In this moment of crisis, a white light flashed throughout the teleportation room on the fourth level. The spatial flux increased in intensity as a massive, shaking portal opened in the room after much difficulty.
The tower was already lacking in energy. With such a large portal forcefully wringing away what was left, the elementium pool quickly bottomed out. With the energy supply cut off, the massive portal started trembling intensely, and it appeared to be on the verge of collapse.
The many Crimson adepts were stunned, and in their moment of shock, an even larger mental flux bellowed in their minds.
“Bastards…bastards. A whole bunch of bastards. I came here to help you guys fight a war, and you bastards even make me pay the energy for the portal? I hate you people so much.”
As this powerful mental fluctuation rang out, strange energy from a distant world rushed into this large portal, finally stabilizing it.
A sharp tearing sound rang out. The space within the portal appeared to have been torn apart by a powerful force. A strange metallic golem shot out thousands of colorful energy beams from its body, widening this rift in space before finally crawling out of the portal with much difficulty.
It was only once the metal golem stood before everyone that they realized it was a good eight meters tall. The thickness of its metal shell was astounding. A squid-shaped brain floated in a dark-yellow liquid inside the golem’s semi-translucent chest. The brain was staring fiercely at everyone present in the room.
Indeed, the brain floating in the liquid might not have eyes, but its unique mental appendages were staring at every adept on the fourth level without any restraint.
“Heheh. I was wondering why that brat Alice was in such a hurry. So you guys have already been beaten so terribly by the enemy! Goddamn, the lower levels have already been torn apart by the enemies. Even the energy center has fallen into their hands. You guys are really useless. To think you could be beaten into a pulp while defending with an adept’s tower.”
The strange brain seemed to be able to ignore all physical obstacles and magical defenses to look at the entirety of the tower. It had only set foot in Fire Throne for ten seconds, yet it had already figured out the situation of the battlefield.
“You…you are that brain monster, Gazlowe.” The other adepts had not seen Gazlowe’s appearance after his transformation. Only Mary could recognize him due to his familiar mental flux, which she had been acquainted with when fighting in the Steel Capital.
“Technically, I am not Gazlowe; just a split-off brain of his. That idiot made his brain far too big, and he can’t go anywhere now. He had no choice but to split ‘me’ off and allow me to become his clone to travel in his place while dropping by to save you guys on the way.” This strange brain trapped in the golem’s chest became more excited as he spoke. He also appeared to greatly despise his original self.
The Crimson adepts automatically filtered away all his silly mutterings and clung on to the keyword: ‘save’!
This big brain was here to save us?
A trace of suspicion appeared in the eyes of the adepts.
They could tell that the brain’s metal golem was a humanoid magical machine. However, while the armor was very thick and sturdy, there was no sign of even half a magic energy rifle or cannon.
Was it planning to save them with its brain?
As a clone of the brain monster, the small brain monster undoubtedly possessed powerful mental abilities as well. His intangible mental appendages waved about in the air. Any thoughts unguarded by magic were naked before him. He could easily capture everything that people were thinking about.
As a clone of a Third Grade brain monster, being doubted by a group of First and Second Grade adepts was an immense humiliation. The brain monster roared and let out a mental blast wave, stunning all of the adepts and almost causing them to faint.
“I don’t care who you are, Big Brain. Since Alice asked you to come over such a long distance, you should get to your job! Or are you going to watch as Fire Throne is taken apart into ruins by the enemy?” Mary said unhappily.
“I have already said this. I am not Big Brain, I am a split-off brain of his. My name is Gru…Gru……Gru!” The small brain monster roared in anger. Of course, he was still communicating with mental messages.
However, he was getting to work even as he roared.
Several energy beams of various colors emerged from his metal golem body and connected him with the teleportation array and the portal above it.
What happened next shocked all of the Crimson adepts.
Powerful magical energy surged out of his body, entering the teleportation array and the portal, easily sustaining their functions. A portion of the magical power was diverted and flowed toward the central control hall. It seemed he intended to take full control of the tower.
Energy. What powerful energy!
The Crimson adepts weren’t the only ones who were shocked at this moment. The two Third Grade adepts on the third level also lifted their heads and looked in surprise. Their gazes passed through the thick walls and landed on the metal golem.
However, their gazes only lasted for a second before being cut off by a magical barrier that had risen from the ground.
A magical barrier?
Yurga and Haines were surprised. They once again focused and realized that the exhausted tower was once again ‘reviving’ with the introduction of a strange surge of energy.
“Dammit. Ignore the energy room; we have to destroy the central crystal here first.” Yurga roared furiously.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit…we’ve all been tricked. This tower actually has a second energy source. Hurry up; we must destroy the central crystal of the tower before its defense systems are activated.” Even Haines had been driven into a rage.
It was precisely because Fire Throne’s defensive system had been depowered that they even dared to break into the higher levels of the tower. If the defensive systems were to be activated at this moment, they, who had overextended into enemy territory…
Even the two of them felt their heads hurt when thinking of the might of an adept tower’s defensive system, let alone ordinary First or Second Grade adepts. They wouldn’t even have a chance to resist the system.
Just as the two of them started panicking, some sort of trouble occurred on the higher levels. The entire tower trembled.
The Alliance adepts who were gathered at the entrance to the fourth level let out horrifying screams and ran away like a herd of sheep being chased by a wolf.
“What’s the matter? Stand your ground, people!” Yurga roared out angrily as the leader of the adepts, but his words stopped in his mouth before he could complete his sentence.
He could very clearly see a swarm of magical machines flood out of the fourth level, each of them with magic energy cannons in their hands and chasing after the Alliance adepts.
And their number? Like a flood of metal: vast, endless, and uncountable.
Chapter 785 - Magical Machine Army
The number of magical machines that were charging down from the fourth level of the tower was shocking.
They advanced in unison and launched a vicious assault at the Alliance adepts within the winding corridors; the first few Alliance adepts could not dodge in time. They were riddled with holes by a storm of bullets before they could even see if their instant-cast spells had any effect on the flood of metal.
In truth, these metal bullets could only inflict physical damage and should only have posed a minor threat to the defenses of an adept. However, the number of rounds was simply overwhelming.
The adepts’ magical shields were instantly shattered, their bodies quickly following after.
The wildly advancing magical machines didn’t care about the Alliance adepts they had just killed. They continued pushing rapidly toward the lower levels under the control of the person behind them.
There were some individuals with strange and unique skills amongst the Alliance adepts. They
used Earth Alteration to raise uneven stone pillars across the corridors to temporarily seal off the path of the magical machines. They then hastily gathered into a defensive formation in the third level hall.
The Alliance adepts might not belong to just a single clan, but as noble and wise adepts, they still had the combat discipline to fight in cooperation with one another.
Several body-refining adepts and bloodline adepts stood at the forefront. They roared and prepared themselves to endure the attacks that would come their way. Meanwhile, the many elementium adepts took out their staffs and started to chant their spells loudly. The alchemists of the Magic Forest Hut once again summoned swarms of elementium creatures and had them fill the empty spots on the frontlines.
These weak minions might not have been of much use, but they were perfectly suited as fodder for the enemy’s firepower.
There wasn’t much time for them to prepare at all. A mere dozen seconds later, the fierce and ferocious magical machine army smashed through all the obstacles, pushing down walls as they charged into the magical hall.
A blinding stream of spells surged forth from the ranks of the adepts, blasting into oblivion the twenty-seven magical machines that had entered the hall. There was absolutely no resistance at all. Yet, before the storm of spells had even ceased, another wave of magical machine warriors entered the fray.
The Andorra adepts yelled and transformed into bloodmouths with terrifyingly large jaws. They twisted their fat bodies and clashed with the magical machine warriors.
A thundering thud rang out. Deep dents had appeared on the surface of the dozen magical machines at the very front, and uneven bite marks could be seen on their metal bodies. Meanwhile, several of the bloodmouths had also sustained some injuries from the clash. However, they didn’t seem to mind at all and flicked their fat tails, sending the magical machines flying backward.
A storm of metal bullets descended.
Since the magic energy rifles and cannons in the hands of the magical machines were all powered by magic energy, there were none of the loud bangs produced by alchemical gunpowder. However, the fearsome barrage was still as terrifying as ever. Sparks were sent flying as the bullets crashed against the magical and elementium shields of the frontline adepts, causing their defenses to tremble without stopping.
Only five seconds had passed when the second wave of attacks from the elementium adepts descended upon the magical machines.
The destructive flood of elementium engulfed the metal machines and twisted their bodies beyond recognition.
The machines had no sense of fear. The ones behind immediately filled in the ranks once the ones in front had fallen. It didn’t matter how many the adepts exterminated; the magical machines that swarmed out of the corridors didn’t seem to be decreasing in number.
Dammit. How many magical machines did the Crimson Clan store in reserve?
The faces of all the Alliance adepts flushed white!
They had no idea what was currently happening in the fourth level teleportation room now. A large portal loomed steadily above the array as four to five magical machine warriors walked out from it with every passing second before heading downstairs under the orders of the small brain monster, Gru.
Brain Monster Gazlowe had committed everything for Alice’s promise.
Apart from teleporting the small brain monster to Fire Throne, he had even allowed Gru to bring along the magic energy furnace. It was precisely because of the existence of the magic energy furnace that the teleportation array could be supplied with an endless stream of magical energy. It allowed him to bring the entire magical machine army to this bloody battlefield.
Small Brain Monster Gru might not look like he cared, but today was most definitely a painful yet glorious day for Gazlowe.
It might have been very liberating to crush the enemy by recklessly unleashing his magical machine army upon them. However, Gazlowe was currently squandering the energy and magical machine reserves that he had accumulated over the last few years in the metal fortress.
Faraway in Lance, Gazlowe’s heart bled wildly with the death of each wave of magical machines.
When the Third Grade brain monster decided to smash the enemy with his reserves from the past few years, the enemy standing in his way was fated to misfortune!
The conflict between the magical machine army and the Alliance adepts quickly intensified. Large numbers of casualties occurred every moment. With their layered defensive formation, the adepts had managed to keep the magical machines in the corner of the hall since the start of the battle. They had made it impossible for the machines to successfully spread out and had thus restrained the machines’ ability to capitalize on their nightmarish numerical advantage.
However, the magical machines weren’t dull idiots either. They possessed a powerful warfare mastermind with the command of Small Brain Monster Gru. The magical machines on the frontlines could not make any progress at the entrance of the corridor. Meanwhile, the magical machines behind them weren’t just standing still and waiting for something to happen. Instead, they used their bodies as weapons and tore down the stone walls that were standing in their way, forcefully creating several more paths of attack.
While the Alliance adepts were busy assigning forces to seal off these openings, the magical machines dove into their lines without any hesitation. They were fighting with a numerical advantage and creating as much chaos as they could. At any rate, the magical machine army didn’t mind any casualties they suffered. Trading the life of one adept with the lives of ten magical machines was still more than worth it.
The magical machines continued to swarm into the room, quickly taking up the edges of the hall.
The elementium adepts who were protected in the back and could freely chant their large-scale spells were now forced to engage in melee combat with these machines. They used instant-cast spells and instant wands to dispose of the machines quickly. However, the rate at which they were doing so was much slower than before.
At this moment, casualties finally started occurring amongst the body-refining adepts and bloodline adepts who had been fighting at the frontlines of the war.
The battlefield situation that had once appeared to be orderly was rapidly thrust into chaos. Signs of an upset was starting to show.
The two unbearably furious Third Grade adepts emerged from within the ranks. Both of them resorted to their special techniques and easily exterminated the machines that charged at them.
Third Grade Vampire Haines started wandering through the hall, his movements quick as a phantom and his claws soaked in crimson energy waving in the air. Every strike from his claw would pierce the body of a machine and wreck its internal mechanisms. Meanwhile, Adept Yurga transformed into a massive group of Death Heralding Crows. The birds crowed and weaved between the ranks of the machines.
Pupupu!
The gray death beams landed like arrows upon the machines. One by one, the devices were coated in a visible layer of gray before suddenly falling to the ground, their soul connection with Gru having been cut off.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit! These fellows are not easy to deal with at all!” The small brain monster cackled coldly in front of the portal. He couldn’t help but extend his Spirit toward the tower’s central control crystal.
He might be able to defeat these enemies with the power of the magical machine army alone, but he was sure to suffer tremendous losses this way. That was why Gru placed his hopes on the defensive system of the tower itself. The combined might of the tower and the firepower of the magical machine army gave him the confidence to exterminate all of these damned enemies.
“Authority…authority. I want authority.” Gru waved his tentacle-like appendages and shouted loudly.
Gargamel hesitated for a moment before finally stepping forward. He used his Spirit to communicate with the control crystal and handed over his authority to Gru. Small Brain Monster Gru started chuckled chillingly to himself after obtaining authorization
over the tower. He then struck a lethal blow at the Alliance adepts in the hall.
The battle between the magical machines and Alliance adepts raged on in the magical hall on the third level. While both parties were engaged in inseparable combat, a massive surge of magic energy raced through the stone walls around them, rapidly lighting up the mysterious arrays within them.
This subtle change might have eluded the low-grade adepts who were engaged in the intense battle, but it couldn’t escape the notice of the two Third Grade adepts, whose spiritual senses were stretched across the entire battlefield.
No! The enemy had managed to activate the tower’s defensive systems in the end. This place was dangerous now!
Several profound and mysterious arrays surfaced on the walls under the solemn and watchful eyes of Haines and Yurga. All the adepts in the hall felt the elementium power within them stall. Their intimate connection with the elementium particles seemed to have been shut off by some sort of protective forcefield. They could no longer wield their elementium powers as freely as they had before.
Magic-Interference Barrier!
The Alliance adepts present were no rookies. They instantly figured out the effect of this Magic-Interference Barrier.
Currently, all magic of other attributes–apart from fire–were under immense interference within the tower. If they were fortunate, their spells would only fail. If they were unfortunate, they could even suffer spell backlash!
The appearance of the Magic-Interference Barrier instantly affected the combat potential of the adepts.
Those who wielded fire among the elementium adepts were only a minority. The shields on most of the other elementium adepts flickered before disappearing. Without shields to protect them, the First Grade elementium adepts were no more than pathetic individuals whose physical state was only slightly better than the average human.
The defensive line completely collapsed in a matter of seconds!
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