As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero

I sat in the crater I had created, cataloging the new magic I had just acquired.

With the demons now eliminated, I had, in a sense, avenged the town's fallen inhabitants.

Pitter-patter...

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and in seconds, a torrential downpour began.

Pseudo-Zadkiel.

I was using Yoshino's power, manipulating the water and cold in the atmosphere to create a storm. The rain would extinguish the last of the fires.

I looked out at the ruins. The destruction didn't affect me. It was just another data point.

But now, there was something else. A single, persistent anomaly.

According to my scanners, despite the carnage, despite the absolute slaughter... there was still one life sign left in this dead city.

….

The Blood Knight, Drakul, had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. His blood armor was a clever tactic, a way for a mage to bolster his defenses against a warrior.

But he had relied on it too heavily, underestimating my power. He had died without ever unleashing the true, terrifying offensive potential of his Blood Magic.

Now, he and his servants were nothing but dust, washed away by the rain.

….

The downpour continued until the last flame in the city was extinguished. The rain washed the blood from the cobblestones, cleansing the streets, but it could not wash away the ruin.

I followed the signal from my scanner, walking past corpse after corpse, ruin after ruin. It led me to what looked like a church.

The entrance was blocked, the heavy wooden doors crushed beneath a pile of collapsed stone.

The life sign was coming from beneath the building.

A survivor?

I had no intention of playing the hero, but if a rescue was convenient, I saw no reason not to offer a hand.

" Endo Armament: Activate "

" Pseudo-Endo: Levitation "

It was a simple spell, one that nearly every demon mage seemed to know. I had gathered more than enough data to replicate it perfectly. I focused the magic on the rubble blocking the church entrance.

The heavy stones and splintered wood floated into the air, revealing what lay beneath.

A dessicated human corpse, crushed under the debris. From his robes, I identified him as one of the church's priests.

I scanned the church interior, focusing on the floor. The signal was coming from directly below. A few moments of analysis revealed a hidden trapdoor, concealed beneath the base of a large statue.

A strange energy signature emanated from the trapdoor's mechanism. It wasn't the magic of the demons, nor was it simple mana. It was something else entirely.

The magic of the Goddess, I surmised.

It was the other major power system in this world, a holy magic accessible only to those with the proper qualifications.

Those blessed by the Goddess were granted divine protection against curses, as well as access to two unique forms of magic: "Survival Magic," which could sustain a person without food, water, or air for a period of time, and "Concealment Magic," which could completely mask a person's mana signature.

This concealment was different from the demon Leslie's. Hers was a simple invisibility spell; it could not fool magical sensors.

My own lack of mana had rendered me invisible to Drakul's senses, but a human survivor would not have that advantage. It was clear now.

The priest had used the Goddess's magic to hide this last survivor from the demons, sealing them in this underground chamber to await rescue.

I knelt and placed a hand on the stone floor.

" Endo Armament: Activate "

" Pseudo-Endo: Earth Control "

The floor beneath the statue bulged upwards, lifting the massive stone effigy and revealing the hidden passage. I descended into the darkness.

Tap... tap... tap...

My footsteps echoed on the stone stairs. The darkness was absolute, but it was no impediment to me. At the bottom of the stairs, I found another body, this one pierced by a demon's weapon. This was a woman, and judging by the massive, ragged wound in her chest, she had bled to death.

Her body was positioned defensively, as if she were shielding something.

The life signal was coming from directly beneath her.

I understood.

I moved the body aside. Cradled in the space beneath her was a small child.

….

Crackle

A campfire burned brightly, its flames illuminating a small clearing in the forest. On one side of the fire sat a girl with violet-blue hair. On the other, a human child, no older than six or seven.

I sat on a tree stump, the ground around the fire cleared of all flammable material. In my hands, I held a holy text I had taken from the ruined church. I was fascinated by this "Goddess Magic," and had hoped to analyze it. But no matter how many times I scanned the book, I found nothing. It was just an ordinary book.

Was faith truly a prerequisite? If so, then I would never be able to truly learn this magic. I would have to be content with my imperfect, replicated Pseudo-Endo versions.

No matter. That was not the priority.

I looked up at the child. Four days had passed since I had rescued him from the fallen town.

He was a quiet boy. In the entire time I had been with him, he hadn't spoken a single word. Understandable, given the trauma he had endured. He avoided my gaze, but he was obedient, never straying far.

I had no intention of keeping him. I had rescued him on a whim, unable to simply leave a child to die in that place. My plan was to find the next village and leave him in their care. But we were in the middle of nowhere. For now, he was my responsibility.

"...Takson..."

The boy's voice, barely a whisper, broke the silence.

It was faint, but I heard it clearly.

I turned my gaze back to him. He flinched under my blank, emotionless stare, but repeated himself, a little louder this time.

"My name... is Takson."

"I see."

I closed the holy book. My golden eyes locked onto his, and he quickly looked away. I paid his discomfort no mind.

"Query: Do you remember what happened?" I asked, my voice flat.

….

If you want to read 10+ chapters ahead and unpublished fanfics you can check out my patreon or just take a visit.

[P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N]

http://patreon.com/Kazuma_trash

&

Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y