“*Huff*, *puff*, *wheeze*, *gasp*”
After finally arriving at the location where Reiko had found the footprint, Jin and Reinhardt looked at the ‘footprint’ and were surprised.
“Isn’t it over ten meters tall judging from the size of this?”
It was that gigantic. However, Reiko shook her head and,
“No, according to Ann’s information it appears that its feet are large to keep it stable. And therefore…”
She said and was about to continue when.
“You guys! Why are you here!?”
A voice yelled at them from above. They looked up, and for some reason it was Rucall who had come missing.
Jin and Reinhardt hurriedly climbed up there. Reiko jumped there in just a single leap.
“You disappeared so we came to look for you!”
Jin said. It wasn’t a lie. Rucall scratched his hairless head and,
“Well, sorry about that. After having breakfast I went to take a little look at the ruins. And then on in the middle of a passage’s wall there was a cave, where a sealed box had been left.”
Rucall explained the particulars.
“It was securely sealed but by giving it Magic Energy it opened by itself. I noticed that a black Magi Crystal tumbled out, but then it began taking in surrounding rocks and grew very fast, I ran away in a panic, that guy trampled my cabin, then went towards the mountain. And so I stealthily chased after it, that’s about it.”
He said and finished explaining.
“So, where is it?”
Reinhardt asked, and Rucall silently pointed towards the direction of the sun, namely the eastern mountainside.
“It went and climbed up there.”
“Alright, let’s pursue it.”
Jin said and Rucall got nervous and,
“H-hey, don’t tell me you’re planning to stop or destroy it?”
He said. Jin gave it to Rucall straight.
“That’s right. Apparently it’s a secret weapon from the Great Magic War called Gigantes. Moreover, I hear it’s faulty and goes around destroying things without discrimination. If it’s not stopped now, it’ll be too late to prevent damage to the surroundings.”
“Bu-but, can you beat it?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll have a go at it.”
Reinhardt said. Reiko and Jin went to continue climbing the mountain ridge.
The footprints did indeed point towards the east along the ridge. The two kept began walking up following it. Reiko once more was both the scout and the vanguard.
Rucall didn’t move from the spot and,
“…Can they really beat a monster like that…?”
He just whispered.
＊ ＊ ＊
The path on the mountain ridge was easier to walk than the one until now. Furthermore, the parts where Gigantes had walked had been flattened as if it had been graded, they were even more easy to walk on.
“Ah, the wind feels nice.”
“It dries the sweat.”
The mountain wind dried the sweat they had perspired during the climb. The two increased their pace.
After continuing for about ten minutes, Reiko motioned with her hand for them to stop.
“Beyond this point…it’s there.”
After this the mountain ridge sank and formed a so-called double ridge, and the gap between the ridges was wide.
Looking closely, a part of it was moving.
“So that’s Gigantes!”
It was a gigantic human shape with body completely covered in rock. The very shape that Ann had described.
It was walking slowly, moving towards the summit ahead.
“Can we stop it?”
Reinhardt said worriedly.
“Let’s try at the very least. Reiko, try tossing a stone from here as a test.”
“Yes, Father.”
Reiko picked up a rock of a perfect size for her small hand, faced towards Gigantes and threw the stone at 20 percent power.
“Ooh?”
The thrown stone smashed into the rock that composed Gigantes’s body, the stone smashed into small pieces and a part of Gigantes’s body was also smashed up. However, it took in as much rock from the surroundings as it needed, and in the blink of an eye the damage portion was completely repaired.
“Hmm, now that’s a golem.”
Even at this point Jin had a thought like that. Reiko launched a second stone as large as a handball.
This time a sound like a clink could be heard, and a a larger piece of rock than before popped off Gigantes, but it too was quickly repaired.
“That reformation ability sure is troublesome.”
Jin and Reinhardt were both of the same mind. But just how fast could it repair itself thought Jin, and instructed Reiko to throw a large boulder.
Reiko easily lifted up a stone at least five times larger than herself, and tossed it at Gigantes. Rather than in a parabola, the giant boulder flew in a straight line and directly hit Gigantes without error.
“No use, huh.”
At the shock Gigantes stumbled, the boulder smashed into pieces, its body smashed into pieces, and before you could tell which was which it had completely repaired itself.
“I guess smaller attacks would be useless then.”
Reiko had her katana Peach Blossom, but even if a piece was cut off it too would probably regenerate. In the first place, this location where there was nothing but rocks was most advantageous for Gigantes.
“In that case, how about attacking with magic!”
Reinhardt took out his Wand charged with magic, aimed at Gigantes and shot off a spell.
“[Flame Lance]!”
Just by inserting Magic Energy to it, with a Wand charged with magic one could instantly fire the spell. The high-level fire magic [Flame Lance] hit Gigantes.
“So not even that works.”
The rock warmed by the high-temperature flames melted and dripped off, but soon it was replenished by the surrounding stones, not able to make a decisive blow.
Moreover, Gigantes finally noticed that there was an enemy here, changed its course, and slowly began walking towards them.
“Its reactions are slow, though.”
Its enemy recognition was too slow. This must’ve been one of the reasons why it was a failed work too.
Yet they didn’t have that much time to take it easy. The ten-meter tall Gigantes who was approaching was rather intimidating.
“I’ll destroy it personally!”
Reiko leapt out to strike Gigantes.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Jin-kun, Rai-nii, I’m worried.”
The left behind Elsa was worrying endlessly inside the carriage. In front of her was the Automata Ann.
“Hey, does Gigantes have, no weak points?”
For some reason the two had left without asking that.
“Weak points? If it runs out of Magic Energy it becomes unable to maintain its body. Its reactions are slow. It has no intelligence.”
It was rather useless information. But, the first thing said, if it runs out of Magic Energy, was stuck in Elsa’s mind.
“Gigantes, how does it get its Magic Energy?”
She tried asking. And thereupon Ann gave her an astonishing answer.
“By touching things, the surrounding air, or cast magic, it can absorb it from many sources. That’s why its use was to be anti-devil race.”
Against the devil race to whom Magic Energy is an indispensable requirement for living, it was extremely effective, Ann explained. After hearing that an ill premonition hit Elsa.
“In that case, what if a golem or something attacked it?”
“Yes. It would not be useful against Gigantes, I think. Because just by touching it could absorb Magic Energy from the opponent.”
Hearing that, Elsa felt the blood draw from her face.
“Then, in that case, would an Automata like you be no good too?”
She tried asking as if clinging to a single ray of hope.
“Yes. If it’s an Automata, Gigantes will completely absorb its Magic Energy. Someone like me would become unable to move just like that.”
The trump card of Jin and Reinhardt was Reiko. Reiko was an Automata that moved with Magic Energy.
“Jin, kun…”
With uneasy eyes Elsa faced towards the mountain where Jin and Reinhardt went.
＊ ＊ ＊
Reiko was going to strike Gigantes. Gigantes raised its leg to meet its enemy.
Reiko’s fist bashed Gigantes’s leg to destroy it, or so it seemed, but.
“…?…”
In the instant she touched Gigantes’s leg, for just a moment Reiko stopped moving, and immediately afterwards she was kicked flying by Gigantes’s leg.
“Ah.”
The difference in weight was upwards of 50-fold. And so Reiko sailed through the air in an arc, and just like that fell below a cliff.