Due to Bululu’s heavy and powerful strike, the Multi-cube Robot was slammed directly into the wall. Its body, composed of numerous cubes, was momentarily wedged in the stone, unable to pull itself out.
After a few attempts, the Multi-cube Robot emitted thick laser beams from every face of the cubes making up its body. The immense heat caused the wall to melt temporarily.
[…]
As if sensing that the enemy before it was perhaps more dangerous than a Kurimu who was holding back, the Multi-cube Robot reassembled its body into a more stable posture.
At the same time, the lasers originally used to melt the wall were manipulated to wrap around its entire body, forming a second layer of thermal defense.
“Is it turtling up?”
Seeing the Multi-cube Robot switch its stance without hesitation, Ai Yue felt a surge of surprise.
This was a form the robot only used after taking extreme damage in a short period. She hadn’t expected Bululu to force this transformation with just one ordinary punch.
If it were Kurimu, she might have been able to achieve the same result, but as a young girl who couldn’t consciously control her strength, the execution would have been different.
While Ai Yue was lost in thought, the Multi-cube Robot made its next move.
Utilizing its onboard hovering devices, the robot reshaped itself into a wide base that tapered upward before broadening again—a cylindrical structure resembling the cooling tower of a nuclear power plant. Wrapped in layers of high-temperature lasers, the Multi-cube Robot charged toward Bululu.
The combination of high speed and extreme heat caused the air in front of it to expand and compress repeatedly, sounding like a series of explosions.
Even though it had chosen to concentrate on defense, its mass and speed, coupled with the inherent high temperatures, ensured it remained a severe threat.
Faced with an enemy that seemed impossible to meet head-on, Bululu simply raised her fist.
Just as the two sides were about to collide, Bululu threw a right hook first.
“Ha!”
BOOM!!
In sharp contrast to Bululu’s breathy shout, the sheer wind pressure—or something similar—generated by her fist blew the laser layer apart before her hand even touched it. A small yet solid fist landed squarely on the Multi-cube Robot, creating a second shockwave. Even the floor, which had already been repaired, shattered once more into radial cracks.
Despite being several times larger than Bululu and possessing far more mass, the Multi-cube Robot was knocked back by the single punch. Bululu, on the other hand, did not retreat even half a step.
The relative speed of the two combatants made the power of the punch greater than ever before. It left a terrifying crater in the Multi-cube Robot’s body, and the internal wiring was squeezed out.
[… Err … or &*?!$# …]
Because its internal structure was compromised, the Multi-cube Robot began reporting errors, and its movements became visibly sluggish.
Bululu did not miss this opportunity. She rushed forward and threw a left hook.
This time, there was no relative speed to boost the impact, but Bululu added the momentum of a sprint. Even after switching forms, the Multi-cube Robot was sent flying once again by the blow.
[… Error … Anomaly detected, fire restrictions lifted.]
However, it seemed she had used a bit too much force. The robot’s error reports instantly transformed into a signal to trigger its next form.
Small robots, which had stopped appearing, suddenly swarmed out. They converged on the Multi-cube Robot, rearranging and combining themselves.
In no time, a massive, burly Mechanical Giant rose from the ground. It was even larger than before, and its silhouette appeared smoother—almost like a high-resolution image—thanks to the increased number of cube robots. Every cube on its body glowed red, making it look as though it were draped in a crimson aura.
“This is…”
Although Ai Yue had designed this Dungeon Instance, she wasn’t very familiar with this particular form. After all, the dungeon was managed by the AI.
With the Automatic Element Generation System layered over a self-evolving AI, one could only imagine what might develop in the areas Ai Yue hadn’t specifically defined.
“Did it get bigger…?”
Relying on her instincts as a Goblin, Bululu sensed that the enemy before her had grown significantly stronger, and she became more alert.
The Multi-cube Robot acting as the head—the cube that most resembled an ‘eye’—turned toward Bululu. Then, it raised its hand.
The small robots forming its palm simultaneously fired beams. The originally thin lasers merged into a thick pillar of light. In a mere instant, it melted the floor and swept upward, leaving a trail of glowing, molten iron in its wake.
However, Bululu was nowhere to be found on that trail.
“Growing larger increases your power, but…”
Suddenly, Bululu’s voice rang out from beside the Mechanical Giant. She lowered her center of gravity, dropped into a horse stance, and tightened her fist at one of the giant’s feet.
“It also makes you clumsy.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Bululu’s fist roared forward. A single strike snapped one of the Mechanical Giant’s legs.
“Not to mention, the materials you used to build your body are low-grade.”
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the fragments of the shattered leg had mostly broken at the joints between the small cube robots, rather than shattering cleanly like a single solid object.
[Left leg damaged, beginning repairs.]
“Too late!”
Taking advantage of the Mechanical Giant being off-balance, Bululu struck its right leg. With both legs broken and unable to stand, the Mechanical Giant collapsed toward the ground.
With a heavy *thud*, the connections between the small robots forming its upper body were also compromised, causing many cubes to detach.
One didn’t even need to keep watching to know this was Bululu’s victory.
[Mission failed, executing final command.]
Suddenly, the Mechanical Giant, which should have been defeated, issued a report. Immediately after, a terrifying surge of energy began to swell within its body.
“Is it going to blow up on us?”
“An explosion, huh? I’m not very good at those. If only it were the sixth one… I forgot the name.”
It was obvious to anyone watching that the machine was about to self-destruct.
Yet, in contrast to the massive energy buildup, Bululu remained incredibly calm. She raised her two fists yet again.
“Whew…”
Bululu took a deep breath and then snapped her eyes open.
In a flash that was difficult for the naked eye to catch—or rather, only Ai Yue’s eyes could barely track it—Bululu threw an infinite number of consecutive punches. Any one of those punches contained enough energy to easily level a town, yet all the impact and power were concentrated into a single point by Bululu’s speed.
Finally, Bululu pulled back her fists. Less than 1/100,000 of a second had passed since she finished her flurry, and the energy finally began to erupt.
A force exceeding that of a nuclear explosion detonated within a tiny area on the Mechanical Giant’s body, completely erasing the expanding energy within it along with the machine itself.