Chapter 1253
Even as the magical power of the Northend World began to fade, the Plane of Golems had yet to be conquered.
Yet, in that moment, so much about the Plane of Golems became clear—far more than all the previous eras combined.
Among these, there were detailed records about the Ability Runes of the Cyberton Race.
Sky Rank alchemical golems inevitably awaken intelligence, but not all of them gain special abilities upon awakening.
Only a small portion manage to awaken special Ability Runes, and among those, the vast majority possess rather basic runes.
Take, for instance, the runes that amplify the power of a particular element—ranging from a modest five percent up to twenty percent. There are also runes that boost the strength of certain spells...
These are all considered basic Ability Runes. For melee alchemical golems, there are runes that enhance a specific aspect of strength, fortify certain bodily defenses, or even increase speed in particular areas...
All of these are still relatively basic runes. But the Armor-Piercing Rune on this four-armed alchemical golem before me is a much stronger melee ability rune, and such runes are rare even in the Plane of Golems.
As for that spellcasting alchemical golem, its rune amplifies the power of all fire spells—a mid-tier Ability Rune, by most standards.
The two Sky Rank alchemical golems encountered earlier—one bore the Godspeed Rune, the other a rune that amplified spell power.
These are upper-tier Ability Runes—rare even in the Plane of Golems. Golems wielding such runes hold high status within the Cyberton Race, nearly equivalent to the lords of the Abyss's ten golden bloodlines.
Yet here in these ruins, I’ve seen several at once—every single Sky Rank alchemical golem has an Ability Rune...
That’s blatantly abnormal. One or two could be coincidence, but three or four? That’s no accident.
All these alchemical golems were artificially constructed, and in terms of innate talent, they don’t even compare to those from the Plane of Golems.
Even if these man-made golems have huge advantages—systems and components matched to near perfection—they come with a greater flaw: the craftsmanship is too heavy-handed, making advancement to Sky Rank incredibly difficult.
And even if they do reach Sky Rank and awaken intelligence, the odds of gaining a special ability are still abysmally low—far lower than those native to the Plane of Golems.
Even the native Sky Rank golems in the Plane of Golems rarely get innate runes. Yet here, every artificial golem has one. It’s just not normal.
Frankly, it's nearly impossible.
Leon was observing, but a crisis was already unfolding on the battlefield.
Raymond was drawn away by the four-armed alchemical golem. With its Armor-Piercing Rune and four razor-sharp swords, the threat to Raymond was especially dire.
Sword Saints from the Hidden Mountain Monastery always favor the technique-oriented path. Their strength is focused on bursts and offense; their defense relies on parrying, and their Battle Aura Armor is a layered, weakened shield.
But against the Armor-Piercing Rune, that layered defense loses all effectiveness. Each layer is like paper to the rune—easily torn apart, no matter how many there are. In the face of such power, their armor is even weaker than a regular Sword Saint's Battle Aura Armor.
With Raymond forced away, Marianne, Constantine, and the other six found themselves in real danger. Each of them was strong—top-tier Sword Saints, even more skilled in combat, and with Undying Aura, they could easily defeat most peak Ninth-Level Sword Saints.
Only the very strongest Sword Saints could hope to face them, and even then, they’d likely fall under the pressure of Undying Aura.
The six had clearly trained together, but no matter how well they coordinated, they were still just Sword Saints—not Legion Sword Saints forged in blood and battle. In such fierce combat, even minor gaps in teamwork became glaring flaws.
And those small flaws, when facing alchemical golems coordinated like a single combat system, would instantly be magnified into deadly weaknesses.
With over forty alchemical golems working together, there were no blind spots—at any moment, from any angle, attacks could rain down. The six, all top-tier Sword Saints, could only manage a passive defense, forming a circle just to barely hold off the assault.
Without Raymond’s protection, their situation quickly went downhill. Just then, the Sky Rank spellcasting golem raised an arm toward the group.
Raymond was frantic, but the four-armed alchemical golem kept him locked in combat. Even separated by mere dozens of meters, he couldn’t break free to rejoin the fight.
The four-armed alchemical golem swung its swords, each blade weaving and crossing as if four perfectly coordinated Sky Rank Sword Saints were attacking at once. Combined with the power of the Armor-Piercing Rune, Raymond couldn’t spare even a shred of focus.
"Archmage Leon, please lend us your aid! Whatever it is, we’ll settle it after we’ve dealt with these things!"
Raymond shouted desperately. It was obvious—Leon was deeply displeased with Constantine’s earlier impulsiveness. If not for Constantine, they might have already left this cursed place and avoided such danger entirely.
Leon said nothing, but Marianne shouted loudly in his place.
"Senior brother, we don’t need anyone’s help. I can smash these damned tin cans myself!"
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Constantine’s face was dark; he hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. Hearing Raymond’s words, he just sneered with disdain.
That Archmage Leon Merlin? Just a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage—what help could he possibly offer in this situation?
Look at him—he’s petrified, hiding off to the side like an ostrich with its head in the sand, too scared to come near. If he dared to reveal even a trace of power, those crazed alchemical golems would tear him apart in seconds...
What a joke. Even Raymond is asking that Archmage Leon for help? He’s only got a little talent for alchemy—what we need now isn’t alchemy, but real fighting power.
Even if he could dismantle those alchemical golems single-handedly, it’d depend on the circumstances. Right now, they’re like a beast covered in spikes—if he reached out, his hand would be shredded instantly.
Raymond’s face was anxious and bitter; even in battle, he couldn’t help but cast a pleading look at Leon.
"Archmage Leon, they’re just inexperienced youths—they don’t know any better. Please, don’t take it to heart. Let’s deal with these alchemical golems first, and I promise you’ll get a proper explanation!"
Raymond’s tone grew resolute at the end, as if he’d truly steeled himself.
Distracted, Raymond was struck on the arm by one of the four-armed golem’s swords. The Armor-Piercing Rune on the blade flashed, instantly tearing through his Battle Aura Armor and slashing into his flesh—blood sprayed out.
At the same moment, the Sky Rank spellcasting golem—who’d only used flame rays until now—blasted a beam of light from its right arm, striking Raymond’s Life Hymn Blade with terrifying speed.
A surge of vitality and Undying Aura erupted. Runes appeared on the surface of the Life Hymn Blade—white light and the Aura of Stillness formed a two-meter-tall shield, protecting Raymond within.
The sound of explosions rang out—three shockwaves burst from Raymond’s body, sending him flying hundreds of meters through the air, the four-armed golem close behind.
But just then, the Sky Rank spellcasting golem’s left arm—its eight cannons—began to spin rapidly, unleashing thick flame rays at Constantine and the other six.
From afar, Raymond let out a desperate roar as his vitality plummeted. More runes appeared on the Life Hymn Blade, but he couldn’t fend off the four-armed golem in time—nor cross the hundreds of meters to reach Marianne and the others before the rays struck.
Constantine and the others turned pale. Until now, the Sky Rank spellcasting golem’s attacks had all been aimed at Raymond, but they knew just how deadly those flame rays were.
It was pure fire power, compressed to a high degree and then unleashed as rays. The principle was very different from spells—more like a magic crystal cannon.
The strength of such an attack depended entirely on the compression and the power behind it. Even Raymond had to dodge those rays—if he tried to block them, his Battle Aura Armor would ripple, nearly breaking.
There was no way they could withstand that kind of power.
Now, surrounded by dozens of alchemical golems, there was nowhere to dodge. If even one person faltered, all six would die—either burned by the Sky Rank golem’s flame rays, or torn apart by the others.
Marianne bit her lip, unable to say she could handle it anymore—her eyes were filled with despair.
It was over. Marianne, the mighty Sword Saint and future Sky Rank Sword Saint, was going to die at the hands of these damned tin cans—and it wouldn’t be a pretty death.
She might be disfigured, her body burned to ash, or torn to pieces by those hateful tin cans—there might not even be a corpse left to find...
In the distance, Raymond’s eyes turned red, but he was powerless—he could only watch, helpless.
"Archmage Leon!"