"I am fortunate to witness this battle. It truly is…"
Lumine was so thrilled and frightened that she couldn't finish her sentence.
She stared fixedly at the fight between Shouki and the Grass Dragon King, feeling as if it was a battle that did not belong to this era.
So overwhelming, so awe-inspiring!
"Even I feel deeply honored."
Dvalin was also shocked.
At first, he thought the duel between Leon/Shouki and the Grass Dragon King would be either a brilliant exchange of spells or brute-force blows.
Both sides had chosen the latter.
And Leon's attacks were graceful yet fluid. Watching the mechanical giant execute flawless martial movements, anyone witnessing the battle couldn't help but feel a thrill.
The Grass Dragon King Apep, however, was being completely outmaneuvered.
No matter how she attacked—whether slashing with her claws or sweeping with her tail—Leon countered everything with movements so simple they seemed effortless.
She was left as helpless as if she were striking against a cushion of cotton.
But Shouki's counterattacks left her struggling. His fists, forged of mythical alloy, carried techniques she could not even comprehend.
Apep had been turned into nothing but a punching bag.
"Excellent! Wonderful!"
Dvalin shouted with excitement.
"What kind of attacks are those?"
"Hmph, you simply haven't seen them before."
Inside Shouki's cockpit, Leon wore a proud expression as he continued hammering the dragon.
Leon: "The culture of this world cannot compare to that of my past life. Because magic here is so convenient, people rarely push themselves beyond it—and neglect every other discipline."
From what he knew, pure martial arts combat simply did not exist in this world.
Obviously, a magic swordsman loses 90% of his strength without his blade, and a mage becomes completely powerless without spells—yet no one ever seeks a solution.
Thus, when stripped bare-handed, most fighters are useless.
Apep: "Damn it! How can a mere human push me this far? I'll show you my true power!"
Dvalin: "Don't be fooled by her bluster—she's already getting serious! Leon, be careful. She doesn't intend to stay in close combat."
Apep: "Shut your mouth, you foolish dragon! Once I finish with this human, I'll bury you in the sand and use your carcass as fertilizer!!"
Realizing she couldn't win in hand-to-hand combat, Apep decisively pulled back.
She gathered massive amounts of grass-elemental energy, switching to magical warfare.
"Hmm? Binding magic?"
Leon raised his eyebrows.
As expected of the Grass Dragon King—even in such a barren desert, she instantly summoned an enormous wave of vegetation. Hundreds of thorn-covered vines erupted from the sand.
They wove into an inescapable net in the sky, entangling and restraining Shouki's frame.
"It's not over yet!!"
"Let's see if you can survive this!"
Apep unleashed a surge of elemental power, shaping it into countless green, thorned spirals that swirled through the air. Each spiral could gouge a crater in the ground, and there were tens of thousands of them.
From afar, perched on Dvalin's back, Lumine sensed the deadly danger.
But before she could cry out to warn Leon—
Apep released the barrage. In an instant, tens of thousands of green projectiles rained down upon Shouki.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom——!!!
The violent bombardment lasted for dozens of seconds. The excess of grass-elemental magic caused plants to sprout wildly from the sand itself.
Dvalin broke into a cold sweat, immediately unleashing a gust of wind to clear the choking dust and see how badly Shouki had been damaged.
And then he saw—
Apep's attack had been flawless. Yet Leon hadn't dodged.
"Why?! Even if you were bound, you could have used your space magic to displace all of Apep's energy attacks! Why didn't you?!"
"Relax. I only wanted to test this body's durability."
Leon's calm voice rang from within the haze.
"W-What?!"
As the dust cleared, Shouki's massive form emerged—completely unscathed!
Not a single trace of damage marked his mechanical body.
[Full body inspection complete… Armor damage rate: 0%. External plating damage rate: 70%. Performance integrity: 100%. Warning! Warning! Hull is sustaining large-scale elemental exposure!]
Not only Apep—even Dvalin and Lumine were dumbfounded.
"You're absurdly tough!!"
"Of course! Do you have any idea how much this body costs? Every little part is worth hundreds of millions. If it broke so easily, wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
Leon placed his hands on his waist, brushing dust from Shouki's armor with both palms. Orichalcum was a divine, "indestructible" metal. Weapons forged from it were said to never break.
Every inch of Shouki's body was built from this metal, mixed with several mythical alloys, making it even stronger.
The attack of a Dragon King was nothing.
Even a meteorite falling from the heavens could not damage him.
"Now that you've finished your assault… it's my turn."
Apep was truly alarmed. Who would dare let him take the initiative?! She hastily wove binding magic once more, trying to restrain Shouki before he could act.
…
"But with just grass and trees, do you really think you can bind Shouki? Ridiculous… Burn!"
"What?!"
Her eyes widened as Shouki's magic circuits flared red, releasing a burst of fire.
The vines coiled around his frame instantly ignited, turning to ash in mere seconds.
"There is no element in this world that can bind me. And now… it's my turn to strike! Divine Flame—burn the world!"
Before Apep's horrified gaze—
Shouki's four arms spread wide, conjuring a circle of fire that connected them all.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."