Chapter 1069: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Sein’s five Penetrating Eye spells tore through the three diamond-shaped fireballs Gondrath had launched.

This was a clear sign that Sein’s magic was stronger than Gondrath’s divine artifact.

However, by the time the spells reached their target, their momentum had faded. They only managed to shatter two of the shields protecting Gondrath.

The ruby ring on his finger shimmered again, and in the next instant, the broken shields regenerated.

At the same time, three more diamond-shaped fireballs materialized in response.

This was the first opponent Sein had ever faced who fought almost entirely by relying on equipment.

And he had to admit—when pushed to the extreme, any path could become powerful.

Gondrath might not have been a seasoned combatant, but his mastery of divine artifact creation made him a serious threat to anyone on his level.

In addition to the ring, Gondrath activated the wrench-like divine artifact in his hand.

A massive wave of repelling force erupted, slamming into Sein and halting his charge, even while he was in his Flame Demon form.

Immediately after, Gondrath tossed out hundreds of gear-shaped gadgets.

Each one, infused with his divine power, transformed into a combat golem in seconds.

Unlike the slower wooden golems that maintained the underwater mechanical city, these were clearly designed for battle.

Most had pedal-like feet and rushed toward Sein.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A few took to the skies, equipped with sleek, aerodynamic wings modeled after birds, crafted for both flight and speed.

For a God of Craft, Gondrath also appeared to be an excellent observer of nature.

The wrench itself did not seem like a weapon, but it delivered enough force to disrupt Sein’s movement—at least temporarily.

However, as Sein fully embraced his Flame Demon form and his power ramped up, the wrench’s repulsive force began to diminish.

Since Gondrath was not a fighter, the divine artifacts he crafted for himself were naturally not made purely for combat.

Just as an alchemist understood which tools suited them best, Gondrath knew exactly what kind of divine artifacts were most effective for himself.

Under his precise control, he pointed the wrench forward—and the towering demigod-level golem charged at Sein, its massive steps shaking the lakebed.

It was definitely not some clunky, lumbering piece of wood.

Sein quickly noticed that the giant golem’s body was rapidly adapting and shifting as it moved.

Despite its massive size, the golem looked like it might even be capable of flight.

From across its structure, beams of energy and volleys of arrows fired in every direction. Rather than a golem, it was like a walking artillery fortress.

Gondrath had his own support—and Sein, of course, had his.

While Flynn and the others handled things from the periphery, it was Yuri who had followed Sein to the frontlines.

Compared to the massive golem, Yuri’s Burning Flame Unit looked almost pocket-sized.

Nevertheless, crafted from the combined knowledge of Sky City and Sein’s alchemy, the Burning Flame Unit was sleeker, faster, and far more refined than Gondrath’s construct.

When it came to attack frequency and responsiveness, Yuri easily outperformed the slow, mindless golem.

Since their battle against the God of Fire Crickets, Yuri had evolved significantly.

The Neisse civilization’s creatures followed a unique path—melding mecha technology and engineer training into a system of growth.

After countless battles at Sein’s side—including the basic body tempering and focus enhancement experiments performed on her—Yuri finally made a breakthrough.

Her life level had officially reached Rank Three.

At that rank, an engineer could control their mecha units with far greater precision and unlock deeper layers of their potential.

Not only that, they themselves became far more formidable combatants—even from inside the cockpit.

After all, engineers like Yuri were true Rank Three beings, evolved through their own efforts—unlike those from technological civilizations who relied on drugs or gene mods to artificially boost life levels.

With her enhanced mental focus, Yuri could now command hundreds—if not thousands—of standard mecha units at once.

And with her promotion, she could just barely manage three high-grade models like the Burning Flame Unit simultaneously.

Of course, Sein had no way to supply Yuri with that many mechas while they were in Faeloria, and producing two more Flame Units out of thin air was out of the question.

But that did not stop him from enhancing her strength in other ways.

One of them was teaching Yuri a special combat technique that involved using her mental focus to directly strike an enemy.

Sein was not trying to turn Yuri into a mage, but on a chaotic battlefield, a sudden piercing attack—paired with the heavy firepower of her mecha—could easily catch an opponent off guard.

Gondrath froze the moment Yuri entered the field. The mecha’s striking design clearly caught his interest.

Gondrath might not have had the strength to take down powerful enemies outright, but with two key divine artifacts—the Twilight Robe and the Concealment Boots—if he wanted to escape, not even Sein could stop him. That much was undeniable.

Yet, Gondrath did not run.

While Sein had been eyeing Gondrath’s crafting skills, Gondrath had also been quietly coveting Sein’s creations in return.

Both of them wanted something from the other—it was just a matter of who would end up claiming it.

So far, it looked like Sein had the upper hand.

Yuri’s mecha was outfiring the giant golem Gondrath had deployed, and while she held it at bay, she took advantage of Gondrath’s distraction and launched an attack at him via mental focus.

However, the ruby ring’s defense and the Twilight Robe’s auto-shielding absorbed the blow. The strike landed, but it did not break through.

In the next moment, the Black Hole Particle Cannon in the chest of her mecha began to charge.

Gondrath inhaled sharply and snapped out of his daze.

The beam lanced through the air in a blinding flash, washing the color from the sky as it fired.

Backed by Sein’s barrage, the particle beam punched straight through the giant golem’s shoulder.

Yuri had originally targeted Gondrath himself—but the god, using the Concealment Boots, had already teleported to the rear of the golem.

As the fierce battle raged through the southern part of Mysirral City, no one—not even Sein—noticed that a third force had quietly slipped into the city.

Sein had timed his hunt perfectly, believing most of Faeloria’s gods were distracted elsewhere.

But in the process of laying a trap... he had unwittingly become the bait.

Sein was not the only one hunting the God of Craft.

And the one who had just arrived in Mysirral was even more patient than him.