Chapter 363: Crush the Mechanical and Grotesque Puppets! 4
* * *
"I don't... I don't geeeeet it!!"
The full-body armored soldiers he had prepared were being blown away one after another in the front of the plaza...
Chubos, witnessing that 'impossible' scene, started running through the gaps between the full-body armored soldiers to get a closer look at the situation.
"Even though those guys are just surplus stock, they're still 'Mechanical Soldiers' over level 30ーーー!"
Chubos was quite flustered by this unexpected situation.
"They shouldn't be weak enough to be toyed around with by ordinary people from a low-level world like thisーーー!"
And in his panic, he unintentionally blurted out those words.
...Words that he should have kept to himself.
Because they could reveal his origins.
But despite seeing himself as the mastermind, he has a careless personality.
Actually, he made a similar mistake when he was talking to Orbos earlier.
Fortunately for him, no one took notice of his words, both then and now.
"Hey, hey, heeeeeyyyy!?"
Squeezing himself through the gaps between the full-body armored soldiers... or Mechanical Soldiers, as he calls them, Chubos finally reached the front line and saw the source of this commotion up close.
It was a black-haired, black-eyed girl.
Wearing a jet-black armor, with those grotesque giant arms, which he saw even from the back, protruding from her shoulders.
And seeing her surrounded by an intimidating and eerie, jet-black haze, Chubos instantly became convinced that this girl was 'some kind of evil being'!
"You, you, youuuu! Suddenly appearing, what are you doingggg!? Please don't interfereeee!"
Hopping and skipping as he walked, twirling and dancing.
Chubos, more consciously than usual, acted like a jester as he questioned the evil girl in front of him.
His behavior as a jester.
Normally, this is to cover up his 'occasional unnatural movements and voice'.
But in a situation like this, he can also expect it to make his opponent let their guard down.
Glancing at the evil girl, her beautiful face was expressionless, her emotions unreadable, but she had stopped moving.
It seems he managed to surprise her.
Chubos, grinning, continued to dance as he slowly approached the girl, and then...
"Now, look into my eyesーーー!!"
His eyes glowed green!
The devices embedded in his face as his eyes are aptly named [Brainwashing Demonic Eyes]!
They are terrifying perception-enhancing devices that, besides having excellent visual functions, allow him to manipulate anyone who stares into their emitted green light at close range!
...But, however!!
The moment his eyes glowed green, what he saw was.
The figure of the girl, caught off guard and successfully brainwashed.
...Well, not really.
It was the girl's fist, flying towards his face with incredible speed!!
"MUGYAAAAH!?"
Punched hard, Chubos's body was blown backwards, rolling on the cobblestones, taking down several Mechanical Soldiers with him!
PAPAPA, PANNN!
Four of the ten jewels on his necklace suddenly shattered!
"S-Suddenly!? What are you doingーーー!?"
Chubos, scrambling to get up, shouted breathlessly!
And glared at the girl.
The girl... was squeezing her eyes shut while holding her fist up.
The moment Chubos's eyes glowed eerily... with her superhuman reaction speed, she closed her eyes, avoiding the brainwashing effect!
"A jester whose eyes suddenly glow... in other words, an enemy. Because it's suspicious."
The girl, opening her eyes slightly, muttered words that made sense, or maybe not.
"So... I'll kill you!!"
Saying that, she opened her eyes wide, and the grotesque giant arm that she had secretly moved above Chubos's head, hidden in the darkness of the night... the [Black Arm]... she swung it down with all her might!
"NOGYAAAAH!?"
The sheer force of the blow embedded Chubos's body into the cobblestones!
It was a blow that would have crushed and killed an ordinary human!
"H-Hieeee! What a violent, savage girl! Resorting to violence so easily, what would you do if I was a harmless jesterーーー!?"
But somehow, Chubos was unharmed.
He jumped out of the small crater that had formed around him and scrambled backwards.
PAPAN!
Two more jewels on his necklace shattered.
"I'll reflect on my actions!!"
As soon as she shouted that, the girl nonchalantly stabbed her finger into the cobblestones beneath her feet, scooped up some pebbles, and... started throwing them at Chubos one after another with [Stone Throw]!
Its firing rate is incredible, like a machine gun!
ZUGAGAGAGAGAGA!!
The Mechanical Soldiers who stepped forward to protect Chubos were instantly dented, scraped, and destroyed in small explosions...!
"Awawa... That brat is going all out... [Level Scan]!"
Shouting that, Chubos peeked his face out from between a Mechanical Soldier's legs, his eyes glowing light blue this time.
[Level Scan] is a secondary function that comes standard with the Demonic Eye-type device series, including his beloved [Brainwashing Demonic Eyes].
Its effect is to measure the 'size of the opponent's soul'.
The larger the soul, the stronger the creature, and the higher the level displayed.
This is a common specification for creatures in almost any world, and it's a versatile and convenient function.
And after staring for a few seconds, he was astonished to see the measurement results displayed in the corner of his vision, his mouth agape.
"L-Level 99ーーー!?"
Because the number displayed was the 'maximum value' that his demonic eyes could measure!
Considering that ordinary people are only around level 10, this is an abnormal value.
And terrifyingly, this number is probably not accurate.
Because Chubos's [Level Scan] is just a secondary function of his demonic eyes, its ability is significantly limited compared to measurement-type demonic eye devices such as [Appraisal Demonic Eyes].
In other words, he can't measure levels above 99... and it's likely that the girl's level far exceeds that value!
"M-Monster... at least a 'Superhuman'! Maybe she's even on the verge of being a 'Demigod'? Or a 'Demi-human'?"
Chubos muttered in a daze, backing away, using the Mechanical Soldiers as shields...
"This, thiiis is... a pleasant surpriseーーー!"
A broad smile spread across his face, his white-painted face contorting grotesquely!
"Originally, I was planning to cause a rampage and lure out that demigod, Lyleen, or whatever her name is... but change of plans! I'll go with her!"
And then, he stroked the surface of the golden bracelet on his right arm with his fingertip, operating something.
Slits appeared in the space to his left and right... and then, the slits widened, and two 'holes' opened in midair!
What crawled out of those pitch-black 'holes' were full-body armored soldiers under Chubos's command... in other words, Mechanical Soldiers!
"Now, Mechanical Soldiers, without thinking about the consequences, charge at that monster! Buy me timeーーー!"
Chubos, still shouting in a ridiculous voice, gave those instructions, turned his back on Emi, and started running towards the back of the plaza.
Where he's heading is further beyond.
To the garden of Duke Daychib's mansion, located near the Third Plaza.
To La Sbos Daychib, the Duke, who is waiting there.
"Kukukukuku! Now, your time is near, foolish Duke-sama! You're going to be a big hitーーー!"
Just as Chubos laughed.
From behind him, a pebble that the Mechanical Soldiers couldn't block, flew towards him.
And hit the back of his head.
"N-beh!?"
But Chubos's head didn't explode.
He collapsed from the impact and rolled on the cobblestones, but he immediately got back up and started running again.
PAN!
The seventh jewel on his necklace, dangling from his chest, shattered.
"NIGYAAAAH!? Only three lives leftーーー!?"
Shouting something incomprehensible.
Chubos disappeared into the horde of Mechanical Soldiers swarming around him.