Chapter 154: Abnormal Destroyer Puppet

"Confirmation received. Locating magic signature. Proceeding rapidly. Please provide continuous magic fluctuation signals to assist with calibration."

A Night's Edge strike team, stationed in the Shadow of the Royal City and operating near the "Destroyer" golem's coordinates, confirmed the presence of this war-grade automaton that had abruptly appeared in the city's depths. They immediately mobilized toward the source of the magical disturbance.

"The magic fluctuation is stable. The target is making no attempt to conceal itself. It is active at a significant depth, nearing the 'Abyss.' Please ensure mental defenses are active; beware of psychic contamination."

The observer at the command post, monitoring the magic detection array, watched the point of high magical density—a point that was slowly moving while radiating waves of energy—and relayed the situation to the strike team with concise efficiency.

"Received. Mental protection gear is equipped; we will activate it upon arrival. We will decide whether to destroy or intercept the Destroyer golem based on the situation. Please keep us updated on any status changes."

"Understood..."

The eleven members of the strike team wove through the subterranean city of the Shadow of the Royal City. The member responsible for intelligence exchange with the command post used a communication crystal to rapidly trade information, tracking the latest movements of the Destroyer golem.

Low-slung hoods obscured their faces. They moved in perfect unison, orderly and swift. Even in the chaotic depths of the Shadow of the Royal City, no one was foolish enough to provoke these Night's Edge operatives, who carried the unmistakable aura of seasoned killers.

The team consisted of four heavy-armored mid-tier formal knights, all specialized in defensive internal potentials; three rangers, who possessed mid-tier formal knight strength in addition to specialized agility and perception; and three mages, all of formal rank, one of whom possessed a natural talent for simple sorcery.

The leader, a high-tier formal knight of about thirty, Gilbert Mann, looked older than his years. His skills were forged in life-or-death missions; though his knightly talent was mediocre, he had broken through his limits time and again in desperate straits.

Heavy metal soles trod upon the fragile bricks of the underground city without shattering them or making a sound. This eleven-man squad was an elite, versatile unit dispatched by Night's Edge to probe and neutralize the threat. Whether in stealthy infiltration or direct assault, they were second to none.

Gilbert’s eyes held a trace of doubt. Despite his extensive experience, the sudden appearance of this Destroyer golem was baffling. How had this high-end war machine—a construct of dwarves and goblins designed for frontline devastation—found its way into the Shadow of the Royal City?

The golem merely paced near the edge of the Abyss. According to the updates from the observer, it had not left its point of origin since appearing, and after one massive burst of magical energy, its signature had fallen into a dormant state.

"The initial surge was likely the golem using its signature melt-ray to destroy a target, after which it entered standby mode due to a lack of further threats."

As he approached the site, Gilbert pondered the golem's logic. These machines possessed low-level, artificial intelligence cores capable of basic planning, yet they were rigid. Without a controller, they could not perform high-precision observation or make wise decisions.

Reaching a certain range, Gilbert ordered a brief halt and retrieved pre-prepared magitech items from his pack.

A metal frame was unfolded and set upon the ground. Gilbert placed a translucent cube atop it, its surface intricately woven with fine, circuit-like metal filaments. Once a magic crystal was inserted into the frame, the device began to hum.

A field expanded from the device—a specialized anti-magic field designed to disrupt remote control signals. Though the golem showed no signs of being piloted, Gilbert would not leave any room for surprise.

"Remote control suppression field deployed. We are facing a golem with simple intelligence and no operator. Despite its combat prowess, it should be manageable for a team of your caliber. Good luck."

The detection array at the command post registered the anti-magic field, and the assessment was that the mission would be straightforward.

"I hope so," Gilbert nodded grimly. Things were proceeding smoothly; the golem had not moved from its vicinity. Yet, his ingrained caution kept him restrained despite the optimism.

"Followers of the Lady of Night, begin your prayers. Cast your divine arts. The effects of the Lady’s grace are far stronger here in the Shadow than elsewhere, and the 'Darkness’s Protection' spell will mask us from all detection."

Gilbert commanded the believers in his squad to cast their spells, joining them in prayer. Since the faith of the Lady of Night had been introduced to Night's Edge, many stationed in the Shadow had adopted it.

Those with some knowledge of the Church of Night knew that faith in this deity carried no downsides. They quickly discovered that not only were her spells more powerful and convenient here, but Night's Edge members gained the ability to cast them much faster than other assassins or cultists who had adopted the faith.

It was as if the Lady of Night favored them—a phenomenon unrelated to the deity’s own lethargy, but rather the result of adjustments Wang Yu had made using the Tree of the Night Sky.

Night's Edge was a promising pool for the faith, possessing both the numbers and a reliable moral code. Developing them as followers was a sound choice.

Wang Yu had used simple "void programming" to allocate more of the Tree of the Night Sky's resources to Night's Edge members. Any member identified by the logic check received preferential treatment in casting and mastering spells. Thanks to this, the number of followers within the organization was growing rapidly.

Half of Gilbert’s squad, himself included, were followers. Because they were in the Shadow, the Lady’s power was easily accessible. In a short time, Gilbert had mastered third-circle divine arts, while the other five could use second-circle spells.

The primary power of the Lady of Night was concealment. The spells they cast were all variations of this.

Their prayers and the mental energy linking them to the Tree of the Night Sky were detected, and the Tree, through the cube Wang Yu had left behind, channeled additional power to these operatives.

The surrounding darkness began to writhe. Under the influence of five second-circle spells and one third-circle spell, the shadows seemed to gain life, wrapping around each member of the team, hiding their existence within the infinite dark.

"Move out."

At Gilbert’s calm command, the squad began the final leg of their journey.

...

On the platform outside the cliff cave carved by the gray dwarves, the Destroyer golem stood motionless. After the melt-ray had incinerated the dwarves, it had stalled. The light in the gaps of its metal body flickered like breath, and the two crystal plates on its head pulsed in a rhythmic cycle.

"Ga..." The metal body shifted, driven by its internal power source—a precursor to detecting a target. Yet, in the empty space around the platform, there was nothing for the golem to identify as a threat.

Perhaps a minor glitch in the logic core had caused a false identification.

"Ga..." The metal torso rotated back, returning to its targetless standby state.

But soon, a faint sound of metal grinding emerged from every joint. The golem began to exhibit micro-movements: turning its head, clenching and unclenching its precision-engineered fingers...

The golem’s state was eerie, as if an invisible hand were playing with it like a toy. The logic core sensed a malfunction, and after the light pulsed rapidly for a few seconds, it briefly vanished—a sign of the core attempting a reboot.

"Ga-ga..." Within seconds, the magical light returned to the surface of the golem, but its state had changed significantly.

It raised a metal arm, not toward a target, but toward the two crystal plates that served as its face. The mechanical golem displayed behavior far beyond its original functions; it seemed to possess a curiosity about its own form.

It opened and closed its metal fingers, using one hand to pry at the digits of the other. "Chi!" The metal shrieked under the immense pressure. It did not understand its own strength; the force of the prying was terrifying, causing its own chassis to twist and deform.

The finger it had pried was bent out of shape. No longer interested in the unresponsive digit, the golem lowered its head like a human, observing its own body.

It reached out, groping its metal torso. Lacking a concept of strength, its touch was heavy and clumsy, leaving dents in its chest and other parts.

A feeling akin to joy stirred within it. It seemed to have acquired a body—different from those in its memories. The world it perceived through the alchemy-based magic circuits was abstract and monotonous, yet it understood the information instinctively.

It took a clumsy step, its heavy metal foot cracking the rock, then a second. Its gait, initially awkward, began to smooth out.

After the reboot, the Destroyer golem functioned with newfound fluidity—which was the most unsettling part of all.

The alchemical logic core was incapable of controlling such a powerful machine with grace; the previous mechanical stiffness was a result of the core’s limitations.

But now, some unknown entity had taken control. Despite the mechanical construction, this entity wielded the body with natural ease, occupying the lifeless shell and making it move like a living human.

The head, which had been looking at its legs, snapped up to stare into the pitch-black cave left by the gray dwarves. Its magic sensors indicated the cave was empty, yet its own perception felt eleven things that it found deeply repulsive.

These things were stationary, unlike it, and they repelled its existence. A sense of malice sprouted in its mind. The desire to destroy these detestable things arose naturally.

As this malice grew, the magical energy within the golem surged. Just as a person knows what their body is capable of, the golem instinctively understood its own power. It would use this body to destroy them.

Magic charged rapidly, channeled into the two crystal plates etched with complex runes. The energy erupted, transforming into a destructive ray that shot straight into the cave.

"Defend!" Gilbert’s order came the moment the golem began to charge. For some reason, the Lady of Night’s concealment had failed against this bizarre construct, and it had launched a sudden attack.

"Clang!" Four shields were raised in unison. The four heavy-armored knights blocked the path of the melt-ray without hesitation, their defensive potentials activating simultaneously. Deflection, weakening, obstruction, and reflection—four potentials born for defense were layered onto the shields.

The destructive melt-ray was slightly deflected by the potentials, its most potent center shifting away from the shields. The energy that did strike was further weakened and blocked, while some of the energy was reflected, causing the beam to interfere with itself.

Even so, the power of the melt-ray was terrifying. The specialized shields began to melt and crack. Yet, under the combined effect of the four potentials, the attack—which could have carved a straight line through an army—was successfully blocked. As long as the ray lasted, the shields would hold!

"Ugh!" Just as the ray began to fade, one of the heavy-armored soldiers clutched his head. He felt a chaotic surge of emotion eroding his sanity: pain, madness, and an unprovoked malice.

Gilbert noticed the soldier’s distress and immediately shifted his focus. He saw the source of the anomaly: the crystal attached to the back of the soldier's head, meant to provide mental protection, had shattered.

"Strong psychic contamination! Watch out!" The warning was out before he even finished the thought. The intensity of the contamination exceeded all expectations. The protective device, intact seconds ago, had been pulverized.

He glanced at the other three shield-bearers; the crystals on their heads were also spider-webbed with cracks, on the verge of breaking. Gilbert’s pupils trembled uncontrollably. What level of psychic contamination was this?