Mechanical Alchemist

Thoughts flooded his mind, yet reality's battle passed in just an instant.

Mr. Hei's move directly created an opportunity for the others to strike.

Number Nineteen pulled out a mechanical fist bigger than her thigh and mounted it on her arm.

Having retreated earlier, she hadn't dared to wear these heavy, agility-impairing gauntlets, but now, trapped in battle, she had no reservations.

Considering its archaic design, it seemed not a product of modern technology, but rather an ancient alchemical creation.

With one charging motion, blue energy runes immediately lit up. On that pair of fists, ripples that seemed to distort space visibly gathered...

Meanwhile, Qian Tiao had switched to wielding a red and a black long sword.

With dark spiritual power infusion, one blade glimmered with an eerie red glow, while the other was jet black, with dark mist swirling around it.

More terrifying was the sword qi accumulating around her, which was so sharp that it gave onlookers a piercing sensation just from her gaze.

At this moment, Qian Tiao seemed to have used some secret technique, her aura soaring ever higher, and the formidable sword qi on her back faintly merged with the fiery shadow of Rakshasa Woman behind her...

Looking again at the vanished assassin, he had already quietly appeared behind the giant, his dark green poison dagger fiercely stabbing towards the giant's back.
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....

The gold elements on the Armored Strongman's body shifted from solid to fluid, greatly reducing his defense.

He had sensed this attack coming—though his movements were restricted, his reaction was not a bit slow.

"Ha!"

He gasped sharply and immediately counterattacked with a punch rich in gold elements. The assassin, unable to dodge in time, was hit directly in the waist and spat a mouthful of blood while still in midair.

Su Lun glanced sharply, knowing such a punch landing on the heavily armored Red Demon might not be lethal, but on the fragile assassin...

Before he could fully form his thought of danger, the assassin's body in his vision suddenly disintegrated into a mass of lightning and vanished.

"Elemental Talent 'A-039-Lei'?!"

Su Lun, watching the lightning fill his vision, finally confirmed the man's talent.

Moreover, this was another professional with a second awakening.

A normal 'Lei' talent signifies an extraordinary affinity for thunder elements, a natural trait for a thunder magician. But here in the Mirror Organization, this man is a close-combat assassin.

Once his body disintegrated, he instantly shed most of the punch's force.

And just as the assassin disintegrated, Qian Tiao's blades arrived simultaneously.

The Armored Strongman had calculated his punch well, intending to strike fatally and withdraw to defend. But unexpectedly, his target disintegrated. Unable to dissipate the force, his entire balance shifted.

This slight error, in the eyes of top-level fighters, was a massive vulnerability.

Qian Tiao's dual blades, one red, one black, sliced across his neck, emitting a "zipping" sound of metal being cleaved.

At the same time, Number Nineteen's charged punch also hit the Armored Strongman's flank, unleashing a spiraling force that exploded like a muffled thunder, blasting him completely off his feet!

With a "thud" of metal clashing, sparks flew everywhere.

The Armored Strongman fell like a meteor, causing the whole library to shake.

"Is he dead?"

Hidden in the distance, Su Lun sucked in a breath of cold air as he watched the trio's coordinated assault.

Any single move from that trio could have instantly killed him.

With the three attacking together, there was no escape.

Moreover...

Upon closer inspection, the weapons in their hands were all bizarrely effective ancient arms!

The assassin's dagger seemed to have some deadly poison. Although the dagger didn't completely penetrate, breaking through the defense meant it was largely successful.

As for Number Nineteen, just that one charged punch from her mechanical fist could probably smash an armored tank, let alone the guy taking the hit.

And Qian Tiao's thunderous dual strikes left two gashes nearly two fingers deep on the neck of the Armored Strongman.

But...

It seemed there was also metal inside the wounds, no blood visible?

In the next instant, Su Lun's pupils shrank as he noticed the spot where the Armored Strongman had fallen.

"No, he's not dead!"

Without seeing a rise of ash, he knew that man hadn't been killed!

....

"Heh..."

A laugh rang out as the Armored Strongman slowly stood up, his wounds visibly healing.

Cut, stab, punch marks... his body's metal surface seemed to have a memory, rapidly restoring to its original state.

Although he'd sustained minor injuries, he wasn't alarmed but rather pleased.

Because he felt he had fully grasped the strength of the few people before him.

The slight apprehension he had earlier had also dissipated,

even with a full-force blow of that degree,

he couldn't be killed.

The gilt giant stood up, not only recovering from his injuries, but his golden scales on his skin congealed once again, enshrouded in a hazy mist that resembled fine, sharp metallic air.

He looked at Mr. Hei and others, no longer in a rush to take action, scoffing, "Secondary talent awakening, ancient curses, extraordinary legacies... I must admit, your performance has truly surprised me. Heh heh... Those fools at 'Umbrella Organization' are really useless, to think they never noticed that the rats in the gutter had already gained the ability to bite."

Su Lun, not far away, furrowed his brows slightly upon hearing this.

Even though he was a transmigrator, the repeated term "rats" felt rather harsh to him. People from Old Lington really weren't regarded as humans in the eyes of the Black Tower folks.

However, it seemed like these words were meant to deliberately provoke Mr. Hei and his group?

Moreover, mockery was secondary.

Three melee combatants had exhausted their methods just now and hadn't inflicted any effective damage on the gilt giant.

Su Lun also felt that the current battle situation seemed very unfavorable for them.

The gap in level made the refinement of dark spiritual power and elements fundamentally different.

"A wooden knife" can carve into "stone," which already marks a remarkable swordsmanship skill.

But the gaps in density and material are irremediable!

The black scythe could likely ignore the armored defense and deliver a killing blow, but Su Lun felt that he had no chance of hitting his target.

The reaction speed of a fifth-order strongman, any stealth attack was utterly uncertain.

Su Lun felt that any attempt to swing his scythe would surely be noticed and evaded.

By then, keeping the black scythe as a hidden trump card would become utterly meaningless.

Fortunately, upon looking, Mr. Hei was as calm as ever.

Su Lun thus patiently continued to wait for an opportunity to take action.

....

The gilt giant had not died, and Mr. Hei seemed not at all surprised, since he had been constantly preparing some spell since earlier.

He seemed to have also seen through the "sharp metal air" on the gilt giant's surface and even took the time while making his seals to remind his companions, "This guy is practicing the fifth-order Flesh Alchemy — 'Vajra.' Don't attack recklessly, physical damage will be reflected back in equal measure. This technique cannot cover the whole body during movement, the bigger the movement, the bigger the flaw. Wait for the opportunity, find the flaw!"

Upon hearing this, his companions instantly understood and quickly drew back.

Hearing his technique's "weak point" revealed, the Armored Strongman's brow furrowed.

The solemnity that had just dissipated from his face reappeared, the other four posed no threat. But observing this cloaked figure, he instinctively felt a deep apprehension, as if all his secrets were being spied upon.

His earlier use of "Elemental Steal" had already put him at a slight disadvantage, and now this man had discerned the foundation of his fifth-order technique at a glance.

How did he manage this?

He must kill him first!

The gilt giant's thoughts surged, and with a fierce stomp, his body transformed into a streak of golden light rushing forward.

"Bang!"

A loud boom occurred as the golden light collided directly with Mr. Hei.

However, it was not the real person he collided with, but a withered tree used as a dummy stake.

The true body of Mr. Hei had already quietly teleported a hundred meters away.

"Puppet tricks! Mr. Hei sure knows a lot of miscellaneous stuff..."

Su Lun watched the scene before him, a Puppet Master himself, naturally familiar with this technique.

The key was, he was proficient in so many diverse areas...

This was truly enviable.

.....

The gilt giant was unbothered by the unsuccessful strike.

The sealed space indeed restricted his movements, but it also restricted everyone within the space!

Having just smashed that stake, he abruptly stopped and changed direction, barrelling toward another figure that had appeared to the left.

Knowing the enemy's technique specifics, the several fighters also refrained from launching hasty attacks, simply observing the Armored Strongman charging back and forth across the space.

"Bang!"

The second stake was shattered.

"Bang!"

The third stake was shattered.

Each interval was shorter than the last, making it seem that Mr. Hei was increasingly struggling to dodge.

It appeared the next punch might be fatal.

But crucially, it did not result in death.

As if all calculations were just perfect.

It prompted the golden giant to charge relentlessly again and again...

....

"What kind of spell has Mr. Hei triggered that it's taking so long..."

Su Lun, looking at the battle before him and seeing that Qian Tiao San Ren had no intention of helping as they were gathering strength, guessed that Mr. Hei was probably conjuring some extremely powerful spell.

The golden giant had guessed as much too, and its attacks became increasingly fierce.

Unfortunately,

It failed to kill Mr. Hei in several encounters,

and it was already too late!

Mr. Hei's spell had already been fully cast.

Once the sorcerer's seals stopped, a strange phenomenon suddenly arose in this sealed space.

Looking up again, the previously sparkling new stars on the library's celestial floor suddenly shone brightly, eerily transforming into eyes. Countless indifferent gazes descended from above, watching everyone in the space like the scrutiny of a deity, making one's skin crawl.

On another look, the cloaked Mr. Hei's aura suddenly became elusive. This gave Su Lun a very strange feeling, as if all the countless hollow eyes in the sky were Mr. Hei's eyes.

At this moment, no secret could be hidden.

"Has Mr. Hei's 'Mind Reading Technique' been activated?"

Su Lun guessed what it was, but since the spell wasn't targeting him, he didn't feel much.

The golden giant, however, discovered something and its expression drastically changed.

It charged again, but its punch didn't hit a wooden post but was easily dodged by Mr. Hei.

Another punch, dodged again...

Yet another punch...

Yet another punch...

None of the punches hit!

Once the spell succeeded, the situation turned.

Mr. Hei seemingly foresaw every move of his, dancing around gracefully, always precisely evading.

He was like a matador, who, far less strong than the bull, easily avoided the deadly horns.

The golden giant frantically swung his punches like a mad demon, the wind from his fists stirring sand and stones, yet he could not touch Mr. Hei at all.

Su Lun watching this miraculous scene, was so shocked he couldn't speak: "Is this... still a C-level talent?"

He could see clearly that Mr. Hei had turned a normally considered impractical ability, the Mind Reading Technique, into something formidable.

This simple mind reading was making a rank five warrior run around in circles.

Even though that guy was highly skilled, every punch landed on nothing, unable to even brush Mr. Hei's clothes.

This was no longer prediction, but a complete awareness of what the opponent would do next.

Every move was prevented at its inception.

From the moment the opponent formed a thought, a countermeasure was already in place.

This terrifying level of mind reading was unstoppable.

Even if the enemy reacted quickly, realizing the need to change tactics, as soon as a thought arose, Mr. Hei read it through his "mind reading."

Change or not, both were unsuccessful.

Mr. Hei had predicted every move of the enemy,

and that overwhelming fear of being completely controlled gradually engulfed the golden giant's heart.

....

Su Lun also noticed that Mr. Hei seemed to excel in controlling abilities, his attacking means were clearly his weakness.

While he could evade the attacks of a rank five close-combatant, he struggled to harm him.

However, Mr. Hei was not alone!

At that moment, the pair of eyes in the sky seemed to see through something, and Mr. Hei sharply shouted, "His vulnerability is in the back of his left thigh!"

Before his words fell, the already charged Qian Tiao San Ren immediately seized the opportunity and charged forward.

With the three of them cooperating, the golden giant avoided two, but was stabbed in the back of the left thigh by the lightning assassin.

"Swoosh!"

This time, the poison-tipped dagger slipped in much easier, piercing through and leaving a bloody hole.

Whereas the rest of this guy's muscles were as if forged from pure gold, the skin on this back leg was merely a layer of hardened shell; the knife puncturing it caused blood to spurt out.

"Defense broken!"

From a distance, Su Lun saw this scene and couldn't help feeling delighted.

Seeing blood meant that this guy's defense wasn't as invincible as it appeared.

Breaking the defense meant... he could be killed!

It was as if a feather had been added to a balanced scale, tipping the situation.

For the first time truly injured, a look of panic finally appeared on the face of the golden-painted giant.

The feeling of being calculated at every step rendered him unable to utilize his abilities, like a mouse gnawing at the soft flesh inside his mouth, perfectly capable of killing this tiny creature easily yet completely helpless against it.

He hastily gathered elements to cover his wound. However, the deadly poison on the dagger penetrated his meridians, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.

And just then, Mr. Hei's eerie voice sounded again, "The weak spot is on the right side, ninth rib!"

Hearing this, the golden-painted giant instinctively pulled back his arm to shield his lower ribs.

Although he reacted in time and wasn't injured, being continuously exposed made him dare not attack as recklessly as before.

And with his hesitation, the three fighters found they could fight more freely.

"The weak spot is on the right arm!"

"He's about to cast the area spell 'Flowing Gold Barrage', dodge in mid-air..."

"The weak spot is in the lower abdomen!"

"This leg wind has elemental cutting, tilt up 35°..."

"This punch can hit from a distance, Nineteen, be careful!"

"That's 'Metal Storm', don't move and it won't hurt..."

"The weak spot is..."

Mr. Hei repeatedly announced the weak spots, and the golden-painted giant repeatedly felt alarm.

No matter what moves or spells he used, they were all preemptively seen through, limiting his actions at every turn.

Although the few "mice" in front of him were knocked back by punches time and again, their tactical coordination and foresight meant they couldn't be killed!

Plus, there was a cloaked figure who, despite being elusive, always seemed to have another move waiting for him.

After being wounded multiple times, the golden-painted giant began to feel ominous and even dared not take the initiative to attack, only able to defend passively.

.....

Through this "explanation" by Mr. Hei, Su Lun understood the principle of the fifth-tier spell "Vajra."

If this guy doesn't move, he's virtually an iron turtle, impregnable.

But the moment he teleports, the gold elements can't cover his entire body fast enough, exposing his weak spots.

The ensuing battle had no suspense.

Mr. Hei completely grasped the enemy's mental strategy; no matter what he intended to do, it was clearly "called out."

The trio handled it more and more easily, slashing the enemy with injuries, seeing a hopeful kill, but the golden-painted giant then began to play dirty. Knowing that he was at a disadvantage, he simply stood his ground and went all out.

This guy had incredibly strong physical and magical defenses, making it hard for spells below fifth-tier to kill him.

Since you can't kill me, I'll just stand here waiting for reinforcements, seeing who can outlast whom.

Moreover, to be safe, he even took out a cursed golden sphere, which, when squeezed, covered him in an additional layer of heavy armor.

Now, the trio really couldn't do anything to him.

No matter how much they chopped or hammered, they were only inflicting superficial injuries.

Seeing this, Su Lun finally understood the role Mr. Hei had called him for.

From the beginning, Mr. Hei had anticipated this outcome.

....

Since the golden-painted giant gave up on teleportation, Mr. Hei and the others didn't hold back; the Thunder Chain wrapped around him over and over again, various control spells layered around him.

To move meant being struck by the blade.

To stay still meant being bound tighter and tighter.

Finally, after he gave up struggling, he was firmly trapped in place.

A fixed target, foolproof operation.

Su Lun didn't hesitate, controlling a zombie to deliver a slashing strike.

"Shua~"

A gigantic head thunderously hit the ground.

Regardless of your invincible defense, if you can't surpass the laws of the Black Scythe, you'll be cut in two.

Su Lun watched the "mist" rising from the nearby corpse, his anticipation bubbling forth.