Destroyer of Ice and Fire

"Bang!"

Moss' skin cracked and turned hard and red like volcanic rock as he became the size of a small mountain and crashed heavily into the golden metal puppet.

Moss was hit with massive recoil as he stumbled several steps backwards.

He subconsciously looked down and saw ten narrow bloody slits in his chest.

What caused him to feel even more astonished was the fact that the golden metal puppet before him was still heavier than him, even after using Dual Transformation. The puppet, which had been a head shorter than him even before his transformation, had only slid back a single step after the collision, leaving a short and narrow scratch on the bronze floor.

Only now did Moss realize that the golden metal puppet's fingers had turned into ten coldly glinting metal blades.

"Its speed…"

Moss felt his clothes becoming soaked with a layer of sweat as a feeling of inferiority arose within his heart.

Because at this moment, he also realized that the golden metal puppet had travelled further than he had - its initial position was farther away than his!

The speed of the golden metal puppet had exceeded his!

But Moss was not the only youth of Holy Dawn Academy who had encountered danger in this chamber enveloped with a strange arcane energy.

Indeed, every single one of them were currently facing off against a golden metal puppet!

……

……

Stingham faced the golden metal puppet before him.

"Hello! I just wish to pass through here. Please don't stop me!" Stingham's face was pale as he shouted loudly at the golden metal puppet.

The golden metal puppet's eyes began to glow as they slightly turned in their sockets and turned towards Stingham.

"I only wish to pass through… just pass through…"

Stingham mustered his courage and started walking along the wall of the chamber towards the exit, making sure to stay as far away from the golden metal puppet as possible.

But the instant he moved, the sound of gears creaking and whirring rang out from within the golden metal puppet.

The golden metal puppet's feet abruptly moved as it shot towards him.

"I just want to pass through! Don't come here!"

"Water Dragon!"

As Stingham screamed, he reflexively invoked a skill, causing a huge dragon of water to appear and attack the golden metal puppet.

The golden metal puppet made no effort to dodge and allowed itself to be engulfed by the dragon, disappearing into the midst of the water.

"Sploosh!"

The dragon of water travelled several more meters before reverting to a stream of water and scattering across the floor.

Stingham's eyes widened to the limit as the golden metal puppet reappeared in his sight and slowly straightened its back from the hunched defensive posture it had been in.

The golden metal puppet's hands and forearms had opened, revealing two circular golden shields.

These shields practically covered its entire body.

Furthermore, the golden metal puppet's entire body was now surrounded with a layer of pale gold light.

Stingham slightly moved.

The golden metal puppet immediately mirrored his movement but did not attack again.

"Fist of the Golden Lion!" Stingham cried out as he released a punch.

The image of a massive golden lion appeared over his fist and charged forth towards the golden metal puppet.

"Bang!"

The golden metal puppet merely repositioned its two shields before it and waited for the lion to collide. Upon collision, the golden metal puppet trembled slightly, but suffered no visible injury or damage.

"What a strong defensive ability!"

At this moment, Stingham, dense as he normally was, sensed that something was off.

Could it be that the strange arcane energy fluctuations released in the previous chamber had been there to sense his abilities and characteristics so that a tailored version of the golden metal puppet would appear before him here? Was that why this golden metal puppet had such a strong defensive ability?

……

……

A distance of ten meters separated Ayrin and his golden metal puppet.

Currently, there were several broken flames scattering before Ayrin.

These flames were also present atop the hands of the golden metal puppet.

A glint flashed through Ayrin's eyes as his body melted into a pool of blood and disappeared.

At the same time, the eyes of the golden metal puppet before him turned slightly as a long blue blade appeared in its right hand. The blade was like a bolt of lightning as the puppet thrust it behind itself.

"Rip!"

Ayrin abruptly appeared several steps behind it. A long tear could be seen in the clothes over his chest.

"This thing…"

Shock emerged upon Ayrin's face as his eyes fixated on the long blue blade in the golden metal puppet's hand.

The blade was formed from particles which were constantly being released by the golden metal puppet.

It was a Materialization very similar to Wilde's Blue Wasp Swords!

A clockwork puppet from the Era of the War with Dragons was able to use Materializations like an arcane master?!

"Whoosh!"

At this moment, the golden metal puppet abruptly turned around and opened its left hand, releasing a powerful light.

Three white spheres formed above its palm and shot towards Ayrin.

"Dragon Scale Absorption!"

At such close range, Ayrin had no time to dodge. His body began to glow with the brilliance of dragon scales.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three white spheres exploded across Ayrin's body, sending him flying ten meters backwards.

"Not good!"

The impact of the three white spheres failed to injure Ayrin as his blood began to boil. But at this moment, Ayrin's pupils shrank as he saw a blue light cut through the white.

"Hah!"

Ayrin fiercely stomped into the ground and braced himself.

Without enough time to invoke a skill, Ayrin reached out with his right hand and grabbed the wrist of the golden metal puppet from below.

"What strength!"

Ayrin's body sank as his hand was unable to completely stop the golden metal puppet's strike. Although the long blue blade had been stopped above his forehead, it was still slowly descending.

"Bang!"

At this instant, the golden metal puppet fiercely kicked at Ayrin's abdomen.

Ayrin groaned as he was sent flying once more.

"Chaotic Wind Disappearance!"

Dozens of tornados abruptly appeared around Ayrin.

The long blue blade cut apart all the tornadoes, yet Ayrin had already reappeared tens of meters away.

"How strong!"

"Its body is strong too!"

"Where the clockwork puppets of the Era of the War with Dragons all this strong? And were they designed with these abilities, or did they train these abilities after creation?"

Ayrin's face was expressionless as he spoke to himself and watched the golden metal puppet approach. As he spoke, the light in his eyes began to glow brighter and brighter.

"What a terrifying opponent."

"It is stronger than me in all aspects!"

"It is the perfect opponent for me to test my initial gains from my special training!"

Looking at the golden metal puppet which was now less than twenty meters away, Ayrin clasped his hands together, his ten fingers forming a strange formation.

Countless glittering flakes of ice abruptly appeared in the air as a frigid chill spread through the chamber.

Ayrin's figure gradually disappeared.

Meanwhile, the movements of the golden metal puppet became increasingly sluggish.

Just now, it had forcefully broken through one of Ayrin's skills, yet now, it wasn't even able to sense Ayrin's aura anymore.

After several seconds, the golden metal puppet abruptly turned to its left.

"Ice Witch's Throne!" Ayrin shouted as he suddenly appeared on the golden metal puppet's left side.

"Boom!"

A massive ring of ice expanded outwards from Ayrin and slammed into the golden metal puppet.

"Crack crack crack…"

Countless crystals of ice appeared over the golden metal puppet as it was sent tumbling backwards.

"Crown of Ice and Snow!"

A massive block of ice violently shot towards the golden metal puppet.

"Boom!"

As it travelled, the ice transformed into a sharp crown which smashed into the golden metal puppet.

Immobilized from the prior attack, the golden metal puppet was unable to respond as it was sent flying once more while strange sounds rang out within its body.

"Winter's Pillar!"

Ayrin appeared less than five meters away from the golden metal puppet as he invoked a third skill.

A three meter tall pillar of blue ice appeared beneath the golden metal puppet's feet and viciously struck it, sending it flying into sky.

At this time, it was evident that the internal gears had been damaged by the consecutive impacts.

Covered in ice and snow, the golden metal puppet was no longer able to control its movements as it wildly flailed its limbs in midair as if it were dancing.

"Bang!"

It crashed heavily into the ground and began to turn and squirm.

"What a powerful sequence of skills!"

"This kid's strength has risen to such an extent!"

"He actually…"

Atop the wall, the observing referees and medicinal team were in shock.