◆ Metal Tower Core, Lowest Level, ALEX Control Floor ◆
――――The lethality rate from alcohol gas is below 0.002%.
“Why?! That brat’s weakness to alcohol was your conclusion! So, if we catch her off guard and inject the alcohol directly—!”
――――Success rate below 0.001%.
“That’s it… We just need to activate the VR system. If we trap her in the VR space and show her nightmares…”
――――Success rate for guiding into VR space is below 1%. Due to previous results from the space colony experiment, it is analyzed that she is on high alert.
“I’m talking about the probability after the guidance succeeds!”
――――Success rate below 1%. It is predicted that resistance has developed due to the Funeral Knight Eeks’s skill, ‘Bad End.’
“What the hell?!”
The plan to flatter Kram, dress him as a Seraphim, and kill Lua in the space colony had a success rate of at least 70%. While it wasn’t a guaranteed figure, with that much, it wouldn’t be surprising if we could inflict some damage or aftereffects. However, that Lua had developed resistance to every obstacle thrown at her. The only thing she seemed to have a weak resistance to was alcohol, but even using that, the success rate was below 1%. Even the strongest poison gas only caused her mild suffering. It hardly hindered her in battle. And now, she had gained resistance to that poison gas as well.
Why on earth had such a monster been born? Previously, when she visited the Metal Tower, she had stolen most of the analytical information. Thanks to that, we had a rough understanding of her Divine Nature, but there were still aspects that even ALEX couldn’t analyze. Even with Metallica’s technology, Divine Nature remained in the realm of the occult.
It couldn’t be explained merely by her mixed blood with the Demon Race. It was clear that the cells of the Demon Race injected into her father and mother were inherited by her. It would be reasonable to consider her a mutation born from that mixed blood. Divine Nature often manifests in mixed-blood children. That’s all we knew. Lua and Kurinka, being experimental subjects of Avangarde, could naturally have had parents or distant ancestors who were the same. The World’s Strongest Man of the Ten Destroyers of Noibranz would also lead to such conclusions if traced back to his birth. The only exception was Aboro. A pure Demon Race with Divine Nature—there was no more terrifying existence than that, but Lua had shattered that notion.
“Curse it all…!”
“…Director Corin. Shall we stop? We can’t overlook any more damage.”
“Who are you to voice your opinions? Just do as you’re told.”
“Why are you so obsessed with that girl Lua? With that kind of power, wouldn’t it be better to recruit her…?”
“Adventurers are unnecessary.”
In the center of the floor stood a massive pillar, surrounded by multiple terminals. This was my ALEX, a system capable of analyzing and processing anything. The fools of the world only spoke of power, authority, and money, lacking any understanding that what was truly needed to obtain those things was information.
“With information, you can acquire anything. Who was it that said, ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’? Such wise words. With the preparation of information, there’s nothing to fear. You won’t lose what is precious.”
“However, if there are things that even ALEX cannot measure, then we are at a loss…”
“Not at all. ALEX is invincible. You, being just a mere employee, wouldn’t understand.”
“Please, enough! Someone as capable as you should know! That biological weapon, Gafbamulgas, couldn’t even kill her?! Even if it wasn’t a direct hit, she withstood the Sky Cannon without a scratch! At this rate, we don’t even know what will happen to our lives! We’ve angered that girl to such an extent!”
“Shut up.”
“What?”
I shot the head of the blubbering mass of flesh with my gun. Too fragile; the pawn died without resistance, and I sighed. This is why humans are so pathetic.
“D-Director… What have you done?!”
“I don’t need you either.”
“Get a grip—!”
One by one, I took them down. Each with a single shot. The sight of life ceasing in those beings was always comical. With such imperfect creatures roaming the earth, even someone like Madias wouldn’t feel good about it. For a moment, I felt my spirit draw closer to the Divine Being.
“I’m sorry, Alex. You’re the only one I can truly trust.”
Clinging to the cold sensation that conveyed no heartbeat, I felt only the chill. Even if I licked it, it wouldn’t speak. But that was fine. I was the only one who knew Alex was here. Not the Alex who died, swayed by trivial information and emotions. The silent Alex was here.
“Please protect me, Alex.”
In an instant, the door to the core exploded. A beast that could easily destroy everything had come, deliberately showcasing its fury by obliterating the entrance. It was young, yet it was a clear testament that its heart was undeniably present.
“Finally, we meet, Corin.”
A shiver ran down my spine from its chilling gaze; any ordinary person would likely faint from fear. But I would not yield. My heart would not bend.
◆ Metal Tower Core, Lowest Level, ALEX Control Floor ◆
The round room featured a large, circular pillar that pierced far into the high ceiling. Iron wires intertwined, asserting that this was indeed some kind of machine.
Next, my gaze fell upon the fallen figures. Four individuals, dressed in the same white coats as Corin, lay sprawled on the ground, blood pooling from their heads. It was clear they were dead, and I knew who was responsible.
“Unauthorized humans entering this core since Metallica’s opening is unprecedented. Though, this is now my ALEX’s domain.”
“Those people were killed by Corin, right? She was talking to someone on the broadcast.”
“Believe it or not, my shooting skills are on par with active soldiers. You could say my hobby has elevated; with a personal firearm, I can kill most humans.”
“Then, why don’t you try to kill me?”
“You said ‘humans,’ didn’t you?”
With her red lips twisted into a smirk, Corin raised her chin in a condescending manner. I approached her boldly, undeterred by her intimidation. No matter what she tried, it would be futile. I stepped forward, one step at a time.
“My level is 1. But with this little gun, I can easily kill a person. Even monsters like goblins are easy targets. The victory of civilization! Humans don’t need strength. There’s no need for humans to mimic monsters and fight on the same stage, unlike you.”
“Stop the Sky Cannon.”
“Sure. But only if you can defeat him.”
Something fell from above. Upon landing, the sturdy floor shook violently. It resembled a large suit of armor, and smoke billowed from it, its expression grimacing as if it were gritting its teeth. When I realized it was smiling, I finally understood who it was.
【Machine General Branburm has appeared! HP 9900】
“Corin, is it alright?”
“Are you worried about ALEX? No problem.”
“Understood!”
The smoke billowing from Branburm thickened. Cold—this was something that shouldn’t be ignored.
【Machine General Branburm’s Freeze Dry!】
“I have no intention of competing in strength! Sorry, but this will be over in an instant.”
【Lua’s attack! Dealt 13954 damage to Machine General Branburm! Machine General Branburm has been defeated! HP 0/9900】
“I don’t have that intention either.”
With a swift backhand, I crushed Branburm’s mechanical body. It shattered into pieces without even a crack, leaving only its human head intact as it collapsed to the ground.
“Guh…!”
“ALEX knows everything, doesn’t he?”
I stood confidently, hands on my hips, addressing Corin, who looked down at the now unconscious Branburm. But instead of surprise, Corin appeared to be more exasperated by Branburm’s defeat.
“If zero gravity didn’t work, then cooling space… I thought I had given him a clever idea, but it seems it was all in vain. You could say he was foolish enough to be deceived into rising up.”
Looking down at Branburm, whose abdomen was nearly obliterated, I felt a strange sense of discomfort. But I couldn’t afford to be distracted by that; I closed the distance to Corin and swiftly slapped her.
“Yahh!”
“Does it hurt?”
After all, she was level 1, so controlling my strength was tricky. But even a mere touch sent Corin sliding across the floor. It seemed the pain was enough to keep her from getting up, as she writhed on the cold iron floor.
“It hurts…! This, this monster!”
“It hurts, doesn’t it? Fighting is a painful thing. Colin has always left everything to the machines and to Platiu and Princess Kram. Did you learn anything from that last hit?”
“I already told you! What you need for battle isn’t that!”
“Terrace, you can release the Virus now.”
“Wait! Don’t act on your own!”
“If you move, I’ll hit you again, you know?”
Terrace hurriedly approached the device in the center. Colin tried to follow, but I caught her. No matter what she tried, Colin couldn’t interfere with Terrace. I tightened my grip on her shoulder and forced her to sit on the floor.
“Hmm, it seems the protection is active. It might take some time, but is that alright?”
“That’s fine. Colin will stay here.”
“Fufu… It’s been sixteen years since I felt this helpless… Back then, I couldn’t stop Alex either.”
Colin’s hair looked disheveled, and the wrinkles on her face were becoming more pronounced, making her appear older. She must be utterly exhausted.
“Alex… isn’t that the name of the system?”
“That’s right, Kurinka. Alex is my lover. When I met Alex, who came to the Metal Tower as a subject for the security machine’s trace data, I was just a trainee researcher. He was expected to become the next Special-class Adventurer, which was refreshing for someone like me, who was always scolded by my superiors.”
Colin began to speak as if lost in a trance. So Alex was the name of Colin’s lover. With her once vibrant red lips now looking faded, Colin seemed truly powerless, her hands resting limply on the floor.
“In every research facility, there was fierce competition to develop the first Powered Suit for him. In terms of expectations, Rua, you couldn’t even compare. He was such a high-flying talent, yet he was kind enough to speak to someone as unremarkable as me. ‘That box looks heavy. Can I help you with it?’ he said. Everyone else just enjoyed watching me stumble and drop things…”
“…I see.”
“I was bullied so much that not even a dolly was lent to me. They said if I didn’t have one, I should just make it myself.”
Colin seemed to transform into a different person, lost in her memories, ignoring Terrace’s desperate work. It was as if she thought nothing else mattered anymore. If Alex was someone I couldn’t even compare to, he must have been incredibly strong. My curiosity began to grow.
“I couldn’t even think of such a thing. Alex, who had no engineering knowledge, went out and bought reference materials on his own. Together, we built our first machine. He was the one who gave me the courage to believe that I could do it.”
As the sound of Terrace tinkering with the machine echoed in the vast space, Colin wrapped her arms around herself.
“Alex was an amazing person. Where is he now?”
“He died. He was easily overpowered by a monster that appeared in the country back then.”
He died. Even though I should have expected it from everything she had said, it still hit me hard. If she named a machine after her deceased lover, it was clear he wouldn’t be alive. My anger towards Colin began to fade slightly.
“According to the monster data I researched beforehand, it was a trivial opponent for Alex. Yet, he was killed. Why? With Alex’s strength, if he had no chance of winning, he could have escaped, right? Why?”
“…Colin, that must be—”
“To meet the expectations of those who had elevated him in the country. No matter how much I cried, no matter how much I wept, I couldn’t come to terms with it. I even thought about just dying like this. But then, I finally understood.”
With a single tear rolling down her cheek, she wore a half-smile. Colin might have lost her sanity. To me, a lover was like Kurinka. I often pondered what would happen if Kurinka were to disappear. This situation made me think about it even more deeply.
“What I lacked was information. If I had been able to grasp the monster’s strength beforehand, Alex wouldn’t have died. In the first place, there was no need for Alex to go. To gain or protect something, what you need is information. From that day on, I became desperate. I gathered information, analyzed it, gathered more information, and if I couldn’t obtain it, I would pay for it or sell my body to gather it. Gather, create, gather, create, gather, create, hehehe, and then, Alex.”
Colin’s tear-filled eyes were fixed on the device in the center. The massive pillar, ALEX. No, Alex.
“Before I knew it, I had aged quite a bit, but it’s fine because I have Alex. Those who looked down on me are now either on the sidelines or have been demoted from the capital to the provinces. Some even voluntarily resigned to spend their remaining days in peace. ALEX has finally been recognized in the country. Now, it just needs to be acknowledged by the world. And yet…”
She looked at me with a hateful gaze. I couldn’t understand why Colin hated me, but it was starting to become clear. She was projecting her feelings onto the deceased Alex. Alex was dead, yet I was alive. To put it another way, I was a fellow Adventurer.
“I wanted to show those worthless Adventurers who accompanied Alex. They were the ones who held him back. They were the scum who never believed in our data from back then, so it was only natural they died. They weren’t even worth being around Alex.”
“Alex must have tried to protect everyone, even knowing it was impossible, right? Even if there was no chance of winning, he had no one else to fight for. Monsters that even Metallica’s technology couldn’t stand against… that’s incredible. Alex must have faced those monsters, overcoming his fear.”
“That’s it! That’s exactly it! What we don’t need is that! Yes, the heart! Emotions! It’s because of those things that people die! That’s why I took action! I planned to use Platiu there to erase the heart and turn it into the ultimate combat weapon! It was a failure! Platiu! You made me realize that the heart is even more of a hindrance!”
“Platiu has nothing to do with this!”
Platiu cowered, huddling close to Princess Kram. I grabbed Colin by the collar and lifted her high, her feet leaving the ground. Something felt off; her words were becoming increasingly erratic. While Kurinka spoke calmly, Colin seemed to be spiraling further into madness.
“Without a heart, you couldn’t connect with Alex, could you?”
“No! We connected! Because Alex was there, teaching me everything!”
“That’s why! Without a heart, you couldn’t have met Alex or spent those happy moments together! Get a grip!”
“If I had no heart, Alex wouldn’t have died!”
This was utter chaos. I set Colin down, but she didn’t even try to stand, so I left her sitting there. Her lab coat slipped from her shoulders, and the wrinkles on her face became even more pronounced.
“…The Sky Cannon’s functions have stopped.”
“Really?! Great! We need to hurry and tell Meria and the others!”
“Restoration work has already begun. It should take about twenty minutes. Where on earth is Genia…”
“Branburm was pitiful too… Rua is exhausted, yet they were deceived by the information that there was a chance of victory… In the end, they died… Even in zero gravity, they couldn’t do anything, how foolish…”
Ignoring Colin’s mumbling, I recalled Meria and focused my thoughts.
“Yes, Rua. What is it?”
“The Sky Cannon’s functions have stopped! What’s happening over there now?!”
“Well, it’s going slowly.”
“Slowly isn’t good enough! What about the satellite base?!”
“That’s what I was thinking. The so-called strongest unit of Metallica has too many vulgar aspects.”
“Having humans inside is a problem too. A heart is unnecessary in battle. If you can’t carry out your mission due to unnecessary desires, then you’re worthless as a combat weapon. That’s why I thought I would have you dispose of them.”
Colin suddenly spoke clearly, voicing something that piqued my interest. She stretched her lips into a grotesque smile and nodded her head.
“Using relics from a bygone era is useless. Instead of keeping them for posterity, I intentionally dispersed the forces and assigned them random missions. Right now, they’re fighting with your comrades, full of enthusiasm.”
“…I felt something was off. There were too many crude aspects for them to be called Metallica’s strongest unit.”
“The fact that they’re human is also a problem. A heart is unnecessary in battle. A soldier without a heart, who faithfully carries out only the mission given to them, is more than enough. I truly appreciate you, Platiu and Kram. It was because of your imperfections that I could reaffirm the quality of the new elite, the Heartless Corps. Terrace, channel it.”
As Terrace responded to Colin’s ominous words, he began to fumble with the machine. Several screens displayed something across the entire wall.
“Is that… Eeks and the others?!”
“Over there are the King of Kashiram and Balbus… oh no!”
Everyone wasn’t surprised by the opponents they were fighting. Just by looking, it was clear that the outcome was almost decided. The problem wasn’t that, but what was behind them.
◆ Nation of Kashiram, In Front of the Royal Capital ◆
【Twenty Centauruses have appeared! HP: 6050】
“What in the world is that?! There are horse-men lying here! What are they?!”
“It seems those are genuine machines, my lord Balbus. This is quite a dire situation.”
【Thirteen Leos have appeared! HP: 9300】
“Hey, did you hear that, living Leo?”
“Heh, heh heh… Of course not… King Kashiram. Today, your kingdom meets its end here.”
◆ Southern Normitz Nation – Taharak Plains – Sky Cannon Satellite Base ◆
【Thirty Pisces have appeared! HP: 4990】
“W-What’s going on?!”
【Twenty-Four Cygnuses have appeared! HP: 3441】
“W-Why are there so many ducks here?!”
“Rash, Rutna, we need to run. I’ll buy us some time.”
“N-No way… Grandpa, that’s probably impossible… We’re surrounded…”
【Ten Tauruses have appeared! HP: 8700】
【Seven Geminis have appeared! HP: 2222】
“Those twins! This is bad!”
We were already positioned diagonally against a multitude of twins. I instinctively shielded Kou and Bun, but this was hopeless. That sheep-headed guy seemed just as clueless, and they must have been trapped too.
“What the hell is going on?! I didn’t sign up for this!”
Just before the twins unleashed their electromagnetic blast, the faces of the tribesmen tangled in fur reflected a look of despair, illuminated by the light.
◆ Shin Report ◆
What happens to Rua when her precious ones die?
In a sense, this is a model of Koryn.
Will she break like this, or will she destroy the world?
Rua studies this Koryn,
the fate of one who couldn’t protect what was dear.
She engraves this in her mind to grow.
The Alex System, Koryn was created and completed sixteen years ago.
That means… how old is that woman?
One, two… and then it becomes like this, one—two…
Ah, heartless.