[In an instant, a blizzard howled as violent winds swept up snowflakes, swirling with dust and rubble that blotted out the sky, threatening to devour everything in its path.]
[Fortunately, Stelle and the others dodged in time. Though the Creation Engine's devastating punch missed them, it left a massive crater in the ground.]
[As the colossal mechanical arm slowly rose, a robot the size of a mountain finally revealed itself amidst the snowstorm. Floating midair with an ice spear in hand, Cocolia gazed down upon them like a true god of creation.]
["A—a robot ten thousand times bigger than Svarog!" March 7th gasped, her jaw nearly dropping. A monster of this scale was far beyond what her Six-Phase Ice could handle!]
["Engine, crush them!"]
[Blinding light gathered atop the Creation Engine's head. At Cocolia's command, a crimson heat ray erupted, slicing through distant peaks before redirecting toward the group at terrifying speed, leaving explosions in its wake!]
"Seems this ancient machine can utilize attacks similar to 'offensive magic,'" Sense remarked, eyes wide with amazement.
"...No, Sense, look closer." Serie raised her right hand, her finger flicking slightly as she magically froze and extracted a frame from the projection—showing Stelle dodging the heat ray. But what caught Serie's attention was the slightly blurred background behind her.
——
The mountains beyond Everwinter Hill. The heat ray carved through the peaks as if they were screaming in agony, explosions echoing endlessly. Snow-covered cliffs collapsed along the steep slopes, their clean, precise cuts resembling the work of a divine blade.
"Just how far can human offensive magic reach?"
Serie counted slowly on her fingers. "Five hundred meters? A thousand? In recent decades, even the most skilled first-class mages couldn't exceed two kilometers."
"The reason is simple—magic disperses over distance. Even if a spell travels kilometers to hit its target, its power would be greatly diminished."
"Sense, look closely at the mountains in the background. Can you guess how far that attack reached? Dozens, at least. To obliterate mountains and trigger explosions from such a distance—do you still think this is comparable to 'offensive magic'?"
After Serie's analysis, Sense fell silent.
"If I had to say... this far surpasses 'offensive magic.'"
"Though its attack pattern is simplistic, its power is unmatched. If hit directly... even I might not be able to fully block it." A faint smile curled on Serie's lips.
["How are we supposed to destroy something this massive?"]
[As they dodged, Bronya fired her rifle, but the bullets barely scratched the Creation Engine. Just as its fist descended, a red beam streaked across the sky—Himeko's orbital cannon struck with pinpoint accuracy, blasting through the Engine's left arm!]
["...Himeko! It's Himeko!" March 7th cheered excitedly.]
["Hey, can you hear me? The signal's terrible..." Stelle's communicator crackled with Himeko's fragmented voice.]
["Himeko! You finally remembered us!"]
["What's that supposed to mean? Mr. Yang and I have been worrying about you all from orbit. This trailblazing journey has been quite exciting."]
["How this thing even started moving... Well, let's just make sure it stays still for now? The rest is up to you!"]
"I was kinda hoping they'd gang up on that giant robot..."
At Night Raid's headquarters, Lubbock sighed in disappointment. "If the Empire ever had a weapon as big as the Creation Engine, I wanted to study how to deal with it."
Leone slapped his back with a loud laugh. "Seriously? That's the worst joke I've heard! A Creation Engine-sized Imperial Arm? If something like that existed in the capital, we'd have noticed by now!"
"I said if, if...!" Lubbock grumbled. "But if there was, Mine, could you blast its arm off with 'Pumpkin' like Himeko's orbital cannon?"
"No way! Himeko's orbital cannon is just cheating!"
Mine hugged her rifle-shaped Imperial Arm tightly. Though Romantic Cannon's power scaled with danger, it also drained the user's mental energy.
Theoretically, "Pumpkin" could reach orbital firepower—but only in theory. If it ever unleashed that kind of force, what kind of threat would they even be facing?
...Unimaginable.
"Mine, I'll protect you," Akame suddenly said, staring at her seriously. "You just need to stay behind me."
"...No way!" Mine crossed her arms and turned away with a tsundere huff strong enough to carry three hundred meters against the wind. "If we do face a giant mechanical Imperial Arm, your Murasame would be useless! Your weapon is meant for killing humans... like that Cocolia woman. You'd be better suited fighting her."
"Speaking of which, Cocolia is flesh and blood, uses ice powers, and holds high authority in her nation... She really does resemble Esdeath."
"Akame, why don't you try roleplaying? See if you can take Cocolia down?"
[After exchanging glances, Stelle and Bronya leaped onto the Creation Engine's arm without hesitation.]
[Climbing upward, Stelle's target was obvious.]
[——Cocolia!]
[As Voidrangers blocked Stelle's path, Bronya picked them off one by one with her rifle. She would ensure Stelle reached Cocolia safely, no matter what.]
[Suddenly, the Creation Engine reactivated, its massive frame rising. The abrupt tilt of its arm sent Stelle plummeting.]
["Grab me!"]
[Just before she fell, a flash of blue darted behind her—Seele dashed forward, seizing Stelle's hand. With a spinning throw, the sheer acceleration launched Stelle back into the air.]
[Though her feet dangled over nothingness, Dan Heng's spear arrived just in time. Stelle grabbed it, flipped midair, and finally landed safely on the top platform.]
[And there, waiting for her, stood Cocolia—floating with her ice spear in hand, her frigid gaze locked onto the intruder before her.]