“So… you knew? You knew, yet you allowed all this? Why…?”

Maro’s eyes narrowed as all focus was on the little child. Her behavior was not normal.

Why would she act in such a manner despite knowing so much?

“Hmm… because I was curious?” Ana murmured, giving a most surprising response.

“What? Do you not realize the kind of situation you’re in?”

Lydia knew humans were foolish at times, but not to this extent.

‘I should just kill her–no, I’ll capture her instead–and get this over with…’

“My situation? What about it?”

“U-uh?” Lydia was unable to bear the girl’s stupidity any longer.

“I believe you’re misunderstanding something here…”

Now using her fingers to tilt her glasses, the girl called Ana gave a charming smile.

“You’re going to die here… Lydia.”

That was the height of foolishness and arrogance. Lydia couldn’t tolerate any more.

‘I’ll neutralize her, and then destroy the device!’

>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<

In the blink of an eye, the Demon’s swift body–though still in Maro’s body–approached Ana with the intent to render her unconscious.

>VWUUUUUMMMMM<

A loud hum, followed by sparks of electricity burst from the three drones that hovered around the girl, causing an instant shield to pop out of nowhere.

>BOOOMMM!!!<

As Lydia’s blow hit the shield, she instantly knew that it was superior to her current physical capabilities.

“Tch!”

The recoil effect of having hit a dome of pure energy set in, causing her to leap back–just as fast as she had approached.

“There’s no need to be in a hurry. I know you’re worried that I could be bringing backup, but don’t worry.” The girl spoke calmly, placing both her hands in her lab coat’s pockets.

“Your fight is with me.”

It sounded absurd–a mere child against a Demon Lord! But, the girl’s expression lacked any form of hesitation.

Lydia spread her senses throughout the building, but she couldn’t sense any other presence besides the girl.

‘She’s really alone, uh? There’s the possibility that the rest could be using Magic to conceal themselves, but…’

Lydia had always been the cautious type, considering as many possibilities as she could before taking any action.

However, there came times when one had to be decisive.

Now was one of such moments.

Further delay brought risk to her plan. That meant eliminating the target as quickly as possible was the best alternative.

‘I shouldn’t utilize too much of my abilities, but…’

The shell of ‘Maro’ that she employed began disappearing, taking on an unstable form, until the true form of Lydia manifested.

“Is that what you really look like? Interesting…” The girl kept smiling, hidden within her powerful barrier.

Lydia, in her white form, decided to use Magic to end matters swiftly.

“Stinger”

A dense concentration of air particles converged, infused with Miasma and possessing great power.

It formed a long arrow brimming with negative energy.

The Demon Lord estimated that this would be enough to pierce through the annoying barrier and give the girl a slight punishment for her arrogance.

>WHHOOOOSSSHHHH<

The lance was launched at deafening speed, meant to one-shot the target.

Of course, only non-vital areas were targeted, considering the target was still useful as a hostage. Lydia simply wanted her to feel some pain.

>WHOOOOSSHHHH<

To her surprise, another lance appeared from the girl’s side, almost looking like the Stinger she conjured.

The Mana-Infused Lance sharply intercepted the one of Miasma, causing a neutralizing effect.

Both Lances imploded upon impact, fading into particles of white and black.

“W-wha–??” Lydia was dumbfounded.

“Ah, so that’s how Jared was able to do it. An equal proportion of Mana and Miasma will indeed cause a null effect. I wonder if I’ll be able to achieve Anti-Magic if I keep exploring this…” Ana’s voice once again sent the Demon Lord into a state of confusion.

Just how was that child able to cast a Spell so quickly? Not only that, but it directly countered the Stinger she used.

Though it was merely an Advanced Spell, Stinger belonged to the highest Tier within that category.

Plus, its swiftness made it a deadly tool in battle.

No matter the defense, it was guaranteed to pierce through and eliminate the target.

‘So, how…?!’

The Demon Lord wasn’t aware of this, but the three Automatons hovering around the young girl were the answer to her questions.

They had a shared information system, yet their neural functions were independent. In essence, the three were capable of processing information and were connected by a network to share said Intel.

Each had its function as well.

One analyzed the Magic being used.

Another calculated the appropriate action to be implemented

The final one processed the Spell to be utilized.

Finally, all three cast the Spell by utilizing the artificial Mana Core within them.

As a result, they could operate beyond the bounds of a human’s capabilities.

“Well, I’m happy to know that they could react in time, even if it’s someone as powerful as you…” Ana smiled at the faceless Demon Lord.

She couldn’t get a read of her reaction since she looked nothing more than a white mannequin.

Still…

“I guess I’m boring you, right? Then, let’s begin the real experiment.”

The three Automatons switched gear from defensive to offensive in an instant.

Their eyes glowed red, and Mana surged from them in a flash.

A ball of concentrated flames gathered at the center of the three machines, focusing on the Demon Lord before them.

In a flash, the blast was launched in her direction.

Scorching flames surged forth, approaching the target at an unbearable speed, but she didn’t seem bothered–not that her face showed any emotion.

“Annoying!”

In a flash, the flames were swept away by a much larger ball of water.

The body of liquid consumed the intense fire until it was no more, but as a result, the entire room was flooded with water.

It was done on purpose, though.

‘Don’t worry… I won’t kill you yet!’ Lydia grinned, preparing a lightning Spell to interact well with the water.

“Buzz”