No matter where you went in the Dimension Sea, the image of a golem was similar.
Taciturn and slow.
With bodies large and heavy, they didn’t act much, and their speech was the same.
Clytemnestra was different.
Even with her large body, she could move like a squirrel, and she was very talkative. That was because she was a Mana Stone Golem Salika had painstakingly created, overflowing with energy.
The time Clytemnestra spent still on the flagship was extremely rare.
She wandered the entire fleet, and the place she stayed the most was Gunsmir’s Dimension Ship where another Executor was stationed.
-“What is it this time?”
The created Spirit King, Gunsmir’s words were tinged with obvious annoyance.
“How disappointing. I brought you some very interesting news.”
-You’ve brought ‘interesting news’ like ‘improved the residential area of Metra’ thirteen times in six hours. I cannot waste a single second analyzing the enemy, finding weaknesses, and devising countermeasures. Do you take this mission lightly?
“Of course not. You know who I am.”
Clytemnestra did not spare herself for her creator, Salika.
There was even a time when she fought so hard that her memory storage device was destroyed, losing 90% of her acquired experience.
“99% of my brain is being used to analyze the enemy. I’m using the remaining 1% to come here and chatter.”
-Then that remaining 1% should also be used for analysis to follow Salika-nim’s will.
“I can confidently say that’s not the case.”
-What does that mean?
“Salika-nim wants me to enjoy life.”
Gunsmir couldn’t refute that.
Clytemnestra was the being that understood Salika the best.
That was because she was a golem created by imitating a Crystal.
Other Executors didn’t know Salika’s inner self, like his way of thinking or the reasons for his actions, but Clytemnestra could understand it.
Moreover, Gunsmir had also heard similar words from Salika several times.
“Why would He have made us capable of feeling pleasure and enjoyment? It’s an unnecessary function for workers who only do their assigned tasks.”
-That is correct.
“Then are you ready to listen to me now?”
-Before that, there’s something I want to ask.
“What is it?”
-The change in Salika-nim.
Clytemnestra’s translucent face momentarily dimmed.
It was the equivalent of a human sigh.
“He… was carrying too much. He protected the Mana Sun, killed Demons, and destroyed the Dimension System.”
-I don’t think mere things like that would change Salika-nim.
“There’s also something you don’t know about.”
-What?
“The distortion caused by the Mana Sun is still growing.”
Gunsmir’s upper quadrangular pyramid rotated.
-The Waste will swarm in more, and the Rift will widen.
“Yes. Even with Salika-nim’s abilities, he couldn’t narrow the Rift.”
-That means… I see.
The pit created by the Mana Sun was deep and wide.
An enormous amount of Waste was pouring into it, and the space was breaking under the weight.
That was the flood of Waste that Lagan had explained.
“Salika-nim is holding back the immense Waste alone. The recent changes might be an effect of that.”
-Can the Waste change even a Crystal?
The Waste changed almost everything.
Living beings became Demons, and even monsters spanning thousands of kilometers couldn’t resist.
Not only dimensions but even space itself became a demonic realm.
“That’s not certain.”
-You don’t know either?
“Because I don’t know the past.”
Only the Crystals that remained—extremely few in number—knew the history of the Crystals.
-If there were just one more Crystal who shared His will, His hardship wouldn’t be this great.
“It can’t be helped. All the remaining Crystals are exhausted. Still, there is hope.”
-What?
“Soon, another Crystal will be born.”
-His long efforts have borne fruit.
A bright light surrounded Clytemnestra’s face.
However, internally, she wasn’t just happy.
Clytemnestra was a golem made by Salika with the wish to see the new Crystal.
She wasn’t a Crystal, but she thought of Salika as a father, and Salika cherished her as well.
But she was not a real Crystal.
Clytemnestra regretted that she could not become a Crystal, and even felt jealousy toward the Crystal that would soon be born.
‘This feeling I have is also part of His arrangement.’
Though their relationship and Salika’s attitude would never change, Clytemnestra could not stop the emotional turmoil.
“How about it? Interesting story, right?”
-I agree.
“Then listen to more. The golem I made ten days ago caused an error…”
-Wait. Not that. I want to hear your analysis. How should we deal with the Outer Mind?
Clytemnestra’s demeanor became serious.
“The Outer Mind is a strange species. There are countless individuals, but no individuality exists. Diversity is solely for fighting and winning. Their ultimate goal is probably to increase their numbers.”
-Similar to the Devil of Devouring, yet different.
The Devil of Devouring also devoured everything around it.
But the Devil of Devouring had different appearances and personalities for each individual, and they even fought among themselves.
“They are different in essence, but in the end, similar. That goes for the Outer Mind’s weakness too. If there’s nothing to eat, they will eat their own flesh.”
-The same conclusion as mine.
“Remove all organic matter, and avoid close combat as much as possible.”
-The Outer Mind can also eat dimensions, can’t they?
“They eat dimensions, but they don’t turn them into individuals. Look at this.”
Clytemnestra showed Gunsmir a video of an Apocalid Dimension floating.
The Apocalids could extract enough nutrients from it, but Clytemnestra didn’t know the details that well.
-They don’t completely eat the dimension.
“Yes. Even if that were turned into an individual, we could just destroy it.”
-What if the Outer Mind, low on troops, attacks the Enterprise Union to increase their numbers?
“Then the Union will become our allies, so that’s an advantage.”
-Salika-nim sending us here was an arrangement for this.
“Everything goes according to His will.”
The two discussed how to fight the Outer Mind for a long time.
Meanwhile, the fleet crossed a sea region.
Even the Null Sea didn’t have zero dimensions.
You might see one after a few months of sailing.
Occasionally, they encountered a sea region with multiple dimensions.
Still, it was unusual, so they didn’t take reconnaissance lightly.
They thoroughly inspected the exterior and also investigated the interior with detection magic.
The conclusion was a dimension filled with solid rock.
Normally, they would have dismantled a dimension containing ores and stored them in the resource warehouse, but doing so might be detected by the enemy, so they decided to pass quickly.
Clytemnestra, who had been wandering around the fleet, also heard that report.
“A dimension rich in mineral veins in the Null Sea…”
Clytemnestra felt a sense of incongruity.
Ore dimensions were heavy, so they tended to be in the center of a sea region.
The probability of a dimension existing in the Null Sea was originally low, and even lower for an ore dimension.
“Send a scout team to investigate the interior.”
At Clytemnestra’s command, a scout ship advanced and landed a Mana Stone Golem on the dimension.
A Mana Stone Golem with drill-like hands dug into the ground.
“I think the dimension just moved?”
Clytemnestra compared the dimension’s position ten seconds ago with its current position.
The dimension had definitely moved.
And all dimensions had narrowed the distance.
It was a phenomenon that could naturally occur one in a million times.
But it could easily happen if someone’s power was involved.
“It’s the enemy. Get out of this area!”
Clytemnestra’s fleet ascended upward.
All magic cannons on the lower and side parts of the Dimension Ships poured magic toward the dimensions.
Blue flames falling on the dimensions exploded.
The dimension boundaries disappeared in chunks as if erased with an eraser.
There were thousands of such shots.
The surface was shaved away in an instant, and the interior was exposed.
“Mana reactions from all dimensions!”
“Source Energy detected! It’s the enemy!”
Even though the enemy had been allowed to approach, Clytemnestra was calm.
She trusted her comrade Gunsmir, and the Dimension Sea was advantageous for them.
“Most of the enemy is ground forces. We have the advantage since we can fly.”
Just then, Artificial Spirits emerged from Gunsmir’s fleet.
There were so many that it looked like a mist of spirits spreading out.
Manas Stone Golems also sortied from Clytemnestra’s fleet.
They were equipped with engines that could generate propulsion instead of legs to fight in the Dimension Sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dimensions where the Apocalids were hiding burst open.
It was due to the Breaths fired by the Hives inside.
Claw Devourers and Swarm Lords charged explosively.
Titans, Super Titans, and Hives followed in a cone formation.
Clytemnestra sent two golems to block the two giant Apocalids.
They were 15 km Mana Stone Golems that could also function as Dimension Ships while being capable of close combat.
“Don’t let them board our bodies.”
Clytemnestra’s flagship was also her body, and the same went for the other Dimension Ships.
Finally, the Apocalids entered the range of the Artificial Spirits.
A flash occurred.
The magic bullets fired by all the Artificial Spirits covered space itself.
The Titan’s chitin gauntlets were pierced, and they bled.
Some individuals were split in half, and those with bad luck were shattered to pieces.
If that was the case for Titans, the state of smaller-class Apocalids was obvious.
Although they had magic resistance, they couldn’t completely nullify even the physical shock caused by the magic.
“The start is good.”
As planned, the Artificial Spirits formed a dense firing net to block the Apocalids’ approach.
Of course, they couldn’t stop the giant individuals.
That was Clytemnestra’s role.
The Artificial Spirits toyed with the Apocalids with their excellent mobility and firepower.
When the Apocalids tried to latch on, they quickly fell back, and firing magic cannons from a distance left the Apocalids in the position of a dog chasing a chicken but staring at the roof, forced to take the hits.
The accumulated damage increased the stress of the entire Apocalid force.
That promoted evolution, and the flying Apocalids entered the Soil Pit.
Some individuals reduced their weight to increase speed, and some became Eater Walkers outright.
Five million Eater Walkers emerged from the Soil Pit and flew off the Hive’s body.
The Artificial Spirits used the same strategy as before.
Shoot and run, shoot and run.
The precise firing net of the Artificial Spirits under Gunsmir’s control did not miss a single Apocalid.
They had definitely shot and hit every Apocalid, so not even one should have passed through the firing net.
Crunch.
One Artificial Spirit at the front was torn into four pieces.
Parasitic tentacles of consumption plunged into the torn body.
Sluuuurp.
The sucked-in spirit vanished without a trace.
The communication network connecting Clytemnestra and Gunsmir momentarily froze.
“What is that?”
-A new individual?
“There was no such thing among the Outer Mind’s vassals!”
-Those are things that shouldn’t exist in the first place. That’s impossible!
“Did they evolve in that short time?”
Their conversation was closer to a monologue.
Gunsmir’s spirits widened the distance further.
They also increased the output of the magic cannons.
They wouldn’t be able to fire for long, but blocking the enemy’s approach was important for now.
Crunch.
But the Eater Walkers leisurely pierced through the magic dancing in the Dimension Sea and devoured the spirits.
Clytemnestra hurriedly sent Mana Stone Golems.
Physical Mana Stone Golems would be easier to deal with than spirits.
Eater Walkers clung to the Mana Stone Golems.
As expected, the Eater Walkers couldn’t do much against the Mana Stone Golems.
Just as Clytemnestra was relieved, Air Walkers approached the Mana Stone Golems.
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