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The once solemn Fire Throne now shook uncontrollably!
Large areas of damage had appeared on the surface of the tower. Some more impatient Alliance adepts were already commanding their voodoo beasts to charge into the tower and initiate "urban warfare" against the Crimson adepts in the narrow corridors. Casualties on both sides were increasing exponentially.
The energy supply of the tower might not be sufficient, but the magical doors and traps that filled the interior of the tower were still active. The Crimson adepts undoubtedly had an immense advantage when fighting in an area like this.
They could quickly retreat or move away if the situation turned against them. The Alliance adepts would be at considerable risk of triggering traps if they pursued them while they escaped. That would cause the Alliance adepts to be surrounded and ambushed by enemies many times their number.
Every single place could become a battlefield between adepts as both parties moved throughout the tower.
There were many structures within the tower. Yet, how could they possibly endure being ravaged by a war between adepts? One by one, they burned in the fires of war before collapsing into ruin. As the Alliance adepts continued to surge into the tower, the ruined areas increased in number and the area where the Crimson adepts could move freely started to decrease.
The low-grade adepts of the Alliance didn"t dare push too hard with Billis" swarm and Mary"s vampires holding them back. As such, they barely managed to gain control over two levels of the tower after half a day.
As the teleportation array was located on the fourth floor, the Crimson adepts would lose their last chance to escape if they retreated another time. The Crimson adepts held fast at the entrance to the third level, beating back wave after wave of advances from the enemies. Casualties were severe on both sides.
Even the old vampire Haines Vik had tried to break through this pa.s.sage with his overwhelming Third Grade power, but he was forcefully beaten into a retreat by the Crimson Clan"s eight Second Grades. The Crimson adepts knew very well what the situation was now that the battle had commenced to this stage. Hope lied ahead, while death waited behind them; there was no retreat now. Everyone abandoned all pointless thoughts that had been plaguing their minds and used every ounce of their power to stall the progress of the enemy.
In the end, the two Third Grades of the Alliance led a group of Second Grades in a charge against the entrance. Seeing that it was impossible to stop this attack, Mary had no choice but to detonate the magical traps to delay them. She then led the Crimson adepts one level up and chose to fortify themselves at the entrance to the fourth level.
However, the Alliance adepts were unconcerned with a brute force attack at this point.
They sent large groups of adepts to attack the entrance of the fourth floor and tie down the forces of the Crimson adepts to that location. They then secretly sent some elite adepts to dig down from the first level to find the path to the energy room on the second underground level.
Once they cut off the connection between the energy room and the tower, the teleportation array would naturally lose its ability to function. When that happened, the Alliance adepts could take their time to whittle down the remaining Crimson adepts. It was the best plan of action to reduce allied losses.
In this moment of crisis, a white light flashed throughout the teleportation room on the fourth level. The spatial flux increased in intensity as a ma.s.sive, shaking portal opened in the room after much difficulty.
The tower was already lacking in energy. With such a large portal forcefully wringing away what was left, the elementium pool quickly bottomed out. With the energy supply cut off, the ma.s.sive portal started trembling intensely, and it appeared to be on the verge of collapse.
The many Crimson adepts were stunned, and in their moment of shock, an even larger mental flux bellowed in their minds.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.ds…b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. A whole bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. I came here to help you guys fight a war, and you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds even make me pay the energy for the portal? I hate you people so much."
As this powerful mental fluctuation rang out, strange energy from a distant world rushed into this large portal, finally stabilizing it.
A sharp tearing sound rang out. The s.p.a.ce within the portal appeared to have been torn apart by a powerful force. A strange metallic golem shot out thousands of colorful energy beams from its body, widening this rift in s.p.a.ce before finally crawling out of the portal with much difficulty.
It was only once the metal golem stood before everyone that they realized it was a good eight meters tall. The thickness of its metal sh.e.l.l was astounding. A squid-shaped brain floated in a dark-yellow liquid inside the golem"s semi-translucent chest. The brain was staring fiercely at everyone present in the room.
Indeed, the brain floating in the liquid might not have eyes, but its unique mental appendages were staring at every adept on the fourth level without any restraint.
"Heheh. I was wondering why that brat Alice was in such a hurry. So you guys have already been beaten so terribly by the enemy! G.o.dd.a.m.n, the lower levels have already been torn apart by the enemies. Even the energy center has fallen into their hands. You guys are really useless. To think you could be beaten into a pulp while defending with an adept"s tower."
The strange brain seemed to be able to ignore all physical obstacles and magical defenses to look at the entirety of the tower. It had only set foot in Fire Throne for ten seconds, yet it had already figured out the situation of the battlefield.
"You…you are that brain monster, Gazlowe." The other adepts had not seen Gazlowe"s appearance after his transformation. Only Mary could recognize him due to his familiar mental flux, which she had been acquainted with when fighting in the Steel Capital.
"Technically, I am not Gazlowe; just a split-off brain of his. That idiot made his brain far too big, and he can"t go anywhere now. He had no choice but to split "me" off and allow me to become his clone to travel in his place while dropping by to save you guys on the way." This strange brain trapped in the golem"s chest became more excited as he spoke. He also appeared to greatly despise his original self.
The Crimson adepts automatically filtered away all his silly mutterings and clung on to the keyword: "save"!
This big brain was here to save us?
A trace of suspicion appeared in the eyes of the adepts.
They could tell that the brain"s metal golem was a humanoid magical machine. However, while the armor was very thick and st.u.r.dy, there was no sign of even half a magic energy rifle or cannon.
Was it planning to save them with its brain?
As a clone of the brain monster, the small brain monster undoubtedly possessed powerful mental abilities as well. His intangible mental appendages waved about in the air. Any thoughts unguarded by magic were naked before him. He could easily capture everything that people were thinking about.
As a clone of a Third Grade brain monster, being doubted by a group of First and Second Grade adepts was an immense humiliation. The brain monster roared and let out a mental blast wave, stunning all of the adepts and almost causing them to faint.
"I don"t care who you are, Big Brain. Since Alice asked you to come over such a long distance, you should get to your job! Or are you going to watch as Fire Throne is taken apart into ruins by the enemy?" Mary said unhappily.
"I have already said this. I am not Big Brain, I am a split-off brain of his. My name is Gru…Gru……Gru!" The small brain monster roared in anger. Of course, he was still communicating with mental messages.
However, he was getting to work even as he roared.
Several energy beams of various colors emerged from his metal golem body and connected him with the teleportation array and the portal above it.
What happened next shocked all of the Crimson adepts.
Powerful magical energy surged out of his body, entering the teleportation array and the portal, easily sustaining their functions. A portion of the magical power was diverted and flowed toward the central control hall. It seemed he intended to take full control of the tower.
Energy. What powerful energy!
The Crimson adepts weren"t the only ones who were shocked at this moment. The two Third Grade adepts on the third level also lifted their heads and looked in surprise. Their gazes pa.s.sed through the thick walls and landed on the metal golem.
However, their gazes only lasted for a second before being cut off by a magical barrier that had risen from the ground.
A magical barrier?
Yurga and Haines were surprised. They once again focused and realized that the exhausted tower was once again "reviving" with the introduction of a strange surge of energy.
"Dammit. Ignore the energy room; we have to destroy the central crystal here first." Yurga roared furiously.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit…we"ve all been tricked. This tower actually has a second energy source. Hurry up; we must destroy the central crystal of the tower before its defense systems are activated." Even Haines had been driven into a rage.
It was precisely because Fire Throne"s defensive system had been depowered that they even dared to break into the higher levels of the tower. If the defensive systems were to be activated at this moment, they, who had overextended into enemy territory…
Even the two of them felt their heads hurt when thinking of the might of an adept tower"s defensive system, let alone ordinary First or Second Grade adepts. They wouldn"t even have a chance to resist the system.
Just as the two of them started panicking, some sort of trouble occurred on the higher levels. The entire tower trembled.
The Alliance adepts who were gathered at the entrance to the fourth level let out horrifying screams and ran away like a herd of sheep being chased by a wolf.
"What"s the matter? Stand your ground, people!" Yurga roared out angrily as the leader of the adepts, but his words stopped in his mouth before he could complete his sentence.
He could very clearly see a swarm of magical machines flood out of the fourth level, each of them with magic energy cannons in their hands and chasing after the Alliance adepts.
And their number? Like a flood of metal: vast, endless, and uncountable.