"The interception will be handled by our naval unit," Jin explained to the guests after they had boarded Konron 3.
"The vessels they are using are wooden ships called 'Shark.' They are made of teak and reinforced in certain sections with 64 light silver. Their propulsion systems are 'Aqua Thrusters.'"
"Oho!"
"So that is what a ship looks like when built by a Magi Craft Meister..."
"Wait, didn't I see that vessel back in the Celuroa Kingdom?"
"Ah, you're right! It’s the ship from that ceremony!"
"This is certainly something to see."
Statesmen, engineers, and soldiers alike were captivated, their eyes fixed on the battle about to unfold on the waves below.
Five Death Sea Serpents were closing in. In response, five Sharks, numbered 11 through 15, moved to intercept them.
The Death Sea Serpents were over twenty meters long; by contrast, the Sharks were ten meters in length with a four-meter beam.
"Will they really be all right...?" someone fretted.
In that moment, the curtain rose on the fierce battle.
The units aboard the Sharks today were Navy golems Marine 401 through 440. Normally assigned to the security of Hourai Island, they had been summoned specifically for the World Conference.
Eight golems were stationed on each vessel, responsible for piloting, reconnaissance and watch, communication, attack, and defense—with two units each assigned to the latter two roles.
Despite the reinforcements Jin had added, the Sharks were fundamentally wooden ships. Rather than attacking head-on, they circled around to the flanks of the Death Sea Serpents.
The Shark's maximum speed using the Aqua Thrusters was sixty kilometers per hour. The maximum swimming speed of a Death Sea Serpent was roughly the same.
However, the Shark was also equipped with a force generator. By utilizing this, the ships could exceed speeds of one hundred kilometers per hour.
Since there were spectators watching today, the use of the force generators was kept to a minimum—specifically, a ten percent boost to maximum speed and emergency evasive maneuvers. Jin planned to limit their use so that it would be unnoticeable from the sky.
The five Death Sea Serpents were swimming along the surface in a nearly horizontal line, spaced about fifty meters apart. Each of the five Sharks headed toward a different target to engage them individually.
Shark 11 circled to the flank of its target and fired a Water Spear as a opening test.
Water Spear was a mid-level, mid-tier water-attribute spell. It fired a spear-shaped mass of water designed to pierce the target. It was characterized by high velocity but relatively low penetrating power.
The Death Sea Serpent, possessing a natural resistance to the water attribute, was entirely unfazed. In retaliation, it opened its maw toward Shark 11 and spat out a massive volume of water—the mid-level, mid-tier water-attribute spell, Water Stream.
Shark 11 avoided the torrent with a nimble maneuver. Deciding there was no longer any need for restraint, it fired a Water Jet.
This was the same magic Jin had used once before to intercept Death Sea Serpents off the coast of Io Island in the Kingdom of Elias.
Utilizing the inexhaustible supply of seawater, the Water Jet—a supersonic stream of water infused with magical energy—sliced the Death Sea Serpent clean in two, then quartered the remains for good measure.
Shark 12 charged directly at its opponent. Or so it seemed; twenty meters before impact, it veered sharply to the right. The Death Sea Serpent contorted its long body, trying to follow Shark 12’s movements.
However, a change in direction at sixty kilometers per hour forced even the mighty beast to exert its full strength. An opening appeared in that moment. Shark 12 unleashed Thunder Javelin, an advanced-level, mid-tier lightning-attribute spell—the primary weakness of water-attribute magical beasts.
A high-voltage shock of one hundred million volts struck the Death Sea Serpent directly. Helpless against the surge, the creature’s long body went limp on the surface of the sea.
Shark 13 was struck by a Death Sea Serpent’s Water Stream, which the beast had been quick to manifest. This was an advanced-level, low-tier water-attribute spell. An ordinary ship would have been swept away and capsized in an instant.
But Shark 13 was no ordinary ship.
For a mere fraction of a second, Shark 13 used its force generator to lift itself into the air. In that single instant, seventy percent of the raging Water Stream passed harmlessly underneath it. Shark 13’s own propulsion was more than enough to handle the remainder. This momentary hovering was indistinguishable from the airship above.
Then, capitalizing on the lag after the creature released its magic, Shark 13 fired an advanced-level, high-tier fire-attribute spell, Flame Buster, directly into its still-open mouth. The massive fireball blew the Death Sea Serpent’s head apart.
Shark 14 was faced with the smallest of the serpents. Even so, its body length approached twenty meters.
Perhaps because it was smaller and more agile, the Death Sea Serpent began to writhe as Shark 14 approached. The resulting waves became a heavy swell that tossed Shark 14 about. It was a testament to the power of a water-attribute magical beast that it could create such waves without even using magic.
However, Shark 14 did not sit idly by. Since the ship was rocking and the target was writhing—making it difficult to aim—it compensated by unleashing the area-of-effect spell Thunder Rain.
A high-voltage surge of fifty million volts grazed the creature's body, and the Death Sea Serpent’s movements slowed drastically. Not missing the opening, the golem unleashed a Thunder Javelin. The Death Sea Serpent’s movements ceased forever.
The Death Sea Serpent facing Shark 15 was the largest and had been swimming at the very rear. Seeing its companions defeated, it took fright and dove underwater.
Shark 15 responded with a spell that was an adaptation of the method Jin had once used to force a submerged serpent to the surface. Specifically, it used the non-attribute attack magic Sonic Boom, an application of the craft magic Sonar.
This could be used in both air and water, and its directionality, attenuation, and range could be precisely adjusted. The transparency of the sea in this area was high, so missing a target that had only dove about fifty meters was impossible.
The directional acoustic weapon intensely stimulated the Death Sea Serpent’s inner ear. As a result, the creature could no longer remain submerged and surfaced in a frenzy. Shark 15 was waiting and decapitated it with a Water Jet.
"Oh..."
"Incredible..."
"Splendid!"
The spectators, who had been pressed against the floor windows and portholes, let out a collective sigh of admiration.
"As expected of the Lord of Kunlun!"
"Say, Jin, that 'Shark' vessel—that's the same ship we were shown during the Founding Anniversary Ceremony of the Celuroa Kingdom, isn't it?" the Empress asked.
"Yes, it is."
"I thought so! It isn't just for show; its performance is truly remarkable."
"Indeed. It is hard to believe it is a wooden ship," added Magic Technology Minister Degauss, following the Empress’s lead.
Many of the other delegates had seen it before but had forgotten the details in the subsequent political turmoil.
"If I recall, back then, an old-man-style automata and a blue-haired automata... Anne, were on board."
The Empress had an excellent memory. Despite the bad impressions left by the situation in the Celuroa Kingdom, she seemed to remember everything Jin had brought with him. This was impressive, considering some of the other delegates had only realized today that Anne was an artifact-class automata.
Even so, she hadn't realized Anne was an artifact at the time. That was only natural; one wouldn't expect so many artifact-class automata to still be in operation. It was their rarity that made them 'artifacts' in the first place.
"At the time... I never imagined you would just casually let an artifact-class automata out in public."
The Empress said she had simply assumed Jin had built the blue-haired girl himself. In truth, the current Anne was a unit Jin had rebuilt from scratch, inheriting only the form and the memories from her original control core.
As Konron 3 slowly descended toward the ground, the leaders continued their praise.
"Truly, Lord of Kunlun, I take my hat off to you," King Cesar of Celuroa declared.
"Most certainly."
"I should like to entrust world peace to you and Maquina-dono."
"With you here, this world can rest easy."
Whether these words were sincere or flavored with diplomatic flattery, they were spoken with undeniable goodwill.