I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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What can humanity do when pushed to the brink?

What kind of results can we achieve by pushing people to their limits?

There is an appropriate example for this.

During World War II, as the importance of code-breaking emerged, humanity created computers.

Towards the end of World War II, wanting an early conclusion to the war and powerful weapons, the United States developed the atomic bomb.

In the Cold War era, when the Soviet Union sent a person to space first, the United States sent Apollo 11 to the moon.

In this way, humanity has achieved remarkable scientific advancements and inventions when faced with extreme situations.

“W-We did it! We finally succeeded!”

And two years post-Edgar.

Finally, the club members succeeded in perfectly replicating Ed’s Devil Model No. 2.

In other words, they could now mass-produce a fully completed model that could be called a ‘suit.’

It was the moment they would finally stand side by side with their idol.

“Is this… the power of a Heavenly Being…?”

Meanwhile, the heirs of the four Grand Duke families were reaching the mature stage of Awakening.

Through countless battles, they honed their abilities, reaching powers closest to that of a Heavenly Being.

“Finally… I’ve reached it.”

Of course, the process wasn’t easy.

They had to endure a continuous sequence of pain that made them want to quit at any moment.

Training. Training. Training. Real combat. Real combat. Real combat.

Days spent teetering on the edge of life and death.

Yet, that pain paled in comparison to the overwhelming helplessness of having sent away a loved one.

Feeling utterly useless as they couldn’t help.

So helpless that they couldn’t do anything but watch.

The helplessness and loss felt so abhorrent…

Thus, they pushed themselves to their limits.

Training to the point of death, fighting to the point of death, they reached their current level.

A level closest to that of a Heavenly Being.

“Now we can… fight alongside Ed.”

Enya, who said this, felt her heart racing.

Ed was the only one who had encouraged them when everyone told them to give up on their swordplay.

In the end, she devoted herself solely to swordplay and became the greatest swordswoman in history.

She had reached the pinnacle of swordplay, which lets one slay all enemies with a single strike.

That’s why she wanted to show Ed her progress as soon as possible.

“I no longer waver under negative emotions.”

Isabella also overcame her long-standing curse.

The long shadow of the Graham family, the curse of Lilith.

She completely shook off the magic stemming from negative emotions.

Now she was blooming in her true talent.

That was the frost magic befitting the Graham family’s legacy.

Once, she was trapped in the mindset that without magic, she was nothing.

But not anymore.

Rather, it was the magic that was stifling her talent; she could soar even without it.

She could stand proudly next to Ed.

“Ed… I will definitely rescue you.”

Lucas clenched his fist.

Once, he had resented Ed.

But now he could understand him.

Understanding that the Ed from his past was his father and that the current Ed holds his mother close, it all made sense.

His heartfelt desire to save his mother was genuine.

“Yeah. Lucas. We’re all set now.”

And there was the lovely Claire by his side.

When he was lost in thoughts about Ed and his mother, Claire held onto his heart.

As long as he was with her, he felt he could achieve anything.

Lucas gazed into the distance at the center of the ‘Demon Realm.’

Once the capital of the Empire.

There, Edgar lay asleep.

The day to march there is not far off.

***

The day of the decisive battle has arrived.

Exactly two years since Edgar was sealed.

Sephilia and the heirs of the Grand Duke families were fully prepared for battle.

Behind them stood an army of millions.

All equipped with magic-engineered weaponry.

Among them, a significant number wore the standard suits.

This supply-type suit developed by club members was nearly identical in specs to the suits Edgar initially created.

It boasted enough power to easily take down mid-tier demons.

“Let’s go!”

No grand speech was necessary.

It was already established that humanity had to venture outside the barrier.

In the end, everyone knew that they had to break Edgar Fix’s seal to see the end of this war.

Now, all that remained for humanity was to advance.

No longer would they hide within the barrier under the name of Edgar Fix.

They would move forward.

It was time to repay the grace they had received.

To fight with all their might so they could continue their lives.

Millions of troops marched towards the Demon Realm.

*

A brutal battle raged on.

Humanity fought fiercely against countless demons.

In the process, many lives were lost.

Prince of the Dematerion Kingdom, Gyro of the Antica Elf Kingdom, Princess of the Eldar Kingdom.

And Gideon, the Dwarf King of the Kazantin United Kingdom.

“In the end, I won’t even get to see that friend’s face before… departing like this.”

The Dwarf King recalled Edgar’s face.

The friend of dwarves who restored his brother’s honor.

Though they were different races, and their lives differed greatly,

At least he was one to hammer the forge.

He delighted in the moment of creation born from molten metal and flames.

Knowing honor, he truly understood what it meant to embody the spirit of the dwarves.

He alone understood that even within objects lies a spirit.

“Tell him. I’m now going to sleep with my brother Dagran and his wife Reina. Having restored my brother’s honor, I can now be by his side… pass that on.”

Despite his abdomen being pierced, the Dwarf King conveyed all he needed to.

Having donned new armor, he fought honorably while wielding the hammer he forged.

The new Dwarf King, Girion, stood up and cried out.

“The King has fallen honorably! Our mission now is to uphold his will and advance! Move forward, descendants of the great blacksmith Torin! The steel we forge shall tear the enemy’s flesh apart!”

Despite the king’s death, the dwarves did not lose morale.

They rallied under the new king, Girion, and did not stop their advance.

“We shall also march on! Fear and regret were left behind in our homeland! After rescuing Lord Fix and ending this war, we will reclaim our lands!”

As the dwarves advanced, leaders of various fallen nations raised their spirits too.

To reclaim the lands taken by demons.

They raised the banner of their fallen nations, leading their people.

Thus, the ‘Alliance’ formed from countless kingdoms and races advanced onward, onward.

For if they withdrew now, there would be no more places to retreat.

They braced for death, determined to take down even one more demon.

Thus, after a week, two weeks, a month, after a total of three months of advance,

They finally arrived.

At the center of the Demon Realm where Edgar and the Lord of Hell were sealed.

*

“I’ll begin the ritual right away! The demons will swarm to stop us, so brace yourselves!”

At the heart of the Demon Realm, blood-soaked Elena looked back at Sephilia.

Covered in the blood of countless demons, she resembled a devil incarnate.

Sephilia nodded with a smile.

“Yeah. Don’t worry, just start. The heirs of the Grand Duke family will protect you.”

Sephilia looked around at the splendid efforts of the heirs.

Enya, Isabella, Lucas, Claire.

Having regained powers akin to Heavenly Beings, they displayed overwhelming strength beyond imagination.

Enya’s swordplay struck down every enemy within sight with a single blow.

Lucas’s space magic warped space itself, instantaneously slaughtering masses of enemies.

Isabella’s freezing magic piled up corpses, forming a massive iceberg.

Claire’s large-scale area buffs tremendously turned the tide in countless unfavorable situations.

Her buff magic could effectively double the fighting strength of millions, making her the most indispensable among the four.

“They’re coming.”

A blood storm swept across the battlefield.

Despite the heirs’ efforts, the number of demons was overwhelming.

The clash between millions of troops and demons was pure hell.

The sky was shrouded in dense clouds, and blood and black smoke filled the battlefield.

The sound of explosions and clashing metal filled the air.

The enemies boasted sizes and strengths several times that of humans, with sharp claws and teeth easily tearing through soldiers’ armor.

But humanity didn’t retreat.

The mechanized units advanced, firing flames from their massive barrels to disrupt the demon ranks.

“The right flank is breaking! Send in reinforcements!”

Urgent orders rang out from the command center, and soldiers equipped with supply-type suits burst forth.

They pressed through the demon’s onslaught, penetrating their lines and unleashing indiscriminate fire.

Although the sounds of explosions echoed, destroying the demons’ bodies, new demons poured in to fill the gaps continuously.

One soldier was captured in a massive demon’s hand.

He was lifted into the air without the chance to scream, but at that moment, another soldier flew in, embedding the blade of his suit into the demon’s wrist.

With a sharp sound, the wrist severed, and the fallen soldier tumbled to the ground.

Bloodied, the soldiers continued to fight.

“Are we there yet!?”

“Just a little more!”

And in the center of all this chaos, Elena focused on the ritual, sweating profusely.

Having studied ancient magic for the past two years for this moment, breaking the Grand Duke’s seal was no easy task.

After all, the seal on the Grand Duke was divine magic beyond common understanding.

‘I’ve dedicated the past two years for this moment! Only for this moment!’

Yet, Elena had to succeed.

If she couldn’t break the seal, everything would be in vain.

The sacrifices of the soldiers buying time with their lives needed to mean something.

“Haah…”

Elena remained calm, her hands clasped over the magic circle.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, while the sounds of chaos around her faded into the background.

In this moment, her only mission was to complete the ritual.

Everyone was fighting to protect her and buying her time.

Thus, she had to concentrate solely on her task.

-GOOOOOOOOOO!

Elena gathered her magic at her fingertips.

The power of mana flowing through the magic circle grew stronger.

Sounds of the surrounding battle intensified, but her heart remained unshaken.

All she could do now was focus on her magic.

The roars of the massive demons and the battle cries ringing from behind no longer interrupted her.

Everything was just ambient sound for her to succeed in this ritual.

Everyone fighting here believed in her.

She had to repay that belief.

“It’s completed…!”

In that moment, light flashed before Elena’s eyes as the magic circle was completed.

A powerful surge of magic erupted, rising into the sky.

As the seal broke, it shook the ground, and the demons staggered back in turmoil.

-KUUUUUUUUUUNG!

A strange structure made of the remnants of Edgar’s mech and the flesh of the Grand Dukes was crumbling.

The fallen flesh from the Grand Dukes began to writhe like a living creature.

Gathering around the core of the Duke, it began to take shape.

The Lord of Hell emerged.

“……”

However, it wasn’t only the Grand Duke that revealed itself.

From the heart of the seal, through the thick smoke, a figure slowly rose.

Every step he took caused the blue mana stone lodged in his chest to emit a faint glow,

And from the gauntlet attached to his wrist resonated a clear mechanical sound.

Gradually, his figure was becoming clearer through the fog.

And at that moment, everyone present held their breath.

“You all did well. You’ve finally succeeded in coming this far.”

That familiar voice, though forgotten for a while, echoed across the battlefield.

The figure stepping out from the mist was someone everyone knew but hadn’t seen for a long time.

He was a great philosopher who changed the paradigm of the century, a great thinker who mediated war and peace.

As a scientist, he unified the world, a friend of dwarves, and a guardian of the World Tree.

And now, he reappeared.

“Now, it’s the final stage.”

The name everyone had been waiting for: Edgar Fix.

With his short words, the battlefield was about to enter a new phase.