Jin, his fury reaching a boiling point, relayed instructions to the Secret Mobile Unit via Reiko.
"Dump anyone you’ve neutralized outside."
"Contact me once the humans are gone."
"Understood," they replied.
Elm and Ash, who had just escorted Elsa to safety, headed back toward the fort once more.
Remaining behind were Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Dahlia, and Canna.
"Jin-kun, what are those golems?" Elsa finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
"They’re the Secret Mobile Unit—the SP. Or more commonly, the Ninja Force."
"Ninja Force?"
The concept of a 'ninja' was clearly foreign to her.
"Yeah. Basically, they’re golems who stay hidden while protecting me." He offered that explanation for the time being.
"When did you make them?"
"Huh? Er, after leaving the Royal Castle in the Kingdom of Egerea, I suppose."
"Eh? But where? I never saw you building anything like that."
Jin hesitated for a second, weighing his options, then finally made up his mind.
"On Hourai Island."
"Hourai Island? Not Kunlun Island?"
"Yeah. I'll explain everything once we've finished here. Just wait a little longer," Jin said, trying to soothe her.
"Father, a progress report from Ash. Everyone except the leader has been successfully neutralized. They are currently being moved outside the fort."
"Good, that’s perfect....Leave the leader exactly where he is."
Jin then turned his gaze toward Elsa.
"I'm going to go give the man who made you suffer a taste of what's coming. Wait here. Dahlia and Canna, protect Elsa."
As he turned to leave, Elsa caught the hem of his shirt.
"Wait. Take me with you."
"Are you sure?" Jin asked, concerned. He was asking her to return to the very place she had just fled.
"If I'm with Jin-kun, I'll be okay....Just don't leave me alone."
She looked at him with eyes as frightened as a trembling puppy’s. Sensing her profound anxiety, Jin nodded.
"Alright. Let's go together."
He reached out his hand; Elsa took it and stood up.
"Reiko, Dahlia, Canna—move out."
"Yes."
Jin strode forward with the three golems in his wake.
"Light Ball."
He conjured a sphere of light and set it adrift in the air. It was a magic light designed to stay lit until its mana was depleted. Jin created ten of them, scattering them around the fort's perimeter. The area became as bright as high noon.
"Barrier."
He then deployed a magic barrier to shield both himself and Elsa. Without breaking his stride, he stepped into the fort.
"Don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll protect you, Elsa."
"...Mm."
They navigated the empty fort, heading toward the back of the second floor. That was the combined office and living quarters of Purcell Marces de Kanagelion, the manager of the 8th branch.
As they walked, Jin listened as Elsa filled him in on the details of her abduction.
"Open the door."
At Jin's command, Canna stepped forward and kicked the door in. Despite being heavy and ornate, the door flew back as if it were a dry leaf in a gale.
"W-Who goes there?" a flustered voice called out.
In the corner of the room stood a thin man in a white robe. He was flanked by two pitch-black golems and held a long, excessively decorated staff.
"...Purcell."
Jin did not miss the way Elsa’s eyes filled with dread at the sight of the man.
"So you're the branch manager."
"Y-Yes, indeed. I am Purcell Marces de Kanagelion, the manager of the Unifilar 8th branch! And who, pray tell, are you?"
Jin let a cold smirk cross his face.
"I’m the Jin Nidou you were so desperately interested in."
Purcell’s expression twisted into a complex mask of emotions.
"I-I see! So it was worth taking Miss Randol hostage after all. Now, come, pledge your loyalty to Unifilar immediately." Purcell’s tone was insufferably arrogant.
"Don't screw with me."
Jin’s voice was so icy that Elsa, standing right beside him, felt a chill.
"I didn't really care what you called yourselves or what you were plotting, as long as it didn't affect me."
At that, Elsa couldn't help but stare at his face.
"Even that business with the golems wasn't specifically aimed at me. I was annoyed, sure, so I brushed off the sparks that flew my way."
Jin paused, his voice dropping an octave further.
"But this time is different. You kidnapped Elsa. You made her cry. You hurt her nurse. You... are my enemies."
Elsa had never seen Jin look so grim. Yet, she did not feel even a spark of fear toward him. On the contrary, his presence was profoundly comforting. She felt that as long as she was under this man's protection, nothing in the world could hurt her.
"I'm going to let you live. Go back and tell your friends: if you lay a single finger on my family again, that will be the day Unifilar is wiped from the map."
"Y-You talk a big game. Do you honestly believe you can challenge the entirety of Unifilar alone?"
Even now, Purcell was desperately trying to bluster.
In response, Jin pulled Elsa closer, his arm around her shoulder.
"Alone? I'm not alone. I have my trusted companions, my family to protect..." He looked toward Reiko, Dahlia, and Canna. "...And I have my reliable children."
With that, Dahlia and Canna stepped forward. Purcell looked at the two golems, who were roughly the same size as Elsa, and scoffed.
"A-Aren't you supposed to be a magi craftman? Do you really think you can defeat my elite guards with such dainty little golems?"
Purcell turned to the black golems flanking him. "Get rid of them!"
Jin gave a short command. "Full power. Do it."
That was all they needed. In an instant, the two were behind the black golems, unleashing 10 million volt electrical discharges.
This was not a stun mode used to avoid permanent injury to humans; this was the raw, destructive power of lightning-type magic. The sheer voltage partially melted the golems' outer shells. The current surged through the gaps, easily piercing and incinerating the internal control cores.
The sharp scent of ozone filled the room as the two black golems collapsed simultaneously, their metallic frames clattering against the stone floor with a sharp ring.
"H-Hieee!"
Seeing this, Purcell’s legs gave out, and he collapsed in a heap. But Jin wasn't finished.
"The golems were easy enough. I wonder how a human holds up? Dahlia."
"Yes, Chief. Shall we find out?"
"Hie! Hyahaaaaaa!"
Dahlia only had to take a single step toward him for Purcell to lose consciousness. He began to foam at the mouth, and the fabric of his trousers darkened as he lost control of his bladder.
Jin let out a weary sigh and looked at Elsa.
"How’s that? Feel a bit better?"
Elsa gave a small, genuine smile and nodded. "Mm. Thank you."
Jin looked back at the soiled Purcell and gave a reluctant order.
"Ugh, how disgusting. Dahlia, drag him outside. Try not to touch his clothes."
"Yes, Chief."
Dahlia grabbed Purcell by the collar and dragged him out of the fort. Jin and Elsa headed out ahead of her; neither of them wanted to walk through the trail of urine in the hallway.
Outside, the Light Balls Jin had conjured still hovered in the air. A few of the masked men piled together were starting to groan, regaining consciousness.
Jin pulled a magi-crystal from his pocket and approached the unconscious Purcell.
"Trans Info Level 6."
He copied all the information related to Unifilar. Once analyzed, it would likely reveal a great deal about the organization.
"Hey. Wake up. I said wake up!"
"Ugh... uuuu..."
After Jin shouted a few more times, the man at his feet finally came to. Purcell’s robe was frayed and his cloak torn from being dragged over the rough ground.
"Finally awake, are you?"
"Eep!" Purcell looked up at Jin and cringed, physically shrinking.
"Honestly, 'the fox borrowing the tiger's authority' is a phrase made just for people like you."
As he spoke, Jin caught Reiko's eye. She understood his silent request immediately.
"Father, Sky 71 through 75 are in position overhead. They are ready at your command."
Jin addressed Purcell and the masked men who were now waking up.
"Listen well. Give up on this pathetic dream of unifying the continent. This is your only warning. There won't be a second."
The men listened in stunned silence. Jin gave a final, brief nod to Reiko.
"Reiko."
Reiko relayed the order to the Air Force via manacam.
A moment later, pillars of light cascaded from the heavens. Ten of them in total—the searing light of Lasers.
Each craft fired its dual cannons at maximum output. The sheer energy excited the free ether in the atmosphere, making the usually invisible beams flare into brilliant sight.
Caught in the path of the ten lasers, the granite of the fort vaporized instantly. Because they were firing from moving aircraft, the points of impact shifted even during the single second of the burst.
In the blink of an eye, over seventy percent of the fort simply ceased to exist.
"N-Na... Na-na..."
Purcell and the masked men were paralyzed with terror, their strength completely gone.
"Remember this. This is the last time I’ll say it. 'DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH US.'"
"H-Hah-hieeee!" They screamed their agreement in unison.
Jin spared one last look at their pathetic figures before turning to the girl beside him.
"Elsa, is this enough? I could have killed them, but... that would have been excessive."
Elsa nodded firmly. "Mm. This is enough."
Jin gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and began to walk away.
"Good. Come on, let's head home."
Above them, the moon shone brightly in the midnight sky.