I held my breath and hurried to the point where the response was gone.
　As usual, the security people are still hanging around in various places, but fortunately, they don't seem to be in the same place the golem was.

　I lower myself and look around.
　Then, I saw a single shadow lying in the darkness.

''........That one?''

　It has changed form since then, and there is no mistaking the shape of the wolf he remembers. The Wraiths stare at the golem, which hasn't moved even a twitch. There is no particular trauma, and as expected, it is probably out of magic power.

　This is the perfect opportunity to secure it.

　However, I take a precaution.

It's not a good idea to have a newborn baby.
Well, I don't know if they'll ever get through.
It's better than nothing.

　Rulimes nodded and covered the perimeter with a wall of dirt while the golem was down. If the security people come, they'll know in one shot, but I don't care at this point. I'm ready to stop the golem here.

　Wraith makes eye contact with Raffy and the others and approaches the golem. And if you reach out your hand, it will come within reach. The only thing left to do is to touch this body and use magic to lift it up and retrieve it.

　While the Wraiths are watching, Lurimes' hand slowly approaches the golem.
　And just before their fingertips touch.

　-- As if it had sensed it, the golem's body bounces vigorously.

　The golem jumps back with an agile motion and prepares for battle. I should say, after all, it seems they won't let it end so easily.

　However, when it comes to this, one question comes to mind.
　Why is it that I can't feel the magic power all of a sudden? Right before coming to this place, there was definitely no magic power response. This was definitely because Rulimes and the others had confirmed this every step of the way.

''Master, can you feel the magic power now?''
Yeah, I can feel it now!
''What's reasonable is that you don't consume magic when you're not moving?

　If that's the case, then maybe--

'Raffy, try attacking me with your sword again.
But...
'No, I don't care if you hit the attack or not. I just want to check something.
I'll take care of that for you.

　Raffy once again holds his sword at the ready.
　The golem is probably wary of the walls that surround it, and does not try to run off as suddenly as it did earlier.

　If you want to make a move, it's now or never.

''Huh!''

　Raffy exhales sharply and steps in, reminiscent of the first encounter. He swings his sword in a sideways nudge with the same momentum as he was fleshed out in one fell swoop. However, this is also just barely evaded, and the golem quickly retreats. Raffy doesn't mind being evaded, and continues to attack as Wraith says.

　Raffy and the golem move around violently, left and right.
　It's a fierce attack and defense that Wraith's eyes can't catch. If they had been able to make golems of this level long ago, there would have been far less of a situation where Wraith would have been in danger.

　The sound of metal feet kicking the dirt mixed with the sound of hard soles kicking the dirt. That was followed by the sound of air being cut repeatedly hitting my ear folds, and yet the attack never stopped.

　After a little while, the attack and defense, which seemed to go on forever, changed.

　A high-pitched metallic sound resounded in the space where only the sound of kicking earth and the sound of a sword cutting the sky existed.

　That moment could be captured even by Wraith's eyes.
　The cutting edge of the sword wielded by Raffy reached the side of the golem's body slightly. The golem, which left a faint cut on its body, retreated significantly as if in alarm.

''It hit........''

　The person himself did not expect to be hit, even if it was only snatched, but he was looking at his own sword as if he was surprised. However, Wraith was half convinced that his prediction was correct at that point.

　He wondered.

　Why would it be so troublesome to mimic turning into a human while having such a high level of mobility? Of course, it would have been meant to fool humans, too. However, once he was detected, he should be able to run away as fast as he could in his wolf form. That would be much safer for the golem.

　However, the reality was the mysterious phenomenon of the magic power response disappearing.

　I don't know if I can control the consumption of magic power at will, but what is certain is that the golem's magic power is not enough. The proof of this was Raffy's attack, which didn't seem to hit for a long time. Although it's only slightly, its movements must be starting to slow down.

　We don't know when they will run out of magic power, but if they continue to attack, that moment will definitely come.

　--I can do it.

　Neither swords nor magic work, and at first I was wondering how to stop it, but the basic fact that you can't move without magic power as long as you're a golem doesn't change. The amount of magic power it consumes is high for its extraordinary performance.

　Besides, there are no magic stones that are so conveniently filled with magic power nearby, like when the magic power was taken away from the students' golems. Supplying magic power from the current situation could be seen as almost impossible.

The only thing that's left to do is to keep that golem moving for a little while longer, Raffy. If it's possible, you can destroy it.

　I'm sorry Raffy, but you'll have to work a little harder. But Raffy wasn't looking at the Wraith, and was staring at the golem the whole time.

　The Wraith turned its attention to the golem, too. Then, it was not the golem in wolf form that was there. What was standing there was a humanoid golem wearing something that looked like armor and holding a silver sword in both hands.

　It was very different from the shape Wraith had created during the experiment. First of all, he wasn't wearing any armor, and he only had one sword. If you look at the figure alone, it doesn't look like a knight.

　The golem quietly pointed the tip of his sword at Raffy.
　It's a big change, considering that all this time he's only been evading and not showing any intention to engage.

　Still, from the Wraith's point of view, even if the golem has the intent to fight, it doesn't have the intent to kill. That's probably the only thing that makes me feel safe.

　Looking at the performance of the golem so far, I only have a bad feeling about this figure like a battle form. I'm expecting it to run out of magic power, but it won't be something that will come to me right now.

　Until then, will I be able to keep that golem on the run?

''Let's go........''
What? You can talk?

　As the Wraith looked at the golem with increased caution, it spoke in a distorted mechanical sound. Although he knew it was close to intelligence, Wraith was astonished, as he didn't expect it to speak words. At that moment, this time the golem stepped hard on the ground and closed the distance.

......

　Raffy catches one of the swords swung down with his sword belly with superhuman reflexes. As the other remaining sword comes at him from the side, he slides the sword he caught and uses his momentum to evade the direction of the sword's approach. He manages to escape to the outside of the reach.

'You're strong... or rather, if you have the intelligence to talk, why don't you stop quietly?

　Raffy muttered to himself without much hope. In contrast, the golem clanked its armor heavily with a clunk and readied its sword.

'Muda,'

　A part of me had thought that just before, I might be able to take it to destruction without having to wait for the magic power to run out, but looking at the current offense and defense, it would be tough for Raffy alone.

''Master, Sylvia, Rotia, please use your magic to cover Raffy so she doesn't get in the way.

　The three of them nodded at Wraith's words and looked at the golem's figure with concentration. I don't know if magic can really work on that body dyed in silver, but if it can obstruct some movement, that's enough.

　As Raffy and the golem cross swords again, ivy grows out from under the golem's feet. However, the golem's reaction was swift, and it cut off the ivy in an instant, even while it was engaged with Raffy.

　Rather than becoming a defensive battle, the golem attacked Raffy the same way.

　The Wraith watches the scene in front of him as magic flies and the sound of sword fights resounds. What the Wraith, who has no combat ability at all, can do is completely non-existent. If the Wraith had the ability to intervene in that place, there were things I wanted to try.

　If the Wraiths broke into that battle, they wouldn't be slashed to death, but they would be made to faint. More than anything else, it would get in the way of Raffy and the others........

　The golem's toughness is much more noticeable than Wraith had imagined. Even though its movements have slowed down once, it still doesn't seem to be hitting its attacks since it turned into a human form. It's a scene that makes me wonder if it's really close to running out of magic power.

　It makes me wonder if the fight will continue like this forever.

''........Let's just try to do it.

　Wraith changed his position and moved closer to Raffy and the others. Raffy and the others also noticed the Wraiths suddenly moving and stopped fighting once.

''What's going on, Wraith?''
No, it just seemed like a lost cause. I wanted to try something. I want to get close to that golem.
Isn't it tougher with you, Ray, or...?

　No matter how you look at it, Wraith's physical abilities don't even allow him to approach. Rulimes looks at his apprentice as if he were a suicidal man.

'I know that better than anyone. That's why I want my masters to stop that golem's movement, even if only for a moment.
It's a very difficult thing to say, even for a moment...
'Well, if you can, that's fine. And if you can't do it, then you can keep the golem running.
'I'll try my best...'
I understand!
I just want to go home.

　Some of them are complaining about it, but we manage to get their approval. It's probably a 50-50 split as to whether they can stop the golem's movement, but that's a gamble now.

I'm going to have to ask.

　The voice was the signal for Lurimes and the others to prepare for the magic. Wraith didn't even watch them and started running at the same time as Raffy. However, there was no way he could keep up with Raffy's speed, so naturally he was left behind.

　By the time Raffy reached the golem, the Wraith still had a few meters to go. But considering the preparation time for magic, this is about right.

　Wraith trusted Lurimes and the others and moved his feet as it was, leaving only his purpose in his mind. When the Wraith was almost to the golem, a magic was released from behind.

　An ice enclosure covers the golem in an instant.

　It is not intended to destroy the golem, but only to stop it from moving.

　However, as a matter of course, the golem destroys the ice. A high-pitched sound resounded, and ice crystals flew through the air while shining in the moonlight.

　In the midst of a scene that seemed somewhat fantastical, the figure of Wraith reached out his hand in front of the golem.

''Nu?''

　Perhaps because Raffy was the only one who had ever approached and attacked, the golem makes a somewhat confused sound. Wraith, who has no time to spare, has left even that voice out of his consciousness and is desperately reaching out to the golem.

　And as soon as his hand touches the silver armor.

''Transformation.''

　One of the steps of the golem creation procedure is performed on the spot. But in this situation, though, the goal is not to create a shape, but to break it down.

　In the past, the Wraith had been able to change its shape smoothly in the creation of the golem, but it's not so easy now. Apparently, the golem also seems to have sensed Wraith's intentions and is resisting. Strange phenomena are occurring, such as the silver armor distorting and returning to its original shape.

'Be quiet and listen to your maker...!
It's no use.

　The two forces seem to be in opposition to each other.
　Perhaps because it was created by the Wraith's alchemy, it seemed to have the power to resist the Wraith's alchemy.

　However, the distortion of the armor was becoming larger, albeit a little bit at a time. The Wraith put a lot of force into his legs, and swept up his strength.

''Nu, ooohhhh...!

　At the same time as the mechanical sound screamed out, the area around the chest of the armor popped up. What was exposed from there was a purple glowing magic stone. In other words, it was the core location of the golem.

　Striking this place would be the end of even this golem.

　In an attempt to stop the activity of the magic stone while it's still active - I suddenly notice that the golem in front of me looks strange.

''What...?''

　The magic stone embedded in his chest flickered bewitchingly. Eventually, the magic stone, which shone strongly, caused a strong wind to blow throughout the surrounding area.

　The Wraith that was near the golem was lightly blown away and fell to the ground.

''Wraith, are you alright!
Oh, yeah, but...

　Wraith looks at the golem as he raises himself up.

'What ... has it gotten bigger?

　His height, which should not have been much different from that of the Wraith, has now been transformed into a massive body of over two meters. His arms and legs have grown thicker, and the swords he holds in both hands have become thicker and larger swords.

　The magic stone on his chest remained unchanged and exposed to the same defenselessness, but somehow it seemed to shine more eerily than before. Heartlessly, it seemed to be pulsing like a heart.

''........How many times does your golem have to repeat the power-up to make you feel better?''
''Haha.......as expected of Mr. Wraith, I should say.

　The words of the sisters who spill that bitterly, even the Wraiths want to ask someone why. It is true that the last boss in the story repeats power-ups that seem like cheating in the second and third forms over and over again, but I don't want such elements to be brought out into reality.

　No one here wants a second round.

''Rei-kun, I think I might have figured out the cause of that magic flow anomaly you were talking about before.
'Master, now is not the time to talk about it. Look at what's in front of you. He's already a great monster.
No, it's rather important information. That golem is probably taking in magic power from the outside world! That's why I think the flow of magic power was abnormal.
...What does that mean?
So it can replenish itself with magic on its own?

　Wraith felt mildly dizzy.
　Where has the golem's weakness of consuming magic power gone?

''Everything's already there!　What are we really going to do about it!
''Well, even so, I don't think the amount of magic power needed for a full range of activities can be provided... Even when the magic reaction was gone, he probably didn't consume any magic power, but instead focused on absorbing it.
...and that too.

　Wraith nodded calmly at Lurimes' calm words. It was true that there were times when his movements were slowing down. The fact that he would be lacking in magic power doesn't change the fact that he would be lacking in magic power.

　Besides, there is another weakness that is now bare.

''Either we're out of magic power first or we have to do something about that magic stone first... well, either way, we have to do it.

　Wraith looked at the golem, which continued to let out a kind of unspeakable roar, and gave a blank smile.