Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 642 The Mage Appears (4-in-1)

"It seems the situation here is quite serious. The power of the abyss has eroded the land, causing the monsters living nearby to become abnormal."

Roy watched from a distance for a while and then came to a conclusion.

"We think so too, but besides the normal monsters, there seem to be many more ghostly and monstrous beings."

That was a projection formed from the power of the abyss.

Deirdre reminded her.

Roy said, "I've heard Wizard Una mention it before; she is indeed quite troublesome."

"Watch out! It looks like a monster is charging out!"

Suddenly, a guard ahead warned.

The reindeer-drawn sleigh descended, and the escorting team that followed began to line up and prepare for battle.

A thick, black cloud of mist appeared ahead of them, within which seemed to sway even denser figures.

Among them, the crowd identified many common demons such as the Fear Demon, the Quassa Demon, the Fro Demon, and the Horned Demon. The vanguard alone numbered over a hundred, with shadowy figures appearing and disappearing behind them.

The guards quickly pulled out puppets that had been treated with "shrinking magic".

One by one, puppets resembling toy soldiers were summoned, and they turned out to be kingdom soldiers from a fairy tale world.

They wore comical large hats, dressed in lobster-like red military uniforms, and carried meticulously crafted breech-loading rifles with gleaming bayonets.

Drummers, commanders, messengers, even artillerymen, gun carriages, all sorts of soldiers.

It looked like a small, well-organized army, with a strength of over 300 people.

Surprisingly, the overall design is boxy and resembles a pixelated 3D block model.

"This looks like the puppet army launched by the 'Toy House' wizarding organization."

The girl's skull appeared beside Roy's left shoulder, whispering a reminder.

"This was originally an educational toy made by a great wizard for his child. Due to its variety and superior performance, it has been passed down through generations."

Later wizards gradually joined in the production, continuously enriching the variety of products.

Unlike the stonemasons' golems and the clay figurines of the clay sculptors' guild, these are mostly made of wood and can be joined together using common parts, making them a type of building block!

Roy used the Eye of Hermes to take a look from afar, and sure enough, it was so.

Although these are relatively low-level puppets, they are equipped with weapons from the industrial age, making them quite formidable in combat.

In addition, the guards beside them, as well as Deirdre's carriage, seemed to constitute a chariot and royal carriage that could inspire the legion's offense and defense.

Instantly, a complex array of magical halos appeared, constructing a battle domain even larger than his own legion's halos.

As the black smoke drew closer, Roy also summoned his puppet.

That was a miniature three-headed dragon.

At this moment, the three-headed dragon Trekephalos still resembled a bone dragon.

Roy's mental strength was far superior to before, and his understanding of "Shutterlands Chess" was gradually becoming proficient. Therefore, the huge bone dragon was successfully pulled out and quickly deployed.

In an instant, the dragon's head became ferocious, and white frost-like vapor spewed out.

On the other side, the flames transformed into crimson waves, similarly covering a large area.

The powerful attacks successively covered a large area of ​​enemies.

But the demons were fearless.

When an army suffers a major blow, morale immediately drops, and soldiers fall into negative states such as shock, doubt, and fear.

They, however, are numb and brutal, completely unaffected.

The horde of monsters continued their charge despite the intertwined breaths of ice and fire, forming a formation numbering in the thousands.

However, Roy didn't even frown; he simply reached out his hand.

A jewel-encrusted golden chalice appears above the left hand, its golden liquid rippling gently, brimming with powerful wishes.

Because he had temporarily left the world of Araki and had not yet condensed a divine spark, the power of will possessed by this golden holy grail had become very slow to grow.

But after all, it still possesses the wishes emanating from the living beings around it, and its spiritual power is inexhaustible.

Roy's usage is very restrained, and to this day it is still more than just a few times.

At this moment, the materials refined through the [elemental separation] process immediately condensed into a giant fireball, which crashed to the ground with a deafening roar, like a meteorite falling from the sky.

Amidst the deafening roar, all the demonic projections and mutated creatures were pulverized.

Even those that managed to hold out were overwhelmed by subsequent attacks and instantly crushed.

Since mastering this spell-like magical ability that requires no incantation, Roy's firepower has increased significantly.

The only thing that hasn't caught up yet is the casting range.

After all, his grasp of the "projection" model was not very profound.

Even with this, Roy already had a plan.

That is to combine magical technology and alchemical devices to create a jet device that propels liquid hydrogen.

A portion of it can be used for fuel loading, which would allow it to propel the vehicle for several kilometers without any problem.

This is much more useful than those traditional spells that are dozens or hundreds of feet long.

He hoped that Celine would produce such things, and he and his projected avatar would not waste their time and energy on this.

"what……"

The Furui beastmen, hands clasped in amazement, all expressed their heartfelt sentiments.

"Lord Roy..."

Deirdiri's eyes sparkled with amazement.

"That's amazing! They wiped out the monster army in one go!"

Roy flew to the middle head of the three-headed dragon Trekepharos, turned around and sent a message: "I'll go inside and take a look. Your Highness, please wait a moment."

Deirdil snapped out of her daze and quickly said, "Please be careful..."

Some of my subordinates had gone inside before, but they never came back.

"I know it well."

Roy nodded.

For level zero creatures, or even level one creatures, these places permeated with demonic energy are certainly quite dangerous.

But he used to be able to cut through an army of demons of this caliber with just a sword, so now it's even easier for him.

not to mention……

Alice slowly flew up and landed beside her.

They immediately went inside, the enormous dragon body disappearing into the depths of the black mist.

……

Soon after, deep in the canyon.

Roy discovered skeletal remains lying by the roadside, as well as a strange device the size of a lectern, resembling a cabinet.

"What is this?"

Roy looked over using the Eye of Hermes.

Suddenly, a burst of light, alternating between green and blue, appeared.

"Portable positioning anchor device (Level 1)..."

"A special device crafted using the principles of magic arrays possesses the ability to mark world information and provide coordinates..."

"Ok?"

Roy suddenly realized something.

"This calamity is man-made..."

"Is there someone pulling the strings behind the scenes that makes it so persistent and recurring?"

Just as I realized this, the surrounding void suddenly surged with black mist, and a huge crack appeared out of thin air, like a zipper being pulled open.

Several mages dressed in the robes of the Yachinila mages emerged from among them.

******
"You are……"

The moment they saw Roy, the mages became clearly wary and quickly went into battle mode.

However, the leading mage recognized Roy's level and reached out to stop them.

“This is a level two wizard. You all step back and let me deal with him.”

Having said that, he took a few steps forward, raised his staff, and slowly floated up.

During this process, a bright light appeared, and circles of magic circles with intricate patterns surrounded him.

The three-headed dragon Trekephalos took a deep breath, exhaling a breath of icy coldness and a breath of fiery flame, which he then exhaled from both sides.

The mage waved his staff, and honeycomb-like hexagonal silver lines intertwined to form a "rigid shield".

They managed to block them all.

Roy then noticed that the mage was also handsome and had a youthful aura.

The bright, moon-white robe was decorated with plant patterns such as laurel and pine branches.

The gold badges on his chest were shaped like two crescent moons, one on each side.

This is the mark of a level two mage.

While the outer decorations of the emblems of the Arcane Empire mages, such as those of the Achinira and several others of the same lineage, may differ, their core imagery remains consistent.

The first level is a star, the second level is two crescent moons, symmetrical from left to right, and the third level is a sun shining brightly.

The sorcerer took out a small piece of quartz from his magic material bag, chanted incantations, crushed it into dust, and scattered it with his hand.

Then, point the staff forward.

Like a monster's "Frost Claws" appearing out of thin air, it seized the three-headed dragon.

The next moment, he cast the spell again, and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

"Mind Transference"!
The "cabinet" that positioned the anchor point suddenly appeared out of thin air and headed in his direction.

But during this time, Roy saw through his intentions. The ends of his long hair at the back of his head were shrouded in mist, as if piercing through the void, climbing and spreading across dozens of meters, and grabbing the "cabinet".

The three-headed dragon Trekepharos beneath his feet also lowered its head and breathed out a burst of fiery breath. The intense heat melted the ice claws, breaking the simple spell binding them.

Roy's waist-length hair fluttered behind his head.

Dozens of meters away, one after another, huge iron claws with hooks attacked, using the body-modifying ability of witchcraft to interfere with the opponent's preparations without the need for incantations or spells.

The mage was momentarily flustered, and several beams of light flashed from his clothes and staff as he summoned invisible servants to intercept the attacks from a distance.

After a while, he finally found an opportunity and used a "dimensional jump" to retreat to the back.

Seeing this, the others quickly took out the magic scrolls from their pockets and activated them.

Fireballs and ice spikes rained down on Roy from above.

But while these things were still in mid-air, they were crushed by the dragon's claws, its skeleton forged from radiant gold.

"His puppet seems to be in an incomplete state, attacking the exposed core!"

The second-level mage quickly assessed the situation and gave instructions.

Everyone immediately turned their anger towards the puppet itself.

The collective spellcasting was so numerous and frequent that even Roy, in his current state, was somewhat overwhelmed.

After being bombed several times, the exposed core of Trekephalos was finally affected by the blast wave, and the surrounding pipes broke.

It suddenly acted as if it were drunk on fake alcohol, its three heads swaying left and right, behaving erratically.

"Great!"

"Success!"

The mages were overjoyed, thinking they had finally seized the opportunity for victory.

But just then, Roy pulled out a small, toy-like blue and white puppet from his waist pouch.

With a toss into the air, the prototype of the bird dragon appeared.

This level-two puppet, possessing high-speed mobility, took to the sky without pausing for even half a second.

Immediately following, a deluge of liquid hydrogen bombs was launched, like a torrential downpour.

The mages' offensive came to an abrupt halt, and they instead focused on taking refuge under the protective barrier erected by the level-two wizards.

Roy snorted and used his own energy output to temporarily stabilize the puppet's mobility.

The next moment, the hair at the back of his head suddenly burst forth, and scalding flames surged forward in waves.

Within a radius of over two hundred meters, one after another, red-haired figures resembling pythons appeared, radiating astonishing heat.

Instead of attacking the level two mage's protective shield head-on, he followed the loopholes and slipped inside to deal with the lower-level mages first.

A low-level mage, unable to dodge in time, screamed in agony as his entire body was engulfed and burned to a crisp.

Immediately afterwards, another person was caught and stabbed through the heart in the blink of an eye.

Everyone pulled out spell scrolls and unleashed "enchanted weapons," slashing and hacking with blades imbued with powerful light.

But they couldn't get rid of those things all at once.

Roy's demonic body has grown increasingly powerful.

It remains completely unharmed by ordinary chopping, splitting, flooding, or burning.

The only thing to truly fear is the dissipation of activating energy.

They don't understand this thing yet, so they don't know how to deal with it.

"grown ups……"

They could only place their hopes on the level two mages.

But the level-two mage decisively ordered: "Retreat!"

Then he immediately plunged into the spatial rift.

Orders were hard to disobey, so the others had no choice but to follow suit and abandon the two who had been captured.

Roy was somewhat surprised to see this, but he did not follow rashly. Instead, he threw out a few pieces that were transformed from the fleshy mushroom demons in an attempt to find out what was inside.

But almost instantly, those chess pieces disappeared without a trace.

……

Shortly afterward, Roy returned to the top and reunited with the others who were waiting there.

"What is this? A mage?"

Deirdiri looked on with delight as Roy returned, but soon her attention was drawn to the two mage corpses held by the bird dragon's large claws.

"They are battle mages specially recruited after the academy expanded its enrollment; they are not part of the official ranks."

But it does possess level one strength, making it a good assistant to the regular mages.

Roy gave a brief introduction, revealing the true identities of these people.

"This is what they put here."

"This device..."

Is it a positioning anchor point?

Deirdil recognized it and looked somewhat surprised.

"I need to repair the puppet and also make some other preparations."

Once everything is ready, we can go inside and explore.

Roy briefly explained his plan and then added some details.

"I suspect that this was originally a naturally formed demiplane, but after being discovered by mages, it was forcibly carved out as an entrance for invasion."

If Your Highness has any resources like aetherite, you could provide some to me. I plan to use them to blast the place apart.

If the scale is small enough, it's possible to collapse it and block it.

Deirdil snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, "Of course!"

Roy nodded, but what he was thinking was using the brain-deciphering technique to read memories, gather intelligence, and then decide on the next course of action.

It's just a commission; there's no need to work so hard. It's safer to plan ahead and act decisively.
After that, Dildeli left to help prepare supplies.

Roy, however, was stationed above the canyon to prevent the mage from appearing again.

He had already witnessed the mages' methods in Nightland.

They attract demons and devils, disrupt the material world, and then take advantage of the situation to invade.

This is what they consider to be a more effortless method.

Doing so could certainly damage the entire ecosystem and cause irreparable pollution consequences.

But Nightland, and now Torrad, are both wizarding territory.

I wouldn't feel any regret.

……

Soon, a little over half a month later.

Roy successfully repaired the puppet in his hand and temporarily reinforced its weak points.

This isn't exactly a proper solution, but it can still be useful until "Trekefalos" is truly completed.

Meanwhile, Deirdiri had already sent someone to deliver the ether bomb he needed.

When Roy had free time, he refined it, transforming it into a more rationally arranged form.

With his expertise in "spatial science," he could construct a model that could maximize the collapse of space and seal cracks and demiplane locations through extensive and precise calculations.

This is certainly no match for the massive breach that spans the entire Great Rift Valley, and it cannot stop the invasion of the true Abyss Legion.

However, in places like this, there is a considerable probability of completion.

……

On another day, Roy, holding an "ether bomb" that looked like a pineapple, activated the Eye of Hermes again to test it.

"Ether Bomb (Level 1)..."

A special bomb made by melting down aetherite, capable of destroying the structure of space.

Deploying it at a weak point in the space structure using precise calculations and detonating it in an appropriate manner could cause a collapse of the hemisphere…

There were many more "pineapples" like this on the workbench in front of him, more than a hundred in total.

"The ether stone itself is actually a level three treasure that emits a purple spiritual light."

However, the bomb's structure was actually compromised, reducing it to level one.

This kind of thing doesn't involve much technology. It's simply about finding an ether stone, wrapping it with special explosives, and making it strong enough to break it and release spatial energy. It's something that even a first-level wizard can make.

However, figuring out the most suitable method to carry out targeted blasting and achieve one's goal is a delicate art.

If the calculations were more precise, perhaps twenty or thirty coins could be saved…

This stuff has a certain destructive effect on demiplanes, and Roy didn't even dare to refine it in the mage's mansion.

Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens.

It would be troublesome if it exploded.

Just then, the girl's skull floated over from the other side, reminding him, "The brain crystals of those two mage followers have been extracted."

"Oh?"

Roy temporarily put down the ether bomb and went to the other side.

Sure enough, obvious crystalline substances had begun to appear in the test tube, settling at the bottom in the form of sugar.

The projected avatar is indeed a hardworking and dedicated worker, busy at work.

With the "Multitasking" function, Roy could clearly sense that his mind had split in two, with one half skillfully handling the crystallization.

After waiting a while longer, one of them was refined into a potion of knowledge.

Roy took the test tube and drank it while it was still hot.

……

"Achinila..."

Top Secret Mission…

In a daze, one vivid memory after another came rushing in.

Roy quickly sorted through these memories and gradually understood the cause and effect of the matter.

It turned out that the second-level mage he had encountered was named Fassus, an outstanding talent from a powerful noble family in the Arcane Empire.

His excellence far surpasses that of Edwin and Valentina, whom he has encountered before; he is truly a prodigy.

Like himself, he was not even a hundred years old when he was promoted to level two and took charge of a secret tactical unit.

He is skilled in various spatial magic, especially teleportation sensing against dimensional invasions.

As for the battle mages under his command.

Just a follower.

Although in theory, mages are the holders of truth, using knowledge to leverage magic and control the mysteries of mana between heaven and earth.

However, in order to maximize the power, division of labor and cooperation are indispensable.

Some people then broke away from research and production to specialize in combat, becoming the regular army of the Arcane Empire.

However, the spells they possess and the results they achieve are almost all bestowed upon them by others; their true strengths lie in manipulating magic scrolls and using magical artifacts.

Killing those two mages wouldn't stop the squad from working properly.

Most of their knowledge and abilities are concentrated in Fass alone; he is an appendage of that level two mage.

If they fail to seriously injure or kill Fass, they will still have the ability to continue the mission.

This is exactly what Roy expected.

“Fathers…”

After carefully organizing the information, Roy turned to the girl's skull and said...

"Report back to Wuta and see if there is any more detailed information."

"Yes!"

After giving his instructions, Roy began to re-enter the canyon with the ether bombs he had crafted.

Since he had removed the positioning anchor device, no monsters have come to this side of the rift for some time now.

However, judging from the demonic aura emanating from inside, it was almost certain that something was accumulating within, poised to unleash its power.

Roy didn't rush in himself, but instead kept sending Mushroom Demons to collect information, while leaving Prandelle and Nisa outside.

Domi, his own magical pet, which can be used as a location marker, is also on standby at all times, just in case.

Finally, after much preparation...

Roy stepped into the crevice and entered an underground cave filled with gray-black smoke.

This place seems to be deep within the earth, with a cramped cave structure.

However, after many twists and turns, upon reaching the front, the space suddenly became empty, revealing a dimensional void with multiple branching paths.

Black mist, resembling a giant pool, permeated the area, with roads above ranging from a few meters to tens or hundreds of meters wide, winding and stretching endlessly, their destination unknown.

However, Roy only glanced at it briefly and had no intention of investigating further. Instead, he turned back and began making deployments nearby.

The formation of the demiplane is somewhat accidental, especially the voids caused by spacetime distortion.

Tracing its origins or anything else is utterly meaningless, but one thing is certain: destruction is always easier than construction.

Roy didn't need to have any advanced knowledge of "spatial science." He only needed to make full use of the ether bombs in his hands to blow up all these roads and close the gaps leading to the outside world.

******
"Lord Fass, he seems to be preparing something over there. Could it be that he's planning to use an ether bomb to detonate something?"

While Roy was busy.

Deep in the mist, at the other end of a fork in the road.

The group remained silent, gazing into the distance at the figure that had just appeared.

After those figures left, leaving only the flesh-mushroom demons stationed there to keep watch, he turned to look at Fass and secretly sent a message.

"This is obvious."

He'd prepared for so long; there's no way he wouldn't have a way to sabotage it.

The surrounding environment was dark, and a red light, like that of a lava hell, shone on his face, making Fass's expression slightly gloomy.

However, his tone remained calm and composed, as if there was no sign of anything amiss.

He simply said, "It seems our mission has failed."

"fail……"

Everyone looked at him with surprise, even a hint of disbelief.

In everyone's eyes, Fassus is an extremely outstanding young mage who has encountered almost no setbacks along the way.

I didn't expect them to admit defeat so easily this time.

"Lord Fass, the Empire's interdimensional message has been received!"
We commissioned the nearest colony to gather information and learned that this wizard might be Roy!

Just then, on the other side...

A monk's attendant, who was waiting in front of the square platform, reported this.

As they spoke, a scroll unfolded on the ground began to glow, and words began to appear.

It was a letter that was transmitted using some kind of secret method.

Roy...

This name sounds familiar.

Fass said something.

Then, after no more new writing was added to the scroll, he picked it up and looked at it, and then a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"It sure is him!"

"Sir, is this wizard very famous?"

Several followers asked, puzzled.

"This is a dangerous individual who has killed members of the Viken and Reines families and is on the Adventurers' Guild's wanted list."

At that time, he was merely a newly promoted first-level wizard.

But that was decades ago.

After that, only about twenty years later, he was promoted to level two, and it has been nearly forty years since then.

The spies in Achinila were clearly capable, having gathered a thorough understanding of the basic intelligence.

Roy's public abilities, his expertise in witchcraft, and the treasures he possesses are already well-known.

However, these are ultimately limited.

So many years have passed, and Roy has even changed his body. As for specific equipment, props, and alchemical talents, these are all completely unknown to Achinila.

They had no way of knowing what Roy was really relying on.

Many things can only be predicted by spells such as "prophecy", "otherworldly exploration", "legendary knowledge", and "prayer".

"An intelligence mage once used 'Interdimensional Detection' to inquire about the world will of Nightland, Astor, and Brevorel..."

We have learned the general information.

His magical body abilities are extremely strong, reaching the peak of level two.

He excels in close combat and is a master swordsman.

He possesses extraordinary charisma and may have sorcerer blood...

However, this person comes from the Okmi Tower and majors in "animation magic". What he really relies on is the combat puppets that he has shown before.

Each one seems difficult to deal with!

Fass continued reading, deep in thought.

Whenever Roy showed any obvious weakness that could be easily exploited, he would strike.

However, despite having only been promoted for a few decades, his performance in all aspects is impeccable, making him a formidable opponent.

After pondering for a long time, Fassus finally decided to be cautious and did not act rashly.

……

"Very good, almost finished!"

A few hours later, Roy had attached Ether bombs to all the meticulously calculated nodes.

He began directing the mushroom demons to evacuate in an orderly manner.

During this time, he also vaguely sensed a threat emanating from the depths of the mist.

It was impossible to tell whether it was a demon or someone like Fass spying on them from the shadows.

But he had no intention of investigating further, nor did he have any intention of rushing in to fight the other side to the death.

A prepared monk and an unprepared monk are two completely different things, just as a wealthy monk and a poor monk are.

The most important thing right now is to deal with the tasks at hand.

The girl's skull floated over from nearby, followed by two fleshy mushroom demons.

“Master, we found these things on a side road.”

"Huh? This is... the remains of a puppet soldier?"

Roy looked at it and discovered a white magical aura within it.

"A tattered doll soldier (Level 0)..."

Royal soldiers belonging to the castle guard...

Special skill: Shooting…

"interesting!"

After looking at them for a while, Roy decided to put them away first and see if he could repair them later.

Alternatively, you can use the "Inspiration" and "Catalogue of Learning" features to brush up on some basic knowledge.

This is actually an important part of puppetry, and even the entire field of "creation studies".

Over the past few decades, he had already mastered the basics in these areas, but due to his own skill set and personal inclinations, he still failed to develop and expand his expertise.

As alchemists, developing a puppet army doesn't necessarily mean the more types the better.

Because this requires considering cost-effectiveness.

Whether it's repairing or supplementing, the replaceability of parts and formations, or one's own time and energy, should be the focus of expertise.

They all decided to abandon some branches and focus on others.

His mass-produced soldiers were mainly composed of Mushroom Golems and low-level golems made of flesh and blood fossils.

But now, the appearance of this puppet has shown him another possibility.

That is standardized, highly replaceable "building block toys".

After a while, once he confirmed that Celine had directed the Mushroom Demon to transport all the spoils from the simple exploration, Roy retreated to the exit and detonated the timer on the Ether Bomb.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of violent explosions echoed inside the cave entrance.

One aether stone after another was destroyed, and the spatial energy inside spread out layer by layer under the triggering of a special detonation method.

The void twisted and rippled.

In a short while, the mist and red light that had enveloped the exit receded like the tide and moved away from the exit.

The scene inside suddenly changed, turning into solid rock and soil.

Meanwhile, at the spot where Roy and the puppets had retreated, the spatial rift trembled a few times.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Prandtse, Nisa, and the others, it slowly closed and disappeared completely.

"That should solve the problem for now."

Roy remained where he was, carefully sensing with his mental power for a while, and nodded in satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)