To rewind time slightly: it was midnight on November 1st, Pandor Continent time—6:00 PM on Hourai Island.
Jin had returned to the Hourai Island command room, accompanied by Reiko.
Ever since hearing from Laojun that Guillermo Marukitasu had attacked the Pandor Continent, Jin had been putting a specific countermeasure into motion.
"Laojun, what’s the status?"
『Yes, My Lord. Currently...』
Laojun summarized the essential points and briefed Jin on the situation.
"I see... So, Laojun, you suspect he’s still hiding something up his sleeve?"
『I do.』
"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing. In fact, I’ve already imagined one of the worst-case scenarios."
『And what would that be?』
"A large-scale Ether Stampede."
『I see. That is certainly a possibility.』
If an Ether Stampede on par with or greater than the one that occurred at the end of the Great Magic War were to be triggered, the population of Ars would be decimated once again. Jin himself would be in grave danger as well.
"It would also align with Marukitasu's ambition to wipe out humanity."
『Indeed.』
In the past, a Negadoll had triggered a localized stampede to massacre the Northern People—who were known as the demon race at the time.
"That’s where the hemispherical barrier comes in."
This was a concept Jin had proposed previously; he had gone so far as to build the device, but it had yet to see actual combat.
The principle was simple: generate two separate hemispherical barriers and trap the target inside them. It was much like holding two bowls in your hands and clapping them together to trap an insect.
"I’ve just finished installing them on the spaceships with help from Reiko and the Smith units."
He had originally planned to operate them using Pelicans or Raptors.
『I see. The spaceships are far more suitable for such an operation. So that is what you were doing at Uni?』
Since the spaceships were kept at Uni, even the omniscient Laojun hadn’t been able to grasp exactly what Jin had been up to.
"I installed them on Castor and Pollux and brought them back with me. I intend to head to the Pandor Continent aboard the Adriana."
『The Adriana is equipped with the Aegis, correct? Have you confirmed its functionality?』
"Yeah, it’s fine. I had Jack check it, and I verified it myself twice on the way from Uni back to Ars. Both the shield and spherical configurations are working perfectly."
The Aegis could previously only be deployed as a disc-shaped shield, but through subsequent research and refinement, it could now be projected as a spherical barrier covering the entire ship. Research into sub-ether waves had played a key role in this breakthrough.
Hearing this, Laojun gave its approval, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
『In that case...』
After all, if a massive Ether Stampede occurred, Hourai Island would not be immune to the effects. If anything, the interior of the Adriana, protected by specialized magical shielding, might be the safest place to be.
"Right. If Guillermo Marukitasu is plotting an Ether Stampede, we have to stop him no matter what."
They had to prevent a disaster that would wipe out the Northern People, their descendants on Onogoro Island, and the rest of humanity on Ars.
『Reiko-san, please look after My Lord.』
"Yes, leave it to me."
Having witnessed the small-scale Ether Stampede triggered by a Negadoll 400 years ago gave them a significant advantage. An Ether Stampede could not be triggered instantaneously; there was a time lag of roughly two seconds between the activation of the magic and the manifestation of its effects.
For Reiko or Laojun, two seconds was more than enough time to deploy a barrier or fire the Magic Canceller they had developed specifically for prevention. Because the magi-devices Jin crafted generally had negligible activation lags, such a feat was well within their capabilities.
"Alright, we’re heading out."
Jin boarded the Adriana with Reiko.
"Adriana, launch!"
Three spheres—one large, two small—rose into the dark night sky.
"Ascend to ten thousand meters and deploy the Aegis. Proceed to the target coordinates at maximum speed."
At Jin’s command, the three vessels vanished from sight in an instant.
『Good luck, My Lord. I shall be watching over you.』
Laojun tracked them from Hourai Island using its Peeper.
＊ ＊ ＊
By the way, Jin’s mention of "maximum speed" had been more of a rhetorical flourish than a literal command.
Given the size of Ars, even a ship as fast as the Adriana would reach its destination before it could ever hit its true top speed. It was simply a reflection of Jin's resolve.
Regardless, the Adriana, accompanied by Castor and Pollux, reached its station 10,000 meters above the Pandor Continent in less than ten minutes.
『My Lord, we have reached the designated position. Projecting the surface conditions now.』
Taisei, the brain managing the Adriana, reported to Jin.
"I’m counting on you."
The giant magi-screen on the Adriana’s central bridge brightened, revealing the situation on the ground 10,000 meters below.
"Oh?"
They had arrived just as Guillermo Marukitasu's fleet of soaring ships began spraying the corrosive liquid.
"Is that... corrosive liquid! He certainly doesn't pull his punches!"
However, before Jin could issue any orders, the Deus Ex Machina forces on the ground began neutralizing the liquid.
"...I see. It’s the same liquid used by the Voracious Grasshopper."
Jin felt a pang of nostalgia, remembering his old friends, Saki and Goose.
"Wait, now isn't the time for that."
Snapping back to the present, Jin tightened his focus.
"Laojun, which one is Marukitasu's ship?"
Jin contacted Laojun for confirmation. He had already guessed that Guillermo Marukitasu would be aboard one of the two 100-meter-class soaring ships.
『Yes, My Lord. It is the vessel at the higher altitude.』
"That one, huh... Laojun, can you see inside?"
『Certainly. I will forward the visual feed to you.』
Two seconds later, the interior of the enemy ship was projected onto a sub-magi-screen.
"Is that Guillermo Marukitasu?"
『It appears so.』
His mouth was moving, indicating he was speaking, but the audio could not be reproduced.
As Jin was thinking that audio reconstruction would be a good task for future development, Laojun spoke.
『My Lord, I can infer his speech from his lip movements. I shall reproduce it for you now.』
"Great, do it."
Through the art of lip-reading and its extraordinary processing power, Laojun began translating Guillermo Marukitasu's words almost in real-time.
And then:
『"Prepare the Ether Stampede."』
The moment those words were spoken, Jin acted.
"Castor! Pollux! Trap Marukitasu's flagship in the hemispherical barrier!"
It was exactly for such a moment that they had prepared. Because they had anticipated the worst-case scenario of an Ether Stampede, their response was lightning-fast.
Castor and Pollux dove sharply from 10,000 meters.
In two seconds, they leveled off at the same altitude as Guillermo Marukitasu's flagship. Maintaining a distance of ten kilometers, they unleashed the hemispherical barrier.
『<5... 4... 3...>』
As the countdown echoed, the barrier was completed with a full second to spare. Two hemispherical barriers snapped together like two bowls, sealing Guillermo Marukitasu's flagship inside.
Simultaneously, the Adriana deployed its own protective barrier.
The containment was complete exactly one second before the Ether Stampede was scheduled to erupt.