"Magical beasts? Not a golem squad?"
Jin couldn't help but ask back in surprise.
"Yes, Father. They are identified as Mega Ants and Giga Ants."
"Order the Land squad to exterminate them. If they prove difficult, tell them to call for reinforcements."
"Understood. I will relay your orders to Laojun."
Having issued his instructions, Jin turned his attention to the immediate problem.
A hole had opened in the floor directly ahead of them.
<<Come forth, my invincible golem army!>> the magi-brain declared in a booming voice.
However, only three half-broken golems emerged. To make matters worse, as one of them tried to step forward, its leg snapped, and it collapsed in a heap.
"...What?"
The magi-brain seemed to share Jin's bewilderment.
<<W-What on earth have you done?!>>
"Jin-kun, what is happening?" Milowina asked, clearly confused by the turn of events.
But the most confused of all was undoubtedly the magi-brain.
<<Ooooh, my invincible army...!>>
"Jin-nii, look over there," Elsa said, pointing.
From the same hole the three broken golems had crawled out of, four Gigantoavrum emerged.
These giant earwigs were the same species of magical beast once employed by the Puppet Clan's Arshel; they were known for the massive pincers on their tails.
"Milowina-san, get behind me."
While shielding Milowina, Jin activated his Protect Ring, deploying a barrier around them.
<<Why... why have my golem units turned into magical beasts?!>>
The magi-brain's frantic, confused voice echoed through the chamber, seemingly unable to process the reality before it.
Meanwhile, on the surface, over fifty Mega Ants and more than twenty Giga Ants had swarmed out.
The Mega Ants weren't particularly dangerous on their own, but the Giga Ants were a serious threat due to the highly acidic corrosive fluid they spat from their mouths.
Years ago, Reiko's skin—which was then made from Sea Dragon wing membrane—had been partially dissolved by a Queen Ant's fluids. She had gone so far as to seek out the shed skin of an Ancient Dragon specifically to overcome that weakness.
Knowing this, the Land squad did not let their guard down.
They protected themselves from the corrosive fluid by deploying solid barriers while retaliating with lasers. It was a safe, certain method of extermination.
'Do not let a single one escape,' Laojun's order came through.
To ensure total containment, Falcon 5 and 6 had been deployed via transporter and were monitoring the area from the sky.
At the same time, Konron 3 had temporarily ascended to a safer altitude, while simultaneously assisting with ground surveillance.
The battle was settled in a matter of minutes.
'Fifty-two Mega Ants and twenty-three Giga Ants confirmed. We shall continue monitoring the area for a while to ensure no more emerge.'
Just to be safe, Laojun ordered the units to maintain their state of alert.
With their barriers raised, Jin and Elsa retreated while shielding Milowina. Kai, who possessed no combat capabilities, retreated as well.
Reiko, however, moved forward to intercept the Gigantoavrum.
Against the current Reiko, creatures like these weren't even worthy of being called enemies. Since she hadn't brought any weapons, she met them with her bare hands. One fell to a punch; another to a kick.
Using her hand like a blade, she slaughtered the giant earwigs one by one. The final creature was hurled across the room, dying instantly as it slammed into the stone wall.
<<Why... why such magical beasts... my golems...>>
"They probably bred inside the golem hangar," Jin offered his deduction. "The free ether was likely leaking, and it must have drawn them in."
"I see. And then they grew massive by consuming that free ether?" Reiko asked.
"Most likely... or rather, that's not quite right," Jin corrected her. "Their size is probably the result of breeding over several generations."
He didn't think they had suddenly mutated; it was more likely that they had gradually grown larger with each successive generation.
"It's possible the Leonard Kingdom built their golem hangar near an old Progenitor underground ranch."
Jin knew that some of the Progenitors had once constructed underground ranches to harvest mental catalysts. It was entirely possible that such a place had existed here as well, though there was no way to verify it now.
<<Uaaaooooh... my raison d'être is... q-why-e-r*yu-i-x-asd?fg-why-hj>>
The magi-brain's speech was becoming increasingly unintelligible.
"It's gone completely berserk."
In Jin's estimation, the magi-circuitry had degraded to the point where normal logical operation was impossible.
"...It's time to let it finish its duty."
Watching it cling so desperately to its purpose in this state was a pitiful sight.
"Grand Search."
Jin reached out with his magic, searching for the magi-brain's physical location.
"Grand Search... Grand Search..."
On the fourth attempt, he finally found it.
"Grand Search... There it is!"
To the right of the hole the Gigantoavrum had emerged from, he sensed a specific reaction.
"Reiko, let's go."
"Yes, Father."
"Elsa, I'm leaving Milowina-san to you."
"Understood."
Elsa took over the barrier to protect Milowina in Jin's stead.
"Jin-nii, Reiko-chan, be careful."
"...Jin-kun, please... let the magi-brain rest now," Milowina said, her voice full of compassion.
"We will. We're going....Dig."
Using the earth-attribute spell Dig, a part of his Craft Magic, Jin began boring a tunnel toward the magi-brain.
"Just a bit more....Dig."
"Father, it's open."
"Alright."
<<Ua-rty*h-kuse-jk<? Aa-jko@aa...>>
Before Jin and Reiko stood a Magi Machine with a half-decayed exterior.
"This is it..."
"Father, it is in worse condition than I imagined."
Because the outer casing was made of steel, the moisture in the earth had caused it to rust into a deep red, with holes eaten through in several places. The Gigantoavrum had likely entered through those gaps, physically damaging the internal magi-circuitry. That had likely been the final blow to its sanity.
"...There's no way to repair this."
"No, Father."
<<O-a-a-a-aah... a-a-ah: @*qaswdefrgtml,;. >>
"...It is enough. Rest in peace," Reiko whispered.
She reached out and tapped the magi-circuitry with her index finger. With that single touch, the fragile components crumbled into dust.
And so, the rampaging magi-brain finally reached the end of its long service.