Close Combat Mage
chapter-188

Chapter 188 – Super Magic Automatons Pt. 2

The Magic Automaton used a type of alchemy technique, a perfect combination of magic cores, metals, magic spells, and magical beasts. Its body was made of copper and steel, making it indestructible. In addition, it could use the spell formations inside its body to utilize the energy within magic cores, activating magic attacks.

Most importantly, Magic Automatons had a certain level of intelligence. By sealing the souls of magical beasts inside, the Magic Automatons had enough battle knowledge to use commands with language. Most importantly…these Magic Automatons only had the ability to think, and were not conscious of the concept of ‘free will’. Thus, they would never betray their creator.

The Magic Automaton was the result of reaching the peak of alchemy techniques. It was the basis of an alchemist’s power. Without the Magic Automaton, the alchemist would be more like a blacksmith or a tailor. But with the Magic Automaton, an alchemist could contend against any enemy.

Suo Jia was really curious about the 900 Magic Automatons in front of him. He just couldn’t understand: during the year back when the Atomic Alchemy Lab had been destroyed by a calamity, why hadn’t these things been dragged out? Suo Jia believed that once they were pulled out, their power would definitely be astonishing!

A strange sound burst out as the 900 Magic Automatons all reached their hands backwards to grab the large bow on their backs. At closer inspection, the giant bow’s body seemed to be made from some amethyst. Alien magic designs and symbols covered the bow’s surface.

These bows were different from other bows; the back part was the same, there was still the arm of the bow, the grip, and the bow string. However, the front part was drastically different. It had a round, cylindrical-shaped mouth the thickness of an arm, much like a cannon, currently pointed at Suo Jia and his group.

“Not good!” Seeing this, Suo Jia cried out. At the same time, the 900 Magic Automatons suddenly emitted golden glows from their bodies, and the bow cannons in their hands began to sparkle with a violet light as well.

“Quick…we must retreat swiftly. This place is dangerous!” Suo Jia urgently shouted as he saw the Magic Automatons about to open fire.

As soon as he finished speaking, the 900 bow cannons abruptly shook, shooting scarlet Fireballs out from the canon mouths. They leapt towards Suo Jia and the others as fast as lightning.

Faced against the incoming red Fireballs, Suo Jia couldn’t help but feel relieved that…everyone’s speeds were fast enough. Since all the walls around the doors had been excavated out, it gave everyone enough space to retreat. If only one of these conditions were missing, a large majority of the people would’ve been lost.

Figures chaotically flashed as the girls all chose different locations in a well-coordinated fashion, quickly threading their ways to behind the doors. At the same time, a dull boom echoed, causing the metal doors to rumble violently. Suo Jia and the others used the doors as a shield to temporarily keep their lives.

However, the things inside the doors seemed to know Suo Jia and the others were behind it. Without moving, the bow cannons shot out scarlet Fireballs one after another in succession, violently banging into the metal doors. Soon after, the iron doors were glowing red from the heat, making them so unbearably hot that one couldn’t even go near them.

With no other choice, Suo Jia and the others could only scatter into the passage. At the same time, the booms stopped. The Magic Automatons seemed to realize that their targets were no longer there, so they had stopped their fire.

Seeing this, Suo Jia’s heart couldn’t help but race. From his knowledge, the Magic Automaton used a heat sensor as a method to detect and respond. Although these ones couldn’t see Suo Jia and his group, they could feel the heat radiating from their bodies. That’s why they had continued to burst fire at them without stopping. Now that Suo Jia and his party had left, the automatons could no longer sense their body heat, and naturally stopped.

In order to confirm his suspicious, Suo Jia once again returned to the front of the metal doors. As expected…a whizzing sound rang through the air, followed by a fierce boom, and the world-shaking explosions continued again.

Suo Jia’s eyes flashed brightly. He knew that these automatons couldn’t shoot endlessly. In reality, they were using magic formations that retrieved energy from magic cores in order to attack. As long as the magic cores’ energies were completely exhausted, they would just become piles of scrap metal.

Suo Jia stood behind the doors, activating Revolving Frozen Gas on them to lower the doors’ temperature. Suo Jia was worried that if the doors continued to heat up, they would completely melt.

As a result of Suo Jia’s efforts, the doors gradually cooled down. Afterwards…Suo Jia pulled out an ice stream to connect to the metal doors. He then continuously activated Freezing Touch, firmly wrapping around the outside of the doors.

The fierce booms continued for an entire hour before the peace was finally restored. Gathering up his courage, Suo Jia re-entered the spacious hall. When he looked around, he saw that the 900 Magic Automatons were dumbly standing there. The giant cannons were still facing the doors, but they weren’t moving at all.

“Did they exhaust all their energies?” Suo Jia couldn’t help but wonder.

Suo Jia looked at the doors behind him, then back at the 900 steel Magic Automatons opposite him. He knew that these doors were originally supposed to serve as walls of death. However, they had unexpectedly turned into their life-saving shield.

Originally, after entering the large hall, the doors were supposed to instantly shut as the Magic Automatons appeared, blocking off the enemy’s escape route. But now, the doors hadn’t been opened once from beginning to end. Rather, they had become the shield to block arrows for Suo Jia and his group all the way up until now. The Magic Automatons had exhausted their energies, yet hadn’t been able to do anything to their targets at all.

Seeing the densely packed Magic Automatons, Suo Jia couldn’t help but shake his head as he sighed in admiration. Although these Automatons had intelligence, they had no consciousness after all, so they had to link with a person. Only then would they be able to display their greatest amount of power. For example, although they clearly knew they couldn’t hit their opponents, they had still dumbly drained themselves of their energy, making them absolute idiots.

Suo Jia knew that as long as a person commanded them, the result would be different. If the opponent didn’t come out, the opposite party wouldn’t attack. As soon as the opponent showed up, the 900 cannons would simultaneously open fire, and nobody would be able to block them. The temperature alone was enough to melt steel into liquid.

Suo Jia looked at the 900 piles of scrap iron in front of him. He knew that although they were currently drained, they’d immediately become lively again once their magic cores were changed. As long as they had enough magic cores, they would be like tenacious cockroaches!

After cautiously walking up to the Magic Automatons and confirming that they had actually exhausted all its energy, Suo Jia shouted at the girls outside the doors to re-enter. This trial could be considered as passed. Suo Jia believed that even if this wasn’t the last trial, it was close enough. After all…. the protection of 900 Magic Automatons was already quite elaborate!

They walked past the still Magic Automatons, and soon…Suo Jia and his group had reached the opposite end of the large hall. When they looked back at the 900 Magic Automatons, Suo Jia made up his mind to definitely ship the things back with him. These steel fellows were indeed extremely formidable. What Suo Jia needed now were the blueprints of these Magic Automatons, and he needed to learn how to control and switch the magic cores. He could only hope that he’d be able to find these things further inside.

The group opened the inner door on the other end of the large hall, and…a round arena appeared in front of them. The grand arena was completely empty, without any trace of humans. The surroundings walls were all natural rock, and didn’t seem like they were parts of traps. The group of people slowly entered the arena, walking towards the opposite door.

“Rumble!” They hadn’t imagined that as soon as they walked to the center of the arena, a deep sound echoed. With a bang, a set of sturdy and thick, metal doors crashed down In front of the door they had come from, firmly blocking the way they had come from.

Seeing this, Suo Jia and his group couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with shock. They warily surveyed their surroundings, and the next instant…the ground around them opened up into a deep, pitch-black hole. A hundred strong bodies leapt out from the hole. A sound broke through the air as the hundred bodies flowed outwards, and exceptionally strong and healthy Magic Automatons tightly encircled Suo Jia and the girls.