The second wave of enemy golems was indeed a grotesque assortment of deformities.
One had a massive right arm and a tiny left arm.
Another had three arms on its right side, but only one on its left.
One had eight arms and three legs.
Another had three heads, one arm, and eight legs.
The list went on and on.
They materialized suddenly upon the floor.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Just what is the meaning behind these designs?"
The question escaped Jin’s lips before he could stop himself.
『It is as if they have jumped out of a child’s drawing, My Lord.』
"Eh? Ah, yeah, you're right about that."
As Laojun suggested, they certainly did look like "children’s drawings," Jin thought.
However, before he could dwell on it, the battle began.
＊ ＊ ＊
The Deformed Golems initiated the attack.
"Lightning-attribute magic again?"
Every strike was repelled by the Land squad’s barriers.
《They likely want to avoid damaging the facility as much as possible.》
"I understand that, but is there really no other way they can fight?"
Jin's Body Double issued a command.
"Land 15, use the magi-cannon."
The members of the Land squad deployed for this mission had each been provided with specialized equipment. Land 15 carried a small-class magi-cannon.
It was an improved version of the model Reiko had used during the final battle with the Unifilar. The caliber had been reduced to 20mm, and it could fire either lead or steel balls. The magazine held fifty rounds. At this point, it was perhaps less of a "cannon" and more of a "gun."
First, a lead ball was fired on the "Low" setting. One of the Deformed Golems was instantly blown away.
"……So, while they have magic barriers, they can’t defend against physical rounds."
《At the very least, we Progenitors rarely utilize weapons that employ physical projectiles.》
"Is that so……"
Jin noted the technological divergence, but now was not the time for deep contemplation.
The Deformed Golems continued to unleash lightning-attribute magic, but the bolts were all repelled by magic barriers.
"It’s pure magic, not a physical phenomenon……?"
This came as a surprise to Jin, who had assumed lightning-attribute magic was synonymous with electrical discharge. He secretly resolved to analyze the mechanics later.
Before Land 15 could even finish a single magazine, every one of the Deformed Golems had fallen silent.
"That was underwhelming," Jin's Body Double muttered, but Helente disagreed.
《No, it is simply that Lord of Kunlun’s weaponry is superior. Possessing a powerful means of physical attack is a formidable advantage.》
"But the Flying Discs were firing arrows, weren't they?"
《Those were merely imitations of the weapons used by the indigenous people.》
"What? Then they have no other means of attack beyond that?"
《Naturally, it would be magic.》
"You don't say……"
When it came to combat, their development seemed significantly lopsided. In that regard, the Progenitors appeared to have a different mentality compared to the humans of Earth.
《Let us move forward.》
"Right."
Since no more enemy golems seemed to be appearing, the group decided to proceed. Jin wanted to analyze the fallen Deformed Golems, but he set the idea aside for the time being.
They reached their destination: the center of the hall.
"Just as I thought."
《As predicted.》
A teleportation magic circle was engraved there.
"Alright, let's go."
《Wait.……This is a trap.》
"A trap?"
《It will not have a major effect, but…… it is inscribed to send the user 'one floor up'.》
"What is this, a game of sugoroku!?"
Upon hearing Helente's explanation, both Jin and his Body Double cried out in unison.
《I do not know what this 'sugoroku' is, but since we wish to go down, we simply need to rewrite this.》
Helente pointed to a portion of the magic circle.
"Can you read it, Helente?"
《I can read it without issue.》
Jin could not read it. It did not follow any linguistic system he was familiar with.
"Is it the language the Progenitors used?" Jin asked.
《One could say it is, and one could say it is not.》
"What does that mean?"
《It would be more accurate to say that the language used here is not the one used by 'the Masters,' but rather the one used by their comrades.》
"Let's see……"
Jin tried to visualize the relationship. In short, it was likely akin to how a Japanese person might view English.
"So, it’s like a language from another country on the same planet?"
Helente nodded.
《Yes, that understanding will suffice. In other words, it is close to the language used by the people who remained on Hale.》
Hearing this strengthened Jin's conviction that the enemy mastermind was indeed on Hale.
"In that case, tell me what to fix and how."
《Understood.》
Helente pointed to part of the magic circle and explained the changes to Jin's Body Double.
"I see, so if I adjust this part like this…… Forming."
《Hmm, 'Teleport one floor down.' This is correct.》
"Then let's go."
《Indeed.》
"Master, I shall go first."
Land 12 volunteered and stepped into the magic circle. In an instant, a faint light glowed, and Land 12 vanished.
A report soon followed through the built-in manacam.
『I cannot confirm if I am exactly one floor down, but I have arrived safely. No traps or ambushes detected.』
Additionally, Land 12 reported that based on the surrounding atmosphere, this appeared to be a much more significant floor.
《The report sounds promising. Let's go.》
"Understood."
Thus, Jin's Body Double, Land units 11 through 15, and Helente used the teleportation magic circle to move deeper into the facility.