Facing the God of Machinery, Ludger instinctively knew that he was confronted with a single, defining question.
That thing could not be defeated by ordinary magic—or even by aura.
Its core was a Relic, its body that of a steel-colored mage.
And on top of that, it was a hybrid containing World Tree cells, black magic, and the sum of all magical knowledge.
They called such things chimeras, but if all those elements perfectly harmonized into one flawless entity, could it still be dismissed so lightly as a chimera?
That was exactly what the God of Machinery was.
‘No matter how many 6th-Circle grand spells I pour into it, I can’t imagine bringing that thing down.’
He’d realized as much after exchanging several bouts.
First of all, the God of Machinery was still incomplete.
To put it simply—it was like a newborn chick just breaking out of its shell.
Right now, it had only four mechanical arms and a few soft feathers attached, still far from its full potential.
‘And even so, it’s this powerful.’
The truly terrifying truth was that the longer time passed, the stronger it grew.
As it gradually adapted to its own state, gaining knowledge and self-awareness, it would eventually become an irredeemable catastrophe.
‘As much as I hate to admit it, maybe Nikolai was right. That thing could really become something worthy of the name “god.”’
Before that happened, Ludger had to kill it—by any means necessary.
For that, he needed time.
To destroy the God of Machinery, he also had to make his own preparations.
But to prepare magic while engaged in open combat against such a monster—that was practically suicide.
The creature had an uncanny sensitivity toward anything that threatened its life.
‘Before it realizes what I’m doing, I have to end this quickly.’
That was why he had asked Verom, Roteron, and Phyron to buy him time.
Even from this distance, the aftershocks of their battle continued to rumble; they were somehow holding on.
From within the shadow, Ludger pulled out his pipe.
He packed it tightly with dried plants brimming with all sorts of toxins and lit it with a flick of his fingertip.
Ssshhk. Hoo—
The smoke he exhaled shimmered blue, thick with magical energy.
A dense mist of mana spread around his body.
Ludger guided that mana mist, weaving it into a single spell.
It wasn’t modern magic—it was ancient magic, invoked only through faith and miracle.
He had faced countless foes with this magic before, but this time, he felt it would not be enough.
‘I have to go further.’
A thing created by the gods—a Relic.
A god built upon that Relic could be considered the god’s incarnation, or at least something close.
They said that to kill a monster, you had to become one yourself.
Ludger didn’t agree with that sentiment—but he did agree that to defeat an equal, one needed equal power.
‘To bring that thing down... I’ll have to use it after all.’
Regretting that he had no other choice, Ludger didn’t hesitate.
Szzzzzzz—
The air around him grew unbearably heavy.
If anyone else had been nearby, they would have foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Above Ludger’s head, a small black hole opened.
“I’ll handle things here. Gariel, do what you have to do.”
* * *
The sudden appearance of the enormous idol made Nikolai seethe with irritation.
“What the hell is that now?”
He had never heard that John Doe possessed such power.
He’d assumed the cunning John Doe was hiding part of his strength—but this was beyond any standard.
What was that gigantic golden figure shimmering behind him, and what was that overwhelming presence so intense it could be felt even through the screen?
Compared to it, his own masterpiece—the God of Machinery—looked almost insignificant.
On another screen, all of his dispatched subordinates lay dead.
The ones sent to kill Rine had become prey to some spirit beast that appeared out of nowhere.
“...The Guardian of the Ulburk family appearing here of all places.”
And with the spirit beast came Freuden Ulburk, the next head of the Ulburk Ducal House.
Nikolai couldn’t understand why one of the Empire’s Three Great Ducal Houses had suddenly involved itself in this affair.
The only connection he could think of was that Freuden and Rine both attended Seorn Academy.
Whatever the reason, he found the constant derailment of his plans intolerable.
If there hadn’t been so many eyes watching, he might have screamed and smashed everything around him.
“What a pity. Every single one of your grand schemes keeps falling apart.”
Gariel smirked as he looked at Nikolai’s rigid face.
Nikolai’s fists trembled at the sight of him.
He looked ready to lash out—but instead, he exhaled slowly and forced a calm smile.
“Perhaps this, too, is simply the way of things. No—on the contrary. It’s proof that my actions have begun to change the world.”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Not everything in this world was made according to the Designer’s will. The appearance of one who threatens His seat must be something even He didn’t foresee. That’s why He sends all these trials—to correct the balance. How could I not rejoice?”
“You lunatic.”
Gariel stared at Nikolai, disgusted by the way the man laughed.
Then Nikolai abruptly stopped laughing and gazed down at him with a chilling look.
“I had meant to show you a magnificent sight, but alas, it’s all gone to waste. There’s no point wasting more time—so just die already.”
He raised his hand, pointing at Gariel’s brow.
Though he preferred to manipulate from behind the scenes, he hadn’t risen to the rank of First Order through politics alone.
Nikolai was also a formidable mage in his own right, and his strength was one of the reasons he held that position.
“Until the moment you die, curse your pitiful fate—that’s the life of a rat like you.”
Seeing the mana gather at his fingertips, Gariel gave a faint, knowing smile.
“Ever heard the saying? When a rat’s cornered, it bites.”
“What?”
“Like this.”
Gariel vanished in an instant.
A moment later, something dark covered Nikolai’s vision.
Startled, he tried to tear the fabric off his head, but it wouldn’t come off—as if someone were yanking it from behind.
Instead, it pressed tightly against his face.
Panicking, Nikolai threw his hand back and unleashed a spell.
It wasn’t strong—cast too hastily—but enough to force his attacker away.
After shaking Gariel off, Nikolai ripped the cloth from his face, trembling with rage.
“You filthy rat!”
Mana surged violently around him.
Even as he burned to tear Gariel apart, his mind raced.
‘How? He should’ve still been paralyzed by the gas!’
The answer came from Gariel’s voice behind him.
“Wondering how I shook off the paralysis?”
Without hesitation, Nikolai turned and blasted magic toward the sound.
Crack!
Ice spikes struck the empty wall of the laboratory.
“I had a rough run-in with poison once. Felt so powerless back then, so before I came here, I got manual therapy from Phyron himself.”
“You bastard!”
The word “manual therapy” made Nikolai think Gariel was mocking him.
He aimed a spell toward where the voice came from—then froze.
‘Damn it!’
Of all things, he was trapped in the same space as a time mage.
Nikolai immediately changed tactics.
“No matter how skilled you are—what happens if I fill this entire space with my mana?”
The weakness of time mages: they were vulnerable to wide-area attacks.
“Yeah, I know.”
Gariel appeared right in front of Nikolai’s face.
‘He’s coming closer instead of running while I’m casting?’
Nikolai realized too late what a mistake that assumption was.
He’d expected Gariel to retreat under intimidation, giving him time to seize control of the space and corner him—but the plan was already falling apart.
“I didn’t come here half-hearted.”
Click.
Feeling a strange tug on his arm, Nikolai turned his head.
At some point, a thick wire had looped around his wrist and tied it to a nearby table.
Like a cut vein, his mana flow was severed—and the spell collapsed.
“You little—!”
Nikolai reflexively kicked Gariel in the stomach.
The reflex came simply from realizing that the rat had dared to come this close.
But it was the wrong move.
There was a brief delay between canceling one time spell and activating another.
In that single instant—too short to waste—he should have used magic that could have killed Gariel outright.
Instead, by kicking him away, he created distance.
The moment that gap opened, Nikolai realized his mistake—too late.
Gariel vanished from sight, and in the next instant, a thick wire coiled around Nikolai’s neck.
“Gghhk!”
His eyes bulged as the wire tightened. Red veins burst across the whites of his eyes like cracks.
When he struggled, Gariel kicked the back of his knee joint.
Nikolai’s legs gave out, and his body fell forward. Gariel yanked the wire even tighter.
‘Just a little more!’
Gariel was certain of victory—until mana flared violently across Nikolai’s body.
The shockwave blasted Gariel backward, ripping the wire from his grasp.
“Cough! Cough! You damn rat! I’ll make sure you die screaming!”
Barely catching his breath, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Nikolai spat blood-flecked saliva and glared at him with murderous eyes.
Gariel forced himself up.
His legs still trembled from the lingering paralysis, his bones ached from the earlier impact, but he couldn’t stop now.
‘Go! Move!’
He shouted inwardly, brainwashing himself.
Dragging his barely working legs, he lunged again toward Nikolai.
‘Do what you can do!’
Before Nikolai could finish casting, their bodies collided.
Thud!
The two rolled across the floor.
Gariel clung to him like a rabid dog.
‘This is all I can do.’
Gariel had lived his whole life far from battle.
A man like him could never fight Nikolai on equal terms.
That was why Ludger’s advice had been invaluable.
—You’re not suited for combat to begin with.
Ludger had spoken coldly, almost cruelly.
—Your temperament, your lack of experience—you’re closer to a coward. And your ability isn’t made for fighting, either.
Gariel hadn’t argued. He’d known it was true.
—So use everything. Don’t hesitate to drag your opponent into the mud with you. If you’re up against another mage as inexperienced in real fights as you are, you’ll have a chance.
Nikolai thrashed, trying to break free.
Magic was impossible—the distance was too close, and every time he tried to channel mana, Gariel’s fists struck him, breaking his focus.
Thwack!
A weak, clumsy punch hit his cheek.
The pain itself wasn’t much—but the humiliation burned deeper than any wound.
‘What the hell... what the hell is this?’
He had never fought like this in his life.
Not even country bumpkin children fought this pathetically—two grown mages rolling on the floor?
No dignity, no style, no honor, no pride.
It was the kind of ugly brawl you’d expect from drunk laborers at a tavern—a filthy, desperate scuffle at the absolute bottom.
Ironically, it was that very filth that disoriented Nikolai the most.
Because it made him feel like he’d fallen to the same level.
For the first time, he felt real danger.
“You damn rat!”
Nikolai’s palm ignited with flame, and he shoved it straight into Gariel’s face.
Ssshhhhh—
As the smell of burning flesh filled the air, Nikolai grinned.
How does it feel, having your skin burned alive?
But Gariel didn’t scream.
Instead—Nikolai did.
“AAAAAAGHHHH!”
Gariel had bitten down on his fingers.
Even through the searing pain, Gariel’s wild eyes glared back at him.
“Let go! Let go, damn you!”
Realizing he couldn’t break free otherwise, Nikolai forcibly released a burst of mana.
BOOM!
The unstable surge formed a half-finished mana blast that struck Gariel square in the chest.
A blue sphere of energy hurled him backward.
He rolled several times across the floor before slamming hard against the wall.
“Y-you... bastard...”
Staggering, Nikolai tried to stand—but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Uweeegh—!”