Muttering in disbelief, Ash could only be thankful that there were no outsiders around. Otherwise, his reputation would probably have been ruined on the spot.
He couldn't understand why he was being blamed at a time like this. The real enemy was right in front of them... well, not yet. For now, he still had to spend some time acting as Shiro's bodyguard.
Of course, Shiro had no combat ability now, so under normal circumstances she shouldn't have been brought along.
But her overwhelming amount of magic power made her the perfect rechargeable battery for him.
Since he honestly admitted his mistake, Shiro, who rarely got him to do that, happily curled the corners of her lips upward and proudly placed her hands on her hips.
Even with her expressionless face, that proud look was unexpectedly cute.
It eased much of the frustration in his heart, and before he realized it, he had taken her hand and was strolling with her through the elves' gardens.
For a while, the atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant...
At least, the atmosphere was.
The problem was that the two girls ahead were still happily slaughtering everything in sight, and the ground was covered with severed limbs, completely ruining the mood.
The elves seemed endless, constantly appearing from every corner.
Ariel and Sophia couldn't have been happier, killing with great enthusiasm.
The ones suffering were Ash and Shiro, following behind them.
The two of them could only brace themselves as they carefully stepped across the blood-soaked ground, constantly avoiding the scattered limbs lying everywhere.
Just imagining the scene was enough to make one's skin crawl, as though they were walking through a hell of blood.
Shiro nearly tripped several times.
Seeing that, Ash simply bent down and carried her on his back to keep her from accidentally falling into the blood.
Lying on his back, Shiro's face grew slightly red.
She unconsciously rested her cheek against him and gently stroked his shoulder. A trace of nostalgia appeared in her eyes as she softly said,
"This... brings back memories..."
"Does it?"
Hearing that, memories from the past surfaced in Ash's mind. Smiling, he teased, "Come to think of it, back when you were still a spider, you climbed onto my back all the time."
"It felt nice... It still does."
"I remember your legs being a little prickly, though."
"Sorry."
At least on the surface, Shiro was always quite honest. Even now, she obediently apologized.
"It's fine, it's fine. You never broke the skin. It wasn't a big deal."
Ash quickly smiled and comforted her.
His affectionate tone made Shiro fall silent for a moment before she seemed to remember something.
"Ash."
"What is it?"
"Ariel's acting strangely."
Still resting her head against his shoulder, Shiro spoke with rare concern.
"I'm a little worried."
"Her?"
Ash couldn't help shaking his head.
"She's probably already prepared herself mentally. Even if it means sacrificing herself, as long as she can save the world and Sariel."
After knowing Ariel for so long, he understood her all too well.
"She's the kind of person who likes making sacrifices and taking care of others."
"Then I'll leave the important moment to you."
Shiro knew that if Potimas got serious, he might pull out something as ridiculous as that spaceship from before.
And thousands of years had passed.
Who knew how many times it had been upgraded?
It was probably far more powerful than before.
She couldn't help worrying.
Ash merely smiled and gently patted her head, "It's fine. Leave that to me."
"Thank you... Also..."
Shiro's brows relaxed slightly, but she seemed to be thinking about something important.
"Originally, there probably wouldn't be enough energy. But if we used the System itself as the price... if we sacrificed the System, this world might really be saved."
The System itself consumed an enormous amount of energy just to operate.
If the System, the giant magical construct itself, were used to replenish the world's energy, then perhaps the world's energy could truly be restored.
That was Shiro's idea.
"What does D think?"
"She probably wouldn't care. As long as it's interesting. We'd probably have some difficulty, but Gulie should be able to do it."
"I thought so too... Though that guy..."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
"If someone pushed him a little, he might actually act. But..."
"Most life in this world would probably go extinct."
Shiro didn't hide the likely outcome.
Destroying the System would save the world.
The price, however, would be the lives of countless people living in it.
It was similar to Ariel's original plan, except with the additional step of destroying the System.
But the situation was completely different.
Destroying the System meant skills and status values would disappear from the world.
Everything engraved into people's souls would be reclaimed.
During that process, anyone possessing many skills or high stats would have their souls severely damaged.
Most of them would probably die outright.
Not even reincarnation would be possible.
Shiro didn't care about everyone else.
She only cared about the small group of people she cared about.
So after proposing the idea, she wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and looked at him expectantly, hoping for his help.
If she brought this up directly with Gulie, he would absolutely refuse.
According to the System's design, the world couldn't function without the cycle of life.
That was why he could tolerate the Demon Lord starting massive wars and allowing demons and humans to slaughter one another.
But if people died because the System itself was destroyed, their souls would be shattered during the instant they were extracted.
Once a soul shattered, death was absolute, regardless of whether the System still existed.
If Gulie learned that, he might even become their enemy.
In fact, there was a very good chance he would.
According to Shiro's idea, they could always take hostages then, which should keep Gulie from acting recklessly.
But Ash, whom she had placed such high hopes on, shook his head.
Because... hHe had thought of everything she had.
And one more thing.
"You're overlooking something."
"What?"
"Ariel would die too. So what's the point?"
"She would? She's strong enough that even with the most skills and the highest stats..."
"But her soul is already close to its limit in every sense. If it leaves the System, it definitely won't be able to endure it."
"Huh?"
Hearing that, Shiro froze.
She even wondered whether Ash was joking.
"But I..."
"She was too embarrassed to tell you."
"Then what do we do?"
Shiro bit her lip.
The unexpected development left her at a loss.
"If things continue like this..."
"I'll think of something."
"What?"
"There has to be a way."
Smiling, he patted her head once more.
"Leave this to me too."
Although Ash had no real basis for those words, somehow they reassured Shiro.
She silently nodded.
Just like when she had still been a spider, she unconsciously buried her face against his back.
It was as though leaning against him alone could shut out every worry and danger in the outside world.
While the two were talking, their group, which hadn't exactly been trying to stay hidden as they advanced while killing everything in their path, soon encountered a mechanized force blocking the way.
Without warning, a harsh chorus of clashing metal echoed from every direction.
The grating sound seemed capable of piercing people's eardrums.
It grew louder and louder until it echoed throughout the entire elf village.
It wasn't only Ash's group.
The entire allied army encountered the mechanized forces.
Using the upgraded version of Clairvoyance from the Evil Eye skill series, Farseeing Eye, which naturally possessed x-ray vision, Ash looked into the distance.
A shocking, horrifying sight immediately entered his vision.
Throughout every corner of the elf village, it was as though the gates of hell had opened.
Countless robots poured endlessly out of the underground.
There were far too many to count.
Their numbers should have been measured in the tens of thousands.
Like an endless swarm of steel locusts, they completely filled one's vision, giving the overwhelming feeling that there was no end to them.
Every one of them stood on two legs.
Their appearances were cold and mechanical.
Besides the twin cannons that formed their arms, each also had four additional cannons mounted on its shoulders and head.
Six black cannon barrels pointed forward like the mouths of giant beasts waiting to devour their prey.
The moment they appeared, they advanced toward the invaders in perfectly synchronized steps like a disciplined steel army.
The sound of countless machines moving merged together into something like a funeral march played by Death itself, echoing across the suddenly quiet battlefield.
Before the allied forces could react, or even understand what these things were, the robots' six cannons fired almost simultaneously.
Yellow energy shells burst from the barrels at a rate comparable to machine guns.
In an instant, countless shells screamed through the air like heavy rain, leaving dazzling yellow trails as they launched a deadly counterattack against the allied army.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Wherever the energy shells landed, deafening explosions erupted.
Flames and smoke shot into the sky as enormous craters were blasted into the earth.
Soil and shattered rock flew everywhere alongside the severed limbs of allied soldiers.
The devastating bombardment immediately threw the allied army into chaos.
Their orderly advance completely collapsed.
The infantry's tight formations were scattered apart.
Many soldiers were struck before they even had time to raise their shields, collapsing into pools of blood amid screams.
The energy cannons were clearly far more powerful than ordinary tank shells.
Even enchanted shields had their enchantments shattered almost instantly.
The flying units fared no better.
The energy shells exploded in midair like anti-aircraft fire.
The resulting shockwaves and blasts made it impossible for them to maintain their balance.
Some flying monsters were struck directly, crying out before crashing to the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.
The allied commanders shouted desperately, trying to reorganize their forces for a counterattack.
But the relentless barrage gave them no opportunity to recover.
Wave after wave of energy shells continued pouring in.
The allied army was forced into a steady retreat, fleeing in panic while trying to escape the overwhelming firepower.
The robots showed no intention of letting them escape.
They advanced steadily, firing continuously as they marched, as though intending to grind the entire allied army into dust.
In an instant, a battlefield that had been on the verge of overwhelming victory completely reversed.
The resulting scene was almost unbearable to watch.
Even powerful counterattack magic could barely slow them down.
Only the Spider Army and the Ninth and Tenth Armies were capable of putting up effective resistance.
Even then, casualties had already begun to appear.
Just as the main body of the allied forces was about to collapse under this absurdly futuristic assault...
"I guess I don't have much choice."
Ash glanced around.
The young girls and maidens were still handling the robots with relative ease.
The Queen Taratects and giant spiders slaughtered robots effortlessly.
Only the large spiders had begun suffering casualties.
He felt he couldn't allow the allied army to collapse like this.
He also didn't want too many spider monsters to die, knowing Ariel would be saddened.
Left with no choice, he slowly raised a hand.
In an instant, purple lightning spread out.
The surrounding air began vibrating violently.
Visible ripples of magical power expanded wave after wave in every direction.
Every ripple carried an overwhelming pressure that instinctively made everyone turn to look.
At first, only small stones and broken branches on the ground slowly rose into the air.
Defying all common sense, they spun through the sky, gathering toward the abnormal point of gravity suspended overhead.
Soon, the attraction expanded outward at an astonishing speed.
It was like the mouth of an enormous invisible monster trying to swallow everything in existence.
Above the center of the elf village, space itself seemed to twist.
Even the light became distorted, as though the entire world were being dragged into endless darkness.
It looked like the end of the world.
Every building throughout the elf village fell under the control of that terrifying force.
The beautiful, sturdy houses first began shaking violently.
Cracks spread across their walls.
Then, amid an unbearable groaning sound, the houses broke apart.
Massive chunks of stone and roofing tore free, carrying clouds of dust as they flew toward the source of the attraction.
Amid the chaos, countless elves stationed throughout the residential district panicked.
Originally, they had already prepared themselves to sacrifice their lives for their chief.
But now, watching their companions fly into the sky, every fleeing elf wore an expression of terror.
They desperately reached for anything to steady themselves.
But... it was all futile.
Whether they were caught halfway while fleeing, hiding inside buildings, or sheltering within treehouses, none could escape this disaster that seemed capable of overturning heaven and earth.
With a tremendous crash, even the remaining treehouses were ripped out by the roots.
The elves didn't even have time to scream before the overwhelming force swept them into the sky.
Their bodies spun helplessly through the air.
Their eyes were filled with despair and helplessness.
No matter how desperately they struggled, they could only watch themselves be dragged toward an unknown destruction.
The countless black dots filling the sky were innumerable elves.
Their desperate cries blended together until it became impossible to distinguish what anyone was saying.
Even the ancient towering trees that had stood in the elf village for countless years, so thick that several people together could barely wrap their arms around them, were uprooted like fragile reeds.
Their roots were violently torn from the earth, dragging enormous masses of soil into the air.
The trees twisted wildly.
Branches snapped.
Leaves scattered everywhere.
Then they too were dragged into the torrent of destruction.
The once-living forest disappeared in moments, becoming nothing but barren land.
The robots that had been relentlessly bombarding the allied army fared no better.
Like insects trapped in a swamp, their powerful mechanical strength meant nothing before this catastrophe that surpassed all common sense.
Their perfectly synchronized march collapsed.
They struggled to stabilize themselves, but even the mechanical arms carrying the energy cannons were dragged upward against their will.
Their heavy steel bodies rapidly left the ground, flailing helplessly in midair.
Looking across the battlefield, the countless robots, just like the elves, were sucked helplessly into the sky like locusts pulled into a giant vacuum.
As more and more objects were dragged in, elves, robots, rubble, and everything else collided and compressed together, forming an enormous sphere that continued growing larger.
The robots became trapped inside.
Their sturdy steel shells dented and twisted under the constant collisions.
Some shattered completely, scattering parts in every direction.
The elves' flesh and blood became lubricant filling the gaps between them.
Even the energy shells that had yet to be fired detonated amid the chaos, erupting into brilliant explosions.
The enormous sphere formed from everything gathered together also swallowed the earth itself.
The entire elf village disappeared within it.
Everything had been drawn inside.
On the now-barren ground, the enormous sphere continued spinning faster and faster.
Deep, muffled rumbles echoed continuously from within it, as though something inside was being crushed.
Occasionally, parts of it even caved inward.
Before long, however, the entire massive sphere had been compressed completely.
Like a small asteroid suspended in the sky, its mere existence radiated an overwhelming pressure that struck fear into anyone who looked at it.
———
The robot army, powerful enough to nearly destroy the world, along with the surviving elves, had been annihilated almost instantly without any chance to resist.
Aside from the few still fighting the Spider Army and the Ninth and Tenth Armies, everything else had been sealed inside that "planet."
It was difficult to imagine that anything within it could have survived.
The allied soldiers stared blankly at the apocalyptic yet miraculous sight in the sky.
Their minds went completely blank.
The scene before them was beyond imagination.
Then, as though finally awakening from a long nightmare, they looked at one another.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief and relief at having survived.
The next moment, earth-shaking cheers erupted from everyone who had witnessed that transcendent display of power.
The celebration echoed over the elf village, which had just experienced destruction and rebirth.
Their voices carried the joy of survival, awe toward overwhelming power, and heartfelt reverence.
Shiro stared blankly at the "new star" hanging in the sky.
Unconsciously, she turned to look at Ash's profile.
"You really are... amazing."
"Mhm, mhm~ Praise me some more."
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