Heroic Spirit: I, Shinji, have tried my best.

"This...this is!"

Hubie looked in shock at the black mud that kept oozing out of Shinji's body, and immediately recognized that this was the thing that made her experience the [heart] for the first time.

But...what is happening now?

Shinji did not give a specific answer to this, and he kept talking about the secrets that would be the winning trump card for humans...

“Gulp…Gulp…”

The black mud spread very quickly, and in two or three minutes it had covered a large area in front of it. However, the spreading speed then slowed down, as if its target was only the [Elf Corridor] in the center of the earth.

"…Okay, this will probably take a long time to prepare, let's go."

"Are you just going to leave it like that?"

Hubie looked at the large pool of black liquid left by Shinji. From an idealistic point of view, this didn't seem to be a good thing...

"It doesn't matter. I can control it even if it's far away. And I don't think any creatures will be bored enough to come here and cause trouble. Although that doesn't matter."

"Well, Hubie knows... so where do we go next?"

Hearing Shubi's question, Shinji stopped, took out a piece of cowhide from his pocket and spread it on the ground.

This is a map similar to the one on Riku's side, except that the markings are slightly different.

"here!"

Shinji pointed to an area on the map, which had a related text description attached... and the area Shinji pointed to was exactly where the large fleet of the [Dwarfs] was located.

"We are going to look for the Dwarfs?"

"That's right. Because of the powerful weapons they developed, they were able to play a key role in the final war. Their importance was even greater than that of the higher races..."

"And we will now appear before them as the human race's force."

"Could it be... that we want to form an alliance with them?"

"If they are willing... Of course, this seems difficult to do, so the biggest purpose of our trip is to show force and cover up Riku and his plan, and..."

Shinji was halfway through his words when he subconsciously looked at the obvious mechanical device on Hubie's body and the data cable dangling behind his butt.

If Shuvi showed up with him, he would be considered to have formed an alliance with the Ex-Machinas, but if it was them, no one would go out of their way to confirm it...

"By the way, Shubi, can you convince the other Ex-Machinas to help?"

After the words fell, Hubie's body trembled slightly, but he immediately replied with a normal expression:

"I'm afraid not. Hubie's exploration of the Heart resulted in a large number of erroneous programs, which is why he was disconnected."

"Isn't there anyone among them who is curious about the [heart]?"

"…They just treat it as a strange virus, and haven't encountered any of the same kind as Hubie yet…"

"Is that so... It seems that we can't get any external help. Then I can only rely on my efforts. Humans are really pitiful..."

Shinji scratched his head helplessly, put away the map and continued on his way. It seemed that the alliance he had originally envisioned with Riku could not be realized, so he could only bring Shubi with him for show.

However, Shinji, who was walking in front, did not notice the complicated expression on Shuvi's face who was still standing there... It was an expression that should not appear on the face of an Ex-Machina, a mixed feeling.

"Hubby... lied..."

The little hand hidden under the sleeve clenched for a moment, and it was not until Shinji, who was walking away, looked back at her in confusion that Hubie turned back into the cute little girl.

It was as if the scene just now was just an illusion... and because Shinji trusted Shubi so much, he was only puzzled by this somewhat abnormal behavior.

After seeing Hubie hopping up to him, he didn't think much about it and continued to think about his next move...

……

“…It should be in front, right?”

"Hmm... That huge building is the main ship of the Dwarfs. There are also many hidden battleships around it..."

"Besides, the enemy's mechanical technology is extremely advanced. If we sneak in, we will be easily detected."

"Who said we were going to sneak in?"

"Eh?"

Shinji grinned and said:

"Our goal is to show our military prowess. If we can hide it, it would be a loss of status... Let's just break in!"

"boom!!!"

"Alert! Alert! Alert!"

"...unknown intruders discovered...Number of enemies: two...Enemy identities: Ex-Machina and human..."

"…Hmm? Is the system malfunctioning?"

Three goblin men wearing special armor and cloth were staring intently at two figures that suddenly appeared on the screen in front of them... One of them was identified as a human being, so they were unable to react for a while.

"It seems like he is really a human..."

"How can this be!"

"And... how could humans and Ex-Machina come together?"

The three of them looked at each other in bewilderment. The appearance of the Ex-Machina made them tense for a moment. After all, the other party always appeared in the form of a connected body, which meant that there might be hundreds of machines nearby...

But I immediately realized that this was their base!

Even if they start a war here, they don't need to be afraid of each other...not to mention that their ultimate weapon [Marrow Explosion] has already been developed. Although it has not undergone a test explosion, its power is unquestionable.

"Hey! What happened?"

At this time, a middle-aged man with a mustache walked over. He had a mechanical lens on his right eye, which was connected to a headset like a camera.

The white hair extended to the ends and gradually turned purple-red. The armor on the upper body wrapped a part of the strong muscles, and a cloak was put on the outside of the body.

His face was flushed at this moment, as if he had just done some intense exercise, and he hurried over after hearing the alarm:

“What’s going on? Who on earth dares to invade at this time? Could it be that the crazy Flügel people have found this place?”

"Uh... not really. Anyway, come and see for yourself..."

The newcomer seemed to be of high status. The three people who were just discussing secretly immediately made room for him and stood aside respectfully. However, probably because the internal hierarchy was not so strict, they all seemed relatively natural...

"Let me see, this blind fellow is... an Ex-Machina and a... huh?"

The middle-aged man stared with wide eyes at the young man on the screen who was smiling and passing through their defense facilities. The data collected from all aspects of his exploration was jumping next to him... This man was actually a human being!

Are you kidding me?

Before this, he would not be so surprised even if it was an Old God attacking him. It was not because the opponent was too strong, but because in their eyes, humans had already fallen to the same level as beasts, or even weaker...

It feels like you are loading your gun and preparing to go to war, and suddenly someone tells you that there is a puppy at your doorstep that wants to fight with you...

"Lord Ronnie, what should we do now?"

The tribesman beside him asked the middle-aged man stupidly, and this sentence made the other party's face darken instantly:

"What should we do? Can a human being tear down our place? Get rid of it right away!"

"Yes!"

When the goblin saw that the boss was angry, he immediately stood at attention, responded, and ran to prepare... otherwise he would be beaten soon...

"…etc!"

The other party had only taken a few steps when the middle-aged man suddenly called him back. Just when the soldier turned around thinking he was going to be beaten.

The middle-aged man just pinched his chin and thought about something, then gave another order:

"Don't kill them yet. Line up a team to capture the two invaders first. The situation of that Ex-Machina is a little strange. No other Ex-Machinas were detected around. It is probably a lone machine..."

"As for that human... he seems a little strange, let's capture him first."

"Yes!"

the other side

Shinji and Shubi walked into the huge spherical building in the middle. Behind them, there were several machines that looked like cannon barrels. They had been blown to pieces and were emitting black smoke...

"The Dwarf's defenses seem a bit weak, huh?"

"Because that was just a normal defense used by the goblins to prevent other creatures from approaching. Any powerful life that can really use the [Elves] will be detected by their radar device..."

"Oh! It seems that my little invention is really effective!"

Shinji glanced at the cloaks that he and Shubi were wearing. It seemed that the effect of [Breath Blocking] was better than he thought.

"Shinji...be careful of the enemy!"

“…Is it finally here?”

Looking at the small group of people running towards him, Shinji had an eager look on his face.

It was Hubie who had been taking action just now, and he hadn't done anything the whole time. Now it was his turn...