I love time travel the most!

"Ah, a gadget with magical powers, which is quite useful in certain situations."

"Oh?"

The butler was still puzzled.

But Kobayashi had no intention of explaining or showing off for him. Instead, he said, "Continuing with the question from before—why did I deliberately lure you here? The answer is..."

As if in response to his words, the same purple magic circles appeared all over the open space, above, below, left, and right.

"I've already set a trap here!"

Kobayashi's longsword was pointed at him from afar.

The Imperial Arms [Shangri-La] is one of its hidden trump cards. It wasn't even used when saving Yomi; it was saved until now to give the opponent a little shock.

"So……"

Kobayashi assumed a defensive stance, and as his opponent also adopted a defensive posture, he vanished from his spot in an instant.

The next second, it appeared behind him.

The longsword swung down instantly, but the man easily dodged the attack by sliding in mid-air. Then, without warning and without momentum, he delivered a whip kick to Kobayashi.

Knowing he couldn't withstand the opponent's overwhelming physical strength, Kobayashi vanished once more, reappearing before him and thrusting his sword towards the butler's throat.

But the next second, two fingers gripped the longsword.

Ding--

The crisp sound echoed in the night sky.

Starting from this point, the purple magic circles flashed and dissipated repeatedly, lasting for less than a second. Meanwhile, Kobayashi's figure weaved between the various magic circles, moving with such speed that it seemed as if he could split into multiple copies, slashing at the butler in the center from all angles.

Even so, the butler used his incredible speed and exaggeratedly strong body to intercept every attack from a hidden angle, either with his fingers or his legs.

ding ding ding ding...

Sparks flew everywhere, and the attack failed to break through after a long time.

No matter how fast Kobayashi increased his attack speed, he was always intercepted by the opponent.

What a troublesome fellow.

At that moment, Xiaolin felt an urge to disregard everything and use the ultimate move of [Shangri-La] to throw the opponent into another dimension.

But in the end I endured it.

The butler in front of them was an important material for the academy headmaster to create divine mechanics, and if he disappeared, he would definitely be furious.

Kobayashi can run, but Charlotte and the others can't.

When angry, the frequency of attacks increased.

At this moment, the butler, who was in complete control, also realized that Kobayashi had no other means of attack, and said sarcastically, "What's wrong? Is that all you can do? Although Mr. Kobayashi is very fast, it is obvious that I am faster. You cannot break through my defense."

"Really? But it doesn't seem that way to me. Most importantly, my target isn't you, but the puppeteer behind you." Kobayashi's voice came from all directions.

Seeing the other party's stubbornness, the butler sighed and lowered his voice, saying, "While the Granville family's butler is excellent, he's not without flaws. His only shortcoming is that he's a bit too talkative—automatic dolls don't generate magic. Even forbidden dolls don't generate magic; it's not the doll itself that generates magic, but the human parts installed within it. So why can I fight alone? Let me tell you..."

He paused deliberately, as if to put pressure on the enemy, and then shouted loudly, "The person before you is the Divine Craftsman!"

After saying this, the butler observed Kobayashi's reaction.

However, not only did the attack slow down, there wasn't even a moment of hesitation; it was even faster than the previous attack.

What exactly is going on……

Even a dummy user who has just learned how to use automata should know about divine mechanisms, but the other party did not hesitate at all when hearing his words, which puzzled the butler greatly.

Kobayashi also kindly provided an explanation.

"If it were yesterday, I might have wavered a little, but unfortunately, just a few hours ago I asked the greatest magician of the 19th century about divine ingenuity, and his answer was..."

He also deliberately lowered his voice.

But the butler was clearly distracted by Kobayashi's words, and even his movements slowed down a few beats.

Fortunately, he was fast enough to barely dodge several slashes. However, unlike his previous ease, he was now somewhat disheveled.

But now he no longer cares about these trivial matters; he is more concerned with the divine ingenuity that Kobayashi mentioned.

Kobayashi wasn't deliberately trying to provoke him. He chuckled and said, "He said that only by transforming a machine into a real human can it be called a true divine machine. It can be completely autonomous, possessing the abilities of a puppet in a human body. Although you say you are a divine machine, why are your magic and physical strength gradually weakening... Haven't you noticed that your breathing is disordered?"

The butler in front of him could indeed be on his own, but he still needed the puppeteer to replenish his magic.

I've become self-disciplined, but only a little bit.

The butler's shoulders rose and fell slowly, as if he were panting. He could no longer maintain his composure and had begun to think about how to escape.

"I won't let you escape, I've already checked it."

"Tsk."

In the butler's view, Xiaolin's goal was simple: as long as he could control him and exhaust all the magic power in his body, he would have no choice but to let the other party do as he pleased.

However, the other party overlooked one point.

That is--

Kobayashi's attacks did not stop, but the butler had completely abandoned his defenses, allowing countless sword shadows to fall on his body.

You hit the target!

Henriet, who was watching from a distance, almost jumped up and cheered excitedly.

The butler's suit was instantly cut open, but his chest underneath remained unharmed, without even bleeding.

Even Kobayashi's sword blade was twisted and deformed.

Anriette's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, too shocked to speak.

“That’s it.” The butler said arrogantly, completely unguarded, “My body is exceptionally hard; nothing can cut through it, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t defend myself.”

"Yeah."

Liu Zi suddenly appeared beside him, the scythe under her skirt swinging towards his neck.

But it was completely useless; it didn't even cut his skin.

There's nothing surprising about that.

After all, Charlotte's [Demon Sword]—a secret technique that intervenes in the truth of the universe and can destroy anything tangible regardless of its hardness—could not kill her, so it was expected that Ryuu's technological scythe would not cause any damage.

"So, can this farce end here?"

The butler straightened his tattered suit to make himself look less sloppy and rude.

He walked slowly toward Kobayashi, appearing very polite.

After that, he only needs to take the other person's head to complete his master's task.

But then Kobayashi suddenly spoke up: "...Fairy."

"what?"

The butler frowned slightly.

He had heard the other party say that during the battle, but he didn't pay attention to it at the time. Kobayashi also said that he had misspoke.

Now it seems that things are not that simple.

Kobayashi pointed to his forehead and said, "Actually, my eyes are slightly different from others; I can see things that ordinary people can't. Therefore, even a beautiful girl's disguise is useless to me. By the way, she has a nice figure."

"...What do you mean?"

"You really don't want to use your brain, Mr. Butler. You know I have many helpers, but they're all not here now. So where did they go?"

Kobayashi proudly held his head high.

Seeing the other person's uneasy and flustered expression brings me great pleasure, just like some nasty, crazy, and entertaining person.

"Your master's disguise magic is indeed very powerful. Whether it's her voice or her physique, no one can tell that she's anything special. But such powerful magic has a fatal weakness—it can't disguise her scent! And I happen to have a master on my side who can find targets by scent, and her younger brother happens to be one of the strongest thirteen, known as the Sword Emperor who is undefeated in actual combat."

"you……!"

The butler's expression changed drastically; even his dark glasses couldn't hide the intense murderous intent emanating from his gaze.

Kobayashi chuckled and said, "Will you continue this stalemate with me, or will you go to rescue your master? Make your choice, butler."

However, no matter which one he chooses, they will be the ones who ultimately lose.

"I told you, it's checkmate."

"I must admit, you are indeed outstanding, just as outstanding as my master. I sincerely admire you."

The butler seemed to have come to terms with it, and the murderous intent emanating from him slowly dissipated.

Then, he added arrogantly, "Although the Granville family's butler is excellent, he is not without flaws. His only flaw is that he is a little stubborn. Even if he knows it is a trap, he will still try to save his awful master."

"I have to admit, you are also an excellent housekeeper. I approve of you." Kobayashi also gave him high praise.

Upon hearing Xiaolin's praise, the butler bowed respectfully and then hurried towards his master's location.

Watching his retreating figure, Kobayashi slowly put away a crystal.

At the same time, Ryuko said, "Lord Kobayashi, you weren't thinking of using that magic just now, were you?"

"Yes. Even knowing that the other party is physically strong, I still want to test whether the [Explosion Magic] can harm him."

"Lord Kobayashi, although I share the same thought, please have some common sense—there is a delicate young girl here, and if she is affected, that Tyrannosaurus Rex lady will be angry."

"That's why I don't let you use the [Imaginary Number Switch]."

The real game-changer is always saved for the very last moment. All the build-up beforehand is for the final, decisive move, which the opponent simply doesn't use because of their final choice.

But this time it should be fine.

Frey and Loki went to Alice and framed Cedric, thus thwarting the Kingsford family's plot and freeing the Charlotte sisters from further threats.

We finally won, but it was a "hard-fought" victory.

Chapter 165 Embracing One's Arrogance

Alice, disguised as Cedric, was not caught. That cunning woman was so powerful that even the strongest swordsman in actual combat could not touch her, and the same would be true even without a powerful butler.

Of course, there's also the possibility that she was deliberately let go.