Volume 3 Chapter 83: Merging Powers

Ah, this is bad.

It seems Alice’s foul mouth has rubbed off on me. Without thinking, I just blurted out something crude in front of Sierra.

Well, no, this is all that Aizon bastard’s fault.

I glared at the machine soldier standing in the distance.

Sierra’s expression, that pained voice of hers—I had never seen or heard them before.

I was forced to see something I never wanted to see, to hear something I never wanted to hear.

He tormented Tesea, made Sierra cry.

How far will he go to get under my skin?

But it ends here.

I’m ending this.

“Fight with all your strength, Noil. I’m with you.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Activating Partner, Noel, now dressed in her bridal attire, smiled and handed me one of her familiar pouches.

It was filled with the mana bottles I always needed.

Taking it, I strapped it to my waist and downed one of the bottles in a single gulp.

The familiar, comforting taste heightened my focus.

This is it.

Without this, I just don’t feel like myself.

…Could I be addicted?

The thought made me a little uneasy, but the act of drinking mana bottles had become something of a ritual for me.

Besides, everyone finds comfort in familiar tastes, so it should be fine.

The bottle itself tastes the same, but the me who drank it is different this time.

This time, I won’t lose.

Never.

“Alright, time for a rematch.”

“You dare corrupt the Child of God again, you demon?!”

No, the demon here is you. Or, no, that might be an insult to demons.

As Aizon shouted furiously, firing one of his arms at me, I couldn’t help but think that.

I raised a hand in front of me and calmly intercepted the approaching arm of the machine soldier.

Ten golden shields shifted their shape and formed a thin barrier that enveloped the four of us.

Before, the best I could manage was to block his attacks with maximum defense. But now, this is enough.

“What!?”

A high-pitched clang rang out as the machine soldier’s arm was deflected.

Aizon quickly retracted it, his expression briefly one of surprise. But soon after, his voice swelled with arrogant confidence.

“It seems your shield has grown stronger, but against this supreme body, it is meaningless!”

He must have thought that after seeing the cracks forming in the shield. Confident it would shatter with one more blow, he immediately launched his other arm.

“What?!”

Before the arm could strike, the cracks in the shield repaired themselves.

The shield once again repelled Aizon’s attack.

This is…Sextet.

The power born of merging Magis Gears.

Sextet combines separate Magis Gears, transforming them into a new power.

It’s easier to understand if you think of it as fusion.

With the Transformer at its core—its ability to interact with souls—it combines our powers, magnifying them many times over. Weaknesses are covered, strengths amplified to their fullest.

This is the true essence of the Sextet—the souls within me.

It’s similar to White Road.

Though the mechanism is different, both require absolute trust to function.

I’m not sure if I can say the same about the trust between me and the Manager… but as for the Sextet, they trust each other enough to entrust their very lives.

And they extend that same trust to me.

I don’t fully understand them, yet somehow, I do.

The one who woke me earlier—I now know it was the Transformer.

Though we spoke for the first time, it didn’t feel like the first.

The Healer-san, Guardian-san, Magis-chan, Coachman-san, Hunter-chan, and Transformer.

I’ve never seen their faces, yet I know each of them clearly.

Aizon, seeing the shield, a fusion of Healer and Guardian, repair itself again, grimaced. He started to aim his palm at us but hesitated, likely worried his beam would hit Sierra or Tesea.

That disgusting concern of his is entirely unnecessary.

Because no matter what he does, I won’t let him hurt anyone anymore.

“You were hiding your power, weren’t you?”

No, not really.

I just couldn’t handle their power properly before.

“No matter. It seems that body of yours is quite valuable.”

No, you’re wrong.

It’s not me—it’s them who are amazing. I’m nothing special.

“You don’t deserve such power. Hand that body over to me.”

He’s right.

I don’t deserve this power.

Without Noel’s help, I couldn’t even use it.

There are probably countless others who could wield it better than me.

But—you can’t have it.

You, who trample over everyone, selfish and egotistical—you can’t possibly understand this power.

That’s why you will lose to me—to us.

No matter if your body is a so-called “divine tool” or how powerful it may be.

Even the creator of this city you revere sought connection with others in the end—something you deem worthless.

You’re wrong about everything, including that.

Do you even realize how many lives you’ve crushed with your twisted ideals and games, playing god with your puppets?

Enough.

You’re done.

Ignoring Aizon’s words, I turned to Tesea, who stood there in shock.

“Tesea, I promised you, but I lost once. I’m sorry. But I won’t lose again.”

“W-why… Noil… why are you the one apologizing…?”

Saying that, she scrunched up her face and showed an expression that was part laughing, part crying.

I patted her head once and, for some reason, looked at the ring on my left ring finger before asking Noel:

“Noel, how long can this last?”

“Forever, always.”

Yeah, right. No, that’s impossible.

She offered me a loving smile as she said it, but there’s sweat on her forehead.

Maintaining Sextet must be a huge strain. I also noticed that when I drank my mana bottle earlier, Noel drank one too. She used to give up after just a sip, and though now she can drink without changing her expression, it means that every time I use our power, her mana is getting drained that much. It can’t last long.

My own mana consumption is quick even with Noel’s support.

I can’t take too much time.

I placed my hand on Sierra’s head again as she slumped to the floor. Her cute face was a mess, smeared with tears and snot.

“Thanks for coming to save me. Now it’s my turn, okay?”

“…Nii-san…”

Yes, I’m your brother.

I may be unreliable, but I won’t forgive anyone who makes my adorable little sister cry.

I won’t fail like I used to.

So, watch me with peace of mind.

I removed my hand from Sierra’s head and turned to face Aizon, stepping out from inside the shield’s barrier.

In that instant—

The machine soldier’s fist flew at me.

As if that could hit me now.

Based on Hunter, I’m now hosting the power of all my Magis Gears.

I’m using Healer and Guardian for the three of them, but there’s no problem.

My senses are sharper than ever, and I’ve gotten used to this machine soldier’s movements.

I drew the dagger at my waist, holding it in reverse grip, and struck upward to deflect the approaching fist from below.

I didn’t get beaten to a pulp for nothing.

I was caught off-guard when exhausted and drained of mana, but until then, I hadn’t taken a direct hit.

Whether it was a desperate adrenaline rush or the Manager’s training, I could dodge even without using Sextet if I had to.

I’ve seen its moves enough times. With the power of Sextet, I no longer find its movements threatening.

The problem was dealing damage, but now…

“Impossible!?”

I have more than enough firepower now.

Aizon cried out in shock as he watched his fist bounce upward, carried by a sharp gust. The dagger’s blade I wielded bore a strawberry-blonde pattern reminiscent of her hair color.

All my weapons are now infused with Magis’s power.

The true essence of this ability, which I once could only use once a day due to my own lack of skill, is to freely wield all magical attributes.

It’s like Fiona’s magic bullets—no, let’s be frank: it far surpasses them.

Because there’s no upper limit to its potency.

Strictly speaking, there’s a limit in terms of my mana, but the more mana I pour in, the more powerful the magic becomes.

To Hunter, which lacked offensive means and striking power, I’ve now added a versatile, mighty, and dazzling force.

“Tch! I thought it commendable that you stepped out of that troublesome shield yourself… Stop struggling, you blasphemer!”

Retracting his arm, Aizon fired a beam of light from his other palm—just at the moment I moved right in front of the machine soldier.

“…Huh?”

Aizon sounded stupidly perplexed for a beat. I swung my dagger at the arm he was pulling back. Its blade, wreathed in flames so hot they could melt steel, severed what seemed like a connecting wire.

Now that arm won’t reattach.

Immediately following that, I stabbed my dagger into the machine soldier’s torso. The blade itself can’t penetrate, but—

“Guuoooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!”

Lightning, fierce enough to recall a thunderbolt, surged from the blade. Even if the blade can’t cut through, that doesn’t matter.

The purple electricity coursed through Aizon’s entire body, dealing real damage.

“Don’t get cocky youuuuuuuuuuu!!”

Even while being electrocuted, Aizon flailed his remaining arm wildly. I backed away from the machine soldier again.

“Gah… wh-what’s happening… Why, what did you do?! What is that form?!”

On the dark cloak I wore, there was now a flaming red pattern reminiscent of his hair.

I hadn’t done anything special—just approached, slashed, and retreated.

Aizon simply couldn’t react in time.

I pulled out two mana bottles, ignoring the frantic Aizon’s confusion, and gulped them down at once.

Coachman—the true essence of that power is movement, transportation.

Coachman-san’s ability may have seemed pathetic thanks to the Manager, but I think his power is the most… unfair of them all.

Moving is one thing, but it’s so fast the machine soldier can’t react, and—

“I’ll leave it to you.”

I manifested a bow and notched multiple arrows, each tipped with Magis and Coachman patterns.

I didn’t even properly aim; I just fired them all at once.

“You dare mock me, you currrr!!”

Seeing the arrows scatter in every direction, Aizon shouted furiously and aimed his remaining palm at me.

“Carry them.”

Just as the machine soldier was about to fire its beam, its arm froze from the inside.

“!? Wh-what?! Huh!?”

Aizon couldn’t possibly understand.

Those scattered arrows, seemingly missing entirely, had all been transported inside the machine soldier.

“O…o, o-o-o-ohhhggggaaaaaaa!!”

Aizon—the machine soldier—danced madly.

Unable to withstand the internal blasts of magic exploding from within—

Explosions, ice, raging winds, blazing flames, lightning strikes.

There’s nothing it can do.

The transportation power delivers the payload exactly where I specify. It’s basically teleportation.

An absurdly powerful ability.

Of course, I can only specify spatial coordinates, so I merely guessed at the approximate internal location of the machine soldier.

If Aizon had known about this power, he could have immediately dodged.

If he had known.

“O…o…aa…aahhhhhhh!!”

Its interior must not have been as sturdy.

It could not endure the Magis spells bursting forth from inside.

The machine soldier—Aizon—let out a shrill screech and exploded.

Its scattered fragments vanished into mist, as if it had all been an illusion.

“Phew…”

Thank you—

I thanked everyone inside me and let out a single breath before turning back.

Walking toward the golden shield barrier, I released Sextet.

“It’s over now.”

I gave the three who had been waiting a smile.

“Hmm?”

For some reason, Noel covered her face with both hands, Tesea gave me a troubled smile, and Sierra stared at me blankly.

This is… not the reaction I expected.

Why? Tilting my head, I realized a certain fact.

A feeling of overwhelming freedom.

I thought it was from having defeated Aizon, but apparently it was something more physical.

Ah, of course.

Hunter’s attire covers my whole body, so I completely forgot—

I had nothing on under that outfit after my first fight with Aizon left me stripped.

No wonder that when I released the Magis Gear, I ended up like this.

Now I’m stark naked—strictly speaking, I’m a pervert wearing only a pouch at my waist. I quickly used both hands to cover my Noil Jr.

“…Sorry.”

I apologized.

Sorry you had to see something so unpleasant.

Really, I’m sorry.

“D-don’t worry about it. U-um… thanks for the treat.”

Noel, who seemed to be staring straight at my lower half through the unusually wide gaps in her fingers, for some reason added a nonsensical line as she spoke.