From the two legs firmly planted on the ground to the top of the head, The God of Machinery, true to its name, was completely covered in metal.
It had gathered the surrounding metals and wore them like armor.
The armor didn't look like it was forcibly patched together with mismatched parts.
Rather, it boasted a smooth body that made one wonder how it was possible.
It had a streamlined body with no visible cracks or misalignments.
On its face was a round, smooth visor helmet.
It had a futuristic design unlike anything seen before.
-Kiriririk.
The steel cocoon surrounding its body spread open to the sides.
The cocoon, split to the sides, divided again into top and bottom halves, then transformed into massive arms.'Mechanical arms?'
The mechanical arms with sharp fingers looked like well-made models, like seeing a smooth mannequin.
The God of Machinery standing still, with four massive mechanical arms floating above its head.
The mechanical god, mixed with deep brown and golden colors, stared at Rudger.
The moment he met the gaze coming from the unseen black helmet, Rudger felt pain in his head.
'What...'
-Thump.
With the sound of his heartbeat, the headache surged like a tide and then receded.
Rudger's pupils trembled momentarily.
'The triple unfolding sealing technique, just for an instant, violently fluctuated.'
The voice of the god reacted the moment he faced the God of Machinery.
In other words, it truly was made through a relic...and it was safe to say that it possessed divine majesty worthy of its name.
-Ziiing.
A light formed above the head of the God of Machinery, creating a ring.
A golden halo.
One of the four mechanical arms gathered around the halo moved.
It was a light motion with no warning or indication but Rudger, through an almost instinctive action, sank into the shadows.
Immediately after, a massive slash tore through the space where Rudger had disappeared.
-Kwagagagak!
The door of the corridor through which Rudger had entered was not just split but completely shattered.
The result was excessive for what appeared to be a simple swing of an arm.
-Chiiik!
Mechanical devices broke down, and pressurized steam burst from various places, filling the surroundings with white smoke.
Within the obscured vision, Rudger's magic shot toward the God of Machinery.
It was a steel sword of compressed high-mass metal.
He had gathered the surrounding metals and compressed them to the maximum to shoot it.
It had the size of an ordinary long sword, but weighed in tons and was shot almost like a projectile under the influence of magnetic force.
It was an attack with tremendous physical power, but it didn't work on the God of Machinery.
Another mechanical arm floating above the god's head moved.
When the arm flicked its fingers, the incoming sword stopped abruptly.
Despite the momentum of the accelerated mass, there was no sense of resistance or exertion when stopping it.
With another flick of the fingers, the sword rotated half a turn in place, changed direction, and was shot through the steam.
It seemed like it might have taken down Rudger who had launched the attack, but what came back was far more magic.
Bundles of fire poured from the air.
When one mechanical arm raised to block the flames, ice sprouted from the floor and caught the god's ankles.
One arm created a strange vibration in its palm, then pressed it against the floor.
The floor heated up, causing all the ice to melt away.
-Tukwang!
Massive rock bullets flew through the steam from both sides. The remaining two arms caught the flying rocks with both hands and crushed them with brute force.
At that moment, light flashed.
The intense beam that was fired was stronger and thicker than the first attack.
Now, with the four arms occupied blocking various magics, it was a killing blow aimed at the god's heart, the divine path.
The God of Machinery stood still and took the attack.
-Ziiing!
The high-heat laser hit the chest and began to push back the God of Machinery.
Despite being an attack that should have pierced a hole through it, the god endured it.
It stopped after slowly being pushed back, then began to walk forward gradually by stepping forward.
One of the mechanical arms clenched its fist and shot like a missile toward the steam where the laser was coming from.
-Kwaang!
With a huge noise, a shockwave spread, washing away all the steam.
The entrance to the Central Reactor was shattered but there was no trace of Rudger's blood anywhere.
"Oh my. Did he flee in fear of the divine majesty?"
Nikolai shrugged with apparent pleasure as he watched.
The God of Machinery turned to look at Nikolai.
Nikolai's figure was reflected on the emotionless, mechanical helmet.
But soon, as if uninterested, it turned its head, retrieved the extended mechanical arm, and floated up in place.
The halo above its head became much clearer and larger than before.
-Flash!
As the light of the halo intensified, the God of Machinery rose to the sky at a terrifying speed.
It was a scene that could only be described as ascension.
The ceiling of the Central Reactor couldn't stop the God of Machinery.
Rising from the center of the island to the top with its bare body, the god eventually soared high into the air of the third floor.
The destruction caused by its passage created aftereffects.
-Kwang! Bang!
Explosions occurred everywhere, steam pipelines broke, steam spewed out, and all sorts of parts, unable to withstand the pressure, flew in all directions.
Half of the third floor of Isla Machina was paralyzed in an instant.
Steam released throughout the underground waterways, causing manhole covers to shoot high into the sky.
Steam cars passing by on the streets were either split in half or exploded when hit by these covers.
-Kyaaak!
-Run away!
Ordinary citizens screamed and scattered in panic, and security police were at a loss for what to do.
The God of Machinery, which had caused all this chaos, looked down at the chaotic scene from high above, as befitting its divine name.
At that moment, a large figure flew in and threw a punch at the god.
-Tueong!
One of the mechanical arms moved automatically to block the punch.
...?
The God of Machinery looked at Whiron, the man who had attacked, as if puzzled.
Whiron felt a chill run down his spine the moment he met that mechanical gaze.
"This."
An undeniable smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
"A very terrifying monster has appeared."
The mechanical arm moved.
When it clenched its fist, the surrounding air vibrated with a woong.
Facing the enormous power contained within, Whiron also clenched his fist and threw a punch in response.
-Kwaang!
Power versus power colliding in midair.
The winner was the mechanically generated power.
Whiron's large body fell like a meteor and collided with the ground.
The hard ground was scraped away as if by a massive claw.
Whiron finally stopped after destroying several houses.
"Urgh. Damn strong and solid. I never thought I'd be pushed back in a head-on collision."
Whiron tried to get up but looked down at his right arm when he felt pain.
The fist that had collided was shattered from the previous impact.
Seeing his broken bones and bleeding fist, Whiron revealed his snow-white teeth.
"Ah, this sensation of tearing muscles. It's been a really long time."
A shadow gathered beside Whiron, and Rudger emerged from the floor.
"Oh my goodness."
"Is your arm okay?"
"Ah, this? This will heal quickly if I just apply some saliva."
As if it wasn't an exaggeration, Whiron really applied his saliva to the wound.
What was even more surprising was that the wound was actually healing at a visible rate.
"I'm activating cells by pushing my metabolism to the extreme to recover quickly from injuries."
It was a highly unorthodox magic, but Rudger decided to just accept it.
It wasn't the time to point this out, given the current situation outside.
"By the way, teacher, what exactly is that thing outside?"
"It's an experimental being created by Nikolai. He calls it the God of Machinery."
"A very arrogant name. Well, its punch was quite spicy though."
At that moment, the mansion where the two were conversing shook with a drrr.
It wasn't just this building.
Everything in the surrounding area began to shake violently.
The two realized this was the doing of the God of Machinery.
Just as they were wondering what it was trying to do, the mansion they were in suddenly floated into the air.
"What the hell?"
Whiron exclaimed in astonishment.
It wasn't just the house they were staying in. All the surrounding buildings began to float into the air.
Most of the buildings in Isla Machina contain metal.
Especially from the third floor, which could be considered middle class, the buildings contained much more iron than ordinary bricks or concrete.
The God of Machinery had begun to control all the metal in the surrounding area with its will.
"Aaaah!"
"R-run away!"
It wasn't just houses that were floating.
Everything containing metal began to float and rotate around the God of Machinery.
Broken cars, destroyed pipes, giant transmission towers, and more.
The output was unbelievable even to the eye.
"If we leave it alone, the entire island will collapse."
"Teacher. Even with just the two of us, can't we buy some time?"
"Let's make it three."
At that moment, another voice joined in.
Rudger and Whiron turned to the source of the sound.
Rotheron, with his mask removed, was standing on the windowsill.
"Huh? Who are you?"
"It's me. Rotheron."
"What?!"
Whiron was startled, seeing Rotheron’s face behind the mask for the first time.
"I'm surprised! To think Rotheron wore a mask to hide cat ears!"
"They're not cat ears, but tiger lineage."
"Aren't they both felines in the big picture?"
"...Shouldn't you normally be surprised that I'm a beast-kin?"
"Beast-kin? Well, that's possible too. I just thought you were hiding because your face was ugly."
Whiron wasn't surprised by the fact that Rotheron was a beast-kin.
At this nonchalant reaction, Rotheron relaxed his shoulders as if he had worried unnecessarily.
"More importantly, we have a problem. What exactly is that monster?"
After escaping from the New Magic Tower, he suddenly felt a massive power wave nearby.
So he flew quickly to find a mechanical being floating in the air, lifting all the surrounding metal.
Rotheron had come here by tracking Rudger and Whiron's scent with his beast-kin sense of smell, but he still didn't understand what was happening.
Rudger briefly explained the situation to Rotheron.
"The God of Machinery...truly an arrogant name. But looking at the majesty it's displaying now, I can understand."
Just by existing, it causes the surrounding metals to respond.
It was hard to imagine what would happen if it properly wielded its power.
They had to stop it.
The three reached a dramatic compromise on the spot.
They didn't know where Nikolai had fled, but dealing with that thing was the priority.
Otherwise, Isla Machina could be destroyed.
Just as the three steeled their resolve, a massive force destroyed the house they were in.
-Kwaang!
One of the huge mechanical arms of the God of Machinery had come flying.
Everything the fist touched, whether steel, concrete, or whatever, was pulverized.
The house where the three were staying turned to dust in an instant but the three had already safely escaped to the outside.
"Let's have another round!"
Whiron laughed and charged toward the God of Machinery.
Whiron's entire body was enveloped in blue magic energy as if wrapped in flames.
Whiron's form blurred and changed into a massive arrow, shooting toward the God of Machinery.
The God of Machinery raised one mechanical arm to block Whiron's attack.
"Kuk! Even this doesn't penetrate!"
While Whiron was struggling against the mechanical arm, another arm targeted him.
An arm with a sharpened blade-like hand was swung horizontally toward Whiron's waist.
It was an attack that Whiron, engaged in a power struggle with one arm, would find difficult to respond to.
What blocked it instead was a semi-transparent armored soul.
A warrior's soul, with a build matching Whiron's, blocked the swinging arm with a shield as large as itself.
The God of Machinery tried to move the remaining two arms, but somehow, a large soul appeared above its head and was strongly holding both arms.
It was Rotheron’s magic.
In that brief moment, Rudger, who had been watching for an opening, rushed toward the immobilized God of Machinery.
'Attacking with magic from a distance doesn't work due to the difference in output.'
Then, he would finish it up close.
Rudger changed the shadows on both arms into beast forms and swung them toward the God of Machinery.
He was aiming for its head.
Just as he was about to blow away the head, the God of Machinery turned to look at Rudger.
-Flash!
The moment a gleam of light flashed from inside the visor helmet, Rudger was sent flying far away by a massive impact.
'What was that?'
Rudger, who had barely regained his position, was puzzled by the attack just now.
He couldn't understand by what principle the attack occurred without any warning but there was no time to wonder about it.
For the first time, the God of Machinery moved its main body's hand and reached out toward Rudger.
Metal debris floating in the air rained down like meteors toward Rudger.