Chapter 368: Crush the Mechanical and Grotesque Puppets! 8

Crush the Mechanical and Grotesque Puppets! 8

* * *

A little while back, while Emi was chasing the jester Chubos and mowing down Mechanical Soldiers.

Extra-sama, her mind roommate, was actually giving her important information.

(…True nature?)

“““Pipipipiiiーーー!!”””

The enemy attacks didn’t stop.

Approaching in a line from the front were three Mechanical Soldiers.

Emi sliced the leading Mechanical Soldier in two, top and bottom, with a hand chop.

She quickly grabbed its upper body and threw it, knocking over the one behind it.

And while it was down, she sliced the one at the back in two, top and bottom, again.

Listening to the two bisected bodies making small explosion sounds, ‘bon, bon’.

She then thrust her hand chop into the head of the last one, which had fallen and was struggling, destroying it and stopping its functions.

(…Continue?)

“…………”

Emi agreed that this was absolutely true.

This world, or even if it was Japan in her past life, she can’t imagine being able to create something as sci-fi as ‘Mechanical Soldiers’.

(So, I get it… these Mechanical Soldiers are those, right? Artifacts from that ‘super ancient magical civilization’ or whatever!)

Punching away a Mechanical Soldier that charged at her alone, making it collide with the five behind it and knocking them all down, Emi asked Extra-sama.

The technological level of the super ancient magical civilization is ridiculously high compared to the technological level of modern Ardyst.

They apparently had incomprehensible transportation methods like long-distance teleportation using magic circles, and the technology that kept monsters dormant inside glass tubes in the underground ruins she explored before, according to Extra-sama, was also from the super ancient magical civilization.

It seems that there was once a civilization in this world, Ardyst, that was even more advanced than her past life.

If that’s the case.

It wouldn’t be difficult for them to develop these steel monsters called Mechanical Soldiers.

So Emi was quite confidently convinced.

That these guys were something related to the super ancient magical civilization…!

But it seems she was wrong.

“…………”

“Pipipipiiiiーーー!”

The next Mechanical Soldier that approached was alone, so Emi took her time and sliced it into eight pieces.

Thorough.

(Then what’s the right answer?)

(Which means?)

Emi was hungry at this time.

So she was irritated.

She was irritated enough to lash out at her enemies for making even small mistakes.

But even for someone like Emi.

When she heard the answer that Extra-sama gave her next.

She was so surprised that she froze, her movements coming to a halt.

Who are those Mechanical Soldiers, and that jester?

Extra-sama told Emi the following.

…She said!!

* * *

“A-hahahahahahaーーー! Well well well, even though the plan has completely gone awryーーー! I can still produce results! That’s what I do, Agent Chubos!”

Now, in the present.

Emi was facing the green, egg-shaped goo that was pulsating, and the jester Chubos, in the tastelessly illuminated garden of Duke Daychib’s mansion.

The green goo was continuously vibrating slightly, as if pulsating, and next to it, Chubos was doing a strange dance.

“Well well well, incredibly strong, little lady! You’re thinking this, aren’t youーーー!? ‘Eh!? What is that green goo!?’, ‘Eh!? What’s that charming jester’s goal!?’ You’re confused, aren’t youーーー!?”

“…………”

Emi, in response to Chubos, who was making annoying movements, picked up a pebble and silently threw it with 【Stone Throw】.

“Mugyah!?”

It hit Chubos’s forehead perfectly.

PAN!

PAN!

Two jewels on his necklace shattered, leaving only one.

“H-Hey, hey, heyーーー! Listen to my story firstーーー!”

Chubos, knocked onto his back by the impact of 【Stone Throw】, but he immediately got up and continued talking as if nothing had happened, despite being angry.

“Hey, hey, you’re curious, right? You’re curious about my true identity, aren’t youーーー?”

And then, he cleared his throat.

“Alright, alright! Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll tell youーーー! My true identity… isーーー!!”

He paused for dramatic effect… and then, spreading his arms and legs, he struck a playful pose, and…

“An invader… from another worldーーー!!!”

He revealed the shocking truth!

But!

Emi…!

(I already heard that…!)

Yes… Extra-sama had told her the same thing… though it was just a guess…!

Being able to hear that information from the person himself, Extra-sama’s guess was proven to be correct.

That… was good, but…

Hearing the same thing twice… she couldn’t be surprised…!

But Chubos, with his nostrils flared, was looking at Emi with an excited expression…!

“N-No way…”

So, Emi decided to at least give him a surprised-sounding line.

“U-fufufufufu! It seems you’re surprisedーーー!?”

The jester Chubos, pleased by her reaction, started talking about himself.

But at the same time, what Extra-sama had told her earlier, her guess, was playing back in Emi’s mind…!

“Actually, I’m an agent of an organization called ‘Soul Poachers’ーーー!”

She’s heard that too…

“Our goal, Soul Poachers… is to plunder the magical resources of various worlds!”

She’s heard that too…!

“And to use the collected resources to nourish our world, the ‘Ark that Traverses the Void’… that is our mission, Soul Poachersーーー!!”

She’s already heard everything he’s going to say…!

So… she couldn’t be surprised, or rather…

His proud bragging just seemed comical…!

Extra-sama made a long excuse.

She was speaking a little fast.

“Hmmーーー? Even if I suddenly tell you something complicated, you’re just a native of a low-level world, little lady. Did you understand all thatーーー?”

Now, Emi, in reality, wasn’t surprised because of Extra-sama’s spoilers, and was listening to Chubos’s self-introduction with a mixed feeling.

But she’s expressionless.

So Chubos couldn’t read her mind.

He assumed that ‘this girl didn’t understand his story’.

It’s true that the content about other worlds is difficult to understand for the average inhabitant of this world, except for Emi, who’s a reincarnator and always with Extra-sama, so it can’t be helped that he made that judgment.

“Well, it doesn’t matter what happens to meeee! In the end, you… will be defeated… by this guyーーー!”

So Chubos stopped talking about himself and slapped the green goo pulsating next to him.

“Now, show meeee, La Sbos Daychib! The form… of your dream!”

…And then.

A vertical crack appeared in the egg-shaped green goo…

And from it… more green goo began to overflow!

“!!”

Emi, sensing danger, immediately jumped back, creating distance!

The overflowing green goo clung to the original egg-shaped goo, gradually increasing its size…!

Extra-sama, using her knowledge gained from watching videos, immediately understood its true nature!

(Last Dream!?)

(Grants them… any wish… !?)

Emi was horrified!

“A-hahahahahahaーーー! How about that? It’s amazing, isn’t itーーー!? This is the power of the ‘Simulated Soul Mana Siphoning Device, Last Dream’!”

Meanwhile, Chubos, dancing strangely next to the growing green goo, shouted triumphantly!

“This Last Dream ‘lends’ a huge amount of mana to a compatible user and grants them any wish… a terrifying deviceーーー!”

And then, he said basically the same thing as Extra-sama!!

Emi clutched her head!

“Now, imagine it, La Sbos Daychib! You ‘want to be strong’, right? You can become anything now! Picture it, the strongest formーーー!!”

Now, Chubos, the jester, was still cheerfully dancing and shouting in a ridiculous voice, but even while dancing, he wasn’t letting his guard down against Emi.

After all, he only has one ‘life’ left.

It would be boring to be defeated in such a good spot.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But he was so focused on being wary of Emi.

That he didn’t notice.

That at some point… around his feet…

The green goo… had spread… !

“…Ah?”

He noticed it when.

He slipped.

And landed on the green goo with a splat.

“Ah, wait!?”

The green goo moves quite fast.

It overflows, spreads, then returns to the main mass, repeating that movement and increasing its size.

Chubos, who had fallen, was caught in the goo.

And dragged into the giant green mass…!

“S-Stop, wait… !?”

With those as his last words, Chubos’s body was completely swallowed by the green goo and disappeared from sight.

PAN!

And from the goo, a faint sound, as if something was exploding, could be heard.