298 The Elf Village Siege: Defense and Counterattack ⑩

Grasping the head of the robot attempting to regenerate its shattered drill, she bites down without hesitation.

A bitter metallic taste spreads through her mouth.

It lasts only an instant. The material she chews disintegrates within her mouth, converted into pure energy.

My gluttony skill is functioning precisely as intended—limited to the oral cavity.

Once something is inside my mouth, it can be broken down and absorbed regardless of form.

This holds true even for robots designed to oppose deities.

The amount of energy extracted per bite is negligible, but it is more efficient than continuing to strike endlessly.

The robot’s general design philosophy is already understood.

It is built for prolonged combat—energy-intensive and endurance-focused.

Equip it with toughness that regenerates instantly, regardless of energy expenditure.

Eliminate unnecessary functions. Focus solely on this capability.

In addition, deploy a magic interference barrier and poison gas to exhaust the opponent.

Indeed, indeed.

Indirect, yet when aiming to defeat a god with available cards, it is surprisingly logical.

I am currently struggling despite activating humility.

Whether it truly works against Gurye remains uncertain, but I understand that Potimas devised and refined this formation through extensive deliberation.

Precisely because the opponent is me, defeat is inevitable.

Insert the贯穿 hand into the robot’s torso.

Activate magic within the robot’s interior.

Magic interference barriers are not omnipotent.

The barrier’s effect does not reach within the bodies of living beings inside the barrier, especially not within allies whose magic activation must remain unhindered.

After all, the robot’s regeneration is magic. If that were disrupted, it would become nothing more than a pile of metal.

I cannot analyze the mechanism that neutralizes magic interference, like Shiro does. But I do not need to perform such a cumbersome procedure. Magic can still be activated.

Inside the robot.

The spell activated was Heretic Magic Level 10.

Its name: Soul Break.

Heretic Magic directly affects the target’s soul.

Soul Break destroys the target’s soul.

I drive it into the robot.

The robot writhes as if resisting. It strikes me across the face.

A sharp crack echoes as my cheekbone shatters. I am thrown backward, separated from the robot.

I regain my footing quickly, vigilantly watching for further attacks from the robot.

But no attack comes. Instead, the robot stands rigid, alert, its posture unrelenting.

Effective, then.

Well, expected.

Energy resides within the soul.

Without a vessel capable of holding it, energy dissipates rapidly.

The soul itself is the vessel. Those with exceptionally large vessels are gods.

To kill a god, one must either destroy the soul's vessel or consume all the energy contained within.

Potimas chose to exhaust the energy.

Chose, or rather, had no alternative.

It is possible to shatter the soul, as I did.

But that requires system assistance.

Shattering the soul cannot be performed without system support.

Even Shiro has not yet replicated the technique.

Potimas cannot replicate Soul Shattering without system assistance either.

Therefore, Potimas had no choice but to pursue an alternative method.

Potimas should not be unable to use Soul Shattering.

It would be simple enough to teach Heretic Magic to the elves.

But Potimas would never choose that path.

Because Potimas does not trust the elves at all.

To Potimas, elves are merely convenient tools.

Tools must be safe to use.

Therefore, anything potentially harmful is never taught.

Heretic Magic is a double-edged blade even for Potimas.

My own use of Heretic Magic, as confirmed by the robot, proves this.

Heretic Magic is effective against the robot—Potimas’s trump card—and would be effective for Potimas personally as well.

Against Guriel, teaching one or two individuals Heretic Magic would be futile.

That would not be an effective strike unless hundreds were made to memorize it.

If hundreds were made to memorize Heretic Magic, and then turned against me—

such fear exists. Therefore, that method cannot be used.

They say kings are lonely. But Potimas’s loneliness is different.

He chooses to be alone.

Content with a closed, narrow garden.

Within that garden, he can be the best.

Within that garden, anything is permitted.

Truly, a small man.

And base.

"Potimas. How many souls did you use to build this robot...?"

Potimas muttered groans through the speaker. No proper reply was expected.

Yet, the words had to be spoken aloud.

Energy resides in souls.

To possess energy means this robot also holds a soul.

Every soul has a maximum capacity for stored energy.

The limit that neither I nor Potimas could surpass.

This robot has been granted energy sufficient to face even Guriel.

Such energy could not be sustained by a single soul.

If it were possible, Potimas would have become a god long ago.

Therefore, multiple souls—no, dozens of souls—have been infused into this machine.

Souls of people, now reshaped into this metallic form.

I pity them.

But I will not show mercy.

To shatter a soul through soul-breaking means it returns to nothingness, without reincarnation.

Literal, heretical magic.

Yet I do not hesitate to wield it.

I am not so unburdened myself.

Gluttony, soul-breaking, and humility with a time limit.

This is how I will prevail.

"I'm sorry."

A single apology to the souls reduced to pitiful weapons, and I stepped forward.