The colossal war machine tumbled across the ground in a wretched display.
Arcueid waved her hands continuously, sharp claws materializing from violet magical light, staining the entire pitch-black night sky with its terrifying hue.
The shrill sound of tearing air rang out without pause, followed by pieces of the Nalakuvera crashing to the earth.
Its agile spider-like legs emitted mechanical shrieks reminiscent of wailing, struggling to evade the onslaught of magical claws.
With every stomp, the already mangled components of its fallen comrades at its feet became utterly unrecognizable.
Under Arcueid's relentless hunt, several Nalakuvera units were reduced to irreparable wreckage.
These self-learning weapons of the gods shouldn't have been so utterly outmatched, but they faced the brute, overwhelming force of a true Primogenitor.
This was a crushing disparity in power; what could barely be called a fight was already drawing to a close.
Once the Nalakuvera's learning capabilities could no longer keep pace with Arcueid's output, it became mere prey.
"Ora!"
The blonde vampire effortlessly lifted the massive weapon, so disproportionate to her own slender frame, and tore it in two as easily as a slice of bread.
Countless shards scattered under the moonlight. Her crimson eyes, peering through the falling debris, fixed intently on the last remaining Nalakuvera.
"A whole bunch of Nalakuvera, and this is all they can do?"
Arcueit leaped up joyfully, her red gaze sweeping down contemptuously from above at the Nalakuvera below.
The seven-to-eight-meter-tall machine, facing the oncoming petite girl, took panicked, clumsy steps backward with its massive mechanical legs.
At the same time, the smooth armor on its back began to slide open rapidly.
Like a stag beetle unfurling its wings, thick armor plates spread to the sides, revealing cylindrical propulsion nozzles within.
"Hmm?"
Seeing these clearly thruster-like devices, Arcueid instantly understood.
'It's not thinking of running away, is it?'
Whether it was Nezha or the mythical "Flying Chariot (Pushpaka Ratha)" from Indian lore, flight was among their abilities.
Thus, their prototype, the Nalakuvera, would naturally possess this function as well.
With a thunderous roar, the Nalakuvera's nozzles erupted with intense heat.
Defying its massive size, the machine shot skyward at incredible speed. Not far ahead lay the brightly lit city district.
With its exceptional flight capability, it could reach the urban area within mere seconds.
'Can't win here, so you want to change targets?'
Arcueid watched leisurely as the Nalakuvera, now entangled with vines that had appeared seemingly from nowhere, gave a light wave of her hand. "Get back down here."
Vines sprouting from beneath the rubble grew at a phenomenal rate, chasing after the ascending machine.
Seemingly delicate and fragile, they anchored the Nalakuvera like a ship's anchor, hauling it forcefully back to the rubble-strewn ground.
A deep crimson flash erupted once more from the Nalakuvera's semi-circular head. A lance of light exceeding twenty-thousand degrees Celsius instantly pierced through the vines, reducing them to dust.
The roar of thrusters sounded again as the gigantic weapon slowly lifted off, only to—
Once more become entangled by vines sprouting at its feet.
The previous vines, turned to dust, seemed to act as fertilizer, spurring the growth of new ones that shackled the Nalakuvera firmly to the earth.
Extreme heat warped the air; the blinding flashes made the night sky seem to roar.
The Nalakuvera continuously fired beams, trying to annihilate these persistent, annoying vines.
Yet no matter how many times it burned them away, it couldn't break free. The vines at its feet regrew in an endless, phoenix-like cycle.
If vampires were said to be immortal, then the cycles of nature were equally boundless.
These vines were a crystallization of nature itself. Unless one possessed flames hot enough to scorch the entire planet, there was no escaping their grasp.
Arcueid strolled forward leisurely, calmly approaching the Nalakuvera still struggling against the vines.
She moved like a girl taking a walk in the woods, gently raising her palm.
This gesture, reminiscent of a ballroom invitation, made the Nalakuvera warily bend its legs.
For what the girl held was no invitation, but terrifying magical power.
Another crimson flash ignited atop its head—the divine weapon's final struggle.
"Is that the only trick you know?"
Arcueid curled her lips into a smile, slowly raising a finger to point directly at the opposing machine. "Beams aren't something only you can use."
High in the distant sky, a golden meteor suddenly flared to life.
It was Neco-Arc, who had been blown away earlier.
Even from this height, the foolishly adorable expression on her face remained unchanged.
"I choose you! Neco-Arc!" Arcueid exclaimed excitedly, her red eyes wide. "Use your beam on it!"
"Understood, nyaa!"
Neco-Arc's golden hair streamed in the high-altitude wind as she puffed out her chest, raising her rounded hands to her sides.
Magical energy gathered at her eyes. Her red cat-like pupils erupted with a golden flash.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, a swirling ring of light expanding, then—
It shot forth like an Ultraman's finishing ray!
Whoosh—
The dazzling golden flash overwhelmed the serene silver moonlight.
The light streaked forth. A torrent of brilliance shot in a straight line from the right, colliding head-on with the Nalakuvera's fiery lance.
The twenty-thousand-degree crimson flash was instantly overwhelmed by the golden radiance.
The light scorched the molecules in the air, sweeping away even the surrounding magical energy completely.
Leaving not even wreckage behind, the Nalakuvera's colossal form also vanished within the torrent.
The light that had outshone the stars faded away like fate itself, dissolving into the moon's silvery glow.
Pat.
Neco-Arc landed lightly beside Arcueid, holding up her phone triumphantly.
"I've located the Queen Unit's position," Asagi Aiba's voice came through, accompanied by the crisp clatter of keyboard taps. "It's not on Itogami Island."
"Send me the location," Arcueid said softly, taking the phone. "How did the Black Death Emperor Front activate these Nalakuvera?"
"It seems someone from MAR provided them."
"Someone from MAR..." Arcueid muttered, walking towards the sea, her red eyes narrowing in understanding. "Then I think I know who it is."
"Who?"
"MAR's CEO—Shahryar Ren." Arcueid continued. "If I remember correctly, that guy is a descendant of the 'Deva.'"
"A descendant of the 'Deva'..." Asagi Aiba murmured, then spoke as if a lightbulb had gone off. "I see. He's after this island."
"He won't be taking back what's in my hands," Arcueid huffed, glancing at a rooftop not far from the airport before striding off towards the Queen Unit's location.
"Haven't gotten used to the Mystic Eyes yet? I thought I heard keyboard sounds earlier."
"Not that quick to adapt, you know."
As the girls' conversation faded into the distance, Vatler on the far-off rooftop slowly raised his head.
"I wanted to fight too," he said regretfully, eyeing the wreckage in the airport, speaking without turning to the person behind him. "I get the feeling the Princess might dislike me a bit?"
"Is that so?" Natsuki Minamiya glanced with relief at the airport, noting the damage wasn't too extensive.
A bit of overtime from the Neco-Arcs could fix this up.
She cast a faint glance at Vatler beside her, then stepped into a spatial rift, leaving only a lingering, murmured sentence behind.
"The Princess isn't too fond of snakes."
--+--
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.