He gritted his teeth while looking up at the screen.
He knew about cases like this. He had even read several related papers. But this was the first ti he had witnessed it directly.
"What's happening?"
Esperanza, who had pushed Daria away forcefully, shouted while creating distance.
"It's a phenonon where overcharged magic power synchronizes with nearby separated devices due to the wave nature of magic power during the discharge process."
"What does that an!"
No answer ca back. But if you stripped away the explanation and looked at just the main point, it wasn't a difficult story. It ant the Golden Claw and the spaceti machine had synchronized.
Then could Daria possibly control the spaceti machine? A chill ran down her spine.
"I understand it's a common occurrence."
"Then have you solved it before?"
"This kind of thing doesn't happen with my machines."
Cider said firmly. Then he looked up at the spaceti machine and sighed. Despite his confidence, it was happening right now.
If they were different machines, it might be another story. But the current situation was no different from separated head and limbs coming together. Separating entangled magic power wasn't such a simple task.
"It'll take so ti to detach them."
"What happens if we're late?"
"We'll end up ti traveling with the entire mansion."
It was truly a horrific story. Daria on the opposite side also slightly frowned. No one wanted such an ending.
"Did you hear that? Don't even think about touching that thing."
Esperanza said fiercely. Daria answered with a sneer.
"Hah, are you scared?"
Though she tried to act nonchalant, Daria was equally flustered. Despite deliberately cutting off the magic power, a considerable amount had already been absorbed. The spaceti machine had begun operating on its own.
She only felt as if blood was draining from her body. Of all tis, for this to happen when facing that woman overflowing with magic power—her luck was utterly rotten.
No. She had never had luck. Not once since birth had she ever been lucky. However, there was a way to escape.
'Since it's co to this, I have no choice but to end it quickly.'
She had no intention of being beaten to the end. When she signaled toward her younger brother who was subdued by his future self, Cyrus flexed the muscles of his crouched body. All he had to do was quietly endure the pain and wait for the right mont.
The two people who had been confronting each other at a distance clashed again. Limbs tangled and separated. Blades made vicious sounds as they grazed past. They leaped up, rolled, and threw chairs. The study beca a complete ss in an instant. Pushing open the door to the laboratory, they rolled in as if they were one mass.
Her back hit the desk. The two people who quickly got up faced each other with the laboratory table between them.
Except for the sound of machine parts turning, no other sound was made. They carefully lifted their feet and prepared for the next strike.
At that mont, Daria swung the Golden Claw for the first ti. Esperanza quickly leaped over the table. She raised her sword to block the blade sweeping horizontally. The sound of tal clashing rang out. Nothing happened.
"What?"
All that tension was for nothing... The mont she thought that, a monster shaped like a wolf and lion crudely stuck together bared its teeth above her head. Esperanza reflexively swung her sword to break the monster's teeth and stabbed its vital spot.
'Such detailed control was possible?'
If this had been possible from the beginning, why had she been fighting with ordinary weapons until now? The answer could only be guessed after looking back at Daria. Her face looked more exhausted than Esperanza, who had fought the monster, as if magic power had drained out of her.
Esperanza leaned against the laboratory wall and pulled her sword from the monster's corpse. Blood dripped onto the carpet. Rough breathing poured out.
Ah, she was tired.
There was no place to rest, and she had to keep her nerves on edge continuously. She had broken through the dungeon in the shortest ti possible, and even after that, she had been running and fighting with her nerves stretched taut. The only ti she had relaxed was when she t Cider in the music room.
Magic power still remained. Though stamina was low, she could still fight. What complained of limits first was ntal strength. But she still had to endure. If she collapsed here, Daria would kill them all. Esperanza wiped her slippery hands on her pants and gripped her sword tightly.
That was when it happened. Daria swung the Golden Claw again. This ti, a monster larger than before appeared. Crash! Its long tail wrapped around glass bottles on the laboratory table and threw them.
"Ha, it really works!"
While Esperanza was dealing with the charging monster, Daria gripped the Golden Claw tightly.
Though it consud quite a lot of magic power, detailed control that would normally be impossible was now feasible. Even with monsters she had summoned several tis before, pulling out exactly one with such precise range settings had been utterly impossible.
It was as if soone else was doing the calculations for her. Daria realized this was the interpretation system of the spaceti machine.
Daria stroked the blade with its subtle golden glow with her other hand. The spaceti machine—she truly coveted it. And its creator, of course. It would have been perfect if she could have had it as a partner.
Arrogant eyes flashed through her mind. To have such eyes when you're rely a component of this toy world. However, those eyes softened in front of that woman. For that woman's sake, he had created the spaceti machine.
Why were the best things always in places she couldn't have them? It was frustrating enough to make her curse.
The best things were not for her. Daria knew this fact well. In truth, all good things were like that. Only a fistful of hardened bread that had beco like rags in a corner of the gutter belonged to Daria.
But it didn't matter. Today she would shatter those arrogant eyes. She would kill that woman, kill the Count, and steal the spaceti machine.
Without any interference, she would perfectly dominate and perfectly utilize this land. She would earn lots of money, pay off all her debts, and live in a house where sunlight entered. For that, she could kill even a million fake people.
No, even if they were real, it wouldn't matter.
'Without that woman, the Count is nothing. And that woman is nothing without magic power.'
They had even provided a good stage for her. She didn't really understand the difficult talk about magic power synchronization or whatever, but she knew what she had to do right now.
"Cyrus! Co over here right now!"
Cyrus shot up his crouched body. At the sa ti, he reached back and stabbed his careless future self with a dagger. The boy who twisted and pulled out the blade that had been deeply thrust between the ribs ran toward Daria.
"Kuk!"
Words couldn't co out properly. The large body collapsed. In his vision, his young self's lifeless eyes kept flickering before him. He looked like soone whose soul had died. Even though it was his own face, it was chilling enough to give him goosebumps for a mont.
'Have I been living with such a face? If our work ends successfully, will I in this place live forever with such a face?'
His fingertips roughly scraped the floor. It would be difficult for Esperanza to face two people, and he should be helping. However, his body had completely lost strength.
'That side will be out of combat for a while.'
Daria, who had assessed the situation with a sideways glance, climbed onto the table. Even though glass fragnts were stepped on and her soles stung, she didn't care. The blade of the Golden Claw cut through the air. It tore through spaceti.
Esperanza, who had just dealt with the monster, looked up at that sight.
The ceiling was pierced black. The black hole that had been the size of a fist grew larger as Daria tore it with the golden blade. Trendous magic power seed to pour out.
"What are you doing..."
Was she trying to go back? No. She had seen two people return at Sterling Harbor. It wasn't like this then. This was different from before. This wasn't a retreat.
"Get back. Hurry!"
At Cider's shout, Esperanza quickly moved away from the hole.
The interpretation system connected to the spaceti machine was now at an uncontrollable level. Cider took his hands off the control panel and looked up. The hole was black to an unknowable depth. Even if light were thrown into it, it seed it would be covered by that darkness.
"What is she thinking?"
No, that wasn't important right now. Esperanza, gripping a pistol in her left hand, aid at Daria's wrist. Whatever her intention, she had to stop right now.
Bang, bang! Daria, who hurriedly dodged the magic bullets fired rapidly with almost no aim, gritted her teeth. If she had been hit wrong, her arm would have been blown off. While roughly pressing her deeply gouged forearm with her hand, she thrust the Golden Claw deeper into the hole.
Damn it. She should have created one more monster. She had given that woman a chance to attack. But it was already too late.
What to do? Cyrus was in no condition to face that Esperanza alone right now.
Knowing this, Esperanza's bullets were leisurely cornering Daria. Bang! This ti it went through her calf flesh. She couldn't even stop the bleeding. Damn it.
"Cyrus, block as much as you can. Just block. And when I signal, you know?"
"Yeah."
While Cyrus blocked Esperanza's gun with his shield, Daria poured out magic power to the maximum. It was extrely fortunate that she didn't need to do the calculations directly.
Esperanza's gaze moved busily looking for gaps. With Cyrus providing cover, it wasn't easy to hit with the gun. But she couldn't let that thing be properly completed.
Esperanza, who had kicked off the ground and risen, fired rapidly at Cyrus's face. Bang, bang bang! Dozens of shots were fired in an instant. The shield that had been struggling to hold out was pierced. Esperanza thrust her sword toward Cyrus's shield while in mid-air.
"Now!"
The back of her neck went cold. Hook-like hands grabbed Esperanza's shoulder. And before her eyes was.
Blue sky. Skyscrapers that seed to pierce that sky. Gray roads and cars filling the roads.
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