The sudden appearance of the wolves sent a small ripple through the battlefield.
“Wolves? I’m not seeing things, right?”
“Did animals even live on this island?”
Though Isla Machina was an island made of machines, that didn’t mean no living creatures inhabited it.
But at best, there were only crows and small birds, cats, or sewer rats.
A wolf over three meters tall had never been seen on this island—and it wasn’t the kind of place such a creature could survive.
“No, more than that, I’ve never seen or even heard of a wolf like that.”
Ordinary wolves did not fly through the air.
Their fur wasn’t a clear, sky-tinted blue, nor did their entire bodies emit such a strange aura.
And most of all, there was no such thing as fifty identical wolves appearing at once.
Awoo—
The wolves’ howls echoed, and the sea fog that had been pushed far away drifted back with the wind, blanketing the surroundings.
Through the hazy, whitening mist, the sight of bluish wolves racing through the air looked like something one might see in a midsummer graveyard.
“Yeongsu?”
Andrasch, who was closest to the wolves, realized that the one who had saved him was Yeongsu.
Which made no sense to him.
‘Why would Yeongsu be in Isla Machina?’
Wasn’t it said that Yeongsu, the Spirit Wolf, only dwelled in untouched wilderness where human hands never reached?
Yet here it was, saving him at a critical moment despite having no reason to involve itself with humankind.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, but one thing’s clear—Yeongsu is on our side.’
Andrasch decided to do what he could.
He extended both his hands—mouths on each palm included—and spread his Word Magic widely across the battlefield.
[Calm yourselves.]
The terrified mages began to regain their composure one by one.
Their prayers stopped, and their faith vanished.
The third halo that had been glowing above the head of the Machine God faded, then disappeared without a trace.
Just as Andrasch was pleased at having landed a solid blow against the abomination, the Machine God fixed its gaze on him.
A moment later, an enormous force shot toward him.
Even through the fog it was faintly visible—yet the being aimed at Andrasch as naturally as if nothing had happened.
Awooo!
A howl rang out from afar.
The wolf carrying Andrasch kicked off the air, streaking through the mist like the wind.
Kwaaaang!
An invisible repulsive force struck the fog, creating a massive tunnel-like hole.
The power of it tore not only through the fog but even ripped portions of the clouds in the sky.
But it still failed to catch the wolf that had escaped with Andrasch.
The wolves darted and weaved through the air, circling the Machine God like a pack toying with its prey.
The golden light burning within the helmet’s visor flared brighter as the Machine God glared at the blue, ghost-flame-like wolves.
Even Ludger was inwardly surprised at the sudden appearance of Yeongsu—
especially because the person riding it was a familiar face.
“Freuden Ulburk.”
Ludger stared at Yeongsu soaring through the air—and at Freuden upon its back.
Their eyes met in midair.
There was much they wanted to ask each other, but neither spoke first.
Still, since he was the one who had received help, Ludger broke the silence.
“You’ve made quite a good friend.”
“And you, it seems, have made some new ones here yourself.”
“We grew close while fighting.”
“So, I just have to take that thing down?”
“If possible.”
“Then I’ll do what I can.”
“Be careful.”
“I intended to.”
“Oh, and before you go—ask your friend for one of its fangs.”
A fang?
Freuden gave him a puzzled look, but the question never left his lips.
The Machine God, irritated by the interruption, released a surge of furious energy.
Like a black storm, countless shards of steel swirled violently, moving even faster than before.
Kwachik!
That was when one of the wolves bit into the back of the Machine God’s neck.
“...?”
The wolf’s fangs could not pierce the armor encasing the Machine God, but they were enough to throw it into confusion.
It reached back to seize the wolf that had bitten it—
—but the wolf dispersed like a mirage, vanishing as if mocking it.
What—how?
The moment the Machine God wondered that, another wolf lunged at its back.
This time, however, it reacted properly.
Spinning its body, the Machine God swung its arm to cleave the oncoming wolf clean in half—
—but once again, the wolf scattered like a mirage and disappeared.
Its arm sliced through empty air.
A teasing gust brushed past.
Only then did the Machine God understand.
These creatures could appear anywhere that air existed.
No matter how densely it spread its shards of steel around itself, it was impossible to fill every space completely.
Steel, no matter how sharp or plentiful, could not cut the wind.
It was a matchup fundamentally disadvantageous for it.
Perhaps realizing this, Yeongsu attacked relentlessly, darting in and out to harass the Machine God again and again.
A pack’s hunting tactic—a wheel formation around a single prey.
Flash!
The Machine God’s eyes blazed, but the wolves easily evaded the attack as if mocking it.
“Graaaah!”
With a roar of rage, the Machine God gathered metals together into a single form.
It became something with four blades—an airscrew.
The only difference was that each of its blades was over twenty meters long.
Whooom, whooom.
The air-screw began to spin.
The rotation accelerated instantly until the blades were invisible to the eye.
As the enormous device whirred at blinding speed, whirlwinds formed around it.
At the center of that vortex, the Machine God directed its steel shards toward Yeongsu.
The Spirit Wolf tried to dissolve into wind and vanish—but the storm’s pull broke its form apart.
Pupupuk!
Sharp steel lances pierced Yeongsu’s body one after another.
Yelp!
Caught in the raging storm, Yeongsu lost its greatest strength.
Having neutralized the wolf that had been its most troublesome opponent, the Machine God once more fixed its burning golden eyes upon Ludger.
Ludger met that hostile, blazing gaze with calm composure.
The creature said nothing, yet its intent reached him clearly—through the very air, against his skin.
Hatred and fury.
But beneath those, there was also a trace of joy.
“You think you can cast off your creator and become a new creator yourself.”
Ludger’s words struck straight at the Machine God’s core.
The being flinched, and Ludger sneered.
“A pitiful ambition, isn’t it?”
“You... wretch!”
The Machine God’s fury flared as it glared at Ludger.
It remembered the one who had made it—and abandoned it.
How immense the betrayal had felt when it realized that the god it believed gone was now bound to Ludger.
That was the rage of a child forsaken by its father.
Eight mechanical arms gathered around the Machine God.
But it ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) didn’t stop there—each of the eight arms began to construct another arm of its own.
Ludger responded with a cold, cutting gaze.
“You hate the father who abandoned you, yet in the end, you seek to become just like him.”
“......!”
Ludger’s words struck true.
The massive arms the Machine God had formed—
they were eerily similar to those of the Colossus Teralon, the world-shaping titan.
It was said that the great being Teralon had touched and created the world with sixteen arms.
“So, you’re nothing but a warped child acting out because your father never loved you.”
“Shut—up!”
The Machine God abandoned its attempt to make new arms.
Instead, it swung the eight mechanical arms already formed, aiming at Ludger from all directions.
Ludger, however, had no intention of staying still and taking the attack.
Behind his back, the sigil of the Sefirot’s Tree appeared, radiating blinding light as it intercepted the mechanical arms.
Light and shockwaves flashed across the sky.
Those who witnessed it couldn’t look away—yet they didn’t forget their own duties.
“What are you standing around for?! Keep attacking!”
“If we don’t stop that monster, this island is finished!”
Magic bombardments rained from outside, Yeongsu’s wolves circled endlessly, and support continued to arrive from the Mage Tower.
But even under relentless assault from every direction, the Machine God didn’t budge.
Annoying pests.
Its many arms scattered, swatting aside every incoming attack, then swept the surroundings in a single devastating motion.
With one gesture, countless lives were extinguished.
With one gesture, the Mage Tower’s shields shattered like glass.
Part of the Tower collapsed, and the mages inside were caught in the destruction.
While its arms tore through everything around it, the Machine God’s true body faced Ludger.
“So, you’ve finally brought your true form to me? I could almost shed tears of gratitude.”
Ludger’s sarcasm meant nothing; the Machine God’s gaze was fixed on the small black hole floating above his head.
‘This won’t be easy.’
If his opponent were a living being, he might have risked borrowing the Goddess’s power.
But this one was a machine—its body itself a Relic created by Teralon.
The Goddess’s divine power, meant to act upon living beings, was the complete opposite of what could affect such an entity. Ludger had to think carefully.
[────.]
Then a voice spoke above his head.
Teralon told him that there was a way.
Naturally, that way involved using Teralon’s own power.
“So that was your true intent?”
Ludger frowned at the implication.
Still, rationally speaking, using Teralon’s power made sense.
After all, it was Teralon who had forged the Relic—and therefore, only Teralon would know how to stop it.
Teralon harbored neither malice nor deceit.
Even when other gods had shown interest in Ludger, Teralon had merely watched in silence.
He genuinely wished for Ludger to halt the Relic and thus offered his aid.
Ludger knew that well.
Yet he still hesitated—for a different reason.
“Your power isn’t efficient. To borrow it, I’d have to open the Gate wider than before.”
Whenever Ludger invoked divine power, he only ever released the first stage of the sealing formula.
That was the absolute limit of what his body could endure.
Releasing the first seal created the small black hole above his head—nothing more.
Even so, it was enough to manifest tremendous strength.
But Teralon was different.
Each god possessed power of a different nature and magnitude.
And Teralon, true to the title Great Titan, held power far beyond measure.
Even with the first seal undone, merely conversing was the best Ludger could manage.
To truly channel Teralon’s might, he would have to unseal the second stage—something that came with grave risk.
Ludger’s gaze swept across the battlefield.
He saw those fighting desperately against the mechanical arms—
Freuden atop Yeongsu,
Roteron and Phyron saving civilians,
Verom battling in cursed armor he despised,
Andrasch exhausting every ounce of strength to defend the Tower.
There were many others as well.
The Defense Force was evacuating civilians, the mages of the Tower continued to fire spells,
and even Cravat could be seen—accompanied by crows, his black curse melting and corroding the metal, holding one of the mechanical arms in place.
At the brink of Isla Machina’s collapse, all those once divided factions had united in battle.
Even Gariel Cosmo, fighting somewhere unseen, was surely doing his part.
“......”
Everyone was giving everything they had, each driven by conviction and resolve.
There was no way Ludger could be the only one holding back.
His hesitation lasted only a moment.
“I suppose there’s no choice.”
Ziiiiing—
A faint halo began forming around the black hole above his head.
“Second Sealing Formula—Release.”
Toong!
The halo burst forth with blinding light, sending ripples through the air.
The Machine God seemed momentarily suppressed, unable to move as it stared.
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
Through the black hole, more voices and gazes poured through from beyond.
—You have thus become one step closer to omnipotence.
Multiple divine powers seeped into Ludger’s body, filling him with an intoxicating rush.
The power of a god was like a potent drug—
sweet and irresistible, impossible to quit once tasted.
That was precisely why Ludger despised it.
“I’m not borrowing your power—you’re only able to act because of me.”
He dismissed the divine presences with a sharp retort, then spoke directly to Teralon.
“We’ve come this far. Show me the key to stop your troublesome child.”
In response, something protruded from the black hole’s gap—
a small, mechanical arm.
Unlike the sleek, massive limbs wielded by the Machine God, this one was thin, rusted, stripped to its inner frame—little more than a fragile relic that looked as if a single tap could break it.
The difference between them was that of a robust adult and a frail old man.
“......!”
The Machine God—whose every emotion until now had been pure wrath—suddenly froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
Unconsciously, it stepped back, widening the distance between itself and Ludger.
The emotion reflected in its golden light was unmistakable—
fear.