The unexpected turn of events sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before it came to this, Jin thought.
When he looked at the Kingdom of Elias’s latest combat golem, Jin was struck with dismay. He could tell at a single glance that the disparity in their capabilities was too vast. Naturally, Volk was the superior machine.
To think that technology has regressed this much...
Perhaps it was unavoidable. The Kingdom of Elias had been the nation most heavily influenced by the Magic Federation, after all.
Even so...
The exterior was made of steel or mild steel. Jin knew it would be incredibly heavy.
The structure was likely a ball-joint style, which explained the lack of flexibility in its movements. Its skeleton was probably steel-based, its muscles metal-based as well. Jin estimated its total weight exceeded five hundred kilograms.
Weight is its sole saving grace.
Volk weighed approximately one hundred and twenty kilograms with its armor attached. Being more than four times heavier was a weapon in itself.
Nevertheless, Jin was confident that Volk’s superiority remained unshaken. There were countless ways to fight.
The problem was that the only people who noticed this disparity were Jin and Tomax Bartman.
Tomax sat with a grim, almost sorrowful expression.
The Minister and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magi Technology might have had a faint inkling of the truth, but they had already reached the point of no return. The situation was now entirely out of Jin's hands.
"Now then, at His Majesty’s request, we shall begin the golem mock battle. The chief referee will be Hugus Unlock, Vice-commander of the royal ritter."
Volk stood to the east, while the Kingdom of Elias’s combat golem—hereafter referred to as the Elias golem for convenience—stood to the west. Both held blunt mock swords. However, as they were made of steel, they were still capable of causing damage.
"Oh, this is quite intriguing."
"I wonder which one will win?"
"I can't imagine a creation of the Magi Craft Meister being inferior, though he is the Third Generation rather than the Predecessor who left behind so many legends."
"Nonsense. As long as he bears the title of Magi Craft Meister, he reigns at the pinnacle of magi-craft."
"Still, I’d like to see our country's golem win, but... well, let us see."
The gathered nobles voiced their opinions as they pleased.
"Begin!"
At the command, the two units jumped back to gauge each other.
Jin thought they might stay in a standoff, but the Elias golem kicked off the ground and charged straight toward Volk.
Blades collided, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
Rather than engaging in a direct exchange of blows, Volk evaded to the side. The Elias golem stumbled for a moment as its target vanished, but it showed decent reflexes, turning ninety degrees to swing its sword in a horizontal sweep.
But Volk had already backstepped out of range. Timing its move as the blade passed by, Volk stepped forward and struck.
The Elias golem blocked the blow.
Up to this point, they appeared to be evenly matched to the untrained eye.
(Father, Volk seems to be holding back skillfully.)
(I agree.)
While the crowd was distracted by the heated battle, Jin was speaking with Reiko in a voice so low that even Tomax Bartman, sitting right next to him, could not overhear.
(If things continue like this, I believe it can bring the match to a conclusion by winning by a narrow margin.)
(That would be for the best... I wonder if that was what the King commanded?)
(No, based on what I heard...)
(...Oh?)
The battle grew even more intense.
While they didn't clash head-on, they continued a rhythmic back-and-forth, exchanging two or three blows before breaking away.
However, to those who knew what to look for, it was clear that the Elias golem was struggling. While Volk remained unscathed, the Elias golem’s exterior was covered in countless scratches.
Finally, the swords held by both units shattered.
Everyone expected the two to discard their useless weapons and engage in grappling.
But then—
"O-Oh, what is that technique?"
"A kick?! You've got to be kidding!"
Volk did not move to grapple; instead, it unleashed a flurry of kicking techniques.
Not just front kicks and roundhouse kicks, but spinning back kicks, jumping kicks, and axe kicks.
"I see. It would be at a disadvantage in terms of weight if it grappled."
"It's making use of its speed."
Such murmurs could be heard even among the cabinet ministers.
However, after several exchanges, the Elias golem succeeded in grabbing Volk’s right shoulder.
Volk responded immediately. It shifted its body half a step to the left and twisted, using its left leg as a pivot.
The Elias golem’s body was lifted slightly. Volk used its right leg to sweep the golem's supporting leg upward.
It was a technique somewhat similar to what is called a "body drop" in judo. In the martial arts of the Shouro Empire, it was known as hane-ashi.
If their weights were similar, the opponent would have been thrown flat onto their back. However, the weight difference between Volk and the Elias golem was insurmountable.
Volk simply slammed the off-balance Elias golem down, pinning it against the ground.
"Oh, it handles grappling just as well as swordsmanship."
"It is magnificent. Those movements are only possible because its body is as flexible as a human's."
Beside the New King of the Kingdom of Elias, Undersecretary Citranella de Zaus Florenziano provided commentary. While she was not well-versed in swordsmanship or martial arts, she was an expert when it came to mechanics and movement.
"Volk's movements are very close to a human's. Therefore, it can utilize the same techniques a person would."
"I see. So it has that kind of advantage as well."
The New King seemed to be deep in thought.
The mock battle continued in the meantime.
Due to its structure, the Elias golem was poor at kicking. As a result, its attacks were primarily punches, but even then, it was limited to simple straights and lacked advanced fist techniques. At most, it just swung its arms around.
In close-quarters combat, the flexibility of the body made all the difference. Maneuvers like the sway-back, weaving, and ducking were far more effective for a flexible machine than a rigid one.
In fact, Volk was evading all of the Elias golem's punches. On the other hand, the Elias golem took several blows from Volk’s fists. Since they were far from being fatal strikes, the mock battle was allowed to proceed.
(Ugh, even while holding back, it’s still this one-sided...)
Jin felt a sense of weariness at the current state of the Elias golem.
(Father, its performance is far below our projections from before the mock battle.)
Even Reiko sounded exasperated.
(To think the Kingdom of Elias’s golem technology has declined this much...)
It seemed Tomax Bartman, sitting beside him, felt the same way, as he stared at the screen with furrowed brows.
(...We have to end this soon, or the accumulated damage will...)
Jin did not miss the fact that the Elias golem's movements were becoming sluggish.
It seemed the chief referee, Hugus Unlock, had noticed as well. Forty seconds after Jin realized it, he declared the end of the mock battle.
"That is enough! Stop!"