Mechanical Alchemist

The poisonous fumes from the magical incense burner continued to burn, and the monsters in the labyrinth grew increasingly frenzied.

Su Lun knew very well that the people from the Luye royal army below must have realized their failure to extinguish the incense burner meant their assassination attempt had failed.

They would certainly send more people.

If three fourth-rank professionals couldn't stop him, the next one to come would surely be of a higher rank.

It was very likely one of the two fifth-rank deputy legion commanders.

Su Lun was also prepared at all times for both battle and retreat.

But he never imagined that the legion commander of the Sacred Judgment army, a sixth-rank professional known as "Ferocious Beast" Barrett, would come in person!

With his current abilities, Su Lun was confident that he had a slim chance of survival against a fifth-rank professional even if he couldn't defeat him.

But against a sixth-rank, there was only one word, run.

Moreover, this was not just an ordinary sixth-rank.

A sixth-rank able to serve as a legion commander in the Luye royal army was definitely among the elite of the elite.

This Barrett was even stronger than the two sixth-rank professionals he had seen before, "Frost Giant" Gaal Popov and "Solar Flame General" Gladys Orme, from under the command of the King of the North Sea!

Sixth-rank professionals nearly reached the limit of ordinary humans in all physical aspects. Whether it was perception, physical condition, combat skills, alchemy armor... they had almost achieved a state of perfect harmony.

The gap of three whole ranks was not something Su Lun could overcome by outsmarting the enemy.

....

Su Lun, hearing the assassin's exclamation and the name that escaped his lips, also sensed a Soul Shard shooting up towards him with the speed of lightning.

His reaction was extremely fast, and without hesitation, he darted into the labyrinth behind him.

Although he wished to stop the Luye people from breaking the seal here, he had to act within his limits.

This was an irresistible force, survival was the top priority.

As for the incense burner and such, he couldn't worry about them now.

Since he was prepared early on, in the blink of an eye, Su Lun had already fled to the end of the passageway.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, he caught sight of the assassin in the corner of his eye.

To Su Lun's surprise, the man had not chosen to escape but looked in his direction with a glance.

As their eyes met for a moment, there was no panic in the assassin's eyes, only determination.

Because no one knew better than he the terror of Legion Commander Barrett.

He was acutely aware that if he didn't do something, the man entrusted to him by the young lady at all costs would never escape!

Then he stood his ground, assuming a stealthy combat stance.

Was he preparing to block Barrett?

....

"A dead man?"

Even without communication, Su Lun could understand the gesture, a complex feeling passing through his mind.

The assassin had earlier exposed himself to "save" him.

For an undercover operative, revealing one's identity also meant sacrificing one's life.

Su Lun, although aware of Katusha's command,

did not expect the assassin to be so decisive in the moment.

If the two had chosen to split up and escape, it wasn't certain Barrett would definitely follow either of them, and there might have been a sliver of a chance to live.

But staying now was almost certain death,

All to give himself just a little more time to escape.

...

"Pop," "pop," "pop"...

A series of air bursts came.

Even before the person arrived, this cannon-like series of sounds already exerted tremendous pressure.

It was like mountains collapsing and tsunamis surging, an unstoppable force of nature.

These were the sounds of Stepping on Air!

"So strong!"
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Su Lun was shocked.

He himself was adept at Stepping on Air.

The shorter the bursts of air from Stepping on Air, the faster the opponent's speed.

The continuous booming sound by his ears formed a thread, sounding like the strike of lightning. This was a realm Su Lun found unimaginable with his current level of ability.

Barrett arrived faster than expected.

It was when Su Lun was still at the corner of the corridor that the bulky figure charged into his field of vision, lightning-fast.

It was not a human form, but rather a giant black gorilla with a body like cast steel and muscles coiled like ropes.

"Talent [C-071-Ape]?"

Upon seeing its form, Su Lun immediately realized something, his gaze sharpening, "No, it's a second awakening!"

Although the [Ape] wasn't too rare a talent, after a second awakening, the growth coefficient of strength would be exaggerated beyond belief.

This talent and the career progression sequence that is focused on strength would be highly compatible.

However, a royal legion commander having a talent of the second awakening was not what astonished Su Lun so much. What drew his attention more was the giant transformation of that fellow's body!

That was the outward form of the alchemical implant [Isaac's Giant Strength].

Yes!

This was the implant described in that collected volume of [Isaac Alchemy Notebook] owned by the Luying Royal House!

The memories Su Lun had stripped away from his kills happened to contain this secret.

This implant was now standard issue for the Sacred Judgment Legion, and it was also the reason they originally came here to capture members of the giant tribe.

.....

"This is bad..."

Only by encountering the opponent head-on could he understand the other's strength through pressure.

The sight of that black King Kong made Su Lun think of a humanoid tank, devoid of any desire to fight head-on.

Barrett's speed was so fast that it seemed to slow down time around him, elongating an instant into ten seconds.

Seeing this relative speed, Su Lun even felt his own escape seemed as slow as a snail's crawl, taking a good while to even run past that corner.

While Su Lun struggled to escape, the assassin who had been lurking in the air also made his move.

Without hesitation, he swung the dagger in his hand and stabbed towards the black gorilla.

Unfortunately, it was completely ineffective.

The gulf in their levels was too vast.

The black gorilla didn't even give the sharp dagger another glance, as its big black-furred hand caught the assassin's neck as easily as picking up a chicken. Then with one punch, it blasted the assassin's body into meaty fragments.

Su Lun just happened to witness this scene of blood scattering through the air, and it left a complex feeling in his heart.

For the first time, someone had given their life for him.

He remembered that the assassin was called "Cortes."

That man, with his life, had bought Su Lun a fleeting chance to escape.

....

There was no time to think further as Su Lun had already rounded the corner of the corridor.

The most rational route in his mind was to withdraw the way he had come because he had already traversed it once. That way he wouldn't trigger any unknown mechanisms or wander into any dangerous areas.

But now it seemed impossible.

There were some corpses in the corridor before, but now with poisonous creatures swarming in, the previous path was cluttered with monsters and was impassable.

Besides, Barrett's speed was too fast.

Even with Su Lun possessing the eight-arm spider spear and teleportation, a straightforward run would inevitably result in him being caught sooner or later.

The feeling of death pressing in from behind was like a sharp knife against his heart, a momentary pause would surely lead to being pierced. Reality left no room for Su Lun to choose; he opted to use Spatial Displacement to pass through walls!

Su Lun pinched sorcerer's seals with both hands, tearing open a spatial rift, and dived right into it.

And when he looked again, he had already emerged through the wall into an unfamiliar corridor.

Using this twisting underground labyrinth was his only chance to dodge danger and escape.

But before he could catch his breath, the wall behind him suddenly exploded. A black gorilla enveloped in a white glowing aura brutally entered his field of vision.

"Damn it!"

Su Lun cursed inwardly.

The wall behind him was a solid five meters thick; normal circumstances would require several rounds of explosives to breach it.

And yet, Barrett smashed it directly.

It wasn't just the physical impact force; there were also laws involved.

Seeing the force field around Barrett causing the space itself to distort slightly, Su Lun felt a jerk at the corner of his eye, thinking, "Is this the intensity of the force law that a sixth-order professional can condense? It's truly terrifying!"

He felt that even the mech battle armor of a major general would not withstand many punches.

In that instant, all hope vanished into smoke.

Fortunately, Su Lun's Spatial Displacement skills had significantly improved. After a momentary pause, he once again tore through the fabric of space and moved through the wall.

The black chimpanzee relentlessly chased after him, wreaking havoc as it went.

"Thud," "Thud," "Thud"...

The sound of shattering walls echoed through the underground palace, resembling the muffled explosions of cannons.

The exaggerated commotion was enough to instinctively make even the mutated monsters steer clear.

The predator and prey dashed through the labyrinth, unwittingly venturing deeper into its depths.

.....

With his keen spatial awareness, Su Lun accurately determined his escape route each time.

However, his time for thinking was shrinking; he faced several perilous situations, teetering on the edge of disaster.

Sixth-order professionals, especially those who had formed a "Power Domain," dominated in both spiritual power and recovery rate over someone like him, who barely qualified as a fourth-order professional.

If it came to a contest of attrition, Su Lun had no chance to last until the end.

On several occasions, he attempted to ensnare Barrett, the pursuer, in a few predicaments.

But the wily old man saw through everything.

In the face of absolute power, all stratagems seemed hopelessly feeble.

Su Lun had originally intended to repeatedly change course, finding his way back to familiar passages, then think about escaping the labyrinth.

That's because he had previously extrapolated some lingering thoughts from the Soul Shard of the "Abbas Thousand-Eyed Flesh Mountain," and knew that certain areas within the labyrinth harbored dangers beyond comprehension.

But Barrett's meticulousness didn't afford him that opportunity.

Seemingly anticipating traps in the corridors, Barrett didn't completely follow the direction Su Lun fled.

Often instead of a pursuit, it seemed more like he was herding.

Barrett blocked Su Lun's escape routes, forcing him to rush headlong into unknown parts of the labyrinth.

And so, as Su Lun ran, even he became disoriented, unsure of his location within the maze.

He could have kept running, tried to hold out for a bit longer, and looked for an opportunity.

But suddenly.

In front of a tall wall, the black crow on his shoulder let out a sharp "caw."

After a brief communication with the bird, Su Lun stopped immediately.

His gaze became grave as he surveyed his surroundings, realizing something.

Before him, the tall walls of the space were slightly distorted, and the assessment revealed the characters for "Chaotic Spacetime Region."

The crow on his shoulder was called the "Herald of Death," because it possessed an exceptional innate ability—to predict death.

It had cawed twice before.

Once when they were under an Illusion Technique.

Once when Barrett first appeared.

Both times were moments when Su Lun was on the brink of life and death.

Now, the third time.

The crow sensed something wrong with this space.

Going through the wall might lead to death.

Not going through would also mean death.

Su Lun was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He looked back at the black chimpanzee and decided to make one last attempt.

He panted heavily and bellowed with all his might, "Wait!"

If talking his way out of this wasn't going to work, his only option would be to go through the wall.

....

The more Barrett chased, the darker his expression grew.

Thankfully he was personally on the scene; otherwise, if someone else had been sent, they likely wouldn't have caught such an elusive target.

But even with his presence, the chase astonishingly defied his expectations.

What he thought was a minor issue to be resolved in a few encounters turned out to be fraught with complications.

A senior spy lurking within the imperial military intelligence willing to sacrifice their life just to delay for this young man?

Then there's the officer's battle armor from Mafa, each evasion tactic more surprising than the last... on a few occasions, Barrett almost suffered minor setbacks.

This young man's identity and origin began to pique his curiosity increasingly.

He watched as Su Lun stopped in his tracks, but didn't rush to act.

This distance was now within easy reach.

Moreover, he had discovered that the labyrinth here was somewhat different from others.

....

Seeing that Barrett gave him a chance to speak, Su Lun cut to the chase and said, "Do you know what seal you're trying to break? This is a 'God Burial Ground,' where gods that fell during the destruction of the Dawn Era are interred. Once the seal fractures, those chaotic high-order laws, the aura of the dead, dark energy... will spill out uncontrollably. That would be catastrophic for the entire human civilization!"

He repeated verbatim what Mr. Jing had said before.

This information was no secret that couldn't be shared, letting this guy know might still offer a chance for redemption.

Upon hearing this, Barrett's brows visibly knitted together, his voice cold as he said, "Oh? And these are the last words you wish to speak before death?"

Though he skirted the issue, deep down he was well aware that the young man behind the crow-beaked mask was likely telling the truth.

"..."

Su Lun noticed a hint of struggle in his microexpressions, there was evidently still a shred of conscience left.

But it was a choice between loyalty to the Lurian Royal Family and conscience, and only one could be chosen.

The struggle in Barrett's eyes lasted only a moment before it faded away.

At his level of power, his mind was very firm, and decisions were made in an instant.

Avoiding the topic, he coldly asked, "Cortes has been infiltrating the military intelligence department for so many years, now risking exposure just to save your life. I am more curious, whom do you work for?"

"..."

Realizing the implication of his words, Su Lun immediately sensed danger.

The adversary clearly acknowledged his point but did not pursue the topic of the seal, meaning he had chosen "loyalty."

Su Lun naturally would not betray Katya.

Even in death, he couldn't bring himself to commit such a betrayal.

Besides, speaking wouldn't change the situation.

Knowing there was no room for negotiation, he held no illusions in his heart, his hands moved with lightning speed, forming the sorcerer's seals.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, Barrett snorted coldly.

His reaction was quick, as he launched a punch straight forward!

With the fist that twisted space, one punch struck Su Lun's chest, sending him flying backward into a spatial fissure.

....

The scenery shifted around him, and Su Lun had passed through the wall to appear behind it.

But this time, the wall was not shattered.

No pursuers, the immediate danger was resolved.

Su Lun also let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm with a "pfft" from the bitterness at his chest.

Assessing his own injuries, they weren't too severe, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Heh, that guy still showed some mercy..."

That last punch from Barrett was clearly held back, probably out of a sense of "duty."

One punch forced him into this conspicuously problematic space, not pursuing him to the end, leaving him a sliver of a chance at life.

Su Lun looked at the labyrinth that was similar in style to the one before, his gaze filled with solemnity.

For the Black Crow to issue a death warning, the situation was certainly not as simple as it seemed.

"Could this timeline be before the Burial God Ritual again? What chaos..."

Su Lun, seeing no tree roots in the underground palace, thought of something.

He observed his surroundings, trying to locate any potentially "lethal dangers."

Suddenly, the wolf claw amulet hanging from his chest momentarily grew warm.

Su Lun was overcome with a surge of strong empathetic sorrow.

Listening closely, it seemed to be Yuta's sobbing?

The sound was initially intermittent, then gradually became clearer.

"Mr. Su Lun, I'm sorry, I'm late..."

"But... how could you be dead..."

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun felt a chill run down his spine as if he had seen a ghost.

I'm alive and well, how could I be dead?

And where is Yuta?