Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 801 Surprise Attack on the Mage (4-in-1)

"Lord Roy, what brings you here?"

Soon after, Artedia, Freya, and Nisa arrived, looking somewhat puzzled.

Roy gave a brief explanation.

"Behead Freyor!"

The three of them were indeed greatly surprised when they heard this.

But then I felt even more excited.

"This can greatly shorten the war process and save a lot of money!"

"It's not just about the funds, but also the completeness of the seized supplies..."

"Post-war reconstruction costs a lot of money, and they even saved on that."

Roy said, "That's why I called you here to make arrangements for related matters, just in case."

Have you made up your mind?

Artedia asked.

"It's not a matter of being resolute or not. Dealing with Freo is not worth my full effort."

Roy said calmly.

"As long as we're willing to risk this avatar and go to the Shadow Dimension, we can take care of him."

Everyone who heard this felt a chill run down their spines.

Only then did I realize that Roy had indeed prepared for the worst in dealing with this matter.

However, our side also has advantages.

Moreover, it's an absolute advantage.

That is, Lord Roy is no longer an ordinary wizard, but a level four archmage!

For the time being, the people in Achinila are not aware of this news.

The value of this information alone could be enough to take the life of a level three mage!

"No matter what conspiracies or tricks they may employ, in the end, it all comes down to strength."

"Without a legendary mage in the nearby star system, Lord Roy is invincible."

Artedia was therefore very confident.

"Or perhaps we should ask the wizard Florena to make a prophecy?"

Nisha then made the suggestion.

This seems like a safer approach.

Roy said, "She's an astrologer, not a fortune teller."

Although to outsiders these may seem like the same profession, they are actually quite different.

Furthermore, the principle of divination magic, from a purely rational perspective, is nothing more than probability.

There is a very small probability that someone could be hit by a meteorite while sitting at home.

Divination and prophecy primarily aim to reveal these possible future possibilities.

However, it has a problem: the signs of fate only appear when the probability accumulates to a sufficiently large level, and the results revealed may be fluctuating, disruptive, or even misleading.

Especially when exploring transdimensional planes...

Therefore, there is no need to rely on it excessively.

"That's it."

Nisha seemed lost in thought.

……

After giving some instructions, Roy went into the teleportation array, opened his palm, and pressed down.

A six-pointed star array appeared, and the serpent god's incarnation materialized out of thin air.

"This avatar is stationed at the camp..."

For now, that should be enough.

Then, the golden dragon avatar secretly left and headed towards the misty area near the mage tower.

Not long ago, Mosiby provided him with important intelligence, informing him of the location of Archmage Freo's secret experiments.

According to Mosiby, the mage was undergoing a transformation to adapt to the Shadow Plane, requiring him to reside there for a sufficient period of time to gradually assimilate.

He's reached a critical juncture and doesn't want to withdraw unless absolutely necessary.

"If this is truly a conspiracy, then Archmage Freyor must be on high alert over there, fully prepared and waiting for me."

However, if the other party is completely unprepared, they are probably busy communicating with the mage tower to decide whether to return.

The sunk costs are there.

Although nothing is actually there, all the effort will be wasted once you leave...

However, there are also objective costs involved.

This is the basis for Roy's decision.

Soon, Roy arrived at the front lines.

Due to the appearance of the fogged area, Orgrimmar and his forces had to slow down their attack and switch to ground troops exploring.

The area is filled with "Fear-Binding Spirits," and the enormous ghostly figure naturally possesses the aura of mental magic such as "Fear" and "Despair," making it exceptionally difficult to deal with.

However, Roy ignored all of that and simply sent a message to Aug, who was commanding from the front lines.

Then they opened fire, sweeping across the entire area with a fierce attack, creating a lively scene.

He took advantage of this opportunity to sneak in and step into the depths of the mist.

……

call……

call……

Deep in the withered forest, a chilling wind howled.

The golden dragon transformed and shuttled among them.

Countless distorted ghostly figures could be seen appearing and disappearing in the gray mist, uttering chilling whispers.

The ground seemed to be covered with withered bones, giving the air a putrid smell.

But upon closer inspection, one discovers that these are like shadows, existing in a way that is both illusory and real.

The translucent ghosts moved through the fog, sometimes coalescing into form, sometimes turning into wisps of black smoke.

This scene is like walking a dark road under the moon in the middle of the night.

The shadow beneath my feet suddenly came to life on its own, and everything around me also began to move.

Roy's mental strength was strong enough that even as a golden dragon incarnation, he possessed the level of a high-level wizard at the thousand-degree level. Therefore, he easily distinguished between the real and the fake and did not get entangled with these strange phenomena.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly relaxed demeanor as he rushes along with his head down.

If it were an ordinary apprentice, or even a newly promoted first-level wizard, they would find that these originally false shadows would take on real bodies and then pounce out to hunt.

This is a feature of the Shadow Plane.

It exists between the spiritual and the material, possessing both illusory and real aspects.

He had once obtained and then gave the advanced skill seed "Shadow Stealth" to Pranzhe, which allowed him to travel through this plane by utilizing the laws of this plane.

This skill is useless here; almost every monster can detect and track it.

So Roy didn't bring Prandtse either.

After traveling for a while, Roy emerged from the forest and turned around to see a huge black shadow hanging in the sky behind him.

That oval-shaped metal object, which looks like it's standing upright, is the projection of the mage tower in this plane.

He ignored the thing and continued forward.

At this point, the area ahead was much more open. After traveling for a thousand miles, they indeed found a castle isolated in a desolate Gobi Desert.

A faint, mournful wail emanated from within, as if countless vengeful spirits were wandering inside.

"This is it. It's an ancient castle from some unknown world, projected here. After being captured by another dimension, its power condensed and transformed into a physical form..."

The essence of the shadow plane is "shadow".

The precise expression is the projection of material entities into the spiritual world.

However, this shadowy castle cannot be simply understood as a mirage or some kind of dream, because its materiality accounts for a significant portion of its existence.

Negative shadow energy, under the influence of special dimensional laws, forms one bizarre and strange shadow world after another.

The sum of these shadow worlds, together with the projection of the entire star sea, constitutes the shadow plane.

******
Roy gazed at the ancient castle, vaguely sensing something familiar within it.

Soon, he was able to make a judgment based on his previous knowledge.

"This is the accumulation of legendary elements..."

A local 'legend' has given rise to something corresponding here.

Ancient scholars believed that the Shadow Plane was located in the transitional zone between the material world and the outer plane, and was also the only way to the Nightmare World.

The basis for this is that, under certain circumstances, the shadow plane can exhibit dream-like characteristics.

However, there are actually significant differences between the two.

Later scholars discovered that only the accumulation of legendary elements was common.

Various legends and strange stories are also a kind of wish power.

The projections formed by attaching to material energy particles and shadow forces will appear to resemble reality in a way that is not quite the same as reality.

This is very similar to dreams, but only in form; the essential core is quite different.

Roy didn't have time to delve into these matters; he simply used this characteristic to select a special artifact he had previously crafted.

"Alchemy Golem - Shadow Serpent (Level 0)..."

Spirit: 3 degrees…

This is a puppet crafted using Shadow Energy, possessing the characteristics of this plane.

Its attributes are not high, and its functionality is far inferior to reconnaissance aircraft like the Zoffer.

However, it can perfectly integrate into this world, not only without being suppressed by the environment, but also thrives in it.

Moreover, Roy didn't just pull out one and be done with it. With a pinch of his hand, the ball of light shattered, and gray-black shadow energy continuously overflowed from it, transforming into hundreds of strange snakes.

Some were as thick as buckets, while others were as small as a human arm. They moved swiftly and stealthily toward the shadowy castle that Roy had seen.

Luo's reconnaissance science: saturation spying!
……

"Roar!"

Strange noises echoed from inside the castle.

Various wails and strange cries, seemingly coming from nowhere, resembled the roars of wild beasts, yet also the sounds of humans in extreme pain.

Four novice monks dressed in white robes, each carrying a wooden bucket, walked through the crowd, their faces showing fear.

They were not direct descendants of the Yachinila lineage, but rather indigenous mages who had developed locally.

Like wizards, Archmage Frey sometimes needs free labor to help him with various chores. The academy's regular apprentices are on the payroll, which is very inconvenient to use.

It's still more useful to have your own private soldiers and unofficial disciples.

Soon after, they walked through a long corridor and came into the interior of a huge hall.

As the heavy stone door opened, a towering, giant-shaped figure appeared before everyone.

The four novice monks couldn't help but swallow hard, their faces showing nervousness.

Fortunately, the huge black shadow downstairs was impaled by thick iron chains, which locked its collarbone, arms, ankles, and other parts of its body.

Those iron chains were thicker than a person's thigh, connecting to huge, dark gold iron rings, which gave them a slight sense of security.

Even so, the inexplicable aura emanating from the other party was like a heavy mountain, pressing down on them so much that they didn't dare to even breathe.

The giant sat slumped down in a seated position, so that the space inside the castle could accommodate his body, which was over 30 meters tall.

Even so, it still occupies most of the space due to the limitations of the building itself.

"hurry up!"

The group exchanged glances, then quickly and lightly carried their respective wooden buckets inside, poured their contents into a specially made stone trough, and then left swiftly.

Judging from their practiced movements, this is not the first or second time they have done this.

The feeding was completed quickly and smoothly.

"Finally done!"

A short while later, the group came out, carefully closed the stone door, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"What exactly was that just now?"

Among the group, a noticeably inexperienced newcomer couldn't help but quietly ask a question.

"They say it's a monster from the shadow world, but its shape and appearance are like a human shadow..."

I've heard that in some places, shadows are associated with the soul, and are considered one of the carriers of spiritual will...

"Stop thinking about it!"

The older novice monk interrupted him.

"How could we, mere novice monks, possibly comprehend the experiment conducted by the Great Master?"

"Yes, just keep feeding Him."

The newcomer wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that the seniors were all reluctant to speak, he could only remain silent.

He turned his gaze to the wooden bucket in his hands.

There were still some remnants of what had been fed to the giants before, a strange substance that resembled ink.

It has the properties of a liquid, allowing it to flow down the stone trough and collect in the pool downstairs through a small channel.

Just then, he subconsciously looked ahead and was horrified to find that one after another, small black snakes were swimming in from the castle's covered bridge.

"Where did these snakes come from? There are so many of them!"

"Could it be that monsters have broken in?"

The other novice monks also witnessed this scene, and their expressions changed drastically.

"Oh no, the room where the giant black shadow is being held is right behind us. We have to block these monsters!"

"Guards! Guards!"

"All of you, come here right now and guard this covered bridge!"

Frost rays, acid splatter, burning hands...

Various minor spells were cast from their hands.

Those who are chosen from among the natives to become apprentice mages are mostly people with exceptional talent.

Their skills, comparable to those of a senior apprentice, enabled them to withstand the first wave of attacks from the monstrous snake.

But soon, more strange snakes came following the sound.

The monstrous snakes that had been killed earlier seemed to have been resurrected by some mysterious force. Even those that had been cut into pieces automatically split into smaller snakes, and their numbers suddenly increased dramatically.

Several novice monks immediately sought help.

Below the castle, other apprentice mages and guards were also alerted and joined the battle.

Even in a deep room, Archmage Freyor was disturbed. He interrupted his meditation and opened his eyes.

"What's all that noise?"

"Great master, a large swarm of snakes is attacking outside! Several novice mages have been killed or wounded!"

A crow flew in through the window and reported in a hoarse voice.

"Could it be those damned wizards?"

Freo's expression changed.

"It shouldn't be. I didn't sense any trace of human creation in it. It should be a monster born naturally."

"is it?"

Freo looked thoughtful.

"Could it be that another demonic calamity is about to strike?"

It’s really troublesome…”

He now knows that Nehebul, which he governs, has been attacked by wizards.

I was holding back, not rushing over, because of the magic project I was working on.

But I never expected to encounter something like this again.

******
Freo muttered to himself, but didn't pay much attention.

This raven is his magical pet, Zoniank. He shared much knowledge and wisdom with it using the power of magic, so the pet's judgment level is close to his own, and it's not so easy for it to make a mistake.

This is because man-made objects are easily distinguishable. No matter how skillful the technique, it will leave traces of human manipulation. Only the wonders of nature can create natural species.

"Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some truly masterful masters can achieve such a seamless effect using techniques similar to 'natural magic,' causing people to misjudge."

But that's a very low probability event.

The painstaking creation of these exquisite 'natural magic' artifacts is mostly for competitions, collections, and showing off skills...

Who would apply it to such a large-scale creation?

Even considering the costs alone, it's impossible to sustain!

The magical crow cawed twice, praising, "Master is wise!"

Freo said confidently, "So, it's still a creation of nature, still an ordinary demonic calamity."

Of course, it's also possible that one or two might be mixed in among hundreds or thousands of strange snakes...

But the effectiveness of that reconnaissance was uncontrollable.

The demonic crow cawed and laughed, "If I were an enemy, I wouldn't do such a pointless thing."

Relying on a 1% probability is not the behavior of a rational spellcaster; it's completely unreliable.

Freo nodded, secretly agreeing.

If it were a natural disaster in the surrounding area, the damage would not be as great as that caused by a level two wizard. I could easily resolve it with just a little effort.

He didn't even bother to glance at it more than a few times before it caused any real trouble.

"Call Remo, Andrew, and the others to handle this..."

Wait, there's no need for that.

Freo suddenly remembered that he had sent the two level-two mages to a valley hundreds of miles away to collect materials.

So he changed his order to: "Go to my storage room and get a few first and second grade scrolls, and distribute them to the apprentice monks."

The specific amount is up to you.

"Yes!"

The magical crow complied.

Soon after, the appointed trainee tore open the seal on the scroll.

In an instant, silvery-white lightning flashed, and the current, accompanied by a piercing buzzing sound, swept across the monster's body.

The first to suffer were the few strange snakes that charged at the front; they were instantly killed by the violent electric current.

The current continued to propel forward, leaping and conducting within the snake swarm.

One after another, the strange snakes were electrocuted into charcoal. Some of the larger snakes could still struggle a few times, but the current went straight through their scales and cooked their internal organs.

Smaller ones were instantly charred black, their scales shattered, and their flesh turned to ashes.

The electric current seemed to have a life of its own, constantly shuttling back and forth, branching out and converging.

It was clearly just a spell, but it seemed to come alive, as if it had its own life, and kept searching for its next target.

In just a few breaths, the entire area was covered with a web of interwoven lightning and charred snake carcasses.

The novice monks hid behind cover and smelled the strong acrid smell and ozone permeating the air.

The swarm of snakes that had been surging like a tide just moments before had now turned into a pile of charred remains, with only black smoke and residual electric currents leaping across the ground and making a crackling sound.

"Great!"

The novice monks were greatly encouraged and, with their guards, rushed forward and dealt with the strange snake on the other side as well.

Then, he happily picked up the snake carcass.

"What kind of breed is this? It's really strange..."

The young apprentice mage who had previously fed the giants also picked up a few as his own spoils.

On the edge of the battlefield, there were still quite a few snake carcasses that were well-preserved and in good condition.

"They're nothing more than shadow snakes; there are countless similar creatures in the shadow plane."

The companion next to him said indifferently.

"The snake's heart and gall bladder seem to be demonized organs!"

"Nice stuff..."

The others simply dissected it on the spot to study its internal structure.

Creatures in the Shadow Dimension are more materialistic than purely ghostly or nightmare-like beings.

Therefore, they are also flesh and blood, but they become ethereal due to the shadow energy when they activate their skills.

This allowed everyone to see their internal organs directly.

Some even casually use "identification techniques" to arrive at conclusions about complex structures such as Shadow Serpent genes, Ghost genes, Winged Night Shadow, and Feathered Serpent genes.

From any perspective, it is a fully formed Shadow Serpent branch of the monster race.

"It's possible that they naturally multiplied in the nearby forest."

Although our castle is surrounded by the Gobi Desert, their fast movement speed has prevented them from migrating here naturally.

"As for the deeper reason, it may be caused by the war in the material world."

Unbeknownst to the novice mages, the magical raven, standing above them, listened to their discussion and muttered to itself.

"The energy fluctuations caused by the fierce battle have affected this area to some extent..."

"I need to tell my master this reason right away and remind him to pay attention to the Shadow Fiend's condition..."

……

"I see.

Was Freo's project there to piece together and merge an accidentally discovered Shadow Fiend race, transform it into a giant Shadow Fiend, then obliterate its intelligence and create a puppet?

This doesn't seem to be an ordinary puppet, but rather something closer to an avatar...

He planned to inject his will into it, taking over its body in a manner similar to possession!

The Shadow Demon King created will be a Level 4 being, allowing him to seize this opportunity to acquire a Level 4 body and achieve a dual advancement in both his magical source and spiritual power!

At this moment, more than 100 miles outside the shadowy castle.

Roy leaned against a pile of strange rocks in the Gobi Desert, spending the night in silence in a small shelter formed by magical energy.

To avoid being detected by wide-range reconnaissance spells, and also to receive reconnaissance signals from those strange snakes, he didn't even use the mage's mansion.

Thanks to this "distributed rune array" application that differentiates the reconnaissance puppets and disguises them as demonized organs, he successfully planted his spies inside the castle to conduct reconnaissance without anyone noticing.

This is actually a "Trojan Horse" tactic, which is already cunning enough. It is even more difficult to withstand the incredible alchemical techniques and the application of "natural magic" is flawless.

With a two-pronged approach, even the most knowledgeable and experienced grandmaster was completely caught off guard.

He had anticipated the other party's prediction long ago.

The inclusion of 1‰ of creation is utterly meaningless.

The probability of successfully executing a Trojan horse plan is so small that it's impossible.

But what if they are all creations of "natural magic," all carefully disguised puppets, acting as one's eyes and ears?

Be prepared?

It's not that easy to guard against.

******
A week passed quickly.

With the help of the girl's skull, Roy continued to maintain a constant surveillance of the entire Shadow Castle.

The technique he is currently using is also a sophisticated method derived from rune arrays and the divine system within his alchemical practice.

Using [Natural Magic] as cover, and combining it with the reverse application of [Knowledge Container], he has brought many apprentices (trainee mages) in the Shadow Castle under his control.

Even the crucial Archmage Frey's raven pet was noticed.

During this period, several first-level and second-level mages also entered and exited the castle to carry out various tasks.

Roy then learned that Remogo, Andrew, and the others were actually Archmage Freo's true confidants, helping him carry out a top-secret plan inside this castle that even the Achinira were unaware of.

Creating level four monsters...

Shadow Fiend!

The plan itself does not actually involve any taboos; the key is the method of possession and advancement that follows, which involves the "soul-stealing technique."

This is undoubtedly a privilege that ordinary mages cannot possess.

The fact that Archmage Freyor was banished to this place shows that he was a marginalized figure in the high council, ostracized and unqualified to learn or understand.

But through his own means, and an opportunity he gained from an adventure in his youth, he has been secretly researching it ever since.

This is one of the reasons why they were disciplined and marginalized.

In the past, he had top-tier experts like teachers and deans protecting him, but after all the older generation of backers died and his former rival rose to become a legendary mage, he began to decline.

This is also the predicament of many older monks; their status is like rowing against the current—if they don't move forward, they fall behind.

"When he was young, he was a genius and a prodigy. When he was newly promoted to the first or second level, he was also protected by various powerful figures."

But once you reach level three, you should be providing shelter for others.

At this point, the competition will be even more brutal, with everyone sparing no expense to research various ways to improve.

This is also why Freo was marginalized, but not truly punished...

His resources were preserved: a 3000-year-old mage, various forbidden secret techniques, and a considerable amount of treasures.

However, it seems that all of that has been invested in this Shadow Fiend King project.

Even his closest confidants were complaining that if they couldn't advance to legendary status through His help in the end, they'd really be at a huge loss.

Although there is still a lot of information that he doesn't know, based on what he has pieced together so far, he has a general understanding of the background and consequences of Frey's research here.

If it were me, with the opportunity to advance to level four right in front of me, I wouldn't be so concerned about guarding Nihebul.

Even the previous instances of mages extorting and levying taxes were explained.

The reason is that what the superiors do, the subordinates follow.

Freo himself has been so busy upgrading that he hasn't been stationed properly in the mage tower for years. How can the mages who remain in power be expected to behave themselves?
After analyzing and organizing the intelligence he had gathered once again, Roy had made up his mind.

He put away the girl's skull that had helped with the analysis and immediately began his operation.

A hundred miles can pass in the blink of an eye.

Because he had already scattered the anchor points inside the castle, which was equivalent to having been there.

He immediately used "Teleportation" to arrive at one side and unleashed the level 2 spell "Higher Explosive Flame" granted by [True Dragon Wisdom].

This spell's inherent multiplier is not high, but given sufficient inherent strength, the spell model itself possesses destructive power that is considered overpowered, and it even has the characteristics of a city-wide attack.

Boom!

As the giant fireball rose, a large hole was indeed opened in the castle wall.

Freo was instantly awakened, and then "Dimensional Jump" appeared at lightning speed.

"who?

How dare you be so insolent here!

His eyes flashed with shock and anger, and in an instant he thought of the unfavorable situation at the mage tower, the betrayal of his mages or the native nobles, and so on.

But what greeted him was a colossal fireball, carrying energy up to 3 degrees Celsius, with terrifying power comparable to a nuclear bomb.

The 8th Ring spell "Solar Blast"!
After advancing to the fourth level, Roy's understanding of various spell models improved further, and he could use them with ease in actual combat.

He mobilized over 1000 degrees of his spirit and enhanced his spellcasting rate by dozens of times, which can be described as a miracle of sheer force.

It just smashed down in a simple and unadorned way.

As Freo, filled with fear, chose to unleash a "Mage Disintegrate" spell from his magical equipment to shatter it, a second, equally advanced spell was cast instantly.

This time, the multiplier has been reduced significantly.

Just like a martial artist cannot unleash multiple powerful attacks at once; they need to regulate their breathing.

It takes a lot of mental energy for a monk to perform spells one after another.

However, it still possessed terrifying power exceeding ten thousand degrees, and it bypassed the attack range of "Mage Disintegration Spell".

Freo had no choice but to activate his energy shield and adjust his position, opting to take the hit head-on.

Because behind him lies the room where the Shadow Fiend King is imprisoned, a crucial point for advancement, and must be protected!
Little did they know, Roy had meticulously calculated everything from the moment he made his move, the angle of his attack, and the manner of his strike.

He actually teleported himself to Freo's side using a "dimensional jump".

Chakra Martial Arts...

Harmony between humanity and nature...

Magic Burst Fist!
While preparing to strike, the "Furni Resonance Stone," which records the "time stop," is activated once again!
He had only managed to acquire three of these precious items before.

To deal with the Pope of the Temple, King Leot VIII, who could summon the Holy Light Messenger "Harry Leot", used one for the same purpose: to instantly stop time!

In an instant, through the effects of the spell, he summoned the Valkyrie Valkyrie, imbuing himself with her heroic spirit energy.

The Golden Dragon incarnation itself possesses the blessing of the Sage's Gem, which is formed from the Sage's Proverb, and originally had the peak of the third level.

This was unprecedentedly powerful, instantly reaching the limit of 9999 degrees in the material world.

The extra power violently shook the void of the shadow plane, and to some extent, even stretched this plane, which possessed a certain spiritual nature, to its limits.

His energy crossed the limit, instantly breaking through to over 11000 degrees!

Then, a barrage of fist shadows swept in, carrying the special attack effect of [Violent Aesthetics] against magical equipment.

When an item is destroyed, the corresponding ability level increases by 2!

After the time-stopping effect wore off, everything around seemed to speed up a thousandfold.

The old mage's clothes were torn, his staff broke, his crown fell off, and even his bracelets and the magic rings on his fingers snapped off.

The energy shield was breached instantly.

At the same time, a huge fireball crashed down, engulfing both of them in a fierce burst of flames, indiscriminately attacking friend and foe alike!

(End of this chapter)