The battle between the Schwarzritter and the two mysterious golems raged on.
The Schwarzritter successfully maneuvered to face one of the golems in single combat. On equal terms, the Schwarzritter’s performance was far superior. It had just delivered a thunderous kick to the mysterious golem, slamming the machine against the rock wall.
"Alright, good! Just like that, keep up the pressure on its lower body!" Reinhard shouted.
Following its master’s command, the Schwarzritter unleashed a flurry of kicks against the golem’s shins. The fluid motions were enough to impress even Jin.
"Hmm, excellent movement. That proves the number of joints is close to a human’s. Not only that, but the range of motion is incredible."
Its legs mangled by the Schwarzritter’s assault, the mysterious golem buckled and collapsed. The second golem closed in, forcing the Schwarzritter to forgo a finishing blow in favor of a sharp back-kick.
"The body really is flexible," Jin noted, impressed once more. Its joints were more human-like than any golem he had seen in this world. This similarity made it easier for a creator to program movements, resulting in a natural, fluid grace.
"But Father is still superior," Reiko murmured. She didn't appreciate hearing Jin, the ultimate engineer, shower praise on someone else’s creation.
The golem hit by the back-kick now sported a massive dent in its abdomen.
"Good, finish it!" At Reinhard’s command, the Schwarzritter lunged forward with a full-body tackle. A dull, heavy thud echoed through the pass. Caught squarely by the tackle, the dented golem was hurled ten meters back along the cliff face. Its right arm and left leg snapped off upon impact, leaving it crippled on the ground.
"Alright, take care of that one!"
The Schwarzritter seized the neck of the golem attempting to rise, hoisted it up, and slammed it ruthlessly back into the stone. A deafening metallic crash rang out as the golem was driven five centimeters deep into the rock. Its remaining limbs were sheared away, leaving it completely incapacitated.
"Good. Help me extract their control cores."
Reinhard used Craft Magic to probe the chest of the embedded golem, pulling out a single magi-crystal. He then moved toward the second golem, with the Schwarzritter following closely at his side.
In that moment, Reiko spoke up. "Father, something is coming."
Jin barely had time to open his mouth to warn Reinhard before it made its appearance.
"Well, it’s been a while, Reinhard."
"You..."
A man stepped into view, accompanied by a golem roughly 180 centimeters tall—slightly smaller than the Schwarzritter.
"I still have a bone to pick with you, but for now, you aren't my concern. The one I want is..." Valentino turned a hateful gaze toward Jin. "You, commoner."
Valentino’s presence made his intentions clear. He was here for the man responsible for exposing his crimes: Jin.
"Schwarzritter!" Reinhard prepared to order the capture of Valentino, but the man cut him off.
"I wouldn't. Your golem is certainly impressive, but before Albus here, it’s nothing more than a helpless doll."
Reinhard wasn't about to be deterred by threats. "Jin is my friend. I will protect him." He pointed forward, barking a command to his golem. "Protect Jin from that golem!"
Valentino’s lips curled into a smirk. "Fine by me. I’ve been looking for a chance to test Albus's performance anyway."
Jin shifted his stance, standing with Reiko to shield Elsa and the rest of the party.
"Father, that golem possesses something I cannot analyze," Reiko reported.
The golem was a dull, grayish-white, its surface seemingly plated with mithril. At 180 centimeters tall, it was smaller than the Schwarzritter. Its design was an unmistakable match for the golems involved in the previous incidents. However, as far as Jin could tell, it was vastly inferior to the Schwarzritter in both structural integrity and raw strength.
"Father, please analyze its mana pattern."
"Hmm? Understood... Wait, what is this!?"
Elsa jumped at Jin’s sudden outburst. "W-what’s wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.
Jin didn't answer immediately, lost in his analysis. "The mana core... the flow... but the output is far too high for those specs..." He continued to mutter to himself, preoccupied with the opponent.
"Schwarzritter, go!"
"Albus, engage."
The two golems collided. For a split second, it looked as though the Schwarzritter would simply overpower Albus, but Valentino called out, "Albus, Overwrite!"
At his command, Albus began to pulse with a dull, eerie light. When the glow subsided, the Schwarzritter had frozen mid-motion.
"Father, that light is dangerous."
"I know."
Jin’s analysis confirmed his fears: the light was a mechanism designed to overwrite the magi-formula within a control core. The Schwarzritter’s programming had been corrupted, rendering it useless.
"Reiko, are you alright?" Jin asked. It would be a catastrophe if she were affected.
"I... I am not sure. There is insufficient data," she replied.
"I see. For now, get behind me."
"But Father—"
"Just do as I say!"
Reiko obeyed as Jin’s mind raced, searching for a solution.
"What’s wrong, Schwarzritter!?" Reinhard shouted.
The golem remained unresponsive, though its frame vibrated with irregular tremors. Despite Reinhard’s desperate cries, Albus simply pulled the Schwarzritter down, leaving it to collapse into the dirt. The Schwarzritter made no effort to rise; it simply lay there, its limbs twitching in occasional, violent spasms.
"Schwarzritter..."
Albus approached step by step.
"Step aside, Reinhard," Valentino commanded. "All I want is that commoner’s head on a platter. If you give him to me, I’ll let the rest of you live."
"Don't be ridiculous! I would never betray a friend!"
"Wind Bullet!" Elsa shouted from behind Reinhard, letting fly a blast of compressed air. The projectile struck Albus but bounced off harmlessly, failing to leave even a scuff on its plating.
"Lady Elsa, pray cease this futility," Valentino sneered. "Did you truly think a common spell could damage Albus?"
Elsa ignored him, casting again. "Wind Blow!"
The gust buffeted the golem, but the result was the same.
"Move aside once you've realized your efforts are useless. Now, commoner... are you ready? I’m going to pay you back for the humiliation you caused me—for ruining everything."
"Jin!" Reinhard called.
"Jin-kun!" Elsa cried.
But Jin merely stood with his head down, muttering feverishly to himself. Behind him, Reiko remained tucked away, out of sight.