Mechanical Alchemist

The gilded giant realized that Mr. Hei and his group were planning to ambush him, but far from being alarmed, he instead revealed a mocking smile.

After all, the gap in their ranks was not something a little scheming could bridge. Discover stories with empire

Since there was now a spatial lockdown in the cave, Mr. Hei and his four companions no longer needed to hide their presence.

The five of them wasted no time in idle talk, showing their hidden tools right away.

In an instant, the five's momentum drastically changed; encircling him, they almost seemed to match the gilded giant in strength.

"Take action!"

In front of such a powerful opponent, they couldn't afford to be careless at all, as even a slight mistake could cause a fatal crisis.

The first to strike was the assassin who had vanished earlier.

Although Su Lun couldn't see him, he could distinctly hear the intense crackling of thunder elements in the air.

Looking closely, he saw the gilded giant's body surge with thunder lights, as if a very fast shadow was darting around him. In just an instant, it turned into several chains of purple thunder as thick as arms.

The thunder chains, composed of elemental disruptions, had no physical form, but the moment they formed, the gilded giant was bound on the spot.

When the gilded giant forcefully pulled at them, the thunder exploded, yet he found that the chains were elastic, and he couldn't break them with sheer strength alone.

His eyes narrowing slightly, he seemed to have guessed something and exclaimed with surprise and disdain, "Elemental thunder chains? Tsk, tsk... You bunch of rats have indeed found some nice toys..."

But with a cold snort, he dismissed it completely, "Too bad, how much power can you wield with such high-level cursed items? It would have been wise to keep it hidden; since you so wish to seek death, let me fulfill your wish!"

...

The thunder chains hindered the gilded giant's movements but couldn't completely immobilize him.

While speaking, his veins bulged on his hands, and he abruptly pulled the chains to form a seal, the sorcerer's seal, igniting an eruption of gold elements around him. His skin then started to form scales like an armadillo across his entire body, elevating his aura several levels higher.

At this moment, even with the thunder chains wrapped around him, his speed was as fast as before!

The gilded giant stomped fiercely and charged toward Mr. Hei and his group at the forefront.

Although Su Lun dared not stare directly at the target, he didn't know exactly what happened.

But merely the oppressive feeling of that golden light made him feel as if a gold torrent had swept over him, with a crushing momentum.

Like the flash of lightning, the enclosed space resounded with a "thud" like a bell, echoing throughout.

A red molten giant clashed head-on with the gilded giant.

The shockwave, like a tsunami hitting the coast, made the entire space tremble violently.

The few top professionals were unaffected, but there was still a small fry among them.

In the moment of impact, Su Lun only felt as if his head was right next to a cannon's barrel, rattled so violently that his expression flickered as if his soul were about to leave his body. Unconsciously, a trickle of blood had already flowed from his ears, while the continuous shockwaves still pierced through his eardrums...

Su Lun's eyes narrowed gravely, "Such a degree of combat really isn't something a tier-two professional could partake in..."

If it weren't for him blocking some pain perceptions, that aftershock would have really cost him heavily.

Forcing his scattered senses to refocus, he still hung upside down on the wall, like a rock, without making any movement.

....

The astonishing repercussions of their collision alone begged the question: How intense was the battle between the combatants?

The Red Demon caught the gold-lacquered giant's punch but immediately spat out a mouthful of black blood.

A direct hit from a fifth-tier combatant is indeed not easy to withstand!

Yet the Red Demon did not let go—his arms bulging with muscles, he performed a grappling lock technique that resembled hugging a pillar and instantly immobilized the golden arm. His body burst into flames suddenly, transforming into a magma giant, and he slowly drew the gold-scaled arm into his own body.

For a moment, the blazing heat seemed to melt the golden scales.

The Red Demon's talent already significantly amplified his strength, and after awakening a second time, he possessed the strength to move mountains. Even so, it was exceedingly difficult to shake the golden giant.

Seeing this, the gold-lacquered giant merely smirked.

Perhaps feeling assured of victory, he mocked in a leisurely manner, "A Fire Art 'Art of Gold Melting'? Quite a clever idea. But you have no idea how vast the difference between our ranks really is. The difference in the grade of our spells is not something a bit of cleverness can compensate for."

As he spoke, a Seven-Pointed Star Alchemy Formation suddenly lit up under the gold-lacquered giant's feet, and he uttered softly, "Flesh Alchemy·Indestructible!"

With this technique initiated, the scales all over the giant suddenly bristled, creating an eye-piercing sharpness, reminiscent of a hedgehog.

Even more shocking was that, upon the release of his fifth-tier spell, the bright gold dazzled the eyes, and the rich blood-like Seven-Pointed Star Formation under the Red Demon's feet suddenly dimmed. In an instant, it seemed as though the fire elements around them had been drained by the fifth-tier formation.

"Is this the fifth-tier professional's control over elements?"

Upon witnessing this phenomenon, Su Lun immediately recalled from the alchemy texts, "Rank Suppression! Elemental Plundering!"

Alchemy spells rely on an equivalent exchange with the surrounding elemental forces.

But the elemental energy in a given area is limited; how much can be converted and controlled depends entirely on the magician's power.

If two magicians cast spells at the same time, the one with the higher-tier spell/magician can plunder more elemental energy, even forcibly assimilating the lower-tier magician's spell into their needed higher-tier spell.

This is the disparity in ranks!

With this move, the scorching heat of the Red Demon was instantly quelled as if cold water had been thrown over him, and he could no longer trouble the golden giant.

Just after he had merged the fist into his body, not only did it not melt the arm, but the reversed scales exploded within him like thousands of needles, causing severe damage in an instant.

"Pff—" Another mouthful of magma-like black blood spurted out, scorching the ground and creating a puff of blue smoke.

The Red Demon, whose tier-three, section-two talents had awakened, faced a severe injury from confronting head-on.

But it wasn't for nothing!

His delaying also created an opportunity for Mr. Hei and the others to make their move.

....

As the gold and the red collided, Su Lun suddenly noticed a Seven-Pointed Star seal lighting up under Mr. Hei's feet, and upon observing the sequence of his seals, he realized it was a technique for unlocking inhibited gear.

"Fourth-tier implantation? So Mr. Hei has advanced to the fourth tier..."

Su Lun watched, greatly surprised, having never seen Mr. Hei's alchemical implantation before.

The sorcerer's seals were formed in an instant, the space within the seal suddenly transformed, turning into a library filled with bookshelves. On the mahogany shelves, there were densely packed various gold-stamped books.

What was strange, however, was that although the titles on the books were visibly clear, upon closer inspection, they became a blur.

Moreover, what was even more shocking was that a vast starry sky had appeared above the library.

At a glance, the stars were brilliant and the depths seemed limitless, the more one looked, the more magical it felt. It was as if it wanted to suck in one's gaze, making it impossible to look away.

Being extremely sensitive to spiritual power now, Su Lun looked at Mr. Hei's attire and immediately guessed something, "Does the attire include a spiritual spell? Could this be the very dangerous spiritual power secret technique that Mr. Hei mentioned he was practicing?"

"What a strange attire, actually being a library..."

While Su Lun was reflecting, he suddenly felt very odd.

He also realized that this might be related to Mr. Hei's profession as a Scholar.

Moreover, Mr. Hei was clearly also considering that there was still a second-tier professional individual. Fearing that the remnants of the battle would affect him, he had set up a bookshelf in front of Su Lun.

And it wasn't over yet!

When Mr. Hei deactivated his attire, his hands forming the sorcerer's seals had not stopped at all.

His entire being seemed to merge with the library, as numerous Seven-Pointed Star Magic Formations lit up on countless volumes.

In the center of the library, the gold-painted giant, aiming to capitalize on its victory, intended to land a few more punches to kill the Red Demon.

But observing the changing scenery around him, he frowned for the first time in a serious tone, muttering to himself, "He has already advanced to the fourth tier, and even merged with an attire like 'All-Embracing Abode.' No wonder he was confident enough to take action."

While muttering, he suddenly pulled out his arm, no longer concerning himself with the gravely injured Red Demon.

Instead, he charged fiercely toward Mr. Hei.

He wanted to eliminate the existence he perceived as the greatest threat first!

....

A professional capable of advancing to the fifth tier obviously wasn't foolish.

Previously lured there, the gold-painted giant had also guessed that this might be a strategy.

But he didn't mind.

He also wanted to see where the "rats'" companions were, so he could capture them all in one net!

A rat, no matter how fat, is still just a rat!

The strongest in the underground world are merely third-tier professionals; even with an ambush, he felt no threat!

But now, seeing Mr. Hei, who had advanced to the fourth tier, the gold-painted giant felt a threat for the first time.

The opponent, knowing he was a fifth-tier professional, dared to lock down the space and initiate a fight, must be confident in his ability.

The moment the library emerged, he faintly realized there seemed to be an invisible net closing in, giving him the sensation of being completely seen through. It was as if... his own underestimating attitude had also been part of the calculation.

Although the gold-painted giant still believed the individuals before him were mere rats easily crushed, observing Mr. Hei calmly forming seals, his instinct told him...

This man must be killed first!

....

Su Lun had seen Mr. Hei take action before, back at the ruins when he watched Mr. Hei seamlessly transitioning between advanced magic of four different types, which had stunned everyone.

But the aura of Mr. Hei now was completely different!

The set of intricate and complex sorcerer's seals in his hand illuminated the gold volumes in the library with a golden light, clearly displaying a fourth-tier gold-type spell.

The intricate patterning of the seals that lit up on the Seven-Pointed Star left Su Lun feeling as oppressed as when he first saw the runes on the blue-skinned living corpse in the basement of Green Street 88.

This spell, clearly more complex than any he had seen before.

Before he could ponder further, the two were already clashing.

How fast was that gold-painted giant?

With a stomp, he shot out like a cannonball, charging a hundred meters. That astonishing speed contrasted starkly with his hulking giant physique.

Yet it seemed as if the timing was entirely calculated.

As the gold-painted giant charged, Mr. Hei's final sorcerer's seal was also ready. He clapped his hands as if activating some special law; suddenly, the gold element in the space stalled, merging completely with the enormous 'All-Embracing Abode.'

Just a second earlier, the gold-painted giant, seeing Mr. Hei using a gold-type spell, had a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Facing a fifth-tier gold-type magician with a gold-type spell, what a foolish choice?

But just as his scorn was emerging in a hum, he suddenly sensed an anomaly in the flow of elements around him, his expression changing instantly as he exclaimed in his heart, "This isn't a normal secret technique... he... he actually knows 'Elemental Theft'!"

Mr. Hei paid no heed to the fist now nearly reaching him, his hand gestures changing: "Merge!"

At that moment, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The gold lacquer on the gold-painted giant, solid like gold armor, began to flow like melting wax, pooling on the ground.

Just now, in order to swiftly kill several individuals, this entity had condensed a large amount of gold element in the sealed space.

This left others with no elements to utilize!

Yet now, the thick gold element filling the space, instead of aiding the gold-painted giant, had become a quagmire due to the altered state of the elements, as if turned into a marsh, slowing him down more and more, almost trapping him completely!

...

Under normal circumstances, a fifth-tier spell against a fourth-tier spell would undoubtedly be crushed in one strike due to the disparity in tier.

The gap between their levels was not something that could be compensated for by any ordinary spell or secret technique.

But Mr. Hei, the magician, chose not to clash directly; he chose "Theft"!

He stole the gold elements condensed by the gold-painted giant, directly altering the state of the elements, giving a strong impression of "using the enemy's strength against him."

Employing what was perhaps less than one-tenth of the strength, he manipulated the full force of his enemy.

"What a masterful tactic!"

While Su Lun could not comprehend the intricacies of the spell, based on his current understanding of Alchemy, he guessed the principle behind Mr. Hei's tactics.

To cleverly solve a spell means you need a thorough understanding of that spell.

This meant that although Mr. Hei was not a fifth-tier, he must have a profound understanding of fifth-tier spells!

Realizing this, he couldn't help but be amazed: "Just how much knowledge is stashed in Mr. Hei's mind..."