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As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 29]

Mio saw another clone standing below, its head-mounted processor fully deployed. It was the source of the music, a high-energy battle anthem that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the fight. It had activated Gavelet's "March," and the effect was immediate.

The other clones' attacks became fiercer, faster. The one wielding Camael joined the fray, adding its fiery axe to the melee. The pressure intensified.

Far in the distance, the ...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 28]

Back with Shido's group...

The clone blocking their path lowered its head, as if receiving a signal.

[Notice: Mission complete. Target acquired.]

"...Acknowledged."

The clone turned its gaze to Shido.

"Announcement: You may proceed."

It stepped aside, clearing the path. Shido exchanged a wary glance with Yoshino and Natsumi, then cautiously moved past the machine. Once they were sure it wasn't a trap, they b...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 27]

The cold, emotionless face burned itself into Origami's vision, dragging up memories she had long suppressed.

"Objective acquired," the machine stated. "Commencing analysis."

The Spirit Hunter.

Why? Why did you have to take it?

She remembered the stories. The mysterious being that had appeared, challenging the Spirits one by one, stealing the very essence of their power. Then, it had vanished without a...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 26]

Nia was intrigued. She could use her Angel to find out what I was planning, but where was the fun in that? Forgoing her manga drawing for the afternoon, she decided to simply wait and see what I had in store.

And so they waited.

Nia idly browsed the internet with Rasiel while I sat quietly, watching cartoons. An unknown amount of time passed.

"She's here," I said suddenly.

"Huh? Who's here?"

Before Nia could get a...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 25]

"Michael Shifuru."

A wave of crimson energy erupted from her, enveloping her body. When it faded, her appearance had changed. Her pink cheongsam was now a fiery red, its design even more daring than before. New pieces of armor clung to her limbs. Michael, the key, had transformed into a fearsome halberd.

This was the form she took when she unlocked her full potential. Her amber eyes, no longer vacant, now held a sh...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 24]

A golden portal shimmered into existence in a secluded alleyway.

I stumbled out, wisps of ethereal blue flame clinging to my body before dissipating. The portal snapped shut behind me. I leaned against the grimy brick wall, then slid to the ground, my systems running a frantic damage report.

After Phantom Mio had appeared, we had fought for nearly fifteen minutes inside her Adjoining World. It was less a fight and more a one-sided ...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 23]

Knock, knock, knock.

A rap on Kotori bedroom door, followed by her brother's familiar voice.

"Kotori, are you awake? Lunch is ready."

"I'm awake! Be right there!"

Kotori scrambled out of bed, hastily tying on her white ribbons. A quick trip to the bathroom to wash up, and she was sitting primly at the dining table.

She ate her lunch, but her eyes kept darting toward Shido. Something was off. He was acting...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 22]

That night, Shido couldn't sleep.

His sister, Kotori, still hadn't come home. Usually, she would be back by now. He called her phone. It went straight to voicemail. He sent messages. No reply.

Had something happened? Did she run into trouble? But that made no sense. She could teleport directly home. Was she just working late? This late?

He sat on the living room sofa, his mind a whirlwind of anxious possibilities, none of whi...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 21]

There were others, but they were tangled up in the complex web of the Spirit of Origin, a mess I had no desire to touch. The first two were manageable. The third, however, was a problem.

According to my data, the Spirit "Metatron" Origami Tobiichi did not yet exist. She would only gain her powers later in the timeline. 

The only way to meet her now would be to use Kurumi's Twelfth Bullet and travel back in time. 

Bu...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 20]

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the whisper of the wind through the shattered buildings.

Ten seconds.

Then, the hold on Yoshino broke. Time rushed back into her small body. She went limp, slumping forward and tumbling from the back of the fading ice rabbit.

She fell toward the ground where Shido stood.

All the fury, all the righteous anger, vanished from his mind, replaced by a single, desperate need...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 19]

I walked slowly towards the frozen form of the girl. The analysis of her Angel, Zadkiel, was already complete. I had acquired its cryokinetic abilities during our first encounter; this time, I was here to finish the data set, to map the colossal ice rabbit itself.

My processors sorted the information, categorizing its defensive capabilities, its structure, its energy signature. I understood it completely.

With my objective achieved...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 18]

I descended from the sky, my arrival heralded by a blast of powerful, dramatic music. The sound emanated from the ring-shaped device floating just above my head, which pulsed with light in time with the beat.

As mentioned before, I had... upgraded my hardware. The device was no longer just a housing for my Dimensional Engine. It was now a multi-tool, complete with a state-of-the-art music player module.

But this was no ordinary mus...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 17]

When my analysis was complete, I released her.

Miku collapsed onto the concrete floor, a broken doll. Her eyes were unfocused, her face streaked with tears and flushed from lack of oxygen. Her beautiful dress was covered in grime. She lay there, limp and unresponsive, her chest rising and falling in shallow, desperate gasps.

The physical and psychological shock had overloaded her system. Her mind was a hazy fog. All that remained w...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 16]

I stood before the gates of Rindouji All-Girls Academy. It was a weekday, and the faint sound of teachers' voices drifted from the open windows. It looked like any other school.

But it was also the home of my next target.

Miku Izayoi. The Spirit codenamed "Diva."

Finding her was easy. As a famous idol, her schedule was practically public knowledge. I didn't even need to use my new powers.

Speaking of finding people, Kur...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 15]

The next day, Westcott discovered his prize was gone.

His reaction was a strange mix of relief and terror. The good news: the Spirit Hunter hadn't blown up his building or tried to kill him. The bad news: it had slipped past his maximum-security measures without a trace and taken The Nun.

This meant it possessed technology beyond his understanding most likely, some form of spatial teleportation.

But as he thought about it, a ...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 14]

The air in the cell was cold and stale.

She must have heard me appear, because she slowly, painfully, turned her head.

I stood there in my true form a machine of metal and wires. My human disguise had vanished the moment I used my power to get here. Even if it hadn't, I wouldn't have bothered putting it back on.

Not for her.

This was Nia Honjou. Her Angel, a book called Rasiel, was basically the ultimate search engine. ...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 13]

Wind, violent and absolute, spiraled inward, converging on the two girls. 

Within the centre of the gale, a new form took shape. A colossal, strangely beautiful bow appeared between them, held jointly in their hands.

This was Raphael El Nahash, the Chariot of the Sky. The true, original form of the Wind Spirit's Angel, born from the fusion of their two halves. El Re'em, the Binder, became its string. El Kanaph, the Piercer, be...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 12]

"Query: May we begin to fulfill our agreement?"

"Fine, fine! Prepare yourself to witness our true power!" Kaguya declared, a wild grin on her face.

"Affirmation. We will not hold back," Yuzuru added, her tone flat but firm.

As they spoke, my energy sensors flared. A maelstrom of violent wind erupted around the sisters, lifting them into the sky. 

Within the swirling vortex, their casual clothes were torn away, repl...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 11]

Westcott had tried everything to break Artemisia, to force her into an Inverse state. He had tortured her relentlessly, but she never broke.

And now, this "Spirit Hunter", Westcott's own moniker for me, was systematically targeting every Spirit. Sooner or later, it would come for the one in his dungeon.

If even Ellen, the world's strongest, was uncertain of victory, then this machine was a threat of the highest order. For the first...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 10]

"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'...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 9]

The moment her Angel appeared, my eyes began to glow with a strange, intense light. The data harvest had begun.

Kurumi understood what I was doing. She needed to end this fast. She raised one of her flintlock pistols.

"Zafkiel Dalet!"

The colossal clock behind her ticked, its hour hand pointing to the Roman numeral IV. A mote of shadow-like energy flowed from the clock face into the barrel of her gun. She pre...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 8]

A few teenage boys nearby who witnessed the feat let out impressed whoops and cheers.

I had other business to attend to.

Kurumi Tokisaki. Codename: Nightmare. The only Spirit known to actively and willingly take human lives. They called her the Worst Spirit.

And she was my next target.

Her Angel, Zafkiel, controlled time itself. If I could replicate a power of that magnitude, even a counterfeit version would be an incre...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 7]

"Cough... hack..."

She was defeated, her spirit broken. But the battle had been too short. My analysis of her Angel, Haniel, was not yet complete. I needed more data.

Natsumi’s glamor flickered and died.

The stunning, mature woman I had been fighting was gone. In her place, sprawled amidst the wreckage, was a small, green-haired girl, crying her eyes out.

"Hic... uwaaaah..."

Her pathetic sobs w...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 6]

I closed the distance. The girl, sensing my approach, suddenly stopped splashing. She turned, and her wide, fearful eyes met mine.

She saw a figure cloaked in shadows, topped by a strange halo of light. A face that was a cold, beautiful mask. A being from whom she could feel no life, no warmth. 

A ghost in the rain, protected from the downpour by some unseen force, appearing silently behind her.

This was Yoshino's first ...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 5]

The engine, the system's gift, was slowly regenerating the immense power required for a world-jump. It was my ultimate escape route, my ticket to anywhere. But for now, I was here. And I had work to do.

The engine recharge was surprisingly fast. Not even a full day had passed, and it was already at twenty percent. It seemed each jump would consume the entire reserve, a complete discharge of dimensional energy. High cost, but a quick turn...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 4]

Left alone in the crater, the armored girl, Tohka, stared at the empty sky, the image of a silent, sword-stealing machine waving goodbye burned into her mind. 

The confusion curdled back into a deep, simmering resentment as she faded away, her mood utterly ruined.

My Vector Gate send me in the quiet heart of the city, far from the newly-formed disaster zone. The exit point was a narrow, graffiti-scarred alleyway, smelling fain...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 3]

The purpose of my first jump was simple: data acquisition.

While soaring through the brilliant blue sky, a novelty in itself, my internal sensors had flagged a high-energy anomaly. 

The system cross-referenced it with my database, a mix of my own latent knowledge and the memories of the human I used to be. The result was a single, chilling term: Spacequake.

A catastrophe unique to this world, born from the arriv...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 2]

The Warbeasts stared, their feral minds struggling to process the scene. A silent, beautiful machine held the still-warm heart of its prey. The inherent wrongness of it, the cold, predatory act from a being they associated with reactive neutrality, shattered their courage.

A guttural whine escaped one of them. That was all it took. They turned and bolted, crashing back into the rust-colored woods without a second glance at their abandone...

As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero [Chapter 1]

Where… am I?

The question was a thought without a voice, a ghost in a machine I didn't yet know was mine.

Above, the sky was a bruised, permanent twilight, choked with soot and the lingering energies of forgotten apocalypses. Two moons, one a sickly violet and the other a cracked porcelain white, hung like shattered ornaments in the gloom. From this poisoned sky, a fine gray dust drifted down not snow, but the cremated remains of...

So I'm a Dragon, So What? - Game System [82]

Mera couldn't wrap his head around it, but he had witnessed this man's incredible power firsthand. If Lord Elliot was speaking with such confidence, he couldn't possibly be bluffing.

"Lord Elliot, what should I do?" Mera pleaded, his voice laced with a desperate hope. Whatever it took, if he could just escape this torturous craving for blood, it would all be worth it.

Seeing his desperation, Elliot nodded. "It's actually quite simp...