Chapter 2378 Parting of the Sea <TOC> Chapter 2380 Replacement
Translator: SumTLMan
In the vast, waterless seabed, mist continuously billowed.
Within this mist, one could faintly discern the fiery flames and swirling dust.
“Intruders shall die!” A mechanical, icy voice emanated from the mist.
Accompanying this voice were jets of water, thick as an adult’s fist.
These water jets pierced through the mist, slicing through the air, bursting forth with a hissing roar. Their power was not to be underestimated; each jet possessed the destructive force comparable to the pinnacle of magical feats, their destructive capability astonishing.
One of these jets struck a piece of sedimentary rock on the ocean floor, instantly pulverizing it into dust and debris. It’s worth noting that these were sediments from the ocean, solidified over billions of years, enduring the erosion of time and the battering of sea beasts without destruction. Yet, these water jets could effortlessly disintegrate them from the inside, showcasing their immense power.
“Which alchemist’s creation is this iron contraption? It’s too… extravagant!” Firo, witnessing the water jets approaching him head-on, had no choice but to swiftly maneuver.
He had clashed with this “iron contraption” hidden in the mist several times, fully aware of the devastating power of these water jets. One or two jets might be manageable, but the opponent, a tireless artificial creation, unleashed hundreds at a time, with considerable endurance.
To confront these water jets head-on was the height of folly.
Moreover, as a fire wizard, Firo was particularly vulnerable to water jets, which inflicted additional damage on him. Thus, facing the water jets, Firo never considered direct combat but instead moved swiftly, dodging while closing in on his opponent.
However, Firo was not a bloodline wizard; relying solely on maneuvering to dodge was somewhat unrealistic. He was surrounded by eighteen spheres of pure fire, which could be wielded as weapons at any moment.
When unable to dodge a water jet in time, Firo could extend his hand, and a sphere of pure fire would rapidly condense into a shield of flames, with incredible speed, comparable to instant spell casting of a wizard level.
When water jets obstructed his path to the opponent, he could transform those spheres of pure fire into arrows of flame, spears of fire, or a barrage of fireballs, quickly activated to evaporate the water jets before impact.
Firo’s surrounding spheres of fire served both offensive and defensive purposes, with a rapid replenishment rate. In such small-scale combat, they could achieve a virtually infinite cycle of recharging.
This was Firo’s proudest creation, a spell he hoped would propel him to the realm of true knowledge——Fire Charge.
Through the offensive and defensive capabilities of Fire Charge, combined with Firo’s exceptional dodging skills, he drew ever closer to the iron contraption within the mist.
He could even hear the hissing of the contraption’s parts moving at high speed and the roaring of steam.
“Expel! Expel! Expel!” The mechanical voice from the mist grew more urgent, as massive water jets, now of a formal spell’s caliber, locked onto Firo’s position, rushing towards him like a torrential flood.
Facing this immense water jet, Firo dared not resist. He conjured another flame, this time merging it into his body, transforming his lower half into a whirl of fire elements.
His fiery legs merged, resembling the tail of a genie from fairytales, steaming up water vapor while twisting at an astonishing angle, almost grazing the water jets, spiraling towards the target hidden in the mist.
Piercing through the mist and waving away the vast amount of steam generated by evaporating flames, Firo had already laid eyes on his opponent.
It was a towering silver head, four meters tall, a body and legs purely made of metal, a mechanical head crafted from metal.
Its face was elongated, and although its features corresponded to those of a human, their shapes were bizarre.
At this moment, the mechanical head was opening its abyss-like huge mouth, from which a terrifying column of water was being ejected.
Firo was not seeing this mechanical head for the first time; he had already battled this lump of iron twice before, so he was well aware of the opponent’s combat mechanisms.
He didn’t blindly attack the mechanical head; instead, his gaze was fixed on the bottom part of the mechanical head.
It seemed to stand on the ground, but in reality, its neck was connected to a patch of misty water ripples, floating atop some kind of water elemental energy.
The reason Firo hadn’t gained much advantage in the two previous encounters with the mechanical head was precisely because, sensing something wrong, the mechanical head would dive into the water ripples below and disappear. When the mechanical head re-emerged from the water ripples somewhere else, the energy it had expended on the water column was fully replenished, leading again to a war of attrition, a drawn-out battle.
It was also thanks to Firo’s “Fire Charge” that he could keep up at all.
But this time, Firo wouldn’t be careless. Knowing that the opponent was using water ripples to evade, he decided to destroy these water ripples!
Firo’s eyes suddenly turned the color of flames, directly locking onto the pale blue ripples at the bottom of the mechanical head.
“This time, I’ll see how you can run!”
After Firo roared out his frustration, he directly crushed the eight fire spheres surrounding him, leaving only two as reserves and for charging.
These eight crushed fire spheres turned into the essence of fire elements, like a stream of liquid red light, flowing in Firo’s palm.
Firo didn’t attempt to shape these fire elements but directly pressed them onto the soft ground filled with dry corals.
The flames conducted through the ground.
Before the mechanical head could react, a column of fire condensed from the ground directly rose from underneath the mechanical head.
The high-temperature flames completely burned away the pale blue ripples.
Seeing this scene, a glint of joy flashed in Firo’s eyes. Destroying these water ripples meant the lump of iron could no longer escape!
The flames continued to burn, charring the metal at the neck and chin of the mechanical head black.
Sparks danced above the mechanical head, clearly indicating some internal issues.
With a bit more effort, he could definitely leave this lump of iron here as a pile of scrap metal.
Firo, elated, twisted another fire sphere into existence, shaping it into a hand of fire that he thrust downwards from the sky.
In Firo’s eyes, victory seemed within reach.
However, at that moment, behind the half-destroyed mechanical’s head, familiar water ripples suddenly appeared.
Firo’s pupils dilated in shock: “No, can it be? How is there another ripple on its back?”
Before Firo could finish speaking, the mechanical head seemed to be sucked away, merging into the water ripple behind it and then vanishing from sight.
All that remained in the air was the hissing sound of steam rising from the flames and water, along with Firo’s frustrated growl.
Based on the previous course of the battle, Firo knew it wouldn’t be long before that hunk of metal reappeared.
Even if he found the laboratory door now, he wouldn’t be able to break through it quickly. Thus, the only strategy was to quickly refill his fire spheres to the full count of eighteen to prepare for the imminent fight. ——This was his learned strategy.
With this in mind, Firo didn’t try to escape; he stayed where he was and began creating more fire spheres.
Intentionally refilling them, he managed to gather all eighteen fire spheres around him much faster than natural condensation would allow, in less than two minutes.
At the same time, a familiar voice echoed from the depths of the mist: “Intruder, die!”
“That damned hunk of metal, I’ll melt you down into scrap!” Firo cursed vehemently, without a moment’s pause, he crushed a fire sphere and charged towards the source of the voice…
However, after only a few steps, Firo sensed something was amiss.
He saw familiar jets of water shooting out from the mist, but they weren’t aimed at him; instead, they were directed towards the opposite direction.
Confused, Firo looked over and saw another “Firo” in that direction.
This “Firo” looked exactly like him, dodging the jets of water and then using fire spheres to create shields and arrows… almost perfectly replicating Firo’s earlier combat tactics.
“What’s going on?” Firo stared dumbfounded at this scene. Who was this “Firo”? Was it an illusion?
But who created the illusion? Could it be some kind of anomaly caused by the mist?
As Firo was filled with doubts and on high alert, a voice reached his ears.
“Wizard Firo.”
The voice came from behind him.
Firo turned sharply and saw several figures standing behind him: a handsome young man with red hair and golden eyes, a hunched old man with gray hair looking off into the distance, a woman in soft armor, and the soul of Reynolds.
Having seen Angel’s disguise before, Firo immediately recognized the identity of the red-haired, golden-eyed figure upon seeing him.
“Angel? And Nisi?” Firo’s face was filled with disbelief: “How are you here?”
Firo, turning his gaze back to the mechanical behemoth engaged in battle with an illusion in the distance, experienced an epiphany: “Is that illusion over there your handiwork, Angel?”
Angel nodded in affirmation: “I’ve also conjured an illusion that envelops us here.”
With no further ado, Angel cut to the chase, swiftly disclosing their purpose. Given the pressing nature of their situation, Angel omitted some details, merely stating their presence was in pursuit of the laboratory.
Firo, already acquainted with some aspects of the cavern altar, quickly accepted their reason for coming.
However, he was somewhat puzzled, wondering why Nisi, having already issued a task to others, would take to the field himself.
“I’ve had a premonition these past few days that my future might be intertwined with the misty belts,” Nisi stroked his beard, adopting an air of profound mystery: “Hence, I came.”
“A wizard’s premonition?” Firo asked, intrigued.
Nisi offered no reply, merely smiling.
Before Nisi could fully assume his mysterious demeanor, Angel interjected: “Totoro sent him.”
Nisi’s expression instantly fell, and he shot Angel a glare, grumbling discontentedly: “You’re just like your mentor.”
Angel ignored Nisi’s reaction, turning to Firo: “What’s the story with that mechanical head over there? What’s its origin?”
Firo responded: “I’m not sure, it wasn’t here when I arrived yesterday; it appeared today. I suspect it’s an alchemical golem released by someone from the laboratory.”
Angel inquired further: “You came to the laboratory yesterday? Didn’t you go in?”
Firo shook his head: “The laboratory is sealed by a door with complex runes, which have stumped me for several days. I realized that breaking through in a short time was beyond me. So, when I came yesterday, I didn’t even attempt to decipher it; I was prepared to force my way through, but…”
Pausing momentarily, Firo continued: “But then something happened that delayed me. I only came over after resolving that issue.”
“Something happened?” Nisi asked, puzzled.
After a brief silence, Firo disclosed: “I discovered human activity near the seabed and followed the trail, and then I…”
“I encountered a… person.”
“Who did you meet?” Nisi inquired.
Just as Firo was about to respond, a sudden explosion in the distance interrupted their conversation.
Turning their heads, they saw the mist dispersed by a geyser, revealing “Firo’s” figure clearly to everyone as he once again approached the vicinity of the mechanical head.
The mechanical head seemed to have learned from its previous encounter; instead of being surrounded by water ripples again, it was directly enveloped in a bubble of water.
The bubble carried it mid-air, and then it periodically opened its mouth, releasing condensed water bullets that fell from the sky like a disordered shower, blocking all of Firo’s escape routes.
Each water bullet that hit the ground created a large crater, and the explosions heard earlier were the result of the water bullets colliding with the ground.
“The water bullets are too dense; at this point, relying solely on illusions will probably not deceive the opponent,” Angel said, given that his illusions couldn’t actually control fire.
“Taking advantage of the fact that this hunk of metal hasn’t reacted yet, we can work together to deal with it…” Firo said. Firo wasn’t just a brute who worked alone; with assistance available, it was entirely possible to leverage it.
“Do you have any ideas?” Nisi asked. He had also observed Firo’s battle with this hunk of metal, and in Nisi’s opinion, it wasn’t so easy to deal with.
“The core ability of this hunk of metal is its water ripples. Once it submerges, it can quickly recover to full state,” Firo explained. “So, to deal with it, we must suppress its water ripples.”
After a pause, Firo continued, “I know of a Fire Line, which I’ve named Fire Law Land.”
Fire Line? Nisi squinted his eyes; Firo had never revealed this before. This wizard, who had always been stationed in Sleepless City, seemed to have many hidden abilities.
Angel, however, didn’t care about what abilities Firo had: “Fire Law Land, what does it do?”
Firo explained, “It can create a domain where only fire energy can exist. That is to say, once that hunk of metal is trapped by the Fire Law Land, it will no longer be able to release any water elemental abilities, and naturally, its water ripples will also be nullified.”
Without the water ripples, it wouldn’t be difficult to deal with the hunk of metal.
“Since you have the Fire Law Land, why didn’t you release it earlier?” Nisi wondered.
Firo explained, “It requires charging up. Not only do I need to release all eighteen fire spheres around me, but I also need to accumulate seven more fire spheres, which takes time… about a minute.”
During Firo’s battle with the hunk of metal, let alone finding a minute, even a second was hard to come by.
Moreover, the Fire Law Land couldn’t be released in advance because its domain was very small. And the appearance location of the mechanical head was unpredictable, so preparing in advance was also not feasible.
Firo had never considered using the Fire Law Land before.
But with the cooperation of others, the Fire Law Land could indeed resolve the hunk of metal in the fastest way possible.
Chapter 2378 Parting of the Sea <TOC> Chapter 2380 Replacement