The Giant Golem unleashed a rapid volley from the magic cannons mounted on its shoulders.
Each shot possessed enough power that a direct hit would be devastating. Consequently, I moved incessantly, using teleportation to evade the barrage. The artillery shells that missed me exploded against the buildings behind, shattering white-painted structures one after another and gouging deep craters into the stone-paved streets. Reconstructing this area would likely require years of labor and a fortune in materials.
While I surveyed the devastation, another round of bombardment streaked toward me. I attempted to repel it with a magic power net, but the shells pierced straight through before they could even be snared. The sensation was unlike that of a standard magic cannon; the warheads appeared to be modified with formula destruction. They were likely specialized rounds designed specifically for the Giant Golem.
Rather than attempting to force a deflection, I decided to focus entirely on evasion. Even with my defenses, a direct hit would likely blow me to smithereens.
Standing tall, the golem showered me with a relentless barrage. It maintained a steady rhythm, attempting to erase me with overwhelming firepower. Since the pilot was showing absolutely no restraint, I used voice amplification magic to address him.
“Do you not care about the damage to the city?”
“Yeah, who cares!” John replied instantly, his voice filled with glee. “It’s not like I ever swore loyalty to this country!”
As he spoke, a shell tore through a row of houses simultaneously. The buildings, now sporting massive holes, collapsed with a thunderous roar.
“Besides, every single death is on your head, isn’t it? I haven’t done anything wrong. I can fight with a clear conscience, holding up the banner of justice!”
John laughed loudly, his voice devoid of any remorse. He commanded the golem to raise one massive leg, intending to crush me underfoot. I retreated to create distance. The steel foot came down, pulverizing the building beneath it and causing the ground to cave in, sending deep cracks spiderwebbing through the earth.
He was a truly preposterous man. He stood in stark contrast to the primary personality, who had desperately sought justice despite his inner suffering. This persona was carrying out a slaughter with full knowledge of his actions. In a sense, he was a radical rationalist; he viewed any collateral damage as an acceptable price for my elimination.
More likely, however, John simply had no interest in others. He didn’t care who died or where. It was precisely because of that mindset that he could wield the golem’s power so recklessly within the capital. It was an extreme nuisance to the citizens of the Technomagic Kingdom, yet they had no way to stop him. In this city, the Giant Golem was the only force capable of standing against the Demon King. The powerless populace had no choice but to watch the battle unfold.
I fired a lightning strike at the golem’s joints, but it was repelled by defense magic before it could cause any damage. A barrier with a strength surpassing even great magic seemed to be active at all times.
“It’s no use, no matter how many times you try! I’m not going to run out of steam!”
The golem’s torso shifted and transformed, revealing a massive cannon stored within its chest. Magic power swirled around the barrel, its output rising at a staggering rate. When the energy reached its peak, a beam of light erupted toward me.
A tank cannon blast, then.
I deployed multi-layered defense magic to deflect the beam. The diverted light swept across the city in a straight line, triggering a chain of explosions that toppled buildings in the distance. According to my perception magic, even one of the evacuation sites had been caught in the path. That single beam had just snuffed out a significant number of lives.
Ignoring the catastrophic damage, the golem continued to fire its tank cannon and magic cannons in tandem. Eventually, it even began emitting beams from its fingertips. I utilized teleportation magic to stay ahead of the onslaught. Although the attacks were relentless, I still had room to maneuver.
I watched the Giant Golem closely. By all accounts, using magic this recklessly should have depleted its reserves quickly, yet the surging magic power showed no signs of waning. The Secret Stone installed within was providing an inexhaustible supply. At this rate of consumption, the golem would never exceed its own recharge rate.
The city was on the brink of total annihilation. Fires raged everywhere, and nearly all the surrounding buildings had been reduced to rubble. Many of the people who had fled for safety were now dead. We were fighting in a wasteland of debris.
“Hahaha! Keep scurrying around and running away, it won’t be long until—!?”
As the golem prepared to fire another beam, it suddenly tumbled backward onto its seat. The beam went wild, shooting harmlessly into the night sky. The golem tried to stand, but its limbs jerked awkwardly as if seized by a cramp. Something was clearly wrong.
“No... this... this cannot be allowed! I... I will defeat the Demon King and save everyo— Dammit, give me a break! Can’t you see the situation? Stop getting in my way!”
The voice, fueled by intense emotion, echoed through the ruins. He appeared to be talking to himself, but I knew better. The primary personality was resisting, attempting to stop the golem from continuing the slaughter. It seemed the two personalities could not perfectly suppress one another. John Doe was currently a house divided.
Regardless, it was a golden opportunity.
I took advantage of the opening to cast binding-type magic, pouring in a massive amount of magic power to expand the spell's reach. Thick vines erupted from the earth, coiling around the golem’s limbs. The machine’s defense magic offered no protection, as I simply bound the entire structure from the outside.
The golem pulverized the vines with its cannons and thrashed its limbs to snap the restraints. John managed to get the machine back onto its feet, clearly annoyed by the clinging plants. However, as soon as he broke free, new vines surged upward to ensnare him again.
“Tch! Is this pathetic trick all you’ve got? You’re just buying time!”
John sounded increasingly irritated as he struggled against the endlessly regenerating vines. He fired beams into the ground, but the bindings were relentless. He was forced to waste effort burning or tearing them away.
I could no longer hear the primary personality’s voice. John had likely managed to suppress him again, and the golem’s movements were regaining their fluidity.
I teleported directly above the golem’s head. A cannon immediately swiveled toward me and fired, but I ignored it, blocking the shot with a casual deployment of defense magic. It didn't matter how often my shields were shattered, provided I replaced them faster than they could be destroyed.
Standing before the golem’s face, I prepared a forbidden magic spell. I used very little magic power, instead constructing the formula using miasma as the foundation. A jet-black tube, thin as a needle, extended from my fingertip. It pierced the defense magic and plunged into the golem’s head.
Composed of high-purity miasma and compressed to its absolute limit, the tube focused the spell’s power into a single point, allowing it to bypass the golem’s formidable wards. I used the tube to absorb a minute amount of magic power.
Instantly, my body began to dissolve. The bone from my right shoulder to my flank crumbled. It seemed the two energies were violently incompatible; the power of the Great Spirit and the miasma of the Demon King did not mix.
Ignoring my damaged physical form, I analyzed the magic power I had siphoned. I focused on the details I couldn't discern through mere observation. Grasping the nature of an enemy's power is fundamental to the study of magic. In battle, it is invaluable for both offense and defense, as it allows one to tune magic formulas to the specific properties of the target. The more precise the analysis, the easier it becomes to pierce an opponent’s guard and fortify one’s own.
“What are you doing? Get away from me!”
As the golem’s hand reached out to snatch me, I teleported away. However, I left the miasma tube embedded in its skull. I watched the golem from a distance as it began to stomp toward me.
The spell had already been cast. All that remained was to wait.
Moments later, the golem faltered. Its movements turned sluggish before it dropped to its knees and went still.
“Hey... why won’t it move? Demon King, what the hell did you do?!”
John’s enraged voice boomed, but this wasn't due to mental instability. It was a mechanical failure caused by my spell.
My detection magic picked up a massive magic power reaction emanating from the golem’s head. The miasma tube was gorging itself on the golem’s magic power, using it as a nutrient to swell in size. Even as the tube melted from the elemental incompatibility, it grew at a rate that far outpaced its dissolution.
The tube branched out into countless boughs. With a series of thunderous cracks and flickering flares of energy, a massive black great tree ripped through the golem’s head and surged toward the sky.