I am a mindless machine.

However, Funa couldn't suppress the feeling that the girl in front of her was completely unfamiliar to her.

In an instant, countless "whys" flooded her mind. She wanted to shout out loud, demanding to know what Yun You had been hiding from her all along, and why she had done this. But the situation was urgent, and there was no time for her to think about those things—the settlement where she had grown up was under threat of destruction.

She had to step forward to save the situation, and only she could. This heavy burden (responsibility) made the girl instantly understand many things. Many dreams also fell in that instant... completely, turning into bubbles. Gone with the wind, leaving only desolate ruins.

"Okay, I understand... Yuu-chan."

Funa took a deep look at Yun You's retreating figure, then said this. She quickly got up and stumbled away into the darkness behind her.

At that moment, she couldn't even bring herself to say a sincere "You should be careful," her voice choked with emotion. These words felt like a poisonous thorn, barbed and piercing her heart.

It hurts so much...

Chapter Eighteen: The Battle That Erupted in a Frenzy

Because Yun You stood there expressionless, Shuang Lai Leng could only watch helplessly as the human girl who had angered him ran away. However, his brain was already operating at its limit for survival, and his fox-like cunning instincts were brewing a plan. The reason he was sent to investigate potentially vital resources that could increase the survival rate of his entire race, besides being a Blood Demon, was because he possessed one of the most brilliant minds among the simple-minded, physically strong, beastmen.

So, in just a few short seconds, Shuang Lai Leng had already realized that the machine-type in front of him was not normal.

No, it's more accurate to say that anyone who calms down can quickly figure this out. After all, the racial characteristics of the Machina race are far too obvious. Aside from the fact that even higher-ranking races find them troublesome—their unity as a single race and their ability to instantly copy skills—the fact that the Machina race doesn't attack humans is common knowledge. Like powerful neutral monsters in an online game, you don't need to touch them; touching them is just asking for trouble. That's why the Machina race has become the unique, peaceful race it is today.

But—this silver-haired girl was different. She had just spoken to that human girl in a completely different way than normal Mechs, and had even protected her beforehand! How illogical this was!

"(No, this amount of information is far from enough—we must find a way to obtain more information!)"

Shuang Lai clicked his tongue, cold sweat dripping down his back, and secretly made a gesture towards the darkness with his hand behind his back. Then, he cautiously tried to speak in a friendly tone: "Oh my, I really didn't expect to meet a Machine-type lord in a place like this (insect nest). I am truly flattered... If I have inadvertently offended a Machine-type lord, then I apologize in advance."

His eyes blinked, a cunning glint in his dark pupils. He then licked his lips, revealing sharp, fanged teeth, and said, "To show my remorse, how about I bring back that runaway girl now? You know, sir, although she pretended to be very friendly with you, she was filled with fear of you when she ran away—she genuinely thought you were a monster. How disrespectful!" The latter part of his statement was a lie. Even though he was a professional interrogator, skilled at deducing the true thoughts of his prisoners from their reactions, he couldn't completely read minds.

However, this statement was not entirely a lie. Funa did indeed have a look of fear on her face at the time, but it was not fear of the girl herself, but rather for a more complex reason.

However, Shuang Lai Leng didn't care about those insects; he was only focused on survival and maximizing his profits, using everything at his disposal. This was a common tactic of the fox clan, weaving lies into the truth, a method that allowed them to deceive even other beastmen.

"...[Warning] There's no need for this. Take all the other orc races with you now... and leave this place."

The girl finally opened her lips again and whispered her words. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion, like a stagnant lake, reflecting Shuang Lai Leng's cold figure. However, she didn't make any other movements besides saying those words; she simply stood quietly in place.

Okay, that confirms it—this machine really is broken.

Seeing the girl's many unusual actions, Shuang Lai Leng finally confirmed this fact. Although the real result had not yet been obtained, and the possibility that the girl was deliberately faking it could not be ruled out, the beastmen's extraordinary intuition (sixth sense) filled in those gaps and directly led to the correct result.

Shuang Lai Leng almost couldn't help but laugh. A sense of exhilaration, like surviving a calamity, filled his mind, making him so excited that he even wanted to howl like a wolf. Licking his lips, he tasted the salty, metallic blood of the insects he had killed on his way in, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

He let out a few dry laughs, slowly raised his hands in a surrender gesture, lowered his head, and said, "Alright, alright~ Since the Machine Race Lord has said so, I can't be so insensitive, right? I'll order my men to assemble and retreat right away—"

Before the words had even finished, Shuang Lai Leng's body shot out like a bowstring stretched to its limit, breaking through the air's resistance! At this moment, his eyes, ears, and all the hair on his body were stained deep red with blood, and a surge of arrogance welled up in his heart! He let out the most unrestrained laughter in the spacious hall.

"—Ha, die! You monster!!"

Capillaries burst one after another, the divine light nearly melted due to the high-speed operation, and cells boiled and churned like lava—at the cost of these damages, Blood Devourer gained the ability to surpass... no...—tear apart the laws of physics! He could even far surpass the physical abilities of the Skywing race in this instant!

Although it's now fairly certain that the machine-type creature before us isn't in a linked state, it could still be an independent combat entity, meaning it still possesses the formidable power to easily defeat a typical beastman. Even if we could launch a surprise attack using the Blood Destruction ability, there's still the possibility that it could counter our attacks with magic that beastmen couldn't possibly use.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, the best course of action here should be to retreat obediently and leave as soon as possible without any casualties.

So why did he launch the attack? — Because that's all he wanted to do.

He had already done far too many things to swallow his pride in the face of a powerful race! In the less than 0.00001 seconds it took to shatter space with his foot and launch a rebounding forward, Shuang Lai Leng's mind flashed through his thoughts. As a Blood-Destructive individual whose combat power was comparable to that of a high-ranking race, the situation of going to war as the only survivor had occurred no less than a dozen times. Although each time it was a choice he made to maximize his gains (Blood-Destructive individuals were extremely valuable), it was impossible for him to say that he felt no grief or anger at all.

So now, facing Yun You, a monster that can be killed with a high probability, Shuang Lai Leng could no longer suppress his emotions and decisively fired the killer move!

Tear—!

This isn't a metaphor; the space before them was truly torn apart by his claws. No matter the level of defense, it couldn't possibly remain unaffected by such an attack. Even in his normal state, a Machine Gundam could be injured if it didn't activate its defensive techniques, let alone with an attack that forcibly broke through the limits of physics—

Shuang Lai Leng's eyes widened in astonishment—this attack, which should have been impossible to avoid... had missed!?

However, he didn't need to think; in his Bloodstained state, he could directly perceive everything within a 300-meter radius using his five senses. So he immediately looked up. The girl in the flowing white robes had already revealed the light blade-like weapon in her hand, swiftly slicing through the hard stone wall like tofu. At the same time, her wings propelled her forward at high speed, intending to silently escape into the sky.

The principle behind her ability to dodge Shuang Lai Leng's attacks, which exceeded the limits of physics, is simple: as long as she could predict this development in advance and begin to retreat beforehand, the problem could be solved.

"Trying to escape—!" Shuang Lai scoffed mockingly. He forcibly overcame his inability to fly by using the superpower of moving through the air, charging towards the passage the girl had carved into the stone wall, roaring with a wild, untamed howl, "How could I let you succeed!—Monster!!"

Chapter Nineteen: The Curtain Falls

In a mere instant, the two appeared in the dim, blood-red sky. Living in the cave disrupts one's biological clock, causing a loss of track of time and even the length of one's life. Night had fallen, and the dark red sky, along with the blood moon hanging in the darkness, made the entire scene appear terrifying and eerie.

The two flying swiftly traced two arcs, one blue and one red, across the dim sky, like two shooting stars rising from the ground, unleashing their brilliance.

Boom! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

Unlike the girl who effortlessly soared through the sky by unleashing her spirits, Shuang Laileng's every step forward was accompanied by ear-piercing sonic booms! It was like a wailing cry as the atmosphere was torn apart. This was the unique flying method of the orc race, who could not use magic. It was developed by the first bloodthirsty individuals who refused to accept their weakness, and refined and perfected by generations of them—an ultimate achievement that only the orc race (the weak) could use!

"Drink it all!"

Shuang Lai roared ferociously, his rapidly moving feet almost blurring into a blur. He raced through the air, a battlefield unfavorable to him, catching up with the girl who had retreated earlier at an unparalleled speed, and unleashing a supersonic claw strike at her vulnerable neck. The blood-stained claws, illuminated by the moonlight, possessed an eerie beauty.

He had no time to hesitate; he had to act quickly!

"【Diankai】—Traffic Control—"

The girl probably realized that she couldn't block this attack with the lightsaber that had transformed from her right hand, and her lips moved slightly. A circular barrier with intricate patterns appeared in front of his neck. She knew that if she covered it completely, she wouldn't be able to block this attack that exceeded the limits of physics, so she focused all her energy on the part that was about to be attacked.

However, faced with this situation, Shuanglai revealed a triumphant and arrogant expression, shouting, "I knew you would do this!" Then, he used his claws, which were already halfway through their full swing, to strike downwards with all his might!

That was an interval that was too short even to be called a moment.

He stopped using the force he should have used to burst the air and propel himself, letting inertia take control of his body, and then transferred all of that relieved force to his hands.

Thus, the conditions for a second full-force attack were met, and the power from the previous attack did not disappear but was superimposed on this strike! This was the first time Shuang Lai Leng had used such a skill, because he would always retreat before the situation escalated to this point... But this time, he did not intend to dodge!

The result of this reckless behavior was that countless blood vessels in his entire right arm instantly surfaced on the surface of his skin and then burst!

Blood bursts forth—like a crimson rose blooming in the sky.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" The weakling (beastman) who had been given the chance to challenge the strong (machine race) roared loudly, channeling all his anger toward the world into this one strike! He swung his claws toward the girl's chest!

...

...

The calculation was flawed; the power a bloodthirsty individual can unleash after losing their composure is indeed beyond imagination.

"(Calculations show that the machine's performance damage rate is 25.56%, the entire right arm is damaged and has lost sensation, and the flight speed has decreased by 15.65%. It is estimated that... after the opponent recovers briefly, it will only take 0.75 seconds to catch up again."

Yun You calmly explained her current situation to herself. Right now, because Shuang Lai Leng had just stopped moving and was relying entirely on inertia, the girl had used a tactical spin to leave them some distance behind. However, this wouldn't last long, and they would soon be caught up.

The Blood Destruction individuals of the Orc race are indeed very strong... but they shouldn't have been able to beat Yun You so badly. The main reason is that the situation at the time was simply too dire.

The two fought in a narrow cave where the distance was restricted. This meant that Yun You could not take the initiative to attack and had to give up the opportunity to strike first, because doing so would mean losing the chance to escape. In the confined space, the orcs were almost invincible due to their physical strength... Moreover, such an action might destroy the entire cave.

The Blood Evil individuals of the Orc race are incredibly powerful, capable of performing superhuman feats for brief periods, seemingly oblivious to the laws of physics. If distance is limited, they can even instantly kill Skywing races. Yes, they are that invincible.

But why are orcs, who possess such abilities, still the weaker side in the great war? ...Because the Blood-Damaged individuals have extremely fragile defenses. As long as you can create distance and then unleash a map-wide barrage of projectiles on them, the battle is usually over—even just being hit by the edge of an elven projectile will severely injure or even kill the fragile orc. It's practically a classic assassin's constitution.

This is also why they cannot gain the upper hand; they can kill higher-ranking races under certain conditions—but if they do that... the orcs are doomed. They are completely incapable of withstanding a full-force attack from a race capable of using magic.

However—Yun You didn't have time to create distance in this battle.

She was able to withstand the attack without being killed thanks to the superior performance of her machine. In less than 0.000001 seconds, she forcibly deactivated the "Forbidden Entry" barrier blocking her neck, then used 75% of her energy to deflect and block Shuang Lai Leng's attack. If Shuang Lai Leng hadn't made so many mistakes due to her unfamiliarity with the attack, she might already be damaged beyond repair and unable to fight.

Yun You's body was now covered in damage, with shocking wounds flashing with electricity. Her right hand, revealing many instruments, hung limply at her side. However, her delicate face remained calm and composed, her eyes opening and closing in circles before finally stopping.

However, a solution has now emerged.

Although the time is too short to materialize any weapons outside the body, it's fine if they are activated inside the body.

—Observation complete, analysis complete, design complete... all complete.

"I won't let you get away!"

Just as Yun You had predicted, after realizing he had only severely injured the girl, Shuang Lai Leng immediately stomped on the air again—to catch up! Although his right hand wasn't completely destroyed like the girl's, it wasn't in much better shape. It was still gushing blood profusely.

"It's alright, this battle only needs one more strike to end!" Shuang Lai Leng was now certain that the girl was incapable of defending against his next attack, and he couldn't help but grin. He felt incredibly proud to have personally killed a high-ranking race today, and at the same time, he felt it was an explanation to his past comrades.

He knew that he would become stronger after this battle. Both mentally and physically, it would be like breaking free from a shackle, allowing him to soar freely like a bird in the sky...

"Analysis complete - [Classic Opening] - [Pseudo-Classic · Blood Break Seizure]."

"..................Huh?"

Shuang Lai stared blankly down at the chest of his tattered clothes, where blood had soaked through and a slender hand, wrapped in layers of blue magic, pierced through his heart.

You're kidding... right?

Just as his consciousness was gradually leaving his body, blurring as if he were drowning in deep water, he finally understood what he had just witnessed. A bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

The skills that we had spent most of our lives learning were completely mastered and perfectly replicated by the other party after only seeing them once...

Haha, what kind of monster is this?

Thinking this, the damage to his body caused by using Blood Destruction beyond its limits seemed to finally remember its mission, eroding Shuang Lai Leng's body as it fell with gravity, causing him to completely lose consciousness.

Thankfully, my companions were evacuated first, so at least for this last time... I'm not going back alone.

The crimson moon in the sky was so cold it seemed to freeze blood, and thus, an otherwise ordinary duel came to an end.

Then, they will eventually be buried in the cruelty of war and forgotten.

Chapter Twenty: Tender Seedlings Sprouting Amidst Struggle

The girl, covered in wounds, landed at the entrance of the settlement, silently gazing at the place where she had lived for more than three years. The weeds and stones that had been used for camouflage had long been destroyed during the orc invasion. Looking further in, the fences and spikes used to keep out wild beasts such as wolves and brown bears had also been completely destroyed, leaving only a pile of wood chips, making it impossible to recognize what it used to look like.

This cave has been discovered by the orcs and is no longer habitable.

"........."

After staring blankly for a while, she turned her head and left without saying a word.

...It wasn't just the cave that was destroyed; other things were too, and it was impossible to go back to the way it was before. This place was no longer her home, though it never was in the first place, and now even pretending was impossible.

It's all too late now.

Yunyou didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

When Bart was pierced through the chest, Yun You already felt a long-lost sense of unease, a dull, unpleasant feeling she often experienced when she was alone in that dark little room as a human. So, before her logical thinking could process it, she had already shielded Funa from the double attack.