Chapter 313: Abyssal Beasts and the Alchemical Legion

Wang Yu, having sensed the abyssal magician's assault in advance, had no intention of taking the blow head-on. Blood surged in his veins as he kicked off the ground with explosive force and darted out of the narrow alley. Clad in crimson armor, he burst into the open thoroughfare where he could unleash his full speed and strength.

A massive tentacle smashed into the spot he'd just vacated. Stone shattered. The limb, bristling with sharp barbs like the appendage of a monstrous octopus, embedded itself into the earth. As the grotesque creature dragged it back, deep grooves were left furrowed in the street.

He glanced at the nearby streetlamp that Astartes had possessed, which had since been crushed into a pulp by the abyssal magician's attack. Astartes wasn't harmed, of course, considering that its consciousness didn't reside in the lamp, but Wang Yu now had no one to ask about just what an abyssal magician was.

"Didn't the Abyss get sealed off after the Morningstar detonation? Abyssal magicians should be nothing but history by now..."

Beneath his blood-red visor, Wang Yu's gaze remained locked on the retreating, violet-gray tendril that was slithering back through a gap in a nearby building. He racked his brain—he'd never heard of an "abyssal magician" before.

"I know you're confused," Astartes' voice chimed in, this time from a bench by the roadside. "In short, a small number of abyssal creatures were preserved. Abyssal magicians are spellcasters who bind those entities and release their power when needed. Just hold out a bit longer. Alchemical automata are en route."

Of course. Just as Wang Yu suspected—Astartes' eyes were everywhere in Skyborne City.

"A pure soul... such a fine vessel."

From the crumbled façade of the building emerged an elderly man, draped in tattered robes that barely clung to his emaciated, withered frame—clearly the abyssal magician himself. His hollow eyes were fixed on Wang Yu.

"..."

So he was the "pure soul" the old man had spoken of. Wang Yu had no interest in what that meant. His target had entered his attack range.

The bloodforged armor twisted and deformed. It regurgitated a small vial filled with a luminous yellow liquid, about a quarter of the size of Wang Yu's fist.

Without hesitation, Wang Yu hurled it straight at the magician.

The thick glass vial shattered as it smashed against the wall near the magician, releasing a billowing cloud of yellow smoke that engulfed the building and its occupants.

This vial of Corrosive Breath, crafted from the venom glands of a hydra native to the Black Marsh, contained a lethal mix of toxicity and corrosive potency. Even as a gas, it remained dangerously effective.

Anything touched by the corrosive gas began to rot. The exterior of the wall blackened and peeled away; metal beams beneath softened and snapped like twigs.

The magician's robes disintegrated, revealing a grotesque hybrid of flesh and machine. Mechanical implants threaded through his body, metal pistons having replaced muscle, synthetic veins snaking beneath parchment-thin skin.

But the most disturbing sight was the pulsating tumor in his abdomen, a grotesque violet-gray mass. Flesh had been awkwardly fused with his body via embedded needles and clear tubing, presumably to suppress its activity.

It bulged outward under pressure, the tension pushing it to the point of rupture. Tendrils sprouting from the mass had penetrated back into the abyssal magician's body and were now writhing inside like serpents.

The already-unstable building beneath him gave way, collapsing under Wang Yu's corrosive onslaught. The old man plummeted from the second story and landed hard in the alley below.

More rubble followed. A full section of wall caved in, dragging steel beams and masonry down atop the abyssal magician.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes. A viscous dark liquid oozed through the gaps in the resulting debris—likely the old man's blood.

But something was off. During the gas exposure, the old man hadn't shown any signs of corrosion. He was tougher than he looked.

Right on cue, the pile of rubble exploded outward. A thick, grotesquely oversized tentacle burst through the bricks and whipped toward Wang Yu. The true abyssal beast, concealed until now, ripped through nearby structures as it emerged.

"Good grief..."

Wang Yu quickly smeared a crimson salve across his broken meteoric iron blade. A snap of his fingers ignited the blood-infused oil, and the edge flared to life with scarlet flame.

Gripping the flaming blade with both hands, he brought it down in a furious arc against the oncoming limb.

Sparks exploded on contact. The creature's armored hide was nightmarishly tough. Even with his monstrous strength, Wang Yu couldn't cut through it—only deflect the blow and scorch its surface with his blade's crimson flames.

The flames began to scour the creature's flesh, but would need more time to penetrate its thick exoskeleton.

The redirected tentacle smashed into a nearby building, reducing it to rubble in an instant. Its sheer power was terrifying.

If not for Wang Yu anchoring himself with the Chariot, the blow would've sent him flying for sure.

A strange noise issued from the creature. Now fully revealed, it looked like a massive, armored starfish in a ghastly shade of violet-gray. Towering above the nearby buildings, its five limbs each ended in a tentacle like the one that had attacked Wang Yu.

The beast turned toward him and revealed its face—if it could even be called that. Jagged, vertical rows of teeth twisted upward like living spikes. With a rattling screech, it launched those fangs toward him like projectiles.

Wang Yu responded instantly. With a clenched fist, he summoned the Chariot's power. The flying fangs froze midair—then shot back, faster than before.

They punched into the monster's own flesh with shocking ease. But Wang Yu hadn't aimed at its core. Instead, the fangs impaled three incoming tentacles.

Despite being pierced, the tentacles didn't slow. All three slammed into Wang Yu.

The impact unleashed a shockwave. Glass shattered in the surrounding buildings. The street cracked beneath them.

Wang Yu was hurled backward. Cracks spread across his armor. Even though Wang Yu had anchored himself to the street, even the street couldn't withstand the raw force of the impact.

Wang Yu's outstanding physique had grown even more astonishing since his advancement into a grand knight. Though he was sent careening into the streets, and though his armor shattered from the impact, the abyssal beast's tentacles didn't fare much better.

Its limbs were blasted sideways and sent smashing through structures. The force had fractured even its thick exoskeleton, exposing sinewy, vulnerable muscle beneath.

Wang Yu crashed through several buildings before finally embedding himself into the wall of what looked like an alchemist's shop.

His bloodforged armor writhed, closing fissures in the plating. Within moments, the suit was whole again—thicker even. Bones snapped back into place. Torn organs knit themselves together.

"Where the hell are the wizards? Isn't this a wizards' district? There should be at least a few grand wizards. Even a dozen proper wizards could handle this thing. Even if they don't care about me, you'd think they'd protect their own damn shops."

He hadn't even seen a single wizard since the start of the fight. Where had they all gone? Surely even the most cowardly among them would protect their own livelihood?

He stood, brushing rubble aside. From the hole in the wall, he saw the abyssal beast continuing to advance and demolishing everything in its path.

"Sorry, shopkeep... but I'm not paying for this."

Unlike Avia, Wang Yu couldn't transform into a walking magical catastrophe. His destruction was more... hands-on. So he needed a little help.

With a mighty kick, he kicked down the wall around the alchemy lab and walked in. His eyes locked onto a massive alchemical furnace, hooked into the shop's metal piping.

As the metal creaked, he tore the furnace free and slung it over his shoulder. Volatile alchemical fuel spewed from the ruptured pipes.

Carrying the furnace, Wang Yu marched outside, leaving craters in the ground with each step. By then, the abyssal beast was just a few dozen meters away.

As he summoned all his remaining fighting spirit and stamina, he hurled the alchemical furnace straight through the air. It slammed into the abyssal beast and toppled it. At the same time, a crimson blaze shot forth—Wang Yu had tossed his bloodflame blade after the furnace.

The furnace detonated. Metal and fire roared skyward. The explosion razed another section of the district.

In the heart of the inferno, the abyssal beast stirred. Two tentacles were lost, and much of its armor gone—but it was still alive, and still charging toward Wang Yu.

Still, it was none of his business now. Missiles streaked overhead. Their trails lit the sky like comets. They plunged into the burning crater, then exploded again.

A legion of alchemical automata, Skyborne City's most fearsome combat force, had come descending from the heavens.