On the stone-paved exercise ground of the Dreiser Cavalry Academy, two giants raised their swords and confronted each other. The steel armor that enveloped his body reflected a dim light, and the grinding sound of crystalline muscles resounded throughout the field.

The next step is to simulate the battle, which is part of the training and testing. However, for the two horsemen who sat on top of the strongest weapons of the human race, it was undoubtedly a battle. The atmosphere in the field was definitely not relaxed, and the riders felt the gradually rising tension in the driver's seat, and quietly ignited their fighting spirit.

"Okay, are you ready? The battle will begin!! Both sides must abide by the rules of the simulated battle. Salute, Prepare ...... begin!!"

As soon as the referee gave the command, the two steel giants rushed out with random shouts.

Basically, the way Phantom Knights fight each other is to use the Magic Guide Suit to fire spells, and when the distance is shortened, they switch to melee weapons. Due to the heraldic inlay, the structure is relatively weak, and if it is used in hand-to-hand combat, it is likely to be immediately damaged, and the driver will fall into the dilemma of losing the means of attack.

Edgar had also seen Trestal's backarms. The long-range attack ability of using two Wizard Armors at the same time is very threatening. Because of this, he ruled out long-range combat that was not in his favor, and immediately adopted a fast attack to close combat at the beginning of the match.

But her predictions were the opposite, and Trestal also moved forward as soon as the race started, gradually shortening the distance.

(What does she want to do? She doesn't want to use the advantage of being able to attack from a distance? But that's what I want!)

Earl Camber slammed hard, trying to slash him head-on, but at the moment of swinging his sword, he realized that he had misjudged the function of the weapon on the back. Seeing that the two sides were about to collide, Trestal suddenly put the magic guide on his shoulders. In the driver's seat, Haiwei stared at the sight of the phantom projector, showing a calculated smile.

"Use this instead of greeting. You can also perform spell strikes at very close range—that's the true value of backside armament!"

The two Wizard suits on Treisthal's back opened fire at the same time. Even if he is as strong as Earl Camber, he can't dodge magic strikes at close distance. The shield could only block one of the bullets, and the other pierced the right shoulder without the shield. Although the power of the Magic Guide Suit was not enough to knock its right wrist into the air, Earl Campbell lost his balance and lost the advantage of his fast attack.

"I'm not done yet!"

Trestal swung his sword as he put the wizard's suit on his back. It's a blow that takes advantage of the momentum and aims at your opponent when he loses his balance, and although the action may seem savage, it's far more terrifying than a half-attack.

Edgar followed the fallen position and did not resist. She spun around the right side of her body as she launched a blow from Tresthal with her left shield. Earl Camber barely managed to block the blow, but almost fell back as if he had been beaten. The reason why he is so embarrassed is not only because of his unsteady steps, but also because the opponent's weapons are far more powerful than expected.

"......!!! This is the power of the rope type!?"

Edgar groaned and jumped back away. The back wizard armor can perform spell strikes in unexpected situations, and the rope-type crystalline muscles show overwhelming kinetic energy. As Edgar regrouped, he overturned all the rules of battle in his head.

"Hey, really, I've been getting used to abandoning common sense lately, and it's unpleasant!"

Trestal on the fantasy projector marches forward again, chasing Earl Campber. It didn't seem to be fighting surprise battles anymore, and unfurled the magic guide uniform on its shoulders as it pursued.

"But I have my insistence!!"

Mere movement back and forth will only be a target for magic strikes again. Earl Camber mounted his shield and began to move sideways, dodging Trestal's range.

At the beginning, an unexpected white-hot battle was staged, which made the audience in the exercise ground boil. Every time the Iron Giant raised his sword and clashed, it elicited cheers. Different from the audience seat immersed in the frenzy, the seat difference in the maintenance class is that someone whispers to analyze the battle situation,

"It's Edgar, who usually goes down with the first blow. 」

"Senior Sister Haiwei is also quite smooth in her control. 」

"After all, the test rider is not fake. 」

That's Al and the Boss. For the two of them, Trestal, who operates in a near-actual combat mode, is like a moving nugget of gold. They take a closer look and analyze its every move.

The two planes clashed head-on again in front of their line of sight. I thought that the two would have a sword fight, but Trestal used his strength advantage to overpower Earcamber's sword, but Earcamper was not a fuel-efficient lamp, as if he had expected it, he pulled away from both sides and did not let the other side succeed in pursuit.

"Haiwei seems to rely quite heavily on power advantage. 」

"After all, the gap in output is obvious. I think this is the best way to play to your advantage, and to be honest, the control system has not been adjusted to its best, and if you rely on precision manipulation, you will lose. 」

The Boss accepts Al's claims. Trestal has a constant stream of momentum and excellent instantaneous explosiveness, but because the operating system has not yet been optimized, he is not good at fine movements, and can only go on the offensive with seemingly reckless movements. Edgar saw this, and was not going to take the sword rashly. Even so, Tresthal, who attacked with both the sword and the back, continued to have the advantage from the start.

"It's tricky!You have to stop the Wizard Armor, or it's too bad!!"

Edgar, who was in a difficult situation, was still able to calmly analyze the situation in his anxiety. The opponent Haiwei fully grasped the characteristics of Lelestahl and made up for the disadvantages and chose the most effective attack moves. Although Edgar also noticed that Trestar's movements were not precise enough, he was unable to take advantage of this to attack. If you are fighting against a normal Phantom Knight, its skills are enough to lure the opponent into attacking and then counterattacking, but fighting Terrestal is another matter.

The most important factor is the gap in the means of attack created by the rear armament. Even if you dodge a melee weapon attack, your opponent will chase or pin down at a point you never thought possible. There are already fewer means of attack than the other party, and if you scuffle rashly, you will definitely lose in strength. It's not about technology, it's about the disparity in the body's performance.

The students watching the game also understood that Earl Campbell did not miss, let alone release the water. Because of this, even if the action seems rude, this new type of machine, which is the most powerful and elite in the department, still makes the audience excited.

Earl Camber was gradually forced into a difficult situation. If he didn't give it a go and stop the back-arming, Edgar probably wouldn't have a chance to win.

"I'm not a big fan of gambling...... but it's so pointless to lose. 」

Seeing Earl Campbell on the phantom projection stop moving, Hewei muttered:

"......'m not annoying. Edgar seems to want to take a gamble. 」

She knows that her skills are not as good as others, so she has always relied on the performance of the body to fight, and naturally she can also guess her purpose.

"The rope-type output gap can't be reversed...... so his goal is probably to be backarmed. 」

If the rear armament department can operate, then no matter how different the power gap of the rope type is, it can lock on the weakness of low accuracy and reverse the disadvantage with strength. It is precisely because the two riders know each other that the focus of attack and defense has gradually come to the fore.

The two machines aim the tips of their swords at each other and stop moving. The silence that descended after the fierce fight was like a tense string, and the tension also increased. The auditorium was silent, holding its breath as it awaited the coming finale.

Suddenly, there was an unusually sharp air intake sound in the field, which was the sound of Ear Camber running the molten power converter at full strength. The sound sounded like the roar of a mechanical Phantom Knight, and the tension was finally broken at this point—Earl Camber rushed out. Among the options, Edgar took a frontal assault. The steel made a heavy footstep that almost crushed on the slabs of stone, and sped out.

"It's really your style to come from the front at this time! Very good, I'll do my best!!"

No matter how big the difference in power is, if the speed can't compare to the other party, Trestal still can't receive this blow, so Haiwei also ordered Trestal to move forward. The scene of a fierce battle between the two sides rushed forward was as if it had recreated the scene at the beginning.

Of course, Trestal gave priority to a powerful attack on himself, and the two magic guides on his shoulders opened fire on Earcamper. Earl Camber defends with a shield and swings his sword to knock out spell hits. The sword skill of being able to use the sword to defeat the magic strike is certainly commendable, but Earl Camber, who swings the sword before the two sides are about to clash, is equivalent to burying his own opportunity to attack, which even the audience can see. It was at this point that Trestal approached Earcamper, and was about to deliver a powerful blow. Everyone, even Haiwei, thinks that it is too boring to take the initiative to take the initiative to attack, but then face the fate of being cut.

Of course, Edgar didn't swing his sword out of carelessness. It decided to use the sword as a defensive weapon from the start. Regain your grip on the most critical shield and secure it with your wrist on your shoulder. Earcambo immediately lowered his posture and spun his left body to rush forward.

"...... but!?it's a shield strike!!You want to hit it hard!?"

Haiwei noticed Earl Camber's movements at the last second, and quickly withdrew her sword, if she used her sword against the shield pushed by Earl Camber, she would suffer a big loss.

Edgar's goal is very simple, even if the attack method and pure output power are not comparable to the opponent, Earl Camber still has an advantage no less than the opponent, that is, "quality". It compensates for its lack of output with speed, turning itself into a bullet and charging at Trestal with all its might.

Driving skills aside, Trestal, who has a strong magic output, has an absolute advantage in Shan Chun's wrestling - Haiwei is absolutely happy about this, so she will choose to attack head-on. By the time she discovered Edgar's purpose, Trestal had no time to dodge. Because she herself sped up and had to do the same.

Trestal also raised his shield, and the two Phantom Knights collided violently.

Suddenly, it was as if the impact itself made a loud "bang" sound that resounded throughout the exercise ground. The shield that bears the force of the collision between the two planes is twisted, and the two sides are divided into active attackers and passive defenders.

Haiwei, who flinched from an unexpected attack, and Edgar, who deliberately collided at the beginning, was to enter this contact range from the beginning before rushing forward. Ulcampbell did not miss the great opportunity of great sacrifice, raised his right wrist, which was still moving, and stabbed the magic weapon on Tresthal's shoulder.

"You're amazing!!I'm not going to be fooled again!!"

Earl Camber's left arm was so badly injured that he could not move freely, but it was striking that Trestal was able to move his left hand after being impacted. The surviving rope-type crystallized muscles weren't intact, but they still exerted their power, pushing Earcumber back like a shield that was about to be smashed into each other.

"What!?Not only the output, but also the durability has been enhanced!?But I can't miss this opportunity......

"Go harder!Tresthal!!"

Earl Camber's thunderous stab crossed his opponent's shoulder, destroying the Wizard Armor. However, his desperate counterattack could only go so far. Tresthal's steady stream of output pushed Earcumber back, and Earcamper, who was a little unstable after the attack, completely lost his center of gravity.

"Whew, too reluctantly!"

"Done! Edgar!!"

Trestal had cracked the silk and slashed at Earcamper. Losing his balance, Earl Camber could not dodge the attack, and his injured left hand was no longer able to raise a shield to defend himself. Tresthal's sword was about to swing at the helpless Earcumber

- But the sword was not swung down, and Trestar fell to his knees.

It is difficult to express exactly what the atmosphere was in the exercise ground at that time, but perhaps "speechlessness" and "dumbfounded" are the most appropriate. Why did Tresthal, who had given the final blow, kneel on the ground? Seeing Earl Camber's equally stunned reaction, he knew that it was not caused by his counterattack at the perfect time. No one could have predicted that when the battle reached its climax, the moment when the victory or defeat was about to be shared, would be like this. Everyone didn't know how to react to the situation in front of them, and the entire exercise field was shrouded in a general unusual silence.

"......Ahhh

- I only heard El suddenly feel a strange scream echoing in the silent training ground.

"Now, let's have the first maintenance class reflection meeting. 」

A serious-looking Al solemnly announced the meeting. In the defense, Al, the boss, and other happy friends gathered, and everyone showed embarrassed expressions. Gail's eyes were a little wandering, as he usually did his own thing—he hesitated for a moment, and stole a glance at the reason for the awkwardness. In front of her was Haiwei, who was squatting in the corner of the workshop, sullen.

You could almost see a thick miasma emanating from him for the word "embarrassment". Although it wasn't all her fault, it was better to lose the battle than to lose the battle, so it's no wonder he was so frustrated.

The fact that the model machine Trestal was flawed was completely expected, but there was no need to pick and choose at that point in time - if you want to honestly describe the mood of everyone present, this is probably what happened. No, it's also because both sides are fighting hard before the winner is about to be decided, and the problem suddenly emerges, but these things can't comfort people at all.

"Ai, Senior Edgar, please go and cheer up Senior Haiwei......

"Hey, it's me!?Uh-huh, I'll figure it out......

Unable to hold back any longer, Al pushed Edgar to her side, and turned back heartily as he walked over with a desperate expression.

"Whew, that's it. Let's think about how to deal with new problems. 」

"Don't die, Edgar...... then, the problem is obvious. The more power, the greater the consumption. Very rightfully so. 」

Everyone was torn to face Tresthal on the maintenance table. Using rope-type crystallized muscles to increase the power output, the mana cost increases, and the mana savings are consumed faster.

In addition, due to the fact that the magic guide armor has become more user-friendly, the consumption of mana has also increased more than expected. In comparison, the crystalline muscles using rope-type technology do not increase much in weight, and the overall mana storage is only slightly increased, resulting in a significant reduction in the operating time of Tresthal. The timing found in the mock battle is certainly bad, but it is also reasonable to think about it closely.

"Considering a lot of factors, it's about half the time of a normal body...... which is terrible, isn't it?"

"It sucks. I even think it's a fatal flaw......

This time, the focus is on power enhancement, additional performance such as the timing of the launch of the magic guide uniform, and in short, it is all energy-consuming, so the problem of the imbalance in the transformation policy has been put on the table. After years of modification by the technicians, the Phantom Knight has allocated the capacity to the limit of the design of the design, which can be described as an artistic refining design, but it has produced the characteristics that cannot be arbitrarily modified.

That being said, sitting here and sighing is not the way to go. In order not to waste Haiwei's noble sacrifice in vain, she had to find a way to solve that flaw.

"The most important thing is that the mana supply can't keep up with the consumption...... but it's extremely difficult to change the source of supply, the mana conversion furnace, and it should be said that it is impossible. 」

Even Aier didn't care about the power furnace whose operating principle was unknown. These words made the surrounding students secretly breathe a sigh of relief in their hearts. If he could easily transform this, they would be overwhelmed.

"But even if you do, you can't change the fact that this structure is extremely expensive...... if you reduce the power, it will be too much to put the cart before the horse. 」

"The other thing is to increase the amount of mana savings...... how does the amount of mana savings increase?"

"To put it bluntly, it increases the amount of crystalline muscle. 」

"Can't you increase the capacity this way?"

"Since the increase is crystalline muscle, the consumption will also increase. 」

And so on and on.

"There are disadvantages of the rope type that you can't see. There is almost no increase in muscle mass itself. So the proportion of power and capacity is out of balance. 」

The severity of the problem is nerve-wracking to everyone, and it is indeed not so easy to solve, but hope has emerged from unexpected places.

"Isn't that an idea you're good at?"

As everyone fell into deep thought and sank, Artie, who had not spoken, spoke up. Hearing her speak, who rarely expressed her opinions in development meetings, Al couldn't help but ask:

"...... good idea?"

"That's right. "It's okay if it's not human"! You want to build muscle, but you don't have to be human, right?"

"It's okay if it's not ...... people...... I see. Yes, you're right. 」

To her, these words were just a matter of learning and selling what Al had said, and the person who said those words stared wide-eyed, and then slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Woo, you're right, but it was Artie who reminded me that ...... was really unwilling. 」

"It's too much!!Why!!?"

The Boss ignores the mad Artie and the chased Al. Her words also woke up the boss and led to the same conclusion. The so-called detachment from human form does not mean that it is "only" to adopt a different shape from human.

"yes! Adding crystalline muscles doesn't have to make it move. Connect with the silver nerve and push it into some extra space, just increase the 'volume' of the crystal muscle!"

"Heh, I'm sorry! Heha......I'm sorry, I apologize...... it's okay to ?...... boss, so you should try to increase the density of space, so you can't use fibers, you have to be blocky...... I think it's better to prepare plates. 」

Hearing Al's proposal, the Boss suddenly raised his head.

"Okay, now that it's decided, all that's left is to negotiate with the Alchemist Department and ask them for help. Let me say hello and wrap it around me!"

After finding a solution to the fatal problem, there was a relaxed atmosphere between the maintenance classes. Al on the side racked his brains and tried his best to appease Artie, who was still angry.

The Iron Giant creaked and screeched to his feet. It was ten meters tall and boasted a body that was more than five times larger than that of nearby humans. The rugged armor retains its original metallic hue, reflecting a dim glow in the sunlight. With each movement, there was a sound of hard armor colliding, and the noise became louder and louder.

The giant who stood up moved his body to check the situation, and nodded in response to the man at his feet. When it was sure that everyone in the vicinity had left, it paused and began to follow the instructions of the others.

The crystalline muscles and magic that covered the giant's hands began to contract. He immediately tensed his whole body, raised his arms vigorously, and bent his elbows again. Stretch your arms, shoulders and chest, and put your feet firmly on the ground – "Front Biceps Display". Next, gently step out your feet, lower your arms, and touch your fists in front of your stomach. Leaning forward slightly, you can squeeze out your arms and chest muscles with all your might, the most powerful and beautiful posture "Side Pectoralis Major Muscle Display". One by one, the Iron Giants struck a powerful, fluid pose.

"...... what kind of nerves are this going on...... no, what kind of experiment?"

"Hmm, according to the instructions, it seems that it is a test of the parts of the crystal muscles that are usually difficult to use. 」

"Who? Who set that kind of project?"

Looking at the model machine that was concentrating on various poses according to the experiment set by a silver-haired teenager, Edgar was dumbfounded and complained. The person who answered him was Hewei.

"No, it's good if it's a serious experiment...... uh, okay? really?......

"Really? Did the test of the second machine go well?"

"yes. There was a substitution just now, but it's going well. 」

Edgar's line of sight was followed by another Tresthal, known as the Second Machine, which had already begun other tests. In addition to these two airframes, other figures of Tresthal can be seen on the exercise ground, all of which are conducting various action tests