As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero

A powerful warrior was a mage's natural predator. Leslie knew this. And like all demons, her own survival was her highest priority. She would never face such a dangerous opponent alone.

Her companions were on their way. She just had to hold out until they arrived. Together, they would overwhelm this strange human. Victory would be theirs.

But as she formulated her plan, her thoughts were cut short.

A thick, blindingly bright beam of golden energy filled her vision.

The golden beam struck Leslie with the force of a battering ram, sending her careening backward. She crashed through three successive walls before finally skidding to a halt. The gaping hole in her torso was a minor concern; for a demon, such a wound was not fatal. What terrified her was the attack itself.

Magic?! This human isn't just a warrior, it's a mage?!

In this era, the study of magic was strictly forbidden for humans in most kingdoms. Human mages were vanishingly rare. Yet this girl, this impossible warrior, was one of them. The revelation stunned her.

But she had no mana. How could she cast spells? Had she concealed her power? To do so with such perfection would require a level of mana control Leslie couldn't even comprehend.

And there was something else... the spell itself. It felt... familiar. She thought back to the killing curse she had just used on me, a spell she had stolen and had yet to master. My spell had been a perfect, far more powerful version of her own.

Can it copy magic?

She didn't have time to ponder the question. She needed to retreat, to regroup. Her skillset was not suited for a direct confrontation. She just had to wait for the others...

But I gave her no such chance.

Another golden beam shot towards her. She threw up a hasty defensive ward, but the beam shattered it like glass. Just as the light was about to consume her, however, her body vanished. The beam struck the spot where she had been, leaving a molten crater.

I was not surprised. My scanners had already updated. The other demons, save for one who was still approaching slowly, had arrived. Leslie hadn't dodged; she had been saved by another demon's "Warp" spell.

"Quite a formidable opponent," a new voice said. A masked demon now stood beside the shaken Leslie. "To kill Zera single-handedly... one would never imagine it, just by looking at you."

I simply stared at him, my expression blank.

The ground beneath my feet suddenly erupted. Spikes of earth, sharp as spears, shot upwards, only to shatter harmlessly against my transparent, spherical shield.

"Impressive indeed," another demon said, stepping out from behind a ruined building. "A human with no discernible mana, yet capable of casting such a powerful defensive spell." This one was a master of earth magic, the one who had just attacked me.

He knew his opponent was strong, so his only goal was to buy time. But his attack had been useless.

"So this is the human," another voice said. A demon in a butler's uniform had appeared. One by one, the rest of the retinue arrived.

All seven of them were now present. With Zera dead and their master, Drakul, still on his way, that accounted for nine of the ten life signs I had initially detected. One remained hidden. It didn't matter.

With Leslie still recovering from her injuries, it was six against one. The advantage, they believed, was theirs. They stood there, a collection of ancient, powerful beings, each one a veteran of countless battles, their combined presence enough to crush the will of any normal human.

To me, however, they were just a collection of grimoires, each with a different theme.

From the moment they appeared, my analysis had been running. I cataloged their physical strength, their mana reserves, their unique energy signatures. While I was observing them, they were observing me. They saw a bizarre creature, unlike any human they had ever encountered. The halo, the strange cracks on my exposed skin, the complete lack of a living aura.

And as this mutual observation was taking place, I struck first.

My target was the earth mage. He had already demonstrated his specialized magic. I had already analyzed it. He was no longer of any value.

He saw me vanish and reappear directly in front of him. Beneath his mask, a rare expression of shock crossed his face. The other demons were caught off guard by my sudden burst of speed.

Zera had been their strongest warrior, second only to Drakul himself. If he couldn't keep up with me, what chance did the rest of them have?

The answer was none.

I swung Sandalphon at the earth mage's neck.

….

Drakul, clad in his armor of blood, walked slowly through the ruined streets. In the distance, he could see the chaotic flashes of magic—spells he recognized, cast by his own servants. They had begun the hunt.

Still, he felt compelled to see for himself. What kind of creature could kill his most powerful warrior? He could no longer sense Zera's unique mana signature. The warrior was well and truly dead.

But as he drew closer to the battlefield, a strange feeling crept over him.

One by one, the mana signatures of his other servants were winking out. Rapidly.

By the time he arrived, only Leslie was left.

The area was a wasteland. The buildings were pulverized, the streets shattered. The scars of a dozen different kinds of magic were carved into the landscape.

What could have done this? What could have single-handedly defeated my entire retinue?

Drakul was intrigued.

"Lord Drakul... I have failed you."

Leslie's weak voice drew his attention. She lay on the ground, all four of her limbs severed, her body riddled with holes. Only a demon's incredible vitality was keeping her alive. She was moments from death.

Drakul's own senses, both magical and mundane, detected no one else in the area. He knelt beside his last remaining servant, hoping for an explanation.

"It's... not... human..."

And with those final, cryptic words, she died. It was like a deliberately frustrating cliffhanger in a poorly written story. Drakul was left with nothing but a mystery.

….

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