"Ah, I just want to do some research~."

As I muttered this while walking down the corridor, the Evil Organization’s combatants passing by flinched and started casting wary glances in my direction.

Though I didn’t recall doing anything particularly villainous, I was undeniably an evil scientist. A mad scientist, a high-ranking member of the organization rumored to kidnap people and turn them into monsters.

I swept my gaze over the terrified combatants and entered my lab. As soon as the door closed, I could hear their relieved sighs from all around. Listening to that sound made my fingertips itch.

‘Should I just bring them in for research?’

Perhaps because I’d been involved in various experiments lately, the research drive that I’d barely managed to suppress was starting to surge again. The problem was that none of the research I conducted here could truly satisfy my thirst for achievement.

Every study in this world was just an application of the knowledge I already possessed, not something that would fill any gaps or expand my understanding.

The intellectual curiosity that made me a scientist, that insatiable urge to uncover the truth of the world, was flaring up again like a chronic affliction.

‘Isn’t there something interesting going on?’

But, knowing that dream could never come true again, I diverted my gaze and fiddled with my smartphone. The internet, allowing one to observe the other side of the world from the comfort of one’s room, was undoubtedly humanity’s greatest invention.

While scrolling through social media and wasting time watching people flaunt their lives, a particular post caught my attention. A procession of hundreds of androids, marching like an army in formation.

At first, I thought it was a fake video made with AI, but to my surprise, it wasn’t. The androids in the video were none other than U City’s famous Angel series, and the location was in the heart of U City.

An army of machines was crossing the city.
The road they were marching down had a sign pointing in their direction.

[E City ↑]

The legion was heading for E City.

One of the things that had greatly improved with the changing times was that, with just a smartphone and internet access, the average person could obtain information comparable to that of a spy agency.

The advancing robot army was no exception. People didn’t miss this peculiar event, and it was being filmed by everyone, from broadcasters to influencers, each holding their cameras to document the robotic march.

Of course, if anyone got too close, for some reason, the cameras would malfunction, preventing the general public from approaching easily. But regardless—the robots’ advance was broadcast everywhere, across the internet and news channels.

News of this quickly reached E City.

“—This isn’t your doing, right, Scientist?”

“It sounds like you’re making me out to be the root of all evil…”

As I gave Regalia a reproachful look, she made a thoughtful hum and tilted her head with a faint smile.

“Still, wasn’t it ultimately your fault every time something happened recently? It’s only logical to suspect you whenever something happens here.”

“No matter what you say, it truly isn’t my fault this time.”
“Hmm… Is that so? Then I apologize for the suspicion.”

Regalia casually offered her apology, then asked about the robot army.

“So? Do you know what these things are and why they’re coming to E City?”
“Well, as for them…”

I explained to the boss about the robot army from the news. They were androids created in U City, entirely hijacked by a villain.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t determine why that villain was coming to E City. Not even Newton, one of the world’s greatest scientists, could predict human insanity. Analyzing and understanding human behavior was an impossible, meaningless endeavor.

“Hmm… Very well. Is there anything here we need to worry about?”
“No, not particularly.”
“Good. So, I can just trust you to handle it as usual?”
“If you truly have faith in me, yes.”
“Who else would I trust if not you?”

With the go-ahead from the boss to do as I saw fit, I headed straight to the lab. I turned on the TV to monitor the robots’ advance in real-time and estimated when they would reach E City.

The speed of the marching robot army was faster than that of ordinary infantry, but not as swift as transport via vehicles or trains. It was clear that their march would take several days.

And that amount of time was more than enough.

‘First, I’ll remodel the whole city…’

Money, time, and motivation—I had plenty of each. I had already devised a strategy to counter this irrational machine-controlling villain. Now, all that remained was to defend through trial and error.

‘Come on, a little faster—’

Before my burning passion melts the world away.

One week.
That was how long it took the robot army, which faced occasional interference from heroes and the military, to reach E City. The villain Meister, who led the march, looked around at the empty city and tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s going on with this city? Why is no one here?”

He didn’t know it, but to the residents of E City, this was nothing unusual. Whenever a villain appeared, they would take refuge in shelters and treat it as a break. From children to the elderly, every resident of E City was well-acquainted with this weekly event.

So what Meister encountered was not terrified citizens but the Evilusloids sent out by Evilus Corporation to counter the robot army.

Seeing this, Meister let out a laugh.

“…Hah, sending androids against me?”

He seemed unaware of what had happened to U City. Deciding to make them suffer the same fate, Meister activated his ability. A faint electromagnetic field spread out, taking control of all nearby machinery.

Deus ex machina, the father of machines. A supernatural power that granted him absolute dominance over machinery, akin to Regalia’s regal authority.

However.

[Target detected. Initiating fire.]

“—What?”

The Evilusloids ignored his power completely and started shooting. As bullets rained down on the Angel series from U City, Meister pondered what was going on. It didn’t take him long to figure it out.

Shockingly, the androids before him were not machines.
They were Dragon Bone Soldiers, artificial lifeforms that breathed.

“Damn… And they call these androids?”

Seeing the artificial lifeforms masquerading as androids, Meister cursed. Meanwhile, the Angel series retaliated. Despite the overwhelming performance gap between the two models, that difference meant little.

On one side was a master who commanded machines, but on the other side, there was nothing to control.

“Go ahead and crush them.”
[—Affirmative. Executing order.]

The Angel series, enhanced through his power, charged at the Evilusloids. Over decades of handling all kinds of machines, Meister’s ability had evolved beyond mere control, enabling him to amplify their original specs.

This enhancement, although temporary, could overpower even higher-level opponents. Outmatched in both quantity and quality, the Evilusloids were quickly overwhelmed, and whatever mechanical parts they possessed were stripped and stolen by the Angel series.

“This isn’t what I came here for…”

Muttering to himself, Meister suddenly noticed a man approaching him from a distance. Alone on the empty city road, the man’s presence was commanding. Even though he wasn’t large, his aura was overwhelming.

Radiating an aura that dominated the entire city, the man waved at Meister with a friendly grin, as if greeting an old friend after years apart.

Swallowing hard, Meister prepared himself to activate his ability at any moment.

“…Who are you?”
“A guard dog.”
“What?”
“Or, in other words, an evil scientist.”
“A scientist? How could someone like you…”

As Meister muttered, the evil scientist pulled a smartphone from his lab coat pocket. Meister instinctively activated his ability, only to realize that his power had no effect on the device. He grimaced.

‘Is it not a machine? But it looks like a smartphone…’

Briefly catching his breath, the scientist smirked as he looked at Meister, who was gasping for air.

“—After watching you a few times, I’ve got a good grasp of your ability.”
“A grasp? Of what?”
“So if you’re hiding anything else, it’d be best to bring it all out.”

Beep.

At that moment, as the scientist tapped his smartphone, Meister felt control over the Angel series slip away.

A chill ran down his spine. The fear gripping his body surpassed even that of having a gun pointed at his head.

“W-What the—?”
“Territory contest.”
“Territory…?”

Meister looked at the evil scientist in bewilderment, then realized that the androids under his control were now pointing their weapons at him. Though he tried to reclaim control with his power, a single tap from the scientist negated his efforts each time.

This back-and-forth struggle continued, and Meister began to understand the scientist’s words on a visceral level.

A territory contest.
A duel with their lives on the line.