Chapter 248: Possessed by a Ghost
"What the hell is going on?" Leon's heart skipped a beat. He quickly bent down to inspect the alchemical golem that had just been destroyed by the flaming spear.
Upon closer inspection, Leon found the golem was in utter ruin. Its mana source had long since dried up, and the power system was all but destroyed. Eighty percent of its alchemical arrays were completely nonfunctional. By all logic, this golem shouldn't even be able to move—let alone launch a sneak attack...
This realization made Leon's brow furrow deeply.
What the hell is happening...
How could an alchemical golem that doesn't even qualify as scrap suddenly have the ability to ambush me? Was it... possessed by a ghost?
"Leon, watch out!" Just as Leon was lost in doubt, Salomon cried out in alarm from nearby.
A sharp, whistling sound tore through the air behind him. Leon barely had time to react—he spun and hurled a flaming spear. With a sizzle, the golem that was about to pounce was pinned to the wall by the fiery projectile.
Even after dealing with the golem that tried to ambush him, Leon's face showed no relief. Almost as soon as the flaming spear pinned the golem to the wall, faint rattling noises began to echo from every corner of the warehouse...
"Damn it..." Leon cursed under his breath.
This really was possession...
And not just one—this was mass possession!
Under the glow of the Illumination spell, it was clear: dozens of scrapped alchemical golems that had been lying in the corners of the warehouse were now staggering to their feet...
These golems were all supposed to be scrap—either their mana sources had dried up, they suffered catastrophic mechanical failures, or their alchemical arrays were destroyed. Normally, they couldn't even run, let alone act. But now, it was as if they'd all been possessed at once: the glow of recharged arrays, the hum of power systems coming online—it was just like fully functional golems...
"This is some real ghostly shit..." At this point, Leon couldn't afford to hesitate. He instantly activated his Elemental Avatar, turning his whole body into a blazing inferno and charging straight at the nearest golems.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Leon unleashed three Fireballs in rapid succession. The nearest golem didn't even have time to react before it was torn apart by the explosions.
Honestly, this wasn't the most efficient way...
Any mage with even a basic understanding of alchemical golems knows the most efficient way to deal with them is to target the mana source. Just like the flaming spear Leon used earlier—with a single precise strike, the mana source is destroyed, and even the strongest golem becomes nothing but scrap metal...
But Leon knew these golems couldn't be judged by common sense. They could move even with ruined power systems, cast spells with broken arrays—so whether they had a mana source or not probably made no difference at all...
The only way to deal with these possessed golems was to destroy them completely...
After destroying the first golem with three Fireballs, Leon didn't pause for a moment. Like a burning meteor, he plunged into the densest cluster of golems, and then unleashed a spellcasting style completely different from his usual approach.
In the past, Leon always prioritized efficiency in spellcasting. If one Wind Blade could slit an enemy's throat, he'd never waste a second blade just to add another wound.
But now, Leon had abandoned his efficient spellcasting style altogether. Every spell was cast for maximum impact, as if he wanted a single Fireball to blast through the entire stone tower.
This pursuit of maximum explosive power put a heavy strain on him. Even with his Mana Harness, Leon had to push himself nearly to the limit, keeping the apparatus running at full speed to unleash every spell at its greatest potency.
Fortunately, Leon had Salomon by his side.
Salomon might not be able to guarantee maximum power with every spell like Leon, but as a ninth-rank Magus, he could wield spells up to the sixth tier. While not world-shattering, their power was certainly impressive.
Combined with Leon's masterful use of Elemental Avatar, he could hold off dozens of golems at once. This allowed Salomon to cast spells comfortably, like a mobile artillery platform, calmly unleashing one spell after another on the alchemical golems.
The battle lasted a full ten minutes...
After ten minutes, Salomon unleashed a Dragonfire Shockwave, destroying the last two golems. By now, there wasn't a single intact golem left in the warehouse—just broken parts and wreckage everywhere. In the end, dozens of golems had been reduced to thousands of fragments under the combined assault.
"I'm exhausted..." After confirming the last golem was destroyed, Salomon collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Leon, however, showed no intention of resting.
After covering Salomon during the final Dragonfire Shockwave, Leon released several Wizard's Eyes, searching the abandoned warehouse for something...
"Leon, what are you looking for now?"
"I'm looking for the mastermind..." Leon replied without turning his head.
"Mastermind? What mastermind..."
"Don't you think these golems are strange? They were all broken beyond repair, but suddenly they sprang to life, and their combat power was even stronger than the average intact golem..." Leon explained to Salomon while carefully controlling his Wizard's Eyes.
"Huh?"
As Leon was explaining to Salomon, he suddenly realized he'd lost contact with one of his Wizard's Eyes...
"What's going on?" Leon wondered, sending out another Wizard's Eye. This time, to help it survive longer, he deliberately added a thin layer of mana shield to it.
Maybe the mana shield really made a difference, because this Wizard's Eye clearly traveled farther than the previous one.
Then Leon suddenly froze...
Because Leon had just found a golem in a corner that was still mostly intact.
Of course, "intact" here only meant it was less damaged than the others.
To be precise, it simply hadn't been torn to pieces yet.
At this moment, the "intact" golem lay quietly in the corner of the warehouse. Leon approached with some suspicion, but after just a glance, his face turned deathly pale.
No, it wasn't that the golem itself was terrifying...
In fact, there was nothing special about it. It was also scrapped, its mana source destroyed, and the power system completely removed. The frame seemed to be made of Magisteel, but perhaps from being abandoned so long, the color was darker than usual.
The difference was, most golems were scrapped due to production issues, but this one had clearly been through a fierce battle. Its Magisteel frame was covered in scars, and its mana source had melted into a lump. Just one look, and Leon could imagine how brutal that fight must have been.
Originally, this golem was inscribed with seven alchemical arrays, but now, all have been destroyed by terrifying magical power. Only one array remains, and even that is mostly ruined—less than a third of its runes are still visible.
But even with less than a third of the array remaining, Leon's face turned pale instantly...
Because Leon realized he couldn't understand this alchemical array at all!
What did that mean...?
Leon might only be a top-tier craftsman in alchemical arrays, but in terms of experience and insight, even creators like Osul and Nolan couldn't compare to him.
Leon came from thirty thousand years in the future, where alchemy had developed to unimaginable heights—even miracles like the Shelter Tower had been created. Though Leon wasn't the top expert, his knowledge and experience far surpassed any alchemist of the present era.
But now, Leon found himself unable to comprehend this alchemical array!
Even more terrifying, although the array had ceased functioning, Leon could still sense an unparalleled power brewing within it—a power so overwhelming he felt utterly helpless.
It was a feeling Leon had never experienced before...
Not even in the depths of Four Seasons Gorge, facing a True Spirit Alchemical Array, had Leon felt this way.
Sky Rank... Leon stood pale-faced for several minutes before finally exhaling slowly. "A Sky Rank Alchemical Golem..."
Unfortunately, this Sky Rank Alchemical Golem was already ruined. All that remained was a broken Sky Rank alchemical array and a severely damaged mana system. Even if it could be fully repaired, its power would only rival the Crystal Balance.
Wait, alchemical golem? As Leon was lamenting, a thought flashed through his mind—alchemical golem, Igor the Azure Sage's alchemical golem?