09-44 Furthermore
Metal from the molten golems and the Magi Crystals used in them were scattered round the battlefield.
Jin who was watching from above noticed something among all that.
“Hm? I feel like the number of Elradrite pieces is small.”
He could see the Magi Crystals used in the Control Cores, Mana Drivers, and Mana Tanks all around, but he wasn’t able to see any more than a few dozen pieces of Elradrite.
“I see, it’s a rare Magi Crystal after all so having all the golems equipped with it would’ve been too much even for the Unifiers.”
Jin spoke to himself and ordered the Land golems from 91 to 100 to collect the Magi Crystals.
＊ ＊ ＊
As a result of the use of the Induction Radiator, the old type combat golems were literally completely destroyed.
Even the last ray of hope –the all-purpose golems– had been reduced in number by Reiko’s work, and because on top of that the Land corps were once again taking part in the battle, their fates were extremely precarious.
“Why, why, why! Just what’s wrong here!?”
By now Elena’s had gone past shouting with grief and was panicking.
“Elena, calm down. We still have ‘that’ left, don’t we?”
Donald took the kindness for his subordinates he had and used it to calm down the real leader Elena.
“T-that’s true. Now is the time to use ‘that’. Donald, I give my permission, send it out!”
“Yes!”
Donald ordered the remaining few golems and had them carry out the weapon from the past which they had called ‘that’.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Master, something’s coming out again.”
Ann who was alert to the surroundings said to Jin who was observing the battlefield.
A large gap opened in the rock face and something came out of there.
“Hm. What? What’s that?”
It looked like a giant bow.
It had an arced beam with a taut string going from one end to another. In the middle it had a part that looked like a rail.
“That’s a… Ballista, isn’t it?”
“I see, so it’s a giant bow that launches shells.”
Jin saw that a number of golems were drawing the crossbow and were about to launch boulders as ammunition.
Judging from the golems’ size, the length of the bow part was about ten meters and the boulder about to be launched had a diameter of 50 centimeters.
If the stone’s specific gravity was about three, then the stone would weigh about 200 kilograms.
“Will it reach from all the way there? Anyway, let’s be careful. …Land corps, Titan, be careful! They’re about to launch a boulder!”
Nearly simultaneously with Jin’s warning the boulder was launched.
Drawing a parabola and flying nearly 200 meters, the rock fell into the battlefield that seemed to be in a free-for-all fight.
Thanks to Jin’s advance warning the Land corps weren’t injured, but the boulder flew towards one of the remaining all-purpose golems, and unluckily for it the golem couldn’t evade the boulder with the damage it had taken and took a direct hit.
The friendly projectile smashed its body and did serious damage.
Two more boulders came flying, but the Land corps evaded them all. The enemy all-purpose golems too had no one with poor movements and were able to avoid them.
Elsa then changed her orders and had the Ballista brought closer to the battlefield, this time targeting the large Titan.
However, the boulder with a speed of about 10 meters per second posed no threat. The Titan easily avoided it.
“But if it hit then it seems like the Titan would receive some considerable damage. …Reiko, do you still have shots left?”
Thinking he’d have Reiko who had the Magi Cannon deal with it, Jin called her.
“Yes, Father. There are no more Adamantite rounds but I have five steel rounds left.”
“Alright, that’s enough. Shoot at the Ballista with about five percent power.”
“Understood.”
Reiko then withdrew from the battlefield at a high speed. She took about 500 meters of distance.
Then she prepared to fire the Magi Cannon. The target was the Ballista. The gun’s barrel was nearly horizontal.
“Output five percent, firing!”
The steel rounds which were softer than the Adamantite ones were shaved down inside the Magi Adamantite barrel which reduced their speed somewhat, but they were still fired.
Despite that their muzzle velocity was over Mach 2, so at a distance of 500 meters Reiko could aim roughly straight at the Ballista.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Aim better!”
Elena didn’t conceal her irritation at the boulders which didn’t really hit the target.
In the first place, the Ballista was a weapon developed to be used in attacks against slow-moving large devil beasts and the devil race’s forts.
There was no way it’d hit the moving Titan-1, much less the Land corps.
“How useless!”
Just when she yelled that.
The Ballista was suddenly partially destroyed.
“W–what? What was that?”
Elena was confused as again her army’s weapons were destroyed in an incomprehensible manner.
On the Magic Screen the picture of the Ballista which got destroyed even further was visible.
“I’ve had it! What in the world is going on!?”
“Elena, look!”
Donald who was watching another Magic Screen yelled to Elena.
On the Magic Screen there was a small silhouette holding some kind of a long and narrow tube at the ready.
“What’s that? It’s so small I can’t really tell?”
This was because their Magic Screens couldn’t enlarge the image anymore than this.
“I don’t really get it but she seems to be the one from earlier?”
“That black-haired monster, right? Guh, just how much is it going to interfere with us!”
Now that the threat of the Ballista was gone, the Land corps continued tidying up the remaining golems of the Unifiers.
Then there were finally no more moving enemy golems left.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Master, the enemy golems have been shut down. The attack and the Ballista have both stopped.”
Ann looked over the battlefield and said. Jin also had the same impression so,
“I wonder if it’s finally over?”
He agreed with Ann. But, to be careful, he spent some time checking the battlefield from the sky.
“Hmm, it looks to be over at last.”
Concluding that the resistance of the Unifiers had run out, Jin decided to give orders to invade the enemy headquarters.
“Land units from one to 40, stay there and protect the rear. Units from 41 to 60, storm in through the door opened for the Ballista. Units from 61 to 80, go through the front entrance. Units from 81 to 100, enter through the opening in the rock wall on the west side.”
“Father, what shall I do?”
A question came from Reiko who was on the ground. Jin replied.
“Wait a bit longer, Reiko. If there’s opposition that seems tough beyond the three entrances then please rush in to provide help.”
“I understand.”
But five minutes passed, then ten, and none of teams who entered seemed to have met with any special resistance. Jin then had Pelican-1 land and dropped the substitute puppet off.
Reiko came running to the spot.
“Reiko, please go through the front entrance along together with the substitute puppet.”
“Yes, I understand. Also, I’m very sorry about this.”
Reiko presented him with Peach Blossom and,
“Father, Peach Blossom has been chipped.”
She said. Jin took it and inspected the blade. Indeed, the Adamantite blade had some faults and its strength had also lowered.
“I got it. Once we’re back at the research laboratory I’ll give it a version update to Magi Adamantite. Even so… It’s a narrow space so it probably isn’t the time for the Magi Cannon. Leave it here. Take this instead.”
Jin said and handed a Vibration Blade to her. It wasn’t one for the Land units, but the same size as the ones held in reserve for the girl-type SP.
“I understand. I’ll be borrowing this for now.”
Next Jin also gave Ann orders.
“Ann, you come with us too this time. If it’s a fort from the time of the Great Magic War, then you probably know its structure well.”
“Yes, master.”
“Ann, you can take these.”
Jin handed over a Paralyzer and a Guard Ring.
“Thank you very much.”
“Alright, I’ll stay on standby in the sky. Once again, don’t force yourself.”
“Yes!”
Jin once again took to the skies with Pelican-1. Reiko and Ann headed to the headquarters of the Unifiers.
This was the final curtain of the war against the Unifiers.