Chapter 394: Before the Battle, Unexpected Forerunner

"Hum..."

A heavy, thrumming roar resonated across the firmament. It was the sound of the Sky Mechanical City shifting its primary power source from the singular reliance on the wonder-item "Eternal Gear" to the synchronized, full-throttle operation of its four great alchemical furnaces, pumping surplus energy and power into every facility and mechanism beyond the main engine.

The massive base at the bottom, which resembled an inverted mountain range, underwent a structural metamorphosis. A ring of metallic mechanical gears flipped out from within, encircling the structure completely. Countless metal gun barrels extended from the interior, while the radiance of magic circles shimmered along this belt of armaments—an array of alchemical cannons and runic shielding.

Innumerable alchemical machines swarmed around the Sky Mechanical City like a cloud. Most of the mechanical legion had been activated; save for a few units remaining within the city for maintenance or emergency response, the entire force had deployed into cruise mode, ready to unleash their full, devastating firepower upon the enemy at a moment's notice.

"Truly magnificent. To think I would actually witness this sky fortress enter its combat configuration."

Wang Yu gazed up at the formidable posture of the massive fortress overhead, sighing with genuine awe. The Sky Mechanical City—an independent organization standing apart from almost every power on the continent—possessed immense strength and advanced technological prowess.

The city usually drifted above the continent, its true mandate inherited from the era of the Abyss Campaigns: to eradicate any Abyssal entities that threatened sentient life.

"Passing the news of the Dragon God back home—the Sky Mechanical City is the only one capable of such a swift response. Most other factions are either paralyzed or choosing to remain on the sidelines. After all, since the Morning Star explosion, the very concept of 'Abyssal creatures' has become a foreign notion to most."

The girl stood beside Wang Yu, relaying intelligence gathered by the Church of Night to this Archbishop, who generally took a hands-off approach.

"That’s to be expected. Rash deployment would likely only invite instability. There aren't any explicit treaties of friendship, after all. The Elves and Dwarves are relatively stable; those two races have lived long enough to avoid such volatility."

"As long as things like devils don't interfere, they generally won't go looking for a fight. To be honest, with the Dwarf King and the Elf King at the helm, few dare to cross the fierce warriors under their command. But the Orcs, the human territories, and the friction between those two—that's a different story."

Wang Yu shrugged. He was already surprised that any faction had actually ventured out onto the Endless Sea to help fight the Abyssal threat. He hadn't expected much in the way of reinforcements, but having an ally with the sheer hard power of the Sky Mechanical City provided a significant sense of security.

"Speaking of which, you should be able to use sorcery now, right? Establishing a connection with the Lady of Night shouldn't be difficult, and you can access the functions of the Church of Night again, can't you?"

Avia stared at Wang Yu, who was gesturing idly while his eyes tracked the alchemical fleet sailing ahead on the Endless Sea, and offered a reminder.

"Oh, right. I’ve been away from the power of the Void for so long I almost forgot. Yes, I can indeed use sorcery now. As for the connection with the Lady of Night and the Church, that’s also possible."

After a brief pause, Wang Yu realized the truth of her words. He no longer needed Avia to relay messages for the Church or rely on the Perfect Fractal Lens to view those things. Ever since that door had materialized, it had claimed a small pocket of the Void, and he could tap into the Void energy contained within.

Moreover, after consulting with the Lady of Night, she had graciously agreed to let Wang Yu place his door within her "Divine Kingdom." While he still couldn't establish a faith-based connection like other gods, contacting the Lady of Night and borrowing her power had become exceptionally convenient.

"Snap!"

He snapped his fingers, and a green flame ignited on his right hand—the Fire of Sorcery. A layer of crimson shell wrapped around the exterior of the flame, and as his magic surged, a third layer of blue fire overlaid the others. The three flames interacted, and the temperature climbed sharply.

"Sorcerous Fire, Wizard’s Trick-Flame, Magical Spark—my ability to play with fire is top-tier now. I just need to brush up on the wizard runes I learned before; the Void energy in the space occupied by the door is still limited."

The addition of sorcery granted Wang Yu the ability to cast spells autonomously. The "trigger" he previously lacked to activate his mana was now supplied by the wizard’s power. He was now a Knight-turned-Mage-turned-Wizard, though he was little more than an amateur in the latter two disciplines.

The flames roared, distorting the surrounding air, yet Wang Yu’s palm, in direct contact with the heat, remained unscathed, as if the temperature capable of melting solid alloy simply did not exist. The reason lay in the pale golden hue covering his hand.

"Golden Body"—a power derived from that door. In the Void, this gold could cover his entire right arm, but in the material world, it was limited to his right palm. This gold possessed many peculiar properties.

"High temperatures cannot affect it, kinetic energy vanishes upon contact, and various spells cannot target this hand..."

Muttering to himself, Wang Yu looked at his gold-covered palm. He clenched his fingers, crushing the triple-layered, high-temperature flame within his grip, yet his palm remained without a single scratch.

Limitless defense—this was merely a shallow application. Avia had once tested it: she had used earth elemental magic to hurl a massive boulder at him, and when Wang Yu raised his hand to catch it, the stone stopped the instant it touched his palm, and he didn't retreat even half a step.

It was a strange property. It meant that if Wang Yu were to engage in combat, he could block damage with this hand without absorbing any impact. Even if a dragon charged straight at him, he could block it with this hand alone, standing his ground.

As for spells like Finger of Death or Disintegration, as long as he had the reaction time, a simple raise of his hand would render him immune. The prize he had obtained from the giant octopus had indeed elevated his strength to a new level, even while his physical body remained temporarily capped at its current stage.

"Archbishop, the fleet is approaching our target. We are preparing to withdraw. Please take care."

The message from the Tree of the Night Sky reached Wang Yu.

It was the Merfolk. Their role had been to serve as guides, invoking the power of the Lord of Oceans and Storms to chart the course and ensure the capricious Endless Sea remained free of extreme weather. The smoothness of their journey was largely thanks to them.

"My thanks to you all. Leave the rest to the Sky Mechanical City."

Wang Yu replied. The Merfolk were well aware of their own limits; standing at the front would be suicide. The main force of the expedition was clearly the Sky Mechanical City, though the priests of the Lord of Oceans and Storms within the Merfolk ranks could still unleash formidable power across this vast expanse of water.

"Where is the Professor?"

Wang Yu looked around, failing to spot Zieg, and asked casually.

"He is in the Sky Mechanical City’s alchemical workshop, repairing the scrapped Steel Wings. Noel is assisting him. The Living Dragon Armor was destroyed down there, and the Nameless Magic Armor was also lost when it helped Zieg ignite the reactor in his chest to generate mana."

With the Sky Mechanical City present, the alchemical conditions available were far superior to their small workshop within the Eden Seed space. Zieg was likely using the opportunity to upgrade the Steel Wings with the latest research from the Truth Monitoring Society.

"Generating mana... such a groundbreaking achievement, something no one had managed for so long. The Professor is truly remarkable. It’s just a pity there’s no time to explore more applications for this method of mana creation."

With a sigh, Wang Yu fell silent. The distant island was gradually entering his field of vision, having been captured even earlier by the Sky Mechanical City’s observation devices.

"Clang..."

The roar of mechanical structures echoed as the outer buildings of the Sky Mechanical City were retracted into the splitting ground. In their place, over a dozen alchemical cannons, built around the city, were connected directly via conduits to the four core furnaces. Whether firing solid projectiles or energy streams, they possessed terrifying destructive power.

Below, the base, already surrounded by the armament belt, slowly opened in the center. A massive cannon, its muzzle alone half the height of the base, was pushed out by a combination of mechanical structures and magical assistance, entering a standby state.

This awe-inspiring cannon was named "Skyfire." It was a weapon that grew alongside the Sky Mechanical City; every new technology acquired by the Central Council was prioritized for the upgrade of this cannon once its viability was confirmed.

Thus, at any given time, this cannon represented the pinnacle of the city's technology. Even during the period when the Central Council was controlled by those rotten to the core, the upgrades for this cannon had never been neglected, thanks to the operation of the underlying rules.

The latest technology applied to the cannon was the Super-Magic System, which pushed its power to a new level. The cannon lived up to its name: when it fired, the sky would be utterly consumed by flame.

"Click."

An hourglass fell into Wang Yu’s hand—the wonder-item "Chronos Hourglass" borrowed from Shael. Things were chaotic in Alastair, and as the acting captain of the Night’s Edge, Shael faced constant threats of assassination. Aside from the foresight provided by the devil "One," the Chronos Hourglass was the second vital means of survival for a mage with such a fragile constitution.

Under normal circumstances, Wang Yu wouldn't have asked Shael for this item, but the situation was unique. It concerned whether Wang Yu could intervene in a battle at the level of the Dragon Island, so he had to borrow it. And this wasn't for his own use—it was for the Lady of Night.

The fleet continued to advance behind the Sky Mechanical City. The distant island became clearer, and the silhouettes of dragons could be seen circling above it.

"The Abyssal creatures haven't attacked these dragons? Wait... is that a Hell Gate?"

Wang Yu had been puzzled when he saw the dragons flying; he had assumed the dragon kin on the island had long since met a grim fate. He hadn't expected survivors.

But another sight quickly drew his full attention, for it was all too familiar to Wang Yu.

High above the Dragon Island, a massive, hideous rift had been torn open. From within, a scorching crimson light spilled out, and the scent of sulfur and blood drifted through the air. The repulsion force from the main plane grew stronger as the rift expanded.

It was identical to the Hell Gate he had once seen in the Royal City, only this one was vastly larger than the one he remembered.

In this war against the Abyssal creatures, had a third party from another plane intervened?