Marcus didn't even spare another glance at the unconscious Adela.
He took a pristine white handkerchief from his breast pocket and meticulously wiped a small stain from his leather shoe.
Once finished, he casually tossed the handkerchief aside. It fluttered down to cover Adela's face, as if concealing an unsightly piece of trash.
He straightened his slightly disheveled collar, resuming his elegant and composed demeanor as a noble childe.
From his elevated position, he looked down upon Lin Qingyue and her three companions in the street below, a morbid smile gracing his lips.
"Such a splendid performance, my beautiful ladies."
His voice, amplified by magic power, echoed across the square, each syllable carrying a bewitching rhythm.
"What did that incompetent City Lord promise you?"
"Worldly wealth? Or fleeting authority?"
"You possess such magnificent power, yet you squander it protecting those ant-like mortals..."
His tone held no regret, only the cold bewilderment of a deity watching its followers misuse a divine gift.
"I, the mortal proxy of a god, hereby grant you the chance to correct your mistake."
"Kneel and pledge your loyalty. You will receive authority beyond mortal comprehension and... a life approaching eternity."
Almost simultaneously, Marcus's information appeared on the class panels of Lin Qingyue and her three companions.
[Ritual Priest · Human Noble · Marcus Lv. 45]
[Faction: ???]
Lv. 45?
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow.
For a supposed "mastermind," that level was a bit underwhelming.
He seemed more like a white-gloved puppet pushed to the forefront—a high-level cannon fodder to be discarded after use.
Wasting breath on a self-important fool like him was a waste of life.
"No need."
Lin Qingyue raised the tip of her staff, Beloved, and pointed it toward the fox-women standing behind Marcus, their expressions varied. She let out a lazy yawn.
Her voice carried clearly across Clock Tower Square.
"The four of us have recently developed an allergy to fox spirits."
"Getting too close gives us rashes."
The moment she spoke, Adela, who had just regained consciousness from the agony and humiliation, trembled violently with rage.
Her newly grown, hairless flesh tail twitched comically on the ground due to her intense emotional turmoil, causing her to let out another muffled, humiliated groan.
The other fox-women glared with murderous intent.
That single sentence cut deeper than severing their tails.
Atop the Clock Tower, the morbid smile on Marcus's face froze, inch by inch.
He didn't immediately erupt in anger. Instead, he raised his white-gloved hand and lightly flicked away non-existent dust from his ceremonial robes.
The gesture was unnaturally stiff, his knuckles straining with excessive force.
The last trace of feigned warmth vanished from his azure eyes, leaving only a bone-chilling killing intent.
Suddenly, he let out a low, hoarse laugh—a twisted sound devoid of any noble grace.
"Very well... It seems my mercy has given you lowly mortals the delusion that you can bargain with a god."
He averted his gaze from Lin Qingyue as if another glance would be an insult to himself. Then, he slowly stepped back to the center of the Clock Tower.
"Since you crave destruction..."
His voice shed its final pretense, transforming into pure malice and madness.
"Then serve as sacrifices to welcome my Lord's great creation!"
With that, he snapped his fingers!
Snap!
"KRAA—SCREEECH—!!!"
A teeth-grinding shriek of metal scraping against metal erupted from within the Clock Tower beneath his feet!
The entire Blackrock Stronghold trembled from the terrifying sound!
Before everyone's horrified eyes, the Gothic metal Clock Tower, standing over a dozen meters tall, came alive!
Countless hidden gears spun wildly!
Massive bronze pistons spewed scorching steam
The structure's shell peeled away, flipping and reassembling layer by layer!
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a monstrous steel colossus slowly rose from the ruins, accompanied by the deafening shriek of a steam whistle!
It was a humanoid construct over fifteen meters tall, clad entirely in thick, riveted bronze armor.
The boiler-like power core on its back roared incessantly, spewing scorching white steam. The acrid stench of machine oil and coal ash filled the air.
Its arms were savage hydraulic claws, the exposed gears at its joints grinding heavily with each rotation as if chewing through steel.
On the colossus's head, a single crimson indicator light flared to life, locking onto the four tiny figures below.
A terrifying pressure capable of crushing bone slammed down on them!
On the distant streets, the civilians and guards who had just regained order screamed in terror at the sight of this steel archon, a nightmare forged from industrial madness.
A line of blood-red data materialized in Lin Qingyue's vision.
[Steam Magitech Mech: Tyrant Model III Lv. 50 (Elite)]
Lin Xiyue raised [Immovable Mountain], her fighting spirit soaring. "Sis, don't use your ultimate move yet! I want to test my own limits!"
The effortless mastery of [Golden Parry] gave her the absolute confidence to face this colossus head-on.
"Alright," Lin Qingyue smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard."
She glanced at the black, white, and blue Character Card in her System Space.
An ultimate move might be necessary for other foes. But when it comes to mechanical constructs... this is right up my alley.
Marcus and the fox-women had already vanished.
His malicious declaration, distorted into a metallic roar by the mech's internal speakers, echoed across the plaza.
"Come, usurpers! Entertain this divine creation with your flesh and blood!"
Before his words faded, the [Steam Magitech Mech: Tyrant Model III] moved.
BOOM—!!!
The boiler roared, and steam erupted!
The massive hydraulic claw shot upward, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek. It blotted out the sky above them like a collapsing steel firmament, then slammed down toward Lin Qingyue—the one he despised most
This single strike could pulverize a three-story building.
Beneath the enveloping shadow, Lin Qingyue stood perfectly still.
Because a sturdy figure had already dashed in front of her.
It was Lin Xiyue.
She took a single step forward, and the stone pavement beneath her feet instantly cracked. Her entire body seemed to wedge itself into the earth like a boulder.
Facing the crushing claw, her face showed no fear—only the blazing flames of excitement and anticipation in her eyes.
She held the [Immovable Mountain] shield horizontally before her.
Now!
In the split second before the claw made contact, Lin Xiyue swung her arm diagonally from bottom right to top left.
On the shield's surface, intricate golden runes suddenly flared to life, forming a perfect magic circle.
[Golden Parry]!
BANG—!!!
A muffled thud, utterly incongruous with the world-shattering momentum of the attack, erupted strangely.
The expected scene of mangled flesh and shattered shield never materialized.
The moment the massive steel claw touched the golden magic circle, its ferocious kinetic energy was forcibly twisted and deflected by an invisible force. The energy flowed rapidly along the circle's edge before being entirely redirected back
BOOM!!!
A shockwave, even more violent than the initial attack, erupted!
Before Xia Lian and Su Wan's astonished eyes, the colossal steel beast was sent staggering back by the recoil. Its massive metal feet stomped a terrifying half-meter-deep crater into the ground!
Meanwhile, Lin Xiyue, who had taken the blow head-on, merely carved two shallow grooves into the earth with her feet before stabilizing herself.
She looked up at the mech, momentarily stunned by the immense impact, then glanced down at her own unharmed hands.
An indescribable ecstasy surged from the depths of her heart, rushing straight to her head.
"Whoa!" Lin Xiyue cried out in delighted surprise.
So... this is what it feels like?!
In the past, facing such power-type opponents meant gritting her teeth and enduring the blows with her own flesh and blood. Every impact had sent tremors through her internal organs.
But now, not only was she completely unscathed, she had even perfectly redirected the enemy's attack!
This wasn't defense.
This was absolute control—a perfect fusion of offense and defense
In that split second, the opening in the battle was perfectly seized.
Swish—Swish—Swish!
Without a word exchanged, Su Wan had already launched her attack.
Her hands formed a series of seals, instantly condensing the moisture in the air.
Dozens of ice spikes, gleaming with a chilling light, wasted not a single ounce of Magic Power on the mech's thick torso armor.
Instead, they shot out at incredibly sharp angles, precisely targeting the Tyrant Model III's exposed hydraulic joints—its knees, ankles, and elbows!
Screech—Crack-crack-crack!
Frost spread rapidly. The extreme cold instantly froze the high-speed precision parts, causing the mech's movements to become visibly sluggish and stiff.
Almost at the same moment Su Wan struck, Xia Lian on the other side made her move.
She had already put away the Dark Night Starwhisper. With her hands held open, immense Magic Power converged before her!
A magnificent greatbow, over two meters long and forged from pure Magic Power, was slowly drawn from the void.
Its body shimmered with iridescent light, like a river of stars flowing upside down.
Karula's Greatbow!
On the bowstring, a spiraling arrow of Magic Power, condensed until it was almost solid, locked onto the mech's head—specifically, its single, enormous mono-eye glowing with an ominous red light.
Fire!
There was no whistle of an arrow slicing through the air.
The moment the magic arrow left the bowstring, it transformed into a streak of light, crossing space and arriving in an instant!
BOOM!!!
At the last second, the Tyrant Model III raised its other arm to shield its mono-eye.
The arrow slammed squarely into its thick bronze forearm armor!
The violent explosion unleashed a scorching wave of heat!
When the light faded, the seemingly indestructible armguard was grotesquely dented—a basin-sized crater blasted into its surface!
The power of a single strike was terrifyingly immense