"WRRRRRR….

"

The Razor Praetor slammed one of its enormous energy swords down at us, cleaving the ground in half. The entire floor nearly collapsed, but it cared not if it fell. It was like a berserker with only one goal in mind: kill.

"Tch…

" The girls and I dodged out of the way and shielded ourselves from the rubble, but the Praetor wasn't like other enemies. It did not need breaks or rest between attacks. It chased after us relentlessly, slicing at the air with its two enormous katana-shaped swords.

They weren't just any normal katanas, of course. These were foreign energy swords, made of materials that could not be found on Xenith. The hilt and crossguard were made of some special material that felt like plastic but was as hard as titanium, while the actual blade was created using some sort of special energy that emitted a bright blue hue and could be used to cut through anything and everything—like a laser in the form of a sword, but more powerful. The Streak class Praetor probably used similar technology.

Feng Mian launched spells of Shadow, Poison, and Curse Element at the massive robot at least twice our height, but none of them seemed to do any damage. It was as if their armor was completely resistant to all magic, and physical attacks didn't seem to do much either.

"What's with this thing… so tough,

" Axilia groaned, slightly irritated. She was used to cutting down enemies with one single strike—but this opponent was different. Even if we were in the Death Realm where True Essence was rich and she could use her full power as the Princess of Death, it still would do nothing. After all, the Hex weren't 'living' to begin with. They had no lifeforce. They were robots who didn't hold concepts such as life and death.

Thankfully, however, my Chaos katanas were still able to duel the Praetor's energy blades. You can cut steel, can cut rock, can cut anything, but not the primordial power that binds the world.

Unfortunately, just like how we were a group of four, this Praetor wasn't alone, either. It let out a loud whirring noise, like an alarm, and instantly, four more Hex emerged from the ground beside it. They rose in translucent blue capsule-like devices that dispelled when they landed on the ground, and pulled out their weapons. Luckily, they were not Praetors—only basic Riflemen Troopers, but still, they were going to be hard to kill regardless.

"Feng Mian, Axilia, you two take care of the minions!

" I yelled, clashing my sword against the big Praetor.

"Qing Yue, support them—just keep them off of me!

"

"Understood!

"

Immediately, the three moved into action under my instructions, and began attacking the Troopers that spawned. This opened up the Praetor and I to a one-on-one duel, which was exactly what I wanted.

After all, the more times our swords met, the stronger I became and the weaker it became. This Praetor was too dumb to realize that, though, so it continued slashing at me with its infinite energy time and time again, not realizing that by doing so, it was actually helping me.

"Alright… about time to finish this,

" I muttered, and dashed back a few meters. Then, charging my katanas up with the energy stolen from the Praetor's blades, I smiled.

"Robots will only be robots in the end, it seems.

"

Leaping into the air, I dropped down on it with my energy-infused swords, burning black and red. After sucking so much power from its massive blades, they shouldn't be able to block my attack. And in this world, there was nothing the primordial law of Chaos could not cut.

… Or at least, that's what I thought.

But the robot suddenly crossed its energy blades into an X-shape, and when my Chaos blades collided with it, I hit an energy barrier instead.

Not only that, but it was one I couldn't break.

"—!

"

Suddenly, I was shoved back by the robot's immensely powerful mechanical force, and I just managed to break my fall by tumbling backwards and sliding across the floor.

"Ngh…

"

This was impossible. Did that energy barrier just block an attack from my Chaos-charged katanas? How?

Questions flooded through my head with no answers as I got back up to my feet, and glared at the Praetor. Now, I was pissed. This made no sense. Just what was the barrier made out of that it could block an attack from Chaos itself?

I was confused. Very confused. But despite that, I needed to keep fighting. After all, the Praetor wasn't going to just wait until I figured the answer out before attacking.

Lifting its swords back up again, now fully recharged with energy, it charged at me, arms swinging. I narrowed my eyes and met its attack, but to my surprise-

SNAP!

My Chaos blades were sliced in half, and my eyes widened even further.

This… was impossible.

Nothing should be able to break these blades. Nothing. So how was this stupid robot doing it?! Just what kind of power fueled the Hex's technology?!

I needed to stay calm, but it was difficult. Still, I closed my eyes and channeled energy through my arms into my Chaos katanas, reforging their blades anew. It took quite a bit of mana, but it was certainly possible for me.

Now, for round two.

The Praetor and I launched ourselves at one another, but this time, I avoided direct conflict. Instead, I faked going up, then suddenly slammed down and slid in between its legs. Then, emerging behind it before it could even react, I cut downwards with my katanas, driving them directly into the mech's back, where what looked like a pulsating blue core was stored behind a metal gate. My Chaos katanas may not be able to break its sword now, but it can still cut through this titanium-like material.

"WRRRRRR!

"

Instantly, its body froze, and it fell to the ground. The lights on its body slowly faded out before disappearing for good, but it wasn't dead yet. Just in a repair mode, judging from the still-flashing core.

But that would not be the case for long.

Lifting my blades and pressing their hilts together, I turned my katanas into a bow. Then, pulling the string back on the already-auto-generated Chaos arrow, infused with powerful single-target damage, I narrowed my eyes and let go.

The arrow struck its target true, and the blue light turned to red. Getting a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen, I hurriedly backed away—

BOOM!

—Just in time to avoid the enormous explosion that shook the entire cavern as the Praetor's body was no more.