Mechanical Alchemist

Oliver and Clark's families both brought their elite members; plus, with their equipment advantage, they quickly slaughtered all the NPC prison guards on the first floor, leaving them toppled chaotically.

Once the main force had gathered, they began to search for a method to break the curse's spatial lock.

The first level of the prison had a circular layout, and the two families combined had nearly a thousand people.

Even when attempting to avoid them, it was easy to bump into them.

Su Lun originally wanted to settle his people on the next level before dealing with these fellows.

Now it seemed they were going to be intercepted ahead of schedule.

Before they saw anyone, the old butler Anthony detected some commotion; with a flash, he positioned himself in front of the others and spoke with a grave tone, "Mr. Zorro, let me hold them off, please take the young lady and leave!"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun shook his head and said, "Among them is a very formidable figure. Even you, Mr. Anthony, would not be able to defeat him."

Anthony expressed his puzzlement, "Are you speaking of 'Thunder Sword King' Nero Redgrave? If it's him, even if I can't defeat him, I'm fairly certain I could stall him for a while."

"No, he's... far more formidable than Nero."

Su Lun didn't elaborate further, instead, he revealed his plan, "The exit is where I mentioned before. When the time comes, find an opportunity to break through. There are monsters below, so don't wander off. With the 'bail letter' I gave you, you should get captured by the second floor's prison guards. Don't resist, just wait for me in the jail cell."

Upon hearing this, did Miss Lena realize that Su Lun intended to stay behind alone to cover their retreat?

She shook her head decisively and said, "Mr. Zorro, we can help you!"

This young lady had completely shed her naivety; she no longer felt entitled to let others sacrifice themselves for her.

She knew very well that at this moment, only with everyone working together was there a chance of survival.

Su Lun glanced at her and said, "You'll die if you stay here."

Lena's tone remained unwavering, "Mr. Zorro, I've long made peace with facing death..."

Before she could finish, Su Lun interrupted her, his voice suddenly becoming very low, uttering a seemingly nonsensical remark, "No, what I mean is... staying here, you might be killed by me."

With that statement, the serious atmosphere suddenly became very strange.

All three of their expressions grew stern at once.

What did that mean?

Without explaining, Su Lun simply turned to Kai and said, "Kai, remember if you see my eyes turn red later, no matter what, take everyone and leave."

He knew that only his old friend would believe him unconditionally.

As he spoke, Su Lun took off the mask on his face, revealing his handsome features.

But even then, a trace of an eerie emotional fluctuation in his eyes added an ominous charm to his appearance.

"Are you confident?"

Kai frowned upon hearing that.

After a pause, he added, "I feel there's something off about your state."

Kai hadn't noticed while Su Lun was wearing the mask, but as they walked, he realized the aura around Su Lun was very strange.

It was as though a murderous intent he couldn't suppress was indiscriminately radiating out, giving anyone close to him a subtly unsettling sensation.

"Sure."

Saying this, Su Lun's voice, unable to contain his excitement, emitted a low growl, akin to a wild beast, "Hehehe... My body has never felt so exhilarated. Just thinking about killing them all gets my blood boiling..."

It felt like a beast beneath the human skin was about to burst free.

"You..."

In that instant, Anthony clearly perceived the change in Su Lun's emotions.

Even as a third-tier magician, he felt a chill run down his spine.

With furrowed brows, he asked, "Mr. Zorro, are you sure you're alright? Your spiritual power seems very odd..."

On closer examination, he realized the peculiar energy around Su Lun was not just spiritual power; his dark Spiritual Power was overflowing so violently it seemed like a wave of energy.

This persona was entirely different from the composed and graceful "Mr. Zorro" they had previously known—it was like they were two different people!

Hearing this, Su Lun reined in his emotions, and his expression suddenly returned to normal, as genteel as before.

He said, "No, I'm quite lucid now, it's just my body that is agitated. I'm brewing a very dangerous secret technique, so it's a bit hard to control my aura right now... Sorry to have frightened you."

Upon hearing this, Kai said no more.

He trusted Su Lun.

If that guy said he was confident, then he must be confident.

Although Anthony and Lena still had their doubts, they refrained from voicing them.

That was because the members of the two major families had already begun to close in.

....

Caught in a curse space unexpectedly, Young Master Danze and Young Master Ely were utterly terrified.

They had come just to revel in the misfortune of the Reiss family's main house, hoping to profit from their troubles if possible.

Even when hunting in the wilderness, it was their subordinates who went, not them in person.

But they never could have imagined...

That things would turn out this way.

Before coming here, they had heard that this was a suspected "T-level" curse space, extremely dangerous.

Now being trapped within, how could they not be afraid?

Besides, a mere probe revealed that the NPCs on the first floor of the prison were easy enough to handle, but the second floor was far more anomalous.

None of the scouts they sent had returned!

The elite teams led by second-tier professionals hadn't even surfaced before being completely wiped out below.

It made them think that this space, if not "T-level," was at least "S+."

Even with a third-tier professional, the chances of survival were not high.

Now, observing Su Lun and his companions, they no longer acted hastily.

Witnessing the peculiar behavior of that blue-skinned monster, they could deduce even with their toes that the activation of this space was related to these people.

Moreover, unless they wanted mutual destruction, the other party likely knew the way out.

Young Master Ely, having just saved his life by spending a fortune, had not even cleared the toxins when he was swept into the space, was too frustrated to express his rage. Surrounded by a group of guards, he questioned with a cold face, "Miss Lena, was it you who brought us in here? Damn it, do you realize what you're doing!"

Miss Lena frowned upon hearing that because she herself hadn't figured out what was happening.

She glanced at "Zorro" not far from her and saw that the expressionless gentleman hadn't made a statement.

There was no need to be polite to enemies, so she kept a stern face and remained silent.

In the distance, Young Master Danze, seeing that Miss Lena remained quiet, didn't dare to provoke her further, for fear that she might be contemplating mutual destruction.

Killing these few people now would be easy, but after that, how would they get out?

All he could do was speak persuasively, "Miss Lena, I think there might be some misunderstanding here. We can talk this over; everything is negotiable."

The heavily made-up young lady by his side was already pale with fear, "Oh my God... Lena, I am your sister! I just came to look. Why did you drag me into this? Tell me how to get out of this damn curse space..."

They were playing good cop, bad cop, and pulling the sympathy card, making it a headache to listen.

Su Lun narrowed his eyes, suddenly realizing what these guys were babbling on about for so long.

Although he hadn't sensed anyone approaching, his threads had detected someone "stealthed" heading towards Miss Lena.

Probably fearing exposure, the perpetrator was not moving fast.

It looked like the plan was to first capture this young lady.

Meanwhile, those guys on the other side were still blabbering to buy time.

....

Upon spotting the enemy, Su Lun let out a cold chuckle and suddenly spoke, "Mr. Anthony, could you hold that Nero guy off for a moment later? I'm going to make a move."

"I can."

Anthony agreed, but looking at the few hundred people on the other side, he frowned, "But there are too many enemies, I can't guarantee how long I can hold them off."

"No, just hold him back. That's enough."

Su Lun's killing intent grew ever stronger, and his tone turned chilly, "The rest... I'll take care of them!"

Anthony frowned upon hearing this. Your journey continues at empire

He glanced at the throng of enemies, outnumbering them by a hundredfold, and immediately felt it was ludicrous.

In this surrounded situation, he could understand if it was a fight to the death.

But for this man to claim he was about to kill? Where was he getting his confidence from?

Recalling the madness in that face, he suddenly understood why something had felt off.

No matter how one looked at it, the Zorro before him appeared to be... a madman.

A complete madman!

A flicker of worry crossed Anthony's mind, pondering whether it was really wise to trust this man.

But before he could think further, Zorro, standing nearby, suddenly clawed at the void and murmured softly, "Caged Sparrow!"

With a sinister smile on his face, he reached out and pulled,

Suddenly,

threads of air solidified, and an invisible figure was pulled out.

It was a second-tier Assassin clad in a special alchemical cloak.

To deceive the perception of a third-tier professional, how skillful must this Assassin's stealth techniques be?

Anthony immediately guessed the identity of the newcomer, fear gripping his heart for a moment, "The 'Blade of Night', Ibn Jaliad!"

Ranked fifth among Old Lington's professional Assassins, a top-tier Assassin who had once single-handedly assassinated and seriously wounded a third-tier professional. The cloak he wore was none other than the famously sought-after assassin's gear, the "Assassin's Invisibility Cloak."

But how had "Zorro" discovered an Assassin that even he had not noticed?

At that moment, Anthony finally understood the strange energy fluctuation he had sensed before; it was this invisible hair.

But this...

Isn't this a Puppet Master's technique?

How come Zorro possesses this skill?

And... it's the highly recognizable "Witch's Hair"?!

Could it be...

A flurry of thoughts raced through Anthony's mind.

Reality gave him no time to ponder.

In the blink of an eye, surges of cold flame suddenly erupted from Zorro's body, and the dark golden octo-spear on his back was revealed.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"..."

A series of sharp sounds rang out.

The black stingers at the tips of the spider spear shot out, and the tightly ensnared Assassin had no time to react; the octo-spear pierced straight towards all the Assassin's vital points—eyes, throat, abdomen, groin...

Assassins, valuing agility, normally did not wear full-body heavy armor.

But this Ibn Jaliad, aside from armor over his vitals, had also an extra layer of a strong imitation skin. Ordinarily, even if an ambush failed against a second-tier professional, this rune-infused skin would be enough to save his life.

Besides, his skills were also top-notch!

"Such quick reflexes on this man!"

Trapped, Ibn saw the incoming spider spear and had a bad feeling.

Only a top-tier Assassin could appreciate the swift speed of the spear and knew the required skill level was frighteningly high.

But his response was also lightning-fast. Twisting his body and using the momentum, he did not wrestle with the threads. Instead, he used a bizarre, counter-joint technique to quickly dislocate several of his own joints with a "crack" and "crack."

While this would reduce Ibn's mobility, the contorted body allowed him to create some space to maneuver among the threads, avoiding most of the vital points.

Just holding on for a moment would give his allies a chance to intervene, and he would have the opportunity to free himself from the threads!

However, what Ibn Jaliad never expected was that the spider spear, even not hitting the vitals but striking on the rune skin, pierced through effortlessly with the cold flame.

It was an easy piercing that was clearly a result of overpowering magical rules.

Su Lun's comprehension of laws below the third tier had reached a level beyond the wildest dreams of ordinary second-tier professionals. The cold flame buff of the[Wu Shi]increased the power of its armor penetration to a degree that was simply undefendable for ordinary second-tier professionals!

After a few piercings, Ibn could no longer move, followed by several more to ensure the wound.

The throat was perforated, and blood spurted out violently.

The Assassin hadn't even had the chance to wait for companions to come to his aid before he was pierced by the spider spear and killed on the spot.

....

"This...!!"

Anthony, watching from the side, turned pale. He had just thought of intervening when the Assassin was already killed.

Not detecting the Assassin was one thing,

but what shocked him more were the characteristic techniques of controlling the silk threads and the octo-spear.

In all of Old Lington, only one person had these abilities.

That was... the SS-class wanted criminal, Su Lun.

This Mr. Zorro was actually Su Lun!

How is that possible?

Miss Lena's crystal eyes were filled with shock and confusion.

But at this moment, she finally realized where that familiar feeling came from.

Kai knew Su Lun was now very strong, but watching him in action, he was also greatly alarmed, "He... He has become this strong?!"

This "Blade of Night" Ibn was an infamous top-tier personality within the assassin profession.

This veteran assassin was in many ways stronger than himself, and now he was killed in a single encounter?

....

Just as Su Lun showed signs of making a move, the people opposite him didn't remain idle and launched their attacks at the same time.

The moment the spider spear pierced through the assassin, an ice arrow cunningly appeared a meter away from Su Lun.

The blue ice arrow moved at a strange speed, seemingly only leaving the bowstring, yet it reached him in the blink of an eye.

Recalling the trajectory in his mind, he realized the arrow wasn't shot at a constant speed but instead accelerated explosively in three phases, each faster than the last.

After the three explosive bursts of speed, it was already faster than a sniper bullet!

At that distance, there was absolutely no way to avoid it.

Even if Anthony had seen it, he wouldn't have had time to help!

If Su Lun hadn't killed Ibn with one strike just now, this arrow would have been enough to pose a lethal threat to him.

Even having spotted it, he would have had to turn back to dodge.

Unfortunately, the killing was too fast, and the arrow didn't pose much of a threat to Su Lun.

His eyes had already clearly tracked the trajectory of that arrow the moment it was fired.

Fast as the arrow was, it was not faster than his perception.

The explosive speed was tricky and unpredictable, but the trajectory was still a straight line!

Su Lun was also well aware that this was a technique of the mysterious society's "Ice Disaster Elder" Iori Randis.

After using the spider spear to kill the assassin, he nonchalantly tilted his head slightly and watched as the ice arrow grazed his face with a gust of cold air, muttering to himself, "Tsk tsk... the 'Frost Bow of Kaione', huh!"

The ice arrow didn't hit its target, and instead struck a wall several meters away.

In an instant, an intense chill erupted, and the surrounding temperature dropped significantly.

With a loud "bang", the terrifying cold air burst open, instantly turning the entire wall into an ice barrier, extinguishing the fire in the braziers in the hallway.

Had that arrow hit someone, they would likely have been frozen solid immediately.

...

"What kind of reaction speed is this!"

Anthony was taken aback.

While he was shocked, the old butler transformed into a magic ram and charged forward.

Now that he knew the true identity of "Zoro", he also knew that Su Lun had a Black Scythe!

With his interference, along with the Black Scythe, they might be able to kill the 'Thunder Sword King' Nero.

If they could eliminate the most troublesome third-tier professional among the enemies, the situation would instantly improve!

"That's Su Lun!"

"Damn it, watch out for his Black Scythe!"

"Beware of invisible targets! Reveal, powder!"

"...."

Recognizing the person who made the move as Su Lun, everyone from the two great families was terrified.

Especially the high-ranking professionals, all of them kept a close watch on every move Su Lun made, fearing the sudden appearance of the Black Scythe.

"Hmph! I've been waiting for you!"

Young Master Danze looked at Su Lun's revealing of himself not with alarm but with delight.

He naturally knew that he absolutely could not allow Su Lun to use the Black Scythe.

Although he was half a beat slow and missed the first round of attacks, he confidently took out a brilliantly glowing chessboard and with the pinch of a sorcerer's seal, the Hexagram Array manifested.

In an instant, a huge black and white checkered chessboard appeared out of nowhere.

A beam of light shot out, enveloping the distant Su Lun without waiting for any reaction and forcibly pulled him into the chessboard.

After killing one, Su Lun looked at the changing surroundings without any surprise.

"Tsk tsk... finally here, huh?"