Badge in Azure

Chapter 1321: Abomination Puppet (Part 1)

The puppet Saleen took out was an experimental product. It was produced within the alchemy factories in Alchemy City. It had a height of 9 feet and a humanoid form. The only thing not humanoid about it was the addition of two mechanical arms capable of rotating 360 degrees, which were stored within the cavities attached to its body and not usually used. When the need arose, they could be used to man weapons or do construction work.

Metal wings were installed behind the puppet's back. They were etched with wind magic array, enabling it to fly at high speeds for a short distance. The puppet was fitted within many miniaturized weapons, such as mechanical crossbows, blades, and javelins.

The puppet was not meant for mass production since Saleen still possessed the ancient warriors and star figures. The puppet was designed for construction. Combat equipment was only added along the way.

The red crystals in the eyes of the puppet before him shimmered for a bit. Black mist gradually coalesced and turned the red eyes purple. Low-pitched explosions were heard from the miniaturized magic power furnace in the puppet's body. The explosions were not intense. It was only a state that manifested when the magic power furnace was overtaxed.

Saleen wrapped the puppet with his territory. He found that within the puppet's core, the six-faceted crystal that controlled the magic array within had cracked a bit. Black mist seeped out of the magic power furnace, staining the entire puppet deep purple. The red materials lost their original look and came to look rather corroded.

The puppet suddenly took one step forward. After hearing no orders from Saleen, it knelt. Crisp metal sounds were heard. "What do you need me do, Master?"

Saleen was not the only one startled. All the mages and warriors around them looked at the puppet, feeling flabbergasted. It was a high-level puppet, yet it did not possess intellect. Intelligent puppets existed only in ancient times.

Saleen looked at that purple puppet and probed it with his mental powers without saying anything. The magic power furnace within the puppet's internal spaces had completely changed. All six vents were shut, and the bronze surface became a faded black. The shut vents looked like closed eyes, yet the magic power furnace continued to supply power for the puppet. At the same time, it was consuming all ambient elemental powers around it, just like how human breathing. The elements were sucked into its body and infused into the magic power furnace.

Many abomination runes appeared on the surface of the furnace, but they were all purple. Their twisted shapes looked incredibly mystical to even the mages. Those runes provided the puppet with power for unknown reasons.

Saleen extended his hand and summoned a star figure before saying to the puppet, "Spar with this thing for a bit."

He did not even realize that the puppet was speaking in Ancient Myers Language.

That puppet leapt after taking its orders. Holding a blade in its hand, it began to hack away at the star figure, who thrust its spear in response, easily deflecting the puppet's attack. The spear, which was turned around to attack after deflecting an incoming blow, did not hit the purple puppet. The attack was in turn deflected by the mechanical arm at the sides of the purple puppet.

Both beings clashed noisily. Their movements and power inspired awe. Saleen did not go on to do anything else. He simply analyzed closely why that puppet came to possess intelligence.

Is it abominated? Saleen knew very little about the abomination plane, and little about them were found on the mages' notes.

Calculations zipped about in his mind. Magic perpetual-motion engine, puppet army, abomination… If those three things were to be combined and rendered under his command, he would have earned himself yet another kind of powerful soldier. Furthermore, those troops would be mainly made out of metal and fitted with a miniaturized magic power furnace, as well as a crystal core of the abomination.

Mages were usually cautious when venturing into uncharted areas. It was impossible for Saleen to craft huge batches of abominated puppets right away. He had no idea why the magic power furnace had turned into some living thing. He knew little about the powers of the abominations. It would have been meaningless if said power were to run out of control.

The battle was fought quickly. The purple puppet was hit by the star figure's spear a minute later. Its entire body was pierced. The control core of the puppet was wrecked by the spear. The puppet stopped moving with a crack. The purple miniaturized magic power furnace continued to breathe ambient energy instead of stopping to function altogether after the control core was destroyed.

Saleen discovered that the abominated puppet's true control core lied within the miniaturized magic power furnace. Something mystical had happened to the magic power furnace, changing the crystal core of the abomination and evolving it into intelligent life. More precisely, it was a way to resurrect abominations.

The resurrected abomination lost its original will. It took the puppet Saleen controlled to be its own body, taking him to be its master.

Saleen was somewhat put at ease. The abominations were bloodthirsty and ferocious monsters because they were controlled by some powerful forces. He immediately began to beat the War Drum of Fear, unleashing all pests within to snatch up any of the black crystals the size of a section of a finger.

Fifty abominations were organized into a platoon. Two hundred platoons made an army. The number of abominations emerging had surpassed 100,000. Saleen's Floating City was being strained. He brought almost all of his magic nuclei stock on the expedition, intending to fight Fycro if the need arose.

However, the abominations were of such huge numbers that level nine abomination armies appeared. It was something he never expected to happen. If it were to only be low-level abominations, his Floating City would not have had any trouble fighting them for one or two years. Level nine abominations, on the other hand, were things that could only be quickly killed by level nine magic spells.

That was something already tested. The level of the abominations was in proportion to their magic resistance abilities. Level eight magic would have been of limited use against level nine abominations, and they would only cause lethal damage when hitting vital areas.

The level nine abominations were organized like a true army. All of them wore something resembling magic armor. Although the armor was incapable of defending against level-eight magic spells, it possessed abilities of dynamic armor. When the power of magic spells exceeded the armor's ability to absorb damage, scale-like structures were expelled from the armor that would explode to resist magic attacks. By doing so, level-eight power spells became incapable of wrecking their armor.

While level eight and level nine magic spells were only one level apart, level nine ones came to possess some territorial powers. They were no longer spells that dynamic armor could defend against.

Saleen retreated and put the purple puppet away. He came to a conclusion. While the power of the puppet had reached level nine, it had inferior equipment compared to the star figure. Being a new life form meant that it had yet to get used to the puppet's body, which prevented it from bringing its original level of power.

Star figures, on the other hand, were combat weapons of astrologers. They were near that of golden grand swordmasters in terms of combat prowess. Despite also being level nine, golden grand swordmasters represented the pinnacle of level nine.

Saleen brought out another miniaturized magic power furnace, but he did not embed the furnace into a puppet. He cast Water Flame and added some magic materials, re-forging the furnace. The external parts of the furnace were covered by Water Flame. Countless runes seeped into it, forming a large Eternal Control Shard.

Eternal Control Shards were products Saleen reverse-engineered from studying the three pieces of broken jade. After continuous modifications and development, he was able to control any living being lower than his own level. The three pieces of broken jade, on the other hand, ignored levels altogether.

Saleen not only added eternal control rules that he developed onto the furnace, he also included a secret art from another crystal wall system. Squared runes were added to the furnace. It gradually shrunk, becoming equipment that was less than a foot tall.

The six vents on the magic power furnace were still there. Saleen chucked in six pieces of dark crystal core before sealing the furnace with his Lightning Territory. Tiny lightning bolts shot into the magic power furnace, which contorted right in front of him and began to explode. The magnitude of the explosions were tens of times of that before. The six dark crystal cores of the abominations were melted into liquid form within the furnace.

The liquid began to modify the furnace. However, the modifications proved too difficult. Black mist seeped outside the furnace, which was forced back into the construct by the Lightning Territory. Hundreds of lightning arcs were sent inside the furnace every second, modifying the energy structures within.

The miniaturized magic power furnace intended to jump from the ground, but it was quickly suppressed by the Lightning Territory. Instead, it slowly wiggled. Most of its semi-metal shell was corroded, preventing anyone from telling apart its metallic structure.

"Master!" A clear voice was heard shouting within the furnace.

Saleen was elated. The newly created thing already had a clear mental connection with him. It was not a soul but something resembling ghosts. The being was forever sealed within the furnace and would never be able to come out.

The miniaturized magic power furnace became like a prison, which even Saleen found difficult to pry open. Once opened, the abomination's resurrected form would have lost protection, making the weakest part of it dissipate. Even if it were to survive, it would lose its intelligence.

Only beings of such form were able to bring out the true level nine power of abominations. One could create a self-aware magic power furnace by killing six level nine abominations. Once the furnace came to possess awareness and was able to function as the core of a puppet, it would be something else altogether.

Saleen finally was able to create self-aware puppets with high-combat capacity, like ancient humans. Despite being a resurrected product of the abominations, these puppets would not be able to betray him. Then again, magic power furnaces were no longer pure power cores. They could not fit into conventional machines.

"My liege, level 10 abominations appeared!" Jola said as Saleen was steeped in his magic experiments.

"Level 10?" Saleen looked up and turned his eyes toward the monitoring magic array.

He saw over 100 enchanters focusing their attacks on an abomination about 32 feet tall on the Floating City in the sky. The abomination had a single horn on its head and wore golden armor. The front of the armor had a face, which looked rather familiar to Saleen.