Neo-Joseon Cyberpunk Chapter 73 : Andromancer (2)

Chapter 73: Andromancer (2)

[You’re asking to lift the firepower restriction?]

[What kind of bastard is it that you’re saying that?]

[It’s not soone we can deal with in our current state.]

[Iris, compared to the other Andromancers, your restrictions are already excessively lifted.]

[At this rate, there’s no chance of winning. Miller, are you fine with failing this mission?]

[…….]

As Iris continued to press strongly, Miller, who had hidden his body behind the shield, fell into deep anguish.

“What are you going to do?”

Kim Rua, who had been fending off the spirit’s attacks, approached nearby and asked.

“Even just dealing with this spirit alone, we’re short on firepower…….”

〈Where are you looking away to?〉

“Keugh……! This bastard……!”

Once again, a fierce exchange of blows unfolded.

If things continued like this, it was clear that Kim Rua too would reach her limit.

And if support from a mage so strong that even Iris issued a warning joined in, defeat naturally ca into view.

‘Lifting the firepower restriction…….’

Those called Andromancers were beings that even a gacorporation found difficult to handle.

No matter how thoroughly they had received ntal conditioning since childhood, given their nature of roaming deep within the Electrosphere, unpredictable situations occurred all too often.

The firepower restriction was a system created to deal with such risks.

Normally, one had to go through complicated procedures to lift it, but there was no ti for that now.

With team leader authority, it was possible to lift it urgently, but in that case, all responsibility for whatever happened afterward would fall on the team leader.

[What is the requested restriction-lift level?]

In the end, Miller, having steeled himself, asked.

But the answer that ca back made his head ache even more.

[Maximum level.]

Iris’s maximum firepower.

Miller knew very well what that ant.

Among Andromancers known as one-person legions, she possessed outstanding abilities.

‘She was that strong of a mage…….’

Lightning-type attribute awakening ‘White Thunder’, and ice-type attribute awakening ‘Black Ice’.

Based on information already obtained in advance, the assud threat level of the target was by no ans low.

A mage who handled two types of attribute-awakened mana was not an opponent to be taken lightly, even for a ga Corp Agent.

That was why Iris’s firepower restriction had already been set quite high.

Even so, asking to lift it to the maximum ant…….

‘Just what kind of information did she get.’

As Miller sank briefly into thought, Iris urged him.

[He’s trying to co outside. There’s no ti. What will you do?]

At that, Miller made his decision.

[I authorize it.]

The mont that command was given.

A massive noise rang out from the upper part of the building.

“Hahaha! Looks like it’ll be over soon.”

At Kim Rua’s laughter, the lightning spirit glanced toward the fifth floor.

〈That is…….〉

“The maximum firepower of Iris. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, since that day.”

〈So it really was you guys.〉

“With this kind of noise, it must be that, right?”

A technique that had played a major role when subjugating the Type-19 lightning spirits Per and Kunos.

Kim Rua murmured with a smile on her lips.

“Chro Catacomb.”

It was the sound of the underground graveyard of androids opening.

Right after feeding four Electrosphere wraiths to Ar, for so reason the attacks suddenly stopped.

Had they judged that they couldn’t break through with their own power?

‘For an Andromancer, that’s too feeble of a firepower.’

No matter how he thought about it, Diesel felt that the attack just now had simply been ant to gauge their opponent’s ability.

The Andromancers he knew were not beings this weak.

In any case, taking advantage of the brief lull, he checked the condition of Kang Da-hee, who was lying collapsed.

‘She’s regained stability for now.’

Right after she lost consciousness, her breathing and pulse had been extrely unstable.

But now, she looked peaceful, as if she were sleeping deeply.

‘Whatever the mory is, it looks like she still needs so more ti.’

After roughly wiping away the tears flowing from the corners of her eyes, he stood up.

Now the next objective was to destroy the spatial disruptor.

After destroying the disruptor installed near Heavyskull, securing the bastard’s person, and escaping through the portal with Kang Da-hee, this operation would be over.

With that in mind, Diesel started moving.

〈Nereid. Watch over this woman for a mont.〉

〈Okay.〉

As he kept his guard up and slipped out into the corridor—

A loud noise ca from outside.

‘What is it?’

Had support already arrived?

〈The internal security level has suddenly been reinforced. I can’t grasp the surrounding situation.〉

Ar’s voice, reporting to its master, trembled slightly.

〈Are you okay?〉

Reinforcing security ant forcibly cutting off all existing connections and raising the firewall level—an extrely drastic thod.

A hacker expelled like that would inevitably suffer severe backlash.

Even if it was an Electrosphere spirit, it wasn’t all that different.

〈I’m fine. There’s a slight aftereffect, but it’s still bearable.〉

Whether it was said to reassure its master or not, Ar’s small body trembled faintly.

〈Don’t push yourself too hard.〉

〈External support probably hasn’t arrived yet. The Cheonrang corporate group uses their signature wide-area jamr, but there are no signs of that.〉

〈Understood.〉

〈Still, please be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.〉

Carefully slipping out through the open steel door, he checked the path leading toward Heavyskull.

Then, an unexpected figure was standing before his eyes.

“…….”

A small-frad woman wearing a pitch-black mask.

The gacorp’s Andromancer who had been sending androids until just now.

As if she had been waiting, she asked Diesel.

“Was it Diesel?”

The black artificial eye emblazoned with the Horus Optics logo swept over Diesel.

‘What kind of trick is this now?’

For an Andromancer—soone positioned to control the situation from the very rear—to appear in person.

“Even now, surrender quietly. Then at least you’ll be comfortable…….”

As expected of her colleagues, she urged death with the sa old pattern once again.

Was it written sowhere in a manual?

There was no need to hear the rest.

Diesel imdiately drew up his mana.

The ntal image he summoned was a blade within the frigid cold blowing across the polar regions.

A sharp fragnt plunging down from the sky.

‘Scales of the Ice Dragon.’

The scales that should have frozen pure white instead froze pitch-black due to the Black Ice mana Diesel possessed.

‘And now, pour lightning into it.’

Pajijijik……!

A lightning-type enchantnt raised with White Thunder was infused into the ice fragnts.

Suddenly, the first job where he had used these two spells ca to mind.

‘Grip lightly, then throw with force.’

White lightning wrapped around black ice writhed violently.

A projectile with outstanding penetration, imbued with lightning that amplified its destructive power.

To block this, one would need sothing like the legendary shield of Nord.

“As expected…….”

The ga Corp agent’s eyes flashed with mana light.

“Ha……!”

Diesel projected the black-and-white magic toward her eyes.

Just as the sharp ice scales were about to pierce soft flesh—

Kiiiiing……!

A gigantic hand that appeared from nowhere stopped it.

“……?”

It hadn’t blocked it by raising sothing like a shield.

Diesel’s magic was frozen in midair, as if a pause button had been pressed.

‘What is that supposed to be…….’

〈Edel’s Left Hand.〉

At Ar’s murmur, the Ice Dragon’s scales lost their form and scattered into mana.

〈It’s power left behind by a Seed who went into seclusion in the past.〉

A secluded Seed.

Naturally, not every Seed had risked their life to prevent destruction.

So had gone into seclusion—so had even turned into enemies.

〈Then that’s the power of soone called Edel?〉

〈Close. It’s an artifact that contains the power of the Seed called Edel.〉

An artifact containing the power of a Seed.

Just who could have created such an incredible thing?

〈It’s the sa person who made the prosthetic embedded in your molar.〉

Diesel recalled the na Sis had briefly introduced.

It had been ‘Magnus’.

‘Then was soone called Kantara also a Seed?’

The prosthetic installed in Diesel was ‘Kantara’s Sixth Molar’.

Magnus, Kantara, Edel—none of them were figures present in his older brother’s mories.

It was a fascinating subject, but there was no room to dwell on it now.

The fact that the Andromancer had brought out such an extraordinary item ant she intended to fight seriously.

“That’s impressive. Power enough to blow off an entire finger.”

From the artifact called Edel’s Left Hand, one finger emitted a bright light and smoothly vanished.

He wondered where that arm had erged from, but when the Andromancer slightly turned her body, he got his answer.

A wide entrance leading underground.

From it, a giant-like left hand was erging.

Was it magic?

No—judging by the fleeting sensation, it resembled a spirit manifested into reality.

〈It’s a technique called ‘Chro Catacomb’. A kind of storage vault where android parts and Electrosphere wraiths are kept. Being able to open that ans she’s quite skilled.〉

An Andromancer’s storage vault.

Soon, the giant’s hand planted itself on the ground, and its entire body began to pull itself out of the catacomb.

‘This is insane…….’

The shoulder of a humanoid weapon ca into view.

Smooth yet solid skin, as if carved from marble.

It looked closer to a statue than a machine as its face erged.

Its sheer size was so enormous that the building itself trembled.

‘I have to deal with it before it fully cos out.’

Diesel ford another spell in his hand.

A simple lightning arrow ant to probe the opponent’s magic defense level.

Though it wasn’t manifested as White Thunder, it lacked no power.

Pajijijik……!

A vivid blue mana glow spread in all directions.

As he thrust his hand forward, the lightning shot forth like an arrow true to its na.

But—

“Do you know what makes an Andromancer great?”

One android that had burst out of the grave threw its body forward and blocked the arrow.

“It’s infinity.”

At her words, countless machines revealed themselves with clattering noises.

‘Hah…….’

The Andromancer climbed onto the giant’s shoulder and muttered.

“If only you’d listened quietly.”

From the open grave, various androids poured out endlessly.

So glowed red in their eyes while muttering sothing.

So had their skin peeled away, exposing a chilling skeleton.

So had half their bodies torn off, scattering blue sparks…….

The reason Andromancers were strong wasn’t simply because of raw physical power.

The sense of helplessness evoked by overwhelming numbers.

The fear born from grotesque forms that resembled humans yet were not.

That kind of psychological assault was their greatest weapon.

“What a pity, mage.”

At the Andromancer’s gesture, the gazes of hundreds of machines turned toward Diesel all at once.

Then they began charging madly toward their target.

Solely to carry out the command they had been given.

The command to kill their opponent.

But—

‘What is this.’

There wasn’t a shred of fear on the mage called Diesel’s face.

‘Normally, anyone would be terrified by an army of this size…….’

Rather than that, his expression was calm.

No—perhaps the thought even crossed that he might be enjoying it.

Because…….

“Yeah. This is how it should be.”

With a faint smile, he calmly completed the spell he had been forming in his hand.

It was soon realized as a single magic through a magic formula.

‘Snowy Scenery.’

An area-of-effect spell that scattered frozen snowflakes amid fierce winds.

But then, he combined it with another ice-type spell.

‘Icicle.’

The projectiles falling from the sky transford into sharp ice.

Creating a new spectacle called ‘Hanging Ice Scenery’.

‘And this isn’t just an ordinary Hanging Ice Scenery.’

Normally, the technique of combining different spells couldn’t be perford with attribute-awakened mana.

But if a mage’s realm reached the second star…….

They could manifest Hanging Ice Scenery with Black Ice.

A magnificent sight of black icicles raining down like a storm.

That overwhelming tempest swallowed the android legion whole.

“What is this…….”

Now, the one who should feel fear wasn’t the mage.