Although the test site was temporarily closed due to a major flaw in the previous day's sharp reduction in operating time, it was restarted due to the simulation battle. Regardless of the shortcomings themselves, the timing of the discovery was too dramatic, and everyone began to worry that the model machine had other fatal flaws, so a very thorough and complicated action test was set up to investigate. Everyone was in favor of additional testing, but it was impossible to complete all the projects with a single Tresthal, so the production of the same model was temporarily increased. For this reason, the maintenance team continued to work at full strength after the simulated war, and almost began to worry that some students were in danger of dying from overwork.

In the end, they produced a total of five Tresthals. It is no longer driven by a small number of riders, but a group of people who take turns to be responsible for the stable completion of the test trip. Thanks to this, no major flaws have been identified at this stage. During this period, we also continued to make improvements to steadily improve the degree of completion.

Edgar and Havy both happened to be resting, discussing topics such as adjusting the sense of manipulation. Lately, they've been talking about new machines at every turn.

"...... that should be discussed with El Nesti as well. Hmmm? That's right. I've rarely seen him lately. 」

In the middle of his words, Edgar suddenly remembered the name he had mentioned. They hadn't seen Al for a while, and Hevi was puzzled by this.

"That kid should be here to watch the experiment, and he can't pull it away. What's going on?"

"...... shouldn't be in trouble again......?"

The expression on Edgar's face stiffened subtly, and he looked at the cloudless sky

"I'm not so idle every day. 」

"Really, and what's going on?"

Artie was putting her arms around Al and probing from behind, and Al avoided her gaze, his eyes wandering. In front of them were blue-painted phantom armor and many other pieces of equipment.

When Edgar mentions El at the Academy, they're meeting in the Taimoning Workshop. The development of Trestar is getting better with the efforts of the students of the Higher Division, and there are no major projects to be busy with, so Al, who has been a little "idle" recently, will devote himself to the development of "equipment for the Phantom Armor".

"yes, yes, we're busy. There's a whole bunch of things I want to try. 」

"You're like that, you're so idle, but you only play with Bart! It's boring to only find Chid as an opponent in training, and you don't go out much. 」

The equipment was designed by Al and made by Batson. Small armor is different from Phantom Knights, and the new challenge of crafting Phantom Armor equipment greatly stimulates their desire to research. The degree of enthusiasm between the two even made Artie, who was a little left out, awkward.

Ignoring Al and Artie, Batson expertly uncovers the arm armor of the blue magic armor and sets up the internal machine while Kidd watches her movements.

"I don't care, but you've done so much. What is this?"

"It's called 'Wire Anchor', and for more details, please ask El about the effect of ......, so stay tuned. 」

Although they used about ten of these "early type" illusion armors, they were sent to the cold palace because it was too difficult to control manpower. Almost all of them have become El and their toys - corrections, training tools, and only Edgar or Dietrich will use them for training. They also hammered and pounded inside from time to time after getting permission from El.

"By the way, Senior Edgar was complaining the other day that the crystalline muscles have become more difficult to manipulate after being changed to a rope type. 」

Of course, the rope-type crystalline muscle fixation established by Trestal has also progressed to the application stage. Although he could exert more power, it was more difficult to manipulate, and even Edgar had to surrender with his hands raised.

"Having said that, it's too lonely to keep calling it 'Illusion Demon Armor', it's almost time to take an official name...... right, how about calling it 'Life Limit, Life Limit, No Five Tribulations, Killing Sea Sand and Water Fish'!?"

(Editor's note: From the Japanese rakugo "longevity limit", the content is that a pair of parents help their son marry more than five crosses in the name of "blessing" in order to seek good luck.) [Spit it out, let's think about a certain [Mountain God Lucy is omitted] is probably like that]

"It's too long! 」

"Then let's call it 'Moto Bit' for short. 」

"Hey, the abbreviation has nothing to do with the previous name, Eight Poles!!"

"'Motobit'...... please give me a lot of advice?"

After Kidd said hello to his own Motobit, his face couldn't help but stiffen. It's over, I can't be infected by El. He tilted his forehead and shook his head.

"So, now that we've chosen a name, let's go and announce the new equipment. Artie don't be angry, can we help together?"

Al managed to appease Artie and proudly sat down on the blue Moto Bit that was made for him. He walked to the courtyard of the workshop, and instead of aiming at the target, he held out his Motobit arm against the wall of a nearby house.

"Please watch the ...... wire anchor and launch!"

With a cheer and a squirt, an arrow-shaped object flew out of the outstretched wrist - the back end of the arrow was attached to a steel cable, which was constantly being pulled out of the wrist. The arrow flew up to the roof of the workshop at full speed despite gravity, and then slammed into the roof in a sharp turn. The internal mechanism then activated, causing the arrow to unfold into the shape of an anchor. Al pulled the tightrope and used his hands to confirm that the front end was fixed.

"I'm stabbed, and I'm ...... going!"

There was a sound of gears inside Moto Bit's arm, and the winch mechanism began to run at the same time. The moto bit was pulled by the steel cable held in place at the front end and ran towards the wall of the workshop, and then jumped high. After "hitting the ground on the wall", he kicked up several steps and went up to the roof. After twisting in the air, the Motobit unleashed an atmospheric shock to absorb the magic at the moment it landed, creating a block of compressed air at his feet, causing the Motobit to slowly stop on the roof.

Al asked Motobit to slowly stand up, pouring magic and magic into the arrowhead that was still stuck in the roof. The silver wire nerve is kneaded in the steel cable connected to the arrow, and the procedure is transmitted along the nerve to the crystalline muscle contained in the arrow. The unfolded anchor changed shape, and the arrow, which had just returned to its original form, was retracted into the arm.

The propulsion of this arrow is also generated by the built-in crystalline muscle, which is propelled by intermittent use of atmospheric pressure. As long as you control the direction of the jet, you can change the direction of flight to some extent.

"It's amazing, the gear ...... is wrong, and the Moto Bit jumped on the roof in a flash." 」

Artie and the others, who had been watching from the side from beginning to end, looked up. Even if you can use body augmentation, it is quite difficult to climb onto the roof of a building in armor. And the fact that he actually did it with an even bigger Phantom Armor was a surprise to them.

"Oh, this time it's going well, Al."

"I've fallen a few times before, so let's move on to the next one!"

"Ah, there have still been failures...... uh, can you just bring 'that'?"

Al immediately jumped off the roof. Jumping from this height, even a Moto Bit can't be safe. It ejects atmospheric compression on the way, gradually slows down, and then uses the atmospheric impact to absorb and land on the ground, raising large clouds of dust. As soon as they landed, Kid and Artie came out of the workshop with new goods in tow.

The two of them each held something different. Kidd was holding a large crossbow, mostly wooden, with metal reinforcements in places. Several geared devices were added to the rear of the bow. Kidd looked at what he had brought and said:

"Hey, this crossbow is really exaggerated...... it should be considered a siege weapon, right?"

"You're right. If you really want to talk about it, it should be something that makes the siege with a large ballista a little smaller. 」

As Al explained, the crossbow was huge even in the hands of the Phantom Armor. Without the Phantom Armor, it would be too heavy to operate.

"Why are you holding something so big...... ah-I see. You're going to use the Phantom Armor as a base to operate the siege ballista. 」

"That's not all...... Artie, did you bring the magazine? 」

Artie's van was loaded with several box-shaped objects called magazines. It's about the width of a person's hands, and even if it is held by the Phantom Armor, it will protrude from the sides of the body.

"To put it simply, this is a weapon that uses rope-type crystalline muscles on a bowstring and winch device, called a 'portable large ballista'. As long as you operate the contraction of the crystalline muscles, you can automatically fire the bow and arrow. 」

"I see. And what about this one called a magazine?"

"There are bows and arrows lined up inside, linked to the bow's reel, and reloaded with each arrow shot. The next part is not a verbal explanation, but a practical way to show you. 」

Following El's instructions, Kidd embedded the magazine in the center of the ballista, and the fixed lever jumped up, making the sound of the internal structure snapping.

Kidd confirms that the magazine is installed and begins to teleport magic and mana into the ballista. The rope-shaped crystalline muscles stretch to the limit, and the unique sound of the bow bending and muscle squeezing is heard. The gears linked to the crankshaft mechanism begin to turn, placing the arrows in the magazine onto the crossbow body's tracks. The next operation is more special: because the crystallized muscle itself is used as a bowstring, there is no trigger mechanism equivalent to a normal ballista. Conversely, he can fire bows and arrows by retracting the crystalline muscles of the bowstring and winch mechanism.

Kid ordered the crystallized muscles that had stretched to the limit to let go. The arrows flew with a heroic sound and shot out at high speed. Because he shot at a relatively close distance, the arrow pierced the wooden target with precision. The arrows of this crossbow are shorter than those used in regular crossbows, and many of them are in the shape of stubby and stubby. However, even though it is a short arrow, since it is mounted on a (miniaturized) ballista, its size is no longer an arrow, but more like a spear with arrow feathers. This kind of arrow, which exerts the power of the rope-shaped crystalline muscles to the limit, and the power of the bow is still very powerful, even if it is not as powerful as a regular weapon. In short, the arrow eventually pierced through the wooden target, shattering most of it.

"......, this thing can't be launched in the city. 」

"It's okay, there's a thick earthen wall in the back for test firing. You won't be able to penetrate without tactical magic concentration attacks. 」

Al and Batson tossed Kidd, who was fixed at the moment of shooting, and began to talk leisurely. Artie, holding the magazine, looked with interest at the arrows that pierced through the target.

"By the way, you can quickly recover it with crystallized muscles, and you can achieve a certain level of continuous ejaculation. Depending on the level of proficiency, it can reach up to five seconds per shot. There are ten arrows in a magazine, which is about a minute to shoot. 」

"Poof! really...... I'll give it a try. 」

Kidd trembled and raised the ballista again, and after exhaling another breath to calm down, he began to fire a burst of fire. The sound of running and arrows breaking through the air continued rhythmically, and the arrows stabbed the target one by one. The target finally broke off on the fifth shot, allowing the remaining arrows to shoot directly at the earthen wall.

"A hand-held siege weapon that can be fired continuously, it's terrifying—"

"But, after all, it can be taken away, it has a certain weight, it's not easy to handle, and it's something that can barely be improvised, and the hit rate is low, but you have to make up for the hit rate with quantity. 」

"What does Al want to do with this?"

"......Don't you think that so-called creation and challenge are always a great thing?"

"I didn't think about the use again, did I......

Kid's questioning caused Al to look away subtly, and at the same time smiled fearlessly, cheerfully. In this way, the Phantom Armor was transformed into a vicious weapon step by step without anyone knowing.

When the action test of the model machine was almost completed, a notice came from the Alchemist Department that the custom-made thing was completed. Because the crystalline muscles are shaped into blocks, the new material named "plate-shaped crystalline muscles" is sent to the workshop one by one.

Previous studies on crystallized muscles have focused on how to maximize the benefits of output through muscle contraction, and mana savings have been seen as an incidental factor. However, as a result of this development of plate-like crystalline muscles, alchemists have also begun to develop crystalline muscles that store magical power. From an unprecedented perspective, each of them will be eager to try it, and sooner or later they will launch a large-capacity crystallized muscle.

As for the model machines that passed the huge tests, the results found no major flaws other than the operating time. The plate-like crystalline muscles will be the final piece of the puzzle to make up for that shortcoming. In anticipation of the upcoming completion phase, the Forge has embarked on a renovation project to increase the amount of Phantasm Knight's mana reserves.

"Well, we're very motivated, but it's not good. 」

They had originally conceived of placing the plate-shaped crystalline muscles in the cavities on the inside of the armor, but when they actually started to review them, they realized that the space was smaller than expected. The space inside the armor is to be used to mitigate the effect of the driving crystalline muscles, and cannot be filled at will.

So, for the time being, they removed all the exterior to make a layer of plate-like crystalline muscle, and covered it all with the outer fit, using a multi-layer exterior method. Such a design is so that it is not driven by the muscles that are affected. The overall increase in the volume of the shell shows an increase in the amount of mana savings, which is a considerable result from the point of view of extended operation time. It's a pity that the reality is not optimistic, and they groan at the end of Tresthal.

"It's so bloated, it's so inferior......!"

Even if they put aesthetics aside, there are still a lot of problems with adopting a multi-layered approach to the whole. The sheer weight of the body reduces mobility and cannot compensate for the power generated by the rope-type crystalline muscles. Thickened armor hinders movement and damages grappling ability. It was true that using the crystallized muscle layer as armor could increase defense, but they overturned this method by judging that there were more disadvantages than benefits.

"It's too heavy! I have to find a way to make this guy 'slim down'." 」

They then thought of controlling the weight by limiting the multi-layered parts. In consideration of the effect on grappling ability, only armor that does not interfere with the joints is multilayered. It doesn't really add much weight, but it doesn't add much to the all-important mana reserves.

However, this method of using multi-layered armor was retained, and it was later officially named "Mana Storage Armor".

"This is already the limit of adding crystalline muscles on the inside......

"If you continue to add weight, it will hinder the armor. 」

All that's left is to pack the plate-like crystalline muscles on the outside. In order to avoid the weight problem as much as possible, the outer part was not even armored, but was fixed with steel wire and covered with a cloth cover, but it was not directly exposed. The place of installation refers to the part where humans can hold the goods, and chooses the back or waist, and the most suitable place to put the goods is on the back. They thought so and decided to try the generous amount of plate-like crystalline muscle on Tresthal's back. However, this approach creates another problem.

"Please, it's an endless 'wayward body'! Be polite!"

They even removed the backs to set up the crystallized muscles, but the result of the huge weight being concentrated on the back was to tilt the center of gravity towards the back, which seriously affected the grappling ability and maneuverability. The duty of the Phantom Knight is to fight, and if it makes the riders feel that it is difficult to manipulate, it will be useless. Besides, if you can't arm yourself with the back, there is no point in the existence of a new type of machine. Reluctantly, they continued to explore other methods.

"What the hell do you want us to do?"

"We'll just try it all we can. 」

In the end, they decided to use the Mana Storage Armor at the same time, with scattered plate-like crystalline muscles on the outside, a back-armed and non-burdensome amount on their backs, and bag-shaped crystalline muscles around their waists. When the waist accessory is adjusted, the position is adjusted appropriately. This increases the amount of mana stored to a certain extent, and also improves the shortcomings, but there are still some problems in terms of operation time.

As a result, the riding forgers abandoned solving all problems at this stage. With current technology, ensuring a sufficient store of mana requires a large and bulky amount of crystalline muscle. Everyone agreed that only by waiting for the alchemists to complete the new crystallized muscles designed to store mana could the problem be solved.

The renovated Trestal series is lined up in front of the workshop in a standby position. There are five of them, including the ones built for testing, and all of them are equipped with mana storage armor and are more robust than they were at the beginning. The plate-like crystalline muscles on the back and waist do not look like they have been mechanically modified, but rather add a bit of human flavor.

"That's it. I'm not satisfied, but I can't help it!

Even though the feeling of rushing to finish could not be overwhelmed, the forgers still had a different idea. The improvements made to the Trestal series were more than enough to compensate for the shortcomings that were too serious and to achieve the highest level of completion that could be required at this stage. Even if they are not perfected, these five mechs still have the potential to surpass the old Phantom Knights, and they can indeed be said to be the prototype of a new generation of Phantom Knights.

Lined up like this, the pit squad and riders finally realized that they had witnessed the completion of a certain stage. The reaction of the people to the Trestal series varied: there were people who were immersed in a sense of accomplishment, there were people who were relieved that they were finally freed from their work, and there were people who had already begun to think about ways to improve it. It's just that everyone's face has an expression of overcoming the great difficulty, shining with confidence and pride.

The Boss had a similar expression, turning his head to look at everyone, baring his teeth and deepening his smile.

"You've worked so hard, let's say the forgers have worked too hard!!We've got a lot of problems to solve, but let's celebrate this guy's completion first! After such a big project, I don't need to say what I'm going to do next!?"

Everyone present raised their hands and shouted in response to the boss. It was unanimously agreed that the Department of Riding Trainers would come out of the nest and hold a celebration banquet all night.

The scene can only be described in this way: when the sky is completely dark and the surroundings are shrouded in darkness, the celebration banquet hall turns into a demon world. By the way, in the kingdom of Verrad you can't drink until after you are an adult (fifteen years old). Of course, Al and the others did not attend, and this banquet was held together with the Riding Gymnastics Department.

In the carnival atmosphere where several people actually "fly" into the air, a figure left silently. He blended into the hustle and bustle and began to move in a low-key manner, leaving the hall called the celebration banquet, which was actually transformed into the workshop of the demon realm, and returned to his room in the dormitory.

It was already dark, and one of the rooms in the silent dormitory was lit up. When he returned to the room, he shook his fluttering head and drank water to dilute his drunkenness. His roommate must have been drunk in the workshop. He relieved himself and pulled out a stack of papers from the table. There's a lot of information about the Phantom Knight's technique, including the rope-type crystalline muscles.

It complements the contents of the plate-shaped crystalline muscles, mana storage armor on paper. The content is not exhaustive, but at least it contains enough general information to understand the model machine. Feeling the drunkenness fade away, he was satisfied with what he had written, and put the paper back on the table.