Since this is the Labyrinth of Fear, the door might be opened by showing âfearâ.
Though, there was one thing that weighed on my mind.
There is no guarantee that this hall is the innermost part of the labyrinth. Moreover, an automaton has appeared and is raging violently.
If this hall is indeed the innermost part of the labyrinth and this automaton is the challenge of the last trap, it would make sense to destroy it. I can think about how to show âfearâ later.
On the other hand, even if this is not the innermost part, we still canât move forward unless I take down this automaton either way. Iâm worried that itâs not using emotional attack even though itâs a humanoid automaton, but itâs rather convenient for me because Mimino-sanâs Mana Neutralizer is about to run out.
I concentrated all my mana on my right hand and activatedăFire Magică.
The white flames cast off tremendous light.
(ăFire Magicăwas blocked with the shield, andăLightning Magicăwas taken directly without blocking with the shield, but the magic itself was absorbed by the jewels.)
What this means isâŠ
(Thereâs most likely a limit to the amount of magic the jewels can absorb.)
If the jewels can absorb magic inexhaustibly, there is no need to block with the shield.
In that case, I just have to throw a magic attack that cannot be blocked with the shield. UsingăLightning Magicăhas recoil and the highest I learned withăWorld Rulerăwas only 2-stars. So, the biggest magic I can use right now is the Mithril-rank adventurer Crysta-la-CrystaâsăFire Magic â â â â ă.
It is the first time Iâm using the maximum firepower in an actual battle. Even to shoot a test round, I need to carefully choose a suitable place.
However,
ăAgainst you, I wonât need to hold back at all!ă
I stuck out my right hand and supported the elbow with my left hand. A brilliantly flaring white flame was shot toward the Juggernaut.
Although ârecoil due to magic activationâ does not occur originally, âmagic activationâ itself puts a burden on the body.\n
An attack containing this much mana shook my right hand violently. A gust of hot wind arose from the high-heat flame, causing the hem of my clothes and my hair to flutter.
The Juggernaut right in front of me, naturally, tried to block the attack with the shield.
The moment it clashed, the space itself seemed to distort and the shock wave was transmitted even back to me. The surroundings became bright as if a flash grenade had gone off. The fog evaporated and an air flow was generated. The air swirled around the Juggernaut.
The white flames burned the shield hot red at the impact point, melted the alloy, pierced through, and flooded towards the body of the JuggernautăŒright around where a humanâs navel would be. I saw the process of theăFire Magicăbeing converted into mana and absorbed into the jewels on the chest throughăWorld Ruleră.
That process was soon interrupted, however. Because of the high heat of the magic, or because it couldnât absorb all the mana, cracks ran on the surface of the jewels, and it broke.
Hell Yeah!!!
ă!!ă
But the Juggernaut was still moving. It slammed the hammer in one of its left hands against its belly, scattering theăFire Magicăwith force.
Then the Juggernaut brandished its sword and swung down its spear, as if to say it can still keep going.
My mana is almost empty, and my body wants to rest.
(I couldnât beat itâŠ!)
The enemyâs movement was clearly slowed down, but there was still no sign of stopping.
One more attack.
I feel like I can beat it in one more attack!
Move please, my body!
ăKuu!ă
I managed to dodge the blow by rolling sideways, and stood up. The Juggernaut had already moved on to the next action.\n(âŠHmm?)
I noticed that the Juggernautâs movement was strange. It mounted the attack while protecting its body with the shield, but the way it was shielding was strange.
Normally, you would protect the place where theăFire Magicăhit. However, the shield was protecting a little above the center of the body.
Is it protecting the jewels?
No, the jewels are already brokenâthen what is it protecting?
(It has lost its mechanism to absorb magic, but the Juggernaut is still moving⊠Could it be thatâŠ)
The Juggernautâs lifeline is the internal-combustion engine. It should have an engine like Magi Engine. Or perhaps it has a mana tank that operates like a magic stone which supplies mana.
Although it is different from a normal human in that it has three heads and six arms, other small moving parts such as joints and finger movements are the same as those of humans.
Perhaps the mana tank is in the heart part?
Is that why it is protecting that part with the shield?
ăGah, I donât have the time to think calmlyâCrap!ă
I was in the middle of dodging the Juggernautâs continuous attack.
My feet slipped and my body tilted to the side.
I pushed the ground with my arms instead and leapt away from the attack. âŠThat was too close. My knees are starting to give away. I canât keep fighting for longer.
(How can I strike the heart? Throw my dagger? But if it misses, I canât search for it in this thick fog. Ask for Zerry-sanâs help? Thatâs all I can do for nowâŠ)
I unknowingly reached for the leather bag on my waist, and noticed a certain hard substance.
Wait, I can use thisâŠ
ăKuhâŠă\n\nBlack smoke was already rising from its mouth, and eventuallyâ
ă!?ă
Light shone from the eyes and the three mouths, the arms came off the joints and fell apart, and the upper part of the torso increasingly glowed red due to overheating.
ăShit, itâs gonna explode!!!ă
It was unlikely that someoneâespecially Zerry-sanâwas nearby, but I still shouted so, as I ran away.
The Juggernaut exploded, accompanied by orange flames. Pieces of metal came flying my way, so I jumped forward and held the back of my head.
Even though I was only a short distance away, the fog started covering up the Juggernaut which was burning in blazing flames.
ăI defeated itâŠ?ă
Just when I thought that the flames were yellow, it turned blue, and in the next moment it turned red and continuously turned to various colors. âŠI only hope it doesnât let out any strange gases.
Ah, damn. This guy⊠sure was tough.
ZuzuzuzuzuzuâŠâŠ.
The ground shook with the sound of underground tremors. I thought the next enemy was coming and put up my guard, but nothing in particular happened.
ăGosh, donât surprise me like thatâŠă
I walked, dragging my tired body, in the direction where everyone should be.
Retrieving the dagger and salvaging usable parts from the automaton can be left for later. Though I wonder if there are even any salvageable parts left⊠That big weapon is just a lump of metal, so it may be useful, for dirt cheap, that isâŠ
ăAhhâŠâŠă
Maybe it was because the tension disappeared, or because of the extreme lack of manaâmy legs stopped listening to me, and I fell face first on the ground.