As Ex-Machina In No Game No Life: Zero

Westcott had tried everything to break Artemisia, to force her into an Inverse state. He had tortured her relentlessly, but she never broke.

 And now, this "Spirit Hunter", Westcott's own moniker for me, was systematically targeting every Spirit. Sooner or later, it would come for the one in his dungeon.

If even Ellen, the world's strongest, was uncertain of victory, then this machine was a threat of the highest order. For the first time in a long time, Isaac Westcott felt a sliver of genuine unease.

The data suggested the Spirit Hunter avoided harming humans, even relocating its battles to deserted areas. 

But that was only the current data. What if its programming included a directive to achieve its objective by any means necessary? 

What if it decided he was an obstacle to be removed in its hunt for Artemisia?

Yes, Westcott was still convinced I was a sophisticated combat android, built by some unknown rival faction. 

A faction that, like him, coveted the power of the Spirits, but chose to copy it rather than capture it. 

He reinforced his firewalls, tripled the number of guards, and increased patrol routes. It was all he could do.

….

On a Deserted Island:-

While the DEM director was consumed by paranoia, I was standing on a sun-drenched beach. Before me, two orange-haired girls, clearly twins, were engaged in a fierce game of volleyball.

This was no ordinary game. Each spike was a sonic boom, the ball a miniature cannonball that tore through the air. 

Each reception was a blur of motion, met with equal force. 

The pristine sand around them was pockmarked with craters, a testament to the raw power behind their "friendly" match.

That must be a very high-quality volleyball, was my first thought.

The girls were my next targets: the Berserker Spirits, Kaguya and Yuzuru Yamai. 

They were two halves of a single original Spirit, locked in an eternal duel to decide which of them would become the true "Yamai." 

Their duels, however, always ended in a draw. They bickered and competed constantly, but beneath the surface, they cared for each other more than anything.

None of that mattered to me. My objective was their Angel.

So why was I standing here, acting as their referee? I massaged my temples, a human gesture of exasperation that now felt natural.

….

Earlier That Day:-

After my day off, I had immediately selected my next target. Finding the Yamai sisters was, once again, a simple matter of a nationwide surveillance sweep. I located them at a local eating contest. Another one of their duels.

I gated to a nearby alley and joined the crowd of spectators. After a grueling competition, the final two contestants were, predictably, the Yamai sisters. In the end, they both collapsed simultaneously, resulting in a tie.

As the crowd dispersed, I watched them stagger away, clutching their bloated stomachs and leaning on each other for support. I intercepted them in a quiet side street.

"Query: Are you Kaguya Yamai and Yuzuru Yamai?" I asked, initiating my standard protocol.

The two girls stopped, regarding me with curiosity.

"Inquiry," the taller, more developed one, Yuzuru, said in her usual deadpan. "Are you an acquaintance of Kaguya's?"

"As if!" the other, more energetic Kaguya, shot back. "We're always together! If I met someone, you'd know!"

"Mmm. True," Yuzuru conceded.

They both turned their attention back to me, waiting for an explanation. 

The fact that I knew their names wasn't surprising; they had just been announced as co-winners of the contest. 

But something about my presence, the calm, unnerving way I stood there, set them on edge.

"Affirmative. It is us," Yuzuru said, her tone shifting, becoming more guarded. "What do you want?"

This was a surprising change of pace. Tohka had attacked. Yoshino had fled. Natsumi had tried to hex me. 

Kurumi had treated me as an enemy from the start. But the Yamai sisters, despite their "Berserker" designation, were choosing to talk.

"Answer: I am here to challenge you," I stated plainly.

Kaguya's reaction was immediate and explosive. "Hah? Challenge me? You? Where do you get the nerve?"

"Clarification: Not you. Both of you."

"I see," Yuzuru said, her expression serious. She was the first to connect the dots. "What is your objective? I doubt this is a simple challenge."

"Answer: I wish to witness the power of your Angel firsthand." I decided to add a little incentive. "Proposal: Consider this your next duel. The one who defeats me first is the winner."

That got their attention. A new, decisive way to end their stalemate.

"Hey, Yuzuru," Kaguya said, a competitive fire igniting in her eyes. "She wants to see how strong we are. Let's show her."

Yuzuru looked at her sister, then back at me. A slow nod was her only reply. "Agreed."

With their consent, I opened a Vector Gate and transported all three of us to the deserted island I had scouted earlier.

Which brings us to the beginning of this scene.

….

"We ate too much. A bit of post-meal exercise will help with digestion," they had declared.

Since they had agreed to my request so readily, I felt it was only fair to respect theirs. The setting was perfect for it. Island, beach, ocean. Volleyball it was. And somehow, I ended up as the referee.

The moment I had used the Vector Gate, my Pseudo-Haniel disguise had collapsed. 

The halo reappeared, my eyes reverted to their camera-lens gold, and my skin became cold, hard alloy once more. The sisters, however, showed no surprise. Only a look of dawning recognition.

"Confirmation," Yuzuru stated. "You are the 'Spirit Hunter' we've heard about."

Spirit Hunter? Another nickname. I made a quick mental note to search the web for it later. 

My head-mounted processor, now enhanced with a suite of custom-built apps by yours truly, could stream music, make calls, and browse the internet. 

All without disrupting my Pseudo-Haniel disguise, as long as I wasn't using a full-blown armament.

The volleyball match ended with a thunderous spike from Kaguya that Yuzuru failed to return. I blew the whistle, a sound file played from my processor, and declared the winner.

"Winner: Kaguya Yamai," I announced, my voice a flat monotone.

"Grumble. I will win next time," Yuzuru muttered.

As they bickered, I picked up the volleyball. It was surprisingly intact. My sensors detected a faint layer of spiritual energy coating its surface, they had been reinforcing it to withstand the punishment. It was a clever trick.

And a fatal mistake. The residual energy was all I needed to get a lock on their unique spiritual signatures. The analysis had already begun.

….

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