Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun knew that Mr. Jing would soon arrive at Cursed Valley, so naturally, he wasn't in a hurry to leave.

But while he still remembered that bizarre situation that puzzled him, he directly asked Mr. Jing about it.

"Senior sister, I've encountered a problem that has me very confused..."

Su Lun shared everything he encountered and what was recorded in his notes.

After listening, a response came from the communicator, "You mean to say, you saw some 'special existence', but you forget about It?"

Su Lun: "Mhm."

Mr. Jing: "From your description, it sounds a bit like the ability to control time. There is a god-level talent related to time, [S-005-Time Messenger], which is the statue you saw in the basement of Storm Manor with the '✹' symbol. I've thought of some secrets that my father mentioned before. Mmm... It's not very good to go into detail. That 'existence' is either beyond your comprehension, or It doesn't want you to remember It. Usually, this situation involves some very high-level causality..."

Su Lun felt somewhat lost in the fog and uneasy for not understanding clearly.

He pressed on, "Ah? So what exactly is it?"

Mr. Jing seemed to know something but didn't elaborate, responding, "You don't need to ask in detail. If you ask, you'll ignore it just the same. If It doesn't want you to be aware of the existence, then there is no need to dig deeper. When the time comes, you might remember on your own. But likely, it isn't a bad thing."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun finally felt at ease.

His senior sister was counted among one of the most learned people in their group.

If she said so, then the problem shouldn't be significant.

Even if there was a problem, pondering further would be futile.

After all, by all accounts, if Su Lun had spent more than a day in that "time anomaly," his life span should have declined by over a decade, or so he guessed.

But it didn't seem like it had.

Although there was no lifespan value on the data panel, he analyzed some data on metabolism and judged that his body probably hadn't undergone such significant changes.

Su Lun guessed it probably had something to do with that "existence" Mr. Jing had mentioned.

But without a threat, the actual truth didn't seem so urgent to know anymore.

....

The battle in the Hall of Valor became fiercer and fiercer. In this enclosed underground, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting.

Both Su Lun and his companion dared not get close.

Even the watchful ravens, there to observe the battle, were killed several times by the aftershocks of the fight.

Barrett, as the commander of the royal legion, indeed had astounding strength.

Although Su Lun had met him before, it had always been on the run, and that guy had never displayed even a tenth of his true power.

Now was the true time to see the "Empire's Ferocious Beast" unleash his full strength.

Su Lun observed various top-notch techniques of a fighter on Barrett.

As expected of the commander of the royal legion, his punches and kicks were so fundamentally solid that Su Lun had never seen anyone who could compare.

At this moment, Barrett was clearly fighting with all his might.

His double-stage talent [Ape], along with a series of alchemy enhancements, were all focused on increasing strength. His power had grown to such an exaggerated level that it was astounding to any lower-ranking professional.

There was no need for armor; his muscles, tough as steel, were the best defense!

A milky-white aura swirled around his body and fists. When he struck, the space itself twisted, exuding an absolutely domineering and unrivaled aura.

But while the techniques were one aspect, what Su Lun couldn't comprehend was that mountain-splitting, earth-shattering momentum – it was a vague and indistinct sensation.

"Is that the 'energy' Senior Sister mentioned we need to cultivate?"

Su Lun pondered thoughtfully.

In this world, there weren't too few professionals of the fifth rank, but those who could advance to the sixth rank were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

This was because there was a very high "threshold" for this rank.

Su Lun, blessed with the talent of the Reaper, could kill several fifth rank professionals and after stripping their comprehension of the laws, he almost had no threshold to advance all the way to the fifth rank.

But to advance to the sixth rank, no matter how powerful the dark spiritual power was, or how perfect the laws were, it was impossible without one condition.

And that was "energy".

To this day, Su Lun remembered Mr. Jing's words: Without cultivating one's spirit, it's like a person without bones; despite all the skills, one's achievements would ultimately be limited.

The reason why sixth rank professionals were outrageously strong was directly related to this threshold.

Seeing the "resolute energy" emanating from Barrett, Su Lun's eyes narrowed slightly, and he faintly felt as if he had grasped something.

....

The pace of the battle was fast.

Wave after wave of violent surges exploded in the air.

Barrett's moves were broad and powerful, capable of smashing boulders weighing several tons with a single punch.

Although Su Lun could not quite understand those moves infused with sixth rank laws, comparatively, the others were even more incomprehensible to him.

The one covered in red lines, Yegel, had methods too bizarre, able to restore his limbs instantly with the help of those red lines even after they had been blown to pieces.

The magic used by that guy wasn't from the alchemy system but the divine system.

Su Lun was completely baffled by what he saw.

Yuta, who was sensing with his eyes closed next to him, suddenly opened his eyes and exclaimed, "That guy has borrowed the power of an evil deity, drawing the vital energy from the surroundings to replenish himself, thus achieving an immortal body."

"An immortal body?"

Su Lun frowned upon hearing this.

Looking at it this way, if the battle dragged on, Barrett would eventually be defeated.

Clearly, Barrett, who was engaged in the intense battle, had realized this too.

He knew he had to fight quickly and decisively.

Even an immortal body had its breaking point; if that point were shattered, it couldn't recover.
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Barrett, an old soldier seasoned on the battlefield, would certainly understand this.

It was at this moment that the stalemate suddenly changed.

Reflected in Su Lun's eyes was the battle scene in the Hall of Valor, from which he discerned something and murmured, "Are they going for broke..."

Finally, Barrett completed his energy accumulation!

"Flesh Alchemy: Open!"

He let out a fierce shout, ringing like a bell and echoing through the corridor.

Following that roar, his momentum surged wildly, and a steaming white vapor rose from the surface of his body.

Barrett did not pause, his hands quickly forming magician's seals, and his aura suddenly turned cold and stern. With his hands well-formed in the sorcerer's seals, he lifted them up and let out another fierce shout, "Power Mystique: Ten Direction Fierce Beast Ban!"

With the emergence of this secret technique, a formidable ferocity instantly enveloped the entire area.

In the space of the Hall of Valor, ten white vapor beasts suddenly coalesced.

The ten apes placed their hands together, forming a hammer to unite their strike, encircling Yegel on the spot.

Though the action didn't look fast, the oppressive force of the power law seemed to solidify the space around them, rendering all things in all directions unable to move.

Even the black crow, watching the battle from a great distance outside the force field, felt so pressured it almost collapsed.

Su Lun witnessed this scene and saw the underlying technique, thinking to himself, "A secret technique for a short burst of fury? Among professions based on pure strength, a body's durability might be more suited for spells like 'Hormonal Rampage'."

His own physical strength could only withstand three stages of hormonal release before it became life-threatening. He estimated that this giant's body could at least sustain six stages. Such an increase in combat power could be even more exaggerated than what was currently displayed.

....

Barrett's momentum reached its peak, and finally, Yegel's complexion changed.

How could one underestimate this desperate strike?

This kind of pressure at the level of laws, where one power suppresses ten, offered virtually no alternative means of coping.

One could only withstand it head-on!

But the exaggeration of this fellow's power law was such that, after gathering strength for so long, even true Seventh Order professionals would struggle to break free, let alone someone like him who only had Seventh Order fighting strength with the help of external forces?

Yegel saw that he could not move, his facial features even became distorted under the immense force. But he didn't panic much, and a fierce light glowed in his eyes.

He seemed to give up resisting, speaking fervently, chanting the honored name of some evil deity: "Oh great lord of disaster, your devout follower requires your bestowed power..."

While the incantation was still being chanted, the fists of the ferocious ape already thunderously fell.

"Boom!"

The ten-headed ferocious ape fiercely struck the ground, creating a vibration that shook the entire space, similar to an earthquake.

The exaggerated power squeezed space, making a thunderous explosion.

Barrett's eyes were bloodshot, the skin of his muscular body turned from black to pink due to the high heat, emitting wisps of smoke.

The giant ape he transformed into hammered down with alternating fists, the space under the fists visibly twisted.

At the same time, the ten fierce apes condensed by fighting spirit also hammered down fiercely into space.

I strike mountains with divine power!

The rhythm of the ferocious ape's hammering was the same, one after another, one after another...

The commotion was akin to mountains collapsing and the ground splitting.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The vast underground space trembled intensely with each strike.

A large number of falling rocks quickly turned to dust upon entering the air field surrounded by the ten apes but, surprisingly, disintegrated into powder instantly.

Only then did the watching Su Lun realize that the seemingly invisible pressure wielded such terrifying tearing force!

Although Barrett had yet to condense his own domain, this power field fascinated the watching Su Lun.

Meanwhile, in the center of that power field, Yegel's elemental barrier had collapsed under the hammering, and his windbreaker had turned to dust. His skin was also torn to shreds, revealing, like a human anatomical chart, his black and red muscle fibers. However, what was eerie was that these muscle fibers seemed to come to life, turning into squirming red worms.

With each strike from the giant ape, Yegel's body would explode into large clouds of blood mist, limbs burst into bloody meat, splattering everywhere.

But in an instant, they would be restored as before by the red threadlike worms.

The air was filled with a malodorous scent of blood that made one feel wicked.

But for the moment, he didn't die explosively!

But casting such a powerful spell naturally came at a price.

Since the opponent hadn't dropped dead yet, Barrett on the other side was obviously under tremendous pressure. With every hammer strike, crimson blood spilled from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and his momentum weakened a bit.

During this stalemate, it seemed Yeager couldn't withstand the continuous hammering; the red insects covering his body started seeking a new host, invading underground and spreading to the tree roots in the crevices of the rock walls.

If the consumption persisted, it was difficult to predict who would last to the end.

The most likely outcome was a pyrrhic victory for both sides.

Su Lun hoped for such an outcome; it would be for the best.

But, watching Yeager, who was still reciting spells despite being under attack, Su Lun knew that things might take an unexpected turn.

Sure enough!

What was initially an evenly matched situation suddenly took a drastic turn.

...

Alchemists relied on their own true strength; whatever skill they possessed was that much, and they could at most rely on alchemical cursed items.

But those heretics had the backing of certain special entities, making their combat power difficult to measure accurately.

Especially those followers who could receive responses from deities.

Sure enough!

As Yeager spat out his final incantation, a hideous smile emerged on his face awash with gushing blood, "Hahahaha..."

His mad laughter echoed around, and Su Lun, hiding in the tunnel, heard it loud and clear.

And as that laughter subsided,

An indescribable and terrifying will suddenly descended upon the place.

Before, Yeager was like a boat tossing in a tsunami with a risk of capsizing at any moment, but in an instant, with the mysterious will's empowerment, his aura abruptly changed, and he began to mock, "Tsk tsk... Barrett, is that all you've got?"

The voice sounded as if it came from the mouth of a demon from hell, sending shivers down one's spine.

At the same time, the black crow cawed sharply.

Su Lun knew it was a warning of imminent death.

He closed his right eye, leaving only the left open.

Su Lun was well aware that some beings should not be faced directly!

Others might not know what this mysterious will was, perhaps only feeling an instinctual fear.

But Su Lun had previously experienced such a scene.

"Damn it, that colossal deep-sea creature is a deity-level entity..."

Su Lun's complexion turned very unsightly.

He had encountered it once before in the Dawn City Ruins.

But back then, the fallen angel was caught in Sir Isaac's millennium-old scheme, and with Mr. Jing's various preparations, it didn't cause much of a stir.

Now, facing this wild deity, Su Lun felt a massive headache.

Although it was just the descent of will, without its full strength being present,

Su Lun knew that it was beyond his ability to interfere.

Seeing the situation, Su Lun's first instinct was to grab Yuta beside him and retreat as the smart move.

But before he could act, Yuta sensed the presence of the mysterious will and spoke first, very solemnly, "Not good! That being seems to be absorbing power from the seal; I must stop Him!"

Before Su Lun could react, Yuta turned to him, her eyes filled with a gentle and complex emotion of farewell, "Mr. Su Lun, you must leave this place. I have to stop Him!"

In the end, she had only two options.

As she spoke, not waiting for Su Lun to answer, the red totem on her face suddenly shone brightly, and the rainbow light from the magic cauldron beside her was dazzlingly intense.

With another glance, her entire being had transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the tunnel.

....

Watching Yuta's departing figure, Su Lun's gaze was filled with solemnity.

He knew he could not dissuade her, so he didn't speak.

It was the mission of a Dalu Druid, with a priority above their own life. Yuta's faith was resolute; she would go no matter what.

Su Lun deeply respected her choice.

But he was genuinely worried.

Although Su Lun was unclear about Yuta's combat ability now that she had a holy artifact by her side,

he was very aware of one thing: even with external power, if the inherent combat strength isn't strong enough, the cost of using too high-tier powers could be immense.

He had seen in the Dawn Relic how a Fallen Angel, possessing Duchess Raphael, used power far beyond her capabilities, paying with her life.

"If it's just a will descending, perhaps the problem isn't too serious..."

Su Lun, though cautious, was not afraid of death.

After all, he had already experienced death twice, and to him, death was not so frightening.

In an instant, he thought back to the battle in the Dawn City Ruins where a divine being had truly descended, possessing a second-rank individual, yet the combat power displayed wasn't too exaggerated.

Now only a will has arrived, augmenting a sixth-rank person.

Perhaps... the strength of a seventh rank?

If her abilities had the upper hand, there might be a chance to exploit.

In an instant, Su Lun had analyzed many useful pieces of information.

Thinking it over, he picked up the communicator and reported the situation to Mr. Jing: "Senior sister's situation isn't looking good, seems like a divine will has descended..."

After finishing, he received Mr. Jing's calm reply from the other end: "Hmm, I see."

Su Lun hung up the communicator, took a deep breath, and without hesitation, dove into the tunnel leading to the Temple of Valhalla.

....

By the time Su Lun arrived, Yuta was already locked in fierce combat with Yegele, who was covered in tentacles.

Barrett, unbeknownst to when, had already lost an arm.

Back in his human form, he was bloodied all over, having crashed heavily into the distance and embedded in the rock wall, his life and death unknown.

Just as Su Lun arrived, he happened to see in the far tunnel a few soldiers holding the "Death Banner of Nelgale," sneaking in and taking the opportunity to rescue Barrett.

Yegele, now engrossed in his intense battle with Yuta, seemed to have no interest in the life or death of a few insects.

As long as they didn't stop him from breaking the seals, everything else seemed insignificant.

Moreover, he was entangled by the sudden appearance of Yuta and couldn't disengage.

Around Yuta swirled a seven-colored elemental aura, while the Holy Artifact, the magic pot, floated beside her, providing her with an endless source of magic power. With a raise of her hand, the winds and clouds surged, and the dazzling spells shone brilliantly.

On the other side, Yegele was surrounded by a dark red aura of death, drawing in more and more of the red threads from the surrounding life force. These threadworms converged into various forms of tentacles, leaving behind red and black auras that corrupted all vitality as they passed through.

The grand Hall of Valor was a battleground where red and black energies of calamity clashed with the multicolored forces of nature.

Both individuals were employing spells that didn't belong to the alchemy system, and both were using powers not their own. Su Lun found it all very confusing, yet he could definitely sense the exaggerated fluctuations of the elements.

"If this goes on, Yuta is in grave danger..."

Su Lun watched with furrowed brows.

Observing the situation, even if Yuta seemed to be holding on for now, the longer the fight dragged on, the more her body would be overdrawn.

Su Lun felt he should do something.

Whether it worked or not, he still had to try.

However, after observing for just a moment, he also realized that there was not a complete lack of opportunity.

The good news was that the tentacle monster Yegel had become was aiming to break a seal. It used countless red tendrils to siphon off life force, but at the same time, it anchored itself there.

With the black scythe, there might just be a chance to strike.

Su Lun had been controlling his thoughts and had never truly entertained the idea of killing the creature. He knew even the mere thought of taking action would intuitively alert such a formidable enemy.

The shared vision of the black crow would also confuse the enemy's sense of hostility.

So, there was only a fleeting chance for an attack!

Now, at the very instant Su Lun's intent to kill arose, he didn't hesitate at all. Controlling the zombies beside him, he calculated the distance perfectly and slashed at the tentacle monster in the southern side of the Hall of Valor from afar.

Simultaneously, Yegel immediately sensed it. His gaze shot towards the corridor where Su Lun was hiding like a bolt of lightning.

Unfortunately, the numerous tentacles that had spread out to absorb life force made his body too large and his movements to teleport away extremely clumsy.

Furthermore, Su Lun's decisiveness also gave him the chance to land the blow.

With a "swoosh," the space rift accurately hit the torso of the tentacle monster.

Su Lun's heart tightened: "I hit it!"

The space rift had cleanly split the humanoid core of Yegel in two.

Such an injury would have undoubtedly been fatal for an ordinary person.

But after that very strike, countless tendrils suddenly connected the two severed halves of the body back together.

A mocking smile appeared on Yegel's face.

Raising his hand, he summoned a flaming spear that flew towards Su Lun from a great distance.

The spear moved incredibly fast; almost in the same instant it was thrown, it pierced through the body of "Su Lun" a kilometer away.

....

With a "bang," Su Lun's shadow was revealed to be nothing but a stump of wood.

This was clearly the effect of using a "Puppet Substitute."

On a closer look, "Su Lun" had reappeared inside the Hall of Valor, readying another attack.

Yegel did not hesitate and hurled another flaming spear.

"Su Lun" was impaled once again.

However, the figure disintegrated.

This time, it was an illusion projected by "Robert's Monocle."

Then, seven or eight "Su Luns" appeared in various corners of the hall.

Seeing Su Lun's emergence, Yuta's pretty face also showed a trace of urgency.

She naturally couldn't just watch as Yegel killed Su Lun, so when he was distracted, she also stabbed forward with several wooden spears.

The wooden spears and the tentacles engaged in fierce battle again...

....

Deep in the corridor, Su Lun, wearing a monocle, saw the scene through the vision of the crow and analyzed, "Immune to physical damage, huh..."

Luckily, with Yuta dragging the enemy, he was also able to make some attempts.

From these attempts, he confirmed that the black sickle couldn't kill the immortal Yegel.

That bizarre regenerative ability, unless one could simultaneously deliver dozens of strikes to cut the fellow into small enough pieces that couldn't reconnect, otherwise it was impossible to kill.

But clearly, Su Lun couldn't do it.

However, the probing just now wasn't entirely futile.

"The puppet wasn't discovered in advance, which means, that guy can't sense the existence of the threads. The puppet can control a large space..."

Su Lun's mind was like a rapidly operating calculator, analyzing swiftly.

Most of his combat power was in the puppet.

But the puppet wasn't completely flawless.

The source of the threads was on him, so as long as one could sense the threads, they could lock onto his real body.

Conversely, as long as they couldn't lock onto his real presence, the chances of surviving were very high.

"Moreover, that guy can't distinguish the illusions created by the monocle. Be careful, and it might be possible to find an opportunity..."

Su Lun's thoughts in his mind diverged in an instant, analyzing various countermeasures.

Of course, the biggest advantage was that after testing it himself, he confirmed that the "heretic's" real body must be very far away, with the projected will able to exert at most tier seven standards.

With Yuta restraining it, it at least can't devote too much attention to deal with him.

"Only the last resort is left to try."

Su Lun thought of something, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The gap in rank was too great. Discovering the black sickle couldn't kill that guy, he thought of the last resort.

That was firepower coverage.

Time waits for no one, without any hesitation, Su Lun took out the mechanical battle armor from the spatial storage.

The mechanical battle armor was controlled by a living corpse, but it didn't have its own will. Then there were the threads that Yegel couldn't detect. Theoretically, being careful, it might catch the enemy by surprise.

....

Inside Valhalla, the confrontation continued on.

Even with the Holy Artifact continuously supplying magic power, Yuta was gradually falling behind.

Encountering power far exceeding her own for the first time, she wasn't using it skillfully, and the burden was becoming greater, she persevered solely with a will that feared not death.

Su Lun controlled the mecha and stealthily made his way over.

The black sickle wasn't completely useless, at least that slash when it cut through disrupted the integrity of that guy's protective field.

The recovery interval gave a slight gap, which was the opportunity Su Lun was looking for!

Right after the mecha quietly reached the designated position, he repeated his old trick, slashing out with the black sickle, while the mecha's six-cylinder Fire God Cannon instantly produced a long flame serpent. That was the special glow of alchemy bullets leaving the barrel.

Previously he had been reluctant to use such an extravagant method, with the expense of ammunition costing several tens of millions of Liso per minute, it just wasn't worth it against regular enemies. But now, it couldn't be more appropriate.

Right as the spatial rift cut to the accumulator monster in the instant, the integrity of the field was split open, and alchemy bullets surged in like a tide.

The bullets blasted apart many red threads, looking like countless smashed watermelons on the ground, the scene was incredibly bloody.

But it was a pity that the blood thread creature's regenerative ability was too strong.

That mysterious will also had methods Su Lun couldn't comprehend.

After a moment, Yegel's body restored to its original state, and the field expanded again.

That domain capable of corrupting everything shielded in front of the body, even bullets that hit it were completely corroded away just meters from the surface.

Seeing this, Su Lun sighed slightly, "Still no good..."

He had done all he could.

Before he had time to feel more regret, he suddenly felt an alert in his heart and bolted backward explosively.

"I've been discovered!"

Su Lun didn't hesitate at all and dashed toward the corridor behind him.

In the moment of escape, countless dense red thin lines suddenly sprouted from the rock walls around him.

Only then did he realize that Yegel had imperceptibly spread the blood thread creature into the depths of the corridor.

Unable to sense Su Lun's position in other ways, he had resorted to this most crude method.

In an instant, the blood thread creature in the corridor converged into tentacles and grabbed at Su Lun.

The tentacles were extremely tough, and severing them required a lot of energy.

Chop one down, and countless more will spring up.

Su Lun's expression was grave, not daring to tangle with those threads, he teleported repeatedly, narrowly missing being caught by those red tentacles multiple times.

But because he had observed the escape route beforehand, he narrowly evaded the tentacles' reach without danger.

After escaping for about one or two kilometers, the red tentacles were no longer so dense.

This zone was beyond Yegel's attack range.

Su Lun also stopped.

For the moment, he was temporarily unharmed.

But looking at the dense tentacle-covered walls in front of him, it meant that he had been completely cut off. He wanted to go in but couldn't.

Yuta inside could only face the enemy alone.

Although he had done all that he could, Su Lun's complexion wasn't too good.

"It will be at least a few hours before Senior Sister can get here, she might not last that long. Should I use explosives to cause a targeted collapse? No, that fellow is immortal, explosives have limited effect..."

His brows were deeply furrowed as he considered whether other methods might be of some help, but again, he had no solution.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before his eyes, and a person wearing a gold-patterned cloak appeared before him?

That method of appearing was quite special, and also very familiar.

It was like a flash of mirror light, and then the person was there.

"Senior Sister?"

Su Lun thought he might be hallucinating, so he blinked.

But no matter what, he was indeed in the real world.

Looking at the proud and aloof face revealed under the lifted cloak, who else could it be if not Mr. Jing?