The instant Lilith touched aside’s body, aside vanished.

A flash of furious green lightning burst forth, and countless equations and formulas sprang from Lilith’s outstretched fingertips, completely enveloping aside’s body.

Then it vanished completely.

A mysterious force, spreading from no direction—neither up, down, left, right, front, nor back—pulled aside’s entire body out of the space humans could perceive.

Chaos descended. Cause and effect fused into one, then abruptly split apart again, switched places, and scattered into two entirely different things.

And with that, aside’s existence vanished completely. Even Lilith couldn’t say where it had gone.

Maybe it was even before cause, and after effect.

“Hah…”

Watching aside disappear completely before her eyes, Lilith let out a deep sigh and dispelled the green lightning around herself.

The equations coiled around Lilith like runes faded away along with the lightning.

Hunched over, she clutched her aching shoulder. She looked as if she’d aged more than ten years in an instant.

“Now… Merka and Turing should be able to reach the next level without much trouble.”

“…You’d better hurry and get here.”

“I really can’t wait that much longer.”

Lilith dragged her heavy steps toward the end of the tunnel.

The light stretched the shadow behind her long and thin, like shackles cuffed around her ankles.

“Hah, that damn woman…”

“What on earth did the lab put into her? How’d she get so emotional?”

Just as Lilith disappeared completely at the far end of the tunnel, a shadow stepped out from a corner, speaking with lingering fear.

The shadow picked up the half-piece of Deus Ex Machina left on the ground and muttered to itself.

“Damn it. I was going to split Deus Ex Machina into two pieces, then, once Turing let her guard down, possess the other one and use it to ambush her.”

“Now Lilith has destroyed this piece. I’ve only got one piece of Deus Ex Machina left…”

“If I split Deus Ex Machina any smaller, I won’t be able to possess it.”

“…………”

The shadow leaned one hand against the wall and muttered to itself.

“The only way I can descend into the Smoke-Free Zone now is with this last half-piece of Deus Ex Machina. Damn it!”

“I’m out of chances!”

“Hah… What a pain to deal with.”

“It even feels stronger than Big Sis Mostima…”

“How did those researchers make an angel this powerful?”

“I’ve already used up more than half my mana…”

“What am I supposed to do now?”

Turing wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and angrily planted her foot on the enormous killer bee.

The enemy could kill with a single strike, while Turing had to keep her mana use in check. This kind of fight was incredibly draining.

Turing was exhausted. She panted heavily and slumped to the ground.

“They made half-angels, I guess… Half-angels are stronger than pure-blooded angels to begin with.”

Merka took a handkerchief from their clothes and wiped the blood from Turing’s face, speaking to her with a rueful look.