The watchtower on the walls of Black Rock City.
Army soldiers sounded the secondary battle alert, and the piercing sound of the siren echoed through the entire city like a swirling vortex, turning everyone’s nerves into a tangled mess.
The city wall, made of black carbonized crystal pinnacles, was smashed by a blood-red magic energy penetration cannon, creating a five-meter-deep hole. The explosion left a burning hole with molten edges around it. The load-bearing crystal spikes collapsed one by one with a torturing sound that was harsher than private steel pipes, and the buildings on the street in front were destroyed, with the ground’s structure creating tunnels and lifting on both sides.
"Evacuate the civilians immediately..."
The difference between the army and terrorists is that the army has a responsibility to protect the property and safety of the people in their occupied territories.
Before he finished speaking, a silver-gray berserk figure had already darted in. Find the newest release on NoveI-Fire.ɴet
His left arm was forged from fine steel of the Ancient Divine Continent, and his right hand’s claws were part of the magic-guided structure designed by the Pedan Magic Energy Industrial Committee.
Even though he was covered in silver armor, it was like paper. The activated berserk figure, striking rapidly like a scorching branding iron, burned through the armor in an instant, leaving severed limbs and flesh parts in perfect order without a drop of blood. The severed sections were entirely carbonized by high temperatures, rendering them black and blurry.
The organization of the Aran Army was strong. Despite this strange way of creating a breach in the city walls, catching them off guard, under the command of an officer, they organized a rapid response almost instantly. A team formed by gunners and heavy mechanized soldiers arrived at the scene almost immediately.
A semicircular encirclement blocked the maddened beast. Live ammunition, magic-guided rifles, and firepower saturated the area, covering the whole street in smoke and the flashing light of gunfire.
Rein, already tall at over two meters, became a glowing target in the dark due to the scorching heat emanating from him.
He attempted to charge towards the line, but the storm of bullets like a steel torrent shockingly pushed him back.
The eerie part was that every bullet hitting his body produced sparks instead of blood, as if hitting a steel plate. Hundreds of rounds should have turned him into minced meat, but he was only steaming with mist. It was not until the large-caliber magic-guided rifles penetrated his flesh that a bit of blood was seen.
Yet his body, entirely modified by magic-guided machinery, regenerated the flesh at a visible speed.
The berserk figure had forty-two different trigger forms, and the magic energy penetration cannon was just one of them.
As the intricate mechanical gears turned, the berserk figure emitted a terrifying screech from his left hand, which started to extend and transform. Six gun barrels forged from fine steel of the Ancient Divine Continent, capable of loading even high-level arcane energy, began to rotate slowly. These were crafted by the world’s top weapon master, Lockhan. The gun barrels did not fire arcane energy but used wind-element arcane elemental magic.
Rein, completely berserk, seeing everything in a daze, had arcane-augmented eyes that could see through walls to the heat signatures behind them, knowing exactly where every cover was hiding someone.
The berserk figure seemed connected to Rein’s sight, locking onto all targets. Under the powerful magic-guided direction, the gun barrels spun crazily.
Theoretically, each second could fire one hundred twenty wind blades. Fully powered up, the berserk figure created chaotic air currents when starting, and the dust was twisted into bizarre spirals.
Those on the front line without armor were shredded like tomato soup, not torn apart, but melted away.
Gunners hiding behind cover couldn’t withstand this precise targeting. A few wind blades shattered walls and hit them, but the firing rate of hundreds of rounds per second meant dozens of wind blades would hit them in an instant, turning them into red paste.
The live-ammunition firearms developed by Lagrange were terrifying, but under the magic-energy weapons developed by the top architect of the Western Continent, they were like children’s toys.
The berserk winds swept by the light targeting, killing all the unarmored gunners and leaving cracks on the armor of the heavy soldiers. Continuous hits on the same spot eventually broke through, causing blood to seep out.
The officer commanding the team had never seen such a killing machine in his life of battle—what kind of monster was this? It couldn’t possibly be created by those Resistance Army brutes; it was evidently the result of an evil transformation akin to Life Alchemy.
Unluckily, this officer was also the product of transformation, like Edmond of Wind Breath Canyon and Pyapan of the Xunyi Town interception battle. Crimson alchemy spells spread from his neck to his face.
The officer was also equipped with armor constructed with magic patterns, rendering low-level arcane wind blades ineffective. Wielding a great sword, he quickly advanced into the combat zone.
The berserk Rein, with his mind taken by frenzy potion, immediately locked onto the nearest life form, shooting madly at the officer, who deflected the shots with his great sword.
But he was already close; even at such close range, Rein was still shooting. The officer leaped like a tiger, slicing down with his sword.
Rein, devoid of combat consciousness, took the blow directly with his neck.
With a loud bang, the ground beneath Rein cracked like a spider web while the officer’s great sword was dented, forcing him back several steps.
Rein’s neck spurted blood, but the wound sealed immediately under arcane inscriptions, and the injury was filled by linear worms from summoning arcane, becoming part of his flesh.
Astonished, Huitt and his team recorded data—the success of Pedan scholars sent to Mulong was undeniable, the counter to Aran technology was overwhelmingly powerful. They were about to rise meteorically!
Back in Black Rock City.
The officer’s actions completely enraged this beast. The berserk figure’s arm returned to a claw, instinctively pouncing like a wild animal, attacking with whirling claws.
The strength was overwhelming, toppling the over three hundred-pound armored officer, biting at his helmet, clawing madly.
His right hand wasn’t very strong, but his left claw tore through iron armor. The sharp tearing sounds and sparking like a waterfall shredded the chestplate, burning the heart to black cinders.
The Aran Army wasn’t to be underestimated, and Black Rock City was their stronghold. More troops gathered, alerting the generals.
The difference between regular armies and ragtag groups was their strong organizational ability, mobilization capability, discipline, and equipment support.
The terror of the Aran Army’s invincibility was due to their tremendous national power, advanced arms they led, and powerful generals.
The magic-guided cannon was ill-suited for street battles, and this creature was seen by the generals as a suicide-mission mechanical puppet, without intelligence.
Technically, it could only come from Pedan and Lostra, the only two countries capable of competing with Aran in emerging technologies.
Fighting Mulong’s barbarians was too easy for the Aran Army, who mostly focused on weeding out weak soldiers from their ranks.
Now, the situation called for real countermeasures.
The third generation of mechanical puppets had already been developed.
Last year’s second-generation puppets didn’t meet expectations on the train, dealt with by East Sea bumpkins, leading to accountability for the court mages and alchemists, who then urgently developed the third generation of military-standard puppets.
This iteration was like moving from integrated to dedicated graphics, with vastly improved speed, strength, and mobility.
Stored in a warehouse since arriving at Mulong, they finally had a purpose.
Under the Major General’s orders, five mechanical puppets were deployed to deal with the monster. Playing with this mindless killing machine was pointless; they could exhaust it with their numbers but found it unnecessary.
Rein, thoroughly berserk, had only two directives: prioritize killing the nearest and the strongest energy signature.
Without hesitation, he charged at a Major General, claws gouging the ground, and his silver-gray fur fluttering, matching the fluffy werewolf on the Beima East Coast’s warrant exactly.