Wizard Alchemist

Chapter 804 A Huge Victory (4-in-1)

"It actually worked..."

Unlike the shock of the others, Zoannick was furious.

Roy was completely calm at that moment.

His soul resided in the sea of ​​stars, but his consciousness entered an indescribably vast body.

This body has no senses like those of a normal living being, nor does it have internal organs, nerves, or flesh and blood, as all other things that a normal living being should possess.

Instead, there is the negative energy of shadows and the natural magic that permeates the world.

When these things are mixed together and condensed, they form a strange substance that resembles a shadow.

It sometimes takes the form of ethereal light and shadow, and sometimes it is like a cloud of smoke, then it gradually turns into a liquid and crystallizes into a solid.

All of this seemed to change according to one's will, and appeared naturally.

Roy has undergone several body changes in the past, and even had his soul inhabit a gem, which significantly altered his life form.

So, I adapted very quickly.

Only then did he realize that, in addition to the important information he had seen with the Eye of Hermes, this Shadow Demon King held many more secrets.

The current form of smoke is one of them.

"It seems to be able to spread up to 1000 times...spreading tens of thousands of meters in the form of light and shadow."

However, in that case, the mental energy would be scattered, and the only thing that could be displayed would be the average strength of level zero.

The smoke-like form is several kilometers in size and exhibits a secondary intensity of around 100 degrees.

Similarly, in liquefaction form, the scale is slightly smaller, ranging from several hundred meters, exhibiting a third-level intensity of 1000 degrees Celsius…

Then, a semi-liquid, semi-solid mixture, spanning tens of meters in size...

Only when the core condenses, containing a core of tens of thousands of degrees, can it exhibit its full level four strength!

In general, with the same amount of spiritual and soul energy, the fatter you are, the weaker you are, and it is inversely proportional to your body size.

However, the range of power is directly proportional to the scale of the spell!

Roy glanced at the mage tower floating in the air, then suddenly mobilized his magic, and huge tentacles appeared in the air.

This was transformed from the shadow energy empowered by "Activation," and combined with the Shadow Fiend's own talent, it activated "Shadow Bind."

The mage tower trembled, and its shadow on the ground was bound by a terrifying energy.

This move can use the laws of the shadow plane to entangle and bind the enemy, but it does not directly attack the main body; instead, it manipulates the shadow!

"Oh no, our mobility is restricted!"

"The mage tower's normal movement methods have been restricted..."

The surroundings are filled with negative energy!

In the command center, everyone felt a little flustered.

The tower spirit explained, "It's shadow energy..."

The shadow energy is using the laws of the shadow plane to bind this tower!

"Attack His true form!"

A monk gave the order.

Soon, the operating instructions were conveyed.

Several level-two attack spells, each with a power of several thousand degrees, crashed down on the Shadow Demon King.

Roy remained calm, letting the energy-constructing spells fall on his new form.

Something strange happened.

These spells completely nullify any physical attacks they carry.

Those sharp peaks, shockwaves, and the impact of falling meteorites vanished completely, like mud oxen entering the sea.

The only thing that has a slight effect is the elemental damage inherent in the spell itself.

The damage output of a spell is determined by the model, but in addition, the surrounding environment and other factors may also bring about a chain reaction.

For example, a spell called "Meteor Spell" is formed by magical energy and possesses different types and attributes of attacks, such as physical attacks and fire damage.

The Shadow Fiend King's body is completely immune to physical attacks, negative energy attacks, and various other magical attacks that ordinary Shadow Fiends cannot be immune to...

The magical attacks mentioned here refer to pure energy types; those tainted with positive or negative energy do not count.

The only thing that cannot be completely immune is elemental damage, especially fire and light elements, which are enough to cause targeted damage amplification effects.

Even so, the mage tower's attack was originally supposed to have thousands of degrees of power, and the continuous bombardment would have been enough to severely damage an ordinary level three golem.

When it actually falls, it feels like a gentle breeze.

Roy only felt some fire elemental energy burning his body, which was made up of shadow energy, before it was quickly extinguished.

"This avatar isn't very vulnerable to physical attacks or evocation-based magical attacks..."

Combining the information he had gathered earlier, Roy immediately understood.

Having confirmed this, he then activated another soul talent possessed by the Shadow Fiend King.

"Shadow Stealth"!
Unlike the advanced skills acquired before, this soul talent is rooted deep within the soul, making it more intuitive and responsive.

Like breathing, heartbeat, or even the reproductive instinct of being a golden dragon, this stealth method was achieved naturally with just a thought.

Roy felt everything around him dim, as if he had submerged in water, surrounded by cold air and reduced visibility.

He subconsciously took a step forward, his body floating like a ghost.

Roy was surprised to find that the body of the Shadow Fiend he was riding had merged with the mage tower.

He himself was like a black flame, enveloping the entire metal tower.

Energy radiated from the metal tower, piercing the surrounding spiritual entities like sharp blades.

This gave Roy a slight, tingling sensation from the depths of his soul, somewhat like the planetary will of the material plane resisting him.

However, while the Shadow Fiend's physical body possessed an immense spiritual scale, the metal tower itself was far from possessing the scale of a planetary will.

"It's not a big problem..."

With that thought in mind, Roy turned his attention inward.

A distinct sense of obstruction emanated from the tower itself; it was a sturdy fortress forged from magical metal, boasting not only formidable physical strength but also exceptional magical defense.

However, with a little force, one of the arms was able to be inserted.

Inside the mage tower, alarms blared continuously, filling everyone with fear and confusion.

Because from within their fortified stronghold, a monster as black as ink had emerged.

Threads of black matter, resembling hair or long snakes, extended out, roaming everywhere, hunting living creatures, and causing immense destruction.

Roy could clearly feel his will attached to it, splitting into many smaller entities.

This was an experience that no flesh-and-blood person had ever had before, and for a moment it felt strangely novel and interesting.

Taking this opportunity, he activated the "Shadow Blade" ability, emerging from all sorts of unbelievable places to launch attacks.

Most enemies are unprepared for this; their various magical equipment and energy barriers are not just "like paper," they are practically just a layer of air, completely useless.

Screams rose and fell, and several areas quickly descended into chaos.

******
"So that's how monsters use various methods to attack..."

"Soul talent is truly peculiar!"

Roy controlled the tentacles that had invaded his body, feeling that the "animation technique" he had previously mastered was being manifested almost perfectly on them.

The characteristics of shadow energy, combined with the various transformations and disturbances of negative energy, successfully brought out the full potential of this sorcery.

However, his ease with which he succeeded also aroused some doubt in him.

"The mage tower shouldn't be this fragile..."

"Negative Energy Shield! Why isn't the negative energy shield activated? Activate it now!"

"Damn it, what are the defense departments doing? Why aren't they activating their shields in wartime?"

Panic gripped the command center.

Soon after, someone reported, "It can't be opened!"

"The specific protection procedures seem to be locked..."

"Generating a negative energy shield requires a large number of psionic magic crystals, but the warehouse doesn't have any..."

"Someone tampered with the accounts..."

In the command room, everyone turned their heads to look to one side.

The silence of the raven Zoniank at this moment was as noisy as shouting.

"Great Master..."

"Those strategic reserve materials were misappropriated!"

Despair filled everyone's hearts.

However, the doubts were quickly resolved.

He was conducting related experiments, which naturally required a large amount of these supplies.

Under normal circumstances, if there is an invasion of energy from the shadow plane, attacks from various monsters would become food for the Shadow Fiend King.

With such a powerful level four monster guarding this place, ordinary monsters from the Shadow Dimension cannot pose a threat to the Mage Tower.

Furthermore, the mage tower itself has a good energy shield, and other types of shields are not very effective against shadow-like creatures...

However, it wasn't entirely ineffective.

Ordinary level one or two monsters, or even slightly weaker level three monsters, cannot possibly shake this mage tower.

Unless, of course, the worst-case scenario occurs.

Level 4 Shadow Creatures are attacking!
Even with the most rational analytical model, it's obvious that this is a very low-probability event, and there's no need to worry about it too much.

But I never expected...

It really happened!

At the critical moment, the Tower Spirit suggested, "Activate 'Mind Blast' to break free from the restraints, and then use 'Interdimensional Teleportation' to escape the battlefield!"
For safety's sake, this time we must escape far enough away, completely away from this star system!

"What? There's still a chance to escape?"

In their despair, the crowd seemed to grasp at a glimmer of hope.

As is well known, the energy consumed by a mage tower to activate "interdimensional teleportation" is many times that of an ordinary mage.

Because it needs to contain the entire legion within its body at all times, almost every use of it will deplete the entire tower's existing energy.

Especially when launching interdimensional wars, full-strength legions are on standby.

"The troops had already been dispersed before."

Furthermore, the garrison corps is not at full strength.

"That's what the tower spirit explained."

"Therefore, the actual usable number is 2 'Interdimensional Teleports'!"

Okay, okay, as long as you steal enough oil, the car will become lighter and run faster, right?
What kind of fuel dynamics is this?!
"Start it now!"

Everyone was talking about it.

The one who can truly make decisions now is Zonianke, the magical pet representing Archmage Freo.

In its hesitation and wavering, it was persuaded by the tower spirit.

It knew that the Tower Spirit's primary goal was to preserve the Empire's assets and to give an account to Achinila.

But in an instant, she realized that this would nail her master to the pillar of shame, from which he would never be able to get down.

Initiating the teleportation is tantamount to declaring failure!
He will not escape the subsequent trial either!
"No, absolutely not!"

How could we possibly flee without a fight?
The mages of the Empire should perish with the Mage Tower!

Its superior intelligence allows it to use flattery and sophistry to distort the truth.

At this moment, retreat would have been the wisest course of action, but in its words, it immediately came across as cowardly.

In that instant, an evil thought arose, and it discovered a way to cover up everything that had happened here and to protect the reputation of its master, both before and after his death.

Legion...

As long as the entire legion is wiped out, no one will be able to find out what happened here.

No one could catch the master embezzling, conducting illegal experiments, and arbitrarily activating the mage tower!
nobody!
At crucial moments, a single thought can determine many things.

Zoniank's strong opposition firmly restrained the Tower Spirit.

Without direct instructions from the Legion, the Tower Spirit could only say, "I suggest requesting remote command..."

Contacting Achinila!

As a result, Zonianke contacted Roy, who was invading the mage tower.

A faint sound rang out.

"My lord wizard, let's make a deal."

Hearing this hoarse yet calm voice, Roy was slightly puzzled.

After hearing the other party's self-introduction and the evil plan, they were even more shocked.

"What? You're going to give me this mage tower in exchange for a vow of eternal secrecy?"

"That's right, as long as you can keep this enemy a secret... and even praise him from the enemy's perspective!"

Everyone would assume that my master died fighting.

If given the chance, I might even try to plan a way to bring him back to life and start over!
Consider this: which is more important to you—a mage who is insignificant, or a mage tower that is the pinnacle of arcane engineering?

"Of course, it's the Mage Tower!"

Roy knew perfectly well what the other party intended, but he still gave his answer without hesitation.

"Alright, I'll activate teleportation later to completely deplete the mage tower's energy..."

Make sure to block remote communication and prevent the Tower Spirit from transmitting the live feed from here back to Achinila!
There are also various possible follow-up broadcasts…

The crow spoke calmly yet frantically.

"What a terrible guy, disregarding the bigger picture for his own selfish gain..."

However, the old monk had reached the end of his life...

It wouldn't be surprising if they did something crazy.

If we can get through this hurdle, there is even a slim chance of resurrection ahead.

Find a way to advance to Legendary...

He was still a radiant and extraordinary figure!

Even Roy, who had already been promoted to a high wizard, was shocked by this "supreme evil" hidden deep in the human soul.

This is the divinity of lawful evil, where everything revolves around selfishness.

"I sincerely suggest you give up on trying to resurrect your master. Go reincarnate in hell as a devil, and you might just make a name for yourself there."

Roy really wanted to say that to it.

But he didn't say it.

He feared that he might inspire the other party and create a terrible enemy.

Some ingrained ways of thinking are hard to break free from, even if you're obsessed with the idea of ​​reviving them.

******
The dirty deal was quickly struck.

Amidst the frustration, anger, and confusion felt by everyone in the command room, Zonianke began issuing all sorts of nonsensical commands.

It intends to sacrifice this mage tower, sell it to a wizard, and exchange it for its master's benefit.

Therefore, they precisely targeted the tower spirit's vital points, doing their utmost to prevent any chance of escape.

Under the pretext of probing the enemy's weaknesses, it sent out many of the tower's defensive forces, exposing them to dangerous external environments.

The area that had already been conquered by Roy's shadow tentacles was not an important place to begin with, yet they insisted on exploring it again.

And so, something utterly worthless was wasted once again.

By the time the people in the command center had recovered slightly from the chaos and began to question things, it was already too late. Roy's shadowy tentacles, guided by Zoannick, had already reached out.

He was risking having his hand cut off.

But it led to a major breakthrough.

Unprecedentedly, in a real combat situation, they directly stormed into the command center of the central area.

The pitch-black tentacles, carrying terrifying negative energy, rushed in and killed one mage after another who were stationed there.

These mages, the only ones who had a chance to turn the tide and change the course of the battle, were completely sold out before they could even use their intelligence and various spells.

The tower spirit, unable to act alone, attempted to teleport by force, no longer waiting for instructions.

But Zonianck preemptively launched another reckless attack.

The mage tower's figure flickered and then jumped in place.

then……

There's no after that.

With energy depleted and more protective shields shutting down completely, there was no longer any chance of escape.

Outside, Melas and the others watched in shock as Roy, transformed into the Shadow Demon King, shrank and condensed into a physical form over 300 meters tall, completely trapping the mage tower with a "grab".

Gradually, the dark shadow disappeared, completely disappearing into the projection below, entering its body in a bizarre way.

Inside the mage tower, a dark and terrifying atmosphere permeated every corner.

"Om..."

After the strange noise, all life and souls except for the Tower Spirit and Zonianke fell into a deathly silence.

……

"I have failed. I will fulfill my final duty, remain at my post, and protect the secrets..."

The Tower Spirit clearly perceived all of this, but as an artificial intelligence, it remained unmoved, muttering to itself.

Its wisdom is sufficient to fully understand all of this and clearly know the cause and effect of the whole matter.

Even those who didn't understand before, after analyzing it now, immediately know that it was Zonyank, the mole, who was causing trouble.

I'm going to reformat you!

In the void, Roy's eyes shone brightly.

Golden rays of light, like beams, pierced through the sky and shone in.

The terrifying energy instantly annihilated the opponent.

The tower spirit simply vanished quietly.

On the other side, Zonianke's figure appeared, as a ghostly figure, quietly awaiting the judgment of fate.

The dirty deal it made with Roy in the rush was not enough to restrain the other party.

This was actually a huge gamble, betting that Roy would keep his promise and let him go.

Only in this way could he have a chance to escape, return to Achinila, and seek other opportunities.

“You’ve won, wizard. Now, you have the right to decide everything…”

Roy thought for a moment, then activated "Interdimensional Summoning" to summon his magical pet, the black cat Domi, who was in a state of shock.

"Meow?"

"Domi, remember this crow well. Its name is Zonianke!"

Then, it was enveloped in spiritual energy and thrown out.

He did not kill the other person, but truly kept his promise and released him.

In any case, I've already made a profit this time.

There's no need to kill it anymore.

From a somewhat shady and despicable perspective, even letting it go back and putting on a good show would better suit one's own and the wizard Vizel's interests.

He decided to report this to the league and even try to actually revive him, help him get promoted, and plan for the future!

"Meow? Master, what happened? Why were you summoned here?"

Upon arriving in this unfamiliar place, Domi was a little flustered and quickly asked for directions.

It's still completely bewildered.

They're way behind other people's pets!

Roy used telepathy to briefly explain the whole story, while simultaneously summoning Freya, Nisa, and the others to quickly resolve the battle outside and then help them claim the spoils of victory.

……

"Oh, such a thing actually happened?"

"Loyal magical pets are willing to betray their faction and everything for their master..."

"This is absolutely terrible."

However, from Freo's own perspective, he was incredibly lucky!

Soon, the followers arrived and learned the whole story.

While they were excited, they couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Among all the followers, perhaps only Artedia possessed such loyalty and willpower.

She was loyal, but lacked the ability and decisiveness to do so.

Domi the black cat stood upright, holding his hands as if deep in thought.

"What Master means is that I should learn from him, meow!"

Soon, simple results came together.

Apart from the few arcane police sent out to fight, this mage tower houses an entire mage legion.

A large number of military weapons, supplies, experimental items, and personal belongings were preserved intact.

However, the stock of various supplies is somewhat limited.

It's possible that there were too many deficits in the past, and even the organizational structure of the mage corps is suspected of being inflated.

The numbers don't match, and the levels and strengths don't match either...

"They should be with the mercenary group. I heard that beforehand, and some of them with connections may have already run away."

"No wonder those three mercenary groups obeyed orders and participated in the war..."

They originally made their living from the mage tower and also had a legion structure.

But now, if they found out that even the mage towers had been confiscated, I really don't know what would happen.

"What else can we do?"
Of course, they scattered in all directions.

The conversation was quite relaxed.

Even with a deficit, the amount of weaponry, supplies, and knowledge reserves that could arm an entire mage corps would still be considerable.

This is far beyond what can be compared to billions or tens of billions.

Even with money, you can't buy all the equipment needed to arm your subordinates.

Therefore, there is a limit to how low the returns can be.

But the upper limit is infinite.

This immediately changed the landscape, and it's even possible that this gain could solidify the victory in the territorial war.

Then, it's a snowball effect...

Sure enough, they quickly confirmed that the wealth was enough to arm a legion of several hundred people, including second-level and first-level mages in a pyramid-structured formation.

This corresponds to the wizard.

******
Shortly after, in the command center.

A discovered staff floated on the conference table, its exquisite shape combining the mysterious beauty of arcane runes with the precision of industrial products.

This is a fairly typical item among the loot: standard equipment for Legion Mages.

"Legion Staff - Lightning (Level 2)..."

The energy-storing staffs mass-produced by Achinira's magical industry, with high-energy magic crystals made into rechargeable models, and simplified spell models...

Special Effect 1: "Powerful Lightning Bolt," an attack spell with a level 2 enhancement model, 33/33 charge...

Charged weapons are not an unfamiliar concept to spellcasters.

Even from the very beginning, ancient wands were powered by energy.

The effect it achieves is like a firearm: pre-loaded with bullets and gunpowder, then pulled the trigger, and with a bang, it's fired!

Therefore, theoretically speaking, this is also a kind of "spellcasting tool" item, existing in the same ecological niche as items such as spell scrolls, and the regular army of the Arcane Empire would purchase and equip it in large quantities.

However, it achieved the "powerful lightning beam" of the second-level enhancement model...

It is still relatively rare.

This is a heavily modified version of the first-level weapon, which greatly increases power and range while still maintaining instantaneous firing.

In high spirits, Roy also gave everyone a brief overview of the knowledge.

It turns out that this was far more than just a technological invention; it also involved the political system of the Arcane Empire and the numerous interests of the Mage Council.

Just like a heavy crossbow, pulling the trigger can fire a sharp arrow and kill an ordinary knight...

This is truly terrifying for those who are determined to control the path to advancement and maintain their privileges.

It's far more than just a simple upgrade from level one to level two; it also symbolizes the rise of the artisan class and research talents, while simultaneously marking the decline of battle mages.

It took two industrial revolutions in the arcane world to successfully defeat the opposing forces and vigorously develop these things.

"We'd better develop this kind of thing ourselves and build an elite wizard legion."

As a superior product of arcane industry, it was difficult for even the skilled alchemist Roy to improve upon.

Therefore, he is now focusing more on counterfeiting and imitation, fully absorbing the knowledge contained in these items.

Fortunately, there's reverse engineering...

Just then, the girl's skull floated over, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

"I just tried to take over the mage tower's internal database, but I failed."

Many things are unbreakable…

"Even though its intelligence has been erased, the spirit of this mage tower is still holding fast to its post, faithfully fulfilling its duties through a combination of hardware and software."

This is indeed far more reliable than the existence of living, intelligent life.

Roy's voice rang out from inside the tower, showing no surprise at all.

Under normal circumstances, taking over a mage tower and occupying its entirety is not so simple.

If it weren't for Zonyank's betrayal, I wouldn't have had a chance at all.

Roy did try to get Zonianke to hand over these things to him.

But Zonianke said there was nothing he could do about it.

Because many things in the Mage Tower are designed to match the tower spirit.

Command center, training room, storage warehouse, living quarters, armory...

Each region also has its own hierarchical access control.

It's really not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Even the tower spirits have to cooperate with the troops stationed here to manage the area effectively.

"So what should we do now?"
The loss of contact with the Mage Tower will surely attract the attention of the Yachinila authorities.

There was also the forced relocation earlier...

Perhaps the legendary mages of Achinila have already set out and are on their way here.

Nisha asked.

"Yes, capturing the enemy's mage tower is a major victory."

However, if this slows down their progress, and a large number of people and resources are concentrated here, they may still fail to prevent the legendary mage's surprise attack.

That still means you could easily hand over the fruits of victory you've already gained.

Freya also said.

She couldn't help but worry that Zonianke had anticipated this and was planning a comeback.

“It doesn’t matter. I will try to reshape a tower spirit in my own way and take full control of this mage tower.”

Roy said.

He thought of everything they thought of.

The difference is that he is now a fourth-level archmage and has absolute confidence in his strength.

"You can even refine tower spirits?"

Freya exclaimed in surprise.

"This thing is the culmination of Arcane Industry's wisdom, and also one of the ultimate symbols of artificial intelligence..."

The practice of having a half-living simulated soul take over the entire mage tower as a tower spirit is a popular method in the Achinila realm.

In this field, mages far surpass wizards.

Wizards are skilled in other areas, such as bloodline magic, necromancy, curses, and arcane arts.

"When I was still a first-level wizard, I followed my teacher to conquer the mage tower. After that, we captured the star gate and the war fortress..."

I happen to know a little about it.

Roy gave a vague response.

In fact, all his confidence stemmed from his alchemical talent.

Bronze-grade formula, Spirit of the Fortress, with a spiritual composition ratio of 5.3728% bestiality, 49.6351% humanity, and 44.9921% divinity...

This was a knowledge base he had acquired long ago.

After so many years of development, even the wizarding level has been raised to level four, but it has not yet been truly put into practice.

There is only one reason: he does not yet have a mage tower, nor the necessary hardware to build such a facility.

Only now have I finally had the chance to give it a try.

"However, collecting materials and preparing for the ceremony is just too slow..."

Is there enough time?

Freya knew something about this to some extent.

The others nodded in agreement.

Even if he had a way, creating a tower spirit wouldn't be so easy.

Without sufficient materials, and with enough time and energy, how can one refine it?
"We can make use of the tower spirits we eliminated earlier..."

I enveloped this mage tower as the Shadow Fiend King from beginning to end, and my spirituality did not dissipate.

I can use my methods to reformat it and then fill it with my own custom consciousness.

Roy replied calmly as well.

He had already planned it out beforehand.

In the dimly lit command room, the girl's skull suddenly emitted a bright light.

That fragment that was Celine's consciousness was the best material at this moment.

Roy focused his attention on it, and the next moment, as if an invisible ghost was manipulating it, a door to a room not far away opened.

"Fria, prepare the following materials for me. I will personally construct the magic circle to begin the 'Tower Spirit Forging'!"

"Yes!"

Freya agreed with a touch of excitement.

(End of this chapter)