Chapter 242: Alchemical Golem
"Damn it, Fran, what the hell did you do!" Sylas West, a proud Title Archmage, was pinned down by a barrage of magical rays, unable to even lift his head. If word got out, he'd be a laughingstock for years.
The problem was, Sylas genuinely didn't dare look up. The dense magical rays—each only as powerful as a second- or third-tier spell—were overlapping in dozens, maybe hundreds, pushing their force close to sixth or seventh-tier magic. Even for a newly minted Title Archmage like Sylas, this kind of concentrated barrage was too much. He had no choice but to duck his head and hide deep in the thick underbrush.
At the same time, he vented all his anger at Fran.
"I... I didn't do anything!" Fran felt utterly wronged. Seriously, he hadn't done a thing—how did it end up like this?
"You..." Sylas's face was green with rage, but in such a critical moment, he couldn't argue with Fran. He could only stew in silence, shooting Fran a glare that said "I'll deal with you later..."
...Fran caught Sylas's look and knew things were bad. He quickly shrank his neck, trying to hide even deeper in the bushes...
"I've heard that Vaughn's alchemical laboratory always uses Alchemical Golems as assistants..." At this moment, Leon, also hiding in the bushes, suddenly interjected.
"Huh?" Sylas was stunned for a moment, then sucked in a sharp breath...
That's right—the rumors always said Vaughn never trusted anyone. Even in his alchemical lab, he only used Alchemical Golems as assistants...
But alchemists who truly knew Vaughn's life understood it wasn't just paranoia—Vaughn had inherited a massive legacy.
Back then, Vaughn had come from a tiny mountain village. In just ten years, he became a master; after twenty, he entered the ranks of Worldshapers and became the Empire's Chief Alchemist. Such meteoric rise was almost unheard of in alchemical history, especially since Vaughn was known to be mediocre in talent and had no background. That he reached the top was all thanks to that enormous inheritance...
An inheritance from Igor the Azure Sage...
Who was Igor the Azure Sage?
He was Emperor Charles's teacher, the 'Gravedigger' of the Silver Age, the mastermind who drove elves and dragons from their thrones, and the greatest puppet alchemist in history...
Despite all those grand titles, Igor the Azure Sage lived an exceptionally short life. He was sanctified in the Silver Age, but fell in the battle to shatter the Throne of All Things. In total, barely a hundred years—a shockingly brief existence for a Saint Alchemist.
Igor the Azure Sage had only one disciple—Emperor Charles.
What Vaughn received was only a portion of the Saint Alchemist's inheritance—reportedly, three Alchemical Golems crafted by Igor himself. Few in the late Third Dynasty ever saw them, but everyone knew those three golems represented the absolute pinnacle of puppet alchemy.
You could guess as much from Vaughn's status alone.
Vaughn never reached the Transcendent realm, yet in the late Third Dynasty, his status always surpassed even the highest Heaven-tier mages. That alone shows just how terrifying those three Alchemical Golems were...
Some even said Vaughn didn't understand puppet alchemy at all, but those three Alchemical Golems helped him build a powerful golem army.
Anyway, there were all sorts of legends...
But one thing was certain—Vaughn really did command a force of Alchemical Golems with terrifying combat power. The ones firing magical rays right now were probably part of that force...
Thinking of this, Sylas's hands gripping his staff began to sweat. Vaughn's Alchemical Golems were famous in the waning days of the Third Dynasty. This fight was going to be even harder than he'd imagined...
Sylas tightened his grip on his staff and began casting Wizard's Eye. One, two, three... dozens of Wizard's Eyes flew out, but under the crisscrossing magical rays, their survival rate was abysmal. Out of dozens, only one survived...
And even that lone survivor was shot down by a frost ray the moment it left the bushes...
Still, for Sylas, that was enough...
There were three Alchemical Golems in total, each modeled after a Shadow Wolf—blindingly fast, even faster than the real thing. Each one had at least two types of magical rays permanently enchanted into its body. Driven by a powerful alchemical array system, every attack packed the punch of at least a sixth-tier spell, and the attack frequency was far higher than any ordinary archmage.
"Six Alchemical Golems, Shadow Wolf prototypes, incredibly fast..." Sylas reported the situation to Leon and Salomon while pondering countermeasures...
This was not going to be an easy fight...
Each of these three Alchemical Golems had at least two types of magical rays enchanted within, and their alchemical array systems were incredibly powerful. The attack frequency was almost uninterrupted. Even if I used an elemental shield, I'd only last ten seconds under such an assault—after that, I'd have to face the magical rays with my bare body...
We're talking at least sixth-tier spell power here...
Aside from those Sky Rank Transcendent experts, who could withstand such power with their flesh alone?
But there's no choice but to fight...
If we keep hiding, sooner or later those three Alchemical Golems will surround us. When they open fire, forget ten seconds—even three seconds might be too much to survive...
The only option now was to strike before the three Alchemical Golems could close in, using the others' cover for a daring assault. If even one golem could be disabled, the tide would turn.
But... who would make the charge?
Cover only lasts so long. If the three Alchemical Golems regroup, one volley could mean almost certain death.
Sylas glanced at the other three...
Salomon was a ninth-level archmage, but injured and unable to fight at full strength. Fran, even less so—a fifth-level archmage, and if not for his lucky grasp of the Hand of Time, his combat power would barely match a third- or fourth-level mage...
But then there was Leon...
Sylas hesitated briefly, but ultimately shook his head...
Forget it—Leon’s combat strength far exceeded his rank, but as a ninth-level Grand Mage, he could only cast up to fourth-tier spells. That limitation kept his power in check.
After considering, Sylas realized he was the only one who could pull off the assault.
"Cover me." Sylas gritted his teeth and said to Salomon and Leon.
"Let me do it instead..." Leon shook his head, and before Sylas could protest, he cast an acceleration spell and shot out like lightning.
"Leon!" Sylas was startled and tried to stop him, but it was too late—he could only watch Leon's figure vanish.
Thankfully, Sylas recovered quickly. After a brief stunned moment, he threw up an elemental shield and started casting spells right through the barrage of magical rays.
Salomon followed suit, his rune shield just half a second slower than Sylas's, but his spell was cast even faster.
Saruman was more experienced than Sylas...
He'd been through this before, in that sub-plane...
A ninth-level archmage and a Title Archmage, both fired at once—blizzard and thunderstorm spells instantly engulfed hundreds of meters. Ice and lightning drew the attention of all three Alchemical Golems.
After all, Alchemical Golems are just golems...
Granted, alchemy gave them immense power, but they were far from truly alive. Their behavior was based on very simple logic.
No doubt—a ninth-level archmage and a Title Archmage actively casting spells were far more threatening than a ninth-level Grand Mage just moving around.
In fact, even Sylas felt the same way...
It was too late to stop Leon, so all hope rested on himself and Salomon—hopefully their barrage would disable one of the Alchemical Golems...
Sylas pushed his mana to the limit. Under his control, the thunderstorm was terrifying—clouds blanketed the sky, lightning raged everywhere. For a moment, it felt like the whole world was roaring with thunder...
So no one noticed the ghostly figure slipping behind one Alchemical Golem. No flashy spells, no dramatic moves—just a flick of the wrist, and the golem froze, then collapsed into a pile of parts with a clatter...
"Leon, be careful... careful..." Sylas had only wanted to warn Leon about friendly fire from the thunderstorm.
But in the blink of an eye, he saw something unbelievable...
So after that "be careful," Sylas was speechless.
Careful of what...?
Careful of a pile of parts?
"That was slow this time..." Salomon muttered, thinking, "Is this really a Title Archmage? He acts like he's never seen anything before..."