Chapter 14: The Super Performance
Countless intense golden arcs formed a ring, tightly encircling the colossal Komora Python as it hid in various places. It was as if a dazzling, floating crown had been placed on the python’s head. Yet, this floating crown suddenly shattered, exploding into countless irregular golden light clusters that swiftly pierced the python’s head as it tried to evade them in panic.
The powerful thunder magic struck the Komora Python’s head without any restraint, exploding violently. The python writhed in pain, seemingly trying to escape this agonizing attack. But how could it escape the immense power of the Thunder God’s Mace? Golden arcs kept forming halos around the python’s head before exploding again and again. Blood streamed from its eyes and mouth, clearly showing that the fierce Thunder God’s Mace had inflicted severe damage on this mighty creature that feared nothing in the world.
Komer hadn’t expected the Komora Python to have such strong vitality. He had already used enhancement and duration magic twice to extend the duration of this energy-consuming thunder magic. Yet, despite writhing in pain on the ground, the python still refused to die. Beads of sweat the size of beans trickled down Komer’s forehead. He was now in a difficult situation—if this final strike of the Thunder God’s Mace didn’t bring decisive victory, the python’s formidable vitality would allow it to easily absorb earth energy and dark forces to heal itself. By then, it might be Komer’s doom.
At that moment, Lome, who had been watching from the side, finally stepped in to help Komer. A restoration magic gave him a chance to catch his breath, allowing him to endure this most difficult moment. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to use his sacred mana.
When the Thunder God’s Mace, empowered by strong magic, appeared one last time, its massive mace shape became exceptionally clear. Even the various magical patterns on it could be seen distinctly. Light, like plant roots, flashed down and struck the already struggling Komora Python’s head. Finally, the python could no longer withstand this final fierce blow. With blood streaming from its head, it threw its head skyward in a desperate struggle, its shrill screams seemingly warning its companions to avenge it.
The three Darkfire Skulls caught the attention of all the companions, including Rebrí, as soon as they appeared. Many of them were aware that this Caucasian lord had great expertise in dark magic and even possessed unique skills in puppet magic. Even a master-level puppet magic expert like Mihajić held Kommer in high regard. Yet, when they saw Kommer deploy three Skull Warriors at once, they were still surprised despite being prepared.
The three Skull Warriors almost immediately filled the void left by Shatima’s impulsive actions. The venomous mist attacks from the scorpions meant nothing to them—skulls didn’t even have lives to be harmed by such poison attacks. The shiny curved swords and sturdy round shields in their hands fulfilled their roles effectively, creating waves of dark mist. They charged through the swarm of scorpions, unleashing wave after wave of attacks without restraint.
These three Darkfire Skulls were clearly specially trained and tempered. Not only had their entire bodies been strengthened with solidified magic, but they had also undergone specialized training in fire magic. Coupled with their innate dark nature, this gave them the strength to fight against magical beasts. The curved swords and round shields in their hands were also crafted by Kommer specifically for them. Though not made of pure magic metal, they were made from high-quality iron mixed with magic metal imbued with dark magic. These weapons adapted well to the physical characteristics of the Darkfire Skulls, maximizing the dark magical power of these dark creatures.
When Kommer and Lome successfully killed the second Komora Python, the situation finally stabilized. Rebrí’s fire magic created continuous rings of fire that trapped the scorpions, forcing them to try to break free. But under Rebrí’s superb control of magical power, the fire rings were manipulated with perfection, making it impossible for the scorpions to break through the increasingly intense flames. They futilely swung their giant pincers and tail stingers, but against these infernal fire rings, they could do nothing but turn into piles of charred remains.
The other Komora Python had already slipped away from Kommer’s group’s range as soon as the second one was enveloped by Kommer’s Thunderhammer. Even Mihajić, who had hoped to use his puppet mechanical automata to fight the Komora Python, didn’t have time to act before it disappeared into the darkness.
As wave after wave of scorpions were driven by Shatima and Vladkov and surrounded by Rebrí’s seemingly ever-burning magical fire ring, Grace and Finitz also grew restless. While the two women had initially been too terrified by the wild beasts to act rashly, now that their side held a clear advantage, it presented them with the perfect opportunity to kill the monsters up close.
The scorpions didn’t seem as formidable as imagined, at least not in front of Komer and Rebrí. Whether it was Komer’s lightning magic or Rebrí’s fire magic circles, they successfully and effortlessly strangled these scorpions. But when Grace leaped forward with her spear glowing faintly as she charged at the scorpions, and when Finitz’s delicate elven bow emitted a brilliant light, things seemed to become less straightforward again.
Grace’s full-force sword strike sparked countless sparks upon encountering the scorpion’s agile pincers. Although one of the scorpion’s pincers was broken, the powerful recoil sent Grace flying more than a meter into the air. Using the momentum of her ascent, she skillfully spun in midair, suddenly appearing behind the scorpion before unleashing a fierce attack. It was only then that the scorpions truly showed their true strength. Though the loss of one pincer weakened them, their tail stinger swept wildly, striking Grace’s spear like a thunderous whip. The intense pull made Grace’s arm numb, forcing her to dodge the scorpion’s tail stinger, which was as agile as willow branches in the wind.
Finitz, on the other hand, shot three arrows in quick succession from her elven bow. The arrows, imbued with the natural magic of wood, were incredibly precise and hit another scorpion without fail. Yet, these arrows, capable of killing an ordinary soldier with a single shot, proved utterly ineffective against the scorpions’ formidable vitality. The scorpions’ sturdy scales appeared fragile under Vladkov’s dark combat energy and Komer’s Thunder God’s Hammer, but they became an insurmountable shield against the elven arrows. The arrows struck the scales with a crisp metallic sound, yet none managed to pierce through them. This made Finitz cover her delicate lips—only then did she truly realize the vast gap between herself and her companions, who usually didn’t stand out in appearance.
As soon as Mihajic’s puppet mechanical golem was released, everyone was stunned by this golem, its entire body exuding a metallic aura. It was breathtakingly beautiful and exquisite, resembling a unique masterpiece in an art museum. At human size, its slightly square cheeks clearly were crafted from aquatic magic metal and wooden magic metal—the former being highly malleable, while the latter excelled at combining various types of magical energy, thus forming the golem’s head. The rest of its body, especially its limbs, was obviously made of extremely hard rigid magic metal. For the torso, dark yellow earth magic metal was chosen to reduce weight and cost; even under external attacks, earth magic metal could quickly absorb and dissipate the force. Each joint in the torso was connected using translucent bluish-gray aquatic magic metal—only its malleability, flexibility, and durability could support such an advanced golem.
Both Komer and Rebril and Newman were stunned by Mihajic’s generous display this time. Aside from the two Dark Knights, who remained somewhat calm, even Lomei, usually so composed with few emotional changes, expressed sincere admiration for Mihajic’s masterpiece.
As soon as the puppet mechanical golem entered battle, it demonstrated its extraordinary strength. It was clearly a killing machine. The tips of its hands were shaped like shovels for attacking, while its arms featured sharp serrations. The gleaming shovels and serrations emitted a terrifyingly bloodthirsty glow in the dim light. Its chest and abdomen joints were further protected by spikes to enhance defense in these sensitive areas.
Its sharp upper limbs acted like two deadly scythes, sweeping through the swarm of demon scorpions, leaving chaos in their wake. The demon scorpions realized the danger posed by this killer, whose entire body was filled with a metallic aura. After several futile attempts to intensify their attacks—only to find that neither poison fumes nor physical attacks could cause any real damage—they were forced to avoid this mechanical golem’s slaughter.
At this point, the square had almost become a stage for the mechanical puppets and Shatima’s performances. One of them used a straightforward yet ruthless approach, swinging her arms like scythes to slay the endless stream of demon scorpions; the other pursued them frantically, directing the tip of her dragon spear wherever there were more scorpions. The arrogant demon scorpions even became the easiest prey in the hands of these two killers, giving the impression of two competitors showing off their skills in killing scorpions and competing with each other, so much so that others gradually stopped attacking and focused on watching their performance.