At the training ground, the battle between the two golems had reached a new level of intensity.
Karatake, Kesa, Gyaku-kesa, Yokonagi, and Tsuki.
They unleashed attacks from every conceivable angle—above, below, left, and right—while simultaneously guarding against every strike returned to them. They were perfectly matched.
"Brother, isn't this just going in circles?" Gunno whispered.
"……"
Jix and Gunno huddled together in the shadow of their other golem, speaking in hushed tones.
"I’ll admit, I didn't think it would be this much of a struggle," Jix replied. "At this rate, our golem’s superiority remains unproven. We need a plan."
"If you ask me, we should just show the mass-production process right here in front of His Majesty. That would settle it."
"Of course! We'll show him the birth of a golem that's incomparably faster and more powerful than anything he’s seen before."
King Cesar, watching from the stands, murmured to his aides, "To be able to fight on equal terms with the Lord of Kunlun's golem... it is fearsome."
"It is exactly as Your Majesty says," a minister agreed.
That conversation was picked up clearly by the ears of Jin’s Doppel.
Back on Hourai Island, Jin decided he had gathered enough data on the opponent’s repertoire. He sent a mental command to Steward to unleash his full power as planned.
"O-Oh!?"
The spectators—everyone except for Jin and his circle—gasped in unison.
Steward’s movements had suddenly accelerated. He was now moving at a speed truly faster than the eye could follow.
"Kh! He was holding back?! But no matter—Phantom can handle that!" Jix shouted.
But that was a delusion. While a golem could learn techniques, what Steward was demonstrating now was raw, base performance.
Steward increased his output, and his subsequent attacks were nothing short of overwhelming. What had appeared to be an even exchange moments ago was now a one-sided onslaught. Phantom was forced entirely onto the defensive. It managed to avoid a direct hit to its core only by desperately utilizing the techniques it had mimicked.
"Technique versus performance, then?" Jix grumbled, gnashing his teeth in frustration.
But the reality was even harsher than he realized. Steward’s speed increased yet again, and his strikes grew even heavier. To determine the absolute limits of Phantom’s capabilities, Steward was incrementally ratcheting up his output.
"This is impossible! Just how much power is hidden inside that golem?!"
Phantom was completely outclassed. Steward was methodically cornering the opponent.
"Ah!" someone cried out.
In a flash of motion, the iron rod Phantom had been wielding was sent flying through the air. An instant later, Steward’s own rod swung down toward Phantom’s head—stopping dead a fraction of an inch before the killing blow.
To any observer, the victory was undeniable. Steward had won.
"The enemy’s output was higher than I expected," Jin remarked.
The final analysis showed that Phantom’s output was roughly equivalent to 40 percent of Steward’s maximum.
"Its techniques are also not to be underestimated," Reiko added.
After all, Steward had to raise his output to 70 percent before he could truly overwhelm the machine.
"Father, now we can investigate the structure of that golem, as promised."
"Yeah, that’s the plan."
Jin nodded at Reiko’s words, his expression full of anticipation.
"Match over! The winner is Steward!" King Cesar declared from a safe distance.
Jix and Gunno looked on, their faces twisted with bitterness.
"A shame, you two," Lagede, the First Military Minister, said with a note of sympathy. "The opponent was simply too much for anyone. Trying to compete with the Lord of Kunlun’s golem was a mistake from the start. Even so, you should be proud to have fought such a close match."
Latant, the Chief of the Ministry of Technology, also stepped forward. "It would be a waste to use such a unit solely for combat. I would like to see that versatility put to more productive use."
Finally, King Cesar addressed them. "I concur."
"……"
Jix and Gunno remained silent, biting their lips.
"Lord of Kunlun!" Gunno suddenly shouted. "You have the power to create things like this! Why are you content to stay in such a lowly position?!"
"Eh?" Jin’s Doppel blinked.
"With that kind of power, you could conquer the entire world!"
"……And what would I do once I’d conquered it?" Jin’s voice, channeled through the Doppel, was perfectly calm. "Everyone has their place. I’m not suited for leadership. Besides, if you want to change the world, there are better ways to go about it."
Jin continued, explaining that rapid reform through dominance and forced policies would inevitably collapse. "It would be a problem if everything simply became mokuami—returned to square one—the moment the ruler was gone."
"……Mokuami?" Gunno repeated, clearly baffled by the unfamiliar word.
King Cesar and his ministers also looked on with questioning faces.
"……I mean, it would be a problem if everything just reverted to its original state," Jin rephrased. "I don’t claim to know the 'correct' answer for the world. All I can do is fulfill my own role."
"……And you think your role is simply making powerful golems?"
"Hmm? No, that’s not it. Steward may look like a combatant right now, but he’s actually designed for general housework. He can even craft simple magic tools."
"Wh-What did you say……?" Jix stammered, interjecting in shock. "Aside from that level of combat ability, he has those functions as well……?"
"The combat capability is just a bonus," Jin said airily. "I only gave him a bit of a power-up because of the Gonpetition. Basically, Steward is just a general-purpose golem."
"……"
Hearing Jin’s casual dismissal of such world-shaking power, the wind seemed to go out of Jix and Gunno’s sails.
However, Jix eventually recovered. With a voice vibrating with suppressed emotion, he turned to King Cesar.
"Your Majesty, we have one final technology to show you. Please, make your final judgment after you have seen this."
He glanced at Gunno. His brother understood immediately and barked an instruction to the golem standing nearby.
The golem walked slowly to the carriage and retrieved a large barrel. It then returned, carrying two sets of armor—one tucked under each arm.
"Now, let us show you," Jix said, shooting a glare at Jin. He and Gunno each held up a suit of armor. "These are ordinary suits of armor. They are hollow inside, though they are made of a somewhat specialized material."
Even when held aloft, the joints didn't fall apart, which told King Cesar they were indeed special. Furthermore, the ease with which the men handled them suggested the suits were incredibly light.
"Now, we will submerge them in the 'liquid metal' contained in this barrel."
The golem pried open the lid. The contents were exactly what Jin had been waiting to see: the fluid metal.