The Third-Rate Academy Villain Who Refuses to Become a Beggar

It was.

Something enormous.

It was.

A knight of solid steel.

A black knight, painted black, evoking even more intimidation.

Woooong-

A red light flickered through the giant helmet.

<What is that? A golem?>

"...What is this."

"A golem...?"

"...What is that thing."

Aint and Luina, along with Veriana who was sprawled in a corner of the blood-soaked battlefield, gaped in stunned silence at the magnificent appearance of the golem. Their eyes widened with a mixture of awe and disbelief as they beheld the colossal figure dominating the landscape before them.

It wasn't their first time seeing a golem—those magical constructs of metal and enchantment were familiar enough—but it was their first time witnessing a giant golem of such impossible scale, nearly 10 meters tall, its polished steel surface gleaming ominously under the waning light. The sheer size of the creation defied conventional understanding of what mortal hands could craft.

"This is what it's like to see from above."

Gerhard took a deep breath.

Everything below looked as small as toys.

Aint, Luina.

"Insignificant toys."

And even Andromalius.

"Do you think you can defeat me by creating such a thing?"

"Nothing is impossible."

Of course, it wouldn't be easy—he harbored no delusions about the challenge ahead. The demon was ancient and powerful, steeped in malevolence older than human civilization. But if there was absolutely no possibility of victory, Gerhard wouldn't have invested so much effort, time, and precious resources in creating this masterpiece of magical engineering. Every enchanted joint, every spelled plate of armor had been meticulously crafted for this moment.

"Now, Wooden."

Gerhard stroked the golem.

"Show your power to that garbage demon."

That was the signal.

The golem's red eyes grew even more intense. The massive body began to move.

Slowly, very slowly, befitting its enormous size.

That's what he thought at first.

But the golem's great sword was already in front of Andromalius's nose.

"...!"

Claaaang!

But the great sword failed to achieve its purpose. Somehow, something enormous had positioned itself between the golem and Andromalius.

Hisssss-

A snake flickering its tongue. The snake that had been wrapped around Andromalius's right arm had stretched to nearly 30 meters, transforming into a gigantic monster.

"I leave this to you. Crush it."

Hissssss!

At Andromalius's command, the snake sprang like a coil.

"It's coming, Wooden!"

The golem took its stance. It slightly bent its knees and extended its sword.

Swooosh-

The snake's head changed direction in mid-air. The sword strike barely missed in the air.

No, it seemed to miss, but the sword changed its trajectory and chased after the snake.

Booom, there was an explosion despite the sword and scales colliding. The snake's massive body was thrown far away.

"...Was it possible for a golem to move like that?"

"It's incredibly fast...!"

The two knights were astonished. Though they didn't know much about golems, they knew that none of the golems they had seen so far could do such a thing.

"...Not completely worthless after all."

Even Andromalius seemed surprised as his eyes widened slightly.

"Of course, do you know how much I've poured into this?"

Money equals combat power.

At least in the golem academic world, this was an absolutely valid statement.

The golem that had thrown away the snake didn't stop. It narrowed the distance in an instant and swung down its sword as if to split the world.

Just before the sword touched Andromalius, the ground sank deeply.

They fell vertically to tens of meters below ground.

———!

Immediately after, like a meteorite falling, a massive impact struck the earth.

The golem's sword couldn't cut Andromalius in one go. He blocked it by crossing his blackened arms.

But the scattered fragments of demonic energy, the flowing blood, and the shaking pupils proved that it was quite an effective hit.

It's working. Indeed, money doesn't lie.

Gerhard's face was filled with ecstasy.

"...How dare you! A lowly human mocking me!"

And seeing this, Andromalius raged.

Demonic energy extending from his entire body wriggled like snakes and pounced on the golem.

Though the golem swung its sword to cut off some, it couldn't block all of them, nearly hundreds.

But there was no need to do so from the beginning.

——!

The golem's body emitted a soft light, forming a translucent barrier.

"Pathetic tricks!"

But the real attack was the fist that followed.

A gigantic force with densely packed demonic energy.

Claaaang!

The barrier shattered into pieces, belying its impressive appearance.

Nevertheless, the force wasn't completely dissipated and struck the golem's chest.

The golem's breastplate dented. The massive body, pushed by the force, was thrown out of the pit.

Tap, Andromalius exhaled roughly and came up.

"...To dare to wound me."

Crunch, Andromalius roughly swept back his hair with one hand.

The reason for using only one hand was that the other was half-broken and dangling.

"None of you will die peacefully."

"There's a famous saying in the upper world. Those who only talk big are usually one of two things."

The golem took its stance again. The dented breastplate had somehow been restored to its original state.

"Either an idiot or a fraud. Which one are you?"

"Malius!"

Andromalius shouted.

"How long must I listen to the nonsense of these bugs?"

At that moment, a massive body pounced on the golem.

It was so fast and large that it couldn't be avoided.

Therefore, the golem didn't avoid it.

Gerhard raised the earth to create a barrier, and in the momentary gap created by that barrier sacrificing itself.

The golem, activating its heart's power even more and draining its master's mana, overlaid aura on its sword.

The golem's two legs dug into the earth.

And.

————!

An emerald-colored slash cut the snake in half.

***

"...Good heavens."

"...What am I seeing right now?"

<Is that a golem?>

Aint stared blankly at the golem.

It was his first time seeing a 10-meter golem, and despite witnessing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe the golem's performance.

To consistently push back a demon that had seemed impossible to defeat.

To cut that giant snake in half.

<How much has golem technology developed during the thousand years I was asleep?>

<At this level, they might easily handle demons just by making golems, without needing the arrangements of the first Emperor.>

"...No, not all golems are like that..."