Chapter 153: The Web Weaver

The Weaver's mechanical body, under alternating blows of high heat and extreme cold, emitted an overburdened "creak" sound; the precise components at its joints began to fracture, and black oil seeped from the cracks.

His expression twisted a bit, clearly bearing enormous pressure.

"Mere artificial thing!" the Weaver sneered, a flash of madness flashing in his eyes.

The dark red core in his chest suddenly spun at high speed, and a bizarre wave centered on him spread rapidly outward.

The wave seemed to possess magical power, instantly deflecting the Sun-Moon Twin Guard's attacks, as if an invisible force forcibly twisted them.

The Sun Guard's massive hammer struck the Moon Guard's twin swords; the two, seeing this, hurriedly retracted their force, but it was already too late to fully control it, and the powerful recoil injured their innards, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

"Mechanical Divinity Deflection Field." The Weaver lifted his mechanical palm, his voice tinged with pride and arrogance, "Before the will of the gods, mortal attacks are meaningless."

His gaze was icy, as if proclaiming everyone's helplessness and insignificance, while he stood on the side of divine power, controlling the battle's direction.

Hei Mao crouched on Lao Mao's shoulder; his round vertical pupils instantly narrowed to thin lines, eyes full of vigilance and contempt.

"Meow."

(Pretending to be divine and spooky.)

As if receiving a command, a massive shadow beast beside them let out a low roar, then its body rapidly split, turning into dozens of black shadows that, like black lightning, surged toward the Weaver from every sharp angle.

Each black shadow exuded a strange aura, bearing the property of annihilating matter; wherever it passed, even pure white snowflakes were instantly devoured, turning into void, and the air was filled with a heart‑pounding deathly silence.

The Weaver's previously composed demeanor finally changed; the mechanical mask cracked completely under the tremendous impact.

With the mask shattered, a half‑face corroded by metal was exposed before everyone — it was the renegade wizard from the former Round Table Council, "Ashes" Lai Ensi!

"It's you?!" Morei's eyes widened, his staff nearly slipping from his grasp in shock, his voice full of disbelief, "The First Ring Wizard who betrayed the council thirty years ago… you actually sided with the Mechanical Church!"

Lai Ensi's half‑face twisted with anger and madness; he let out a sharp laugh, like a night owl's screech: "Side with? No… Evolution! The power of the Mechanical God is the future of this world! You ignorant fools truly don't understand!"

Before the words finished, his mechanical body suddenly began to swell, as if a great power surged within.

Immediately, countless silver‑black tendrils burst forth, like flexible poisonous snakes, thrusting fiercely toward the charging shadow beasts.

Those tendrils moved at extreme speed, piercing dozens of shadow beasts in an instant; the beasts emitted painful roars and gradually faded into the air.

Lai Ensi watched the shocked expressions of the others, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes; his mechanical limbs trembled slightly in the cold wind, as if displaying the great power he had obtained.

Robin clenched his teeth, the power within him surging like a raging tide.

His Order Blade re‑condensed; this time, the blade turned entirely dark red, the deep hue seeming forged in hell, exuding a chilling aura.

This was the brand‑new power gained after breaking through the Dragon Devouring Breathing Method, a bizarre balance of order and mechanical divinity.

"You talk too much." Robin's gaze was icy, his words devoid of any feeling.

In the next instant, his form flashed like a phantom, instantly teleporting before Lai Ensi, the speed so great that few could even see his movement.

The blade light fell like a blood‑red moon, swift and fierce, bearing a sharp momentum and great power.

Seeing this, Lai Ensi's complexion changed abruptly; he hurriedly raised his Sword to block. Yet his serrated long blade was so fragile before Robin's dark red Order Blade.

With a "crack", the serrated blade was split in two; the dark red blade's force remained undiminished, cleaving straight through his mechanical chest, exposing the throbbing dark red core inside.

"Useless…" Though gravely wounded, Lai Ensi still sneered, "The core does not perish; I am eternal…"

Before he could finish, Lao Mao's silhouette suddenly appeared behind him like a phantom.

Lao Mao's withered, thin fingers seemed to contain endless power, directly plunging into Lai Ensi's core.

"Crack."

A crisp sound rang out; cracks spread across the core's surface, Lai Ensi's smile instantly froze, his eyes filled with shock and unwillingness.

"No… impossible! This is a Divinity Core, how could you…" Lai Ensi let out a desperate howl.

In Lao Mao's murky eyes flashed a sliver of silver, his tone tinged with contempt: "Because my 'First Ring', and your 'First Ring'… are not the same thing."

At that moment, Hei Mao leapt lightly onto Lai Ensi's shoulder, her pure white eyes staring at his mechanical eye.

"Meow." (Good night.)

Almost simultaneously, Lai Ensi's body seemed to lose all support, collapsing instantly into a pile of rust‑corroded metal fragments scattered across the snow.

In an instant, the howling wind and snow ceased, and the world fell into brief silence.

Gares slowly sheathed his great Sword, a heavy breath resonating from beneath his helm; his voice carried a weighty tone: "We must rush to South Stone Village immediately; the Frost Eagle Duke's plan may be more dangerous than we imagined."

Morei attentively examined the injuries of the Sun-Moon Twin Guard, his expression solemn, and asked, "What does Lai Ensi's 'sacrifice' mean?"

Robin looked down at the dark red veins spreading across his arm, said nothing; he realized the strongest strike could be used only once more.

Lao Mao snorted coldly, kicked the remnants of Lai Ensi's wreckage, then picked up a memory crystal from the shards. After infusing Magic Power, the crystal projected an image of the interior of the Frost Fortress.

In the image, a massive inverted clock tower turned slowly underground within the fortress, emitting a deep rumble.

At the tower's center, a silver‑blue mechanical coffin floated in the air, radiating a mysterious and dangerous aura.

Around the coffin, twelve wizards bound by chains twisted in pain, their Magic Power being mercilessly drained; their anguished wails could not pass through the crystal, yet their contorted faces conveyed the bone‑deep suffering.

Most chilling was the phantom of two moons hovering above the coffin, now overlapping about eighty percent, emitting an eerie light.

(End of chapter)