The man demanded that Hope participate as "opening entertainment."
"Opening entertainment?"
"That's right. Take a look."
The man opened the door behind him.
Beyond yet another door—a hundred meters underground—lay a massive hall. Jin D and the others were currently inside what seemed to be a waiting room.
"...An arena, huh?"
The center of the hall was sunken by one tier, featuring a circular arena approximately thirty meters in diameter, enclosed by a tall fence.
Spectator seating surrounded it, packed with over five hundred audience members who had gathered from who knew where.
Among them were individuals who appeared to be nobles, merchants, and ruffians, accompanied by their respective companions and guards.
The spectators apparently came and went via an elevator, while the stairs were reserved for anyone deemed "suspicious" by the gatekeeper.
Then, Hope was led away by one of the men.
Jin D and Elsa D observed the surroundings. Reiko also stayed quiet for the time being.
A voice called out to them:
"You folks are remarkably calm, though. Especially you, little girl—it's impressive that you're not crying."
"..."
Jin D was at a loss for how to respond.
However, hearing the next words caused Jin D's temper to flare.
"They make golems fight each other out there and take bets on which one will win. It's a brutal battle to the bitter end—until one of them stops moving."
"What did you say?"
Jin could not simply let that slide.
A contest of skill was one thing, but he felt pure rage toward people who forced golems to destroy one another purely for gambling.
"That's how it works. Nobody's gonna bet on a golem you brought, but the audience loves watching one get smashed to pieces."
One of the men guarding Jin D and the others sneered.
"So that's why it's 'opening entertainment.'"
"Spot on."
Having grasped the situation, Jin took a moment to think things over back on Hourai Island.
"Escaping will be easy. But I want to save the investigators."
Jin wanted to assist those on the side of law enforcement as much as possible.
"Laojun, what kind of approach should we take?"
"Yes, My Lord. Rather than merely rescuing them, I believe it would be best to apprehend everyone involved in this underground gambling ring."
"To put the Kingdom of Franz in our debt?"
"To put it bluntly, yes."
Laojun had already surveyed the situation using a Peeper. However, that was strictly for observing and did not allow for direct intervention.
The means to act were already present at the scene.
"From what I can observe, the golems present in that venue are..."
<Ladies and gentlemen!>
An announcer's voice echoed throughout the hall.
<Before we begin tonight's main golem battles, we have prepared a special opening act for your entertainment!>
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
<A duel between a servant golem brought by a mere traveler and a combat golem proudly presented by our underground arena!>
Roars of excitement broke out once more.
<Since the outcome is all too obvious, there will be no betting, but please enjoy the spectacle as an appetizer alongside your drinks!>
An even louder cheer shook the venue.
(Every single person gathered here is pure scum.)
As Jin D thought this in disgust, a voice muttered nearby:
"...Their complacency is utterly disgraceful. What on earth are the nobles here thinking?"
The female investigator seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.
Hope stood in the center of the arena, and right on cue, another golem emerged to face him.
The cheers swelled even further.
That opponent was a mid-tier combat golem boasting a streak of ten consecutive victories in this underground arena.
<And now—fight!!>
The combat golem launched itself off the floor.
On Hourai Island, both Jin D's direct field of view and the visual feed from the Peeper operated by Laojun were projected onto the magi-screen.
Jin D's perspective showed what it looked like through human eyes, while the Peeper provided an overhead, bird's-eye angle of the arena.
"That's considered mid-tier...?"
Jin let out a sigh.
"Yes, My Lord. Considering these bouts operate on the premise of total destruction, replacements cannot possibly be easy to come by."
"Fair point."
Though touted as a mid-tier veteran with ten consecutive wins, in Jin's eyes, the machine was...
Oooohh...!!
Get 'em! Crush it!! Smash it to pieces!
The crowd roared in excitement, yet not a single blow had actually landed in the arena.
To be precise, Hope was effortlessly evading every single strike from the combat golem.
(Its movements are far too sluggish...)
It certainly packed a decent amount of power. Or rather, most of that power came down to simple mass.
If power was defined as kinetic energy, it was proportional to mass and the square of velocity.
Since the golem possessed negligible speed, its power derived entirely from its weight.
In other words, it was a textbook example of a machine that hit hard if it connected, but was utterly useless if it missed.
The speed ratio between Hope and the combat golem was roughly twenty to one.
There was zero chance of Hope losing in a one-on-one fight.
Quit scurrying around like a coward!
Fight fair and square!
The spectators hurled jeers so hypocritical they practically begged for a sharp retort.
(Well then, shall I counterattack now?)
Hope slipped behind the combat golem and delivered a sharp front kick aimed squarely at its back.
Hope weighed 75 kilograms, while the combat golem weighed roughly 300 kilograms—a mass ratio of about one to four.
The speed difference was twenty to one.
Kinetic energy scaled with mass and the square of velocity.
By simple calculation, Hope's kick struck with approximately one hundred times the destructive energy of the combat golem's own attacks.
Struck by the blow, the combat golem was sent hurtling straight toward the fence.