Now, there's only one thing left...
Every Alchemical Golem has its own unique Control Sigil. Depending on the type of golem, the number of sigils varies. For example, those mining golems produced by the Gilded Rose usually have no more than three to five Control Sigils, which only allow for basic operations like excavation and transport.
But some combat Alchemical Golems require far more complex Control Sigils—typically dozens or more. Since golems have no mind of their own, only a sufficient number of sigils can let them adapt to the ever-changing chaos of battle.
What Leon lacked now was precisely this Control Sigil.
On the surface, it seemed like an unsolvable problem.
To find the Control Sigil for an Alchemical Golem that had been dormant for over three centuries, and to do it in mere moments—this was all but impossible.
Yet Leon actually smiled...
Smiling, he pulled out that inheritance-level ring. It was obvious: in all of Northend, only the Black Tower could create an Alchemical Golem modeled after a Caucasus Battlemage.
Which meant that the skeleton lying outside the passage was, in all likelihood, the master of this Alchemical Golem.
That master had left behind two relics in total.
Thirty seconds later, the glow of the Elemental Amber faded, but the Alchemical Golem’s frame shuddered violently...
Charging complete!
"Attack!" Leon drew the now-dim Soulbound Staff and, speaking a Control Sigil in Nesserian Script, commanded the Alchemical Golem. Its previously stiff body straightened, seized the Adamantine Spear at its side, and burst from the narrow tunnel with astonishing speed.
Only now did Leon realize how this tunnel had been carved out. It was less excavation, more brute force—the Alchemical Golem, clad in heavy plate, was like an armored bulldozer. With a sweep of its three-meter Adamantine Spear, earth flew in great clods, and in moments, it had charged through a hundred meters of cramped passage.
As the Alchemical Golem burst from the tunnel, the Bone Demon strode into the cavern, its guttural roar filling the cramped space. Hollow eye sockets flickered with twin wisps of phosphorescent flame, dozens of swirling Netherfire Orbs circling its body like the ghost lights of a graveyard, sinister and cold.
The instant the Alchemical Golem appeared, the Bone Demon visibly froze...
Despite its combat strength rivaling a Mage, the Bone Demon was never known for intelligence. Its meager wit couldn’t comprehend the Alchemical Golem’s bizarre existence—neither undead nor living, yet radiating overwhelming magical energy. What kind of monster was this?
The Alchemical Golem certainly wasn’t interested in answering. With a sudden sweep of its Adamantine Spear, the Bone Demon’s massive body was sent flying. With a dull thud, it crashed into the stone wall.
But the Bone Demon, true to its reputation as the Black Wasteland Overlord, merely let out an enraged roar and staggered back to its feet. Clearly, the Alchemical Golem’s strike had thoroughly provoked it. The twin flames in its eye sockets blazed, and with a furious howl, it charged at the golem...
Another heavy, bone-rattling crash—the two non-human entities collided, one wielding an Adamantine Spear, the other commanding Netherfire Orbs. From the very start, this battle was brutal beyond compare.
Every clash between these two non-human entities sent a chill down the spine—this was a battle of pure offense, no defense. Its brutality would blanch the face of any Swordmaster. The Bone Demon would let the Adamantine Spear pierce straight through its body just to land a Netherfire Orb, while the Alchemical Golem would let those orbs explode across its own frame just to strike at the Bone Demon’s skull...
Through the swirling dust, Leon could clearly see that three rows of the Bone Demon’s ribs were shattered, leaving it hollow and menacing. The Alchemical Golem fared little better—its thick Adamantine plate was dented in several places, and near the chest, the Bone Demon’s bone spurs had pierced straight through.
Leon walked out of the long tunnel, continually uttering Control Sigils. One hand gripped the Soulbound Staff, the other clutched the Sage’s Chapter.
Only Leon himself knew that both his palms were slick with sweat.
Because I only have one chance...
If I missed this opportunity, no matter how powerful the Alchemical Golem was, I’d be trapped in the Bone Plane forever. After all, the golem’s combat strength was at best that of a Grand Mage plus a fifth-tier Swordmaster—still far from matching the Bone Demon, who could contend with a true Mage.
It might look like the Alchemical Golem was holding its own against the Bone Demon, but Leon knew that wasn’t due to the golem’s raw power—it was because he was uttering three Control Sigils per second.
It was the relentless rhythm of my Control Sigils that kept the Bone Demon at bay, not the golem’s brute strength.
But I was nearing my limit. Each Control Sigil demanded absolute focus, and the strain was beginning to take its toll.
Sweat trickled down my brow, and the Sage’s Chapter felt heavier in my grip than ever before.
If my concentration slipped for even a moment, the Bone Demon would tear the Alchemical Golem apart—and me along with it.
But I couldn’t afford to stop. Not now. Not when victory was just within reach.
The battle raged on—steel clashed against bone, magic flared and faded, the cavern echoing with the sounds of destruction.
And through it all, I kept uttering Control Sigils, forcing the Alchemical Golem to match the Bone Demon blow for blow.
I could feel the mana within the Soulbound Staff dwindling, the Elemental Amber barely glowing now.
Time was running out. If I didn’t finish this soon, all would be lost.
With a final surge of will, I unleashed the last Control Sigil. The Alchemical Golem lunged—one last desperate strike at the Bone Demon’s burning skull...