Chapter 69: The Hostile Audit
Notice. [Universal Perception] has localized 42 armored magic-tanks within the neutral zone. Analysis. Engineering patterns match Eastern Empire military standards. Warning. High-density magicule signatures detected within the command vehicle. Probability of 'Otherworlder' presence: 94%.
I stand on the ridge overlooking the Western Pass, my silver-white hair catching the harsh light of the morning sun. Below, the metallic grind of magic-engines echoes through the canyon—a discordant, industrial sound that irritates my sense of aesthetic order.
Look at that hardware, I think, my internal persona mentally pulling up a repair bill. They're not here for a peaceful trade negotiation. They're here to stress-test our borders with high-caliber shells. The East doesn't believe in soft power; they believe in heavy artillery and military-grade contracts.
Beside me, Vesper stands with her hands folded, her clinical red eyes fixed on the lead tank. "The vanguard has stopped, Lord Shinji. They are manifesting a communication field. It appears they wish to 'discuss' the terms of their passage."
"Discussion is a luxury they lost when they crossed the 10-kilometer perimeter without an appointment," I respond, my voice porcelain-cold.
I glide down the slope, my obsidian-silk suit shimmering. I don't hide my presence; I manifest it. [Dragon Spirit Haki] leaks from my vessel in controlled, icy waves, causing the forest birds to go silent and the very air to thicken.
The hatch of the lead tank pops open. A man in a crisp, white Imperial uniform climbs out. He has the calm, arrogant eyes of a man who has never seen a balance sheet he couldn't force into the black. Behind him, a woman with vibrant blue hair and a rapier at her hip follows—an 'Otherworlder' general, if the magicule density around her is any indication.
"So, the rumors were true," the man says, his voice amplified by magic. "A silver-haired Demon Lord playing at being a businessman. I am Major Gadora of the Imperial Army. We are conducting a 'geographical survey' of this forest. Step aside, and we might consider your nation a 'Protected Subsidiary' rather than a 'Liquidation Target'."
The woman beside him sneers, her hand resting on her hilt. "He looks like a doll, Gadora. Are you sure this is the one who repelled the Church? He looks like he'd break if I sneezed on him."
Notice. [Analytical Appraisal] complete. Target 1: Gadora. Status: High-level sorcerer. Target 2: Otherworlder (Name: Unknown). Status: Special A-Rank threat. Warning. [Total Liquidation Logic] is recommending immediate erasure of the vanguard.
"A doll?" I repeat, my sea-grey eyes locking onto the woman. The temperature in the canyon drops twenty degrees. "Vesper, did I include 'Comedy' in the day's schedule?"
"No, Lord Shinji. The schedule is strictly reserved for 'Asset Management'," Vesper responds, her shadow lengthening into a predatory claw.
"Listen, kid," the woman laughs, drawing her rapier. The blade glows with a violent, chaotic energy. "I don't care about your ledgers. I'm an Otherworlder. In my world, I was a champion. In this world, I'm a god. You're just a line item."
"Then let's settle the account," I say.
[Transaction Domain]
The world turns grey. The magic-engines of the tanks sputter and die as I increase the 'cost' of energy conversion within the canyon. The Imperial soldiers inside the vehicles scream as the oxygen in their lungs becomes 'expensive' to extract.
"What... what is this?!" Gadora stammers, his magical barriers flickering like a dying candle.
"This is a hostile audit," I state. I raise my right hand, palm open.
[God's Wrath (Megiddo)] + [Total Liquidation Logic]
I don't manifest a thousand droplets. I manifest one. A single, high-density sphere of water, suspended in the air by [Spatial Thinning].
"The Empire is a high-value asset," I say, my voice a clinical monotone. "But you are an uncalculated liability. I'm initiating a total liquidation of the vanguard."
[Fire]
The beam of light doesn't just pierce the command tank; it erases the concept of its existence. Because of the [Total Liquidation Logic], the armored plating doesn't melt—it simply ceases to be. The explosion is silent and absolute.
Notice. Vanguard command unit liquidated. Notice. Remaining 41 tanks are entering a state of 'Panic'. Probability of retreat: 2%.
"Gadora! Fall back!" the blue-haired woman screams, her arrogance replaced by a frantic, white-knuckled grip on her sword. She lunges at me, her blade cutting through the air with the speed of a thunderclap.
I don't move.
[Obsidian Aegis]
The rapier hits my chest and shatters into a thousand silver fragments. I reach out and grab her throat, the spirit-vessel's fingers tightening with the force of a hydraulic press.
"You mentioned I looked like a doll," I whisper, my sea-grey eyes inches from hers. "Tell your Emperor that his 'survey' has failed the audit. If he sends more trash into my forest, I will stop being an Auditor... and start being a Predator."
I toss her back toward the surviving tanks.
"Vesper. Clean up the wreckage. I want the magisteel from those tanks salvaged and archived. We can use them to fund the next floor of the Labyrinth."
"At once, Lord Shinji," Vesper says, her eyes glowing red as she vanishes into the shadows to begin the 'collection'.
Current Magicule Reserves: Infinite (Linked). Location: Western Border. Status: Imperial Vanguard: Liquidated. Asset Salvage: In Progress. Soul Capacity: 38%.
Azathoth, archive the data on that Otherworlder's rapier. I want to know how the Empire is enchanting their gear. If we're going to war, I want to own the factory that supplies our enemies.
Chapter End.