Age of Adepts

The Andorra Clan.

They were a medium-sized clan with a bit of renown–even within Zhentarim–mostly known for their bloodline adepts. Their main bloodline was that of a powerful otherworldly creature known as Bloodmouth.

When they slowly advanced toward the tower among the ranks of the noble’s army, the massive doors of the tower abruptly opened. A large group of metallic machines swarmed out the doors with several odd individuals mixed amongst the machines.

It was Mary and her vampire subordinates!

The leaders that the Andorra Clan had sent were both Second Grades.

Gerndt. A Second Grade bloodline adept.

Gullit. A Second Grade body-refining adept.

There were as many as twenty-one First Grade adepts as well.

When they saw Mary and her vampires enter the fray, the Andorra adepts couldn’t help but become more cautious as they silently waited for the battle between adepts to break out.

The first to start the battle was naturally the outside forces of both parties.

Sixty-three magical machines against the two-thousand strong noble’s army under the Andorra Clan. Both sides engaged in a battle of life and death at the outbreak of contact.

One had to admit that the Andorra Clan’s noble’s army was elite and powerful. Their confidence and courage had not been shattered by the impenetrable wall of magical machines and the storm of metal beating against their bodies. In fact, they had reached their peak amidst their screams and battlecries.

The first groups to clash with each other were naturally the spider-shaped golems and the heavy infantry.

The seven robotic golems were like metal monsters that only knew slaughter. They charged into the tight formation of the nobles as the wild whirring of metal chainsaws rang out.

Two giant claw-shaped chainsaws turned along with the bodies of the golems, drawing crimson arcs through the tough shields and flesh. The heavy infantry surrounding these metal monsters were shocked to find thin, neat cuts appear on their thick steel armors.

A short moment later, red blood seeped out from the cuts before breaking into an unstoppable fountain.

Hualala! A dozen shield warriors instantly crumbled into minced meat beneath the wild, charged, and sweeping strikes of the golems. The steel armor on their bodies had already been twisted beyond recognition by the fearsome force of the monsters.

Their retaliation, be it from sharp swords or heavy battleaxes, could only cause sparks and uneven scratches when they clashed against the shiny, smooth body of the robotic golems. These scratches were dense and looked severe, but they could not stop the machines from continuing their slaughter.

Slashing and piercing attacks were the type of assaults that these all-metal golems were least afraid of!

A low horn rang out from behind the ranks of the noble’s army.

The shield warriors surrounding the robotic golems tightened the formation with all they had, trying their best to limit the movement space available to the golems with their hardy wooden shields and tough metal armor. Some strong men equipped with clubs and flails rushed forward and used all their strength to smash the golems’ metal bodies.

The elegant mechanical constructs could not endure such powerful strikes and impacts!

After a few rounds of rushing and smashing, several of the golems started to let out odd, ear-piercing sounds of grinding metal. A short moment later, thick black smoke came out of various parts of their structures as they finally collapsed amidst the clanging sounds of hammering blunt weapons.

The process of destroying one robotic golem often demanded a bloody price of two hundred lives on the part of the nobles.

Moreover, while the robotic golems were pushing back against the army, the Archers fired away without any intervention. The rain of metal bullets repeatedly and continuously exterminated the soldiers.

After all, the soldiers who were fully equipped in armor were a minority in the army. Most of them were still ordinary fighters in half-plate or leather armor. A force like this cold unleash decent fighting power in a battle between nobles, but they could only serve as cheap cannon fodder in a war of adepts like this one.

The fifty-six Archers maintained a relatively loose formation and took up an area in front of the tower, where they used their dense storm of metal bullets to send the army packing and scrambling in every direction. The massive metal bullets would create a hole when they hit the wooden shields and sparks when they struck the rock walls. When they hit a human body, they would penetrate the bodies of multiple warriors and leave countless howling and crying casualties on the ground.

“Do away with the tough ones in the front, then have these warriors charge at the magical machines at the back.” Adept Gerndt, who was hiding in the crowd, quickly communicated with the other Second Grade, Adept Gullit.

Gullit nodded and became the first to unleash his full force!

As a Second Grade body-refining adept, Gullit did not depend on powerful spells like the elementium adepts. Instead, he chose to strengthen himself with his Spirit and spells. He wore golden armor and drew the long and narrow blade from his back in a single motion. The adept then strode toward the closest robotic golem.

The robotic golem seemed to have recognized this threat as well, as it forced back the surrounding shield warriors with its metal chainsaws and pressed toward Gullit with its eight metal limbs.

Both parties quickly approached each other.

When there were only five meters between the two of them, the robotic golem raised its head, and a half-meter-thick fire pillar shot out of its large metal mouth. The blast of fire devoured the body of the adept.

Mary, who had been sneaking toward the frontline, stopped moving and hid under the shadow of another robotic golem. She silently started to observe this impromptu battle that had broken out between man and machine.

A large number of alchemical substances had been mixed into the flames of the golems. Their highest temperatures could reach a shocking one thousand and seven hundred degrees. Moreover, the fire had an extremely adhesive trait. Unfortunately, attacks like these were still far too weak for a Second Grade adept!

A low shout rang out from the sea of fire. Gullit’s skinny yet trained body broke through the raging flames and appeared near the golem. His body rose with a blinding blade radiance before the golem’s chainsaws could reach him.

The next second, the golems two claws and head silently slid down toward the ground before everyone’s eyes. The surface of the cut was smooth as a mirror– testament to the sharpness of Gullit’s magical weapon.

The golem had lost all its battlefield sensing and remote control abilities without its head. And without its metal chainsaws, it had lost its primary offensive ability. Only a massive metal shell was left, leaving it to wave its eight sharp limbs and charge around the crowd.

The warriors that had just retreated surged forward once again. They used their wooden shields to defend against the piercing strikes from the golem as they desperately smashed its metal body with heavy hammers and flails. The golem’s body finally let out squeaking and grinding sounds under the constant hammering. It slowly collapsed to the ground from the attacks of the soldiers.

However, before it died, the golem’s sharp limbs pierced through the bodies of three human warriors, skewering them like kebabs. Finally, it fell silent.

As a Second Grade body-refining adept, Gullit had already tempered his body into a special weapon. The toughness of his muscles and bones could compare to beginner Second Grade protective magical equipment. Every one of his fists would land firmly in battle, and every slash would see blood. In a matter of moments, he had executed three of the robotic golems.

Only two machines were left standing between the Archers and the soldiers. The balance of the battlefield had quietly tipped toward the invaders.

The other Second Grade, Adept Gerndt, also started roaring. His formerly skinny body abruptly started expanding and distorting.

In an instant, Gerndt’s body was covered in a layer of strange black scales. His own body had transformed into a big-headed carp with sharp and wicked teeth. His arms turned into two powerful fins, supporting his fat body on both sides and providing it with the ability to move. His two legs merged to form a fat tail also covered in black fish scales.

It was a strange magical creature known as a Bloodmouth. It had robust mobility both on land and in water. However, its primary weapon was still its terrifyingly large mouth that could open to a nightmarish extent. Inside the mouth were sharp and fearsome serrated teeth.

Being torn by the jaws of such a monster could instantly break anyone’s bones. Moreover, its horrifying maw was directly connected to its bottomless stomach. Any living beings swallowed by this creature would have to endure the damage from its stomach acid as well.

A horrifying magical creature like the Bloodmouth could even devour and digest the robotic golems, who were almost several times its size. The horror of its stomach was no more evident than here!

FIre Throne might still have some magical machine reserves, but they couldn’t possibly let the two Second Grade adepts have free reign over the battlefield.

Mary shouted, “You two handle that body-refining adept. Leave this ugly fish to me!”

After some quick and simple instructions, Mary turned into a crimson flash of lightning and rapidly approached Adept Gerndt. The two blood knights behind her, Soros and Windsor, changed directions and hurried toward the rampaging Second Grade Body-Refining Adept Gullit.

Gerndt had just torn a golem to pieces. The metal chainsaw that the machine so desperately fought back with only sent sparks flying against his fine fish scales, but they couldn’t harm him whatsoever.

The bloodmouth opened his mouth and bit through the golem’s thick metal limb. He then held the arm in his mouth and started crunching and swallowing as if it was a stalk of sugarcane.

The bloodmouth stared with his bloated dusk-yellow eyes when he saw Mary approach. He opened his mouth to reveal a chilling smile.