Jin decided it was time for Deus Ex Machina to make his entrance and contacted Laojun.
"Laojun, have Maquina board Pegasus 1 and sortie."
However, the response that came back from Laojun was not what Jin had expected.
『My Lord, while I believe Maquina's deployment is fine, I ask that you reconsider the use of the Magic Canceller.』
"Why is that?"
『Well, world leaders from various nations are currently gathered there. Even if the one using it is Maquina, how do you think they would feel if he used a Magic Canceller right in front of them?』
Jin felt a jolt of realization, as did Elsa, who was listening by his side.
A Magic Canceller would not only stop the Lyons; it would deactivate every magic tool equipped with a mana tank.
In other words, it was a power that could essentially dismantle the current world order.
While Jin certainly had no intention of abusing it, others were unlikely to see it that way.
"...You're right."
It was an observation only Laojun could make—someone not directly on the scene, capable of analyzing the situation with a broader perspective.
"In that case, to break this deadlock..."
Jin took another look at the scene unfolding below.
"It seems no one else is struggling to escape..."
To Jin's eyes, the Lyons' movements appeared sluggish. There had been more than enough time for people to evacuate.
However.
"...Just as I thought."
King Richard's command to "Go wild! Destroy everything!" seemed to apply to the entire vicinity. Since no specific target had been set, this was the logical consequence.
The rampaging Lyons were laying waste to more than just the Guillaume Detached Palace; they were beginning to attack the surrounding structures as well.
"If we leave them alone, the town will start taking hits."
"...Jin-nii."
Elsa looked concerned. To reassure her, Jin explained his alternative plan.
"It's okay. There’s another way to stop the Lyons using known technology. Laojun, is Maquina ready?"
『Yes, My Lord. Preparations are complete.』
"Good. What about the Land squad?"
『Yes. Land 11 through 20 are ready for deployment.』
"Excellent. Listen, I'm heading to Hourai Island now. Have ten all-attribute magi-crystals ready for me."
『Understood.』
This time, Laojun accepted Jin's instructions without further question. Jin turned to Elsa.
"Elsa, I’m going to Hourai Island. I should be back in a few minutes. I'll give you the details when I return."
"Mm, I understand. I won't let anyone into the cockpit while you're gone. Good luck."
"Reiko, I'm counting on you as well. Right then, I'm off."
Using the Warp Gate installed discreetly within the cockpit, Jin traveled to Hourai Island.
『My Lord, everything is prepared.』
Ten all-attribute magi-crystals sat on the table in the command room.
"Good work."
After a quick word of thanks to Laojun, Jin immediately used Craft Magic to begin processing the crystals, as every second counted.
"...Write In."
In short order, ten magic tools were finished. Jin handed them over to Laojun.
"Have the Land units carry these and deploy. I'm returning to Konron 2."
It was a whirlwind of a visit.
"Jin-nii, welcome back."
Elsa and Reiko were there to meet Jin as he returned to Konron 2 in exactly five minutes.
"There were no abnormalities during Father's absence."
"Got it. The Land squad will be warped in shortly."
They would use Invisible to hide their arrival.
To an observer, it would appear as though they had materialized out of thin air.
"Oh, there they go. Perfect."
As the Land squad closed in on the rampaging Lyons, the giants froze instantly.
"...How?"
Elsa asked the natural question.
"It's a spell you know well, Elsa... or rather, one you've had a bad experience with."
Jin offered a hint. Elsa realized it immediately.
"...Ah, is it Erase?"
"Correct. The Unifilar have used similar Master-Slave Rewrite Magic before, so Erase won't seem out of place."
This allowed them to stop the Lyons without drawing unwanted attention to their more advanced secrets.
"...Jin-nii, you really are amazing."
"No, even I was going to use the Magic Canceller at first. I only realized my mistake when Laojun pointed it out. That's not the kind of thing you should use lightly in public."
"...Mm, true. Just like the gravity control magi-devices or the barrier bombs..."
"Exactly."
Below them, the twenty-third Lyon was being brought to a standstill.
＊ ＊ ＊
Fritz had been fighting back with his Golias units to minimize the damage caused by the Lyons.
He was currently facing twelve of them.
While the Lyons were faster than the hulking Golias units, they were merely following a crude order to "go wild," making them no match for the Golias units operating under sophisticated, tactical commands.
Nevertheless, the numerical disadvantage was clear—twelve against five.
They could manage two against one, but when surrounded by three, the Golias units struggled.
Finally, Golias 4 was toppled.
"Tch...! This is getting bad..."
Just as Fritz was about to order the remaining four Golias units to retreat—
"Huh?"
The Lyons suddenly stopped.
Three of them were frozen mid-action and began to slowly tip over.
They hit the ground with a thunderous crash, but afterward, the area around the Detached Palace became unnaturally silent.
All twenty-three Lyons had ceased function.
Watching from the ground, Fritz was stunned but tried to assess the situation.
"What in the world just happened?"
It was then that Fritz saw small shadows—small compared to the Lyons, at least—jumping down from the enemy golems.
"What are those...?"
"They are my golems, Fritz-dono."
"Whoa!?"
Fritz literally jumped as a voice called out from behind him.
"My apologies. It seems I startled you."
"Maquina-dono...?"
Standing there was Deus Ex Machina—the man who had previously saved Fritz and Gloria when they were struggling against the Copy.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Look! Those are Maquina-dono's golems!"
Gloria shouted, her eyes fixed on the ground from the window of Konron 2.
She recognized them as the golems that had saved her when she was attacked by the Gigantoavrum—the massive earwigs controlled by the demon race girl calling herself Arshel.
"Maquina's golems?"
The nobles and officials gathered at the window peered down at the ground, though they couldn't quite see what Maquina and his units had actually done.
"Everyone, it appears the crisis has passed."
At that moment, Jin appeared from the cockpit door.
"Jin-dono, the Lyons have stopped. Do you have any idea how that was accomplished?"
Duke Blue asked immediately. It was a question everyone in the room wanted answered.
Jin pretended to think for a moment before replying.
"I suspect it was a form of Master-Slave Rewrite Magic—likely Erase. From this distance, I can't say for certain."
"I see..."
Duke Blue still vividly remembered the terror of the Master-Slave Rewrite Magic used by the Unifilar during the Golem Party in the Kingdom of Egerea.
"Since they don't seem to be using Elradrite, the magic wouldn't be effective at a distance. They must have made direct contact with the Lyons to use it."
"That makes sense."
The onlookers were satisfied with Jin's explanation. With the chaos finally quelled, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.