"So the Magic Canceller didn't work. As I suspected, they possess significant technical prowess."
The previous use of the Magic Canceller had been nothing more than a opening gambit to test his opponent's defenses.
"It’s a bit early, but I suppose it's time to play my second trump card."
Guillermo Marukitasu issued a new set of instructions to his assistant automata.
"We are currently upwind, correct?"
<Yes, that is correct.>
"Good. Order all ships to prepare the corrosive liquid."
<At once, Lord Marukitasu.>
"...The Magi Emulator might have failed, but I wonder how they will handle this."
<All ships report that dispersal preparations are complete.>
"Good. Disperse it!"
The five soaring ships under Guillermo Marukitasu's command began spraying the corrosive liquid into the air.
"Fufufu... This is a corrosive liquid synthesized from the Voracious Grasshopper. Not even materials taken from a Sea Dragon are immune to it. It will melt right through metal."
Voracious Grasshoppers were creatures known to experience massive outbreaks once every few decades or centuries when specific conditions were met.
The secret to their insatiable appetite had since been uncovered: it lay in a dissolution liquid secreted within their bodies.
This liquid was so potent that it even gradually dissolved the grasshopper's own stomach—or the organ corresponding to it. This created a vicious cycle where the creatures were driven to eat constantly just to compensate for the loss of their own internal tissues.
Neither gold, white gold, nor even adamantite could withstand this dissolution liquid.
The only biological materials known to possess any resistance were Ground Spider silk and Ancient Dragon hide.
Even then, with the exception of the Ancient Dragon materials, the resistance was not absolute; even Ground Spider silk would eventually succumb to the corrosion.
"Fufufu... Hahahaha! Melt! Melt into nothing!!"
As if in response to his command, the land below began to corrode at an alarming rate, sending plumes of white smoke into the sky.
Rocks, trees, and the very earth itself were being liquidated by the falling corrosive spray.
＊ ＊ ＊
However, there was one thing Guillermo Marukitasu did not know.
He was unaware that the Jin Family of old had included members who specifically researched those very Voracious Grasshoppers.
They were the husband-and-wife pair, Goose Eschenbach and Saki Eschenbach. They had witnessed the threat of the Voracious Grasshoppers firsthand and had dedicated themselves to studying the phenomenon.
Through their research, they had reached a startling conclusion.
The reason a Voracious Grasshopper became such a ravenous scourge was the free ether stored within its body.
The Voracious Grasshopper was, in essence, a natural mana tank.
And that free ether was the key to its destructive power.
A Voracious Grasshopper's preferred food consisted of plants and fruits, but they were known to eat animals as well. They would even consume minerals; using jaws and teeth reinforced by free ether, they could gnaw through any metal softer than adamantite.
This behavior seemed to be a carry-over from their preferences before they entered their "voracious" state.
Consequently, they would prioritize plants and animals if they were available. They only turned to gnawing on minerals when other food sources were exhausted.
The question then was how they digested those minerals and converted them into energy.
Saki and Goose's research had provided the answer.
The grasshoppers produced a powerful corrosive liquid within their bodies.
Terrifyingly, this substance decomposed matter all the way down to its subatomic particles. The grasshopper would then absorb the trace amounts of free ether released during the process and expel the remaining subatomic debris.
In this state, the protons, electrons, and neutrons would combine randomly to form hydrogen or helium, which the creature then exhaled into the air. It was a truly extraordinary organism.
Crucially, this process only affected solids; it did not interfere with liquids or gases. This was why the corrosive liquid did not decompose itself.
But to return to the point at hand.
The reason the liquid was so incredibly effective was that its properties were nearly identical to the magi-craft known as Decomposition (Zersetzen).
It was even more powerful than the magic Helente of Onogoro Island had once used to break compounds down into molecules; this substance broke them down into subatomic particles.
Because producing such powerful magic required a massive amount of energy, the Voracious Grasshoppers were caught in a self-perpetuating trap, forced to eat more and more just to maintain the process.
Saki and Goose had discovered one more vital fact: because the dissolution liquid's effect was magical in nature, it could be blocked by a magic barrier rather than a solid barrier.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hm...? Why are they unaffected?"
While everything else in the vicinity was melting away into white smoke, the airship of Deus Ex Machina remained perfectly intact.
Guillermo Marukitasu was bewildered.
"Is his technology truly that much more advanced than mine...?"
For the first time, a bead of sweat rolled down Guillermo's forehead.
It was a truth he would never understand—the incredible things people can achieve when they work together, and the sheer scale of the power that unity creates.
Jin had his Family. He had the knowledge passed down by his Predecessor. But Guillermo Marukitasu—no, Golbart Marukitasu—stood alone.
He could have used his talents at Avalon to build alliances and achieve greatness, but he had chosen to close that door himself.
<Lord Marukitasu, the effect of the dissolution liquid on the surface is beginning to neutralize.>
"What did you say?"
If a liquid possessed a magical effect, one simply had to negate that effect.
Saki and Goose had even developed a method to clean up after the dangerous liquid once the threat had passed.
＊ ＊ ＊
"We truly owe a debt of gratitude to Saki-sama and Goose-sama."
Laojun felt a deep sense of appreciation as it thought of the former members of the Jin Family. Hearing this, Jin also recalled the two of them.
"So those two ended up together. I hope they're living happily."
The neutralization of the dissolution liquid was the fruit of their labor.
The answer was Erase magic.
It was a simple shift in perspective—an "Egg of Columbus."
Since the magical properties of the liquid were applied using a form of Write In magic, applying Erase would revert it to a harmless, inert liquid.
However, like most magi-craft, this only worked through direct contact or at extremely close range. Therefore, they used a method of generating a barrier that projected the Erase effect, enveloping the target to neutralize the threat.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Ngh... You are a terrifying man, Deus Ex Machina! A terrifying man indeed, Jin Nidou!!"
Guillermo Marukitasu finally decided to commit everything he had.
"I will use my final trump card....In hindsight, I should have used it from the very beginning. But I couldn't be certain of what the ultimate consequences of this would be..."
Guillermo's face twisted into a cold, desperate smile.
"Prepare for the Ether Stampede."
<Understood.>
His final trump card was the Ether Stampede—or more accurately, the magi-device capable of triggering it.
Guillermo had inherited it from his father, Lardus, back when he still went by the name Golbart Marukitasu.
(Father... he said he received this device from a mysterious existence.)
Activating this would cause the free ether on Ars to plummet. His assistant automata and all other subordinate golems would cease to function, and even Guillermo's own survival would be jeopardized. It was for these reasons he had kept it as a last resort.
"But it doesn't matter anymore."
He had already concluded that if things continued as they were, he would inevitably be forced to surrender to Deus Ex Machina.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but he was forced to acknowledge once again that Deus Ex Machina—and Jin Nidou—possessed technology far beyond his own.
Guillermo remained unaware that the "mysterious existence" his father had mentioned was actually a Negadoll, and that Jin and his allies had already defeated it.
<Ether Stampede—what scale shall be set?>
"Maximum."
<Understood. Generating Ether Stampede at maximum output. Magi-device settings confirmed. Waking up. Starting countdown.>
Because it was a massive magic weapon, it required a short period to prime itself.
The timer was set for ten seconds.
<10... 9... 8... 7... 6...>
"With this, the world as we know it ends."
Guillermo believed that if the magi were wiped out, the civilization of this world, which relied so heavily on magic, would collapse entirely.
<5... 4... 3...>
"At last, my ambition will be realized."
<2... 1...>
"With this..."
<0!!>
At that exact moment, Guillermo Marukitasu's entire world was swallowed by a blinding flash of light.