Chapter 154: Awakening

"Twin moons overlapping... divine awakening..." Lao Mao crushed the crystal in his hand, his face grim, "Grand Duke Frost Eagle wants to use our power as a catalyst, forcibly awakening the Machine God!"

The others, upon hearing this, all changed expression; they knew deep down that little time remained for them.

The group merely tended their wounds briefly and rushed toward South Stone Village.

They were certain an ambush awaited there, but with matters this far, they could only steel themselves and go.

The wind and snow gradually ceased, yet the oppressive pressure in the air grew heavier as if solid, crushing their chests, as if an invisible giant hand were strangling their throats.

They dared not delay, quickening their stride. At last, at the edge of sight, the outline of South Stone Village flickered into view.

But when they saw the scene before them, they involuntarily halted, faces filled with astonishment.

The whole village was terrifyingly silent, exuding a bone‑chilling deathly hush.

There were no Mechanical Guard footsteps patrolling back and forth, no hunting unit's dread rumble, and even the raging snowstorm oddly stalled at the village entrance, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

The dilapidated wooden huts leaned crookedly, teetering, their roofs piled with deep snow like massive white funeral hats; the whole village resembled a forgotten, gloomy tomb, exuding an eerie aura.

"Something's off," Jia Lei Si's voice was low and weighty, cold air seeping through the seams of his silver‑white heavy armor as if his body instinctively reacted to the strange atmosphere, "It's too quiet—quiet in an unnatural way."

Lao Mao's black cat on his shoulder bristled, emitting a low growl, its pure white pupils dilated, staring fixedly at the grim, desiccated well in the village center.

At the tip of Mo Lei's staff, Magic Power crystals flickered wildly out of control, emitting a harsh buzz as if warning of imminent danger.

Robin felt a surge of power within, and his Tang Sword spontaneously formed a thin film on its surface, dark‑red veins pulsing like living blood vessels along the blade.

It was his body's instinctive warning, telling him a great peril lay hidden here.

The group approached the desiccated well cautiously, as if before a formidable foe.

The well's mouth was sealed by a thick, solid ice sheet; through it, faint silver‑black mechanical veins could be seen, spreading like a massive spiderweb into the depths, exuding a cold, dangerous aura.

"Something's below." The Sun‑Moon Twin Guard raised their weapons in unison, the Sun Guard's great hammer burst into blazing fire, the heat seeming to ignite the surrounding air;

while the Moon Guard's dual swords condensed a thick layer of frost, chilling to the bone.

Lao Mao slowly crouched, his withered, twig‑like fingers gently pressing the ice.

In an instant, the ice melted as if meeting hot snow, revealing a bottomless, ink‑black well opening.

A gust of cold wind tinged with strong metallic rust roared from the well's depth, mixed with faint "clack" of gears meshing, like whispers from hell.

"Not a Mechanical Apostle..." Lao Mao's brows knit tightly, a rare solemn expression on his face, "It's something more troublesome, more thorny."

Robin's Blade of Order suddenly quivered violently, its tip pointing to the well's bottom; his expression hardened as he said in a deep voice, "There's a living aura below... a living person!"

Jia Lei Si showed no hesitation, leaping first into the well.

The silver‑white heavy armor glimmered dazzlingly in the darkness like a lighthouse in night, lighting the path for the others. They followed closely, sliding swiftly down the well wall's intricate mechanical veins.

At the bottom, there lay a spacious yet mysterious cellar.

The walls were studded with countless rotating gear mechanisms, emitting a dull whir. In the cellar's center, a shocking and heartbreaking scene unfolded before their eyes,

twelve Wizards brutally nailed to a massive metal cross, silver‑blue conduits inserted into their chests, Magic Power continuously siphoned toward the huge gear assembly at the cellar's ceiling.

Even more terrifying, the Wizards were still alive!

Their eyes were wide, hollow, pupils reflecting ghostly gears, throats emitting involuntary "gurgle" sounds, like wails from hell.

Mo Lei, seeing this, almost dropped his staff; his voice trembled with disbelief, "They are... members of the Western Wizard Council! The one in the purple robe is the 'Star Speaker' Luo Lin, a Three‑Ring Wizard!"

Lao Mao's eyes clouded, his tone heavy, "Grand Duke Frost Eagle is extracting their 'Wizard Essence'... feeding the Machine God with evil sustenance."

At that moment, the gear mechanisms in the cellar suddenly sped up, emitting a deafening roar.

The imprisoned Wizards simultaneously let out harrowing, desperate screams as their bodies visibly withered rapidly, as if life's moisture were being drained.

The gear assembly above burst with dazzling silver light, so bright it could not be stared at.

"Bad!" Jia Lei Si's complexion shifted sharply; the great sword in his hand slammed into the ground, unleashing powerful Order Power that instantly formed a solid Order Barrier, shielding everyone inside, "It's the final stage of the sacrificial array!"

Immediately after, the cellar walls thundered down, revealing a massive, complex mechanical structure behind.

It turned out to be a miniature inverted clock tower, its pendulum made of twelve conduits, each linked to a Wizard's spine!

The pendulum began to swing slowly, the entire cellar trembling violently as if it could collapse at any moment.

Lao Mao's black cat let out a sharp screech, trying to assume the Shadow Beast form, but the pendulum's silver flash forcibly suppressed it, preventing its manifestation.

"This isn't a trap..." Robin's Blade of Order uncontrollably pointed at the pendulum; a hint of insight in his eyes, he said gravely, "It's a 'Transmission Anchor'!"

At that instant, a holographic image materialized above the pendulum—Grand Duke Frost Eagle seated on the grim, imposing throne of the Frost Fortress, his mechanical mask's electronic eyes flashing crimson, like two burning blood‑red flames.

"Welcome, the final piece of the ritual," his voice, mechanically processed, carried a cold, mocking smile as if savoring their panic, "When the twelve Wizards' 'Essence', the Round Table Knights' 'Order', and..."

The image suddenly turned toward Robin, its icy gaze seeming to pierce the screen, stabbing straight into Robin's soul.

(End of Chapter)