Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 616 - 615: Dawn VS Magic Group
A few years ago, aside from the imperial capital Lington and a few other mega-cities, one could hardly see any industry in Lu Ying.
Like other traditional cities in Lu Ying, Clementon, despite being a major city in the south with a large population, had remained a primitive agricultural society for hundreds of years, with virtually no progress in civilization.
But after the establishment of the United Empire, things were completely different here.
At the steam train station of Clementon, Su Lun and Mr. Jing stepped off the train to a vibrant and bustling scene.
In the gigantic steel-framed station, workers with mechanical arms were busily constructing various infrastructure.
The sparsely populated southern regions of Lu Ying were a focal area for immigrants, and a large number of Mafa mechanics had poured in. The machinery had empowered labor with higher work efficiency, and the city construction changed with each passing day. A huge, new super-city had already been built, with tall buildings looming everywhere.
As soon as the two stepped out of the station, an elderly butler dressed in a black suit had been waiting for some time.
This was the butler from Sabina's estate and also a member of the Mirror Organization.
The old butler bowed respectfully, "Madam, sir, this way, please."
What slightly surprised Su Lun was that the vehicle the old butler had called for them was actually a classical carriage.
The carriage, pulled by four glossy black horses, bore golden paint patterns of eagles and lions on its hubs, the noble crest of the Rasel family.
Even though this transaction clearly seemed a trap, that old earl with the "Dark Holy Lamp" in hand had played his part well, sending a carriage to welcome the guests from the imperial city.
Getting on the carriage, an unexpected comfort.
Su Lun remembered that this was only the second time he had ridden in this antique mode of transport favored by the noble lords.
The last time was during his wedding with Yekaterina.
...
The carriage left the city and after a while, it was traveling upon a rugged wilderness trail.
The carriage's shock absorption was high-end, resulting in a smooth ride without any bumps.
Su Lun leaned against the edge of the carriage, casually observing the scenery outside the window.
Across from him, Mr. Jing, who could always read quietly no matter where she was, was flipping through an ancient book.
After about an hour's journey, they found themselves surrounded by a dense forest with a range of mountains stretching endlessly into the distance.
Before long, the view cleared, and a spectacular white stone castle appeared within sight.
This was a classic-style castle, built against a mountain, with a moat and drawbridge, and surrounded by a ring of piled stone walls, nearly devoid of any modern steam machinery.
Those old nobles just loved these ancient things to highlight their families' long history.
Su Lun looked through the carriage window at the castle and murmured, "What a beautiful castle..."
A flash of light passed through Mr. Jing's eyes, and she replied faintly, "Yes. It's a fine residence."
Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't exist after today.
The carriage crossed the drawbridge and stopped at the entrance of the castle.
The sale was arranged by Sabina, whose disguised identity was that of Countess Demacula. Her standing was comparable to that of Earl Rasel, owner of the castle; he, too, had spared no effort in demonstrating noble etiquette, arranging a group of people waiting at the entrance.
The leader was the butler of the Rasel family, a middle-aged man with goat-horn whiskers. He greeted Su Lun as they got off, "Sir, madam, please come inside. The lord has been awaiting your arrival for some time."
Su Lun exited the carriage unhurriedly and, like a gentleman, extended his hand to help Mr. Jing down.
The two followed the butler into the estate.
The estate was even more beautiful than it appeared from the outside, with gothic white towers, lovely cloisters, and vast beautiful roses and lavender permeating the air with a faint scent of flowers. The castle's setting harmoniously integrated with the mountains and forest; it was clearly designed by a master.
As they entered the estate, they saw a corpulent middle-aged man.
This fellow was Earl Rasel himself.
The portly earl greeted them with a stream of impeccable polite pleasantries before leading Su Lun and Mr. Jing around the estate to view the Rasel family's collection.
Su Lun was well aware that this fellow was simply biding time; after all, those mages needed quite a bit of time to set up the formations.
He pretended not to notice and leisurely toured the estate with Mr. Jing.
...
Meanwhile, as Su Lun and his company headed for the Stormgar region, in the study of Frederic Royal Palace in the imperial capital Lington, Yekaterina, crowned upon her head, was gazing into a crystal ball.
The scene within the crystal ball showed a forest; in the far, far distance, a white stone castle the size of a sesame seed could be seen.
She had been watching for a long time and no one knew what she was thinking. Her beautiful purple pupils were as deep as the starry sky.
There was no one else in the room.
But then, a strange voice spoke, "Your Majesty, aren't we going to send reinforcements? According to the intelligence we've gathered, the three ninth-order sages of the Divine Plane that have descended are all missing, presumably having smuggled themselves here. If we concentrate our top-tier powers, we might stand a chance, but if... if something happens to the Mirror Organization's Mr. Jing on this mission, our situation could worsen."
...
Yekaterina listened quietly, her gaze still fixed on the crystal ball without responding for a long while.
From the direction of the shadowy corner behind the curtains, the voice belonged to the head of the intelligence department, known as the "Black Clown," March Creton.
No one knew of this person's existence, nor had anyone ever seen him before.
But he was indeed a powerful professional, at the pinnacle of the eighth order.
This was one of the most important aides left to her by her former teacher, Master Pierre, when he handed over the intelligence department to her.
No one knew of these hidden forces within the intelligence department, which were sufficient to overthrow the Bonaparte royal family before.
Indeed, after the scandal of Marquis Heins defecting to the enemy broke out days ago, Yekaterina guessed everything.
The people Marquis Heins would rather commit suicide than betray are few within the empire.
But even though she'd guessed, the current situation didn't allow for reckless movements.
First, those fellows were meticulous in their actions, without solid evidence to point to, no one could touch them.
The second was the current state of the empire, which couldn't smash the original structure before other pillars of support were in place, or the consequences would be unpredictable.
It was only after Yekaterina learned of Mr. Jing's plans that she saw a major turning point.
As long as the Dawn Organization could win, her plans might also be carried out, and the last bit of hidden trouble inside the empire would be completely resolved.
But... as March Creton said, it was almost like betting the fate of the nation.
If Dawn were defeated, those top-tier mages of the enemy might even directly threaten Lington.
With a traitor working from the inside, those guys might even have plans to behead her, the emperor herself.
By then, the Alchemy Plane would not even have a last stand.
In the study, there had been no sound for a long time.
Yekaterina looked out the window, the rain in Lington always pattering.
After pondering for a moment, she spoke indifferently, "Get ready. Once the results from there come out, Lington will also undergo its last major purge."
With these words, the person lurking in the shadow of the curtains grew anxious, "Your Majesty, if you'll permit my bluntness, do you believe that Dawn is certain to win?"
Yekaterina thought that she should give everyone a bit of confidence, and spoke lightly, "Go prepare. Divination tells me that this battle will be most auspicious."
Hearing this, March Creton, "Black Clown," said no more.
Only he knew that the Empress before his eyes was unmatched in political strategy and her strength far exceeded everyone's expectations.
He responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Upon sensing the person departing, Yekaterina turned her gaze toward the Crystal Ball, slightly furrowing her brow, and her lips curled slightly.
There was still one thing she hadn't said, and that was, she knew Su Lun never engaged in matters without certainty.
...
In the forest manor of Earl Rasel.
In a classically decorated and luxurious salon, the chubby Earl Rasel was still stalling for time, "Two distinguished guests, since Countess Demacula sent the two of you here to discuss, clearly there's sincerity. It's not that I don't want to sell this 'Dark Holy Lamp'; it's just that it is a treasured heirloom of my family. Selling it is somewhat difficult for me. What I mean is... I can consider lending it to seal me if you require it..."
Opposite him, Su Lun and Mr. Jing were leisurely sipping tea, watching the man's desperate performance.
The man had already delayed them for half an hour, but the two were not in a hurry.
At that moment, the black raven on his shoulder suddenly cawed.
Su Lun then looked out the window, his eyes shimmering, as he saw the surge of magic power and put down his teacup.
Mr. Jing also appeared very calm, asking, "What do you see?"
At this question, Earl Rasel's face across from them became embarrassed.
He thought he hadn't been exposed and countered, "Are you asking me, my lady?"
However, Mr. Jing completely ignored the man's intent.
Su Lun didn't pay attention to him either.
Continuing their conversation, he responded, "The ninth-tier Forbidden Curse 'Holy Shackles' has already formed. It seems there are at least nine eighth-tier mages lying in ambush nearby."
Mr. Jing listened with an unchanged expression, taking another sip of his tea.
But this abrupt dialogue made Earl Rasel's face change dramatically, stammering, "This..."
Hearing words like "mages" and "ambush," he knew something had gone wrong.
He couldn't understand, there had been no abnormalities a second before, so why were they suddenly detected?
And if they were detected, why were these two so composed?
The man was about to argue when suddenly a line of blood appeared on his neck.
The seventh-tier captain of the guards by his side reacted slightly, but when he looked at Mr. Jing, his eyes were met with an endless mirage, and then his vitality strangely and rapidly dissipated.
Su Lun casually harvested both souls, and the ins and outs of this conspiracy immediately became clear.
It was just as they had suspected.
Su Lun murmured, "So it is indeed Master Merlin... heh, quite the technique, never intervening from start to finish, letting these old nobles be the go-between, playing both ends for the middle. Tsk, such a clever ploy."
As he spoke, he gripped the black umbrella in his hand. His Soul Perception had already sensed the strong soul fluctuations rapidly approaching from outside the manor.
Su Lun glanced at his senior sister and said, "Looks like there are three ninth-tier Law Sages. Quite tricky, senior sister."
Mr. Jing's expression finally showed a hint of unusual color, yet still devoid of any fear, "Mm, leave it to me."
Su Lun raised an eyebrow, "Alright, I'll go break the formation then."
"Mm."
Mr. Jing nodded.
It was in the moment she set down her teacup that she erupted with an incomparably terrifying aura, pinching the sorcerer's seals, "Domain: Mirror of All Aspects!"
How frightful is it when a Nine-Rank Professional fully unleashes their domain?
The furniture in the parlor couldn't withstand the pressure of that mysterious force and in an instant turned into dust.
For Su Lun, this was his first encounter with his sister's peak state after reaching the ninth rank. His pupils shrank slightly, and he exclaimed with a smile, "Sister, you're so strong."
Mr. Jing glanced at him, having already entered an absolutely indifferent mirrored state, and said in a deep voice, "I'll go and draw their attention first."
Before the words even faded, a flash of mirror light swept the room, and she had already vanished on the spot.
Upon seeing this, Su Lun sensed the enemy's location and with a flicker of spatial fluctuation, he too disappeared from the spot.
...
The mages of the divine plane had no idea what was happening in the estate, but sensing the sudden burst of powerful energy, they thought their target was about to flee, and they immediately took action.
Almost simultaneously, a nine-pointed star magic circle of holy light materialized in the sky.
One after another, chains of white light wove into a vast net in the sky, sealing off a radius of more than ten miles around the manor with stringent tightness.
The Nine-Rank Forbidden Curse "Holy Shackles" is a large-scale holy spell, inflicting massive damage bonuses to creatures of the darkness.
The moment Mr. Jing emerged, she collided with the dense web of magic like a spider's web; chains of holy light immediately ensnared her body.
Moreover, the magic circle in the sky not only restrained her but also acted like a focusing lens, concentrating sunlight, which was hugely damaging to the vampiric race, especially the ultraviolet rays, into the magic circle.
The sunlight scorched Mr. Jing's skin with a sizzling and distressing sound, and visibly charred marks appeared on her pale skin.
Even Mr. Jing frowned for a moment, but her wounds healed instantly.
In such a situation, even if she wanted to escape, it would be difficult.
And the deities from the divine plane did not just prepare a magic circle, but three Nine-Rank Sages of Law had personally arrived!
The very instant Mr. Jing appeared, three mages in magic cloaks charged at her from three different directions. Enveloped by powerful sanctified auras, they launched Ninth-Rank magic spells at the outset.
"O Supreme God of Light, here I beseech you for the power of light... Forbidden Curse: Holy Light Judgment!"
"I swim against the flow of time's long river, peering into the secrets of the ages, the great god bestows upon me to witness the mysteries of time magic... Chronal Forbidden Curse: Time Stop!"
"Awaken, O Great All-knowing Deity, buried deep within my blood is endless magic power... Earth's Mysteries: Hundred Thousand Gravities!"
Three arcane magic incantations were recited from their mouths, and suddenly, a tremendous magic power surged above the estate.
Sages of Law had already touched the pinnacle of human power, casting Ninth-Rank spells in an instant.
All were of the ninth rank, and the opponents gave no chance for response; three magic spells were hurled at Mr. Jing, ensnared by the magic formation.
During the previous ambush, it was because they underestimated Mr. Jing's mirror image replication ability that their efforts came to nothing.
However, post that engagement, they had come to know of Mr. Jing's special ability.
Mirror image replication had guaranteed her near-invulnerability against any opponent.
But this time, there were three of ninth rank.
Meaning, even if Mr. Jing could ward off one, the other two would be enough to doom her.
The plan was perfect.
It was enough to kill any Ninth-Rank Professional.
But that was the Jing of the past.
Not the Jing of now!
Mr. Jing, facing the three Ninth-Rank spells coming at her, remained expressionless. Her gaze suddenly intensified, "Mirror Kaleidoscope Gear!"
At that instant, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Suddenly, a flash of mirror light crossed her body.
Like creating afterimages, her body split into three, turning into three identical figures!
This was not a simple replication but three mirror duplicates that were indistinguishable even in aura.
As the three Mr. Jings appeared, they simultaneously pinched the sorcerer's seals, "Ultimate Mirror: Mirror Image Collapse."
Upon completion of the incantation, a transparent spell mirror materialized in front of each of them.
Almost at the same moment, the three spells struck the Mr. Jing in the sky, but the three mirrors replicated the time, earth, and holy light triad of Ninth-Rank spells on them, colliding and exploding in the sky.
This was not only a clash of magical incantations but also a collision between high-order laws. The shockwave wasn't just a wave on the energy level; it was as if the surrounding world turned into a canvas that someone had violently torn down.
Ripples from the clash of laws spread instantaneously, and the Earl Rasel's forest manor bore the brunt.
The sturdy walls crumbled like a sand castle under the horrific shockwave, instantly turning into dust, while the beautiful garden was reduced to ruins; behind the manor, the snow mountain's rocks and snow surged down like a burst dam; birds and beasts startled in the forest, but before they could flee far, they perished in droves...
Such is the fearsome power of combat between Ninth-Ranks!
The three Sages of Law on the other side turned pale, shocked that Mr. Jing remained unharmed.
Even more surprisingly, she had single-handedly withstood their combined finishing blow?
Mr. Jing, having withstood three Ninth-Rank spells, looked at her enemies and each of her mirror duplicates charged fiercely at a Sage of Law.
The battle instantly escalated to a heated pitch.
...
Meanwhile, Su Lun had already teleported to a forest several miles away.
Watching Mr. Jing face three opponents without falling behind in the slightest, he exclaimed in admiration, "Sister's ability is really strong."
The second solution [Mirror Guardian] was able to replicate anything.
It might not be able to replicate as quickly in a one-on-one situation, but now with the [Mirror Kaleidoscope Gear], it was an ideal combination.
Not to mention three, Su Lun believed that once his senior sister grew even stronger, she could replicate up to ten or eight of herself, wouldn't that mean there would be ten or eight ninth-rank Mages?
Nevertheless, Su Lun also noticed something.
Although Mr. Jing's ability was strong, replicating others' possessions was easy to stave off, but achieving victory was significantly harder.
In a one-versus-three scenario, she had to divide her strength in three, so at least in the short term, there was no possibility of determining a winner.
Su Lun narrowed his eyes slightly and did not dare to delay for even a moment.
He hadn't forgotten his mission.
There were at least nine eighth-rank great Mages nearby the manor, gathering a ninth-rank forbidden magic circle—[Holy Shackles].
Once that magic formation was dealt with, Mr. Jing's combat power would be fully unleashed.
It was then that Su Lun raised his hand and a flicker of spatial fluctuation occurred, and several people wearing gold-patterned cloaks appeared around him.
Number 19, the Old Sword God Bartolo, 'Blood Duke' Wazhwas, Mr. Hei...
If the enemy was bringing reinforcements, the Dawn was not short on them either.
The Dawn organization might not have many above the eighth rank, but each one was an elite, more than enough to deal with the current situation.
With a large-scale spatial transmission formation on the Eternal Night, for Su Lun, it was simply a matter of expending a bit more energy to make a trip, regardless of where the ship was located.
Usually, a magic formation formed by nine eighth-rank great Mages was impenetrable, and even Mr. Jing couldn't escape from it.
But within Su Lun's grasp was the [Urobolos Space-Time Ring], which meant he could walk sideways in the alchemy plane.
Since the enemy couldn't set up a magic formation beyond the plane's regulations, any spatial restrictions were meaningless to him.
When the members of the Dawn surfaced, they nodded at each other and vanished on the spot, each dashing towards a corner of the magic formation.
From the moment Su Lun felt the magic fluctuations, the formation held no secrets from him.
He had already distributed the battle plans, and as long as they could instantly break through three corners of the formation, it would immediately collapse.
Only then would the real battle commence.
...
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
Just how terrifying was the power in a ninth-rank battle?
It was at the same time as the battle erupted in Earl Rasel's forest manor that Clemington, dozens of kilometers away, was immediately aware of it.
The weather was clear that day, and even the most proficient professionals could clearly see the terrifying disturbance, akin to a volcanic eruption.
Mountain ranges collapsed, towering trees fell in large swaths, and everyone instantly realized that top experts were battling there.
On the other hand, this news also traveled through various channels back to the imperial capital, Lynden.
The high-ranking officials of the United Empire all received the message, each of them greatly surprised.
They were curious to know, who exactly was in the battle?
There were currently only two known ninth-rank professionals in the alchemy plane: one was the court's foremost Master Merlin, and the other was the Dawn's Mr. Jing.
Those well-informed big shots knew that Mr. Jing was injured and immediately connected the dots with the recent underground market reward, realizing that Mr. Jing might have fallen into a conspiracy ambush.
The big shots immediately realized that something terrible was afoot.
To be attacked within the heartland of Luying meant that the most important traitors within the Empire had made their move!
Everyone knew that if Mr. Jing were indeed to be killed in ambush, the traitors would certainly join forces with the enemies of the Divine plane, bringing irreversible calamitous consequences to the Empire. The alchemy plane might not recover from such a setback.
Almost immediately, countless military dignitaries rushed to the Royal Palace, hoping that the Emperor would send reinforcements.
But no one held out much hope, as the enemy had planned an ambush and had chosen the location far away from the capital, in the southern territory of Stormgarde.
If reinforcements were to be sent, it was feared everything would be too late.
However, before the wave of pessimism could spread, a series of battle reports fed back, dispersing the despair in the hearts of the Lynden officials a bit, and they began to feel an increasing sense of joy instead.
An ambush that should have ended quickly in a short time was stretching out, fought to a standstill?
The news shocked everyone.
Three ninth-rank Law Sages had come from the Divine plane, joined by over nine eighth-rank great Mages, a force capable of destroying any city other than Lynden.
Yet what shocked everyone even more was that the Dawn organization had managed to withstand these forces head-on with their own strength!
And it was not just a struggle to a draw; as one report after another of the ongoing battle conditions came back, everyone realized that the Dawn organization might even have a chance of winning.
Although they did not know why the Dawn would create such a miracle, the news spread, and for a time, the entire United Empire's military morale soared.
However, this turn of events threw those in the capital who had secretly defected to the enemy, the surrender faction, into complete panic.
