Chapter 174: Alchemy Armour
The Mechanical Fortress was an organization composed primarily of alchemists, but it also included individuals who followed the paths of magic and knighthood, this wasn’t contradictory. Of course, there were even more convenient methods: hiring bodyguards or subjugating others as subordinates to gain protection.
Chad smiled and said, "This counts as another question, right? I can answer that too. The Dunkinson Trading Company... Well, to be precise, it should be the Simon Trading Company, it’s one of the trading companies working for the Mechanical Fortress, responsible for making us money and selling some of our alchemical artifacts."
For a colossal entity like the Mechanical Fortress, the number of affiliated trading companies wasn’t small, having formed a highly sophisticated industrial chain.
After answering his own question, Chad continued, "Now it’s my turn to ask. What exactly is the grudge between you and the Dunkinson Trading Company, such that wiping out Dunkinson wasn’t enough, you’ve come after Simon as well?"
"Killing my father and mother, blood deeper than the ocean."
Carlotta said coldly.
The expressions of Chad and the others instantly changed.
He turned to Simon and asked quietly, "Do you remember who she is?"
Simon shook his head, completely clueless.
He hadn’t killed a few people; climbing his way forward on a path paved with corpses, naturally he couldn’t know which daughter had come seeking revenge.
Seeing this, Chad sighed and said to Carlotta, "I deeply regret what you’ve gone through. Could you reveal your true identity? So we can understand more clearly."
Carlotta didn’t speak, eyeing Chad suspiciously.
At this moment, Amelia said, "In fact, you intended to attack us from the very beginning. You just didn’t know our origins, afraid of provoking someone you shouldn’t have, so you wanted to figure out who we are first, right?"
Chad said, "I didn’t mean to attack. I only wanted to see if I could resolve your grudge."
Carlotta found it laughable, "Him killing my parents, me killing his father, do you think such a relationship can be eased? Even if you’re making excuses, at least make a reasonable one?"
She saw through it now. Chad simply didn’t know their origins, so he hadn’t acted yet.
After all, they thought she was a Resonator, and a Resonator likely had some powerful force backing her.
"There’s no backing force behind us. We’re merely wandering adventurers. Does this background satisfy you?"
Carlotta sneered.
"I see... I believe you’re telling the truth."
Chad smiled slightly, "In that case, you may now die."
He no longer hid his intentions.
He believed someone with real backing wouldn’t conceal it. If they couldn’t state it, then truly, there was none.
Immediately, the Black Cloaked Man beside Chad attacked again. He wielded the Devouring magic, capable of creating vortexes that could consume anything.
With just a wave of his hand, pitch-black whirlpools emerged at the positions where Carlotta and Amelia stood.
But Carlotta had already sensed it. Pulling Amelia back, she swiftly dodged aside, simultaneously activating her Speed Card.
At that moment, Carlotta’s speed became inconceivably fast. While retreating, she charged forward again, nearly reaching Chad and the others in the blink of an eye.
"Protect the master!"
The people around Chad instantly changed expression, shocked by Carlotta’s displayed speed.
One of them stepped in front of Chad, a shield materializing out of thin air, shielding Chad completely.
This was Shield Magic. Carlotta had once seen others use Shield Magic, possessing astonishing defensive power.
However, Carlotta’s target was Simon.
"Whoosh!"
Her sword flashed, aiming straight at Simon.
At this moment, panic filled Simon’s face. He hurriedly swung his sword sideways, attempting to defend through offense.
But the next moment, the sight before him turned Simon’s face deathly pale.
His sword, an alchemical artifact, was cleanly severed by Carlotta’s strike. What kind of attack could actually cut through an artifact?
After cleaving the artifact-level sword, a dense sword light, brilliant like morning glow, beautiful yet deadly, descended once more, instantly cutting Simon in half. Even the silver armor on Simon’s body couldn’t withstand such an attack.
As his upper body slid down and crashed onto the ground, Simon let out an extremely shrill scream, terror and pain flooding over him like a tide.
Carlotta achieved her goal with a single strike, then abruptly retreated. The moment she vacated her previous position, a blade slashed down and a spear thrust forward, but both missed.
Those were two other people beside Chad attacking.
"Four people, all Resonators. Three at early tier, one at middle tier."
Carlotta retreated, observing Chad and the others.
Chad’s expression was grim. Simon was someone working for him, yet had just been killed right in front of him, this made him feel extremely humiliated.
"Kill her."
Chad ordered.
Only two magic-path practitioners remained by his side. The shield magic user was responsible for protecting him, while the devouring magic user didn’t need to get close.
The other two, wielding blade and spear, followed the knight’s path and now rushed forward, determined to kill Carlotta here.
"Kill me? You’re courting death."
Carlotta’s eyes turned cold.
She knew that killing people from the Mechanical Fortress here would definitely cause quite a stir. But she had no choice. Rather than letting the enemy learn about her abilities, it was better to eliminate them all, then no one would know exactly what methods the attacker possessed.
Carlotta immediately charged forward. Her Rose cross sword glowed with radiance, then unleashed a ferocious slash, the sword light sweeping like a cascading waterfall, instantly cutting down the approaching blade-wielding Resonator, blood splattering everywhere.
This scene shocked the remaining people.
Before they could react, Carlotta struck again, slashing down another sword that instantly killed the spear-wielding Resonator as well. The movements were simple and brutal, lacking technique, yet directly crushed their opponents.
"Could you be a Weaver?"
Chad exclaimed in shock and anger.
"No, she must be a peak tier Resonator."
The Black Cloaked Man said grimly. He was the only middle tier Resonator among them.
Right now, he felt immense pressure.
"Not a Weaver?"
Chad’s expression relaxed again. "You scared me for a moment. Since she’s not a Weaver, we still have ways to deal with her."
He immediately regained his composure.
He wasn’t a powerful transcendent himself, but as an alchemist, he naturally had methods to handle combat situations. Otherwise, how could the Alchemical Path be considered equal to the Paths of Magic and Knighthood?
"Let me show you the latest achievement of the Mechanical Fortress."
Chad spoke calmly and confidently, believing everything was still under control.
Almost the moment Chad finished speaking, a layer of silver light emerged from his body. Mysterious and arcane, this light rapidly covered his entire form, and in the blink of an eye, encased him completely in a suit of silver armor, hiding even his face.
What could this be?
Carlotta was visibly stunned, and immediately turned to ask Amelia.
"Never seen it."
Even Amelia, who had seen countless things, didn’t understand what this was.
But she was already carefully memorizing every detail. Anything she witnessed could later be reproduced from memory, provided she remembered more precisely, enabling a more realistic manifestation in the future.
"I already said, this is the latest achievement from our Mechanical Fortress. It’s normal you’ve never seen it. But you’re truly honored to witness it now. Even within our organization, this alchemical armor hasn’t been publicly revealed yet."
Chad’s voice came calmly and unhurried.
His entire body was clad in silver armor, sealed tightly without exposing even a sliver of skin, emanating a chilling, cold aura.
Then he raised his hand, aiming at Carlotta ahead. The palm on his wrist split open, revealing a cannon barrel.
"Boom!"
A blast of compressed air erupted, engulfing a wide area in front.
Inside the hall, furniture and decorations shattered explosively. Windows burst open, walls cracked, and even the courtyard wall outside split apart.
The attack pierced straight through the house, striking the street beyond, its destructive power terrifyingly immense.
One entire side of the building was obliterated. The structure could no longer support itself, collapsing immediately in that direction with a loud rumbling crash.
In an instant, dust and debris filled the air.
On the nearby streets, passersby were startled, looking over in alarm and confusion.
The soundproof field created by Carlotta’s soundproof card had been shattered. She retracted it, there was no hiding the commotion now.
Just before the blast, she had used her extreme speed to quickly pull Amelia away, narrowly avoiding the attack. Yet she had to admit, the force of that strike was astonishing, on par with a peak-tier Resonator’s ultimate ability.
"Evaded, huh? Scan for their position."
Chad didn’t budge from his spot. Even as the building collapsed around him, he remained unfazed, casually waving his hand to send falling rubble flying away.
The Shield Magic practitioner and the Devour Magic practitioner stood close to Chad, now relying on him for protection.
At that moment, Chad activated a function within the armor. A wide, 360-degree area around him came under detection, clearly revealing the positions of anyone nearby.
"Over here."
Without hesitation, Chad raised his hand again, aiming at Carlotta’s landing spot. The cannon on his palm roared with a sharp crack, unleashing another devastating blast of air.
"Boom!"
The ruins in that direction were blasted apart. The ground was gouged deeply, leaving a long scar, and the attack once again reached the street, causing screams and panic among the onlookers.
Carlotta once again evaded with her extreme speed.
Immediately after dodging, she lunged back, striking fiercely from behind Chad. The Elven Symphony slammed down without hesitation.
Chad had no time to react. Although he wore immensely powerful alchemical armor, his personal combat ability was insufficient.
Still, Carlotta’s attack failed to break through.
A layer of silver light automatically appeared on the armor, clinging to its surface. When Carlotta’s blow landed, the silver light boiled and churned violently, but held firm, only making Chad stagger.
"You actually moved the armor? Was that a full-powered strike from a peak-tier Resonator? How many times can you do that?"
Chad remained calm, turning around to raise his hand.
But Carlotta had already blurred behind him, delivering another Elven Symphony strike to his back.
Once again, the silver light on his armor surged violently, and Chad staggered two steps.
"The defense is weakening."
Carlotta’s eyes brightened.
This alchemical armor wasn’t invincible.
If either of the two Resonators beside him had worn it, it might have been troublesome, their reaction speed would allow better use of the armor. But Chad himself was only a Listener.
Carlotta acted decisively. A flurry of sword flashes swept through, instantly cutting down the two magic-path Supers in front of her. Their speed was too slow to evade, and both fell with screams of anguish.
By the time Chad turned around, his subordinates were already dead.
"You’re asking for it!"
Chad raised his hand in fury, but then his vision blurred. Carlotta had reappeared behind him once more.
"Your offense is strong, your defense is strong, but with your reaction speed, what good is having such powerful alchemical armor?"
Another sword strike came down.
"Boom!"
Silver light erupted violently. Chad stumbled repeatedly, nearly collapsing.
At this point, Carlotta had already entered the Elven Rhapsody enhancement state. Elven Symphony could now be used infinitely, with devastating power.
She didn’t wait for Chad to steady himself. Blow after blow, she relentlessly brought her sword down, until Chad was beaten flat on the ground, unable to rise.
After the ninth strike, the silver light on the alchemical armor suddenly vanished.
"Clang!"
When Carlotta struck again, the sound was now a piercing metallic clash.
She had to admit, the alchemical armor was incredibly sturdy. Even under the fierce blows of Elven Symphony, it remained largely undamaged. But without the protective silver light, Chad himself couldn’t endure. He screamed in agony.
Then, the silver light flickered, this alchemical armor actually detached itself from Chad’s body, shrinking into a small sphere no larger than a fist, landing beside him.
As for Chad, he spat blood, collapsed on the ground, unable to move.
Now even he felt fear. He hurriedly cried out, "Don’t do anything rash! My status within the Mechanical Fortress isn’t simple, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten this alchemical armor. I am— "
"Thud!"
Carlotta didn’t want to hear Chad’s nonsense. With one slash, she severed his head clean off.
Then, she quickly took the spherical form of the alchemical armor, and also seized a ring from Chad’s hand; it was a spatial item.
She didn’t bother dealing with the other bodies. Taking out an oil-storage card, she scattered oil, then used card magic to ignite the area. With that, she swiftly left, taking Amelia with her.