The abandoned watchtower. It was undeniably a base for the Unifilar.
"Alright, Land 41 through 60, maintain your distance and surround the fortress. Seal it off."
Since the Army golems lacked stealth capabilities, they stood by about two hundred meters away to avoid detection.
"Secret Mobile Unit (SP), all units, move in on the enemy base."
Having already proven themselves during Elsa's rescue, the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) was deployed once more to retrieve Reinhard.
"Falcon 1 through 3, standby in the air and provide backup."
Marine 5 was at the helm of the high-speed boat Hydro 5, while Reiko waited on board with Jin.
The twelve units of the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) slipped into the enemy base without a sound. Even Jin could not see them now.
Having already handled the infiltration of the 8th branch, their movements were fluid, and their coordination was even more advanced than before.
They primarily operated in pairs. One would draw the enemy's attention while the other neutralized them with stun magic. If facing a single target, they attacked from the front and back simultaneously. If facing multiple enemies, two or more pairs would engage.
In this manner, they neutralized everyone—lookouts, perimeter guards, gatekeepers, and internal patrols—without allowing a single alarm to be raised.
The structure of the fortress was familiar. Judging by its age, the 8th branch's fortress had likely been modeled after this one. This gave them an even greater advantage.
"Ground floor service entrance suppressed." "Second floor search commenced." "Basement level one check complete."
Reports reached Jin in steady succession. Finally, the long-awaited update arrived.
"Basement level two confirmed. Lord Reinhard located."
"You are Lord Reinhard, correct?"
The question came from a jet-black golem roughly the size of a normal adult woman. She had pried open the locked door and stepped inside.
"Y-yeah. I'm Reinhard."
The black female-type golem bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Sage. I look forward to working with you."
Reinhard was utterly baffled. Then, another female-type golem of the same model appeared.
"Sage, let us hurry," she said.
"W-who are you?" Reinhard managed to ask.
"We are the Secret Mobile Unit (SP). We have been assigned to your protection, Lord Reinhard. I am Cosmos."
"Assigned? Does that mean...?"
"Yes. We were sent by Father Jin."
Reinhard let out a heavy sigh of relief at that answer. "I see. Jin was even faster than I thought. Understood. We’re leaving, then?"
"Yes. We should be safe for the moment."
"Understood. Stearena, let's go."
"Y-yes."
Cosmos looked at the woman. "And who might this be?"
"Oh, this is Stearena. She's a magi craftsman who was kidnapped along with me. I want to take her with us."
"Understood....Let us go."
There was a brief pause as they contacted Jin, but Reinhard mistook it for hesitation and offered a quick apology.
"Sorry. I know it's a selfish request."
"No, it is no problem. However, since the two of us are not enough to ensure your safety, I have called for Pensee and Viola, who were nearby."
No sooner had she spoken than two small shadows arrived. They were two units with a build similar to Reiko's.
"A-are you also part of the Secret Mobile Unit (SP)?" Reinhard asked, stunned. Stearena seemed beyond words.
"Please, hurry."
They moved from basement level two to basement level one. There, two more units—the boy-types Pothos and Heath—joined the group. When Stearena saw them, a particular look crossed her face.
They reached the ground floor, where three internal patrol guards lay unconscious. Suddenly, an enemy golem appeared.
"Leave this to us," Pothos said as he lunged forward. Heath followed a split second later in silence.
Purple sparks flew for an instant—ten million volt lightning magic. The enemy golem was neutralized and collapsed with a high-pitched metallic clang.
"The noise will surely alert them now. We must hurry....Lord Reinhard, Lady Stearena, please excuse us."
"Eh?"
"Wait, what?...Kyaaaaaaaa!"
Reinhard only had time for a bewildered noise, but Stearena let out a full-blown scream.
Sage had scooped up Reinhard and Cosmos had grabbed Stearena before breaking into a run. They moved at more than five times the speed of a human. It was no wonder Stearena screamed; it was like being strapped into a sudden, high-speed roller coaster.
However, that speed quickly carried them out of the danger zone. The distance between them and the fortress ruins widened in an instant.
By the time Stearena fell silent, she had fainted. Since it was not a major concern, the two units followed Jin's instructions and moved a safe distance away from the site.
Waiting for them were Land 58, 59, and 60, who moved in to provide further escort.
"Are you all Jin's as well?"
"Yes. We are Land 58, 59, and 60 of the Army golems," Land 58 answered.
Reinhard recalled seeing units like them on Kunlun Island. Seeing them now, he was once again struck by the sheer scale of Jin's capabilities.
"With this... I can't exactly ask him to serve my country, can I?"
"Father, it appears the rescue of Reinhard-san and Stearena-san was a success."
"Alright. It's finally time to hit that fortress. We'll keep the Falcons out of this as much as possible."
There was no need to show their entire hand, Jin decided. He ordered Marine 5 to bring the Hydro 5 to the shore and stepped onto land with Reiko.
Because Jin was wearing his reinforcement suit, he could jump about two meters with ease, allowing him to leap ashore without the boat actually docking. He pulled on his helmet and switched the shield to night-vision mode, turning the darkness into day.
Jin and Reiko, accompanied by Land 50 and 51 as well as the Secret Mobile Unit (SP) units Ash and Elm, circled the fortress. They took up a position about a hundred meters from the front entrance, on the side opposite the river.
"Alright. Since they ignored my warning, they get no mercy. Reiko, fire three shots into the front wall as a 'greeting'."
"Yes, Father."
With a look of sheer delight, Reiko prepared to fire her railgun. The sight of her brandishing a 1.5-meter adamantite barrel was surreal.
"Alright, fire!"
"Launching!"
The bullets, coated in adamantite for maximum penetration, were launched at Mach 20.
Almost simultaneously with the booming shockwave, a three-centimeter-wide hole appeared in the fortress's breastwork. The bullets easily punched through rock walls a meter thick, tore through the interior, and only stopped when they buried themselves deep into the far outer wall.
Then came a second shot. And a third.
As the fortress was riddled with holes, Jin could only imagine the chaos unfolding inside.