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The moon was reflected on the surface of the lake.

After passing through the ruins filled with the shouts of men, Arkecius dashed along the lakeshore, sprinted across the wasteland, and headed toward the forest.

I grew more cautious, thinking they might pursue us using that fake intercity vessel, but so far, there was no sign of such movement. They likely needed the Geist Armors to confront us, now that we had Arkecius. Cutting those power pipes on the spot was the right call. Though I couldn’t predict what would happen once they managed a quick repair.

“Master.”

Hom, who was running ahead to guide Arkecius, raised her voice. I focused on the front through the image screen, responding to her voice picked up by the audio sensors.

“A Geist Armor is approaching.”

From the direction of the forest where the Auro Rabbit had appeared, I could see the silhouette of a machine illuminated by the moonlight and the glow of its subordinate unit’s power source. The small head visible atop the machine was likely that of its pilot. Something resembling night-vision goggles faintly glimmered.

“Leafa…”

Above Arkecius, Alfe’s frightened voice trembled. She must have felt that her gaze had met the pilot’s. The proof of this was that the Geist Armor was heading straight for us.

“Hom, can you fight?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Alfe, hide behind that large rock.”

There was a giant boulder a little distance away where Alfe could take cover. I extended the arm toward the rock, preparing to move her there using levitation magic.

“But—”
“We’ll be fine, so hurry!”

There was no time for Alfe to hesitate. Urged by my firm tone, Alfe understood the situation and took refuge on top of the giant boulder.

“Let’s move away from here, Hom.”
“So we are engaging them, Master.”

To keep Alfe out of danger, we closed the distance between us and the Geist Armor. Sensing our intent to fight, the approaching Geist Armor halted, increasing its vigilance.

“…Hah!”

Using Arkecius’ body as a foothold, Hom unleashed Wind Flow. The weakness of the Geist Armor was its exposed cockpit. Hom’s kick was aimed precisely at the pilot, but the Geist Armor, which had seemingly stopped, skillfully evaded her attack, extending its arm sharply.

“Hom!”

I shouted reflexively, but Hom twisted in midair, dodging the arm, and landed on the wasteland before immediately leaping again.

“…!”

However, her next attack also missed its mark, failing to reach the pilot of the Geist Armor. For Hom, who excelled in close combat, aiming for the cockpit high above required a preparatory motion. The pilot had been expertly timing these preparatory movements to dodge her attacks.

In that case, I had no choice but to attack using my subordinate unit. Fortunately, the drill attached to Arkecius’ right arm hadn’t been removed.

“Over here!”

I launched the drill, attempting to draw the pilot’s attention. But Arkecius’ attacks were slower and less agile than Hom’s, and the pilot easily blocked them with a massive shield.

Even so, the attempt served its purpose of drawing attention and revealing a preparatory motion.

Compared to the Geist Armor, which was superior in both offense and defense, Arkecius only held the advantage in agility. While I couldn’t deal a significant blow, I could gradually wear down the Geist Armor. The real challenge was creating an opening against this skilled pilot. Just as Hom and I were closing the distance, surrounding the Geist Armor—

“Over here!”

Alfe’s voice echoed from behind the Geist Armor.

“Ha! Perfect, looks like I’ll have a hostage,” the pilot sneered, reacting to my panicked voice as he turned the Geist Armor around.

“Alfe, run!” I shouted, bewildered as to why she had come out when I had told her to hide. In my field of vision, I saw Hom leaping toward the now-exposed back of the Geist Armor.

However, if Alfe were taken hostage, that attack could backfire.

“Hom!”
“Now, Master!”

Hom, hanging onto the power pipes, pointed to the rear armor of the Geist Armor. Realizing there was no time to hesitate, I attacked the armor with the drill and quickly pulled back.

“Alfe!”
“The brat’s not here! Where is she? Where?!”

The pilot frantically swung the arm around, trying to shake off Hom, who was clinging to the back of the Geist Armor, while spinning in circles on the spot.

“Over here, over here!”

I couldn’t see Alfe either. Despite that, her voice clearly resonated near the Geist Armor.

—Could this be Alfe’s magic?

There had been times before when I’d heard her voice close by but couldn’t find her. If Alfe was now using magic to project her voice to her opponent without revealing herself—

“Hom, take care of Alfe!”
“Understood, Master!”

It seemed my intentions had been conveyed to Hom perfectly. She swiftly maneuvered into the blind spot of the machine, heading toward the direction of Alfe’s voice.

“Over here, over here!”

Alfe called out again, perhaps realizing that Hom had noticed her.

“You little brat, stop darting around!” the pilot growled in frustration, unable to locate Alfe and clearly irritated by Hom’s rapid movements. The Geist Armor swung its pile bunker, trying to sweep Hom out of his path.

“Hah!”

Hom dodged the attack and leaped high, running along the pile’s shaft to get closer to the exposed cockpit.

“You insolent brat!”

The pilot, trying to shake off Hom, wildly swung the pile. Taking advantage of this distraction, I thrust out the drill.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

However, the pilot quickly reacted to Arkecius’ approach, blocking the drill with his shield. The shield, made of the same sturdy material as the armor, absorbed the drill’s impact, sparks flying as it pushed back against Arkecius.

“…Kh!”

I pressed the control stick hard, but my child’s strength was no match for an adult’s. The Geist Armor, having finally shaken off Hom, switched its grip on the pile., aiming it directly at Arkecius’ cockpit.

“Say your goodnight!”
“Master!”

Hom, determined to protect me, landed on the ground and immediately leaped again, delivering a sharp kick that deflected the spear’s trajectory. But that was exactly what the enemy had anticipated.

“Dodge, Hom!”
“!!”

My warning came too late. Hom, suspended in midair, was struck down by the shield, sending her body spinning like a fallen leaf toward the cliff’s edge on the wasteland. I urged Arkecius forward, trying to catch her, but I wasn’t fast enough.

“Hom—!!”

As if in response to my anguished cry, a pale hand reached up from the darkness. It seemed she was still alive.

“Master… I’m s-…”

“Don’t speak,” I interrupted.

If she was still breathing, there was hope. But first, I had to defeat the Geist Armor in front of me.