[MOMENTS EARLIER…]


    [Eastern Continent, The Capital]


    ''H-how is this happening…?'' A certain voice echoed as the owner watched a battlefield rife with chaos.


    It wasn''t that this being was averse to violence. No, in fact, he was called the tinum Knight of Carnage.


    The problem he faced—one that caused him to question all he had been led to believe thus far—was how inferior he was.


    ''H-how am I…?!''


    All around him, he could see that things weren''t going ording to his master''s n. His allies and reinforcements had their hands full with the opponents, leaving him all alone. Usually, he would have had no problems with this arrangement.


    He could count those who were stronger than him on his mechanical fingers. That was what made this situation so unexpected.


    "You seem distraught." His opponent''s voice suddenly echoed, causing him to re at him with both fear and rage.


    As much rage as an Automaton could muster.


    "S-shut up! What would you know?!"


    His opponent was in view. It was an Automaton who was strikingly simr to him. The tinum-colored skin they both shared made them very identical, and their simr builds added to that uncanny resemnce.


    Despite all of this, however, there was a massive difference between the two—one that irked Gawain, the tinum Knight of Carnage, to no end.


    The Automaton before him looked far more attractive and advanced,pared to him.


    "Well, I recently gave love advice to a human. I''d say I''m qualified to know a bit about emotions. Besides, we''re both Automatons, so I can somewhat empathize with—"


    "Shut uuuuuuppppp!!!"


    The Knight of Carnage raised his powers to their limits, burning up an intense amount of Mana as he red at the target.


    There was a lurking feeling that kept bothering him, but he set that aside. Hepletely focused on winning—on fulfilling the desires of his master.


    "I will kill youuuuuu!!!"


    In a sh, it traveled the distance that separated him and the opponent. A bright burst of whitish-blue Mana coursed through his body, enhancing it to the utmost limit.


    At this point, both his offensive and defensive were at maximum power. He had sacrificed most of his Spell Usage, and Magic Versatility just for more efficiency and power.


    And it was paying off.


    Gawain had honestly not felt this strong before.


    ''I-if it''s like this, then I should be able to…!''


    >SWOOOOOSSSHHHHH<


    In one sweep, much faster than anyone could possibly perceive, he brought down his de of justice, coursing the densest Mana through it.


    This was it!


    This was the end.


    His victory was assured!


    "Pathetic. Even after everything, is this the best you can do?"


    … Eh?


    Gawain''s eyes would have bulged if it could. He, who should have sliced through his target, felt some form of resistance that prevented his de from passing all the way through.


    It was stuck to something, unable to move past it.


    "Something as petty as this can''t prate my defenses." The opponent said, almost dismissively.


    Petty? How was the energy he poured petty? Was this person joking? Was he bluffing? He was bluffing, right?


    Yes, he had to be bluffing!


    "SHUUUTTTT UUUUPPPPP!!!"


    >WHOOOSSSHHH<


    >VWUUUUUSSSHHHH<


    >FWUUUUSSSHHH<


    Gawain used multiple attacks with his de, slicing up his targets as fast as he could while improving the tempo of his attacks.


    All he could hear was ngs, but he was certain he was chipping away at the enemy''s defenses, and even his body.


    ''He''s just bluffing! He''s acting! He''s actually scared! Yes, he''s… he''s frightened of my power!''


    After making the same frantic efforts for a few more seconds, Gawain finally heard the sound of metal breaking, and then shattering.


    ''Hehehe… hehehhehehe… hahahaha! I knew it! He was actually—!''


    Perhaps he missed the little detail thanks to his excitement, but it wasn''t his opponent''s body that shattered.


    It was his own de.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "A-ah… ahh…"


    His de was as good as useless at this point, already broken and chipped away in its remaining parts. Even though his weapon was in such a miserable state, the opponent looked as beautiful as ever.


    ''H-how…?!'' His mind could notprehend it.


    "Master told me to be patient and withstand your attacks, but… I really don''t see how I can learn anything from you. Perhaps he gave you too much credit? Hmm, maybe I''m the one being overly conceited."


    The more Gawain heard theseyered insults, the more the thoughts he tried to avoid surfaced.


    "I''m not weak! I''m not inferior! I''m better! I''m better than all of you! I''m the best, you hear me! The best Automaton! I am the perfect creation of my master! The Ultimate Automaton!"


    It was a rant at this point, but Gawain did not care.


    "I am the tinum Knight of Carnage!" He rushed toward his opponent, ready to use his own body to fight if that was what was necessary.


    He threw punches, each blow packing enough of a punch to create heavy noises and bright sparks around.


    He utilized all the power at his disposal, not minding the effects his actions would have on his body.


    Punches! More punches. He kept going, ignoring how badly damaged his hands were bing.


    Just a little more, he must have thought. If he just did a little more, then it would be enough to disprove the gnawing fear that ate at him.


    The fear that maybe…


    "I could honestly stay here and take your attacks all day, you know? You''d just wear your body out and destroy yourself without me having to do anything. But, that''s no fun, is it?"


    … Just maybe….


    >BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<


    … He was actually not that strong.


    "G-gah…." Gawain''s hollow voice echoed as his body shattered intoplete pieces thanks to a single hit from his opponent.


    He didn''t even have the chance to activate his Self-Destruct function. Everything in him was already messed up beyond repair.


    And all it took was one hit.


    "You seem to misunderstand something. I don''t know or care who you are, but… there''s only one Automaton that''s allowed to be called the best." His opponent said, still maintaining his position.


    "That''s me. I am the Ultimate Automaton."


    Gawain''s eyes ceased to function at that moment, and slowly every other part followed.


    ''Master… you lied to me…'' His thoughts echoed as he sank into the cold pit of death. ''... I wasn''t the strongest.''


    Compared to that man he faced in the factory, and then this Automaton just now, he now knew the truth.


    ''... I''m weak.''


    That constituted the final thoughts of the tinum Knight of Carnage.


    It ceased function immediately after.


    *


    *


    *


    "Well, that was underwhelming." Gawain thought to himself, holding onto something that belonged to his opponent.


    It was something akin to an orb—the core of the fallen Automaton.


    "Since Master wanted me to learn more from it, I decided to take its core. Its information should be stored here. We''ll be able to learn all we want. Maybe give it a stronger body if it has enough potential."


    In a sh, the orb vanished from Gawain''s hand, safely stored somewhere, and the Ultimate Automaton''s eyes scoured the battlefield to see how it was going.


    Most of what he was seeing brought a smile to his face.


    "So far so good."


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


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