Does a situation like this qualify as despair?
Of course not. I still had a trump card, even if using it would exact a terrible price, even if it might not be enough to turn the tide.
But just look at our surroundings.
My precious students were locked in bitter combat and unable to break free. Kei, though restrained by Eimi, could at any moment pull away and fire a light cannon at someone else. Another robot army that harbored some inexplicable hatred toward me had attacked from who knows where. And then there was Aris, whose condition was still unknown.
If I still clung to my own life at a time like this, would I not truly be driven into a dead end before struggling again?
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
I exhaled a breath of turbid air. A corona shaped halo of light condensed from nothingness, hovering behind my head as it slowly rotated.
Divine Name Release: [White Crown King]!
A stronger body, more abundant energy, clearer thoughts.
An exquisitely wonderful sense of ascension, intoxicating, irresistibly alluring.
Even with [Listener of the Wind] active at all times, I felt no fatigue at all.
Of course, once I entered this state, my life was burning away with every passing moment.
I fixed my gaze on Kei, who was locked in fierce combat with Eimi, fully aware that defeating her as quickly as possible was the Kei to solving everything.
Although the Game Development Department's situation was also intense, its actual priority was not that high.
Defeating the robots first, freeing up the Game Development Department's combat power, then having all five of us surround Kei. From the moment those robots appeared and successfully tied down the Game Development Department, that had become nothing more than a beautiful but unattainable fantasy.
From the fact that Kei had prioritized chasing us earlier, it was clear she was not foolish.
Her advantages lay in a war machine like body, the astonishingly powerful Sword of Light, and the fact that she fought alone.
That was right. When the gap in strength was too large, being a lone wolf could instead be considered an advantage.
Kei had no reason to care about those mass produced looking robots, but we had to worry about our companions' safety.
Kei's carrying capacity had limits, that was true. But at the same time, she only needed a single strike to reduce the Game Development Department's numbers.
The reason she had not done so yet was simply because there was no urgency. She still had the leisure to wait for the right moment.
If I chose to deal with the fodder first, once she noticed my actions and intent, even if it meant taking a close range shot from Eimi, Kei would very likely launch an unavoidable attack at the other students who were entangled with the robots.
It would be extremely difficult for me to save everyone at once. That was the fundamental reason this plan could not work.
Therefore, I had to deal with Kei directly.
After activating my Divine Name, some of my authorities were strengthened and altered. Of those, I had only truly used one.
[Eye of the Storm], which consumed a massive amount of mystic power to unleash a highly destructive storm, roughly comparable to the firepower of heavy weapons.
However, in my view, the true essence of this authority was not its destructive power, but the concealment and extreme speed at the moment of release.
Who would ever guard against a sudden gust of wind?
Even if someone did remain wary, once they realized there was no solid projectile, how many would instinctively dodge without hesitation?
Taken together, this authority was clearly suited for a bold and upright sneak attack.
Next was [Lion God's Dignity], released from [Lion's Dignity].
Its exact strength was still unknown, but distraction during combat had always led to serious consequences.
And finally.
Could robots be considered electronic devices?
I felt a bit of regret that I had underestimated those two authorities earlier and never tested them in this way.
In any case, time was limited. Since I had already decided to act, there was no reason to hesitate. Do everything I could. Believe in myself, and believe in my students.
My life's burn rate instantly doubled. The number of blue pyroxenes representing usable [Mystic] surged upward, then plunged sharply.
I warned myself that this was worth it.
No.
This was a price I had to pay.
Since Aris called me Sensei, I had to save my student. And Kei, who ignored Aris's will, had to face my wrath.
Staring at the completely unaware Kei, under the influence of [Mystic], the air rose, fell, convected, and spun. Finally, following my will, it raced along a predetermined path.
Kei, fully focused on dealing with Eimi while preparing to find the right moment to eliminate the relatively weaker interferers, sensed something strange through her electronic auditory receptors. She turned her gaze, only to see an adult she found utterly detestable smiling at her.
Incomprehensible, and not worth caring about.
…No.
Kei suddenly realized that within the air, there seemed to be an imperceptible, extremely faint, yet undeniably real distortion.
She had to evade.
However, in the next instant, a pressure that was almost tangible bore down heavily on her body and mind, rendering her unable to move.
Although Eimi did not know the exact reason, she naturally did not miss such an opportunity. She swiftly aimed at Kei's wrist and pulled the trigger, achieving a result no one had anticipated.
The Sword of Light flew from Kei's grasp.
Having already finished analyzing the enemy's movement patterns, Eimi first froze, then broke into joy. She picked up the Sword of Light and slung it over her shoulder, depriving Kei of her ranged attack option, then ran off directly to support the struggling girls of the Game Development Department.
In the very next moment, I canceled [Lion God's Dignity]. Just as Kei tried to dodge, the storm, with power equivalent to a large quantity of high explosives, had already closed in before her.
Countless sharp wind blades rampaged across Aris's body, shredding her clothes to tatters, yet seemingly unable to inflict the slightest damage on her fair skin.
However, despite the change in authority and the completely different description, I could still see the weakness appearing on Kei.
She was injured.
"…Despicable!" Kei knelt on one knee, her voice growing colder as she stared at me with hateful eyes, apparently convinced that I was the one who had launched the attack.
Naturally, I could only respond with an even gentler smile, attempting to move her with pure enthusiasm and love.
Unlike Aris, Kei's gaze seemed to contain no positive emotion at all.
Already dressed in rags, she pushed off the ground with her toes and charged at me. Was she planning to beat me up to vent her anger, or take me hostage?
But this was Kei's greatest mistake.
I, who appeared weak but actually possessed the dual defenses of Arona and a Divine Name, was the hardest target present.
The curve of my lips lifted, growing ever more mocking.
At this point, Kei had already sealed her defeat by misjudging me as the easiest and most urgent target.
How long would it take Eimi to defeat the robots entangling the Game Development Department?
How long would it take Kei to break through my defenses?
And bare handed, facing the combined assault of the Game Development Department and Eimi, how long could Kei last?
Kei, occupying Aris's body, would be captured by us. No one would be hurt, and Aris could return. This was simply the most perfect ending.
At that moment, I even felt that losing a few more years of my lifespan would be completely worth it.
Since that was the case.
Let us happily conduct an experiment.
I consecutively activated [Geometry] and [Sensation], then waited patiently.
Kei, who had already rushed in front of me and viciously lifted her leg to strike my lower body, freezing the smile on my face, suddenly stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
"A pop up window? Why?" Shock entered Kei's eyes. "How did you do this? And that incomprehensible technology from earlier. Could it be that you…"
I did not answer at all. Cold sweat poured down as my earlier composure and malicious amusement vanished. I retreated repeatedly, wanting nothing more than to put distance between myself and this AI.
That rotten Arona was laughing loudly in my ear. I would remember this grudge.
Clearly misunderstanding something, Kei did not pursue. Her tone became complicated. "You… are you… my kind?"
Hah. Did I really look like a rogue AI from the blackwall?
I continued to ignore her. Seeing that an authority I had thought almost completely useless could actually be used this way, I no longer spared my stamina and activated it repeatedly.
"Stop for a moment. I am Kei. If you also exist to help the Princess… to help AL-1S fulfill the mission, there is no need for us to fight, right?"
There was no need to talk with her. Kei was merely indulging in baseless misunderstandings. Right now, all I needed to do was capture her intact and then reclaim my Aris. Nothing more.
After dragging things out this long, things over there should have ended by now.
Just as I was thinking this, I heard a whistling sound.
It must have been a shell fired by Yuzu. At last, this trip through the ruins could end perfectly.
However, the next instant, I frowned in confusion.
Why…
Looking toward the source of the sound, my pupils shrank. After roughly determining the shell's landing point through hearing, I was left utterly baffled.
"Watch out!"
I shouted at Kei, who was using Aris's body. My body moved on instinct before my mind, rushing over and pulling her tightly into my arms as I tackled her to the ground.
On a distant high rise, a gigantic white and yellow quadrupedal robot gazed at the smoke rising in the distance. Its massive main cannon ultimately did not fire a second shot.
After that, from openings in its rear leg armor, six steel cables shot backward, anchored, and retracted, dragging it deeper into the ruins.
"Why?" Under my protection and uninjured, Kei remained silent for a long time before asking with difficulty.
She was clearly just an AI.
"…You ask why? Is there even a second reason?"
Of course it was because you were using Aris's body. And that robot was clearly aiming at Kei, was it not?
Although she was my enemy, Kei was also the enemy of my enemy, and my intended captive.
Grimacing, I struggled to climb up from the ground. Even with Arona deflecting the explosion and the protection of the halo, it still hurt a lot.
Kei fell silent again, seemingly lost in thought.
Then she closed her eyes, her head tilting to the side as if she had fainted.
"Sensei! Eh? What are you doing?"
Sitting beside the almost naked Aris, with my own upper clothing also torn apart by the explosion, I thought for a second.
I stood up, brushed the dust off myself, and said righteously to the shocked girls, "I think I can explain."