Chapter 10: Video!

"It's difficult to say," Ellen replied, her expression unreadable. "I cannot determine its upper limits. And besides..." Her gaze drifted to the part of the screen showing Mana. "Takamiya Mana is about to lose."

"Her Realizer unit is failing. The malfunctions have been compounding since the engagement began."

"Just as you predicted," Westcott purred, his eyes gleaming as he watched the footage. 

Just as Ellen said, Mana's unit suffered a catastrophic failure. Her leg thrusters died, and her Territory the defensive field generated by her suit collapsed. She plummeted from the sky.

The battle was over.

I hadn't used any of my Spirit armaments. This fight was purely a field test, a chance to gauge the combat capabilities of humanity's finest. 

The video feed paused as my on-screen self landed before the fallen Mana.

"So, for my earlier question," Westcott prompted, "you still can't give me a definitive answer?"

"Oh? Is the proud 'World's Strongest Wizard' uncertain she could defeat it?" he teased.

"Based on the available data," Ellen stated coolly, "the target has a significant disruptive effect on mechanical systems. If my Realizer were to fail mid-combat, I would be in immediate and extreme danger."

It was true. For all her skill, Ellen was still reliant on her technology. Without her suit, her physical body was no stronger than an ordinary human's.

"A fair point," Westcott conceded with a nod. "In that situation, you would be a fish on the chopping block. An entity with its capabilities is not a foe to be taken lightly."

"However," Ellen added, a sliver of steel in her voice, "if I were to face it, I would exert every effort to achieve victory."

Westcott's smile was noncommittal. "Is that so? Then I'll be counting on you~" He walked to the door, then glanced back. "Do be a dear and handle these for me. Thank you."

Before Ellen could protest, he was gone, leaving her alone with a mountain of paperwork that stood as tall as she did.

"Sigh... Overtime again," she muttered, rubbing her temples as she resigned herself to her fate.

….

The atmosphere on the bridge was grim. The crew reviewed the footage of my latest two encounters, and for once, they reached a unanimous conclusion. My pattern was too obvious to ignore.

"First Princess, then Hermit, then Witch, and now Nightmare..." Kotori bit through her lollipop stick, her face as sour as if it were the worst flavor imaginable.

Reine provided the summary of their investigation. "Based on available intelligence, the 'Unidentified Mechanical Entity' copied Princess's Angel after their first engagement. We can now surmise it has also acquired the Angels of Witch and Nightmare."

They didn't mention Hermit, as I had yet to manifest a full copy of Zadkiel, only its ice-wielding properties. They correctly deduced that my replication ability had specific prerequisites.

"But it didn't kill any of them except Nightmare," one of the bridge bunnies noted. "Could it be targeting her specifically because of her kill count?"

"We don't know who is controlling it, or what their ultimate goal is," Kotori fumed, chewing on the shattered remnants of her candy. "But their technological level is a serious threat."

My deception was working perfectly. By mimicking the speech patterns and behavior of a machine, I had convinced them I was a weapon, an android acting on orders. 

Their attention was focused on finding a non-existent puppet master. It was a strategy I intended to continue.

….

While the world's powers fretted, I was sitting in a cafe inside an amusement park, enjoying a well-deserved break.

The last month had been a whirlwind of combat and preparation. After defeating Mana Takamiya, I had simply left. 

I had the data I needed on AST combat technology, and saw no reason to harm soldiers who were, in their own way, fighting to protect humanity. I had disabled their restraints, and vanished.

It was only upon returning to the city and seeing the joyful faces of people at the park that I realized how wound-up I was. 

The Ex-Machina body felt no physical or mental fatigue, but the human ghost within it screamed for downtime. It was a matter of habit. 

After a long string of difficult tasks, a reward was necessary to maintain morale.

So today, I was giving myself a day off.

I took a long sip of my extra-large, three-flavor bubble tea, the sweet, cloying taste and variety of toppings a delightful shock to my sensory system. My "taste buds" were firing on all cylinders.

As for the money? The "freelance" work I'd been doing online perfectly legal software debugging, data analysis, and network security contracts had provided a comfortable income. While my body's needs were zero, my wants were another story.

For today, all thoughts of Spirits and Angels were banished. It was time for pure, unadulterated fun.

...

The day passed in a blur of exhilarating rides and sugary snacks. I had never been to an amusement park in my previous life; I'd never had the time or money. Every roller coaster, every spinning teacup, was a new and wonderful experience.

As dusk fell, I left the park and found an arcade. The day of fun wasn't over yet. I walked in and was immediately mesmerized by the flashing lights and cacophony of electronic sounds. 

I exchanged a hefty sum for a cup overflowing with game tokens, my hand trembling slightly with anticipation.

My old-world choice paralysis kicked in. There were too many options.

So, I decided to play them all.

What followed was a legendary performance. From rhythm games to racing simulators to classic fighters, I dominated everything. 

Any game with a high-score board soon had a new, unbeatable entry at the top: SHU. I drew a crowd.

Inevitably, the local fighting game champions, their pride wounded, came to challenge me. They lined up, one after another, for a best-of-three match.

By 11 PM, my record stood at a staggering 68-0.

"No way... is she even human?"

"She beat that guy? He's a regional champion!"

"She has to be cheating!"

"How? The machine is right here. We've been watching her the whole time. You're just bad."

The crowd buzzed with disbelief. My opponents, one after another, went from confident challengers to broken, disillusioned husks. 

Some even offered to pay for my tokens, just for the chance to be utterly dismantled by me again. Each victory, each gasp from the crowd, was a balm to my long-dormant ego. It was... satisfying.

Tomorrow, a new urban legend would probably start circulating: the undefeated gaming goddess who crushed the city's best players without breaking a sweat.

But that was tomorrow's problem.

I left the arcade just after midnight, the moon high in the sky. My day off was officially over.

….

More than ten days passed after my encounters with Kurumi and Mana. And in that time, I did nothing.

To the powers watching me, my sudden inactivity was more nerve-wracking than my previous string of attacks. They grew anxious, speculating that I was preparing for something big.

DEM Industries was particularly on edge. Because Isaac Westcott knew something the others didn't.

He had a Spirit in his possession.

Artemisia Bell Ashcroft. The Second Spirit. Captured years ago by Ellen, and currently imprisoned deep within DEM's most secure facility. 

And he knew, with chilling certainty, that I would eventually be coming for her.