Chapter 418: Extreme Equivalent, Void Engine

"Impressive. The destructive power at this level is, by any measure, even greater than anticipated. It truly validates the adage that 'yield is justice.'"

A void rift tore open, and Wang Yu stepped through, surveying the horrific aftermath of the Archangel’s bombardment with a satisfied nod as he spoke to himself.

At the summit of the mountain known as the Throne, the once-magnificent palace had vanished, leaving behind only skeletal ruins. The remnants of the structures that had barely survived still radiated intense heat, with molten rock flowing sluggishly and white steam billowing into the air.

The royal defenses, when faced with shells packed with reckless abandon by the researchers of the Sky Mechanical City and the Church of the Night, had proven as fragile as parchment.

The "sturdy" materials that composed the palace, along with its internal defensive arrays, had failed to offer even a modicum of resistance against a bomb whose magi-tech sophistication completely eclipsed that of Alastair.

The moment the bomb struck, the magic-interference pulse layer pre-set on its exterior had instantly surged, overloading the "obsolete" arrays within the palace until their critical nodes melted and the entire system was neutralized.

This is the nature of magical technology: once a technical lead is established, backward magical constructs become as laughable as toys.

If a mage’s strength is still subject to individual variables, then pure magi-tech—when applied to arrays or artifacts—ensures that the advanced will always utterly crush the primitive. Seemingly impregnable barriers become riddled with fatal flaws.

Unfortunately for the royals, this bomb was forged in the Sky Mechanical City, home to the world’s most cutting-edge magi-tech. The researchers from the Truth Supervision Society and the Church of the Night who built it were the absolute elite, even by the standards of that city.

In truth, the royal family had the capacity to withstand such an attack. Had they managed to activate the "Banner of Intemis"—their ultimate defensive measure once used against the God of Fear—holding off this bomb would not have been difficult. But alas, Wang Yu would not grant them that opportunity; after all, the Archangel was created for precisely this purpose.

From the start, the Archangel was defined by "speed," not "power." This "Sword of Damocles" suspended in the firmament was built to chase velocity, its duty to accelerate a payload to the absolute limit, delivering a strike from the heavens that left no room for reaction.

The defensive strength of the Banner of Intemis was unquestionable, but it possessed a fatal weakness: the defense was maintained by a massive array formed from the overlapping of countless small and medium-sized arrays within the palace.

Its activation was uncontrollably subject to the flow of mana and the coordination of personnel; it could never be triggered instantaneously.

From the moment danger was detected to the activation of the Banner, there was a delay of roughly ten seconds. The Archangel’s speed, from launch to impact, took less than one.

Before they could even detect the threat, the bomb—packed with an unknown, staggering amount of yield—had obliterated the foundation of the arrays, rendering the Banner completely useless.

As for the bomb itself, if one were to ask how much flammable and explosive material was packed inside, Wang Yu could only offer a vague answer. Though the device appeared no larger than the heads of two or three grown men, it actually contained over a hundred spatial storage components utilizing hyper-magic technology.

Each component held "explosives" tailored to its position within the shell. To give a simple example, the outermost layer consisted of special substances designed to generate the magic-interference pulse.

The innermost layer served as the core of pure physical destruction. To Wang Yu’s knowledge, it was packed with the concentrated core of a Fire Elemental Lord, extracts from the heart of a Hell Lord, and dragon breath essence procured from various extant dragon species—primarily those with the most potent breath, such as Fire Dragons and Bronze Dragons.

Simultaneously, the bomb’s structure was inscribed with minor reverse-spatial deceleration arrays, which accelerated the activation speed upon impact, pouring the maximum amount of energy into a confined space in the shortest possible time to achieve the most terrifying release of destruction.

In short, this bomb was a madman’s creation. It could be seen as a group of researchers, following Wang Yu’s demands, exhausting every trick in their arsenal to cram forbidden technologies into a single shell, discarding all reason and simply packing in as much yield as they could.

Ordinarily, such an impossible device could never exist; the conflict between the various materials and array structures compressed into such a small space would likely have caused the bomb to detonate before the Archangel could even launch it.

However, the advent of hyper-magic technology and the derivative "magi-chip" technology solved this perfectly, ultimately creating a bomb of extreme yield that, from every angle, adhered to the aesthetics of violence. This single strike had leveled the palace of Alastair entirely.

"This thing is fierce, but as expected, it’s impossible to wipe out the entire royal family in one go..."

Wang Yu’s gaze fixed on the spot where the throne of Doren Charlemagne had once stood. There, a void rift—similar to the one he had used to evade the blast—slowly opened. Doren Charlemagne and two figures Wang Yu did not recognize leaped out, their faces pale with fury.

"You will pay for everything you have done. This is my kingdom; I will never allow anyone else to tear it from my grasp. I admit I underestimated you, an existence that defies all reason. Never in history has there been one who grew so fast."

"When Rudolph captured you, I should have let him kill you outright. The Archbishop of the Night Church, the newcomer to the Night’s Edge, some wandering knight who suddenly appeared... just how many identities do you have?"

"No, none of that matters now. As long as this throne remains, I alone shall be the monarch of this kingdom. I will kill you, and then I will eradicate the Night’s Edge entirely."

Doren Charlemagne glared at Wang Yu with venomous hatred. The mountain-top palace he had spent so long cultivating had been utterly destroyed by Wang Yu today; his confidants, his subordinates, and his wealth had all been buried with it. All that remained to him now was the throne beneath him and the two legendary knights he had shielded with his own power.

But that would be enough.

"Kill him."

Doren Charlemagne raised his hand, pointing a pitch-black sword constructed from vast void energy at Wang Yu, issuing the command to the two grim-faced legendary knights beside him.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Wang Yu listened to the man speak in silence, neither offering an opinion nor making a move to strike first. Only the increasingly loud, heavy thrum of his heartbeat betrayed his surging vitality.

At the end of the day, he didn't care what Doren Charlemagne thought or did. No matter the enemy's actions, his own goal remained unchanged: to finish off the royal family and settle all old and new debts at once.

Wang Yu had noticed the throne beneath Doren Charlemagne earlier. It was a peculiar object; while most of the palace had been wiped clean by the explosion, the throne remained standing, shielding the small area around it.

The throne was connected to Doren Charlemagne in a unique way, entrusting the power of the void to him. It seemed to link to a plane unknown to Wang Yu, constantly drawing power from it to supply the user, which had allowed Doren Charlemagne’s strength to firmly step into the legendary realm.

His claim that he would always be the monarch as long as the throne remained was no empty boast. Yet, Wang Yu was more interested in the current classification of his enemies.

Doren Charlemagne was not a mage, and the two legendary knights hiding in the palace—his confidants—could not be confirmed as mages either. Thus, the battle had fallen into the domain where Wang Yu excelled.

The armor worn by the two legends clearly indicated their different roles.

One was clad in heavy plate; in terms of defense, he was clearly a tier above Alfonso, the legendary knight Wang Yu had faced before.

The other knight was dressed much more lightly. More importantly, his form appeared abnormally blurred. This was not a mere visual effect; even under the observation of the Chariot’s Power, his body remained in this "blurred" state. This was likely his innate ability.

"Bang!"

The two charged at Wang Yu one after the other, their battle aura boiling, their legendary weapons beginning to manifest their formidable power. Wang Yu simply stood there, seemingly doing nothing.

The Chariot’s Power surged. Within the void region he controlled, massive amounts of void energy were being drawn into the material world, filling his body and enveloping the surrounding area.

There were no mages here, which meant Wang Yu did not need to divert his focus to activate the Commander’s Throne: Silent Hall to nullify spells. He only needed to push his physical combat prowess to the limit.

Thus, the Chariot’s Power only needed to utilize the energy of the void. As the void energy entered his body, it began to optimize the operational processes of every organ: muscle strength, blood flow velocity, bone density, gas exchange... The reality-warping void energy, guided by Wang Yu, instinctively reinforced his physique in every aspect.

In the environment saturated with void energy, air resistance, the earth’s gravity, the friction beneath his feet—all factors hindering Wang Yu were erased, while those favorable to him were amplified. The battlefield entered the state most suited to him.

Strength, speed, defense... all climbed in every dimension. Beyond the drive of his pure physical power, a new force—or rather, the return of his wizard power—became a secondary driving force. A state of pure pursuit of physical perfection: Chariot’s Power: Void Engine.