Qualia and Ace looked around, as both were no longer able to detect Liebe. But still, neither could see him. In fact, even though he was supposedly moving, there were no footsteps, or even dust being kicked up.
“Detecting Stealth.”
“Understanding situation. Physical recognition is wrong. Determined to be interference with recognition. It differs greatly from the pattern of magic so far.”
There was a reaction from the ancient magic stone, but even though it was there, Qualia could not perceive it.
He grabbed Ace again and jumped, and he saw the reaction of the ancient magic stone pass by and get away.
“…Humaaaaaaaan!!”
He could not pinpoint the source of Liebe’s howl.
He could only rely on the information given to him through the reaction of the ancient magic stone, which drew near again.
“Mobilizing to kill Liebe.”
Ace activated the Gaia skill in all directions, creating cones in several places. Putting pressure on the whole area was an orthodox way to deal with an unseen enemy.
“Evading.”
And still, it missed the movements shown in the radar by just a little, as the reaction continued to charge forward.
Beast people had senses and physical abilities that surpassed those of humans. Liebe used these to dodge every attack from Ace. He was enraged, but his polished reflexes and speed meant he could avoid all the spears.
It would be hard to hit him even accidentally, since they could not even get a lock on the target. This meant that Qualia’s only option would be to learn the opponent’s movements, and calculate the optimal solution from there.
However, this was the hardest opponent for Qualia to learn.
“Damaged spots differ from predictions. Using as feedback.”
As he collected a certain data, Qualia relied on the radar to dodge. The waves caused by the intense claw slashes ripped Qualia’s clothes.
“This is nothing compared to the pain we suffered… Humans.”
Stealth was ‘something’ that could not be perceived through the five senses. It was like a superpowered version of the kind of misdirection that guided people’s eyes. Qualia could not see, or hear Liebe at all.
And thus, he could not gather the data necessary to learn.
He could not create an optimal solution.
…Through the usual method.
“Ace, request that you abandon this area. Your skill is a bad match for Liebe. You cannot neutralize Liebe.”
The invisible scythe of the grim reaper slowly covered Qualia with wounds, but he was not thinking about the damage done to him. He focused solely on the cessation of Ace’s vital activities, who was also casually being hit with an unreasonable amount of bloodlust.
Gaia could create phenomena on the earth that were unthinkable for humans, and she possessed such power that could destroy a whole army during a melee single-handedly.
But that day, she faced an opponent who could strike at the gap in that immense power.
Ace was just waiting for death. But even though she understood this, she argued.
“I can’t accept this request. It goes against my orders.”
“Reject your rejection. Your vital activities will be terminated. That takes precedence over the orders from Ddos.”
For just a moment, Ace turned her attention to the magic dolls that were no longer moving.
She saw the bodies of her fellow magic dolls, which were torn apart by Liebe’s claws, magic stones and all.
“Executing my master’s orders takes precedence over my stopping. I will kill Liebe.”
“Don’t you want to have diced steak again?”
Ace did not respond right away.
Meanwhile, Qualia held her and rolled with her to the side. As soon as they got up, he grabbed her again and jumped back. Qualia’s right eye showed that he managed to take some distance from Liebe, and the ancient magic stone he was holding
A tiny laceration was formed near his eye.
“Depth of damage differs from predictions. Using as feedback.”
Qualia shot a beam forward, despite not seeing anything. He missed the position displayed on his radar by just a little.
“Request understanding. Maintaining vital activities is a requirement for ‘tasty’. To eat more diced steaks, and to experience new ‘tasty’, your vital activities cannot stop.”
“…That demand cannot be accepted. It goes against my orders. I am a magic doll that obeys Master Ddos. Killing beast people takes precedence over continuing the existence of this individual.”
“Request explanation. Is that the optimal solution you have reached?”
Qualia dodged again, as the shallow wounds on his body increased.
“If you have chosen it yourself, considering stopping your vital activities as an option is not an issue. But your current behavior was forced upon you by Ddos.”
“…That is a trait of magic dolls.”
She was becoming increasingly slower to respond. In that indifferent tone of voice, human values were showing.
But Qualia would not push any more ‘tasty’. He knew.
“Learning takes a lot of time.”
Learning about ‘heart’ was not something that was done quickly. He himself was not done.
And so, from the start, there was only one thing he could do.
“Qualia will protect your vital activities until you get your own optimal solutions. Qualia will eat ‘tasty’ things with you and the others. Type SWORD.”
A handle appeared in Qualia’s right hand, and he swept the blade sideways.
There was no one there. He saw nothing, he felt nothing.
“…Uh!?”
But the beam caught Liebe’s left arm.
The proof was in the fact that Liebe’s left arm appeared for just a second, with a light burn. And he finally heard his confused voice.
“Why… You shouldn’t be able to see me… No wait, how come you’ve been taking less damage from me…?”
“Analyzing situation. Margin of error in regards to your actions down to 5%. Judging that two more attacks from you will reduce it further to a minuscule number, enabling the calculation of an optimal solution.”
He could not see, hear, or perceive Liebe, but this was the moment he began to learn him, and Stealth.
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