Chapter 184: He's Here!

In a dimly lit room filled with a damp and heavy air, a purple-haired elder sat with his eyes slightly closed as though in meditation, but his face twisted in an expression of pain and frustration.

*Crack.*

Suddenly, a rune-engraved ring on his finger split with a loud crack, shattering on the ground into fragments.

"Colton… dead?"

The elder's face turned ashen. His slightly stooped frame straightened instantly, his aged face contorting in fury as a dark aura spread from him.

*Whoosh.*

A surge of wind energy enveloped him as he stormed out of the room, followed by a hulking alchemical creature clad entirely in silvery armor…

---

"Dead?"

Merlin's *Furious Flames* had swept through the mist of shadows, consuming the alchemist caught in its dream-like trance. The alchemist, lacking any protective robes or tools, was incinerated almost instantly, his body reduced to charred remains that reeked of burning flesh.

With the alchemist dead, Merlin turned his gaze to the towering alchemical creature. This hulking beast possessed immense strength and speed, seemingly indestructible—a truly formidable creation.

Yet, as its master fell, a strange greenish ooze began seeping from the creature's body, covering it entirely. Wherever the ooze spread, the creature's flesh rapidly rotted, its muscles and bones dissolving into bubbling, foul-smelling pools of blood and pus, as if breaking down by some corrosive agent.

In mere moments, the once-powerful creature was reduced to a pool of sludge, with threads of greenish liquid still oozing out, emitting an overpowering stench.

Merlin furrowed his brows as he watched the alchemical creature dissolve, suspecting that it was yet another method alchemists used to control their creations. Once the alchemist died, the creature also met its end by some pre-set mechanism.

"Merlin, what happened here?"

Brunton emerged from the house, his face a picture of shock as he took in the destruction around him. His courtyard was a mess, with the walls half-collapsed and a massive breach exposing the interior. The strength of the alchemical creature was evident in the devastation it had left behind.

*Creak.*

Another door opened, and out stepped the black-robed elder who had been secluded in his room for the past month. Alarmed by the commotion, he quickly stepped out to investigate.

"Merlin, what happened? I heard loud noises and felt elemental surges."

The black-robed elder and Brunton moved closer, looking with distaste at the scorched corpse and the rancid pool of blood at their feet.

Merlin's face darkened as he replied in a low voice, "I'm not entirely sure. I was returning from the Silver Tower when I encountered a mysterious alchemist. He attacked me out of nowhere. It was only after a fierce battle that I managed to kill him."

"Merlin, did you get a good look at the alchemist? Anything distinctive about him?" Brunton asked, urgency in his voice. Having spent many years in Floating City, he was well-acquainted with many of its inhabitants and might be able to identify the attacker.

Merlin then described the alchemist in detail. Brunton frowned deeply, appearing to search his memory for any alchemist who matched Merlin's description.

Suddenly, Brunton's expression shifted as he asked, "Merlin, was this alchemist's creature unusually large?"

Merlin nodded, recalling the creature's imposing stature and peculiar features. "Yes, it was immensely strong, with strange silver material on its hands…"

Before he could finish, Brunton interrupted urgently, "This is bad news, Merlin. The alchemist you killed is likely Colton, the apprentice of Samir! Samir's alchemical techniques are unique—he injects mithril into his creatures, allowing them to transform their bodies into various weapons or armor. You've most likely crossed Samir, and he's not one to let things slide. He's a third-level mage with fearsome alchemical skills, and his creatures have been known to hold their own against even fourth-level mages. If he targets you, you'll be in serious danger!"

Though Merlin had never heard of Samir, Brunton's anxious expression and terms like "third-level mage" and "resisting fourth-level mages" made his heart sink.

Without wasting another second, Merlin turned to the elder and said decisively, "We need to leave Floating City. Now."

"Hold on, I have to gather the stabilizing potions I've been working on," the elder replied, quickly retreating to his room.

As he did, Merlin's gaze sharpened. He sensed an eerie presence approaching from the courtyard's entrance. A figure stepped into view in the narrow corridor outside, revealing an elderly mage with a head of silver-purple hair.

"It's too late… Samir's already here," Brunton muttered with a defeated sigh, looking at the elder with dread.

"Samir…"

Merlin whispered, his entire body tensing as he fixed his gaze on the purple-haired elder approaching, this feared third-level mage who had arrived far sooner than expected.

"Are you the one who killed Colton?" Samir's eyes narrowed, and with a sweeping gesture, his hand emitted a blazing red glow as waves of intense heat radiated toward Merlin.

"*Wind Burst!*"

Merlin's instincts screamed danger as he evaded, narrowly avoiding the attack. The streak of fire impacted the wall behind him, leaving a molten hole. Flames erupted, swiftly engulfing the surrounding walls in a blazing inferno.

Merlin's heart pounded. If he had attempted to block the attack, he'd be trapped in a wall of fire.

A third-level mage was far too formidable. Merlin knew he couldn't afford to hesitate. His only option was to run.

*Whoosh.*

Wind energy surged around Merlin, amplifying his speed as he activated *Enhanced Wind Burst*, dashing away as fast as possible.

Samir frowned. "Mages with speed spells… how bothersome. *Water Bind!*"

Raising a hand to the sky, Samir summoned moisture from the air, coalescing it into a mass of water that spread outward in waves, gradually forming an invisible net over Merlin.

Merlin suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure around him, immobilizing his body. It was a water-binding spell, a rare form of elemental restraint that he hadn't encountered before in the Abyssal Domain.

"Go, capture him, but don't hurt him," Samir said softly to the enormous alchemical creature standing behind him. The creature, wrapped in silvery armor, charged forward with a crushing force.

*Boom.*

This alchemical creature was leagues beyond anything Merlin had faced before. With a single step, it cracked the stone pavement, launching its massive body into the air and casting a shadow over Merlin.

Confronted with this powerful creature, Merlin knew he couldn't hold back. He shouted, "*Stone Guardian!*"

He summoned three layers of *Stone Guardian*, then activated his augmented defense tool, unleashing the enhanced *Stone Guardian* as his final shield.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

The silver-armored creature tore through the initial three shields as though they were paper. Its body was coated in a layer of flexible yet deadly mithril, allowing it to form armor and weaponry at will. Even the most resilient elemental warriors wouldn't survive ingesting mithril, yet Samir had found a way to integrate it into his creature without adverse effects.

Refined alchemical techniques had evolved significantly, Merlin realized, with new methods surpassing even the strict traditions of ancient alchemists.

The silver creature's hand transformed into a massive hammer, which it swung downward toward Merlin.

Merlin's initial defenses had been shattered, leaving only his final, augmented shield standing between him and the creature's brutal force.

*Boom.*

The three-meter-tall creature, brimming with muscles and radiating raw power, wielded its silver hammer with terrifying strength, crashing it down onto Merlin's enhanced *Stone Guardian*.