The ring of light that appeared behind Goldo spun rapidly, like a circular saw, and moved toward Kuon, who was riding on Kohaku.
"Tch!"
The saw-like light ring cut through the tree roots where Kohaku had just run, slicing through them with precision.
The ring, having severed the roots, arced through the air and once again rushed toward Kuon and the others.
Several more rings of light came flying from all directions toward them. Kohaku dodged them, while those she couldn’t avoid were deflected by Kuon’s Silver.
"Young Master, this is endless!"
"Looks like we have to destroy it from the root. ...[Sacred Weapon Equipped]"
Kuon sheathed Silver at his waist. The shield in his hand unraveled like thread and took on a new form.
In the next moment, Kuon was holding a small harp-shaped bow, a harp bow, in his hands.
With a quick motion, Kuon set the harp bow in his left hand and plucked a string with his right. A row of light arrows materialized.
"Here we go!"
With a whistling sound as the arrows sliced through the air, they shot toward the spinning saw-like rings of light.
It was as if the arrows were magnetically drawn to the rings, following impossible trajectories and knocking the saw rings out of the air one after another.
"Impressive!"
"Wow! A perfect hit every time!"
"At a certain distance, it has an auto-guiding feature. Plus—"
As Kuon said this, he drew another string, and as if in retaliation, shot a single light arrow straight at Goldo, who was hovering in the air.
The moment Goldo tried to deflect it with his sword, the arrow veered unpredictably to the side, curving around and striking him in the side of the head.
"Ugh...!?"
"This is a trick I can pull off too."
Goldo lost his balance and began falling. It seemed as though he would crash into the ground and the roots of the tree, but just before hitting the ground, he stopped and floated back up.
"I thought smashing the crystal in your head would do it, but it seems it’s not that easy. Was the force too weak?"
"Well, it hit, but it looked like the light arrow was absorbed. You probably dealt some shock, though."
Goldo turned his red eyes toward Kuon, and for a moment, Kuon thought he saw anger in them. Kohaku, too, felt the shift in energy and took a defensive stance.
Then Kohaku noticed something strange at her feet. Looking down, she saw a set of human clothes, accessories, and two masks lying on the ground.
"This...?"
"Those clothes and masks belong to the apostles of the Evil God..."
Kuon, following Kohaku’s gaze, recognized the items lying on the ground.
One belonged to an apostle of the Evil God, the one who wielded the cursed artifact, the Chakram of War, when Kuon faced them during the "Ark" voyage.
The other iron mask was also familiar. It belonged to a woman who fought with a cursed weapon, the War Mace, against his sister Frei. Seeing it discarded here meant...
"Did you... ‘devour’ the apostles of the Evil God...?"
"...They were sacrificed as useless pieces. Inefficient beings disrupt the plan. It's a waste of time to keep them."
"Tch, that selfish efficiency mindset hasn’t changed, huh? It’s even nauseating."
Despite receiving harsh words from Silver, his own creation, Goldo—Chrom Ranchesse—remained unperturbed.
As for Kuon, he wondered if even Golems could feel nauseous. It wasn’t a thought of any consequence.
Still, there was some indignation in him over the fact that once comrades, now discarded as mere tools. Even if they were apostles of the Evil God whom they had intended to destroy.
"You too shall become my sacrifices. [Transformation: Faerendling Lance]"
Gold twisted his right arm grotesquely, reshaping it into the form of an ice pick-like spear.
Is he charging? Kuon thought, quickly transforming his Harp Bow into a shield and positioning it in front of him.
"[Spatial Distortion]"
Gold’s left hand swung sideways, creating a distorted space in front of him.
From within the small distorted hole, barely thirty centimeters wide, Goldo thrust his spear forward.
"!? Kohaku, jump forward!"
"Eh!?"
At Silver's shout, Kohaku instinctively leapt forward.
The moment she did, a golden spearhead pierced the space where they had just been, crossing the distance in an instant.
Had Kohaku remained in place, it would have definitely impaled Kuon.
Silver, who couldn't see but could sense the surroundings with his sensors, was the first to notice the impending attack.
"Well done, Silver Sword. I’m annoyed by the ‘master’ title, but I’ll allow it as a special exception."
"Huh? What do you mean...?"
"Kohaku is a woman, you know? Calling her ‘master’ is rude."
"What!? No way!"
As Silver was shocked to learn Kohaku's gender, Kuon understood that the attack just now was a [Spatial Distortion] teleportation strike.
His sister, Yakumo, often used this tactic as well. That attack, flying over great distances, was difficult to evade even with [Precognition] magic.
[Precognition] lets one know where an attack is coming from, making it possible to dodge.
For example, if a punch is coming from the front, you can avoid or block it knowing it's a left hook.
But if a body blow is suddenly delivered at close range, even though you know it's coming, avoiding or defending against it is much more difficult.
"Did you dodge? Then how about this?"
"!?!"
Multiple distortions in space appeared around Kuon.
In the next moment, Goldo, holding a spear, leapt out from one of the distortions.
"Ugh!"
Kuon raised his sacred shield and deflected Goldo’s spear strike.
After being deflected, Goldo re-entered the distortion on the opposite side and emerged from another one, this time with his spear ready to strike again.
This time, Kohaku leaped sideways to avoid the attack, but once again, Goldo disappeared into a distortion and reappeared from yet another one.
"That guy...! He’s going to keep attacking while constantly shifting through teleportation!"
"I can see the distortions, so it's probably better than getting attacked from blind spots like before..."
"There are so many, I have no idea where they'll come from...!"
While deflecting Goldo’s spear with his shield, Kuon thought it resembled the "Whack-a-Mole" game his father, Touya, used to make.
He needed to quickly determine where the next attack was coming from and block it.
But this was a battle of defense, responding to the enemy's moves, essentially playing a waiting game.
Since the initiative was with the opponent, it would eventually become a losing battle, and his defenses would eventually be broken.
"At some point, we’ll have to aim at a few spots and go for a counterattack...! I can at least guess the general direction...!"
As Silver suggested this, several golden feathers shot out from multiple distortions.
With the activation of the [Divine Energy Nullification] from the sacred weapon Kuon wielded, he was protected from the corruption of the fallen gods. However, the Gluttony slime’s absorption ability was another matter.
If the sacred energy was absorbed again, Goldo would only grow stronger.
Therefore, he couldn't afford to catch the feather-shuriken with his sacred shield.
Kuon used Silver in his left hand to swat the feathers away. Using [Precognition], dodging the feathers was no problem, but in the meantime, Goldo’s spear was launched.
"Tch...!"
Kuon sharply leaned back, dodging the spear, and with a swift motion of Silver, aimed at the flying Goldo ahead of him.
But the strike barely missed, and once again, Goldo disappeared into another distortion.
"Damn it, with the feathers coming out at the same time, I can’t even tell if the real body is coming out or not...!"
The distortions appeared almost simultaneously, making it impossible for Silver’s sensors to distinguish which one was Goldo’s true form. By the time it became clear, Kuon’s reaction would be too late.
Kohaku started to move, trying to retreat, but the distortions seemed to be anchored to Kuon and the others, following them wherever they went.
"Then...!"
At the moment Goldo emerged, Kohaku jumped high into the air. While avoiding both the feathers and Goldo’s attacks, she carried the distortions upward with her, hoping to stop the continuous assault.
"[Spatial Distortion]"
But Goldo, unfazed, raised his left hand and created another distortion, diving straight into it.
"Damn...!"
Kohaku realized in mid-air that there was no way to dodge in this situation. Trying to protect Kuon, she twisted her body, preparing to take the spear’s hit herself.
"[Glasses Supreme]"
"Eh!?"
Goldo’s golden spear was about to pierce Kohaku's side, but in the next moment, it was as if time had stopped, and Goldo’s movements froze completely.
"Ga...!?"
"I see. It certainly seems to be getting stronger."
Goldo’s eyes, frozen in place, saw Kuon raise his sacred sword, preparing to strike down at him.
The heavy blow fell on the additional equipment on his back, the cherubim, and Goldo was slammed down to the ground, crashing into the roots below.
"Guh...!? What... Grr...!?"
Goldo, now sprawled on the ground, looked up to see Kuon land in front of him.
The single eye of Kuon, glowing with yellow-gold light from his [Fixed] magical eye, gleamed down at Goldo, and in front of him, a pair of oval glasses had appeared.
"Young Master, what... are those glasses?"
"They’re a secret weapon given to me by the God of Glasses."
"The... God of Glasses?"
The glasses Kuon wore were a gift from the Glasses God, Glassy, who had visited the castle recently.
Not just the queens, but even the children received individual glasses from the Glasses God. The God’s intention was to get the children accustomed to glasses from a young age and to make them lifelong glasses lovers. But that's a story for another time.
The glasses Kuon had received were [Eye Magic Enhancement] glasses.
As the name implied, these glasses enhanced the ability of his magical eyes, allowing them to function as usual even in an area with low magical energy.
But why hadn’t Kuon used them immediately? Well, the glasses had several restrictions, one being that they caused more fatigue than using his magical eyes normally, and another that they required a passphrase to activate.
"When we were choosing the passphrase, I was told it could be anything, so it ended up being [Glasses Supreme]..."
"Ah, yeah... that’s... not very convenient..."
Moreover, the glasses’ effect was enhanced the more the user’s excitement was high. It was a strange feature—whether true or not, it seemed that shouting the phrase with enthusiasm worked better than muttering it quietly.
Shouting "[Glasses Supreme]!" with high energy was, honestly, very embarrassing for a boy who wasn’t particularly fond of glasses. He would be worried about what his parents would think.
Therefore, Kuon had planned to permanently seal the phrase in his phone’s [Storage], never to be used again. But, you never know when something might come in handy.
The effect of the [Fixed] magical eye wears off.
Now able to move again, Goldo sprang backward, putting distance between himself and Kuon.
"Is this the power of the magical eyes...? What did you do?"
"Well, I’m not one to reveal my hand."
As Kuon said this, he observed Goldo.
Despite the recent blow, Goldo’s additional equipment, the cherubim, hadn’t fully repaired itself. The broken right arm had regenerated, but it seemed that the [Purple] regeneration ability didn’t extend to the cherubim.
"If we’re aiming for something, that would be the spot."
"Then let’s strip away the unnecessary parts first."
The distortions that had been surrounding Kuon and the others had vanished. Goldo raised his left hand, trying to create another distortion in space.
"[Glasses Supreme]"
But as Kuon uttered the phrase, the distortion dissolved like smoke, returning to normal space.
"...!"
"I see. It seems your [Mist Dispel] magical eye has been enhanced as well. I didn’t expect that even with a small amount of magical energy, you would be able to nullify the ‘Crown Ability.’"
"What... what the hell...!?"
Goldo’s eyes widened in surprise. The [Crown] had more expressive features than other Golems, and even Goldo, who wore an iron mask (which was actually a mask), seemed capable of showing some emotion, which Kuon thought was rather interesting.
"Wow, the line’s cheesy, but that was pretty effective! [Glasses Supreme]!"
"...If you're trying to make fun of me, you should know that I can weld glasses into a sword and strike you with it. So be prepared."
"Ah, sorry... I got carried away..."
At Silver's high energy, Kuon’s black smile remained, and Silver instantly fell silent. Kuon’s eyes behind the glasses weren’t laughing. When Kuon had this look, it was best not to challenge him. Silver had learned that through their time together.
Kuon, on the other hand, decided that the next time he met the Glasses God, he would definitely have the passphrase changed.
"Ugh!"
Goldo, now with his spear ready, flew toward them, charging through the air. At this distance, Kuon could see the trajectory of the attack with his [Precognition] magic.
Kuon lightly jumped to the side, avoiding Goldo’s attack, and aimed at his back as they passed each other.
"[Glasses Supreme]"
"Take this! [First Seal Break]!"
Kuon’s eyes glowed with a red-gold hue. The enhanced [Crushing] magical eye power from the glasses now targeted Goldo’s cherubim equipment on his back.
Adding to that, Silver’s blade, augmented to increase the effect several times over, slashed in a flash.
With a loud crash, the cherubim shattered into pieces, and Goldo was sent flying forward.
The golden Golem, having lost its flight capability, tumbled across the ground, rolling over the roots. Broken cherubim feathers sparkled and scattered across the area.
"You idiot...! How dare you shatter the cherubim...!"
"Young Master, the wings you blasted off... they’re acting weird... something’s... off..."
As Silver said, some parts of the shattered cherubim lost their form and started turning into something gel-like.
The golden glow faded, and it gradually transformed into a reddish-brown slime.
"I take it that’s the real body?"
"Ugh, disgusting..."
The cherubim was a magical artifact made from Gluttony slime and Orichalcum slime, and it was a Golem as well.
The core part that formed its nucleus had been destroyed, causing the slimes to lose their shape.
Even the scattered feathers, now slime, writhed briefly before their movement slowed, and they began to dissolve into smoke, melting away as if they were vanishing.
"They’ve disappeared, but..."
"Without the core of the slime, they probably can’t survive... for them, having no self-awareness is probably better."
Kuon glanced at Goldo, who was still on the ground.
If they were merely using the slime’s nature to control it, then there was no need for self-awareness. It was essentially dead already. It seemed that Goldo had released his hold on the cherubim and returned it to its original state.
Looking closely, Kuon noticed that even the cherubim’s main body was beginning to slime up. Left alone, it should eventually dissolve.
"Now that’s the ‘Crown Ability’ out of the picture..."
"...Just a little more... Just a little more... I won’t let you interfere...! [Time Reversal]!"
Contrary to Kuon’s expectations, Goldo activated the [Crown Ability]. The cherubim was just an auxiliary support system. If you didn’t count the damage to the main body, Goldo could still use the [Crown Ability].
Kuon hastily activated his [Mist Dispel] magical eye, but it was too late. As soon as the [Time Reversal] was activated, it automatically rewound objects back to a specified time.
Goldo had said that the [Golden Crown] had no [Crown Ability], but that was only true for the [Golden Crown] itself. In reality, the [Golden Crown] contained all the [Crown Abilities] of every crown, except for the [Silver Crown].
Of course, this came with a great cost—not just to the master or contractor, but also to the [Golden Crown] itself, which placed a burden on its very existence.
That’s why the [Golden Crown] had a limiter, preventing it from being used unless removed.
Only the creator, the "High Master" Chrom Ranchesse, could remove the limiter. Naturally, Goldo, who had Chrom’s memories, had removed it himself.
With [Time Reversal], Goldo’s body began to regenerate, but several of its parts had already started to crumble. Instead, the cherubim, which had melted like ice, was gradually returning to its slime form.
Once the cherubim had taken enough of its original shape, it floated back into the air and reattached to Goldo’s back.
However, its form was barely recognizable, with most of its wings gone, and the remaining parts had been severely damaged, leaving it in a battered state.
"It seems that the wings that disappeared won’t be returning."
"If that were possible, it would mean unlimited use of powers forever. It’s obviously impossible."
Though both Goldo and Cherubim were in a battered state, the light of determination still shone in their eyes. Kuon could tell they had no intention of giving up here.
"...What is it you intend to do, going this far? Are you trying to revive the evil god after all?"
"The evil god doesn’t matter...! I will take back what I lost! No matter what sacrifices it takes! 【Transformation Faerenderung】・【Battle Axe Axt】!"
Goldo’s right arm transformed into the shape of a large battle axe. Immediately, Goldo activated his 'Black' Crown ability.
"【Instant Acceleration Clock-Up】...!"
With the speed as if teleporting, Goldo slashed toward Kuon.
But, as if he had predicted it, Kuon with his orange-gold eyes narrowly dodged the descending battle axe by shifting sideways.
And in that instant, Kuon, having already transformed the artifact into a gun, pressed the barrel to Goldo’s temple.
"No matter the reason, you can’t sacrifice others."
Kuon pulled the trigger. A bullet infused with the power of the magic eye 'Crush' exploded in Goldo’s temple.
Unlike the arrows earlier, the bullet pierced through the Q Crystal in Goldo’s head, exiting from the opposite side and embedding itself into the ground.
"Gah...! Guh...!?"
With the Q Crystal, the brain of Golem, pierced through, both the 'Purple' rapid regeneration and the 'Black' time manipulation abilities became meaningless. At that moment, he realized his ambitions had been crushed.
Amid his fading thoughts, Goldo entrusted his hope to the other self he saw at the corner of his vision.
Hopefully, once more...
"Eh... Da... Ryuu... Ri..."
As Goldo fell, he reached out toward something. Eventually, as his hand lost strength and fell, his golden body disintegrated like dust.
"He’s disappeared..."
"It seems this was a clone summoned by the 'Black' ability. If that’s the case, I should go assist father..."
As Kuon turned around, he suddenly staggered and fell to his knees.
"Young master!?"
"Kuon!?"
Kohaku rushed over and supported Kuon, who was on the verge of falling. Kuon exhaled painfully as he leaned on Kohaku, who crouched down.
"Indeed... using the enhanced magic eye repeatedly causes an unimaginable amount of fatigue..."
"Please rest for a while. The master will take care of the rest."
"Yes..."
As if reassured by Kohaku’s words, Kuon released his consciousness.
The artifact gun in his hand fell to the ground, and as its shape reverted to a spherical default, it began to orbit around Kuon like a satellite, guarding him.
Kohaku skillfully lifted Kuon onto his back and slowly moved away from the spot, so as not to interfere with the battle of his master in the distance.
The Silver that had left Kuon’s hand also floated in the air and followed Kohaku.
"Master... I leave the rest to you..."
While glancing back at Touya, who was battling another Goldo with giant arms, Kohaku slowly moved away from the scene.
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