My body was on fire. A tremendous heat rushed through his body, centering on his heart, and transmitted explosive power to his limbs.

Zekage is the name of a fighting technique created by a bandit long ago.
The bandit, who was weak and had only enough offensive power to act as an assistant against illusions, obtained it as a last-ditch measure.
Intense physical training. The combination of mental unification and special breathing techniques gives the bandit a "speed" as if he is burning with life.

Speed is power. Its essence is more than just an increase in evasion ability.
The acceleration that leaves even sound behind, and the well-powered fists that are delivered by a superior sense of balance, can easily crush illusions and demons.

The scene was like a black storm.
In the vast space of the training ground, only the roaring sound of slender limbs shooting through the air and the sound of hard objects hitting metal echoed incessantly.

One of them was the Zekage. He wore a custom-made costume that did not inhibit any movement of his body, and the harsh metal shoes that were becoming his symbol.
Opposing him was a doll.
It was a black metal doll the size of a man, made to move only at the joints.

It was a human-sized black metal doll, made to move only at the joints.
He hooks her legs, makes her fall, and stomps on her. With the bottom of her palm, she lifts the body and slams it into the ground. Sometimes she takes your arm and throws you, sometimes she kicks you in the groin. The friction causes smoke to rise from the floor, but Liz never stops moving.
If her opponent had been a living creature, her breathless, flowing barrage would have taken her breath away.

The metal doll was really just a doll. It wasn't manipulable like a golem, nor did it have the power to think independently like an android, it was a lump of metal.
It is not a hollow object, but is filled with metal and coated with a special alloy on the outside, making it extremely heavy and sturdy.

The coating made it extremely resistant to both magic and physical attacks, and it was an imitation of the golem once known as Akasha.
The Akasha has a sophisticated mechanism to move its huge body at will. The doll Liz is dealing with has deteriorated too much in that sense, but it is at least as strong as Akasha.

Each blow was filled with murderous intent. Fists and kicks slammed the doll into the floor and into the wall over and over again.

A short distance away from the battlefield, Citri was observing his sister's frenzy with a notebook in his hand.
He had been kicked out of the previous Zekage for being too noisy, and had spent several hours holed up in the clan's underground training grounds.
The other clan members who were originally using the training ground also got fed up with the madness and left.

'Sis, it's impossible! Let's give up, okay? I've adjusted the durability of that thing so that it can withstand your attacks.''

'Shut up, Sito! I'm training, so shut up! Get ready for the next one!

'd*mn it! I don't have time for this either!

Her cheeks puffed out, but she didn't look at him.

Akasha's design concept is simple.

It's more than a Ghost of Sorrows. There's only one thing.

Based on the vast amount of data that Citry possesses, and making the most of the technology, funding, and connections of the magic society Akasha's Tower, the giant golem that was created after a long period of research is far more powerful than a golem.

Each member of the Ghosts of Sorrows has his or her own special strengths.
At first, it was just curiosity. At first, it was just curiosity, but soon, Citri became absorbed in the research.

It was no mean feat to match the unipolar members of the Ghosts of Sorrows.

Those were wonderful days. When he thinks back to those days of trial and error, Citri still recalls the excitement he felt at that time.
After much thought, with the help of his many talented brothers and sisters, and a great former sage, the conclusion he reached was simple.

One by one, carefully take measures against their strengths. This is also what hunters do when they challenge high-difficulty treasure halls.

After what could be called a delusional obsession, the completed "Akasha" was an amazing golem that surpassed anything that had ever existed.
Because of its purpose, "Akasha" is the natural enemy of the Ghost of Sorrows.

A shield that can withstand Luke's slashes. It has a continuous combat ability comparable to that of Anthem, which has extraordinary physical strength and stamina, as well as an advanced information judgment ability realized by human control.

Of these, particular emphasis was placed on the development of the body.
In order to make Akasha an enemy of the Ghost of Sorrows, it was necessary to have a metal body that could withstand Lucia's magic, which boasted an attack range that was nearly impossible to avoid, and the blows of Lies, whose speed made it difficult to even adjust her shield.

Not that he had any grudge against her, but that's where Citri spent the most money and time. He was uncompromising, even in the face of criticism from his brothers and sisters, his master, and even his superiors.

His sister, Lise, is a real talent. She has mastered the Zekage, which she was told would take years to master, and is now allowed to use that name.
His blows have nothing to do with hesitation or fear, and because of that, they are more powerful than his physical capabilities.

Lies is human. Her fists are not made to hit a lump of metal.
During the training, both clenched fists were covered in blood. Some of the bones were probably broken.
However, every time the wind blows, the floor is stained with blood, but there is no sign that his momentum or his steps are slowing down. He must be in pain, but there is no sign of weakness in his glowing eyes.

As a warrior and a hunter, it is clear that my sister is top-notch.
Her prime years are still ahead of her. In fact, Liz's athletic ability has greatly improved since she first developed the metal for her body.

However, it would be unbearable if Akasha's body, which took years to develop, was breached for that reason alone.
Of course, growth is taken into account. Citri had no intention of giving up this advantage to his sister for a while.

The connection to the Akasha Tower, which had come in handy in many ways, was no longer there.

'Big! Bad character! Bad! d*mn it! I can punch through armor! I didn't even have a secret special move!

'...... There's no way a Thief could have such a powerful move.'

I'm not sure what you're talking about. In the first place, the fact that you're trying to win against this golem alone with your bare hands is somehow wrong.



The strength of an alchemist is accumulation. Liz's training is also an opportunity for Citry to gather valuable data.

The Ghosts of Sorrows have been developing their party through friendly competition. Thinking about what would happen if Akasha's armor was breached, he had to come up with a new plan, so he couldn't afford to be complacent.

At that moment, Liz's movements, which had shown no signs of weakening, suddenly stopped.
The puppet that had been tossed about collapsed to the floor as if it had remembered. Breathing hard, Liz looked at Citrie.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face was red as if on fire, and he was sweating, but his steps were still firm.

'Sito, it's broken. Next!

'............'

He sighed deeply and headed towards the abandoned doll.
The doll was unmarked. The alloy it prided itself on was stained with Liz's blood, but there was hardly a scratch on it.



Lise grabbed the doll's right arm and forced it to stand up. The joint of the right arm - the elbow part - is exposed in front of Sitri's eyes.
The jointed part is more fragile than the surrounding area because it is movable. The special alloy coating was insufficient.
The main target, Akasha, has protective armor that does not interfere with its operation, but there is no way they could have done this to a toy like this.

As expected, the joints that were shown to us could not withstand the impact and were cracked severely.
Liz clucked her tongue and clammed her feet.

'Can't you do something about it?

'Don't complain! It was very difficult to prepare the same metal.

Akasha's research on the golem had long since been completed. There were few materials left, and the reason why so much effort was put into a single golem was because of the resources of Akasha's tower. To recreate it, we'll need resources and people equal to or slightly inferior to those of the Akasha Tower.

Even Citri's wealth is not infinite.
Even if it was for my sister's sake, I can't spend a lot of money on this kind of useless training.

I took out a metal repair potion from my potion bag and carefully poured it into the recess.
There was a small puff of smoke, and the cracks that had been there earlier disappeared, though slightly distorted. The strength was not the same as before, but there was nothing we could do.

In the first place, even if the joint is broken, it is just a doll, so there is no problem with training,......?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

You can't train like this. Hey, bring me that big annoying thing! Now!

'Don't be so selfish! You're the one who lost it! I was supposed to get it as a memento! Where did you take it?

With tears in her eyes, Citly retorts.

It was a masterpiece. A testament to our friendly competition. There was more to it than its high performance.
He had originally planned to receive it when he left the Tower of Akasha, but now it was missing.

When Citri returned to the Imperial Capital, there was no sign of him, so there was nothing he could do.
According to what I heard, he had returned home after fighting in the wilderness, abandoned. I rushed to look for it, but it was nowhere to be found.

Anything left outside the city implicitly belongs to the acquirer. Even though it would be difficult to bring back the huge Akasha, I really wish they had at least taken measures to prevent it from being stolen.

When Sitri said that, Liz's passion stopped immediately.

'...... So, leaving the useless talk aside, how much would it cost to make another one? I'll give you a little.

The ups and downs of her emotions are characteristic of this sister. She may be selfish and prone to fits of rage, but Liz is not stupid.
She brushes her sweat-soaked bangs away in annoyance and exhales hotly.

'So, if I don't do anything, you'll think I'm still having a hard time with you, right? Do you understand? This is a matter of pride! I can't leave it alone!

'...... I've got the blueprints in my head, but I'm a little short on cash right now--I'm also offering potions at cost on another matter, so it might take a while. ...... '

Sitri is not a merchant. Most of his total assets are held in the form of valuable equipment and materials.
We have a stock of potions, but they can't be sold in large quantities at once. It will take some time to dispose of them.

'............ Tsk. I'm not sure what to do with it, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

I'm not afraid to recreate Akasha. With Noto and the others gone, if Citri doesn't resume his research, that wonderful golem will never develop again. As the parent of Akasha, I regret that very much.

But I never thought that I would be in need of money. .......

At that time, the image of his best friend, who was always asking him for a favor, came to his mind and he broke down.

'Oh.

I muttered something I hadn't thought of.

Even though I lent it, there is no interest and no deadline for repayment.
Ava told me that she had told him not to borrow anymore and about repayment, but Citri didn't particularly care that he had lent her money.

He didn't really care that he was lending him money, because he didn't think that his best friend, who earned a lot of money as a hunter, would borrow money just to waste it.
Originally, Citry started collecting money in order to increase the number of things he could do - to increase his options. As for his hobby of buying treasures, he doesn't want to stop thinking about the fact that these treasures are sometimes useful in the search for the Ghost of Sorrows.

'Oh, there you are. Sitri, and Lizzie. Just as well.'

At that moment, the person I was just thinking about came into the training area.
Her sister's expression changed to a smile that seemed to blossom. When Kry came close to Sitri, she said with a somewhat apologetic expression.

'Citry, I'm sorry, but--'