The giant golem loomed over the laboratory. It stood roughly fifteen meters tall, with only twenty meters left between it and the building.
What held it at bay were the Ether Eliminator and the Magic Canceller barrier.
"...But because of those, we can't launch any magical attacks from our side either. Hmm?"
"Father, do you have a plan?"
Jin shook his head.
"No, it's not that. I was just wondering why Laojun allowed it to get this close."
Jin figured that Laojun should have been able to eliminate the threat while there was still plenty of distance between them.
"For instance, with a laser or a magi-cannon..."
"Father, I believe I understand the reason."
"Reiko?"
"...The golem is likely imitating your mana waveform, Father."
"Ah, I see..."
By design, the golems and automata Jin had created were programmed so they could not destroy one another, except in cases of unavoidable self-defense. The enemy had taken advantage of that restriction.
"So, bringing it to a standstill was the most he could manage?"
"I believe so. I suspect he then sealed off the entire island."
Jin felt that Reiko's speculation was likely correct. If that were the case, he was the only one who could break the deadlock.
"So I need to deal with this thing before I can contact Laojun..."
Jin considered his options. Broadly speaking, there were two ways to handle the situation:
- Launch a physical attack from a distance.
- Close the distance, envelop it in a barrier, and then use magic.
"But a physical attack seems risky..."
If he missed, the laboratory would likely be caught in the crossfire. The golem's surface had a metallic luster, suggesting it would likely reflect a significant portion of any lasers fired at it. There was no guarantee that the reflected light wouldn't damage the lab.
"Maybe I should use the Rocket Mole to drag it down, carry it to the sea, and dump it...?"
"Father, why don't we use the Rocket Mole to punch a hole right through it?"
Jin decided to go with Reiko's suggestion; it wasn't a bad idea at all.
"Alright, let's do it."
First, they used the Rocket Mole to ram the golem. The massive construct lost its balance and fell with a thunderous roar that shook the earth.
"Now, Reiko, go!"
"Yes!"
Reiko drove the Rocket Mole straight toward the enemy golem's torso. The moment they collided, a grating, unpleasant metallic screech rang out.
"The metal is remarkably hard."
"So it seems."
Since magic was useless in this environment, Jin couldn't immediately identify the material. However, it was at least softer than adamantite; the Rocket Mole's blades ground away at the enemy golem's exterior, kicking up a thick cloud of metal dust.
"Exterior armor breached!"
The outermost plating was about five centimeters thick. Beneath it lay internal structural members acting as a rib cage.
"Oh, these are hard too."
Jin suspected they were likely made of the same material as the armor. The Rocket Mole's digging blades continued to grind through the internal structure with an ear-piercing metallic whine.
"I've got it! The control core!"
Reiko had successfully destroyed the chest unit that housed the core. The control core tumbled out, followed by the ether converter. The magi-nerve lines were now in tatters.
By all accounts, the thing was completely neutralized.
"Good work, Reiko. Stop."
"Yes, Father."
The Rocket Mole came to a halt. A heavy silence enveloped the area. Once he confirmed that the metallic dust had settled, Jin began preparing to step outside.
"Father, please be careful."
Reiko's voice was laced with concern. Even though things were likely proceeding exactly as the future Jin had described, she couldn't help but worry. Jin remained dressed in the space suit for protection.
(This is actually quite comfortable.)
The suit had been salvaged from Pegasus 2. It featured a five-layer structure of Ground Spider resin (GSP), with insulation, cooling, and heating layers, as well as an emergency repair layer made of soft magi-resin.
The outermost layer was made of Ancient Dragon leather, which provided a magical shield when saturated with free ether. Because of this, the magi-devices inside the suit functioned normally despite the surrounding Magic Canceller barrier.
The helmet featured impact-resistant magi-plastic and cubic zirconia with soft magi-resin sandwiched between them. This part also had a thin layer of Ancient Dragon leather stretched over it to ensure the shielding effect remained continuous.
(I'll have to make more of these when I get back...)
Additionally, the soft magi-resin layer seemed to provide motion support via Forming.
(It's like an electric assist bicycle... though I've never actually ridden one.)
Marvelling at what was apparently his own future handiwork, Jin walked toward the laboratory.
"It's hardly changed at all."
A house stood a short distance away, with a hokora beside it. Jin glanced at them for a moment, but his feet kept moving straight toward the laboratory. As he walked, Jin removed the helmet of his space suit.
"Laojun..." he called out softly.
"Laojun," he said again, louder this time.
"Laojun!"
"Yes, My Lord."
Along with the response, the solid barrier protecting the laboratory vanished. The Ether Eliminator and the Magic Canceller barrier were deactivated as well.
"Welcome home. I have been waiting for you."
The nostalgic voice of Laojun resonated through the air.
"I'm home... I suppose it's finally okay to say that. Laojun, you did well guarding Hourai Island."
"Your words are more than I deserve."
At long last, Jin had returned to Hourai Island.
With that, control over Hourai Island returned to Jin's hands. He immediately equipped Laojun with a magi-certifier. At the same time, he set to work analyzing the enemy golem they had just taken down.
"Reiko, bring it over."
"Yes, Father."
Leaving the Rocket Mole behind the laboratory, Reiko rushed out eagerly. She soon returned, dragging the broken enemy golem behind her.
"Alright, let's start by analyzing this thing. Laojun, install magi-certifiers on the Smith units. After that, I want them installed on all the other golems, one by one."
Finally, Hourai Island's counterattack was about to begin.