Boom!!

As Rudy swung his fist, the golem's face blew off entirely.

"Dissolve."

Simultaneously, Ian used magic.

The part of the golem's leg where Ian placed his hand crumbled into the dirt and shattered.

The dirt, returning to its original state, fell to the ground.

Without its legs, the golem began to tilt as it lost its balance.

But it didn't fall.

As the legless golem tilted, dirt gathered at its feet, and in an instant, new legs formed.

Rudy narrowed his eyes and approached Ian.

"Really tough. How long do we have to do this?"

"His mana can't be infinite."

"Then he should have fallen by now. Why does he look perfectly fine?"

Rudy and Ian had been attacking the golem for hours already.

They tried slicing the body with spatial magic and chipping away at it with other attacks.

No matter how much they attacked, the golem didn't fall.

Sand continued to gather, repairing its body, and if left alone, the body even grew larger.

It only got stronger, never showing signs of weakening.

After hours of continuous mana consumption in battle, Ian and Rudy were gradually getting exhausted.

As they grew more tired and their opponent didn't budge, they felt increasingly drained.

Rudy clenched his fist.

"I don't think we can go on like this."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Run away?"

"Absolutely not. Considering we'd have to fight again later, it's better to finish it now."

So far, all the rebels they observed were strong in prolonged battles.

Aryandor uses time magic to heal, and Venderwood regenerates his body.

The Golem in front of them also possesses a similar ability, so it's clear they'll be a problem later.

"So, what will you do?"

"A war of attrition would be disadvantageous for us."

Rudy looked up at the golem's body.

Its body, growing larger.

If left alone, it would reach the size of almost a castle.

"Surely, Raven is supplying it with mana."

"That's right."

"Then shouldn't we just take down Raven."

It was easier said than done.

"A guy who lived even after being blown apart. You think we can kill him?"

"If he were a normal person, it would be natural to die when blown apart. It's also natural for mana not to be supplied when the heart is burst. He has a specialty doesn't he?"

Rudy slowly considered.

How he was still alive.

What his specialty was and how he used it.

"Are you talking about magnetic magic?"

Ian had also noticed.

Magnetic magic.

The magic that uses the force to attract and repel objects.

Like using a magnet, it could be applied in various ways.

With sparks flying as magic was used, and by utilizing attraction and repulsion, they notice upon closer observation.

"Including magnetic magic, he utilized a certain part of magic engineering as well."

To maintain a body, organs and various functions within the body are necessary.

The heart has its own role, and the lungs have theirs, sustaining life.

But what if there were something that could replace those roles?

Normally, one would have to attach various machines to perform the functions of the body, but it might not be strictly necessary.

He maintains his life using magic engineering products.

With magnetic magic, it could be made possible.

Magical tools could take on the role of organs, and something like biological signals could be sent through magnetic magic.

Magnetism itself made it possible to create tools that could replace the functions of the body.

There might be academic doubts about whether this is possible, but that was the only way he could live.

"However, he didn't have any magic engineering products on him."

"You don't know that. He could have implanted them inside his body."

There was one likely place for that.

If he can maintain his consciousness and use magic even after being blown apart.

"His head?"

He implanted a magic engineering product in his head.

He's prolonging his life with that product.

This was the most plausible theory.

"Then, if the mana in the magic engineering product is completely depleted, he would die. Are you suggesting we keep up the war of attrition?"

"Not exactly. The point is that he has a device that sustains his life."

There exists a core within him.

Rudy had encountered such beings before.

Undead revived through necromancy.

They also had cores made with mana stones.

If one considers that Raven's golem might also have such a core, it was somewhat manageable.

The problem was that it was a slightly different situation than the undead...

"I can read the flow of mana to roughly locate where the core is."

"You can't know for sure?"

"That golem itself is already an entity tightly bound by magic. It's as if currents are continuously flowing, spreading mana throughout its entire body."

The golem itself is maintained by magnetic magic.

Mana flows throughout its body, and if that mana is cut off, it would immediately fall apart.

Therefore, it was harder to find the core than with necromancy.

"Does that mean you can roughly know?"

"Yes, I can at least point out its approximate location."

As Rudy answered, the golem swung its fist at him.

Rudy glanced at the fist and lifted his foot.

Boom!!!

Rudy kicked the golem's fist, causing a loud noise.

The golem's arm exploded from Rudy's kick, and sand scattered around.

Rudy then turned to Ian, who had been watching, and asked,

"So, what will you do?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

Rudy kept asking Ian.

It was as if he was testing Ian.

"But you are the commander here, aren't you?"

Ian furrowed his brow.

Rudy wasn't just asking these questions because he was simply a commander.

"So, what will you do?"

Rudy asked, looking at Ian.

"......"

Ian pondered.

It wasn't really a question that needed pondering.

Ian could break through that golem.

He specialized in control magic.

Not just suppressing objects, but controlling and manipulating them.

The ability to disassemble, combine, and alter compositions.

Ian was good at spatial magic because he had learned such magic.

Essentially, spatial magic is about controlling space itself.

Merging spaces, moving them, controlling them.

It was very similar to how control magic is used.

However, Ian had a flaw despite knowing how to use such magic.

He lacked breakthrough power.

To kill an opponent, a significant final technique was needed.

But Ian didn't have such a technique.

While techniques using spatial magic compensated for this, it didn't create new techniques out of nothing.

Ian simply never felt the need for such techniques because he never had to properly fight someone of equal skill.

Ian was always above everyone else.

But, as Rudy suggested, breakthrough power was essential.

It wasn't just about destroying the core; effectively, Raven inside the golem had to be dealt with in one go.

Therefore, the best choice was for Ian to block the golem while Rudy made the breakthrough.

Ian slightly turned his head and looked at the soldiers.

Numerous soldiers were watching this situation.

If Ian blocked the golem here, and Rudy finished the situation, all the credit would go to Rudy.

'What will you do?'

Rudy's words echoed in his head.

Ian thought.

What will I do?

Which option should I choose in this situation?

"Huff......"

Ian took a deep breath.

Then he looked at Rudy.

"I'll break through. You kill Raven."

Ian had made his decision.

He chose the best option available.

Rudy asked Ian.

"Are you sure about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

Ian's lips curled up.

"Do you think I'll lose the Duke position over such a trivial amount of credit taken by you?"

Ian had been contemplating.

Rising to the position of a Duke, what should he do?

Is it okay to just aim for the Duke position?

He hadn't found an answer to these questions yet.

But Ian didn't care.

He would do his best to rise to the Duke position.

He would think about what comes after that later.

Once he reached that position, wouldn't a different landscape be visible?

He was immersed in the tasks at hand right now.

He will do his best here.

He will do the best he can with what he was capable of.

Thus, he heads towards his goal.

"I am Ian Astria. The person who will become the Duke of the empire doesn't cloud his judgment for such trivial reasons. And I won't lose to someone who thinks of the Duke position as merely a tool."

He had reached his own answer.

Ian appeared more confident than ever before.

Rudy smiled at that sight.

"Good."

"Don't make any mistakes."

"I won't."

The two walked forward.