Gazlowe saw all this with his own eyes.
An inconspicuous line cut across a squadron of magical machines that had just walked off the assembly line and arrived on the surface. The machines instantly fell apart, collapsing into countless pieces of metal shards and components.
The shapeless sword aura sliced against the ground, creating a hundred-meter-long rift across the rock. When it sliced a tower, the upper half of the tower screeched and collapsed to the ground, the surface of the cut itself smooth and clean.
Meanwhile, all retaliation against the Fourth Grade adept was blocked by a strange, distorted forcefield. It didn’t matter how many energy beams or fireballs there were. As long as they weren’t concentrated together into a single attack, they couldn’t do anything to this body-refining adept.
If the Capital of Steel wanted to restrain his movements, it would have to rely on a powerful attack from the giant magic energy cannons.
Without any hesitation, the two massive towers beside the metal hall started spinning once more, revealing the two terrifying cannons.
Ci! Ci! Ci!
The strange soaring sound of gathering energy rang out once again. Magic power of tremendous intensity surged through the energy pipes, through the tower, and finally converged on the cannon.
The energy circuits that spiraled within the cannon lit up sequentially as shocking and violent energy rapidly gathered within. It compressed, over and over. The energy aura leaking from the barrel spread out like an overwhelming wave. It was a terrifying sight to behold.
The man with the magical sword smiled wickedly. He stepped against empty air, and his entire person flickered, dodging Gazlowe’s undetectable mental focus.
As powerful as Gazlowe’s mental powers were, he was still a Third Grade creature after all. Trying to limit the opponent’s movements with spiritual pressure and then blasting him with the cannon was a good idea. However, it was practically useless against a Fourth Grade enemy.
In fact, the moment his shapeless mental appendages emerged from the Capital of Steel, the Fourth Grade adept instantly noticed them. He even managed to figure out Gazlowe’s approximate location based on these mental tendrils.
However, out of fear of those two fearsome giant cannons, the Fourth Grade adept didn’t dare step inside the city. He couldn’t attack Gazlowe himself if he refused to step into the range of the cannons. The other thing that limited the Fourth Grade adept’s movements was the faint trace of Fourth Grade aura he could sense hiding inside the city.
Since he dared lead his army here to assault the Crimson Clan’s outpost, he had naturally done his research. The Crimson Clan was a Fourth Grade organization protected by a Fourth Grade adept. The legendary fire adept Greem was well-known within Zhentarim.
It was said that he had been severely injured in an expedition to another world and had even wounded his soul origin.
That said, a Fourth Grade adept was still a Fourth Grade adept. As powerful as he was, the man with the magical sword could not ignore the terrible threat posed by a Fourth Grade fire adept.
Blood was still spilling on the battlefield in brutal and unrelenting fashion. However, everyone’s focus was still drawn to the major players of the battle. Even the Third Grade adepts’ devastating display of power could not attract even the slightest of their attention.
After all, everyone beneath Fourth Grade was an ant or fodder. Only Fourth Grade adepts could decide the outcome of this war!
The somewhat more skinny figure of Greem stood inside the core area of the Capital of Steel, beneath the ground. He finally handed over control of the most important magical machine of the Crimson Clan to Gazlowe.
Space rippled and trembled violently. When the white light of the successful teleportation slowly faded away, a vicious magical machine standing several dozen meters tall appeared inside the room.
The golem dragon; the Crimson Clan’s only Fourth Grade magical machine and their highest confidence in a war.
It had finally arrived in space!
“It is yours to command now!” Greem coughed lightly, a trace of fatigue appearing on his young face, “Protect the Capital of Steel with it and bring nightmares to our enemies!”
As Greem’s voice disappeared into the wind, the terrifying magical machine finally broke free of the constraints of teleportation space. It started to move its gigantic and vicious body slowly.
Chapter 1179 - Battle Between the Mighty
There was no denying that the magical golem dragon would undoubtedly become the ruler of the battlefield when it appeared!
By the time the man with the magical sword arrived at the entrance to the Capital of Steel–uncontested and untouched–there was only a path of endless metal parts behind him. It was like the remains of a city in an apocalypse.
The two giant magic energy cannons had also gone silent. They had been sliced up into countless pieces by the magical sword.
However, before their destruction, the ferocious barrage of the cannons had inflicted devastating losses to the Darkblood Army. Initial estimates suggested that over one thousand three hundred Darkblood adepts were dead. Following after Adept Wenno, another Third Grade adept had failed to dodge in time and became a sacrifice to the giant magic energy cannon’s final hurrah.
At this point, the losses suffered by the Istanal Clan was already painful to see, even for an observer!
Even so, all their sacrifice had allowed them to sweep away most of the defenses on the surface of the Capital of Steel.
At this point, the entrance to the Capital of Steel was only defended by a hundred elite magical machines. The guards’ five leaders were Third Grade, while the remainder of the machines were Second Grade.
With such a loyal and fearless squad of magical machines, an ordinary invader would have had an incredibly difficult time penetrating the Capital of Steel. However, when the enemy of this squadron was a terrifying Fourth Grade, no one believed that they could firmly defend their post.
That was the truth, indeed!
The magic energy barrier put up by five Third Grade magical machines and ninety-eight Second Grade magical machines exploded after the Fourth Grade adept’s third attack. Two of the five Third Grade magical machines also started smoking and crackling with electricity after that attack. Meanwhile, their ferocious retaliation could only leave tiny scorch marks on the adept.
As the man with the magical sword strode forward, these burns healed and vanished at a visible rate The Physique of a Fourth Grade body-refining adept was often far superior to most magical creatures of the same grade. There was very little magical equipment below Fourth Grade that could leave any lasting damage.
However, just as the Fourth Grade adept prepared to slice all the magical machines into pieces, the metal plaza before him trembled. All the earth and even the two-meter-thick metal plates on the surface started to tremor like waves at sea.
The earth shattered into pieces as the metal floor was blasted into the air. Several terrifying flashes of light sliced the ground into pieces and sent them flying in every direction.
A never-before-seen monster of gigantic proportions was climbing its way out of the hole it had dug.
Everyone was shocked at the monster’s strange design and unorthodox appearance while the monster was still emerging. However, when it finally climbed out of the hole and set foot on the plaza with thundering steps, everybody could not help but gulp. They finally experienced the visual impact of a colossal creature looming over an ordinary human.
Its metal legs, thick as pillars of stone; its body as large as a hill; that vicious metallic dragon head and those sharp, gleaming teeth. Shock and fear trembled in the hearts of every human that witnessed the majestic figure of the golem dragon.
A monster like that should not appear in a skirmish between adepts. The bloody and cruel planar battlefields were the only place where it could properly shine!
Even though the Fourth Grade adept had already expected the Crimson
Clan to teleport this magical golem dragon to the outpost at the critical juncture of the battle, he still couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of the dragon.
The pressure it gave off was simply too immense!
Anyone who had never faced off against the magical golem directly would never be able to feel the anxiety and pressure that came from staring at such a monstrous creature.
The Fourth Grade adept with the magical sword was the perfect example. He was quite confident in beating the golem dragon with his powerful attacks, especially considering the dragon’s lack of Agility. However, even he had to be wholly cautious and focused when facing off against the golem dragon, which was slowly walking towards him now.
It couldn’t be helped. The golem dragon was utterly superior to him in Strength and Physique, simply due to its overwhelming size. His only chance at victory was avoiding the dragon’s ferocious attacks and striking at its weaknesses.
During this time, he could not be grazed even slightly by the golem dragon’s thick metal legs or its sharp teeth and claws. The two giant magic energy cannons turning on its back were also a massive threat to him.
The pressure that the Fourth Grade adept had to endure in the process of penetrating the golem dragon’s defenses and breaking the two giant cannons was mountainous.
Aooooo!
The golem dragon intimidated every single fighter the moment it appeared!
It reared its head and let out a deafening roar as it clanged and marched towards the Fourth Grade adept. As it charged ahead, countless holes appeared on the side of its body. A barrage of energy beams and fireballs shot forth from within.
These attacks were not used to deal with the man in the magical sword. Instead, they were aimed at the other Darkblood adepts who were too close to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the two giant magic energy cannons on the golem dragon’s back were trained on the Fourth Grade adept. The roaring sound of gathering energy trembled through the air.
Boom! Boom!
Two muffled explosions rang out, and two violent energy fireballs shot forth, as fast as lightning, crashing at the location of the Fourth Grade adept.
Wild, concentrated magical energy exploded immediately!
The metal floor where the explosion occurred rapidly turned fragile and thin under the effects of the light and heat. It shattered like paper and twisted into an unusual shape. Finally, the metal floor broke into many tiny pieces and was blown away in every direction as lethal shrapnel by the energy shockwave.
Even the two-meter-thick alloy plate had been utterly devastated. The magical machines and Darkblood adepts around the explosion were reduced to ash by the shockwave in less than three seconds and cast into an unknown corner of the universe as if they were made of paper.
The shockwaves from a battle between Fourth Grade powerhouses were not something that low-grade beings like them could survive!
The magical machines and Darkblood adepts who had been entangled together in mortal combat now started fleeing into the distance, like ants that had suddenly awoken to their survival instincts.
The last magic energy cannon that was left hanging from a barely standing metal tower was the only thing dutifully firing away at its enemies. It spread fire and caused even more disorder on the already chaotic battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, the metal plaza was empty. The crowd and the fighting had vanished entirely. Only the giant golem dragon and the Fourth Grade adept were left locked in ferocious combat on that ten thousand square meters of metal plaza.
Naturally, the golem dragon was superior in terms of Physique and Strength. However, the Fourth Grade adept had the advantage in speed and Agility. Even though the body-refining adept did not excel at Agility, his speed was still shocking compared to a colossal creature like the golem dragon.
The man held his magical sword in hand, quickly weaving between the legs of the golem dragon and enduring the barrage of energy beams. Whenever he found an opportunity, he swept with his sword and left a horrifying, half-meter gash on the golem dragon’s leg.
In the battle earlier, a single swing of the adept’s sword was enough to topple a metal tower. Yet, even though the legs of the golem dragon were barely as thick as the towers, he could not cut them down with a single strike. The main difference here was the presence of intense magic energy.
The metal towers were only metal towers. As thick as their walls were, they could not survive a powerful strike from a Fourth Grade magical sword. Even though the golem dragon was made of the same material, powerful magic energy filled its entire body.
The magical sword might able to slice apart magical alloy, but in the process of cutting, its power was unavoidably greatly weakened by the magic energy. That was what made every swing of his sword so difficult and tiring!
The golem dragon was no longer as clumsy and dull as it had been in the past, now that it was under Gazlowe’s command. Even though its movements were still slow, it was always able to attack the adept or defend against his attacks in a timely fashion.
The Fourth Grade adept would have to strike the golem dragon’s leg in the same place seven times to have a chance at severing it. However, with all the sweeping strikes, lunges, and energy beams fired from its cannons, it was nearly impossible to accomplish such a feat.
At the very least, the adept would not be able to cut off a limb without paying a heavy price in the process!
This Fourth Grade battle had undoubtedly attracted the attention of even more people.
Apart from Sixth Grade Great Adept Ulnak, who was watching everything through the Head of Investigation’s magic mirror from the comfort of his tower in camp, many high-grade adepts of Exodar Camp had also hurried over upon catching wind of the battle. Like the patrol adepts, they hid in the distance and watched this fascinating fight between high-grade beings from afar.
It was important to note that battles between high-grade adepts rarely occurred unless there was some incredible grudge between two individuals. However, whenever a fight broke out between Fourth Grades, it would not stop until one of them was lying dead on the ground!
That was why high-grade fights like these were rare opportunities for them to collect information on other people!
Even though they remained hidden, the spiritual senses of the Fourth Grade adepts covered the entire battlefield. With all the commotion caused by the fighters’ movements, the adepts could estimate their power levels, even without seeing it up close and clearly.
The man with the magical sword didn’t want to be stalled by such a clumsy magical machine while being witnessed by so many adepts of the same grade.
As such, he roared loudly as golden light shone from his body. Countless hooks and spikes appeared on the hilt of his sword, digging into his flesh and drinking his blood.
After feasting on his blood, the power of the sword increased exponentially. With two swings of the sword and two blinding flashes of light, the left limbs of the golem dragon were cleanly sliced off in the middle. The golem dragon collapsed to the ground with a great rumble.
The situation on the battlefield had changed in an instant!
Chapter 1180 - Dejected Retreat
The initially even battle abruptly turned to one side with a burst of power from the magical sword.
The audience all around the Capital of Steel was suddenly even more interested now. They watched the battle unfold excitedly.
Of course, they were genuinely impressed by the Fourth Grade adept’s horrifying offensive power. The magical sword, upon awakening, was so sharp that it was a lethal threat to most Fourth Grade adepts.
That was what impressed the other adepts so much!
However, they all had similar means of obtaining a temporary burst of power. Naturally, they knew full well the consequences of using such a technique. It was either a period of weakness that came after, some significant side-effects, or the use of some extremely rare resources.
It didn’t matter which of the
se it was. The price of using such a powerful burst of power was always incredibly heavy!
Of course, the result of using such a technique would often be brilliant as well.
The magical golem dragon started swaying after two of its legs were severed. It could no longer stand firm on its remaining limbs. However, just as the Fourth Grade adept prepared to take the opportunity and destroy it, the golem dragon unleashed its most potent barrage of attacks so far.
Energy pillars, energy beams, and energy bolts crashed down on the adept like a ferocious torrent.
Even as powerful as he was, the Fourth Grade adept’s face flushed white. He weaved between the attacks, trying his best to escape the barrage.
Meanwhile, while the adept was occupied with dodging the attacks, the golem dragon bent down. Countless fine white threads emerged from the severed pieces of its limbs and reconnected with its stumps. The threads then pulled, adjusted slightly, and merged the limbs back together.
By the time the Fourth Grade adept broke through the web of fire and approached the golem dragon, it had already repaired itself. At the same time, the adept seemed to have come out of his ‘awakened’ state. That said, apart from his slightly pale complexion, the burst of power didn’t seem to have inflicted any severe side-effects on him.
The adept and the golem clashed once again.
The Fourth Grade adept undoubtedly had the advantage in this battle due to his agile movements. Most of the time, he was the one that had the momentum. On the other hand, the golem dragon was too large. It was ill-suited to a small-scale skirmish between adepts like this. It was spending most of its time turning around, barely fending off the enemy’s attacks.
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