Chapter 622 I'll Beat You Both Up (11k Words, Long Chapter)

[Mr. Adama! Mr. Hard!]

A mechanical voice, filled with shock and anger, rang out from the armor.

Seeing Adama, who seemed intent on continuing his pursuit and whose strength had greatly increased, the silver-cyan mechanical armor immediately activated. Grandmaster Flintlock appeared in front of the demonized giant almost instantaneously. He blocked Adama, who was trying to finish off Hard, and punched him in the chest. Originium energy patterns flashed within the armor, and the immense force knocked Adama back several steps.

But before he could use the tranquilizer needle again, a deafening roar shook the entire hall.

The knocked-back Adama had completely transformed into a humanoid lion. The bloodline of the Nemean Lion was almost fully manifested under the catalysis of the demonization disease: bronze skin and iron bones, a bloodthirsty maw, fangs and claws sharp enough to tear anything, and eerie green lion eyes that could devour the soul.

These features spread across the giant's body along with ancient and mysterious demonization patterns. Even visible Originium energy crystals began to condense on him, turning into armor and blades.

In the next instant, the humanoid lion pounced forward, the enormous air pressure shaking everything, even extinguishing the Originium energy bonfire nearby.

[Last Stand!]

Even though Grandmaster Flintlock recognized this, there was nothing he could do. The most dangerous demonized are those on the verge of death. The Originium energy erosion damaged their rationality but gave them incredible power.

Adama was burning his soul. His pounce surpassed Grandmaster Flintlock's reaction speed, crashing into the chest of the mechanical armor. The immense force cracked the demonized giant's skull but also dented the silver-cyan armor.

Immediately afterward, the laughing beast slammed out a palm strike aimed at the mechanical armor's head.

*Crack*. A crisp sound rang out, but it wasn't the sound of a skull or spine shattering. It was just a simple fracture—but the situation was just as bad. Grandmaster Flintlock's raised hand, along with the exoskeleton armor, was broken by Adama's palm strike. The entire alchemical armor flew backward like a kite with a broken string, pieces of the armor scattering everywhere.

"What?!"

The current situation not only shocked the sent-flying Grandmaster Flintlock, but also left Yelena, who had been watching coldly, utterly stunned. She watched Adama, whose strength had exploded, knock down Hard and the mechanical armor with one punch each. Then, he turned his head, his twisted face looking longingly at the iron coffin to the side. She could only think of one word: absurd.

On the continent of Aean, all known races and humans were hybrids. It was said that this was the result of indiscriminate intermarriage by the ancient civilization of the previous era. However, the corpses of the ancient people discovered in archaeological digs proved that most of their bloodlines were very pure. Even if there was occasional intermarriage, their bloodline patterns were different from those of modern Aeans. Furthermore, there would never be a hybrid of a demon beast and a human; at most, it would only be an elf, dwarf, demon, or dragon bloodline.

The Nemean Lion, as part of a god's trial before becoming a god in mythology, was a demigod-level beast. Converted to the present day, it was at least a Divine Intent-level monster. Under the catalysis of the demonization disease, Adama awakened his bloodline. Although he didn't have the power to fight against an entire city-state and its army like his ancestor, dealing with a few Lightheart Stage cultivators seemed more than enough.

Blood was flowing from Adama's body. His skull was fractured, and fragments of his internal organs were constantly spilling out of his sharp teeth.

Grandmaster Flintlock's attack was indeed extremely heavy. His fleshly body couldn't withstand it, but before death, this kind of injury couldn't reduce his combat power. It even made this instinctive beast even more insane and dangerous.

At this moment, he was still striding toward the iron coffin. Unlike Hard, who had to use a bit of Originium energy, the demonized beast opened the entire iron coffin with one palm strike. Without hesitation, he reached out to grab the silver-haired girl whose eyelashes were fluttering slightly, as if she were about to wake up.

At this time, Hard's life was unknown, and Grandmaster Flintlock was severely injured and unable to rise. The two children had run far away following Su Zhou's instructions. Moreover, it was impossible to expect them to do anything. All that was left on the field was an angry Yelena, and 'Professor Svetre,' whose strength was far inferior to the others.

There was no choice.

"Stop!"

A shout rang out, but the speed of the blade was faster than the sound. The cyan wind and waves slashed toward Adama's back like a raging torrent. Originium energy rapidly churned, causing the alchemical steel longsword to emit a massive chainsaw-like roar.

Sensing the danger to his life, Adama immediately turned his head to respond, but he was too slow. Long before he heard the word "stop," the raging gale chainsaw had already fallen, cutting through the demonized beast's arm and shoulder as easily as a hot knife through butter. The aftermath even cut through several walls of the ruins, leaving behind sword marks more than ten meters long on the ground.

Black and red blood spurted out like a fountain amidst Adama's thunderous roar. However, none of this blood landed because the surrounding raging winds had been gathered into a line, held in the knight's hand.

At this moment, Yelena's expression was cold and indifferent. She was covered in white shockwaves, and the chainsaw longsword in her hand was spinning and roaring. Behind her, a giant, soaring eagle soul image appeared. Its head and torso had the same metallic structure as Yelena's armor. A large amount of Originium energy flowed toward the eagle phantom and the female knight.

This was 'Lightheart.' The manifestation of a professional's soul combined with Originium energy in the Aean world. It was also the intermediary through which transcedent cultivators absorbed high-density Originium energy to prevent it from eroding their minds.

Displaying this stance proved that the cultivator was going all out, without any reservations.

At this moment, Adama was not yet dead, even though his entire shoulder had been severed and his chest had been torn apart by half.

A monster's vitality far exceeded that of a human. In great pain, he opened his maw, revealing his scarlet tongue and fangs, and pounced on Yelena to bite her.

"...Die!"

Exhaling a breath, the strength Yelena displayed at this moment was not comparable to that of an ordinary Lightheart Stage cultivator. The soul image of a beginner Lightheart Stage cultivator wasn't even visible in form. Such a clear manifestation proved that her true strength had touched the peak of the Lightheart Stage. As long as she could maintain this form for a long time, she could try to advance to the Divine Intent Stage.

A knight of this strength could never be just a wandering knight. In the army of the Asmodean Empire, she would have at least a field officer position, and the major aristocratic families would scramble to win her over.

As the eagle soul image behind her also raised its wings, she raised her sword and slashed horizontally. The condensed shockwave transformed into a beam of white light, cleaving open Adama's already shattered skull. Then, with unstoppable momentum, it split the poor demonized man in two.

Although there were indeed monsters that could survive being split in two, Adama was clearly not one of them. He died on the spot after being cut in half. A black Originium energy wave flowed out of his remains, eventually gradually returning to normal Originium energy under the purification of the surrounding atmosphere. His massive corpse also gradually withered, reverting to its original giant form.

Silently sheathing her sword, Yelena's expression was quite unsightly. She hadn't fully mastered high-end techniques like a solid soul image. It was just a trump card she kept hidden, and now that it was forced to be exposed, she not only lost a trump card but also made her realm somewhat unstable.

"A-amazing..."

Everything happened in just a few seconds. Hard, who had been sent flying, coughed up a mouthful of blood and pried himself off the wall. He saw Yelena kill Adama with two swords, and he couldn't help but look shocked: "As expected of the Gale of Saint Velani. I originally thought it was an exaggeration and others were just hyping you up, but now it seems... it seems that you really might advance to the Divine Intent Stage within ten years..."

"Clap clap clap!"

Su Zhou, on the other hand, was clapping. His expression was solemn and his attitude serious. He seemed to be genuinely admiring the wonderful battle just now.

"Stop talking nonsense. If you're not dead, come over and deal with the corpse. Demonization disease is contagious through Originium energy!"

Turning her head to glare at Su Zhou, Yelena was obviously very annoyed. However, she didn't get angry at the professor who was obviously watching the show. Instead, she turned her head and scolded the rather innocent Hard.

Hard, who would have usually argued back, didn't say a word. He limped toward Adama's body and raised the longsword in his hand, condensing Originium energy frost to freeze the spilled blood and corpse.

Yelena herself quickly ran to Grandmaster Flintlock, who was lying motionless to the side.

"Grandmaster, how are you?!"

At this moment, Yelena's expression was nervous and her expression sincere. There was no trace of the intention to plot against him that she had shown when talking to Su Zhou yesterday.

Soon, Grandmaster Flintlock's intermittent mechanical voice rang out from the armor: [I didn't expect... Mr. Adama's demonization awakening, the power of his bloodline, would be so terrifying... My alchemical armor is enough to withstand heavy artillery fire, but I didn't expect it wouldn't be able to withstand even a single palm strike...]

Grandmaster Flintlock's voice was gradually weakening, and his life force was also visibly decreasing. Adama's unexpected blow had passed through the armor, damaging the fragile alchemist inside.

After a few coughs, the old man's calm voice rang out: [My life is nearing its end. Aeans aren't afraid of death, but they are afraid of not being able to return home... I know that bringing a corpse back would be too demanding, so I hope Ms. Yelena can take this relic of mine back to the Order's headquarters. You can have a third of my inheritance.]

As he said this, he trembled and raised the hand that hadn't been broken, groping around the outside of the armor. Then, he handed a scarlet crystal to Yelena: [This is the activation hub of my armor. It can be considered my personal key...]

Speaking of this, Grandmaster Flintlock gasped a few more times. This old man's flame of life was already very weak. He coughed and struggled to force a wry smile: [Please.]

"I promise you."

Yelena knelt in front of the silver-cyan mechanical armor. She made the sign of the cross on her chest with her index finger, and then drew a circle with her thumb: "The Holy Sun is above, watching over our souls."

[Holy Sun... is above...]

Grandmaster Flintlock was about to die. Before his death, he reluctantly turned the lens to look at the location of the iron coffin.

[The Ancient Ones... don't get demonization disease. The Ancient Ones, who are born with souls...]

[When will Aeans be able to share... the glory of the Ancient Ones?]

The flame of life was extinguished, and he died with a sigh.

Yelena held the gemstone, her expression indescribable.

"Let's go."

Turning around and walking toward the iron coffin, she picked up the iron coffin and said in a low voice, "The exit is to the northeast. It's time to go back."

Hard had just finished dealing with Adama's corpse, and Su Zhou naturally followed.

The three of them left the water source camp with their luggage. All that remained in place were the frozen, shattered corpse fragments and the completely silent exoskeleton armor.

Before leaving, Su Zhou shook his head.

The corridor of the Primal Dawn Ruins—only Su Zhou knew this name so far—was dark. Only the self-luminous phenomenon of the Originium energy on the bodies of the cultivators could illuminate the surroundings. Yelena's was cyan, while Hard's was ice-blue. Su Zhou's had only a bit of cyan-blue and dim-silver luster. The difference in strength was obvious at a glance.

*Da, da, da*. After walking for about seven minutes, the group saw the exit that Grandmaster Flintlock had mentioned.

It was a rather narrow crack hidden in the stone structure, containing chaotic Originium energy. The aura of a natural disaster and wind flowed out from it.

Indeed, as the Grandmaster had said, only children could pass through it. However, for transcendents, they could always slowly dig out along the crack.

But at this moment, Yelena stopped.

Hard also stopped.

The two of them exchanged a look and then looked at Su Zhou, then averted their gazes.

She put down the soon-to-awaken Ancient One girl and the iron coffin in her hand, and then silently took out the ruby that Grandmaster Flintlock had given her earlier.

Immediately afterward, she crushed it.

*Buzz*. A dazzling red Originium energy light flashed and then dissipated. This was indeed the key to activate the alchemical armor, and it was also the best token of trust and entrustment from an alchemist.

But now it was crushed. Neither Hard nor Su Zhou was surprised.

"...Hmph."

After waiting another seven or eight minutes and confirming that there was no movement behind them, the female knight stared at the gemstone fragments in her hand. Her expression was cold: "Ensign Modesto, go and bring the two little ones back. Be careful not to hurt them."

Hard also gripped his longsword. He said solemnly, "Yes, Major!"

In just an instant, the auras of the two of them transformed from those of wandering knights and local bullies into those of soldiers, and their previously contradictory relationship quickly transformed into a superior-subordinate relationship.

With that, Hard turned and left.

Ten minutes later, the swordsman arrived in front of Su Zhou and Yelena, carrying Gasha and Loa, one in each hand.

It was estimated that Gasha had been struggling along the way. He was very strong, and Hard couldn't suppress him for a while, so he tied him up with ropes and gagged him—fortunately, there were no other actions besides that. Hard faithfully carried out Yelena's orders.

"Headmaster!"

Seeing Su Zhou, Loa, who was being carried in Hard's hand, showed a pitiful expression like a puppy: "We hid, but he was so strong. He found us right away..."

"Oh, well, he's a professional scout after all. It's already pretty good that you could hide for ten minutes."

Hearing Su Zhou reveal his true identity in one breath, Hard couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at him. The white-haired old man wasn't surprised by this. He just shook his head slightly: "It's good that you're back. It might be even more dangerous elsewhere later."

Hard put the two children down. Loa immediately ran behind Su Zhou with Gasha, and then untied his friend's ropes.

"Professor..." After being released, even the usually precocious Dragonkin boy couldn't help but show a nervous expression.

Like Loa, he didn't understand what was going on at all.

"Don't panic."

Su Zhou gave him a look.

At this moment, Hard was reporting to Yelena: "The ruins have been roughly explored, Major. We should immediately report the results of the ruins exploration to the General, and Professor Svetre..."

As he said this, the swordsman looked indifferently at Su Zhou on the other side. Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was already very clear.

In order to ensure that the news of the ruins didn't leak, extermination was necessary.

"The Calamity has just passed, and communication is impossible. Moreover, there have been too many accidents in this mission, and it's completely different from what the General said. The secrets hidden in these ruins should be more than just this living Ancient One girl."

Adjusting her armor and hair, Yelena took out a few bottles of potions from her bosom.

After taking them, she coughed, and then her condition quickly recovered. A cyan light flowed in her eyes: "That old man Flintlock was planning to use the alchemical key to lock onto our location before he died? We know the methods of the Lightchaser Order very well."

Turning her head, the female knight looked at Su Zhou's direction. She laughed smugly: "As for Professor Svetre... he's a smart man. He'll cooperate. The General appreciates his talent. Ensign, you should take this opportunity to build a good relationship."

"How about it? Professor, your choice is the right one, right? The Third Army of Asmodea welcomes you to join."

Watching Yelena with an expression of final victory, Su Zhou blinked, didn't say anything, but raised his hand and made a rather gentlemanly 'please' gesture.

At this, the female knight laughed twice, and then returned to her previous cold and serious appearance: "Let's go! We'll go check the core of the underground ruins again!"

Compared to when they left, the return was much faster. In less than five minutes, they arrived next to the water source camp where they had fought before.

Nothing had changed. Everything was the same as it had been twenty minutes ago, whether it was Adama's corpse, the chaotic camp, or the motionless alchemical armor.

But it didn't matter. Yelena walked forward. Without saying a word, the capable female knight raised the alchemical longsword and, amidst the children's exclamations, stabbed it toward the shattered part of Grandmaster Flintlock's armor.

This sword was simple and direct, neat and efficient. There wasn't even any killing intent. It was like a child using a branch to sweep away dust on the ground, but it was extremely fierce. Su Zhou couldn't help but praise it in his heart. Even an ordinary assassin couldn't have stabbed such a silent sword.

The armor was stabbed into the gap, piercing through flesh and blood. After confirming that the tactile sensation was correct, Yelena nodded in satisfaction. After proving that Flintlock was indeed dead, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Although things like fake death to heal are rare, they aren't nonexistent... Please forgive me. I'm just inspecting the battlefield, not insulting the corpse."

She didn't know who she was explaining to. In any case, she seemed to think that Su Zhou's previous death and resurrection was due to the effect of a fake death potion. At this, Su Zhou could only shrug: "You didn't stab me. I have no opinion."

"Haha, you're really interesting."

Laughing, Yelena originally intended to leave like this, but before leaving, her expression suddenly changed: "Right, the Lightchaser Order has so many secret medicines and alchemical potions. We can't waste them."

The knight turned back. This time, she planned to cut open Grandmaster Flintlock's armor and check if there was anything valuable on his body.

Putting aside everything else, that small bottle of soul essence that he used to catalyze Adama's demonization was worth a fortune outside. For ordinary transcendents, it could also greatly increase their strength in a short period of time, enough to save their lives.

But this time, when Yelena reached out with the longsword for the second time, a hand silently rose and grasped the blade.

In the female knight's wide eyes, the alchemical armor, which had clearly lost all sources of power and was theoretically impossible to move on its own, moved and grabbed her alchemical longsword.

--This was impossible! She had personally crushed Flintlock's armor activation key. It could still move even after that, unless... unless the person inside the armor was using his own physical strength to control the movement of the entire armor!

"But how is that possible?! Even a knight couldn't move freely wearing such thick armor!"

Grandmaster Flintlock was just an alchemist!

[The Holy Sun is above. Ms. Yelena, Mr. Hard, and Professor Svetre, why did you have to come back?]

Just as the female knight was extremely shocked, a sigh was heard. The familiar mechanical old man's voice rang out from the armor, echoing in the hall.

There were no life fluctuations, not even soul fluctuations. There was nothing in the armor. For the natives of this world, this meant that there were no living things, not even the undead, in that armor.

But it still moved, and its voice was clear, containing a true and unchanging, melancholic emotion: [This matter could have been a win-win situation. Colonel, you could have taken your mission target back to report to General Aharonov, received awards, and perhaps even advanced to the Divine Intent Stage. In the future, you would have the potential to become a female general; and Lieutenant, you could have been promoted multiple levels this time. In the future, you could have hoped to become a field officer.]

[Professor, you could have received enough rewards and continued to study your knowledge with the support of the Third Army. The children in the orphanage would have gained connections and a way out, and could join the middle ranks of the army. In this world, that's already a first-class good thing. Others can't even ask for it.]

[This way, I could also enter the depths of the ruins undisturbed and find what the Order wants... what a great win-win situation.]

*Kaka kaka*. A large amount of force was applied to the alchemical steel longsword. Even though Yelena roared angrily and tried her best to pull it out before her sword was crushed, there were still some indentations on the blade.

At this time, the silver-cyan giant armor stood up leisurely, blocking in front of everyone.

A sighing voice rang out.

[Why... do you always want to come back and die?]

Originium energy radiance flowed within it, emitting a faint silver radiance. The surrounding Originium energy was stabilized because of this. Grandmaster Flintlock once again displayed his heavy, mountain-like pressure.

"Damn it!"

Quickly retreating a few steps to avoid the alchemical armor's attack range, Yelena's expression was extremely ugly. She said with a gloomy face, "How can you still be alive?! The tactile sensation of your flesh was clearly that of a corpse. There wasn't the slightest life or soul fluctuation..."

"And what exactly is your purpose!"

[...Alive, that depends on what the definition is.]

The extremely steady, mechanical voice rang out, without the slightest hint of injury. Grandmaster Flintlock's voice was filled with emotion: [Having a soul, does that mean you're alive? That's not right. All non-transcendents don't have souls, so are they not alive?]

[Having a physical body, does that mean you're alive? That's also not right, isn't it? Transcendents can clearly exist without a physical body, it's just that it's more dangerous and needs to be pinned on an oddity.]

[From this, we can see that the physical body and the soul are not necessary conditions for being alive, and are even quite meaningless. Above this, there is a more pure essence, a more 'meaningful' thing that can represent life itself...]

As he said this, the silver-cyan armor actually began to crack inch by inch. At the dented wound caused by Adama's demonization strike, the sturdy metal plates were peeling off one by one, revealing the intricate mechanical structure inside. It was clear that these mechanical structures had stopped operating, which was why they were disintegrating.

But the surrounding Originium energy fluctuations were even greater. The silver radiance was even more dazzling than the radiance of the Primal's soul before. A huge aura came from within the armor, causing Yelena and Hard to be on full alert.

Grandmaster Flintlock seemed to be immersed in the enemy's question. He shook his head and said with a sigh: [Our Lightchaser Order believes that life is memory. Without memory, even if there is a soul and a physical body, it's just a meaningless shell; only with memory, even without a physical body and a soul, is there a unique existence.]

[It's not to say that we don't want a physical body and a soul. They're also useful tools, but only by taking memory as the core can we cross the demonization disease, the Calamity, war, the gradual weakening of the Holy Sun, and other disasters, leading humanity to the next era, chasing the light of hope before the end.]

[As for my purpose...]

At this moment, Grandmaster Flintlock's voice laughed, with sincere emotion, and nearly half of the silver-cyan armor had peeled off. One could already see the bloody corpse of a white-haired old man in the center of the armor—he had been directly hit by Adama's demonization strike. Even though the alchemical armor had shock absorption, it couldn't completely nullify the force. Flintlock's corpse was proof of this.

But that wasn't what was important.

Because, everyone could see... the mechanical skeleton beneath the flesh.

The mechanical old man's voice was coming from above the metal skeleton of the corpse, extremely calm.

[Do you all know my hometown? It's a fixed village under the rule of the eastern Dragonkin aristocrats. The aristocratic lords look down on us non-mobile city-state residents and don't consider us citizens, but the benefit is that they're too lazy to collect taxes from us. The eastern region does indeed have fewer natural disasters, and there aren't any roving bandits. My grandfather and my granduncle's family of seventeen people lived in a small village near the mountains, making a living by farming and hunting. Although it was difficult, it was considered peaceful and happy.]

[Especially one day, my elder brother discovered a mine that produced Originium cast iron of a very high purity, which is the raw material for alchemical steel. Simple mining and burning could produce iron ingots. Selling it to the surrounding mercenaries once every six months allowed our family to get a new house and allowed me to go to school to learn how to write, and even worship a wandering alchemist as my teacher.]

As he said this, the old man's voice seemed to be telling a story, and everyone present listened earnestly in a strange manner.

Su Zhou could sense the abnormal flow of Originium energy in the air. He shook his head slightly, knowing that this was the calm before the storm.

Flintlock was still narrating. His tone was surprisingly calm. The armor's disintegration had reached his head. The Grandmaster was deathly still. Even with those injuries, a Transcendent would have died. But the voice didn't stop.

As he said this, the mechanical armor turned slightly and looked at Su Zhou and the children beside him. Grandmaster Flintlock smiled apologetically, as if trying to comfort the children not to be afraid. But this laughter, and the calmly narrated content, made Gasha's body tremble and caused Loa to tightly grip Su Zhou's clothes.

[I tremblingly opened the door, only to find that my family also had Dragonkin blood in its ancestry. If my elder brother hadn't grown dragon horns after demonizing and awakening his bloodline, I really wouldn't have known this, but now he wasn't a dragon, well, in any case, it roared some messy howls, seeming to want me to leave.]

[I was so frightened that I couldn't move at the time. I didn't remember until a long time after this incident that my elder brother loved me the most. He would rather farm and mine in our hometown himself than provide for me to become an alchemist. The demon saw that I wouldn't leave, so it flapped its wings, crashed through the roof, and flew away. I was rescued by other villagers who were attracted by this phenomenon. A few days later, I learned that the demon had been eliminated by mercenaries hired by the village.]

[At that time, I suddenly understood that my elder brother had been demonized because he was mining Originium cast iron. The radiation of this Originium energy material was originally heavy. The Empire also used expendable demonized people to mine related mines. Over time, even the overseers might be demonized, let alone the miners who were constantly mining? That group of mercenaries was precisely the team that bought our family's Originium cast iron ingots. They knew this, but they didn't say anything. They not only took over the mine pit that my family was mining, but they even received a seal of nobility from the Dragonkin aristocrats by virtue of my elder brother's dragon blood demonized corpse, and became the noble guard.]

Narrating to here, Flintlock laughed self-deprecatingly: [Yeah, why would they say it? Unenlightened villagers mining Originium energy materials without any protective equipment. This kind of thing happens a hundred times a day on the Aean Continent. Moreover, if someone is demonized, they can also take on a task by the way. After taking over the mine pit, they also have a legal and stable source of funding. The villagers won't have any objections. Why would they say anything?]

[However,]

[However.]

At this moment, the original silver-cyan mechanical armor had completely peeled off. Its core components and energy had been absorbed, so it self-disintegrated. Flintlock's corpse stood like that on top of a pile of metal wreckage.

Now, even the flesh began to fall off. The mechanical structure under the old man's body became more and more obvious, more and more complete. When the flesh on the face of the corpse fell off, a pure mechanical skeleton body appeared in front of everyone like this.

That was a small mechanical humanoid made of alloy that looked indestructible; it looked like a skeleton, but its ribs were made of folding metal plates, forming a structure that looked like armor, and its legs and joints were extremely strong, with special protective armor.

Originium energy, even thicker than Yelena's, was flowing in this camp, causing the air to emit a metallic hum.

Also, an intensely bright and extremely regular soul light shone from the eye sockets of the metal skull, as if silver flames were burning.

[However, why, why is this world so hateful?]

An extremely calm voice that sounded like a roar reverberated, and the entire camp was silent.

[I don't hate anyone. For vulgar mortals, it's the norm not to help others, and ignorance itself is the greatest sin, so I have spent my life learning knowledge and helping others as much as possible. The Lightchaser Order originally wanted to posthumously confer him as a Grandmaster or even a Grand Grandmaster because my prototype invented the mechanical body and gear soul that would never be demonized, but he didn't care because our enemy is this land, is the demonization disease, the demon moon, all the disasters in this world.]

"Posthumously conferred..."

Hard exclaimed in shock, and Yelena's face also became heavy. Su Zhou, who had completely understood, sighed. He said loudly, "Your prototype re-encoded and scattered his soul data and inputted it into the alchemical machinery in your head, and then abandoned his flesh and blood, using steel bones as a support to create a brand-new artificial life with his memory and thinking mode."

"What an amazing concept. It's really amazing. I've seen people similar to you before. Although He has gone further and completely digitized his soul, but your achievements were obtained alone and surpass this era."

'Grandmaster Flintlock' asked curiously: [Oh? As expected of Professor Svetre, he is indeed knowledgeable and has actually seen people like my prototype, but you're exaggerating. My prototype is also stepping on the shoulders of giants. If it weren't for the research of previous generations on the undead and artificial intelligence, neither I nor he would have gotten this far.]

"Then is there any way to resolve this peacefully now?"

The metal skeleton lowered its head apologetically: [It was possible before, but now I'm really sorry, there isn't. Since you've returned, you can only die here.]

[I really hope this world can become better, but there are always many, many people standing in front of us. Time is limited, the Holy Sun is about to go out, and dusk is coming. We can't wait for the obstacles to disappear. I don't want to kill people, but I always have to do it.]

At the moment he spoke, he raised his hand, the five fingers made of metal contracting and gathering, and then forming a muzzle at the wrist. The vast energy that had been accumulated during the storytelling was condensed into a silver beam of light and shot out directly.

[Soul-Burning Exhaustion Cannon]

But the target of this cannon was not the strongest Yelena, nor the 'weakest' Su Zhou, but Hard, who was hiding to the side and seemed to be preparing to take out some communication device. He looked up in shock and saw a beam of light rapidly zooming in before his eyes.

He died.

The swordsman's body, whose head had been annihilated and whose body had begun to burn and carbonize, fell to the ground, and then shattered into slag. This was the power of Originium energy. He was burned to ashes the moment he was hit, without the slightest struggle.

"Monster!"

Yelena, who had been accumulating power and looking for Grandmaster Flintlock's breakthrough point, couldn't help but roar in shock after seeing the power and result of this cannon: "Why isn't there the slightest flaw? What exactly is going on?!"

She had never seen such an existence, and naturally couldn't understand that machinery couldn't have flaws under certain conditions. The female knight's previous patience and vigilance were completely in vain.

It was better to injure one finger of the enemy than to injure ten. Grandmaster Flintlock didn't underestimate Yelena. Having seen the scene of the other party cutting off Adama's demonized flesh and blood with one sword, he was fully aware that the other party's full-strength sword could also shatter his metal skeleton, but his strength was originally higher than Yelena's. As long as he eliminated the other party's helper, he could naturally gain the upper hand.

[Originium Missile Barrage]

*Kacha Kacha*, at the chest of the metal skeleton, the layers of metal plates all opened up, and all kinds of Originium energy crystals were on them. Dozens and hundreds of various Originium energy missiles came flying with effects such as corrosion, burning, paralysis, freezing, etc.

Su Zhou took a step back. He used his body to protect the two children, and his expression was calm. He just watched with relish as Yelena hastily drew her sword and swept away hundreds of Originium energy missiles with a sword of wind.

But the Originium energy missiles were endless. Grandmaster Flintlock's mechanical body was forged from his lifelong beliefs and technology. It could be described as steel tempered a thousand times. In addition to launching missiles, he also occasionally used the wrist Annihilation Cannon and the finger Originium energy beam gun to attack. The constant explosions caused the water source camp to shake violently. Countless rubble and dust flew up. If Su Zhou hadn't used his tall body to block the splashing dust and rubble, the children would have been injured.

"Professor!"

During this turmoil, Gasha, who was hugging Su Zhou's thigh, decisively gave the most reliable suggestion: "Let's run now!"

"Yes, yes!" And Loa was hugging the other thigh, he was a little dizzy from the shockwave: "Cough, Headmaster, I'm dizzy..."

"Don't even think about it!"

But before Su Zhou could answer, Yelena, who was struggling against Grandmaster Flintlock, turned her head angrily. Her eyes were burning with rage: "Svetre, join the battlefield now! Didn't you hear that he wants to kill us?!"

Grandmaster Flintlock also opened his mouth to refute: [That's not necessarily true. I can tell that Professor Svetre is a smart man, and he's willing to support an orphanage in this chaotic world, and he's kind enough. He studied in the Order, and we might be able to become like-minded people. After killing you, we'll have no reason to fight each other.]

"Heh."

But Yelena didn't care at all. She avoided a sweep from Flintlock's beam cannon, and then smiled coldly at Su Zhou: "Professor, don't think I don't know your true identity! You're the former administrator of the Leyton Library, the leader of the Frost Thugs, the mentor of the Southern Empire rebels, you bloody-handed executioner, the demon who personally killed half of the mobile city-state's people!"

"Don't think that