own feet.
Clank, the heavy door of the study opened. Cyrus, who looked barely twenty with a young face, entered carrying a giant sword half the size of his body. His gaze reached precisely to Cider, who stood inside the door across from the laboratory in the depths of the spacious study.
"Count."
Though he appeared dragging his hastily patched-up leg that could barely move, Cyrus was relaxed. Even seeing the gun in Cider's left hand, he remained so. He was confident that his sword would pierce the Count's throat faster than the Count could fire his gun.
It wasn't entirely wrong confidence. There was no way he could defeat a magician wrapped in magic power single-handedly. He had never hoped for such a thing either.
However.
Bang!
This was his laboratory.
Spikes erupting from the floor pierced into his soles. Cyrus quickly rolled his body. The blood-stained spikes glowed with a sharp blue light. Spikes also erged from where he landed. The spikes shooting up from the floor weren't sothing that could be dealt with using a sword.
Red lights shot toward Cyrus's forehead, shoulder, both thighs, and back as he panicked from the unexpected attack. Gun barrels installed on the walls fired bullets toward the red lights.
Spikes on the floor, five guns in the air. Despite his large fra, his elastic body twisted while standing on the spikes to dodge the bullets. And the mont he raised his sword.
A net descended from the ceiling. The net that completely covered his entire body tightened as if digging into his skin. Cyrus twisted his body with a pale face and tore at the net. However, before he could properly exert his strength, the magic power that touched the net was cut off. Blue magic power still swirled around his hands, but he couldn't tear the net with magic power.
'Insulator...'
This was a disaster. To think he had prepared such a thing.
anwhile, the slowly moving red light illuminated Cyrus's body again. Click, the gun barrels moved with the sound.
Cider rely watched this scene from inside the laboratory. He didn't move a single step. Only his slightly raised corner of his mouth revealed the slightest interest he had in Cyrus.
There was no way he hadn't prepared any counterasures when making plans to lure enemies to this mansion. Although it was a trap with limited utility, it was sufficient to deal with the injured Cyrus.
"Ugh!"
With a strained groan, strength entered the hands gripping the net. Sharp threads cut through the palm skin. Cider, sensing an ominous premonition, quickly raised his gun and aid at Cyrus.
The net was torn to shreds. It was sothing done with hand strength alone, without magic power. Cyrus slowly got up. Though his entire body was battered, he raised his sword like an automaton executing inputted commands. Bang, bang! Fire erupted on both shoulders.
What penetrated his left shoulder was Cider's bullet. However, the bullet that grazingly tore his right shoulder holding the sword ca from behind.
"You're late."
Cyrus, who had been standing outside the door, was breathing heavily.
He approached with long strides and looked down at a face identical to his own but slightly younger. A body clearly showing traces of battle. However, the light in his eyes was still alive. Reading distinct antipathy in the eyes of the boy who had seed gentle to the point of indifference, Cyrus lowered himself toward his younger self.
"You are..."
The mont he hesitated at the alien feeling of calling himself 'you', the young Cyrus spat at his future self.
"A beast bastard who betrays blood relatives. I will never, ever beco like you."
"I hope so."
He who sincerely wished luck to his younger self soon grabbed the back of his neck. It looked like a beast carrying its young.
"Please give
the syringe."
Cider looked at him with narrowed eyes. However, without suspicion, he took out a syringe for him. Cyrus drew blood from Cyrus's stiff body with rough hands. The more blood drained, the more fiercely his eyes blazed.
Cider received the bottle containing the young magician's blood and connected it to the magic power extractor. Starting from the left side of the machine that filled the large room, lights began to turn on. Gears rattled as calculations began. Cider inserted a blank card to initialize the calculations.
"Is it ready?"
"It's ready. Now we just have to wait."
Cyrus, subdued by his future self, groaned and twisted his injured body.
"That's bad for your body."
The young man spoke as if scolding a mischievous younger brother and took out a potion from his inventory. Then he glanced around nervously.
"...I won't give him all of it."
Cider, who had pressed a button to retract all the traps, looked up.
"I didn't ask."
Embarrassed, Cyrus opened the potion bottle and poured only half on his younger self's body. Then he poured the rest directly into his own mouth. Flesh slowly began to grow on the arm that had been completely pierced by the gun. But it wasn't enough to move. The pain remained as well. To recover only halfway so he couldn't even lose consciousness—it was no different from torture.
The completely subdued young Cyrus trembled violently. The hand holding him was brutal and overwhelming. In this world, only once—when lying under Esperanza's gun in the music room—had he felt such fear creeping up his legs again.
"Let go, let this go!"
The sound of shoe heels stepping on the now clean floor without spikes slowly approached. A hand wearing work gloves grabbed his face without consideration. Cold gray eyes t his. Cyrus's hair stood on end for a mont. And he felt deeply ashad of that fact.
This was different from Esperanza or future Cyrus. 'That thing' was the sa kind of human as those countless ones he had easily killed like straw dolls with Daria. Not real. However, he had just felt fear toward that fake. It was humiliating.
"How old are you?"
Whatever emotions he felt, Cider didn't care. Just as young Cyrus despised him, he also despised this young murderer. Such gazes were familiar. But not here. The boy's teeth chattered.
It was the adult who answered.
"Sixteen."
"A child soldier then."
Even so, he didn't feel particularly pitiful. In his world, younger and more miserable children were scattered like pebbles.
"Let's throw in the adult first if possible."
As if that was the only reason for asking about age, Cider brushed off his hands and stood up without regret.
He brushed dust off the components with a brush and pulled the lever. The spaceti machine was fully activated. Now all that was needed was the central device. Just the 'Golden Claw.'
The end that had suddenly approached. Cider quietly exhaled.
"They're here."
One of the Cyruses whispered softly. The sound of clashing swords and shouting voices grew closer. Those sharp sounds were drowned out by the busy operation of the spaceti machine, making it impossible to hear what conversation was taking place.
It was instantaneous. The back-and-forth battle ceased, the door opened, and Daria lost her balance and fell backward. The Golden Claw in her hand was filled with magic power and glowed.
It was ready.
However, as if mocking that thought, an unexpected change occurred. The ground beneath shook and the spaceti machine began operating on its own.
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Two people tumbled through the open study door as if entangled. Sword and Golden Claw clashed, sending magic power flying in all directions. Cyrus dragged his young self and took cover behind the stairs. A stifled groan escaped from the completely subdued boy.
The Golden Claw had a shorter range compared to the sword. Daria was instantly pushed back by attacks that penetrated deep into her body. Her back hit the hard bookshelf. However, ignoring the dull pain, she put strength into her arms and shook off Esperanza.
'Just a little more...'
Two pairs of fierce eyes flashed with the sa thought.
Daria re-gripped the Golden Claw in her left hand. Though she had been pushed back to the wall while infusing magic power, it didn't matter. Once the Golden Claw finished warming up, she could turn things around. It wouldn't be easy, but if she could just hold on a little longer...!
However, when the warm-up was about half complete, Daria noticed an anomaly. Magic power being absorbed at an unusually fast rate. Sothing was not right. This had never happened before.
"What is this?"
The mont Daria hesitated, Esperanza's sword, which had been rushing toward her wrist, made a long gash. At the sa ti, it was almost instinctive to read sothing suspicious in Daria's expression as she put strength into her wet hand to avoid dropping the Golden Claw.
Sothing was going wrong.
The floor shook so much it hurt her feet, and the sound of tal parts colliding. White steam gushed out enough to obscure her vision. Only then did Esperanza, sensing the alien feeling in this space, check behind Daria.
Through the door next to the bookshelf, she could see inside the laboratory. Machines were clattering, and the red lights that had only been on during test operations were lit.
From the mont she first entered the study, the unfamiliar vibrations and chanical sounds had bothered her, but she thought they were all part of the plan. After all, they had said they would use the spaceti machine.
But the increasingly strong vibrations now seed as if they would bring down the house. It was fortunate that people had been evacuated beforehand.
At that mont, the vibrations stopped abruptly and chanical sounds began to ring out.
"Ah, damn it. Esperanza, get back right now!"
Cider rushed to the control panel. He urgently began operating sothing, but the screen filled with black text only flickered.
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