Chapter 205: The Encounter

A loud "crack" echoed as a thick layer of ice instantly encased the shadowy creature. Immediately, three figures emerged from the other side of the stone door.

With a heavy thud, one of the three figures—a massive alchemical creature—collided directly with the shadowy figure, sending it flying.

Mage Golan and his companions, who had been on the verge of defeat against the three second-level mages, couldn't help but reveal a glimmer of hope and relief upon seeing the new arrivals.

Golan couldn't hold back his excitement and shouted, "Mage Merlin!"

The three figures that had appeared were none other than Merlin, Mage Laisen, and Laisen's alchemical creature.

"Hm? Mage Golan, and Alena?" Merlin's gaze turned to the group, quickly assessing their precarious situation.

Mage Hermann, initially stunned by the arrival of these three mysterious individuals, was even more shocked to see them easily send the terrifying shadowy creature flying. It became clear to him that the force that had struck the shadow creature through the stone door came from these powerful intruders.

In Hermann's view, these newcomers were exceptionally strong. His own alchemical creature had been no match for the shadow creature, torn apart in seconds. But compared to Merlin's group, the creature seemed clearly outmatched.

Upon recognizing Golan's group was familiar with these figures, Hermann's caution grew. To him, both Golan's team and Merlin's allies were competing for the relic's treasures, making them all potential enemies.

"Crack."

The shadow creature quickly broke free from the ice, pieces of frozen crystal falling away. Its hollow, eerie gaze glowed with an unsettling green light, scanning Hermann's group and Merlin's team. Its voice came out cold and mechanical: "Intruders… must… be… eliminated!"

"What a nuisance. My Icy Finger barely hurts this puppet guardian. Even with Mage Laisen's spells and his creature's attacks, we're only able to gain a slight advantage. It seems the only way to destroy this puppet guardian is to drain its elemental energy completely," Merlin muttered, focusing back on the creature. This shadow guardian was the so-called "puppet guardian" Mage Laisen had described as guarding the ancient Pandora magic within the relic.

This puppet guardian was incredibly resilient; ordinary spells had no effect. Only Merlin's Icy Finger could deal it some minor damage, and combined with Laisen's alchemical creature, they could maintain the upper hand. However, defeating the puppet guardian outright, at least in the short term, seemed impossible.

"Attack!" Merlin charged forward without hesitation, pointing a pale, icy finger at the guardian. A chilling wave of frost shot forth, freezing the creature in place.

Merlin's spell immobilized the puppet guardian temporarily, allowing Laisen's alchemical creature to unleash a series of brutal punches against the guardian's sturdy black armor. Yet despite the creature's immense strength, the armor remained unscathed.

Seeing this, Laisen spotted a heavy hammer that had fallen from one of Hermann's destroyed alchemical creatures and directed his own creature to pick it up. While cumbersome, the hammer would deal more concentrated damage to the frozen guardian.

"Let's see what you can do, my friend. Smash it with everything you've got!" Laisen commanded, and his creature lifted the hammer, bringing it down on the guardian with all its might.

A rapid series of strikes resounded through the chamber. Each swing left a deep impression in the guardian's black armor, denting it bit by bit. With Merlin freezing it repeatedly with Icy Finger, the guardian couldn't move, relying solely on its armor for protection.

Observing the relentless hammering, Hermann and the other second-level mages watched in shock. Hermann quickly realized that this mysterious cold energy that kept immobilizing the guardian came from Merlin's unique spell. The chill alone felt dangerous, even from a distance. Knowing he couldn't contend with either Merlin or Laisen, Hermann decided they'd be better off retreating.

"Let's go!" he ordered urgently.

Without hesitation, the other mages abandoned their attack on Golan's group and followed Hermann, fleeing the first floor. They had no desire to linger in the face of Merlin and Laisen's formidable abilities.

"Golan, we should leave too; it's too dangerous here," Alena suggested, noticing Laisen's warning gaze. She knew they wouldn't stand a chance if they stayed and waited for the guardian to be destroyed.

Golan nodded, his expression complex as he looked at Merlin. He knew that Merlin's timely arrival had spared him from what would have been a grim fate at the hands of the second-level mages. "Let's go."

Reluctantly, Golan led his group out of the first floor. Soon, the only sounds left were the echoing thuds of the hammer striking the guardian's armor, denting it further with each powerful blow.

The guardian's body had sunk halfway into the floor, its armor battered and dented all over, and even its head had been severely crushed. Yet, despite all the damage, the guardian seemed unfazed, its movements unaltered.

Merlin couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Moerta Empire's ancient era, where the advancements in spellcasting, alchemy, and runic magic were unrivaled. The puppet guardian was indeed an extraordinary creation from that peak era, one that modern-day alchemical creatures couldn't hope to rival.

"Whoosh."

Merlin released Icy Finger once more, but he furrowed his brows. "This could be a problem. I'm running low on ice-element mana. I can only manage one or two more Icy Fingers."

Initially, he and Laisen had intended to outlast the guardian's elemental energy reserves. But now, it was Merlin who was reaching his limit first.

"Crack."

Merlin froze the guardian once again, his hand clutching a few ice-elemental stones. He turned to Laisen and said, "Mage Laisen, I'm almost out of mana. Hold it off while I recover."

Laisen nodded, preparing a spell to back up his creature's next strike. But as he was about to launch his attack, he noticed something odd—the green glow in the guardian's hollow eyes flickered, then went out entirely.

Slowly, the guardian's head drooped, its massive body going limp as if powered down, utterly motionless despite the continuous hammer blows.