Chapter 122
We learned about the existence of the guardian protecting this place thanks to the journal Cordelia left behind.
The journal had yet to be fully translated.
Not only was it written in an ancient language, but it was composed of alchemical formulas unknown even to Costin and cryptic koans whose meaning was incomprehensible.
The translation, progressing carefully like feeling along walls while relying on a thin thread in a maze full of darkness, succeeded in discovering something meaningful at some point.
It was an achievement by two top-class experts, holding the thread of the knowledge of Devils and alchemy as hands feeling along the walls.
That something was a single location.
The place where we were in now.
And...
— Judging by the mention of taking a test, there's probably something here.
— Could it be a similar structure to what was on the ruins of the First Floor? Like a special device that absorbs mana?
— I'm not sure. That would be easier, but it's probably not.
Costin was almost certain that the Third Floor would be different, despite the precedent of the First Floor ruins.
— That's the way of mages.
Cordelia Wollstonecraft was an alchemist.
Moreover, she was the kind of alchemist said to have mastered alchemy and rebuilt all the world's alchemical formulas anew.
While mages were often extreme egoists who would rather trust their own magic than keep familiars that might cause unexpected variables, alchemists were different.
Rather, the First Floor having nothing was stranger.
Costin argued that it was probably removed or looted by someone who came earlier.
— And in my opinion, the guardian is...
§
I was certain when I understood what those tree things were.
As Costin said, there was a guardian protecting this place…
And its identity was likely a homunculus, just as Costin said.
But, is that also a homunculus...?
Homunculus, the ideal life form dreamed of by alchemists.
A perfect human born containing all the truths of the world.
However, realistically, alchemists' abilities fell short of creating even a homunculus identical to an actual human, let alone something beyond human.
Though certain modified parts were naturally superior to humans, creating life that fully embodies humans' complex thinking abilities and diverse capabilities was still a distant goal.
While it was ahead of golems as a living being, which only moved according to pre-input commands and required manual operation for any other actions, golems surpassed homunculi in destructive power gained by giving up complexity, so even that ended up being a lateral exchange.
But that one was different.
The wooden homunculi we faced and defeated earlier.
These mediocre pseudo-dolls, considered quite ordinary in this era, only recognized the fact that they had seen us when they looked at us.
Beyond that, they didn't think about what kind of beings they had seen.
However, that one was doing so.
It saw me and Baltren and understood.
I felt intelligence.
"...Marvelous! Gephardt was right. This truly was the workshop of the pioneer!"
Excitement covering his previous bewilderment raised Baltren's voice.
Putting aside various questions, Baltren focused on the homunculus.
Realizing that the answer lied beyond it, without needing to seek answers explicitly.
The experience of a Master Explorer is indeed different.
Tree roots that had been extending like stalactites and stalagmites from the ceiling and floor were withdrawn and enveloped Baltren.
It was quite a bizarre sight.
As if trees were taking root in Baltren's body, his entire body was covered and disappeared into the tree roots.
But what was really happening was the opposite of what was visible.
Baltren was making those trees, the magic beasts of the Third Floor, his own.
"He was completely toying with me."
This is upsetting.
While I should welcome Baltren not using his full power, from my perspective, irritation at being disregarded welled up. I knew it wasn’t rational but I couldn’t help feeling that way.
If he had used such magic from the start, honestly, would it have been possible to land a hit?
If I stack Smite well and fire, I might be able to penetrate. But he wouldn't have obediently taken that hit.
In the end, the answer was… I wouldn't know unless I tried.
But there was no need to dwell on things that didn't happen.
I focused on what was in front of me again.
The sight of two beings captured in one view was like seeing a scene from a myth or legend.
One side was a bizarre wooden figure with its entire body entwined in tree roots and stems, and the other... though incomplete and heterogeneous in form, had an appearance that would make anyone think of the word “angel”.
Armor concealing the body's contours.
Two pairs of wings that were unclear whether they were attached to the armor or the flesh underneath.
No, it was three pairs of wings.
One pair of wings was broken for some reason, with only the root parts remaining.
And in the head part, exposed without wearing a helmet, the features that should be there couldn't be found.
A smooth-surfaced face with little curvature.
An eye existing only on the right side, no nose at all, and a somewhat normal mouth.
The blank spaces of this empty face were filled with flickering flames.
Above all, what caught the eye was the ring of light floating above this heteromorphic head.
The ring, flickering like sparks in a noisy video, was clear evidence that no matter how one thought about it, this being could only be classified as an angel.
From the start, we didn't call creatures over three meters tall “human”.
[Identification complete. Priority elimination target established. Unqualified individual. Based on the principle of prioritizing the exclusion of ineligible subjects, enemy elimination will proceed before the qualification examination.]
"Unqualified? That's not for you to decide."
The giant tree giant and the angel-shaped giant collided.
Two large masses created a multitude of kinetic energy, pounding on the drum that was the earth.
No, after showing that level of magic, they're engaging in giant hand-to-hand combat?
The moment I thought that.
The ground where the homunculus stepped caved in.
A natural change occurring as naturally as breathing, without incantation, hand signs, or even magic activation words.
Baltren seemed accustomed even to this hand-to-hand combat.
I wasn’t sure if it was right to call it hand-to-hand combat when moving in such a body? Magic? Or perhaps it would be closer to Mecha?
Baltren's fist aimed for the homunculus's face.
Thud—!
That was what would have happened if not for the opaque wall created in front of the homunculus's face.
"Autonomous defense?"
It was the first thought that came to mind in terms of semi-automatically operating defense, but I soon excluded that judgment.
The form was too proper for autonomous defense.
That was a materialized mystery in itself.
Whether it was aura, magic, alchemy, or whatever.
Baltren, knowing this, tried to restrain it by extending branches like tentacles from the trees covering his body.
But the homunculus didn't just stand still, it launched a counterattack.
Whether its abilities were focused on defense, unlike Baltren, it didn't have any special means of attack.
It charged recklessly, trusting in its obviously extremely sturdy armor.
After all, since a homunculus was an alchemist's work, it was unreasonable to expect the use of magic or aura unless it was a genuine homunculus that had truly awakened to all truths.
With two giant bodies about 3m tall hitting and pushing each other like that, it became a spectacle in of and itself.
The scale of the fight instantly spread beyond the interior of the ruins to the outside.
Boom—! Rumble—!
No, this isn’t the only thing affecting the immediate vicinity…
It seems things are happening outside too.
It was difficult to grasp accurately as it was happening outside the area of Axis' mana field, and even that mana field was shaking from the fight these two monsters were having, but I could roughly tell that something was happening.
There was the option of leaving this place as it was, but I trusted my companions outside.
Then I should do what I can do.
"Which side do you think will win?"
I ask the Devils who were probably eagerly observing Baltren and the homunculus's fight through me.
[Wouldn't that tree monster win? It seems more adept at fighting.]
[It is not a tree monster, but a Wicker Man. Usually, it is a prison for immolation, but they are using it like that. I believe it may be capable of fire-attribute attacks as well.]
[Hmph. It seems the Origin Duke's thoughts are the same as this body’s.]
[Huh? No. I think the other side will win.]
[Hmm? Why?]
[Why, you ask…? Are you truly an Archdevil?]
[What!? Are you doubting this Bath Duke's rank?!]
"Leraje. What do you think?"
[Why are you asking me?]
It was a question with a strange nuance.
It wasn't a simple question of “Why ask me when those two were here,” or “What aspect of me do you trust to seek my opinion?”
[Well, it's obvious.]
Leraje's question was closer to that of a teacher scolding an arrogant student who pretended not to know while clearly knowing the answer.
[The side you shoot that thing in your hand at will lose.]
You're the one who decides the outcome of this fight, aren't you?
"Was I found out?"
[Found out or not... You've been stacking it, haven't you?]
Quite openly at that.
The moment they excluded me from their awareness, the direction of the match fell into my hands.
I had been preparing Smite, which I hadn't even tried at maximum output myself yet, since the moment they forgot about me.
Now then.
It's time for judgment.