Mechanical Alchemist

The space around them transformed, becoming a black and white chessboard.

Having chosen to strike, Su Lun gave his enemy no quarter. He tossed his fast black umbrella into the air and his hands quickly formed magician's seals, planning to unleash the "Nightfall Domain" to strip away the opponent's perception before delivering a swift kill.

The man in the trench coat watched as he was pulled into the space, his expression also turning grim.

But he was a truly battle-hardened elite of the royal forces who, even when facing certain death, did not panic and reacted with combat readiness at the first opportunity.

His hands, too, swiftly formed magician's seals.

As he formed the seals, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Su Lun hadn't expected his chessboard and black umbrella ploy to be easily countered, and thought that swiftly killing a fourth-order enemy shouldn't be a problem.

But when he saw the man's skin lose its color at an alarming rate, revealing patches of greenish-black mortuary spots, Su Lun also showed a hint of surprise.

....

"Talent [C-008-Plague Bearer]?"

Su Lun caught sight of the enemy's condition and immediately guessed it was some kind of talent ability.

Such individuals with this talent were often sickly from childhood and many died young. But if they survived, correspondingly, their resistance to plagues would be very high.

This was a talent with a very high compatibility with the profession of "Toxic Magician."

Su Lun did not dare to be careless; this was his first encounter with a Toxic Magician and he was unaware of what techniques the man might possess.

But watching the sequence of seals being formed and the increasingly turbulent fluctuations of the plague laws, he immediately thought of a notorious plague-related technique.

"Flesh Alchemy·Whale Explosion Technique?"

Su Lun's eyelids twitched slightly as he muttered to himself, "Starting with self-destruct, that's pretty decisive."

This technique was as the name suggested. Once cast, the practitioner would explode like the rotting carcass of a whale, self-destructing and scattering large amounts of diseased and decayed tissue everywhere, widely contaminating the surroundings.

Among the countless alchemy spells, it was counted as one of the most disgusting!

In the enclosed space of the chessboard, an explosion would be a disaster akin to being smeared with excrement.

With this move, the enemy turned the tables from passive to active.

Starting with "self-destruct," they did not fear being killed.

Su Lun felt that even if he were hiding inside a combat mecha, directly withstanding the blast would see the armor corroded and damaged.

Now, it was up to him to consider whether to dissolve the space.

Otherwise, he could only take the hit directly.

....

The enemy's quick reaction clearly indicated he was well-prepared.

In an instant, as Su Lun continued making sorcerer's seals, he thought, "Seems like the battle earlier exposed some of my techniques. This guy was ready for the black umbrella and the combat armor."

Almost concurrently with his realization, the man in the trench coat's body swelled rapidly like a rotting whale carcass. His stomach ballooned out like an inflating balloon, growing larger and larger.

Even before explosion, the greenish glow of the plague laws grew brighter and brighter.

Seeing that the man's technique was irreversible, Su Lun knew his opponent wasn't just bluffing.

In the final moment, he decisively chose to dissolve the chessboard space.

The two were once again back in the corridor.

The next instant, a muffled "boom" like the bursting of drum skin echoed in his ears.

A wave of foul stench, detectable even through his gas mask, flooded over them in an instant.

Su Lun quickly teleported back in retreat.

But even so, the closed passage added a directed diffusing force to the plague airstream.

Su Lun avoided the initial wave of impact but was still swept by the aftermath.

His beaked mask let him breathe unhindered, yet the corrosive airstream directly burned through his clothes, breached the barrier condensed from the laws of death, and struck his right arm.

In an instant, a searing pain shot through his forehead.

A glance with the corner of his eye revealed a large patch of blistered red spots on his arm, teeming with water-filled blisters and pustules.

"The 'Eradicating Property' of the plague laws," Su Lun said to himself with respect.

Plague laws were niche, but mastering them made them far more insidious than regular elemental spells.

Just the ability to corrode elemental barriers was enough to put practitioners of the same level at a substantial disadvantage.

It was a good thing he had exited the chessboard space in time; otherwise, taking the brunt of that move would have covered him in rotting flesh. Even if the mecha armor had blocked it, the enchantments and coating layers would likely have corroded away by seventy to eighty percent.

The plume of gas poisoned Su Lun, and only his serum-modified constitution coupled with a long-term wearing of the beaked mask, which was not low in toxin resistance, saved him from the arm infection potentially claiming his life in a short time!

Su Lun did not delay further and took out a strong antidote serum, broke it over and drenched it on the wound, rinsing the contaminated skin.

A wave of coolness instantly eased the burning sensation, and his body's healing ability started to resist the toxin's corrosion.

At the same time, his gaze was fixed on a distant incense burner, not daring to let his guard down.

Su Lun didn't think that it was the end of the affair.

...

It was when the stench of the explosion's shockwave had subsided that the spotted python vomited once again, spitting out a man covered in mucus with a deathly pale complexion.

Looking at the man, Su Lun muttered to himself, "Knew he wasn't dead..."

And this guy wasn't alone!

At the same time, another man wearing a monocular and a trench coat appeared.

The man probably didn't expect that his accomplice would choose self-destruction when faced with Su Lun.

But despite his surprise, the guy was quick to act.

He pinched the sorcerer's seals with his hands, and to his feet, an Octagram Array shone brightly as he shouted, "Human Dissection Technique·Release!"

There was no time to dodge, and just like the principle Word Becomes Law, Su Lun watched as his body was sliced into three parts by some sharp object.

"A seventh-tier spell? No... it's an Illusion Technique!"

At the glimpse of the Octagram Array, Su Lun was instantly alarmed, overwhelmed by an immense pressure that made him think he was facing a top professional, or that the other had an embargoed item like the black scythe.

But in an instant, he saw through the nature of the technique.

It was merely an illusion!

He glanced at the monocular the man was wearing and immediately realized something.

[Robert's Monocle]

Description: Let the world feel your agony!

Cursed Attribute: Alchemy Imaging, which materializes scenes from your mind into an illusionary image, deceiving the target's sensory system; the pain the target suffers must be something you've personally experienced;

Detailed Explanation: The name 'Robert Roland' is engraved on the brass frame of the lens; once a genius magician, he was framed and lost everything due to others' jealousy of his talent; after struggling to rebirth from a hellish life, he forged this Alchemical Eye, swearing to let his enemies feel the agony he once endured;

This is yet another cursed item with quite special effects.

Indeed, the royal family of Ru England has no shortage of treasures.

Su Lun, although he saw through the illusion, found it eerie that the pain of being sliced felt so real!

As if a blade truly cut through skin and flesh, the agonizing pain immediately covered his forehead with cold sweat.

Even though it was an illusion, Su Lun knew he mustn't underestimate it, for illusions can kill!

There are two ways the human body perceives pain.

The first is normal, where nerves in the limbs detect external stimulation and send signals to the brain;

The other is when the brain directly perceives false signals and believes it is in pain.

The second is the essence of nearly all "Illusion Techniques."

While not truly felt by the body, the consequences are just as severe.

Not just pain, but cold, heat, slashing, corrosion, fear, joy... and so on.

All sensory experiences, in theory, can be simulated with Illusion Techniques.

And the sensation of pain or any other feeling can trigger an instinctual reaction in the body, leading to some horrifying results such as "death from pain," "death from fright," "mental breakdown," and so on.

For instance, if one were to die in a freezing illusion, the autopsy would reveal the same results as if the person had actually frozen to death.

The field of Illusion Techniques is broad and profound, and cannot be simplified in a few words.

It even ties in with philosophy, the ultimate mysteries of the world.

There's an ultimate topic circulating within the circle of illusionists that no one can prove: how can you be sure that the world you are in right now is real?

....

Su Lun did not consider such profound philosophical topics as whether he was just 'a brain in a jar'—he only knew that the man before him was troublesome.

The pain of being torn apart might cause most people to lose the ability to fight instantly, but for Su Lun, it wasn't much of a problem.

His gaze turned cold as he skillfully detached and blocked the sensation of pain.

He knew he would be affected, but that didn't necessarily mean the other's spiritual power was stronger than his. However, the man's profession and equipment were definitely highly compatible with Illusion Techniques.

Humans are different from heart-taking demons and other monsters; knowing how to use "external objects" is the greatest advantage of an alchemist, allowing their combat power to increase exponentially.

The man in the trench coat was a master of Illusion Techniques, his virtual signals not only affecting the mind but materializing like projections, made real.

"This monocle's curse attribute really is strong..."

Su Lun didn't pay attention to his body already cut into three parts, but with a light shout in his heart "Silk Control Secret Technique - Slaughterhouse," his fingers gripped the air.

Almost simultaneously, dense pale blue threads emerged around the body of the illusionist.

Those threads, imbued with the sharp energy of the wind element, abruptly contracted as soon as they coalesced into physical form.

In a flash, the man in the trench coat was sliced into pieces.

But unexpectedly, there was no sight of blood splattering everywhere.

It was like the reflection in the water being sliced open, only to restore itself back to normal instantly.

```

The Illusionist glanced at the silk threads in the corridor, revealing a barely noticeable sneer at the corner of his mouth. That expression seemed to say, "This trick is useless against me."

Upon a second look, the Illusionist split into seven identical figures.

Upon seeing this, Su Lun's pupils slightly contracted.

A look of complete surprise appeared on his face.

But in fact, he had already anticipated this outcome.

This guy's Illusion Technique was almost indistinguishable from reality; even in spatial perception, there stood a "person" everywhere.

However, Su Lun knew it was an illusion before he made his move.

Other things could be imitated with illusions, but the fire of the soul could not.

Through Soul Perception, he clearly knew a ball of soul fire was nearby.

The reason he deliberately struck the wrong one was to confuse the enemy.

Because, even if he had determined the location, he was not confident he could kill the Illusionist in one blow.

Su Lun was very clear about his current situation; the opponent already knew many of his methods, and if he couldn't kill with one strike, the subsequent fight would become increasingly troublesome.

Not having killed that poisonous Magician in a single encounter earlier already cost Su Lun his chance for a swift victory.

Now what he needed to do first was to protect himself.

The opponent didn't know he had the ability of Soul Perception, so the Illusionist's guard would be very low.

He would eventually catch an opportunity.

Besides,

the enemy wasn't just the two in front of him, there was a third person!

.....

The poisonous Magician had just self-destructed and must have used some special method to evade death, but his power also suffered greatly. He did not participate in the head-on fight but continued to attempt to extinguish "Anniestora's Poisonous Incense Burner."

Su Lun was controlling the puppet, fiercely fighting the seven illusions created by the Illusionist.

No matter how they were killed, the illusions could immediately revive.

It seemed that if the situation dragged on, Su Lun was bound to lose eventually.

Su Lun could have used Spatial Displacement to retreat to the maze, but he didn't want to watch these guys simply break the seal. Thinking that no fifth-order professionals had come, he still wanted to struggle in the end.

The Illusionist in front of him seemed not to be a great threat in Su Lun's view.

He himself was also adept at mind spells, and with precautions and care, those illusions weren't a big problem.

Instead, he was always on guard for the third person hiding in the shadows.

In Soul Perception, that was a fourth-order Assassin, stealthily making his way from the top of the rock wall!

It appeared that the fellow was preparing for a stealth assassination.

But, Su Lun had prepared his own body as bait for a counter-kill, yet what he least expected happened!

....

The Assassin crept up, Su Lun watched him passing by the poisonous Magician, keeping his eyes intently fixed.

He thought the guy would continue to stealthily approach him for an assassination, but unexpectedly, he made his move prematurely!

Without warning, a pitch-black dagger suddenly appeared in the air.

If Su Lun couldn't perceive the soul fire, he would have had no idea where the Assassin was.

Right above the head of the poisonous Magician!

The pitch-black dagger actually slid across the neck of the poisonous Magician?!

An Assassin's lethality is completely different before and after being exposed.

An unexposed Assassin could even assassinate targets above his rank.

This cut directly severed the naked man's neck, spewing forth a jet of green blood.

Even though the green blood corroded the Assassin's arm, the poisonous Magician's head also hit the ground.

This was not any sort of self-sacrificial ploy.

Su Lun looked at the rising grey mist from the corpse, full of confusion, "What's going on, is there a rebellion in their ranks?"

He could have never expected that the Assassin would betray his own ally and kill him!

Similarly, the Illusionist was also greatly shocked, shouting, "Cortes, what are you doing!"

Su Lun did not care about their internal strife; an enemy dead was a huge advantage for him.

He watched the Illusionist's moment of shock, his expression turning cold, "What an opportunity!"

He had been feigning weakness all along, setting traps, waiting for this very moment.

"Silk Control Secret Technique - Flower Waterfall!"

Behind Su Lun, the spider lance suddenly tugged, and countless silken threads instantly condensed into form.

```

But the target was not any of the seven illusions, it was another dark corner.

The illusionist used illusions to create an environmental barrier, completely concealing his figure.

It seemed flawlessly executed.

But had Su Lun fought with puppets for so long without any preparation?

The scattered fighting puppets were meant to cover the act of laying down those silk threads that would leave the enemy with no escape!

It was in the moment the silk threads converged that the illusionist realized he had been discovered. Just as he tried to act, the long-anticipated threads had already sealed off his retreat.

In that instant of error, a crack in space suddenly appeared at his neck, severing it in two.

Seeing the mist of the soul spill out, Su Lun confirmed he had killed the man.

However, he did not react; instead, he stared solemnly at the unclearly aligned assassin from afar.

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The assassin glanced at the illusionist whom Su Lun had killed in an instant, and a trace of surprise showed in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve. I thought..."

The rest of his thought went unspoken: He had come to rescue someone but didn't expect his aid to be unnecessary.

Su Lun did not respond to him but asked, "Who might you be?"

The assassin shook his head, "Who I am is not important. I am entrusted to make sure you don't die."

After a pause, he looked at Su Lun with a somewhat complex gaze and added, "It seems now that I was overconcerned."

He even suspected that the person before him had noticed him from the very beginning.

Even if it were three against one, there was a possible chance that the person could strike back!

"Entrusted by someone?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun immediately realized that this was a spy arranged by a certain power within the royal army.

His first thought was of a person.

The young noble lady with a large braid and small freckles.

There were not many who could plant a spy in the Sacred Judgment army.

Su Lun had just come out of the Old Lington Mine and did not know anyone with such influence.

The only one that fit the profile was Katusha.

"She actually arranged for someone to protect me?"

Su Lun felt strangely about it.

Although unnecessary, he still appreciated the sentiment.

By then, the assassin also muttered, "It seems you know who it is."

"..."

Su Lun remained noncommittal, raising his eyebrow slightly without elaborating.

Setting up a spy in the royal family was a grave crime.

Even if he guessed who it was, it was best not to say it aloud.

Katusha had good intentions to save him; he did not want to cause the young girl trouble.

However, such an ambitious move did not fit with her persona as a wandering poet, or an apprentice astrologer, did it?

Could this assassin be a secret agent from her family?

Su Lun did not dwell on it, thinking that he should thank her the next time they met.

He also did not hesitate to use the silk threads to collect his spoils of war.

Having frequently used the Spectre of Death, the [Eclipse]totem was already showing signs of strain. He dared not continue using it under the circumstances and casually stripped it away.

The souls of royal lineage were inevitably of high quality. Even a "blind draw" had netted him a large amount of knowledge on advancing in the profession of illusions.

He also stored away the monocular.

The assassin, quite considerate, deliberately kept his distance to avoid suspicion, allowing Su to conveniently dispose of the body of the toxic magician.

Su Lun began to examine the contents of the storage ring, engrossed in what he found.

....

Su Lun's goal was to use the incense burner to attract monsters, to stop those people from breaking the seals here.

Naturally, he would not leave now.

The assassin looked at the incense burner and also said, "I can't stop those people from breaking the seal. Your method might have a chance."

Su Lun remained noncommittal.

Now that he had killed a group of people, he could at least delay them for a while.

But before the assassin could finish speaking, he frowned and exclaimed, "Someone is coming!"

In an instant, his expression drastically changed, "Not good, it's Barrett!"