Age of Adepts

There was no denying that the magical golem dragon would undoubtedly become the ruler of the battlefield when it appeared!

By the time the man with the magical sword arrived at the entrance to the Capital of Steel–uncontested and untouched–there was only a path of endless metal parts behind him. It was like the remains of a city in an apocalypse.

The two giant magic energy cannons had also gone silent. They had been sliced up into countless pieces by the magical sword.

However, before their destruction, the ferocious barrage of the cannons had inflicted devastating losses to the Darkblood Army. Initial estimates suggested that over one thousand three hundred Darkblood adepts were dead. Following after Adept Wenno, another Third Grade adept had failed to dodge in time and became a sacrifice to the giant magic energy cannon’s final hurrah.

At this point, the losses suffered by the Istanal Clan was already painful to see, even for an observer!

Even so, all their sacrifice had allowed them to sweep away most of the defenses on the surface of the Capital of Steel.

At this point, the entrance to the Capital of Steel was only defended by a hundred elite magical machines. The guards’ five leaders were Third Grade, while the remainder of the machines were Second Grade.

With such a loyal and fearless squad of magical machines, an ordinary invader would have had an incredibly difficult time penetrating the Capital of Steel. However, when the enemy of this squadron was a terrifying Fourth Grade, no one believed that they could firmly defend their post.

That was the truth, indeed!

The magic energy barrier put up by five Third Grade magical machines and ninety-eight Second Grade magical machines exploded after the Fourth Grade adept’s third attack. Two of the five Third Grade magical machines also started smoking and crackling with electricity after that attack. Meanwhile, their ferocious retaliation could only leave tiny scorch marks on the adept.

As the man with the magical sword strode forward, these burns healed and vanished at a visible rate The Physique of a Fourth Grade body-refining adept was often far superior to most magical creatures of the same grade. There was very little magical equipment below Fourth Grade that could leave any lasting damage.

However, just as the Fourth Grade adept prepared to slice all the magical machines into pieces, the metal plaza before him trembled. All the earth and even the two-meter-thick metal plates on the surface started to tremor like waves at sea.

The earth shattered into pieces as the metal floor was blasted into the air. Several terrifying flashes of light sliced the ground into pieces and sent them flying in every direction.

A never-before-seen monster of gigantic proportions was climbing its way out of the hole it had dug.

Everyone was shocked at the monster’s strange design and unorthodox appearance while the monster was still emerging. However, when it finally climbed out of the hole and set foot on the plaza with thundering steps, everybody could not help but gulp. They finally experienced the visual impact of a colossal creature looming over an ordinary human.

Its metal legs, thick as pillars of stone; its body as large as a hill; that vicious metallic dragon head and those sharp, gleaming teeth. Shock and fear trembled in the hearts of every human that witnessed the majestic figure of the golem dragon.

A monster like that should not appear in a skirmish between adepts. The bloody and cruel planar battlefields were the only place where it could properly shine!

Even though the Fourth Grade adept had already expected the Crimson Clan to teleport this magical golem dragon to the outpost at the critical juncture of the battle, he still couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of the dragon.

The pressure it gave off was simply too immense!

Anyone who had never faced off against the magical golem directly would never be able to feel the anxiety and pressure that came from staring at such a monstrous creature.

The Fourth Grade adept with the magical sword was the perfect example. He was quite confident in beating the golem dragon with his powerful attacks, especially considering the dragon’s lack of Agility. However, even he had to be wholly cautious and focused when facing off against the golem dragon, which was slowly walking towards him now.

It couldn’t be helped. The golem dragon was utterly superior to him in Strength and Physique, simply due to its overwhelming size. His only chance at victory was avoiding the dragon’s ferocious attacks and striking at its weaknesses.

During this time, he could not be grazed even slightly by the golem dragon’s thick metal legs or its sharp teeth and claws. The two giant magic energy cannons turning on its back were also a massive threat to him.

The pressure that the Fourth Grade adept had to endure in the process of penetrating the golem dragon’s defenses and breaking the two giant cannons was mountainous.

Aooooo!

The golem dragon intimidated every single fighter the moment it appeared!

It reared its head and let out a deafening roar as it clanged and marched towards the Fourth Grade adept. As it charged ahead, countless holes appeared on the side of its body. A barrage of energy beams and fireballs shot forth from within.

These attacks were not used to deal with the man in the magical sword. Instead, they were aimed at the other Darkblood adepts who were too close to the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the two giant magic energy cannons on the golem dragon’s back were trained on the Fourth Grade adept. The roaring sound of gathering energy trembled through the air.

Boom! Boom!

Two muffled explosions rang out, and two violent energy fireballs shot forth, as fast as lightning, crashing at the location of the Fourth Grade adept.

Wild, concentrated magical energy exploded immediately!

The metal floor where the explosion occurred rapidly turned fragile and thin under the effects of the light and heat. It shattered like paper and twisted into an unusual shape. Finally, the metal floor broke into many tiny pieces and was blown away in every direction as lethal shrapnel by the energy shockwave.

Even the two-meter-thick alloy plate had been utterly devastated. The magical machines and Darkblood adepts around the explosion were reduced to ash by the shockwave in less than three seconds and cast into an unknown corner of the universe as if they were made of paper.

The shockwaves from a battle between Fourth Grade powerhouses were not something that low-grade beings like them could survive!

The magical machines and Darkblood adepts who had been entangled together in mortal combat now started fleeing into the distance, like ants that had suddenly awoken to their survival instincts.

The last magic energy cannon that was left hanging from a barely standing metal tower was the only thing dutifully firing away at its enemies. It spread fire and caused even more disorder on the already chaotic battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, the metal plaza was empty. The crowd and the fighting had vanished entirely. Only the giant golem dragon and the Fourth Grade adept were left locked in ferocious combat on that ten thousand square meters of metal plaza.

Naturally, the golem dragon was superior in terms of Physique and Strength. However, the Fourth Grade adept had the advantage in speed and Agility. Even though the body-refining adept did not excel at Agility, his speed was still shocking compared to a colossal creature like the golem dragon.

The man held his magical sword in hand, quickly weaving between the legs of the golem dragon and enduring the barrage of energy beams. Whenever he found an opportunity, he swept with his sword and left a horrifying, half-meter gash on the golem dragon’s leg.

In the battle earlier, a single swing of the adept’s sword was enough to topple a metal tower. Yet, even though the legs of the golem dragon were barely as thick as the towers, he could not cut them down with a single strike. The main difference here was the presence of intense magic energy.

The metal towers were only metal towers. As thick as their walls were, they could not survive a powerful strike from a Fourth Grade magical sword. Even though the golem dragon was made of the same material, powerful magic energy filled its entire body.

The magical sword might able to slice apart magical alloy, but in the process of cutting, its power was unavoidably greatly weakened by the magic energy. That was what made every swing of his sword so difficult and tiring!

The golem dragon was no longer as clumsy and dull as it had been in the past, now that it was under Gazlowe’s command. Even though its movements were still slow, it was always able to attack the adept or defend against his attacks in a timely fashion.

The Fourth Grade adept would have to strike the golem dragon’s leg in the same place seven times to have a chance at severing it. However, with all the sweeping strikes, lunges, and energy beams fired from its cannons, it was nearly impossible to accomplish such a feat.

At the very least, the adept would not be able to cut off a limb without paying a heavy price in the process!

This Fourth Grade battle had undoubtedly attracted the attention of even more people.

Apart from Sixth Grade Great Adept Ulnak, who was watching everything through the Head of Investigation’s magic mirror from the comfort of his tower in camp, many high-grade adepts of Exodar Camp had also hurried over upon catching wind of the battle. Like the patrol adepts, they hid in the distance and watched this fascinating fight between high-grade beings from afar.

It was important to note that battles between high-grade adepts rarely occurred unless there was some incredible grudge between two individuals. However, whenever a fight broke out between Fourth Grades, it would not stop until one of them was lying dead on the ground!

That was why high-grade fights like these were rare opportunities for them to collect information on other people!

Even though they remained hidden, the spiritual senses of the Fourth Grade adepts covered the entire battlefield. With all the commotion caused by the fighters’ movements, the adepts could estimate their power levels, even without seeing it up close and clearly.

The man with the magical sword didn’t want to be stalled by such a clumsy magical machine while being witnessed by so many adepts of the same grade.

As such, he roared loudly as golden light shone from his body. Countless hooks and spikes appeared on the hilt of his sword, digging into his flesh and drinking his blood.

After feasting on his blood, the power of the sword increased exponentially. With two swings of the sword and two blinding flashes of light, the left limbs of the golem dragon were cleanly sliced off in the middle. The golem dragon collapsed to the ground with a great rumble.

The situation on the battlefield had changed in an instant!