“So, that’s how you’re going to play it, huh?”
I clenched my teeth as I thought to myself.
The robot’s exterior seemed to be made of some kind of alloy.
Judging by the slight dent where I hit it with the hammer, it was clear.
If it were ceramic, it would’ve shattered rather than bending.
I couldn’t tell how heat-resistant it was, nor did I know much about its elasticity or other properties.
But in any case, if I hit it hard enough, something would give, right?
I gripped the hammer tightly.
The flames bursting from the front of the robot disappeared.
If I let even a bit of strength leave me, the hammer would move forward on its own.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough.
I stepped forward.
The ground shattered beneath my foot with a loud crack.
The spot where I stepped caved in, and I felt the tightly packed rebar brush against my toes.
I increased the hammer’s power and leapt into the air.
I adjusted the trajectory of the thruster, paused briefly, and then surged forward again.
I released all the propulsion—front and back—outward.
Boom!
The security robot’s fist collided with the hammer. It was the sound of metal clashing against metal, but the hammer was sturdier.
Although it had intricate components inside, it was fundamentally a weapon designed as a “blunt instrument.”
Aside from the propulsion mechanism, it was just a heavy lump of metal.
It even had a rocket attached at the back that could increase thrust in an instant.
Essentially, it was akin to a missile without an explosive tip.
If not for the long bar supporting it instead of a steel wire, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to compare it to a TOW missile.
On the other hand, the robot’s “hand” had joints.
Even though it only had three thick fingers, the fact that they were “joints” meant there were clear durability limits.
With my vision enhanced by magic, I saw the joint twisting and finally breaking.
What spurted out from inside was lubricant—
—or was it lubricant?
Its color seemed a bit…
Whack.
A sudden impact to my side interrupted my thoughts.
Just before I was flung away, I forced myself to look back and saw another robot punching me in the waist.
And before I could even be thrown, it grabbed my ankle and yanked me down.
Its speed was overwhelming, far surpassing even my enhanced reflexes.
How…?
I swung the hammer downward, setting the thrust to maximum.
This nearly twisted my knee joint backward, but at least I avoided slamming my entire body into the ground and falling into a groggy state.
The enemy was clearly aiming to kill me.
I had to destroy it completely—
Wait, no.
That lubricant from earlier.
The color was bothering me.
It wasn’t black or transparent.
It was oddly red—
Bang!
At first, my attention was elsewhere, and I couldn’t block the attack.
But while my body floated in midair, I could see the robot charging at me.
I twisted the hammer sideways, causing my body to shift slightly off-course.
Crash.
The robot’s two feet slammed into the spot where I had been moments ago.
There were three robots in total.
So far, all I had done was destroy one fist from one of them.
I was growing anxious.
As I forcibly pulled my foot out, my shoe slipped off, leaving one bare foot exposed.
I kicked the robot’s fingers with that foot several times, but they were far sturdier than the concrete coating the building’s exterior.
That alone wasn’t enough to damage its joints.
The robot, which had failed to stomp me flat, turned its body toward me—
I heard something sizzle and saw its head—likely its main camera—get hit.
“James!”
“Let’s focus on getting up first. It seems like the drone’s laser can only serve as a distraction.”
Not exactly comforting.
But to be fair, neither of us had the luxury to worry about each other.
Thinking this, I bent my knees.
As the robot lifted my leg, my back and waist were forced flat against the ground.
My hands were still raised above my head, gripping the hammer.
With flames still spewing from the back of the hammer, I had to use all my strength just to keep it grounded.
I minimized the hammer’s rear thrust and braced myself by unleashing flames from the front thruster.
The robot appeared to be trying to lift me higher and slam me back down, pulling my legs up continuously.
My back arched until only the back of my head and neck touched the ground.
“Not so fast!”
I yelled and maximized the hammer’s thrust.
At the same time, I cut off the flames from the front thruster.
Holding the handle tightly with both hands, my arms shot upward first.
Then my waist followed.
Planting my freed foot onto the robot’s hand to support myself, I let go of the hammer’s handle.
Clang!
The hammer struck the robot’s head directly.
Yet its head didn’t break.
This thing was ridiculously durable.
At least the camera seemed to have been destroyed.
Red lubricant seeped out through the gaps.
The “robot” let go of my foot.
Then it raised both hands toward its face.
As if in pain.
“…What?”
I muttered at the sight.
Just then, the sound of something slicing through the air startled me, and I rolled to the side as hard as I could.
Boom!
The floor shook beneath me.
I could feel the tremor through my body.
I quickly got to my feet and searched for the hammer.
“Weaponizing the monster? Is that even possible?”
“Even if it’s rampaging, as long as there’s a ‘framework,’ it can be restrained to some degree. If we can make it rigid only at the necessary moments, we might be able to control even a being driven by pure destructive instinct to some extent. However, ‘detailed commands’ would be absolutely impossible.”
Iris spoke while observing the ‘robots’ as if she were evaluating them.
One of the robots leapt toward the magical girls.
The five of them immediately scattered to evade the attack.
Hayeon took the center position, swinging her sword to cut off the monster’s hand reaching for her.
Screeeech!
No, she tried to sever it, but unlike usual, it didn’t cut cleanly.
It wasn’t as sharp as when I wore my combat suit.
“Aha.”
Delphinium murmured.
“Those monsters also seem to use circuits.”
“Rather than ‘using,’ I’d say they’re supplementary.
Without ‘energy,’ they wouldn’t be able to move like that.
Besides, monsters aren’t capable of detailed thought anyway.”
How relaxed she seemed.
Even capable of chatting.
But it wasn’t as though they were truly taking it easy against the enemy.
Like during the fight with the seafood monster last time, this monster wasn’t easy to deal with either.
Judging by the lack of effective hits, it seemed like a tough opponent.
Maybe Hayeon’s energy hadn’t fully recovered yet.
Or perhaps—
I swung my hammer as I pondered.
So they’ve shown up.
Is it to capture me again this time?
Even as Iris assessed the situation, I deliberately avoided her gaze.
I hadn’t even had a chance to meet the eyes of the other magical girls.
Hayeon, earlier, was staring at the ground, and now her back was turned to me, so I couldn’t read her expression at all.
Bang!
I blocked a hand falling toward me—
“Let’s use this chance to get into the broadcasting room.”
James quickly suggested.
“From the start, I found it curious. If the forces in the broadcasting room were there, they could have destroyed the inner room first.”
“That must mean they couldn’t do it.”
“They likely didn’t know we’d come today, or that the broadcasting room was our target.”
“Then why were the forces concentrated in the broadcasting room to begin with—”
There was no need to finish the question aloud.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The doors in the hallway shattered as ‘robots’ poured out.
Their forms and sizes were varied.
None were larger than the ones I had been fighting, but they weren’t smaller than me either.
They were likely aliens from different planets.
They weren’t confined to just the broadcasting room.
Probably, every room on this floor had a few of these forces waiting inside.
While they didn’t know ‘when’ we’d come, the current chairman, being on this floor, must have thought we might show up eventually.
Among the fighters alongside me, there were aliens, too.
Unemployment wasn’t an issue exclusive to Earth.
Many people across planets and nations faced hardships for various reasons.
And those people often came to places like this to take up physically demanding jobs.
“Did you know about this?”
“Not at all. If I had known, do you think I’d have come here, risking my life?”
“No, not that.”
“I really didn’t. Besides, this company is already on bad terms with the Federation; they wouldn’t knowingly escalate things to such an extent.”
So that means—
The ‘current chairman,’ perhaps.
The speakers had been silent for some time now.
Where was the chairman? In the broadcasting room?
Or the chairman’s office?
Or maybe he wasn’t even in the building?
Would the chairman stay alone on the top floor while others were evacuating?
Bang!
I ducked to avoid an attack and struck the one in front of me with my hammer, sending it flying.
They lacked reason.
But that didn’t mean I could kill them.
I wasn’t about to become a murderer.
I heard the sound of the air being cut again, and a bullet grazed past me.
The smaller beings in front of me took the shots and collapsed.
“Looks like they’re ‘synchronized.'”
Iris commented.
I looked back, but her gaze wasn’t directed at me.
Yet it was clear her words were meant for me.
“Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use the circuits. Besides, the being inside this combat suit doesn’t seem to be an alien. Whatever the source of the energy is, it’s likely the same as the emotions driving your circuit.”
So that’s how it is.
Combat suits with circuits only have meaning when worn by humans.
Alien versions existed but lacked circuits.
They were limited to simple power assists and minor protection like bullet or blade resistance.
Magical girls not only ran their own circuits but also drew from Hayeon’s energy to operate.
They ‘synchronized.’
The reason no one had developed despair circuits to synchronize until now was simple—there weren’t any humans capable of generating enough energy to sustain such circuits.
But now, there was.
Me.
So the monsters here—
“Who knows?”
Before I could think further, James spoke up.
Even while dodging the enemy’s attacks, James didn’t stop talking.
“I was aware such technology was being researched. But it seems you’re unaware that I created the generator.”
What a charming way to phrase it.
“No, it’s not because of you. They likely developed the technology in preparation for someone like you appearing. As long as there’s a blueprint, mass production isn’t difficult. The current chairman’s been in place for over a month.”
They might not be able to mass-produce millions, but producing a few dozen wouldn’t be technically impossible.
“In any case, we’re in trouble. If we weren’t here, the magical girls could fight better.”
His voice was filled with sarcasm toward the magical girls, momentarily leaving me speechless.
Instead of responding, I swung my hammer.
Bang!
A fist flying toward me was sent back by my hammer.
“So, let’s head straight to the broadcasting room. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if we just wrapped this up and left?”
I looked behind me.
Hayeon was there, standing with her back to me.
“Go.”
Sensing my gaze, Hayeon spoke.
“You have a reason for coming here, don’t you?”
I hesitated for a moment.
It had been so long since I’d talked to Hayeon. Our last meeting had been a disaster.
I couldn’t even imagine what kind of expression she was wearing now.
Bang!
Bang!
Shots were fired next to me.
“Go!”