Chapter 1126: Vulnerable Flesh

It was hard to say whether such a being could still be considered human. The Daoists favored blood mutation, while the Arcane Council preferred mechanical transformation, as they believed that flesh was vulnerable and machines were superior.

Inside the captain’s body was a crystalline core connected to all the metallic wires that were flexible. Their surfaces were etched with delicate arcane sigils. The metal tubes pulsed and swelled, then contracted back to their original thickness. As the steam circulated throughout his body, the gears spun faster, and the pistons pumped more rapidly.

Three spherical cores were embedded along his spine, rotating in shifting patterns—up and down, side to side, diagonal, then chaotically. It functioned like the Martial Arts Practitioner’s body spirits or a Qi Refiner’s Dantians, supplying him with power.

Flames spewed from the captain’s eyes and mouth, while white steam jetted from his ears and nostrils.

His entire frame swelled visibly. His already burly body expanded to nearly 5 meters tall, like an ancient Great Witch.

Without his sword, he simply turned his prosthetic arms into weapons. His five fingers extended and ejected sharp blades before enlarging into massive steel claws. White steam leaked from each joint as he lunged at Qin Hengjun.

Qin Hengjun swept his spear horizontally to block the claw.

The captain clamped the spear’s midsection with his steel claw, immobilizing it. Immediately after, a gun barrel popped out from the back of his metallic hand. It was glowing with flames deep within.

Westerners seldom used bullets, but that did not mean they lacked firearms that could fire them.

In the next instant, the rear of the barrel erupted in a burst of fire and smoke.

Almost simultaneously, the experienced Qin Hengjun jerked his head aside.

The bullet scraped past the rim of his helmet, creating a trail of bright sparks.

However, it had been a triple-shot. Two more bullets struck the left and right of Qin Hengjun’s chest.

As the Deputy Protector of the Nanting Protectorate and a member of the royal family, Qin Hengjun wore exceptional armor. Thus, the two bullets failed to penetrate, leaving only deep dents in the metal.

Qin Hengjun released his spear. Behind him, a Dragon Tail from the Manly Immortal Hundred Forms. With a sweeping lash, he knocked the captain down. His body spirits flared as he stomped down toward the captain’s chest.

The captain ignored all semblance of dignity and rolled clumsily like a dugong, barely dodging the attack.

That stomp was so forceful it punched a crater into the deck, making the entire ship shudder thrice. The floor tilted visibly.

The captain stood up. The tobacco pipe in his mouth was long gone. The metal tube in his left prosthetic leg swelled and contracted violently before he lunged at and kicked Qin Hengjun.

Qin Hengjun manifested the Kui Hoof of the Manly Immortal Hundred Forms and counter-kicked the captain. His armor, which was as fluid as water, shifted effortlessly with his shape.

Their kicks collided head-on. Qin Hengjun’s leg snapped from the impact, sending him staggering to one knee.

Though the captain held the advantage, several of the swelling-and-contracting metal tubes overloaded and burst, spewing thick white steam. This was no ordinary steam. It carried immense force and extreme heat.

A nearby Westerner without armor accidentally brushed a wisp of it, and his skin peeled instantly.

Qin Hengjun let out a grunt and pressed on his broken leg. His bone healed almost instantly, allowing him to stand up again.

The captain glanced down at the snapped metal tubes, unable to repair them.

In prolonged combat, few could match a Martial Arts Practitioner.

Trading injury for injury was a Martial Arts Practitioner’s way of combat. Thus, what looked like a loss for Qin Hengjun was actually to his advantage in the long run.

Qin Hengjun manifested Phoenix Wings and soared upward before diving straight down toward the captain, who raised his prosthetic arm to block.

In the next moment, Qin Hengjun’s Dragon Claw smashed into the prosthetic limb, gripping it with unbelievable force until a dent in the shape of a claw appeared.

After a brief stalemate, the captain was clearly being pushed into a disadvantage.

Qin Hengjun shifted fluidly through the Manly Immortal Hundred Forms, while the captain had only two prosthetic limbs. Though his artificial eye allowed him to predict some attacks, his half-mechanical body could not keep up. Qin Hengjun left multiple wounds on him.

Gears and small components fell from the captain’s body, and steam spewed from the ruptured joints.

The captain was not the only one in this sorry state. The other Western soldiers were also beaten into retreat.

Defeat was imminent.

Qin Hengjun struck again, his body spirits punching in unison. The force rippled violently as it hit the captain square in the chest, making him cough. However, what came out was not blood but red flames and white steam.

At first, Qin Hengjun was not sure what tricks this Westerner had, so he held back. Now that he knew the man had no further means of resistance, he unleashed his full strength and quickly held the upper hand. If not for the strange Arcane Alchemy, the captain would have been beaten to death long ago.

Forced into a corner, the captain pushed his core even harder. The gears and pistons within him whirred faster and faster. He then roared in Lunic, “Gospel of Steam!”

Soon, divine markings began appearing on his forehead.

These divine markings were the Holy Court’s methods, somewhat similar to Daoist talismans. However, Daoist talismans used external mediums like paper, while divine markings used the human body itself, like the totemic tattoos used by the Ancient Wuists.

The markings spread across the captain’s forehead and cheeks in incomprehensible script and diagrams. Every stroke was like a tiny etched channel into which radiant power flowed and lit them from within.

With the divine markings manifesting, the captain’s body expanded again, reaching nearly 6 meters tall. The Arcane Alchemy differed from normal machinery because it was “alive.” His prosthetics grew with him. But the cost was immense. His gears strained under the load, groaning like cracking bone, and steam leaked from every joint, like blood from pores.

Qin Hengjun was unfazed, for he could grow in size as well.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Though Qin Hengjun had an incomplete Manly Immortal True Form, he grew to match the captain’s height and manifested three heads and six arms. The beauty of the Armor Pellet was its fluidity, allowing it to expand with him, even covering the extra heads and limbs.

Fortunately, the Western ship was big enough to accommodate two 6-meter giants. In fact, the deck was still not overly cramped.

The two giants collided with a thunderous crash, grappling fiercely. Qin Hengjun’s extra arms pummeled the captain, doing little visible harm but greatly increasing the strain on the captain’s overloaded body.

Qin Hengjun’s strikes grew faster and faster, forcing the captain back step by step.

At this time, Li Zhuyu floated down from the flying ship and called out, “Deputy Protector Qin, leave him alive!”

Qin Hengjun was just about to respond when the captain suddenly froze. Steam hissed from all over his body. Worse still, flames were emerging from within, growing larger by the second.

Qin Hengjun said awkwardly, “Seems a bit too late now...”

Li Zhuyu shot him a fierce glare.

The Qin and Li families had been connected by marriage since the Holy Xuan’s generation. The Holy Xuan was a Li, and his wife came from the Qin family. Even the current Empress was from the Li family. With so many generations of intermarriage, Qin Hengjun and Li Zhuyu could be considered distant relatives. Thus, their relationship was different from others.

“It’s going to blow!” Qin Hengjun shouted, and everyone scattered at once.

The captain’s orifices were spewing fire. Flames raged across his body as his prosthetic limbs exploded. Springs, gears, and shards of metal flew off in all directions.

At last, the captain’s body could no longer bear the load of the Arcane Alchemy. His body swelled uncontrollably, unable to maintain a humanoid form. His muscles ballooned wildly. His blood vessels and metal tubes were entangled like giant serpents. Gears and metal parts still clung stubbornly to his flesh.

In an instant, the captain became a mound of meat pulp.

At the summit of this mound sat a crystalline core, shining with blinding radiance, before it exploded.

The Western ship split cleanly in half from the blast and began to sink.

Li Zhuyu and Qin Hengjun flew upward, while the Spirit Guards and Black Robes who could not fly leaped into the sea below.

Li Zhuyu scolded, “Look what you’ve done!”

Qin Hengjun coughed lightly. “Who knew these things would explode?”

Li Zhuyu could not be bothered to argue further. She ordered the flying ship to descend. After all, all flying ships could function as an ordinary sea vessel as well. She had kept a reserve team of Spirit Guards onboard for emergencies. Now, they had to swoop in to capture the Western soldiers who were already in complete disarray.

They were close to Lion City’s waters, so the Black Robes’ fleet soon arrived to help rescue the fallen Spirit Guards and Black Robes from the sea.

Overall, the operation was quite successful, catching the enemy off guard. Moreover, with their numerical advantage, their losses were small.

The Westerners were nearly wiped out. The only pity was that their leader died. The captain would have been an invaluable captive.

Thus, they could only hope that someone else of value on the ship had survived the explosion. After all, not everyone aboard could be a combatant. Surely, there were advisors or planners among them.