First Down

I was so shocked it was possible my jaw nearly dislocated. This man—One—tanked my strongest attack like it was nothing. He even smiled.

“I see you are as strong as expected. Good,” said One nonchalantly. A little smoke rose from his finger, but nothing else.

“Did he… did he just absorb that?” asked Kai, panic evident in his voice.

He definitely had. I wasn’t sure with my cantrip attacks, but now it was clear.

“…Hah… I’ll make another attempt,” hissed Saga from the side.

“What? Saga, no!” called Kai after her, but in vain.

She leapt to the barren ground again, then began zigzagging all around the battlefield. Not even during gym classes had I ever seen her move like that.

It was a surprise her body could even sustain that burst of speed with how injured she was.

One raised a finger, and then another one, but to my utter shock Saga actually managed to outrun the ensuing explosions and finally reached almost close enough to One to strike.

Would it be harder for her to dodge the next one? Or would One not trigger a mine so close to himself? Whatever the case, I decided it was time to give her some support.

I shot a few more cantrips, trying to slow him down at least enough for Saga to land a killing blow.

That didn’t work.

With one hand he flicked away my attack, while with the other he parried Saga’s full-powered slash as if she was just holding a stick.

He stopped a freaking sword with his bare hand.

What the hell was he?

Her attack and momentum stopped, Saga was flung away, rolling on the ground with a cry of pain.

I noted a dangerous situation and responded with a reckless plan.

Directing my palm at Saga, I shot a few cantrips.

A moment after that, more explosions erupted from the ground—but Saga had been sent flying out of their range, back into the woods.

I knew I’d hurt her already-wounded body with that, but that was better than her getting blown to pieces.

“Dammit… why’s the first boss so overpowered!” I called with annoyance. “Let’s see how you deal with this, then!”

Without giving him any chance to rest (he was sitting down, but you know what I mean), I shot a jet of flames at the bastard.

Surely this one would work, right?

Nope.

Just like before, the attack simply dissipated as it touched him. The ground around him was scorched, but his skin wasn’t… although some of his pants seemed to burn away.

Great. If it wasn’t bad enough to fight an overpowered half-naked man already, he might become fully naked soon.

I was honestly flabbergasted. What more could be said? I eyed Kai.

“Err… should I try my last arrow? Nah?”

I shook my head. It probably wouldn’t work, either.

One remained as smug-looking and immobile as always in the barren yet now hole-riddled ground.

This was so stupid. How did his powers work? I didn’t know if there were any actual hints, but somehow I felt like I was on the verge of understanding something about this…

“Just saying, but… do you think we can just move on? I mean, it’s not like we have to pass through here, right?” suggested Kai.

“Hah, don’t be an idiot.” Saga reappeared after having vanished into the forest again. She looked quite horrible; burn marks covered many parts of her exposed skin and her bandages were singed as well. Some blood oozed out, probably from reopened wounds. “After calling us all the way here, he wouldn’t just let us walk away.”

On his side, One said nothing. He definitely heard us, but just smiled.

“I think I know what to do.” Saga picked up her bag that she had discarded the moment she decided to attack. “Cover for me.”

“Wha—?”

Without even giving us a chance to reply, she broke into a run again. Right into the area of fire.

“What are you doing!” I shouted. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

However, as she leapt around—there were no further explosions. Saga was actually smarter than I gave her credit for.

She didn’t simply charge blindly into the battlefield again, but chose spots that now in hindsight I realized were safe all long.

Namely, the holes created by previous explosions.

“The mines…” I mumbled. Until now, One attacked us using what I assumed to be magical mines. I wasn’t sure if they were physical or not, but apparently they were fixed in place. Once a mine went off, only a hole remained.

Saga realized this and leapt from hole to hole.

Unfazed, One kept raising his fingers and actually caused further explosions from spots near those holes, but Saga nimbly leapt away and approached. Her previous attempts against One had already created a path leading all the way to him—

But what was she going to do when her blade hadn’t left a single scratch before?

And why was she carrying that bag with her, anyway?

I didn’t know the answer to that, but since she asked us to cover for her—and even Kai was readying his bow despite knowing it probably wouldn’t help—I took action.

The moment I saw Saga reach One and reach not for her weapon, but for her bag, I shot a bolt of lightning right at his face, hoping to blind him, to hold him back for just a split second, whatever.

Saga pulled out a waterskin, then tore it with her sword so that the liquid contained inside splashed all over One.

“…Ah,” said One as this happened. “A-a-a-a-a-aahh…”

I was very confused by this sequence of events. One’s voice started stuttering in a strange way, almost as if he was a glitched record… and then his head and body began raising sparks and smokes.

Wait, what?

“Y-y-y-y-you r-r-r-r-really h-h-h-have… I’m s-s-s-s-sorry, M-M-M-Mistress…”

A miniature explosion came from within One himself as his chest burst apart, raising further smoke. Something unbelievable emerged from within.

“I-i-i-initiating final attack…”

“No you don’t!” a clear voice rang from next to me and I watched as Kai let loose an arrow just as Saga leapt back.

It hit right in the middle of the exposed part, and One seemed to freeze.

And then exploded.

Although he was completely impervious to my flames before, he now burst into pieces; I thought I could even see his head get launched above and vanish somewhere between the trees. His remaining body was not a pretty sight, but at the same time it was also not the sight I was expecting at all.

Instead of blood, gore or viscera, I could see… wires, metal and machinery. Raising smoke and sparks, these clearly mechanical parts disguised as a human being lay on the ground.

What the hell? He was a robot?