From its firmly grounded feet to the crown of its head—
the God of Machines was, true to its name, entirely encased in metal.
It had drawn in the surrounding steel, forging it into armor that seamlessly sheathed its entire body.
Yet the armor did not look like an assemblage of mismatched parts.
Instead, it was so smooth, so flawlessly fitted, that one wondered if such a thing could truly be made.
A perfectly streamlined frame, without a single crack or misalignment.
Upon its face rested a rounded, sleek visor helmet—
a design unlike anything Ludger had ever seen, something that looked straight out of a distant future.
Clink.
The steel cocoon that had encased its body unfurled to both sides.
Then, splitting once more, it divided into upper and lower halves, reshaping themselves into massive arms.
A mechanical arm?
Each sharp-fingered limb looked like a flawlessly crafted mannequin—elegant, cold, and terrifyingly precise.
The God of Machines stood motionless, its true body on the ground, while four gigantic mechanical arms hovered around it.
Its dark brown-and-gold frame gleamed under the light as it fixed its gaze upon Ludger.
The instant Ludger met the invisible stare behind that pitch-black visor, pain lanced through his head.
What the—...
Thud.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears. A tide of pain surged in his skull, swelling like the sea before receding again.
Ludger’s pupils trembled violently.
My triple-layer sealing formula... it just fluctuated. For a moment—but violently.
The divine voice that slumbered within him had reacted the instant he faced the God of Machines.
Which meant—
this creature was indeed forged from a Relic, and its name was not just blasphemy.
It truly bore the presence of a god.
Ziiing.
A glow formed above its head, taking shape into a ring.
A golden halo.
From around that halo, one of the four mechanical arms stirred.
No warning, no charge-up—just a light, fluid motion.
Ludger’s instincts kicked in before thought ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) could follow; he sank into his own shadow.
The next instant, the space where he had stood was raked apart by a massive slash that tore the air itself.
KRA-KA-KA-KA-CRASH!
The reinforced door to the passage Ludger had entered split in two and was completely obliterated.
The result was far beyond what a single swing of an arm should have done.
Shhhh!
Shattered machinery hissed; steam burst out in clouds of white, filling the space in an instant.
Through the veil of steam, Ludger retaliated with a spell.
A greatsword made of highly compressed metal—
he had drawn in the surrounding fragments, compressed them to their utmost density, and fired them forward.
Though the sword was no larger than a regular longsword, its weight was measured in tons.
It shot forth like a projectile, accelerated by magnetic force.
It should have been a devastating physical strike—
but it didn’t work.
Another mechanical arm rose above the God of Machines’ head.
With a mere flick of its fingers, the flying blade froze in midair.
All that momentum, all that mass, came to a dead stop—without the slightest hint of resistance.
A second flick of the fingers, and the sword spun once on its axis, reversing direction before being hurled back through the steam.
For a moment it seemed Ludger had been hit—but instead, an even greater barrage of magic came roaring in.
Fire poured from the sky.
One mechanical arm raised its hand to block the flames, and from below, ice surged upward, binding the creature’s ankles.
Another arm pressed its palm to the floor, radiating a strange wave.
The ground glowed red-hot, melting all the ice in an instant.
BOOM!
From both sides, boulders the size of carriages shot through the clouds of steam.
The remaining two arms caught them easily, crushing them to gravel with brute strength.
In that fleeting moment—light erupted.
The flash was stronger, thicker, more focused than before.
All four arms were occupied defending against spells.
Ludger seized that opening, firing a single, killing beam directly at the creature’s heart—the Divine Furnace.
The God of Machines did not even flinch.
Ziiing!
The blazing laser struck its chest, forcing it back step by step.
An attack powerful enough to pierce through solid steel—
and yet, the God of Machines endured.
It braced itself, steadied, and began to walk forward—slowly, relentlessly.
One arm cocked back its fist and launched it like a missile through the steam.
KWA-A-A-ANG!
The explosion washed the area clean, the shockwave scattering the vapor in an instant.
The entrance to the Central Reactor was blown apart.
But there was no sign of Ludger—no trace of blood.
“My, my. Has the mortal fled in awe of divinity?”
Nikolai chuckled, watching the destruction with delight.
The God of Machines turned its head toward him.
Its emotionless visor reflected Nikolai’s image for a brief moment—
then it turned away, uninterested.
Retracting its outstretched arm, it began to rise, floating effortlessly.
The halo above its head brightened, expanding in both brilliance and size.
FLASH!
The moment its glow intensified, the God of Machines shot upward with terrifying speed—
—a true ascension.
The Central Reactor’s ceiling did not stop it.
Piercing through solid metal, the creature soared from the island’s core straight to its uppermost layer—
bursting into the open air above the third floor.
The path of its ascent left destruction in its wake.
KWAANG! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the structure; pipelines ruptured, geysers of steam erupted;
countless components burst apart under pressure, flying in all directions.
Half of Isla Machina’s third-level district fell into chaos in an instant.
Steam filled the underground waterways, manhole covers shot into the sky.
A steam-car passing through the streets was struck by one of them, torn in half, and exploded.
“KYAAAAAH!”
“Run!”
Civilians screamed and fled in panic, while the city guard was too stunned to react.
Hovering in the sky, the God of Machines gazed down upon the chaos below—
serene, aloof, divine.
Then, from below, a massive figure leapt upward, throwing a punch at the god.
THUUD!
One of the mechanical arms moved automatically, catching the blow.
...?
The God of Machines turned its blank visor toward its assailant—
Phiron.
The moment Phiron met that inorganic gaze, a shiver ran up his spine.
“Heh.”
A grin spread across his face.
“What a terrifying monster we’ve got here.”
The mechanical arm clenched its fist, and the air itself vibrated with a low hum.
Facing that overwhelming power, Phiron clenched his own massive fist and struck back.
KWA-A-A-ANG!
A clash of raw power in midair.
And the victor—was the machine.
Phiron’s enormous body plummeted like a meteor, smashing into the ground.
The solid earth tore apart beneath him like claws raking through dirt.
He crashed through several houses before finally skidding to a stop.
“Guhh... Damn, that’s hard. Didn’t think I’d lose a contest of strength.”
He started to rise—but pain flared in his right arm.
Looking down, he saw that the fist he’d used to block had shattered.
Bones cracked, blood running freely down his arm.
Phiron bared his teeth in a fierce grin.
“Ahh, that ripping pain in my muscles... been a long time.”
A shadow gathered beside him—then Ludger rose from the ground.
“—Gah! You startled me.”
“Is your arm all right?”
“Oh, this? Eh, some spit and I’ll be fine.”
And indeed, he licked his hand and rubbed it over the wound.
Amazingly, the injury began to heal right before Ludger’s eyes.
“You’re accelerating your metabolism to the extreme—stimulating regenerative cells for rapid recovery.”
It was absurd—but Ludger had learned not to question it.
There were bigger problems right now.
“More importantly, Professor—what the hell is that thing out there?”
“Nikolai’s creation. He calls it the God of Machines.”
“What a pompous name. Though its punches are nothing to scoff at.”
Just then, the mansion around them began to shake violently.
Not only the mansion—everything around them trembled.
Both men realized what it meant.
The God of Machines was doing something.
Before they could even guess what, the building beneath their feet suddenly began to rise.
“You’ve got to be kidding me—”
Phiron’s voice cracked with astonishment.
Not just their house—
every building in the area was floating into the air.
Most structures on Isla Machina contained metal.
Especially from the third floor and upward—the middle-class sector—
iron was embedded throughout their frameworks.
The God of Machines was manipulating all the surrounding metal at once, bending it to its will.
“Uwaaaah!”
“R-run!”
Not only houses—anything with metal began to float.
Cars, broken pipes, towers, antennas—
everything rose into the air and began to orbit around the God of Machines.
The sheer scale of power was beyond belief.
“If this continues, the entire island will collapse,” Ludger said.
“Professor, with the two of us, we can at least buy some time, right?”
“Make that three.”
A new voice cut in.
Both men turned toward it.
Standing on the window frame, mask removed, was Lotheron.
“Huh? And who might you be?”
“It’s me. Lotheron.”
“What?!”
Phiron jumped. He was seeing Lotheron’s face for the first time—
and his shock was immediate.
“Well, I’ll be damned! You were wearing that mask to hide cat ears?”
“They’re tiger ears, actually.”
“Eh, same difference. Both felines.”
“...Shouldn’t you be more surprised that I’m a Beastkin at all?”
“Beastkin, huh? Makes sense. I just thought you were covering your face because you were ugly.”
Lotheron blinked. Phiron’s lack of surprise somehow made the situation even stranger.
“Well, whatever. The real problem is that thing out there. What is that monster?”
When he’d fled the New Magic Tower, he’d sensed an enormous surge of power nearby.
Rushing toward it, he’d found the airborne mechanical deity, drawing up every scrap of metal in its vicinity.
Using his keen Beastkin sense of smell, he had tracked Ludger and Phiron here—
but he still had no idea what was happening.
Ludger explained briefly.
“The God of Machines... an arrogantly fitting name. But I can’t deny its grandeur.”
Just its presence made the surrounding metal vibrate and respond.
If it unleashed its full strength, the outcome would be unimaginable.
They had to stop it.
All three reached the same conclusion.
Wherever Nikolai had gone could wait—
the God of Machines came first.
Otherwise, Isla Machina would be annihilated.
The moment they resolved themselves—
a colossal force smashed through the house they stood in.
KWA-A-A-ANG!
One of the God of Machines’ enormous arms had been launched toward them.
Everything the fist touched—steel, concrete, anything—was pulverized.
Their house turned to dust in an instant.
But the three had already escaped outside.
“Let’s see round two then!”
Phiron roared with laughter and charged.
His entire body flared with blue mana, blazing like fire.
His form blurred, transforming into a massive arrow of energy that shot toward the God of Machines.
The deity raised one of its arms to block.
“Damn! Still not enough!”
While Phiron wrestled against the arm’s strength, another one swung toward him.
The edge of its hand sliced horizontally like a blade aimed for his waist—
an attack too fast for Phiron to counter.
But it was stopped—by the spectral figure of an armored warrior, as large as Phiron himself, who blocked the strike with a massive shield.
Two more arms tried to move—
but above the god’s head, yet another gigantic spirit appeared, gripping them tightly.
Lotheron’s magic.
It was brief—but enough.
Seizing that opening, Ludger dashed forward.
Ranged magic won’t work. The difference in output’s too great.
Then it had to end up close.
His arms extended, shadows taking the shape of beasts’ claws as he swung for the creature’s head.
He would tear it off in one blow—
—but then, the God of Machines turned its head toward him.
Flash!
A glint flared behind its visor, and Ludger was hurled backward by a tremendous force.
What was that?
Regaining his footing, Ludger frowned.
There had been no warning, no spell formula—
and yet the impact had hit like a hammer.
He had no time to ponder it.
The God of Machines moved—
for the first time, raising its own hand.
All around, floating metallic wreckage turned in the air—
and then, like a meteor shower, came crashing down toward Ludger.