Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 186: The horror of mind reading

The reality of the battle had passed in a flash.

Mr. Hei's move directly created an opportunity for the others to strike.

Number Nineteen pulled out a pair of mechanical gauntlets thicker than her own thighs and strapped them onto her arms.

Just now, in order to retreat, she dared not wear these heavy gauntlets that affected agility, but now, trapped in combat, she had no reservations.

Looking at the ancient design, it was surprisingly not a product of modern technology, but rather resembled an artifact of ancient alchemy.

With a buildup of power, blue energy runes immediately lit up. On those pair of fists, ripples that seemed to twist space itself visibly condensed...

At this time, Qian Tiao also switched to wielding two long swords, one red and one black.

Dark spiritual power infused, one blade shimmered with a strange red glow, the other as black as ink, with black qi billowing.

Even more terrifying was the sword aura she accumulated, which made onlookers feel a piercing sharpness. It seemed Qian Tiao had also used some secret technique, her aura rising higher and higher, vaguely overlapping with the fiery, upright shadow of a Rakshasa woman behind her...

The vanishing assassin had also quietly appeared behind the giant, thrusting a dark green poisoned dagger fiercely towards his back.

The gold elements on the giant's body shifted from solid to liquid, greatly reducing his defense.

It was this thrust he was aware of, and although his movements were restricted, his reaction was not slow. His fist, wrapped in dense gold elements, swung back fiercely. The assassin couldn't avoid it in time and was hit in the waist by the punch, spewing a mouthful of dark blood in mid-air.

Su'en watched with a slight chill in his gaze. This punch, if landed on the highly defensive Red Demon, might not be fatal, but for an assassin with such fragile defenses...

The thought of crisis in his heart hadn't fully formed when suddenly, the body of the assassin in his view dispersed into a mass of lightning and vanished.

"Elemental Talent [A-039-Lightning]!"

Su'en, looking at the lightning filling his vision, finally confirmed the man's talent.

Moreover, this was another professional who had undergone a second-stage awakening.

A normal [Lightning] talent meant an extremely strong affinity with lightning elements, a natural-born lightning sorcerer. But here in the Mirror Organization, it was a close-combat assassin. Once his body dispersed, he immediately shed most of the punch's force.

And just as the assassin dispersed, Qian Tiao's swords also arrived.

Because the metal giant had calculated his punch well, aiming for a one-hit kill and then retreating to defend. But unexpectedly, his punch caused the person to disperse, and without shedding the force, his center of gravity shifted as well.

This slight mistake, in the eyes of top experts, was a huge opening.

Qian Tiao's red and black swords sliced across his neck, emitting a "sizzle" of metal being cut.

At the same time, Number Nineteen's charged punch also hit the side of the gold-painted giant, blasting him away!

A "thud" of metal clashing and sparks flying.

The gold-armored giant fell like a meteor, and the entire library shook with him.

"Is he dead?"

Su'en, hiding in the distance, watched the three-person encirclement and inhaled sharply.

Any one of the moves from those three could have instantly killed him.

Their combined attack was unavoidable.

And...

Upon closer inspection, the weapons in the hands of the three were all ancient weapons with strange effects!

The assassin's dagger seemed to be coated with some deadly poison. Although the dagger didn't fully penetrate, breaking through the defense meant it was mostly successful.

Number Nineteen's mechanical gauntlet, charged with a punch that could shatter an armored tank, meant the giant was definitely not having an easy time.

And Qian Tiao's thunderous swords directly carved two finger-deep gashes on the neck of the gold-painted giant.

But...

It seemed like the wound was also metallic, with no blood visible?

The next instant, Su'en's pupils contracted as he looked at where the gold-painted giant had landed.

"No, he's not dead!"

Without seeing the mist rise, he knew that man hadn't been killed!

.......

"Hehe..."

A sneer sounded as the gold-painted giant slowly stood up, his wounds visibly healing.

Sword cuts, stab wounds, punch marks... the metal on his body seemed to have a memory, quickly returning to its original state.

Although he had suffered some injuries this time, he felt he had gauged the strength of the people before him.

The slight apprehension he had before dissipated; a full-force strike of that level couldn't kill him.

The gold-painted giant stood up, not only were his wounds healed, but the golden scales on his body reconvened, and a misty aura like fine sharp gold qi emerged.

He looked at Mr. Hei and the others, no longer in a hurry to act, and mocked, "Second-stage talent awakening, ancient cursed items, extraordinary inheritance... I must admit, you've really surprised me. Heh... those fools from 'Umbrella' really are useless, not realizing that the rats in the gutter already have the ability to bite."

Su'en, listening from a distance, frowned slightly.

Although he was a transmigrator, hearing the term "rats" still felt a bit harsh. The people of Old Lingdun were indeed not seen as human in the eyes of the Black Tower.

However, these words seemed to be deliberately provoking Mr. Hei and the others?

And more importantly, the mockery was secondary.

Qian Tiao and the others had exhausted their methods just now and couldn't inflict effective damage on the gold-painted giant.

Su'en also felt that the current battle situation seemed very unfavorable.

But the gap in rank, the refinement of dark spiritual power and elements, were not on the same level.

For a "wooden knife" to cut into "stone" was already a testament to the assassin's skill, but the difference in density and material was insurmountable!

The Black Scythe could likely ignore the golden armor's defense and slay, but Su'en felt he had no chance of landing a hit.

With the reaction speed of a fifth-rank expert, Su'en felt that as soon as he made a move with the scythe, he would be detected and avoided. Then the Black Scythe, as a hidden weapon, would lose all its significance.

Fortunately, upon looking, Mr. Hei was as calm as ever.

Su'en patiently continued to wait for an opportunity to act.

.......

The gold-painted giant hadn't died, and Mr. Hei seemed not at all surprised, as he continued to form seals without stopping.

He seemed to have seen through the "sharp gold qi" on the giant's body and even took the time to remind Qian Tiao and the others while still forming seals, "This guy practices the fifth-rank muscle alchemy technique[Vajra]. Don't attack recklessly; physical damage will be reflected back equally. This technique can't cover the whole body during movement; the bigger the action, the bigger the opening. Find the opening!"

Hearing his technique's "weakness" exposed, the gold-armored strongman frowned.

The solemnity that had just dissipated from his face reappeared. The other three posed no threat, but looking at this cloaked figure, he instinctively felt wary, as if all his secrets were being peered into.

The earlier "Elemental Theft" had already put him at a slight disadvantage, and now his fifth-rank technique had been seen through at a glance?

He must be killed first!

The gold-painted giant's thoughts surged, and with a fierce stomp, he transformed into a golden light and charged forward.

"Boom!"

A loud noise as the golden light collided directly with Mr. Hei.

However, it wasn't the real person he hit, but a withered wooden stump.

Mr. Hei's true body had already quietly shifted a hundred meters away.

The gold-painted giant didn't care at all; the seal on the space indeed restricted his movements, but it also restricted everyone else in the space!

After just smashing the wooden stump, he abruptly stopped and changed direction, charging towards the figure that appeared on the left.

Knowing the enemy's technique, Qian Tiao and the others didn't dare to attack, and could only watch as the gold-armored giant charged around the space.

"Boom!"

The second wooden stump was smashed.

"Boom!"

The third wooden stump was smashed.

With each passing moment, Mr. Hei's dodges seemed more and more forced.

.......

"What kind of technique is Mr. Hei casting that it's taking so long..."

Su'en watched the battle unfold, and seeing that Qian Tiao and the others were still gathering strength with no intention of helping, he guessed that Mr. Hei was probably condensing some very powerful technique.

The gold-painted giant seemed to have guessed as well, his attacks becoming more and more fierce.

Unfortunately, it was too late!

Mr. Hei's technique was finally cast.

In this sealed space, something strange happened.

Looking up again, the previously dazzling new stars on the library's starry floor suddenly shone, eerily turning into a multitude of eyes. Countless cold gazes watched everyone in the space, as if scrutinized by deities.

Looking again, the cloaked Mr. Hei's aura suddenly became ethereal, giving Su'en a strange feeling, as if any secret was transparent in those wise eyes.

"Has Mr. Hei's [Mind Reading] been activated?"

Su'en guessed something, but since the technique wasn't aimed at him, he didn't feel much.

However, the gold-painted giant in the field noticed something and his face changed drastically.

He charged again, but this time his punch didn't hit a wooden stump, but was easily dodged by Mr. Hei.

Another punch, dodged again...

And another punch...

And another...

None hit the mark!

Mr. Hei seemed to completely anticipate his every move, always avoiding with precision.

He was like a matador, easily dodging the deadly horns despite being far less strong than the bull.

Su'en watched this miraculous scene, speechless with shock: "Is this... really a C-rank talent?"

Mr. Hei had turned what was commonly considered a mediocre ability [Mind Reading] into something new.

He was leading a fifth-rank expert around in circles.

Despite all his abilities, punching at the air, he couldn't even touch the hem of Mr. Hei's cloak?

This was no longer prediction, but complete knowledge of what the opponent was going to do.

From the moment the opponent's thoughts arose, he was already defending.

This terrifying mind reading was unsolvable.

Even if the enemy reacted quickly and realized they needed to change tactics, as soon as the thought arose, Mr. Hei "read" it as well.

Change, and miss.

Don't change, and still miss.

As if...

One's left hand trying to hit the right hand, not wanting to be hit,

Mr. Hei had predicted the enemy's every move!

.......

However, Su'en also noticed that Mr. Hei seemed to be better at developing control abilities, with offensive methods clearly being his weak point.

He could barely dodge the attacks of this fifth-rank close-combat professional, making it difficult to harm him.

But Mr. Hei was not alone!

And at that moment, the eyes in the sky seemed to have seen through something, and Mr. Hei shouted sharply, "His technique's opening is on the back side of his left thigh!"

Before the words fell, Qian Tiao and the others, who had been ready to charge, seized the opportunity and rushed forward.

The three coordinated, and while the gold-painted giant avoided two of them, he was stabbed in the back of his left thigh by the lightning assassin.

"Swish!"

This time, the poisoned dagger penetrated much more easily than the last, creating a bloody hole with ease.

The rest of the giant's muscles were as if forged from pure gold, but this spot on his leg had only a hard layer of skin, and the dagger pierced through, spurting blood.

"Defense broken!"

Su'en, watching from a distance, his eyes flashed.

Seeing blood meant that the giant's defense was not as invincible as it seemed.

He could be killed!

The situation suddenly turned.

The gold-painted giant finally showed a look of horror.

That feeling of being calculated at every step made him feel like he was punching cotton.

He quickly gathered elements to cover his wound. But the dagger's potent poison invaded his meridians, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.

And right after that, Mr. Hei's relentless voice rang out again, "The opening is on the right side, the ninth rib!"

Hearing this, the gold-painted giant instinctively shrank his arms to defend his lower ribs.

Being told of his weakness, he no longer dared to attack recklessly as before, but this hesitation allowed Qian Tiao and the others to let loose even more.

"The opening is on the right arm!"

"The opening is in the lower abdomen!"

"The opening is..."

Mr. Hei repeatedly called out the openings, and the gold-painted giant was repeatedly alarmed, not even daring to attack, only able to defend in place.

........

Through Mr. Hei's "explanation," Su'en understood the principle of the fifth-rank technique [Vajra].

If this guy didn't move, he was basically an iron turtle, unshakable.But as soon as he teleported, the gold element couldn't cover his entire body in time, exposing his flaws.

The subsequent battle was devoid of suspense.

Mr. Hei had the enemy's intentions firmly in his grasp, predicting every move and clearly "calling the shots."

Qian Tiao found the fight increasingly easy, leaving wound after wound on the enemy's body.

Just when it seemed there was hope to finish off the enemy, that golden giant started to play dirty, realizing he was at a disadvantage, he just stood his ground.

He opted for a full-on stationary assault.

His attitude was clear: "You can't kill me, so I'll just stand here and wait for reinforcements, let's see who can outlast whom."

Moreover, this guy pulled out a cursed golden orb, and with a squeeze, his body was further covered in heavy armor.

Now, Qian Tiao and his team were truly at a loss on how to handle him.

Seeing this, Su'en finally understood the role Mr. Hei had called him for.

The golden giant gave up on teleporting, and Mr. Hei and his team didn't hold back, wrapping him with layer upon layer of thunder chains, enveloping him with all sorts of comfortable spells.

If you move, you get cut.

If you don't, you get bound tighter and tighter.

Finally, after the guy gave up struggling, he was firmly trapped in place.

Mr. Hei even specifically pointed out the position.

Su'en controlled the living corpse and swung his blade down.

A massive head thudded to the ground.

No matter how invincible your defense, if you can't surpass the law of the black scythe, you'll be cleaved in two.

Su'en's eyes lit up as he watched the "mist" rising from the nearby corpse.