"A request for reinforcements... you say?"
Princess Lieschen, having just descended from the cabin, overheard the exchange.
"What exactly has happened?"
The messenger knight hesitated for a moment, but since the information wasn't confidential, he decided to report on the spot.
"Yes! At the Soldrake Ruins in the Former Leonard Kingdom, a massive swarm of giant, ant-like monsters has appeared. The Kingdom of Egerea's 3rd Ritter Corps is currently under attack, along with the Celuroa Kingdom's Frontier Corps who were also present."
"Ant monsters?...Did they emerge from underground?"
Jin had no intention of interfering in disputes between nations. However, the sudden appearance of monsters was a different matter entirely.
"Jin, can I... ask this of you? I am quite well-acquainted with Paul, the captain of the 3rd Ritter Corps. She is the one who always escorts me whenever I visit the Kingdom of Egerea."
Being implored by Princess Lieschen made the request even harder to refuse.
"I understand. At least for this time," Jin agreed, though he subtly implied that he didn't want to be used so conveniently at every turn.
"Reiko, Elsa, let's go."
"Yes, Father."
"Mm."
Princess Lieschen looked as though she desperately wanted to follow them, but even she knew that was out of the question.
"Jin, I'm counting on you!"
Jin waved back at Lies, who was waving her hand so vigorously it looked as though it might fall off, and then he climbed into the cabin.
The Konron 2 ascended rapidly. He turned the nose southeast and accelerated. Its speed was so great that it soon vanished even from the sight of Princess Lieschen's evil eye.
"Laojun, you've heard the situation, right? Do you have the coordinates?" The first thing Jin did was check in with his strategist.
『Yes, My Lord. Monitoring the magi-radar, I detect a massive spike in mana in a section of the Former Leonard Kingdom; the location coincides with the Soldrake Ruins.』
"Understood. In that case..."
The Soldrake Ruins were more than two hundred kilometers away from Alban, the capital of the Klein Kingdom. Even at the Konron 2's maximum speed, it would take over an hour to arrive.
"...Let's use that."
By "that," he meant the transporter he had received from No. 700672. The destination marker was set to Hourai Island.
"Yes, Father. Activating the transporter."
Quite literally in an instant, Jin and the others were in the front yard of the Hourai Island laboratory. The deviation was only about ten centimeters—a terrifying degree of accuracy. As expected of a device crafted by No. 700672.
"Laojun, prepare to send us to the Soldrake Ruins via the transporter....Actually, let's pack some extra gear first."
The Konron 2 lacked any significant armament. Having heard that the enemies were ant-like monsters, Jin loaded laser guns, magi-cannons, vibration swords, and plasma swords.
"Alright, let's go."
The Konron 2, carrying Jin, Elsa, and Reiko, was transported once more.
They reappeared in the sky near the Soldrake Ruins. Reiko reacted immediately, banking the ship toward the site. Within minutes, the Konron 2 arrived over the ruins.
"Father, look down there!"
Beneath them, a scene of absolute carnage was unfolding.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Golems! Defend!"
Trist Clarot barked orders at his prized combat golems. However, in the next instant, his eyes flew wide in shock.
The golems, drenched in the acidic fluid spat out by the Giga Ants, began to dissolve as white smoke billowed from their frames.
"Wh-What!?"
Among the various types of ants on Earth, some secrete an organic acid called formic acid. Similarly, human gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid, and certain gut bacteria produce acetic or succinic acids.
It was hardly surprising that the Giga Ants, classified as magical beasts, could secrete a powerful acid. In fact, the Gigant Peeders also possessed a highly corrosive bodily fluid.
"Aaargh..."
"It hurts! Help me!"
Most of the fifty men of the Celuroa Kingdom 2nd Frontier Corps had been struck by the fluid. Weakened by the acid, the soldiers were being eaten alive.
"Damn it! To think my Frontier Corps would be wiped out like this!"
No matter how much Commander Trist lamented, it didn't change the reality. The combat golems had crushed several Giga Ants, but they were soon sprayed with corrosive fluid by more than double their number, melting until they seized up.
Only two golems remained to protect Trist. And of the fifty-man corps, only Trist was left standing.
Furthermore, more than half of the five hundred golems that had been recovered had been melted into scrap by the Giga Ants. A few golems that had seemingly not yet been programmed with commands began to move and charged at the swarm, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and were destroyed in seconds.
In contrast, the members of the Kingdom of Egerea 3rd Ritter Corps were all still safe.
The difference lay primarily in their mounts. The soldiers of the Frontier Corps were infantry, and only Commander Trist was on horseback. The knights of Egerea, however, were all mounted. Because the Giga Ants' movement speed was roughly equivalent to a horse's, the knights had narrowly managed to stay ahead of the swarm.
"But at this rate, we'll eventually be overtaken..."
As she held the rearguard, Captain Paul Raid thought desperately.
While their speeds were comparable, the Giga Ants showed no signs of fatigue. On the other hand, the knights' horses would only be able to maintain this pace for another fifteen minutes at most.
"Mmm... those five hundred golems are nothing more than scarecrows now. What a terrible waste," Phillip Teefor, the branch manager of the Blue Land Magi Craftman Guild, muttered regretfully as he galloped.
He didn't know what kind of commands Trist had used, but golems that could do nothing more than walk were no match for the Giga Ants.
"If only they had been capable of fighting, we could have held them off..."
His muttering was thick with frustration.
At that moment, Phillip's horse tripped on an obstacle.
"Wha—uwaaaa!"
Phillip was thrown violently from the saddle.
"Master!"
Dona, who had been riding with him, was also tossed aside, but she immediately scrambled to her feet and rushed to Phillip's side.
"Ugh..."
Phillip had sprained his right ankle and right wrist; he couldn't stand up.
"I will carry you."
Dona hoisted Phillip onto her back and began to walk. The horse they had been riding had long since vanished into the distance.
"Lord Phillip!"
Having fallen, they were overtaken even by Paul at the rearguard. Phillip and Dona were now the final targets at the tail of the group.
The black monsters were closing in.
The distance was now a mere ten meters.
＊ ＊ ＊
"This is horrible..."
"..."
Jin and Elsa were left speechless by the devastation below.
Well over a thousand Giga Ants were swarming across the landscape. Roughly fifty soldiers lay fallen, several already being devoured by the monsters. Most of the five hundred golems had been dissolved, some to the point where they no longer held their original shape.
"Giga Ants, huh? That corrosive fluid looks incredibly potent."
"Mm....Probably, they use that fluid to melt rock to build their nests underground," Elsa theorized.
Jin thought she was likely correct.
『I believe Elsa-san's hypothesis is accurate,』 Laojun added. 『The Gigant Peeders that once emerged from the Inado Mine also possessed highly corrosive bodily fluids. Both are creatures that live underground. I suspect that as they grow larger, they require a powerful acid to melt rock to construct their nests.』
"That has to be it. In that case... considering the size difference between these Giga Ants and the Gigant Peeders, the Giga Ants are likely the weaker of the two."
That was also evident from the way the golems were melting. Back then, even adamantite had been slightly dissolved by the Gigant Peeders. The Giga Ants were also slower.
Even so, if they dawdled, the monsters would catch the retreating 3rd Ritter Corps. Furthermore, dozens of ants were starting to scatter in other directions. It would be a nightmare if they established nests elsewhere.
"Reiko, can I leave this to you?"
"Yes, Father. Leave it to me."
"The effects of that corrosive fluid are still a variable. Deploy a solid barrier and attack from within using magic or your laser gun."
"Understood."
Equipping a plasma sword just in case, Reiko leaped from the Konron 2 into the chaos below.