Chapter 57: Magic-Negating Liquid
The pilot of the Shadow Armament stared in disbelief. He had designed and built this monstrous machine. He knew its power. Even a high-ranking Dou Warrior would struggle against its brute force, let alone a frail mage!
“Boss! I’ll kill him first, then rescue you!” he shouted to Eugene.
“Do it! Kill him! Rip out his guts and hang them from the city walls!” Eugene roared, his voice fueled by pain and rage.
The massive machine lunged towards Abyss, its back tank gurgling ominously. Its heavy limbs swung with incredible force, aiming a backhand blow at Abyss.
This time, Abyss didn’t try to block the attack. He casually cast a wind spell, his body gliding backward, effortlessly dodging the blow.
But the machine’s momentum didn’t stop. Its upper body rotated, using a pivot at its waist, its feet shuffling forward, seamlessly transitioning into another attack!
Clang! Boom!
Abyss was sent flying again, crashing through another wall.
The pilot wasn’t fooled this time. He had never encountered such an uncanny mage. How could he survive a punch imbued with magic-negating power?
The Shadow Armament lumbered towards the hole in the wall, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground, making Eugene nervous. If not for the sturdy cage protecting him from the collapsing ceiling, he would be cursing his luck.
The machine reached into the hole, its massive hand searching for Abyss, intending to crush him.
But it grasped at nothing. The hole was empty.
“Hey, what are you looking for? Need help finding it?” Abyss’s voice came from behind the pilot.
He looked up, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Abyss perched casually on the machine’s shoulder, his legs dangling, his clothes and hair perfectly intact.
“Damn it! Is this mage a ghost?!” the pilot cursed, but he didn’t try to grab Abyss with the machine’s hand. It would be foolish, risking damaging the machine.
The tank on the Shadow Armament’s back gurgled violently, and several hatches on its shoulder slid open, revealing small nozzles. A stream of viscous, black mud erupted from the nozzles, splattering Abyss, who sat directly above them.
“Ugh… Disgusting,” Abyss said, grimacing, trying to wipe the mud off his clothes. But it was incredibly sticky. He managed to remove the surface layer, but a greasy residue remained, clinging to his dress. He regretted letting himself get hit.
“Let’s see you escape this!” the pilot shouted, rotating the machine’s body, flinging Abyss off its shoulder.
Abyss landed gracefully, thought for a moment, then extended his hand towards the Shadow Armament, chanting a spell.
A flicker of flame appeared in his palm, then vanished, a wisp of black smoke rising from his hand.
“You can’t use magic anymore! You’re finished!” the pilot said, a triumphant grin spreading across his face, as he advanced towards Abyss.
“Huh?” Abyss had attempted to cast a basic fireball spell, but it failed. He could feel his magic core, unable to draw mana from the environment.
His other spells were also useless. Only his necromantic link, strengthened by the soul bond, remained active. But if he stayed covered in this black mud for too long, even that might be severed, with disastrous consequences!
The Shadow Armament’s massive fist, powered by the black mud, shot towards Abyss’s face!
“Kill him!” Eugene shouted, his eyes, swollen shut by Titus’s beating, struggling to open.
Clang!
Just when they thought Abyss’s head would be crushed, the unexpected happened.
Abyss didn’t dodge or block. He met the machine’s fist with his own, his pale, slender hand colliding with the massive metal fist.
His arm didn’t shatter. Instead, it punched through the machine’s arm, burying itself deep within!
“If I can’t use magic, I’ll just use something else,” Abyss said, his face adorned with a casual smile, as he withdrew his hand from the hole he had created in the machine’s fist. He then moved with incredible speed, blurring into a phantom, appearing before the stunned pilot, their faces inches apart!
“What…”
Before the pilot could react, Abyss’s hand, like a vise, smashed through the reinforced glass of the cockpit. He then ripped open the seemingly indestructible metal, his movements brutal and efficient.
He grabbed the pilot, who was now as helpless as a chick, and tossed him aside.
“Aah! You! Where did you get that strength?! You’re a mage, aren’t you?! Are you a Magic Warrior?!” Eugene exclaimed, his voice filled with terror. “Impossible! If you were a Magic Warrior, you wouldn’t be so skilled in both magic and Dou Qi!”
“I’m just exceptionally talented. Any objections?” Abyss chuckled, then, as Eugene and the pilot watched in horror, he chanted a holy incantation. A brilliant golden light emanated from his fingertips, and the black mud clinging to him melted like snow in spring, transforming into a clear liquid, then evaporating, vanishing without a trace.
“Divine Arts! Divine Arts! Who are you?! Who are you?!” Eugene wailed, his voice filled with despair.
“Aah! Aah!” The pilot, who had been violently extracted from the cockpit, screamed, scrambling towards a corner, clutching his injured body.
As the black mud vanished, Abyss felt something shift within him. He frowned, then refocused his attention on the two men before him.
“Well, you’ve seen enough of my secrets. To prevent you from spreading rumors and alerting the Church and the Emperor, I’ve decided to erase your memories of tonight’s events.”
He smiled at the two terrified men, his teeth gleaming white.
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