Chapter 163 – Highway

Beyond a distant dimension, before the fleet appeared in the skies of the Binars.

I was in the middle of moving the fleet toward a Dimensional Buoy, pondering how to utilize the blueprints I had recently acquired.

With one high-tier blueprint and five general blueprints, it was already a difficult puzzle to solve, but…

“Right! Combine that with the Magitech Armor! Then make it transform. Huh? A transforming robot! How about that?”

…And then there was Seongjae’s unnecessary input.

“No. The efficiency would obviously be terrible.”

“Ah, right… Then I should combine it with the Colossus instead of the Magitech Armor! As expected, Siwoo is brilliant.”

“That’s not it… It doesn’t need to transform…”

Reality was not a cartoon. It was only natural that a tank of the same weight class would be stronger than a bipedal weapon.

Of course, the machines of the Magitech Legion were generally bipedal.

However, this was merely an option chosen for efficiency to break through rough terrain after the collapse of civilization.

To keep the center of gravity low and secure a certain level of defense, they tended to be heavy and crude. It had nothing to do with impractical ‘coolness.’

‘Of course… to me, practicality is what’s cool.’

That didn’t mean there were no wheels or similar mechanisms. For example, the ‘Inertial Movement System’ mode, where Worker Bugs curl their bodies into a ball to move, was one such case.

But that remained efficient because Worker Bugs were designed to pioneer rough terrain and actually create roads.

For machines that had to fight in rough terrain, such as the Assault Cannon or the Colossus, the operational environment was entirely different. This was especially true after the ground had been terraformed into a jagged mess by pouring artillery barrages.

“But… transforming! Transformation! That’s a man’s romance!”

…And transformation was even worse for efficiency.

A machine should be simple and faithful to its purpose. That way, it consumed fewer production resources and required less mana for maintenance.

The Assault Cannon, which boasted a simplicity akin to a cannon barrel with legs, was a prime example. It remained faithful to its core functions: firepower and mobility.

If such an Assault Cannon suddenly took on a human form like Magitech Armor, its firepower wouldn’t increase, nor would its mobility.

Rather, the addition of unnecessary weight and parts might actually weaken the Assault Cannon’s inherent functions.

Seongjae must have been well aware of this. There was no way he didn’t know. He clearly just wanted the toy he desired. As I explained these drawbacks to him, I added one final point.

“Seongjae… in the first place, the human form isn’t exactly a shape that’s useful for combat.”

But Seongjae, feeling wronged until the end, grumbled.

“Then what about the Colossus…?”

“The Colossus is different.”

I sighed.

The Colossus was a human-shaped machine, but its core strength came from limbs that could use various tools like a human, and powerful muscles that amplified the use of those tools.

There were even Colossus-Exclusive Weapons that they could use without burden. Furthermore, because they looked similar to humans, it was intuitive to understand how to utilize those tools.

Due to this versatility, they played a very convenient role in maintaining the front line. In essence, they were just infantry—slightly larger infantry.

Of course, it was also certain that the human form had disadvantages.

In fact, compared to the Magitech Artillery Unit of the same weight class, the Colossus’s firepower wasn’t particularly great. In other words, if firepower was needed, it was far more beneficial to deploy a Magitech Artillery Unit than a Colossus.

Moreover, with the appearance of the Engineer Cannon, they began to be pushed aside even in fortification operations. The Colossus’s position had already diminished. As I began this explanation, Seongjae nodded a few times.

“I guess… that’s true.”

He must have vaguely realized it himself. Seongjae wasn’t a fool. If anything, he was closer to a genius…

“But still… transforming robots are a man’s romance—”

…Not a genius. He was definitely a fool.

* * *

Meanwhile, remaining on the bridge, I chewed over the banter I’d had with Seongjae. He had certainly been throwing out various ideas as a joke, but…

There was a point where it helped me.

‘Come to think of it, the Colossi are lagging behind a bit.’

The Colossi were certainly necessary.

Though they were lacking compared to the Super-Large Class Engineer Cannons or Magitech Artillery Units… to project firepower from a distance, one ultimately needed a shield to block the enemy’s approach at close range.

And the Colossus served as that shield.

However… compared to that role, the armament the Colossi were currently using was deficient in many ways. All they had was their own body and the Demon-Slaying Blade, a Colossus-Exclusive Weapon.

Of course, from my position of leading a fleet, as long as I had enough mana, I would never lack firepower.

But it would be different for the forces under my command fighting on the ground, or the Hunters who rented machines from My Legion.

‘I should take a look at the Colossus-Exclusive machines…’

I began to browse through the list of machinery.

* * *

And a short while later. Upon arriving at the Gatekeeper’s stronghold, I chose a suitable Dimensional Buoy from those in sight.

It was the one with the most mana and vital energy flowing out of it.

First, I sent the Observation Carrier.

Swoosh— Flash!

The Observation Carrier glided through the Dimensional Rift. Despite being a Behemoth-Class machine, its passage through the rift was invisible.

Since the machine was primarily made of Aetherium, efficient invisibility was possible.

Furthermore, the area beyond the rift looked quite lax.

It was clear that the Gatekeeper occupying this dimension had never imagined they would be invaded.

However, perhaps sensing that something had passed through the rift, the Dimensional Predator occupying the dimension reacted immediately.

• By any chance, are you the Gatekeeper, Lord Sentz?

Since I had come from the Gatekeeper’s stronghold, it seemed the creature mistook me for a Gatekeeper. I sneered at it.

‘Your information is outdated.’

I had already eliminated the first Gatekeeper, as well as the second one who had judged me as a threat and attacked. The other two Gatekeepers were currently merging their forces to oppose me.

Yet this creature was still looking for a Gatekeeper. Because they lived isolated in their own dimensions, they had no interest in one another, and thus their information was slow.

‘Well, that makes things easier.’

Instead of answering, I began to move the fleet.

* * *

Meanwhile, the young Dimensional Predator, who had been suddenly invaded, didn’t even seem to realize he was being invaded.

‘What brings Lord Sentz all the way here…?’

Of course, there was no guarantee it was Sentz. Having thought of that, the creature changed its tone and asked again.

• Or perhaps you are an envoy of Lord Sentz?

Again, there was no answer. Now feeling anxious, the creature questioned a subordinate Mutant stationed near the coordinates of the Dimensional Buoy.

• Someone has entered. Why did you not notify me?

The Mutant’s answer was completely unexpected.

• …What? W-what do you mean? No one has come through the rift… Could there be some mistake?

The young Dimensional Predator asked sharply.

• Have you been negligent in your guard duty?

• No! You know very well that I would never do such a thing!

Though he didn’t want to admit it, he knew the subordinate Mutant was telling the truth. That was why he had chosen that specific subordinate in the first place.

Thus, he couldn’t help but be confused.

‘Is it really some mistake…?’

This was his first such experience. It was at the very moment he was trying to hide his anxiety.

Flash! Flash— flash!

He felt other entities crossing the rift.

‘What, is this also a mistake?’

He began to doubt himself.

Nevertheless, he asked the subordinate Mutant once more.

• Is there still nothing?

…But there was only silence.

No answer returned.

‘Hmm?’

The young Dimensional Predator could not understand what was happening. From his perspective, the Observation Carrier that entered first had already pinpointed the locations of the Mutants on guard duty nearby…

He could never have imagined that, simultaneously with the invasion, they would be sniped before they could even send a telepathic message.

Thus, he didn’t realize what was happening until a massive fleet suddenly appeared before his eyes…

KABOOM!

And began to pour down colossal Pillars of Light…

“W-what on earth is that!”

He had no clue how the situation had unfolded.

* * *

Seeing this scene unfold in an instant, Sua’s jaw dropped.

“Wow, is this some kind of highway?”

Seongjae shook his head at her words.

“It’s probably like a tollgate. You pay with artillery and pass through.”

It was exactly as he said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Dimensional Predator dealt with this time wasn’t particularly strong. The amount of vital energy was low, and naturally, no new blueprints were received.

Also, the Dimensional Fragment where he resided was much smaller than those of the first Dimensional Predator or the Gatekeeper. Thanks to that, I was able to quickly locate the Dimensional Rift he had been invading.

I grinned.

‘Now, there’s real estate sleeping beyond this!’

When I sent the Observation Carrier, it seemed the natives of that dimension were in the middle of a battle with Monsters.

Seeing the natives, Seoyeon frowned.

“Their teeth are weird…”

On the other hand, Rai looked excited.

“Boss… if we make a curry out of those, would it taste good?”

“Those are edible?”

While Minju was in shock at his words, I thought to myself.

‘I can’t just fire artillery recklessly.’

The natives’ combat style was primitive.

They were engaged in a messy brawl, tangled up with the Monsters. If I were to launch an artillery barrage here, there was a possibility that the natives would also be endangered.

And since I intended to liberate other races from the Monsters and take over some of their real estate, I shouldn’t cause collateral damage from the start.

In other words, it was a potentially awkward situation.

But I grinned at such a situation.

‘Perfect.’

It was the perfect opportunity to test the upgraded Colossi.

Voom!

I immediately crossed the rift and began deploying the Colossi loaded on the Factory Landing Ship.

Clang— clank-clunk!

With mechanical sounds, they began to descend toward the ground.

And then—

Boom— rumble—

With a thunderous roar, they landed, creating small craters in the ground.

This was not a mere ‘landing’ operation.

Then, they began to clear the nearby Monsters in an instant.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment, the Saintess and holy knights of the Binar tribe on the ground could only doubt their own eyes.

“My goodness!”

“S-Saintess… what is this?”

A giant object had appeared in the sky, and something was falling menacingly toward the ground!

It was a situation they could not comprehend. Thus, it was only natural that some Binar warriors were gripped by fear.

“Are they attacking us?”

But those worries soon vanished.

For they saw the Colossi that had fallen before them moving as if to protect them, dealing only with the Monsters.

“T-that one! He slashed four of those monsters in a single blow!”

“And what on earth is that weapon…?”

Instead, they began to marvel.

* * *

Meanwhile, seeing the natives marvel so visibly, Seongjae…

“To be impressed by just a Colossus… what will they do later.”

…clicked his tongue.