The Siege Begins
The horizon trembled with the sound of engines and grinding metal. Ruko stood atop a low ridge just outside Axel, eyes fixed on the enormous shape advancing toward the city. The mobile fortress, a hulking construct of steel and magic, cast long shadows over the fields below. Its surface reflected the morning sun in jagged flashes, and thick smoke spiraled from vents, carrying the sharp tang of burning machinery.
"Looks worse than I thought," Ruko murmured, his voice calm, almost detached. Beside him, Kazuma tightened his grip on his short sword, frowning. "Worse? This is insane! How did anyone even get through this thing before?!" Aqua floated nervously beside them, hands flailing. "It's huge! We can't even touch it from here! Do I… do I need to purify it?"
Megumin adjusted her staff, eyes glinting with anticipation. "I hope it explodes nicely…" Darkness, ever composed, crossed her arms. "We need a plan. Charging in headfirst will get us killed—or worse, destroyed by the fortress itself." Ruko's eyes scanned the fortress carefully. The adventurers who had attacked it before left clear signs of weak points—metal plating warped, vents exposed, conduits cracked. He crouched slightly, examining the structure with the calm precision that had become his habit.
"Those damage points near the lower plating… they haven't had time to repair everything. That's the opening Kazuma and the others will use." Far below, the group had already begun their approach. Chris apprached Kazuma about the fortress, but ruko didn't see her or notice and they moved silently along a shadowed wall, finding footing on uneven debris. Kazuma led the charge confidently, carefully pressing his hand to one of the damaged panels. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, using his Drain Touch on the weak spot to create an entrance. Sparks flew, and the jagged metal shifted just enough to allow them to slip inside. Aqua floated in, complaining about dust and the heat, while Megumin and Darkness followed close behind.
Ruko stayed back, analyzing. He could sense the faint pulse of mana coming from deep within the fortress. Even from here, it resonated, like a heartbeat tied to the structure itself. He didn't rush. He had learned from previous battles that rushing into chaos rarely ended well. Instead, he moved along a safer flank, using the terrain to stay hidden while maintaining a clear line of sight on the fortress's openings.
Inside, the corridors echoed with the faint sound of metal groaning under pressure. Ruko observed from a side vent, noting the layout—twisting passages, glowing panels, and the residual energy left behind from the adventurers' previous attack. He could feel the fortress reacting to the intrusions, almost as if it were aware. "Interesting," he murmured, his gloved hand brushing lightly against the vent wall. "It's alive in a sense… reacting to energy around it. Pretty clever."
The party inside began to make progress, but Ruko noticed something deeper. Behind reinforced plating, a faint glow pulsed with a steady rhythm. He instinctively knew this was no ordinary power source—it was connected to something far older and more dangerous. A hidden sector of the fortress that no one would notice unless they had the senses to detect it. He took a deep breath and made his move.
Slipping through a smaller maintenance hatch, Ruko moved silently, keeping to the shadows. Every step was deliberate, every movement calculated. He could hear the muffled shouts of the others in the distance, the clanging of weapons against metal, the occasional sparks from magical bursts. Yet here, in this quiet hallway, Ruko's mind raced. He had to reach the core sector before the fortress adapted fully to their intrusion.
And then, the faint glimmer of something ancient caught his eye. Crystalline shards, faintly pulsing, embedded in the wall. A thread-like substance shimmered beside it. The third Sha‑Obelisk fragment. And next to it lay the Eternal Thread, faintly glowing as if aware of his presence. Ruko's cat-like calm gave way to a spark of exhilaration. He reached out and touched the shard. Mana hummed faintly along his gloves, resonating with the Eternal Thread. This was it—the hidden power that had been guiding the fortress's defenses, now within reach.
The pulse of energy vibrated through him, teasing at potential he hadn't fully realized yet. Outside, the fortress shuddered as if sensing the interference. Metal plates creaked, steam hissed, and the sound of distant explosions—the adventurers' attacks—echoed through the corridors. Ruko paused, placing a hand on the wall. The Eternal Thread shimmered brighter, reacting to his presence, connecting him to the mana flow within the fortress.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but he felt it: the fortress's core responding to his attention. He glanced back through the vent to see Kazuma and the others fighting deeper inside. Sparks flew from metal and magic clashed in the echoing chambers. Aqua cried out for help and flailed, Darkness blocked an incoming energy surge, and Megumin prepared another detonation. Ruko smiled faintly. Their chaos was controlled, predictable in its way. And he knew his moment would come.
Carefully, he lifted the Sha‑Obelisk fragment and the Eternal Thread, tucking them securely against his body. A surge of mana rippled through him, subtle yet significant. For the first time in a while, he felt the potential of combining his Copy, the Sha‑Obelisk fragments, and this new tool. It wasn't complete yet, but it was enough to change the game.
Ruko exhaled slowly, settling his shoulders. The fortress was no longer an impersonal machine; it was a battlefield with rules he could manipulate. He didn't rush into the chaos yet. Observation first, action second. The pulse of mana beneath his gloves guided him as he prepared for the coming confrontation—a slow, steady advance into the heart of the mobile fortress where danger, power, and discovery awaited.