Abnormal Type-Moon

"Not over yet! I still have my final trump card!"

Silas's voice, bordering on desperate struggle, reached Roy's ears.

Boom!

As soon as the words were spoken, the massive container beside them exploded, revealing an enormous automaton. Standing five times taller than any other automaton, it shattered the warehouse's dome ceiling with its sheer height. Its arms were as thick as the load-bearing pillars of a skyscraper, and its appearance resembled a frenzied gorilla more than a human.

"Go, my queen! Kill them all!"

At this point, there was no turning back. If this incident were exposed, Silas would face dire consequences. Nearly deranged, he issued the command to the colossal automaton.

The massive automaton straightened up and dashed forward with agility that defied its enormous size, launching a kick toward Julis.

The moment Julis saw the giant automaton, she knew things had taken a turn for the worse. Swiftly, she conjured wings of flame behind her and took to the skies through the shattered warehouse ceiling before the automaton could reach her.

"Roy!"

She turned her gaze toward Roy on the other side.

Having lost her as its target, the giant automaton immediately locked onto Roy instead, throwing a devastating punch his way.

A blow like that would critically injure even a Genestellar fighter.

Without hesitation, Julis flapped her fiery wings and dove toward Roy.

"So strong... unbelievably strong!"

Roy marveled for a moment.

Then, a gust of wind swept past.

"But how will you handle this?"

"...Huh?"

Silas froze, his manic grin stiffening on his face.

In the blink of an eye, Roy—who had been over a dozen meters away—closed the distance that seemed insurmountable to Silas and appeared right before him before he could even react.

Bang!

Roy smirked and flicked out a middle finger, playfully adding a sound effect.

Before Silas could process what had happened, his body was sent flying as if struck by a bullet. He collapsed limply in front of the warehouse doors, eyes rolled back, foam at his mouth—his brain thoroughly scrambled.

The giant automaton, now without a controller, toppled like a collapsing mountain, crashing to the ground motionless.

"Did I just kill him?"

Roy walked up to Silas, studying his near-death state with contemplation.

"Genestellar fighters aren't that easy to kill."

Julis descended from the sky, her expression resigned.

Then again, with his strength, there was no need for her to worry.

"Prana is a miraculous kind of spiritual force. It automatically sustains the host's vital signs, doing everything it can to keep them alive. As long as treatment is timely, their life won't be in serious danger."

This was also a key reason why society allowed students to compete on stage. Though the Festa was orchestrated by the conglomerates, children were still a political priority—without sufficient safety measures, public approval would be impossible.

"Still, given his current state, I'd say the odds of him spending the rest of his life as a bedridden vegetable are much higher."

Julis gazed at Silas's unconscious form, a trace of pity crossing her face.

Even in the modern world with highly advanced science and technology, brain science remains one of humanity's unconquered challenges. If something goes wrong with the brain, chances are there's no hope for recovery in this lifetime.

"That's good to hear."

Roy nodded.

It seemed his cremation services wouldn't be needed after all.

"Inform Claudia about this. She should be able to handle it properly."

Roy took out his rod-shaped phone, pulled up a spatial display window, and dialed Claudia's number.

After understanding the situation, Claudia immediately instructed them to evacuate Silas. The automaton bodies could be left behind, but Silas absolutely had to be taken away.

Juris glanced at the scattered remains of automatons littering the ground, and comprehension dawned in her eyes.

"So Silas was probably a spy from Arlequint Academy. Now we can squeeze them hard for this. What a cunning vixen."

The Arlequint Academy, nominally a research facility, was actually one of the six academies in the Asterisk City.

Unlike the other five academies, Arlequint specialized in studying Meteor Engineering. Internally divided into Research and Practical divisions, the Research division—as the name suggested—was composed entirely of researchers, while the Practical division consisted of conventional students. The former held overwhelming hierarchical superiority.

The massive meteor shower had brought numerous meteorites containing rare metals called "Mana Crystals." The study of Mana Elements and Mana Crystals became known as Meteor Engineering.

Many modern technological advancements were built upon the foundation of Meteor Engineering.

For example, the Lux weapons commonly used by Genestellar warriors were one important product created using Mana Crystals. By utilizing the self-memorizing properties of Mana Crystals and applying quantitative loads, they could be fixed into various forms like bows or swords. Infusing them with stellar energy would create Lux weapons.

While every academy conducted research on Meteor Engineering, when it came to being the foremost in this field within the Asterisk City, none could surpass Arlequint Academy.

"I'll remember this favor."

As they left the harbor district, Julis suddenly spoke up.

Here she goes again.

"Julis."

Roy stopped walking and turned to face her.

"W-What is it?"

Seeing his serious expression, Julis' heart skipped a beat, and she stumbled over her words.

"These words may be borrowed, but I think you need to hear them too."

Roy gazed at Julis with profound intensity in his eyes.

"Don't stubbornly refuse help from others. I know you must have your principles, but ask yourself—are they really worth gambling with your future and others' futures?"

"Wha... what?"

Julis froze in shock.

"If you keep rejecting help and end up hurting yourself or those you care about because of this pointless stubbornness, no amount of regret will be enough when that time comes."

"...What would you know?!"

Julis glared at him furiously, as if he'd touched her most sensitive nerve.

"You don't understand anything about my—"

"I don't understand your circumstances, but this is who I am."

Roy adjusted his glasses, his eyes lowering slightly as intense pain surfaced in his gaze.

If there was one thing Roy regretted most now, it wasn't touching the Holy Grail and getting tainted by its curse, nor was it failing to personally kill Uemon Ji.

It was witnessing Jeanne's second death with his own eyes that night.

If he hadn't clung to that meaningless stubbornness, perhaps Jeanne would still be with him now.

"...Sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me."

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Julis realized for the first time that Roy wasn't completely invulnerable—he too had weaknesses, and one of them was called emotions.

She lowered her head and sincerely apologized to Roy.

"No, this is my own burden to bear."

Roy shook his head, pushing the melancholy back into the depths of his heart.

But the situation wasn't entirely hopeless. After all, Jeanne was a heroic spirit—he still had a chance to make things right. If he continued down this path, he would eventually see Jeanne again, and this time, he would truly keep her by his side.

"Actually, there's something I'd like your help with."

Roy suddenly thought of something and turned to Julis again.

"If it's within my power, I won't refuse."

Julis nodded solemnly.

"I really can't stand Kirin Toudou's uncle."

Roy smiled again, flashing his trademark gentle grin.

"Julis, would you team up with me?"

***

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