"Sure enough, still here. Where's the core?" A buzzing sound came from the chest cavity of the giant metal puppet.

"Where do you get your confidence from? Are you from the goldfish clan? Forgot about being blown up by me in the ruins a few hours ago?" Aya clenched her fist and stood proudly, her white hair turning golden and flowing in the wind, displaying her skilled demeanor.

"If you can still do it, then come at me again." Whether he had some hidden card or saw that Aya's magic hadn't fully recovered, Hermes coldly sneered and raised his hand to attack.

"Oh, really?!"

Unexpectedly, this guy would launch a surprise attack with no sense of knightly courtesy—although he wasn't a knight to begin with—but his shameless face... was just like that guy Tiran!

Chirp was still behind her, unable to avoid the attack and could only activate her golden flame to block the blast.

The two highly condensed energy spheres collided in mid-air, creating a burst of dust and leaving behind a hole pierced by a high-speed object. Almost without Hermes' reaction, it got close to the magical armor and punched the magic barrier.

But this time, the shield didn't shatter easily like it did in the underground dungeon. Instead, ripples appeared on it.

On the other hand, Aya's fist was a little sore from the impact.

After successfully intercepting Aya, the magical puppet's core in the chest began to gather energy again to prepare for a pulse cannon. Aya was scared and quickly jumped to the side.

She had seen the magical armor being blown away with her own eyes. Even if she had confidence in the defense of her dragon scales, there was no need to withstand a direct hit.

"If one punch won't do, then come at me again with more punches. But that magic shield is a problem..." In the intersecting trajectories, Aya's gaze never left the barrier enveloping the magical puppet's body.

The principle of this thing should be the same as before, where the annihilation aura was effective.

After determining the tactic, Aya started chanting the spell for the annihilation aura. However, the magical puppet took the initiative to attack. Unable to confirm Aya's location within the complex terrain, it advanced while firing countless shots, intending to turn the entire area into ashes.

"Oh, damn it!" Only when facing the rain of bullets could Aya feel the oppression. Countless streaks of light forced her to interrupt her half-chanted spell and dodge downwards.

The magical puppet transformed into a heavy artillery again, showing no mercy and sending a whole set of explosive attacks at Aya, including tactical bombardment, tactical bombardment, and tactical bombardment that even your mother wouldn't recognize...

Aya was furious. Just because it's a massive explosion doesn't mean it can do whatever it wants!

Then Hermes delivered another set of explosive attacks, directly pressing the dragon maid down and vigorously rubbing her against the ground, leaving her unable to lift her head as she hid in a dog hole.

Staring at the alloy floor outside the dog hole, which was constantly melting, deforming, or shattered into a pile of dust in the barrage, Aya fell silent.

Sorry, but it turns out that a massive explosion really can do whatever it wants.

As a result, the dragon maid lost her temper. What else could she do? In this damn place, magic recovery is as slow as a turtle. Otherwise, she would have thrown a big magic attack to counter Hermes long ago.

This intense bombardment couldn't have lasted long anyway. After all, Aya had previously blown up one complete magical puppet along with the hard-earned Mist Tree Core brought back by the Dragon-Slaying Party. Even if a replacement magical core could be found, it would definitely not compare in terms of magic supply.

And at this moment, Aya looked up and saw not far ahead a magical armor that had been flattened like a soda can.

...

The barrels of over a dozen large-caliber magic cannons were without exception burning bright red. If they continued like this, even the high-level alloy would melt, plus the severe depletion of magic power. Hermes had to stop the barrage.

Looking at the bottom of the courtyard, which had already been leveled, Hermes did not relax at all, but instead allocated the remaining magic power to the shield and the giant sword, staring intently below.

That guy won't die so easily.

Sure enough, a figure sparkling with golden light darted out like lightning. The speed was even faster than before, reaching a point where it couldn't be captured by the naked eye. Only a blurry shadow could be seen.

Armor Scale Release · Triple Speed!

Aya jumped back and forth between more than ten iron rails to avoid, while Hermes gave up trying to attack remotely after two attempts.

Compared to the speed of the magic puppet, it was still a weak point, but with a sturdy magic shield as a base, it was enough to rely on defense and counterattack, just like before.

But when Aya closed in, Hermes's expression changed dramatically.

No longer empty-handed, Aya had already gripped a heavy sword over two meters long in her hand.

It was the broken anti-magic sword from the ruined magic armor! She used such a fast speed just to prevent him from clearly seeing the weapon in her hand!

Compared to the Element Annihilation Aura that required chanting, the power of the anti-magic sword was somewhat weaker, but it didn't require chanting, and it took effect when it struck.

After impacting the magic puppet, Aya directly swung the disproportionately-sized blade in her hand with the astonishing power of the Dragon, creating a dense web of sword strikes. With the price of destroying a valuable anti-magic sword, she successfully shattered the layer of magic barrier.

But it didn't matter as long as it was broken.

"I've always wanted to... try this thing!"

Throwing away the heavy sword that had already been bent, Aya grinned as she drew two large-caliber magic pistols and firmly pressed the trigger at the connection between the puppet's head and neck.

Even if it doesn't kill, shooting it at such close range will definitely peel off a layer of skin!

However, with a booming explosion, Meido Ryuji's figure was sent flying.

Getting up from the rail, Aya's face was covered in dirt, and her fair cheeks had been turned into African-like features. She coughed repeatedly.

What the... heck, does this thing explode?

Aya's face was full of shock.

...

"Is that... the princess's maid?" Heffy in the command room looked uncertainly at Aya, who was fighting back and forth with the magic puppet below.

Thinking carefully, since Hermes appeared here, it was also understandable for Tiran and the others to come rushing over. Still, he didn't know what happened on the other side of the dungeon, which made Hermes break into the Central Research Institute and cause so much destruction.

If she arrives, then there shouldn't be a problem.

...

After a brief standoff, Aya released Chi again, preparing to directly face the wave of attacks. Hermes also adjusted the distribution of magic power and pointed the serrated knife at Aya.

At this moment, a violent vibration struck again, and the already damaged courtyard emitted a creaking sound of being overwhelmed. The suspended iron rails also began to break one after another.

"What's going on?" Aya panicked a little. If another one of these things popped up in front of her, she wouldn't fight anymore and would run away with Chirp!

Fortunately, Hermes was also at a loss. Breaking into the Central Bureau was already a decision made under the circumstances where that girl, who could serve as the core of the [Mechanical God Descends] plan, was taken away. Apart from piloting this heavy mecha, he had no other cards.

So this vibration is...

The two of them didn't wait long before the answer was revealed in the light of the sword.

"Heaven! Descend! Justice!"

With an arrogant and ridiculously cliché shout, the dome of the courtyard burst open, and half of the ceiling fell down, shattered by the unparalleled sword light, smashing the magic puppet and its track all the way to the bottom of the well.

"Who else wants some! Go and have your lunch in peace!"

After the smoke cleared, the girl stood with her hands on the cross-shaped longsword, her boots resting on a broken piece of metal, her long hair fluttering. This arrogant and slightly crazy demeanor... no doubt, she was the princess.

Aya stood beside Tiran in silence, her expression complex. But with this eccentric but powerful white knight leading the way, the situation finally stabilized.

"What do you think, Aya? Isn't this move, Heaven Descends Justice, cool?" Tiran smirked proudly, giving Aya a thumbs-up.

"It's okay," Aya shrugged.

"What do you mean just okay? If you think it's cool, just say so, no need to be polite, hahaha!" Tiran laughed generously.

"Don't you know me after being with Tiran-sama for so long? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would lie? Hahaha, to be honest, it's pretty lame. Calling throwing rocks down justice? Hahaha, it's nowhere near as powerful as my explosive magic," Aya said.

"Hahaha, that's the real truth, huh—" Then the expression on the princess's face instantly darkened, "Are you happy with this prank of yours? Flirting with a beautiful adventurer, disrespecting your master... I wonder how I should deal with you when I go back?"

"...I'm sorry, I was wrong! Please forgive me!"

Shuma and Beinrich, who arrived later, stood behind them listening to their conversation, sweating coldly. They thought that anyone who could get along with this princess for so long must not be an ordinary person.

"I guess I don't need to intervene now, right?" Beinrich glanced at the magic puppet buried under the rubble below and relaxed.

"Hmph, I didn't need the help of a wanted criminal in the first place. Since it's over, just leave quickly," Shuma coldly stared at the mercenary.

"We have fought together, we should at least stop the cold words now, shouldn't we? Besides, the little princess's promise hasn't been fulfilled yet, how can I leave at this time?" Beinrich casually patted the female knight's shoulder.

"Who, who said we're companions!"

The female knight jumped back as if electrocuted, her hand pressing on the spot where she was patted earlier, speaking fiercely but with a hint of avoidance in her eyes.

............

"The princess arrived just in time..." Heffy also felt relieved and sat back in his chair.

There shouldn't be any major problems now. The only thing left to consider is how to deal with Hermes and... Heffy looked up at the huge hole in the ceiling, unable to help but wryly smile. The repair costs for the Institute would be astronomical, and he would have to argue with the heads of those families again.

But as long as they dealt with the most restless Hermes, the rest of the matters could be slowly resolved.