Chapter 71

"Ho, to surpass that? Truly, you are the puppeteer Maren."

Eberheid dropped the faded magic stone he was holding in his hand.

"...Eberheid, please."

"Do you think I would agree to persuasion at this late hour? I have lived my life dreaming of this day from the moment I was born. Three hundred years, three hundred years. You cannot even imagine."

Eberheid took out the next magic stone from the bag.

...I thought he applied for that magic stone out of interest... but it was probably for using the 'Arrow of God.' If I think about it calmly, there were points where I could have predicted Eberheid's actions.

"...Surrender."

"Ridiculous, such a thing..."

"From my current position, I absolutely won't lose."

"What, what did you say?"

"I don't know how much I can hold back. So, please surrender."

"..."

Eberheid fell silent and glared at me.

"Hey, Abel! What are you doing, provoking in this situation!"

Maisen grabbed my shoulder and tried to persuade me.

"No, but it's actually true... We're inside a building, so if we're not careful, it might collapse. If that happens, Eberheid might get buried... This isn't because I'm underestimating Eberheid, but because I'm taking it seriously. If I hold back and get hit by something like that again, it would be bad..."

"Still, there's a way to say things!"

"...Indeed, if not for this, I would have lost. I admit that."

Eberheid pointed his finger at the golem.

"Mechanism, kneel."

One of the crouching golems stood up.

A massive white stone body, nearly three meters tall, almost touching the ceiling.

"See, Abel! This is the soldier of Zesum, the white giant of destruction! Though our time was short... I will remember you. As the greatest contributor to the revival of Zesum! Die with that honor!"

The golem controlled by Eberheid approached us.

With each step, the entire ruin shook.

Observing the moving golem, I noticed that its body occasionally emitted a faint glow.

It seemed that a barrier to prevent magical interference was automatically deployed upon activation, built into its internal structure.

Should I counter with magic and shatter the barrier?

But... I don't know how strong it is.

I can't use magic seriously in an indoor, complex area.

If I do, everyone might get buried alive.

I moved to the side of the passage and touched the body of a golem that was still crouching.

If it's the same construction, analyzing it might reveal its weaknesses.

"Run, Abel! There's no way we can fight that thing!"

"Right! That golem is a 2000-year-old Elven weapon! We shouldn't be involved in this!"

Mia and Maisen tried to persuade me together.

"But we're already involved in unsealing it... I have to take responsibility..."

I poured magic power into the golem and continued the analysis.

There were many countermeasures to prevent analysis, but not as strong as the barrier.

If the golem's performance was known during war, it would be a significant disadvantage.

However, I have the knowledge I gained from removing the barrier with Eberheid.

"It's okay! Even without Abel, it might have been unsealed! Let's run quickly!"

"...It seems I can manage it."

"Really? But don't push yourself..."

I stood up and took two steps back from the golem.

"Mechanism, kneel."

Swinging my staff, the crouching golem stood up.

"Oh, it moved."

"Wait, is it okay to move it?"

Mia frowned, looking worried.

No, it shouldn't be a problem to move it.

If I lose, I can just prepare another one.

I intended to find its weakness, but since I can move it, I decided to try.

"...What, why do you know the activation sequence of Zesum's golem!"

Finally, Eberheid started to show signs of panic.

From this, it seems Eberheid had inherited the activation sequence from his ancestors.

"Well, I saw it being activated..."

"No way. There's no way you could decipher that encryption at a glance..."

"I compensated for that part with analysis... Besides, you taught me the basic form of the ancient Elven activation sequence, didn't you?"

"Without the vast magic power of the magic stone, the activation of Zesum's golem..."

"But I actually did it."

As I continued to answer, Eberheid fell silent.

From this, it seems I might be able to get him to surrender with a bit of intimidation.

I don't want to be too rough.

Eberheid was one of the few people I could talk about magic with on equal terms.

"Gr... Still, you, who do not have Elven blood, cannot control it! Even if you can move it by imitation, it's just a makeshift! Crush him, white giant!"

The golem controlled by Eberheid and the one I controlled clashed and grappled.

The one I controlled was being pushed back.

Due to the incomplete magic array, it couldn't exert its full power.

"I was a bit intimidated, but to this extent..."

"Mechanism, kneel."

I swung my staff behind the golem controlled by Eberheid.

The third golem stood up and pushed Eberheid's golem from behind.

"No, no, this can't be! This..."

I swung my staff again.

The fourth golem, which was in a straight line, moved.

Three golems pinned down the one golem.

A crack sounded, and Eberheid's golem broke apart.

"This can't be... It can't be! With human magic, and even one golem... three... After coming this far! I will fulfill Zesum's long-held wish with my own hands! It's so close... so close! Two thousand years of my blood, I can't let it be destroyed by the likes of you!"

Eberheid took out two more magic stones.

He intended to move two more golems to counter me.

I swung my staff faster than Eberheid's arm.

The magic array I cast was three.

"Mechanism, kneel."

"Mechanism, kneel."

Eberheid chanted, a bit later than me.

"Go, white giant!"

Eberheid pointed his arm at me.

The golem did not follow his command.

"Go, white giant! Damn it, why!"

"The golems around here are under my control. When the golem activates, a barrier that repels magic is deployed, right? Overwriting is impossible."

The three new golems I controlled surrounded Eberheid.

"Did you activate the golems from that position!? The magic power should decay, and the interference-type magic should lose its effect at a distance!"

The three golems surrounded Eberheid and stopped moving.

"Give up. Eberheid, you lost."

Eberheid looked back down the path.

"So close... so close... The Arrow of God is almost within reach... I can't give up here!"

Eberheid turned his back to me and ran.

He tried to slip through the gap between two golems.

"Hey, damn it!"

I pointed my staff at Eberheid.

The golems moved to capture him.

"Explosion."

Eberheid cast a spell at the floor.

A loud explosion and smoke filled the air.

Eberheid used the blast to slip through the golem's arm.

"What!?"

His determination was incredible.

Despite being thrown to the ground and injured by the blast, Eberheid quickly stood up and ran towards the back.