Age of Adepts

The large-scale use of magical machines was a big problem that plagued the higher-ups of the Crimson Clan.

If they created all the magical machines with top-class alloy purified and extracted in advanced alchemical labs, then the cost of production of each magical machine would be higher than the magical statues and constructs of the World of Adepts.

Thus, to limit the production costs, most of the magical machines were made of an ordinary alloy that had undergone a simple smelting process. Only their energy core, energy circulation systems, and magic-energy weapon parts were made with the newest magical alloys.

A new magical machine factory had been in the works within Gazlowe’s massive metal body to alleviate this problem, even as the low-grade magical machine assembly lines were still producing magical machines. This new factory would no longer produce assembly line, low-grade magical machines. Instead, it would combine the various new technologies, new materials, and new ideas to create elite magical machine warriors.

The metal golems that Greem was researching was no more than a part of this Project Magical Machine Warrior!

A total of one hundred and sixty-three magical machines had been assigned to Mary for the battle this time. Of these magical machines, one hundred and sixty were ordinary machines, while three of them were special models– the Elementary Magical Machine Warrior.

These three Elementary Magical Machine Warriors were prototypes that had just walked out of the goblin laboratories. They had been sent here after production to test their limits in actual combat. This data would be used to evaluate their practicality and the feasibility of the project’s concept.

One could also hear from the few mad goblin engineers that these three Elementary Magical Machine Warriors each had their own badass nicknames, apart from their individual model names. They were, respectively, Goblin Tinker, Goblin Shredder, and Goblin Bomberman.

Mary couldn’t help but be exasperated when she heard these names for the first time. There were truly no sane goblins among these scientists that spent their days shut in their laboratories and factories. Expecting these mad scientists to come up with anything resembling an elegant name was no more than a daydream.

Still, while the names were crude, they indeed did fit the magical machine warriors.

Mary naturally kept these elite-level machines around her as bodyguards, while she treated the other magical machines as sacrificial pawns.

Several paths led to the dragonborn camp. However, apart from the ten-meter wide mud road, all the other trails were winding little roads with uneven geography filled with mud and water. It was not suitable terrain for the large magical machines to traverse.

Thus, the focus of the conflict would be upon that one exit and entrance of the camp.

Seeing that the enemy was adamant in holding their positions and were unlikely to come out of the camp, the magical machines started to lock down the exit under the orders of the goblin technicians. The army of machines then stood off against the dragonborn across a vast stretch of murky swamp. Twelve magical machines that had been specially selected formed four rows of three and slowly pressed on down the mud road.

They had no choice. The mud road was only ten meters wide, while all the magical machines were large in size. It was possible to fit four magical machines across if they wanted to, but that would make it impossible for them to fight. As such, each row could accommodate three machines, for a total of four rows. This squad of machines marched toward at the enemy.

Upon reaching the middle point of the mud road, the first two rows of Loggers planted the massive metal shields in their hands into the ground. They stopped pushing forward. The two rows of Archers behind them then took up crossfire positions and extended all the long-ranged weapons within their bodies.

What were the opponents trying to do?

The dragonborn warriors standing guard at the end of the mud road looked at each other with their axes still in hand. None of them knew what these lumps of metal were up to. Were they not here to attack them? Why did they stop moving halfway?

The dragonborn were still indecisive about whether to charge forward and route the magical machines or remain in their positions. Meanwhile, the six Archers that had taken up position in the middle of the mud road started to fire.

They were now approximately seventy meters away from the dragonborn warriors at the end of the mud road. It was well within the effective range of the magic energy rifles. The proud and towering dragonborn were instantly beaten into a daze when the first wave of bullets came at them like a storm.

As warriors that had undergone a hundred fights, they had experienced all sorts of physical and magical attacks. However, this was the first time they had ever seen such a dense and concentrated rain of ’thrown’ weapon attacks.

It was like a rain of iron and steel!

The pained grunts of the dragonborn mixed with the clattering of colliding metal.

For a moment, the dragonborn squad that guarded the mud roads were running from the rain of bullets. They could hardly stand still in their original positions.

They couldn’t do anything about it. Even though the fine scales and metal armors of the dragonborn warriors protected over ninety percent of their bodies, there was still a portion of their bodies that were exposed. For instance: the eyes, the throat, the ears, the armpits, the stomach.

Under ordinary circumstances, the enemies were very unlikely to hit these parts with their attacks, especially if they did a good job of hiding them. That was why the dragonborn hadn’t bothered to design special equipment to shield these areas.

At this moment, the six Archers were wildly firing their rifles. The randomly flying bullets could deal plenty of stray damage to the dragonborn. Either their eyes were blinded, or a bullet went into their ear, or their scales were pierced.

The dragonborn had stood too close to each other. It was true that their armor and scales had deflected most of the bullets and didn’t cause too much damage to them. However, the bullets would ricochet off their bodies and hit their companions instead. It was easy for the shots to deal damage in such a situation.

Substantial casualties had occurred in the first line of defense of the dragonborn in a matter of moments.

The small metal bullets were less than toothpicks compared to the large bodies of the dragonborn. At the very worst, they were like the bite of a mosquito. However, anyone would fall into a panic if hundreds of mosquitos were swarming them and all they could hear was strange explosions and clinking noises.

The experienced dragonborn warriors quickly covered their faces with their scaled arms and used their massive axes to protect their other weak spots. But how were they supposed to fight now?

The dragonborn captain of the squad reared its limbs and flames spontaneously burned upon the massive axe he held in his hand. The captain let out a stunning warcry and stormed toward the magical machines while waving the flaming axe and stomping with his heavy steps.

The berserk dragonborn captain covered a distance of seventy meters in a matter of six seconds. The flaming axe then solidly cut at the metal shields of the magical machines in the first row.

A loud explosion could be heard as a metal shield split into pieces. The arms of the Logger holding the shield also exploded into shrapnel and countless metal parts.

The Logger stumbled backward from the residual force and crashed upon the metal shields in the second row.

Behind it was an immovable steel wall, while in front of it was the force of a raging dragonborn. The unfortunate Logger was crushed in between and exploded like a watermelon.

As expected of a powerful First Grade elite warrior, the dragonborn captain had instantly exterminated this enhanced Logger magical machine with a single furious blow.

The Logger’s metal shell was riddled with cracks and holes. Its body flashed with electric sparks, and nearly half of its body was gone. The machine took two steps sideways before falling right into the swamp.

The successful dragonborn captain felt his will to battle rise to a peak. He once again reared his limbs and tried to knock the remaining metal lumps into the swamp.

Yet, he had never expected his reckless charge to expose himself to the full force of the Archers.

After the next second, the rapid and concentrated sounds of firing guns didn’t cease.

The barrage came from everywhere within a one hundred and forty degree fan-shaped area in front of him. All the bullets impacted against his towering body.

The dragonborn’s armor might have exceptional defensive capabilities, and their scales might be tough, but they all had their limits. When a concentrated attack exceeded this limit, it would deal unimaginable damage to the dragonborn.

The dragonborn warriors hiding in the back had exploded into cheers for the heroic feat of their captain. The very next second, they saw blood erupt from their captain’s body. The dragonborn had been riddled with holes by the fearsome barrage of bullets.

It was only now that the dragonborn captain’s reared front hooves landed on the ground.

The captain had used too much strength in doing so. Over a hundred streams of blood shot out of his body, completely staining the earth around him a crimson red.

The blood-soaked dragonborn captain trembled slightly, but he failed to squeeze out a single word from his dry throat. Three of his four eyes had been blinded, and the light of life was quickly fading from the last.

A dull thud rang as the dragonborn captain’s body collapsed limply to the ground before sliding into the swamp like the magical machine before him. Only bubbles appeared on the surface of the pool of water, along with bright red threads of blood.

The cheering dragonborn instantly fell silent!

A powerful dragonborn captain had actually been instantly torn into pieces by the enemy; such a thing had never happened in the long military history of the dragonborn.

The dragonborn were the strongest land warriors of Lance apart from the superior dragon lords. They were loyal. They were brave. They were capable of fighting off enemies a hundred times their numbers. They were unmatched.

At this moment, this gilded standard of theirs that had been established by countless bloody battles had been crushed to pieces by a group of cold, unfeeling metal lumps.

The image of dragonborn as invincible and undefeatable was quickly crumbling.

It was a massive shock to the dragonborn, as well as a tremendous humiliation.

The eyes of all the dragonborn in the camp turned bloodshot. They all roared and brandished their axes and charged toward the mud road.

Fight. Fight. Fight.

Wash their bodies with the blood of the enemy, honor their dead tribesmen with the flesh of the enemy.

All the dragonborn had gone berserk!

However, at this very moment, Mary calmly gave a series of orders while still hidden among the army of magical machines.

”Endor, immediately activate the poison plague you’ve spread.”

”Hummingbird One, drop the Destroyer now.”

”All Archers, fire at full power now.”

A blood battle instantly broke out upon the narrow mud road!