The two pilots of the transport unit were tasked with investigating the cause of the communication failure between the Advance Reconnaissance Unit [Docs] and the Megias Annihilation Force.
As they approached the objective from above.
They detected sounds of a bang-bang battle on the ground and a light source with a higher-than-native possessed magic power, which their sensors picked up.
“Could this be a clue?”
“Either way is fine.”
The scenery continued to change, but they flew without encountering any threats that could prevent their flight.
Even if it wasn’t a clue, it would be material for the report to be submitted to Headquarters (Branch 408).
If they returned with nothing, they would surely be punished.
“Reduce altitude.”
“Altitude reduced, understood.”
As the reconnaissance plane descended, they visually confirmed what was happening on the ground.
“Artificial objects. Humanoids are firing magic from their back cannons.”
“Ah, they’re out of energy.”
“Hey, hey, another humanoid has appeared out of nowhere.”
“But this one is small. And it looks like it’s already falling apart.”
“Ooh♪ They’ve started a chase.”
“Is it some kind of competition? As expected of the natives. A sport beyond our comprehension.”
The pilots muttered such impressions as they flew past the two humanoid machines, knights (golems).
As they circled around to gather more information, they spotted a fortress surrounded by a primitive outer wall made of logs.
“Wooden construction, huh?”
“Would it burst into flames with a single attack?”
“Oh, down below that. There are guys in heavy armor playing with confused small animals~♪”
“It’s even more unclear what the situation is. Well, at least I can write the report now.”
“That’s right. Hey, the barrel of the bigger one is pointing this way.”
“It intends to attack. A waste of time.”
The larger knight (golem)’s back weapon launched two fireballs.
But they were too slow and flew far behind the reconnaissance plane after it had passed.
“So slow.”
“This is the difference in civilization.”
*Pish!*
*Pish!*
They aimed at the reconnaissance plane’s predicted path, but since it was too obvious, the pilots easily dodged the fireballs by moving the control stick up and down.
*Boom!*
It seemed that this fireball exploded after a certain amount of time had passed.
The small embers dancing in the pure white and blue sky painted a beautiful picture.
With that thought, the reconnaissance plane flew freely through the sky.
“You cowards——!!!”
The pilot of the large knight (golem)’s guard unit shouted, his voice amplified to the maximum by the external generator.
“Someone’s making noise.”
“It doesn’t seem to be a sound-based psychic attack.”
“Do you think the natives of this backwater village could develop technology to shake minds with sound? Shall we give them a taste of our counterattack now♪”
“I wanted to observe a little longer, but… Huh? By the way, where did the small one go?”
The small knight (golem) disappeared from below.
They searched with their sensors, but the magic-infused embers dancing in the sky acted as jamming and chaff, rendering the sensor screen almost completely white.
“It probably can’t do anything significant. Besides, is it okay to attack now?”
“…That’s true. Then, I’ll take over the controls.”
“Alrighty♪”
The small knight (golem) was in a sorry state.
A lesser threat than the large knight (golem).
Based on this judgment, the reconnaissance plane launched a counterattack.
Intricate magic formula patterns glowed on the hull of the machine.
“What is this? What is it? What are these magic formulas——”
The guard unit captain was astonished by the glowing magic formulas and magic circles, which he had never seen in the materials of the Magic and Sorcery Guild.
Then, he snapped back to reality and made the large knight (golem) take evasive action.
*Clang!*
A beam of light instantly burned through the ground and trees where they had been just moments before.
“…”
The guard unit captain’s cold sweat didn’t stop in the cockpit.
Quickly realizing that being in front of the mysterious flying object was dangerous, he zigzagged through the forest, kicking away trees, sometimes using his greatsword as a shield to avoid the light’s attacks.
The light was a compressed beam of light magic, a laser.
If hit, even with the defense magic formulas engraved on the large knight (golem), it would be burned away by the heat.
*Clang!* *Clang!*
“Damn it, you’re so evasive.”
“Have you never played a shooting game before? Or are you just bad at it…”
“Who’s bad? Who? Whether it was then or now, when it comes to shooting games, I can achieve a high score.”
“Even so, you’re being dodged so easily by that big one.”
“Grrr. It must be a maintenance mistake by the maintenance department. The sights are misaligned. That’s the only explanation.”
“No, maybe you’ve just gotten worse than before. The other crises were fine.”
This isn’t right. This isn’t my true ability.
He made excuses, saying that the sights and attack magic formulas were malfunctioning.
When there was a gap in the attacks.
The guard unit captain checked his remaining possessed magic power.
“There!”
He fired a fireball that exploded after traveling a certain distance.
He pulled the trigger, hoping that at least one of the projectiles would hit the flying object in its barrage.
“Evasion.”
“It’s already ascending.”
They temporarily retreated to a high altitude.
The fireballs exploded below like fireworks.
The updraft accelerated their ascent.
They had successfully retreated to a safe distance from the long-range attack. This time, it was their turn to retaliate from high altitude.
They selected a different attack magic formula.
“If you want to dodge, try dodging—!”
“Don’t show our technology to the natives too much.”
Ignoring his partner’s voice, he pulled the trigger.
From the reconnaissance plane’s fuselage, countless blinking, pale blue orbs were scattered on the ground.
They were smaller than the little finger of the large knight (golem).
They didn’t seem to have much power even if touched.
“There’s nowhere to dodge.”
Holding his greatsword with one hand to avoid falling, he uprooted trees and threw them into the air to defend against the barrage of magic attacks from the flying object.
*Poof.*
Did the uprooted trees touch the blinking pale blue orbs?
Is it just to imbue them with light…? WHAAAAAAT?!
The trees, now emitting a pale blue light, turned black and disintegrated into clods of dirt in the air without a trace.
What remained were the countless blinking pale blue orbs that still filled the air, having caused this.
“HiiiIiiIii!”
He didn’t want to doubt the large knight (golem)’s defense, but…
Unknown attack magic. If touched, even a knight (golem) would be destroyed like a tree. And he himself inside the cockpit would also be destroyed…
The guard unit captain desperately manipulated the controls, dropped his greatsword, and hurled trees at the pale blue orbs floating in the air, creating a safe zone where the large knight (golem) wouldn’t touch them.
“Okay, locked on.”
“Finish him off…”
“Guaaaaaaaah!”
Having focused too much on the blinking pale blue orbs, he was hit squarely in the right leg by the flying object’s light.
Buzzers sounded inside the cockpit, indicating that the knight (golem)’s actions were restricted due to the hit.
“Then it won’t be able to perform evasive maneuvers.”
“No, it might hop on one leg.”
“Then I’ll take your other leg too.”
“Stop, please stop… Aaaargh!”
The large knight (golem) fell ungracefully, hitting its back on the ground.
It didn’t fall forward because its hands happened to be pressed against the ground.
Several of its fingers were bent in unnatural directions. It couldn’t crawl to evade or hold its greatsword.
The guard unit captain was in a truly desperate situation.
“I don’t want to die. I won’t die. How much did I… Ah.”
As he desperately tried to escape this crisis in the cockpit,
the blinking pale blue orbs that would bring him death approached his face. The next moment, the image from the knight (golem)’s external camera cut out.
Creaking and cracking sounds, ominous sounds, began to be heard inside the cockpit.
“Someone help meeee…”
The cockpit walls lit up with the same pale blue light that had disintegrated the trees seen through the external camera.
If touched, he too would disintegrate.
But even if he left his seat, he couldn’t stay suspended in the air.
However, even though he knew it was a futile struggle, he jumped as high as he could without hitting the ceiling of the cockpit.
“Ah, ahhhhhh…”
My body is glowing and crumbling…
The large knight (golem), with its considerable volume, also began to crumble and disappear slowly, following the guard unit captain’s fate.
“Alright♪ Let’s head back to Headquarters.”
“Initiating return sequence.”
“I’m looking forward to submitting the report♪”
“We only found one target, though.”
“…Ah, the fortress. Aren’t there also some Dark Tribe (Samples) inside?”
“Don’t write such a flimsy report, okay? I’ll get caught in the backlash too.”
The pilots set their course back to Branch 408.
Unbeknownst to them, Rayos, who had hidden the small knight (golem) in the ground, was watching them intently.
An airplane. A fighter jet, right? It was firing attack magic non-stop.
The aerial combat power of another world is terrifying.
Seriously, please don’t come again.
They’ve left now, right? Now that the dangerous existence is gone.
I have to guide the soldiers that the pilot of the large knight (golem) brought with him into the ground♪
“What?! The ground is――Ahhh! I’m falling—!”
Rayos moved the ground, creating a hole at the feet of the guards. A great chasm leading to hell. He closed off the chasm, crushing the swallowed guards.
“Hehehe, Hahahahahaha!”
In his Astral Body form, he reveled in his triumphant laughter.
After laughing for a while and satisfied, Rayos dug up McGillis from the small knight (golem) hidden in the ground and possessed him.
He made the dirt-covered small knight (golem) walk towards the fortress.
