“Stay back!”

Hikaru pushed Yuri back and took a step forward while drawing his sword.

He slashed the golden creature in half with his drawing swing.

The cut he inflicted upon it just grew back with the golden electricity-like substance.

The golden creature took a few steps forward and leapt at Hikaru, its limbs flailed like it wasn't quite in full control of them.

Dodging the careless attack effortlessly , Hikaru slashed its limbs off.

Instead of falling to the ground, the cut off limbs dissipated and grew back from the creature. As splendid and golden as ever.

“Hikaru, you need to break its heart, that's where the substance keeps coming from!”

Throwing a metal plate which she had drawn a rune on. It landed right under the golden creature.

The rune activated and shot out a torrent of water straight into the creature that was now standing above it.

The mechanical heart was exposed for a moment, the creature's side completely obliterated by the cannon of water.

Not missing his chance. Hikaru struck the metal heart, thrusting his sword through it.

It cracked and crackled, the oozing of the strange substance slowly ceasing, until only the heart remained, still skewered on the sword.

“What the hell was that, it looked awesome. Can we get one of those, where do you buy them?”

Yuri appeared beside Hikaru, looking at the crackling mechanical heart with excitement.

“I think..this is the result of the stolen designs..this device..I believe it converted mana into solid form..and used it to attack us. Actually manipulating mana to be able to move it while solid..that is both amazing and concerning..depending on how it's used.”

Removing the skewered heart which Yuri immediately swiped from him to observe closely, he looked around the room a second time.

“Yes yes, we got the designs and the prototype right, we are done here. Actually I want to figure out how this thing works..seems really cool..”

Her eyes glittered hungrily while she tried to pull apart the mechanical heart.

“I doubt it is something easy to recreate. From what I saw, the magical circuits were made of a different system than rune magic. It also seemed to need a lot of crystals to channel the mana-”

“I did it!”

Looking over at Yuri, Hikaru found her already having pulled apart the steel heart and thoroughly looked through its contents.

“It's pretty easy. I just draw these runes, and place this random crystal here..and replace these parts of the magic circle with similar stuff but in rune form...and...done!”

Having drawn a few complex rune magic circles on a nearby table. She placed a crystal she had taken out from a nearby drawer into the middle and activated the the runes.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Hikaru watched her do this. He did not expect her to succeed, after all, the theory and formula that he had learned were impossible to solve, having been solved is already impressing enough. Surely something that broke through the stigma of impossibility must be incredibly complex and not something that can easily be recreated in a few minutes. No matter how much he believed in Yuri's skill.

Yet once again. Yuri turned his expectations of what was possible upside down.

The crystal slowly began to emit the same substance the golden creature was made of. A liquid-like electricity.

First the relics, then accepting him despite himself not being human, and now this.

(Is there nothing that can stand in her way..)

He smiled to himself.

(Of course not..that's just how she is.. Without her stubborn nature that can achieve the impossible..I probably couldn't accomplish my goal..)

While he was lost in his own thoughts, Yuri was panicking slightly.

“Why wont it stop...umm....”

She tried erasing the runes she created, but that accomplished nothing, the golden ooze continued to flow from the crystal. Dripping and enveloping the entire table.

“H-hikaru...

Finally noticing something was wrong, Hikaru immediately stepped forward, looking at the golden ooze created from mana slowly consuming the room.

“Let's depart, I will carry you and jump over the mana substance.”

Just as Hikaru suggested this.

They heard an audible crack coming from the table enveloped in gold.

Suddenly all of the golden ooze that had almost filled this entire giant room disappeared. The only trace that it was ever there being the cracked crystal laying on the table.

“I guess..the crystal couldn't handle the pressure..? good for us. Let's just go before something else weird happens that takes out time!”

She turned to leave with Hikaru behind her, pretending that she wasn't the actual cause of the potential disaster that was at their hands.

–

“Wonderful. You got back my designs. What happened to this prototype, it looks ruined..”

The old man commented suspiciously, making Yuri slightly worried.

“Well no matter, since you have acquired what I asked for. I owe you those schematics.”

He slowly took out a metal plate with inscribed magic. Upon his touch, the metal plate lit up and created an image above itself.

“A hologram..!”

Yuri exclaimed in surprise.

They were looking at a transparent image of a map, floating above the metal plate.

“Holo..what? No, this is a visual representation created through magic emission. In short, a magical image, shortened to V.R.C.M.E.”

The old man corrected her.

“This is a map of the whole city and most of its insides. I don't know what you need this for, but be careful, no one escapes the law around here.”

He handed her the metal plate.

“Sure sure, thank you, we will be going now, have fun with your designs old man~”

Grabbing the plate, Yuri turned and left with Hikaru.

“Old man..? Guess I never told them my name huh..”

The old man scratched his beard while looking at them exiting his house.

“Alright, Hikaru, we got you your sword. Now let's just head for the main course, since I just can't wait.”

She turned on the metal plate and looked at the created map.

“Main course?”

“I want the heart of this city... I want it to be mine..”

Her eyes glittered while she looked over the map.

She pointed towards a black space in the middle of the city that wasn't shown properly on the map.

“I want that energy conversion device. If there is no relic, then we take this instead. It's the least we can do right, blessing this city with the greatest theft it will ever experience.”

Closing the magical map, she smiled mischievously at Hikaru, who only smiled slightly awkwardly.

“Very well, this time I will make sure you're completely safe. I swear upon my new blade.”