"Good evening, Itogami Island."
The cargo hold door slowly opened, the gust of air it kicked up scattering dust across the ground.
Amid the swirling dust, a golden figure stepped out with a light, brisk pace.
The surrounding dust, as if blocked by an invisible aura, swirled around the girl without a single particle soiling her dress.
"Tonight's shipment from MAR is a full load, every last bit of it."
Her skirt fluttered slightly, her heels clicking crisply against the floor as Arcueid, casually folding a hamburger wrapper, strolled leisurely into the cargo hold.
A magical glow shimmered in the night, the plastic wrapper dissolving like foam within the pink-purple light.
The light didn't just dispose of the trash; it also illuminated the dark interior of the plane's cargo hold for Arcueid.
Seven wooden crates lay quietly in the depths of the darkness. Compared to the smaller cargo around them, these massive crates seemed out of place.
In this slightly eerie scene, Arcueid walked up gently and tore open the shell of a crate as easily as tearing a slice of bread.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her eyes lowered.
"This thing... is supposed to be Nezha?"
Her dismissive words echoed faintly in the cargo hold as Arcueid looked at the mechanical construct before her with utter disbelief.
Three heads and six arms, a lotus-born incarnation.
Holding a Fire-Tipped Spear, treading on Wind-Fire Wheels.
This was the image of Nezha, the young deity revered in Taoism.
And Nalakuvera was supposedly the prototype of this legendary deity, surely sharing some resemblance with Nezha... or so it should have been.
Six thickly armored legs stood quietly within the crate. Interwoven red and white patterns covered the black armor, the spider-like form exuding a hint of menace.
Arcueid slowly approached the spider leg, which was taller than she was, glancing at the empty cockpit.
"There's no way anyone could associate this thing with Nezha."
She gently tapped the Nalakuvera's shell, producing a clear, ringing sound. "If anything, it's a bit like the Terror Drones from Red Alert."
The massive spider leg was lifted as if it were a toy, its joints emitting pitiful groans under Arcueid's gentle handling.
Wait a second.
Arcueid suddenly pinched her small chin and nodded in sudden understanding.
Nezha had three heads and six arms, and Nalakuvera had six legs.
So that's the aspect they referenced.
SCRECCH—
The wooden crate scraped against the metal floor with a grating sound as Arcueid pushed the stack of enormous crates outward.
"Natsuki-chan should be done on her end too. Next is figuring out how to play with these toys properly..." she muttered, stopping in front of the cart and lightly tapping Neco-Arc, who was snoozing soundly in the driver's seat, awake.
Moonlight silently spilled onto the ground, casting a faint, tranquil glow.
The night breeze gently tousled her hair, creating a soft whooshing sound.
"It really is a good night for sleeping, the kind where you don't dream till morning," Arcueid said, shaking the half-asleep Neco-Arc. "But you, as the driver, can't do that. Wake up, now."
Many paths lie ahead, but safe driving is the first rule.
"Driving while fatigued is a no-go," she said, pulling out her beeping phone. "Hello?"
"Christoph Gardos has been apprehended." Minamiya Natsuki glanced at Gardos lying on the ground, shouting 'How can you call yourself a warrior?!' "But something's odd."
"They seem to have some backup plan still." After saying this, she addressed Gardos on the ground in a light tone.
"I'm a teacher. The people you tried to attack are students. Unfortunately for you, neither of us are warriors."
The terrorist from the Black Death Emperor Front instantly fell silent, hanging his head.
"A backup plan..."
Arcueid looked at the Nalakuvera units being loaded onto the truck before her. The spider-like robots lay quietly in their crates like toys with their batteries removed.
"Miss Arcutie, on your end, have you found one Nalakuvera that looks a bit different?" Asagi Aiba looked at the image Mogwai had found on her phone, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
She was in the process of hacking the Nalakuvera's control commands.
"Nalakuvera are weapons operated via voice commands. There should be one command unit, like the queen of an ant colony."
Arcueid looked back into the cargo hold. Aside from the large crates in front of her, there were only other, smaller pieces of cargo.
"I don't see one over here..."
Suddenly, a tremendous sound of rending air echoed in her ears.
The cockpit of the Nalakuvera, which had been quietly dormant just moments before, suddenly lit up with a deep crimson glow. A massive mechanical leg crashed down toward Arcueid's head without any warning.
The powerful air current whipped up the girl's hair, her white dress rustling loudly in the wind.
Boom—
A pale, delicate hand easily stopped the descending mechanical leg, as effortlessly as catching an autumn leaf.
"The Nalakuvera are moving."
Arcueid gazed with interest at the large, empty cockpit, her crimson eyes staring intently at the glaring deep red light, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Huh? I'll speed up the decryption on my end right away..."
"Hurry it up."
Arcueid tossed the still-chattering phone to Neco-Arc beside her, the hand gripping the spider leg applying a gentle pressure.
The thick armor creaked and groaned in her pale palm, gradually deforming.
"Otherwise, these god-made weapons might break before the decryption is even finished."
A deep red flash swept across the ground, the concrete surface destroyed as easily as a fragile sandcastle.
A violent explosion shook the entire artificial island, suddenly erupting flames enveloping Arcueid's figure.
The six thickly armored legs stepped forward, stomping vicious cracks into the ground. The cart was crushed under its casual movement, and Neco-Arc, clutching the phone, scampered tap-tap-tapping into the distance.
The next instant, a deep red flash swept over the ground where Neco-Arc had just been standing. The petite figure immediately flew into the sky, her eyes spinning like whirlpools.
"Wheee~ That's quite a flight."
A claw tore through the burning flames as Arcueid slowly walked out from within them.
She glanced at Neco-Arc flying off into the distance, then shifted her gaze to the Nalakuvera rising to its feet.
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, her figure flickering like a glitch for an instant.
In the next moment, the Nalakuvera's massive body slowly toppled over.
"So this is the weapon of the Deva?"
Arcueid lightly tossed the Nalakuvera's hind leg in her hand, then swept her hand out, fingers curled like a claw.
A claw strike materialized in the air, the sounds of rending air and tearing metal echoing under the night sky.
Like thin paper torn apart by a gale, the vacuum-cutting claw casually shredded the spider robot's heavy armor.
The Nalakuvera's wreckage slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Next."
Arcueid swung her hand leisurely, looking at the remaining six Nalakuvera units.
Instantly, all six Nalakuvera fired beams from their heads simultaneously.
Deep red light cut through the night sky, falling upon the faint, upturned curve of the girl's lips.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.