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Chapter 113. Robot

"…How long do you need to keep painting?" 

"Isn't it just that kind of drawing? Below, they’re probably depicting something like the streets of that era."

Ever since finding the mural, we’ve been walking while staring at it, searching for its head or tail. Yet, all we’ve seen is its torso. The top part of the mural features only Claudius' body, but as Vanessa pointed out, the lower section seems to depict what appears to be streets from that era or figures resembling royalty holding crowns.

"If this painting shows humanity's collapse due to Claudius… wouldn’t it depict events even earlier than the Simba Dynasty? No ruins of the Simba Dynasty would display a mural of their downfall, would they?" 

"If that’s the case, does that mean this event happened 4,000 years ago?" 

"I don’t know, but…"

Alternatively, the mural might have been painted by the demon clan after the fall of the Simba Dynasty. Still, even then, the question remains as to why they would create such a depiction deep within these ruins. The mural eloquently portrays the past, yet the intentions of those who created it remain a mystery.

"Wait, do you hear something odd?" 

"Huh?" 

"You're just imagining things. Ever since we arrived here, it's been nothing but strange traps, so you're paranoid."

As Vanessa mockingly shrugged, I forced her head down, making her crouch. A flash of light shot past me… Moments later, a loud explosion came from behind, causing the ceiling to collapse.

"Enemies." 

"Again!?" 

"What do we do?" 

"I want to take my time with this mural. We’ll have to eliminate them."

Unlike with the Naglfar earlier, we can’t just ignore and dash past this. Claudius, depicted in this mural, is precisely the clue we’ve been seeking. But judging from that attack, if things go wild, this mural could be blown to bits.

"I’ll go handle it. You two focus on protecting the mural as best as you can." 

"Understood." 

"Got it… Not like I can disobey since I’m under contract."

I don’t recall making things so binding, so she could just refuse if she wanted… What’s with that faintly tsundere attitude?

Another flash appeared, so I instantly summoned [Yaldabaoth] to absorb the magic. By nullifying it through apocryphal absorption, I can at least safeguard the mural until I reach my limit. I cloaked myself in lightning to enhance my physical abilities and rushed forward. Covering the long hallway we’d been slowly walking through, I intercepted a beam attack with my grimoire. After absorbing two shots, the heat was already intense, signaling a high volume of magic.

“!”

A few seconds of sprinting brought me into a large chamber. There, a humanoid machine aimed its hand at me, releasing a continuous beam resembling a laser, far more intense than a single burst. I realized I couldn’t block it indefinitely even with my grimoire.

"Don’t underestimate me!"

But my grimoire doesn’t just absorb magic—it can unleash it. I drove my blade forward, slicing through the robot's beam and severing its arm in the process. The robot, now missing its left arm, turned its gaze toward me. Unlike the mass-produced Naglfar from the surface and underground, this one had two human-like lenses for eyes, identifying me as an adversary. In the dim light, I could see its blue-painted frame, armed in various spots. If Naglfar was mass-produced, then this must be a high-performance unit produced in limited numbers. It wasn’t a giant robot but was still larger than me, exuding a strange menace.

"Eliminate."

It spoke!? As it finished its brief words, the robot detached its damaged left arm and charged. Its movements weren’t linear like Naglfar’s. I dodged a spinning kick, countering with a swing of my grimoire, only for it to evade.

"Analyzing adversary’s combat capability, combat success rate with one arm: 12%… Initiating repair functions."

The instant I heard “repair,” I hurled my grimoire and drew the Verethlagna, unleashing fire magic. I wasn’t sure if this robot had emotions, but it calmly dodged my grimoire while channeling magic from its left arm stump. My flames didn’t faze it, as it absorbed them before intercepting my blade with its now-restored arm.

“!?” 

"Reassessing adversary’s combat capability… success rate now 23%."

Reclaiming my grimoire, I dual-wielded and launched my assault. If this machine was akin to Naglfar, its power source was likely in its head. My strikes, delivered with both the grimoire and Ulragna, were blocked by its arms, but my summoned magic blades aimed for its head. However, they were intercepted by a third and fourth arm the robot deployed.

“What!?” 

"Reassessing adversary’s combat capability… success rate now 52%."

It thinks it can beat me 52% of the time? Fine, let’s see you try, you scrap heap… I’m taking you down! I channeled power into Ulragna, slicing through its grip and dissipating the grimoire. [Yaldabaoth] was my grimoire… I could unsummon and resummon it at will.

"Damage confirmed. Reassessing adversary’s combat capability… success rate now decreased to 34%… Initiating repair functions."

How far can its assessment keep up? The moment it cut off its arm for repairs, I unleashed magical blade projectiles. If it only had three arms, its defenses would falter. And, being a machine, there was no need to disrupt its thoughts. I struck head-on!

"Reassessing adversary’s combat capability… removing self-restriction… success rate now 98%." 

"What?"

In an instant, the robot’s glowing form blurred, appearing behind me. I swung my grimoire defensively, only to have it circle around again. This wasn’t just speed—it was instantaneous relocation!

"Success rate: 100%." 

"[Demiurge]."

Just as it gripped both of my arms, [Demiurge], which had been a ring on my finger, transformed into a black spear and pierced through its face.