I could see water flowing below the broken road—a vital aqueduct supplying various parts of the Inner Circle.

Although it wasn’t very wide, it didn’t matter; the automaton carriage couldn’t jump across.

Amidst the chaos, the Regressor shouted.

“The road is split! What’s going on? There wasn’t any sign of this...!”

“Leader! Orders!”

“You only call me leader at times like this...! Tsk, hold on!”

The Regressor twirled Jizan and drove it into the carriage's floor. The vehicle shuddered violently as Jizan pierced through and touched the ground.

The grinding noise of Jizan against the ground was deafening. The unintended brake made the automaton carriage uncontrollable.

Gripping the wildly shaking control stick, I yelled.

“Ahhh! The carriage is breaking apart!”

“Quiet! I need to concentrate, stop talking!”

The Regressor stirred Jizan, still embedded in the ground, in a tight circular motion.

A small, circular vortex formed at the sword's tip.

As the heaviest sword in the world moved smoothly, the ground followed its motion, undulating in response.

“Everyone hold on! We’re going to crash!”

“It’s not a crash! It’s an ascent!”

The Regressor shouted back, abruptly releasing her hold on the ground she had been manipulating.

Terra Firma Art, Ground Surge.

Glancing back, the road we had just passed now appeared crumpled.

It looked like a long sheet pulled taut, creating folds.

The ground, manipulated by Jizan at its peak, now lifted under her command.

At that moment, the front seats of the automaton carriage—the passenger seat and driver’s seat that seemed inseparable—were permanently separated. Jizan had split them.

But I couldn’t complain. Her maneuver had created an impromptu bridge over the broken road.

“Step on-! Oh, already doing it?”

You should have told me to step on it earlier! If I couldn’t read your mind, I’d be struggling to make an emergency stop by now!

You should feel some fear too!

“Oh, right! This is the accelerator pedal!”

“What were you doing besides driving?!”

“Accelerating! But anyway—AZZYYYYY!!!”

“Woooffffff!”

Rumble.

The automaton carriage reached its limit, accelerating towards the makeshift ramp with a test of its limits.

Luckily, the Regressor had split the front, lifting the wheels slightly.

Unfortunately, her action also slowed the vehicle down.

Thud

For a brief moment, the automaton carriage experienced weightlessness.

It felt like gravity had disappeared, and time slowed down.

Originally designed for systematic and sturdy road networks, the vehicle fell apart without that foundation.

What seemed intimidating before the jump now felt slow and awkward, and it became increasingly clear that the automaton carriage would crash into the aqueduct.

Before the Regressor could use another power to avert disaster, I called for additional force.

“Azzy!! Push! Dog sled!!”

“Woof! woof! woof!”

Azzy leaped, kicking the rear of the luggage compartment with a bang.

The automaton carriage, spurred by the dog’s strength, experienced a dramatic surge in acceleration.

The vehicle shifted horizontally about a meter with a crackling sound.

My neck and back rattled like a poorly crafted doll.

But... the automaton carriage did cross the aqueduct!

I turned to see Azzy, the hero of this daring feat.

“Woof?”

Having used all her strength, Azzy flailed in the air, left without any footing.

Our eyes met as she began to plummet.

Her flailing limbs made her look pitiful.

“Goodbye, stepping stone...”

“WOOOFFFFF!”

Azzy fell into the aqueduct.

Well, she'll probably surface soon enough.

But for now, we have a bigger problem.

“We’re landing!”

I shouted, diving into the shadow below the driver’s seat.

Ducking in a tight spot before impact was a risky move unless you had a vampire who could manipulate darkness.

As I squeezed into the shaded area away from sunlight, soft darkness enveloped me.

This wasn't a metaphor. The darkness was literally ‘soft.’

Crash.

I felt the impact of the landing, causing my body to jolt. However, there was no real shock, just mild dizziness.

The darkness, surrounding me gently, whispered in my ear.

[Such reckless maneuver. Hu, was it necessary to fall like this?]

“With a long fight ahead, it’s better to avoid using darkness in broad daylight. Is the luggage compartment okay?”

[Do not worry. The darkness is my domain. They are unharmed.]

Nabi and Shiati in the luggage compartment were safe.

Nodding, I stood up.

[What happened? Did the road suddenly break?]

“It didn’t break, it got split.”

[By whom?]

I didn’t need to respond. The Regressor did it for me.

“Warforger!!”

Approximately 2.4 km away, someone with a monocle was watching us.

The distance allowed me to brush against his thoughts with my mind reading.

Though I couldn’t see him clearly, the Regressor’s Seven Colored Eyes saw everything vividly.

The creator of all weapons, the designer of all armaments. The monster of understanding.

The Creator.

The alchemist closest to the Philosopher’s Stone.

The King of Gears.

The Warforger, Maximilien.

Looking like an innocent child, he twisted his lips into a smile and silently mouthed something to the Regressor, who stared back at him.

｢Level 1, passed.｣

The Regressor, infuriated by his taunting smile, stepped onto the automaton carriage and shouted.

“That bastard...! It’s a trap!”

“A trap? So the bridge was broken in advance?”

“No! That bastard…! He broke it from that distance!”

How could he break the bridge from such a distance? The answer came swiftly.

“With the gears embedded in this ground!”

Clink, clink.

Was it because perception affects the senses?

As soon as the Regressor mentioned it, the sound of grinding metal filled my ears.

No, it was actually happening.

All around us, the noise echoed… like the rustling of millions of ants—faint yet distinct.

We had stepped on a surface made entirely of gears.

***

The Military State was a fragile nation forged in civil war.

To safeguard this newborn country, the Hero of the Military State, the Esteemed General, The Warlord, who led the coup, assembled talents from across the globe.

The Sunderspear and the Mage Marshal were prominent figures even during the kingdom era, and the Gunmaster was purely from the Military State.

Those three Star Generals were native to the Military State.

In contrast, the latter three Star Generals were outsiders brought in from foreign lands.

The Warforger, Maximilien.

The Camarilla, Zigrund.

The Envoy, Eimeder.

Their backgrounds, reasons for coming, and powers remained largely veiled in mystery.

However, after spending 25 years in the Military State, rumors inevitably surfaced. Their capabilities could be vaguely discerned from their deeds.

Warforger Maximilien was the director of the Military State’s Bureau of Arms Development.

He was a master of standard magic, a Qi practitioner who had reached the Axiom.

And an alchemist who had mastered the pinnacle of his craft.

The weapons and equipment he created were widespread, and anyone in the Military State might have seen his name on tools, marveling at its intricacy.

The architect of all things. His ability was...

“Gears! He can manipulate gears as long as they don’t break! Unconditionally!!”

“What does ‘unconditionally’ mean?”

“Literally! No matter how big the opposing force is, the gears will turn! As long as they don’t break!”

A small gear nestled in your palm.

If you interlocked it with several others, progressively increasing in size, you could induce substantial changes simply by rotating the small gear, like moving a giant’s arm…

This concept only applied in an ideal world with no friction, and light, sturdy gears.

However, there was someone who could almost embody this childish fantasy.

Warforger Maximilien could manipulate gears right to their breaking point.

The higher the alchemical grade of the gear, the greater the force it could generate.

And within the Military State, the Warforger was the best alchemist.

In the realm of gears, he might even be the best in the world.

A straightforward, one-dimensional power.

Turning circular, toothed wheels of steel to achieve nearly miraculous effects.

But bolstered by his talents as an alchemist and his understanding as a grand designer...

｢In a battle, it would manifest differently...! Solving everything with gears, I have no idea what form it will take in this timeline!｣

Capable of creating anything with gears.

Creak.

The precisely calibrated gears emitted a metallic sound, an off-key tension signifying exerted force.

The Regressor detected the change, and I too sensed the danger.

“Watch out!”

But it was too late. As I struggled to grasp the situation, the manipulation of his gears, transmitted through dozens of gears and steel rods, birthed something from the ground beneath us.

I sharply turned the control stick, but the damaged automaton carriage responded sluggishly.

Even if I reacted swiftly, the automaton carriage couldn’t.

Crunch.

An instant barrier shot up from below, crushing the front wheels.

It felt like an uppercut, delivering a perfect hit to the automaton carriage, making it violently lurch.

Fortunately, due to the Regressor's earlier intervention, the impact was mitigated.

It was akin to a mop handle coming loose, but the shaft remained relatively unharmed.

Phew, thank goodne–

“It’s too soon to relax, Huey.”

I turned to the voice beside me.

Unlike me, who was close to death, Historia and the princess rode Selphy alongside us nonchalantly.

Mounted on the noble white horse, they didn’t seem to have as much trouble.

The aqueduct was narrow enough for Selphy to leap across effortlessly, trotting beside us.

A horse can jump, unlike this automaton carriage!

“Being a horse is the best! While I struggle to maneuver this thing, the horse is carefree!”

Despite her bound arms, Historia maintained perfect balance on Selphy even though it looked like she might slip.

For a martial artist at her level, it was child's play.

Historia seemed more concerned about my well-being amidst the rough ride.

“I warned you, Huey. The Military State’s dark side is more sinister and powerful than this.”

“I’m feeling it right now!”

“The Warforger... Director Maximilien’s hobby and specialty lies in crafting things with gears. Even Uncle Patraxion might struggle within his domain. And outside of it, his ability is no joke either.”

“Stop stating the obvious! Give me a solution!”

｢It’s okay. It’ll be okay. A Star General's position isn’t earned lightly. This should... still leave room for negotiation.｣

Negotiation? With whom?

You need to realize your own situation first. Being tied up and still following us…

If you want negotiations, start with us, not the Military State!

“I suppose a negotiation is necessary.”

“If you don’t tell me now, I’ll start spreading rumors that the mysterious, perverted and tied up martial artist fighting for our cause is actually you.”

Historia’s mouth shut tight at my stern warning.

While it wasn’t enough to provoke her, thankfully, I had allies nearby.

“What? P-Pervert? Hey! Take that back! The Gunmaster isn’t a pervert! She fought for us!”

“Fighting with bound hands and only her legs is pretty perverted.”

“Perverted? It was amazing! Her poised stance, and those long, flexible legs! Such incredible balance! If you knew anything about martial arts, you’d be impressed!”

“I may not know martial arts, but her composure is impressive. To be so confident in that state. Are the ropes like her mask?”

“Both of you, cut it out.”

Despite the princess’s passionate defense, harmless words often cut the deepest.

Clear water seeps into the body most deeply.

Historia couldn’t hold out any longer and declared her surrender.

“It’s simple. The easy way is to get out of the gears’ range, the hard way is to break the gears.”

“Oh! ...Wait, isn’t that obvious? Run away or break it… That’s your advice?”

“Even Director Maximilien can’t easily forge Grade 5 Alchemic Steel. He needs specialized materials for Grade 4, and usually works with Grade 3.”

“Grade 3 Alchemic Steel is still very strong! It’s more than enough to crush people!”

As we wasted time on marginally useful advice, the end drew near.

The Thundergear of the automaton carriage gave its final groan.

One of the seven major inventions of the Military State, the self-spinning Thundergear.

Despite the opposition from the Sanctum, the Military State aggressively commercialized it.

Harnessing lightning power to propel the vehicle, it was an all-wheel drive vehicle.

The Thundergear alone drove the automaton carriage.

Despite its resilience, the Thundergear finally fell silent after a shock from below.

Now, it was only inertia that carried the automaton carriage forward.

But it was slowing down, a fact that was confirmed as Selphy gradually overtook us.

Historia added a comment as if she just recalled.

“Oh, the automaton carriage was also designed by the Director. He could disable it easily.”

“Why do you give the most useful advice at the most useless time?! As expected, you're a spy!”

Spy or not, she was still a Star General.