Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)

Shifu immediately moves, the flash of his katana slicing through the air as he closes the gap between them. His movement is a blur, but Folgen reacts just in time, raising his longsword to deflect the attack. The clash of steel rings through the air, sending sparks flying. Shifu pulls back swiftly, not giving Folgen a chance to retaliate.

Folgen narrows his eyes. 'Fast!' He shifts his stance, adjusting his grip on the longsword. With a quick step forward, he swings his sword in a wide arc, aiming to catch Shifu off guard. But Shifu effortlessly sidesteps, his katana slashing down at Folgen's exposed side. Folgen barely manages to twist away, feeling the blade cut through his armor.

Shifu suddenly accelerates, a surge of fiery energy enveloping his body as he activates one of his more advanced techniques. With a flash of movement, he appears behind Folgen, his katana raised for a downward strike. Folgen, caught off guard, barely manages to block in time, the force of the blow sending him sliding back. The impact cracks the earth beneath him.

Folgen takes a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. He adjusts his stance, shifting to a defensive position. With a fierce battle cry, he charges again, his sword raised high. Shifu doesn't move. He waits. The moment Folgen is within range, Shifu launches himself forward, his katana flashing like a beam of light, instantly parrying Folgen's blade aside, leaving a deep cut across his chest. Blood sprays into the air, and Folgen staggers back, clutching the wound. His breath comes in ragged gasps as he tries to maintain his footing, his once-pristine armor now tarnished and cracked.

Shifu, radiates overwhelming confidence. His aura burns brighter, the purple flames flickering ominously as if feeding off his resolve. "Is that the best you can do, General? I'm starting to think you're all bark and no bite."

Folgen's eyes flash with anger, but he forces himself to remain calm. "Don't get cocky, monster. I'm just getting started." With that, his body glows faintly with an ethereal energy, and his grip on his longsword tightens. "You'll regret underestimating me."

This was an effect of his unique skill [Spearhead] it allowed him to steal the skills of any of his subordinates that fall in battle, granting him a wide range of combat skills. Activating the skill [Enhanced Reflexes] and [Strength Booster] he immediately increased his power.

He lunges forward with renewed speed, his sword slicing through the air in a powerful horizontal swing. Shifu steps into the attack, his katana parrying the blow with calculated precision. The clash creates a shockwave that ripples through the battlefield, scattering debris and forcing both combatants to slide back.

Shifu smirks, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "Not bad, you're actually stronger than the boy. I won't go easy on you." His aura flash for a moment before he surges forward, his movements fluid and unpredictable. His katana weaves intricate patterns in the air, each strike coming faster and sharper than the last.

Folgen struggles to keep up, his longsword barely deflecting the relentless onslaught. "Damn you!" he growls, swinging wildly in an attempt to create distance. But using the exact same skills as Folgen, Shifu is relentless, closing the gap with a [Flash Step] that leaves him directly behind Folgen.

Without hesitation, Shifu strikes, his katana blazing with purple flames as it arcs toward Folgen's exposed back. The general twists just in time, raising his sword to block the attack. The impact sends vibrations up his arms, and he grimaces in pain, but he refuses to yield.

"Where did you learn that?!" Folgen asks through gritted teeth, his voice edged with frustration.

Using one hand, Shifu slowly presses down his katana on Folgen's sword. "From you obviously. It's a good movement skill."

Folgen growls, activating [Magic Blade], causing his blade to shimmer with a golden light. With a ferocious roar, he unleashes a devastating slash that cuts through the air like a thunderbolt. The sheer force of the attack forces Shifu to leap back, his katana raised defensively.

The ground between them erupts in a cloud of dust and debris, obscuring their vision. Shifu narrows his eyes, his heightened senses alert for any sign of movement. Then, from within the cloud, a massive wave of energy hurtles toward him, a follow-up attack from Folgen.

Shifu doesn't flinch. Instead, he raises his katana, the purple flames intensifying as he channels his own energy. With a powerful swing, he cuts through the wave of energy, with his own wave of energy, dispersing it in a burst of sparks. The dust clears, revealing Folgen standing at the center, his chest heaving from exertion.

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that," Shifu says, his tone almost admiring. "But your desperation is showing. Let me put you out of your misery."

With a burst of speed, Shifu closes the distance between them once more. His katana glows with an otherworldly light as he prepares to deliver the finishing blow. Folgen braces himself, his grip on his longsword unyielding, ready to meet the attack head-on.

Their blades collide in a deafening clash, the force of their strikes creating a whirlwind of energy that sends shockwaves across the battlefield. Folgen pours every ounce of his strength into the exchange, their movements a blur as they trade blow for blow.

Finally, Shifu finds his opening. With a deft maneuver, he disarms Folgen, sending the longsword flying through the air. Before Folgen can react, Shifu's katana is at his throat, the purple flames licking dangerously close to his skin.

"It's over," Shifu declares, his voice calm but firm. "Yield, or I won't hesitate to finish this."

Folgen grits his teeth, his pride warring with the reality of his defeat. For a moment, he considers trying to wrest control of the situation, but the look in Shifu's eyes tells him there's no point. With a heavy sigh, he raises his hands in surrender.

"You win, monster," Folgen says bitterly. "But don't think this is the end."

Shifu lowers his katana, the flames dissipating as he steps back. "It's only the end if you make it so. Reflect on your actions, General. Perhaps next time, you'll think twice before crossing blades with a kijin."

Without another word, Shifu turns and walks away, leaving Folgen to collapse to his knees, his pride shattered.

---

Razen's face twisted in a mix of confusion and fury as the Spirit Drone hovered beside Kaede, its glossy black visor pulsing with faint blue energy. "What… what is this abomination?" he demanded, his voice cracking.

Kaede smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know." She watched as Razen struggled to stay standing. 'Actually Artificia, I would also like to know. For your information, this was not what I was thinking. What did you actually do? What is a spirit drone?'

It utilizes advanced levitation for omnidirectional mobility, autonomous decision-making via a quantum computational core, and modular appendages equipped for combat and precision tasks. Defensive systems include adaptive energy shielding, while offensive capabilities rely on directed-energy weaponry.

In essence, it is an autonomous, hybrid entity,a fusion of mechanomancy and energetics, designed for optimal performance and synergy with you.>

Artificia's tone shifted, almost smug.

Kaede glanced at the hovering drone, her eyes flashing with numbers as she analyzed it. This was the effect of her subskills, [Instant Analysis] and [Mechanomancy], allowing her to view all of the machine's functions and abilities. 'Whoa Artificia, what the hell is that?! Where did you even get the magicules for that?!'

Kaede glanced back at Razen who looked truly exhausted. "Huh. Neat." She smiled. 'Although, what are you going to do about the spirit inside, it's basically trapped in there?'

This process will terminate the earth spirit's original consciousness, repurposing its core energy into a stable and efficient system that serves as my physical form...>

Kaede was shocked. 'You're... killing it? No you can't do that. Besides I don't think I'm ready to give you a physical body just yet.' Kaede thought back to all of the stories she'd heard about robots taking over the world. It was a little childish, but who knows.

<...>

'Just leave it the way it is. You can still control it right? Without forcing an artificial intelligence?' Kaede asked.

The Spirit Drone turned its focus to Razen, emitting a low hum as if analyzing its new target. Its sleek form glided forward with an eerie precision, every movement exuding an aura of intelligence and purpose. Kaede stepped forward, her body seemingly growing much larger to the worn down sorcerer.

Razen raised his staff, his confidence cracking but not completely broken. "You think you can defeat me? I am the greatest sorcerer of Falmuth!"

He began chanting furiously, drawing a torrent of magicules into himself. The air crackled as he unleashed a massive burst of flame, the inferno spiraling toward the Spirit Drone. {Nuclear Cannon}

But the drone didn't flinch. With a flicker of blue light across its visor, it extended one of its sleek arms. A translucent shield of energy materialized before it, absorbing the flames effortlessly. The fire dissipated like water against stone, leaving Razen staring in disbelief.

"That's… impossible!" he hissed.

"Resistance against magic," Kaede corrected, her tone almost mocking. "With immunity against earth magic. That's really impressive, Razen. As expected of the strongest sorcerer of Falmuth. Your summon is incredibly strong. Well, my summon "

The Spirit Drone retaliated. A burst of blue energy erupted from its right arm, a concentrated beam that screamed through the air with blistering speed. Razen barely had time to erect a barrier, but the force of the attack slammed into him, sending him hurtling into a nearby wall. He coughed, blood trickling from his lips as he struggled to regain his footing.

"This can't be happening…" he muttered, his voice trembling.

Kaede's gaze was unwavering, her smirk growing. "Oh, it's happening. I could kill you right now, it would be oh so easy for me."

Razen gritted his teeth, desperation clouding his eyes. With a flourish of his staff, he conjured a swarm of magical lances that rained down on the Spirit Drone from all directions. The drone weaved through the storm with inhuman agility, evading every strike with ease.

As Razen prepared another spell, the Spirit Drone closed the distance in an instant, its movements a blur. Its articulated arm extended, a blade of pure energy forming at the tip. The blade slashed through Razen's robes, narrowly missing his torso but severing his staff in two.

Razen staggered back, the broken halves of his staff clattering to the ground. "No… no… this isn't how it ends!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.

The Spirit Drone hovered ominously, its glowing visor fixed on him like a predator sizing up its prey. Kaede stepped forward, her tone cold. "Pathetic."

She sighed. 'You're not worth it. Artificia, have Kirara and Shifu reached the extraction point?'

"Cool." She turned away from the sorcerer lying on the floor. "Later Razen. I pray we never meet again."

Razen just glared at her through blood stained eyes, as she walked away.

Kaede glanced at the hovering drone for a moment. 'Hey Artificia? How strong is the spirit drone?'

"Is that so?" Kaede chuckled.

Earlier, Kaede had given Kirara an orb that had a communication node. Allowing it to act as a phone.

#Hello Kirara, what's going on? Aren't you at the extraction point yet?# Kaede grinned already aware of Kirara's predicament.

#I am. Just one question.# Kirara's voice sounded strained as she spoke. #Why, Kaede, am I looking at a plane right now?!#

Kaede chuckled. #I'm on my way Kirara.# She took a glance behind her, looking at the destruction she and Razen had wrought upon the capital in their fight.

"This should keep them busy for a while."

[Cover Move]

_____________________________________

This is basically what Kaede saw when she looked at the spirit drone's profile through [Instant Analysis]

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Spirit Drone: A Product of Mechanomancy and Spirit

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Material Composition:

Spirit Metal: The War Gnome's body was composed of a unique magical alloy with high energy conductivity, structural resilience, and adaptability to magicules (the world's equivalent of energy quanta).

Modified Crystal Lattice: The atomic arrangement of this alloy has been restructured, optimizing it for kinetic durability, energy efficiency, and thermal resistance.

Energy-Integrated Design: The material is imbued with the War Gnome's residual magicules, creating a composite substance that merges physical matter with magical energy.

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Power Source

Core Functionality: The Spirit Drone is powered by a Magicule Energy Reactor (MER), created by stabilizing and containing the War Gnome's core energy.

Mechanism: This reactor operates similarly to a zero-point energy device, harnessing ambient magicules and converting them into usable power.

Efficiency: High energy density and near-perpetual energy availability due to continuous absorption of free magicules from the environment.

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Mobility

Propulsion System:

The drone uses magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) levitation, which exploits interactions between magicule flow and the physical environment for frictionless movement.

High agility is achieved through vectored thrusting mechanisms, allowing omnidirectional mobility.

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Functionality

Tooling Systems:

Modular Appendages: Each arm can reconfigure its internal mechanisms for precision tasks, such as:

Laser cutters for material disassembly.

Energy-based weaponry for combat scenarios.

Micromanipulators for crafting and repairs.

Nano-Integration Tools: Enables manipulation at the molecular scale for advanced material synthesis or deconstruction.

Sensors and Scanning:

Spectral Analysis: Infrared, ultraviolet, and magicule spectrums.

LIDAR Mapping: For real-time spatial awareness.

Energy Resonance Detection: To identify unique magical signatures or nearby threats.

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Defensive and Offensive Systems

Energy Shielding:

A localized energy field generated from the drone's core protects against both physical and magical impacts.

Dynamic adjustments allow energy redirection or absorption (akin to Kaede's Devour skill).

Beam Weaponry:

A directed-energy weapon utilizing magicules, akin to particle beams in modern physics.

Features a tunable output, capable of delivering concentrated bursts or wide-area energy dispersals.

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Integration with Artificia

The drone acts as an externalized subsystem of Artificia, operating semi-independently but closely integrated with Kaede's commands and combat strategies.

Feedback Loop: Direct communication with Kaede via neural or magical links enables instantaneous coordination.

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The reason it's so strong is because, Artificia had planned for it to be an emergency body for it to materialize in, if its master is ever in danger. So it made it as strong as possible, especially since Kaede wasn't paying for the cost of magicules.