nagpurpolice Chapter 281: Raven! Raven!
Chapter 281: Raven! Raven!
Chapter 281: Raven! Raven!
The sky was azure, with clouds drifting like cotton wool. Ian floated in the clear sky, with a surging sea of clouds below him and endless mountains and forests in the distance.
He gently swung his arms, adjusting his posture, feeling the magical flow in the air. The wind tore at his cloak, and the distant, suspended steel city resembled a slumbering behemoth.
Ian gazed at the city before him, his heart filled with awe. He had heard many legends about lost civilizations, but he had never imagined that he would see such a miraculous city in the sky in reality—the black metal surfaces gleamed coldly, countless gears and pipes were exposed, and steam and electric arcs danced between the gaps.
It floats silently in mid-air, without making a roar or having any supporting structure, like a dormant cyber city, with countless gears meshing and turning on the surface of the building.
He was discovered by the black-robed wizard among them.
Azure runes flowed between the mirror-like towers, and the entire city was enveloped in a semi-transparent amber-colored protective shield, its surface rippling with fine electrical currents. Yes, the city had barely approached when it seemed to be on high alert, the shield spreading out like ripples, countless runes flashing on the transparent barrier.
It's like a giant net, enveloping the entire city.
"The fluctuations of this protective magic... even legends don't possess such power." Ian squinted his eyes and sighed inwardly, gently rubbing his wand in his palm.
however.
Before he could even get close...
Immediately afterwards, a piercing alarm sounded, and a cacophony of shouts erupted from within the Steel City. Wizards dressed in black robes stood atop a tower, pointing in Ian's direction with expressions of terror and rage.
"A raven from the underworld!"
Someone screamed, the sound coming through the protective shield, becoming distorted and discreet.
"It's that guy again!"
"Drive it away! Don't let it near! It will take all our lives!"
A chorus of terrified cries echoed through the city: "Gibberish! Gibberish!" Ian couldn't understand a word they said, but he could sense their intense unease from their tone.
Of course, although their language was ancient and obscure, and Ian couldn't understand a single word, he could still sense the emotions conveyed by the faces and tones of these black-robed wizards.
The message was very clear – fear, disgust, even… hatred?
no way.
The problem is simply that we can't communicate in the same language.
In Ian's eyes, all he saw was a group of people standing on a high platform, their eyes flashing with various colors under their hoods, holding strangely shaped metal scepters, pointing at him, their expressions full of vigilance and hostility, as if they had seen some irreconcilable enemy.
"Are these people crazy?"
Ian froze. He looked down at himself—a teenager dressed in ordinary wizard robes, except for the wand in his hand and the alchemical artifacts hanging from his waist.
They don't look like the kind of terrifying people who are like floods and beasts at all.
He had hands with distinct knuckles, long legs, and an ordinary appearance as a boy. Apart from the fact that his wizard robes were different from the other person's, he couldn't think of anything about himself that warranted such wariness.
to be frank.
The group's reactions made Ian somewhat insecure.
"I have hands and feet, and I don't look scary at all. Did I grow horns? Or do I have scales on my face?" He touched his face to make sure that he still looked like an ordinary human boy.
He even pulled out a small mirror he'd swiped from Aurora to double-check.
This is a round silver mirror about 20 centimeters in diameter. The frame is made of dark sandalwood and is carved with twisted vine patterns, as if countless shadows are writhing within it.
The mirror's surface is smooth and cold, slightly convex. When viewed up close, the world reflected in the mirror seems denser and deeper than reality. A deep blue gemstone is inlaid on the back of the frame, its shimmering light fluctuating with the wearer's emotions, seemingly ordinary yet exuding a mysterious aura.
As a mirror of the magical world.
This uniquely designed small mirror can clearly reflect the user's appearance, whether the person is in a bright room or a dimly lit corner, the mirror can accurately reflect a clear image, with details even more realistic than ordinary mirrors. It can also reflect the scene within a certain range behind the user.
It provides users with a full field of vision, making it convenient to tidy up their appearance or observe what's behind them—it has to be said that it's quite different from the pretty mirrors that most girls use.
Aurora's aesthetic sense is just that unique. Ian, on the other hand, thinks Aurora has great taste and, like him, must be a Cthulhu enthusiast.
and.
Ian found the persecution complex, the constant vigilance it displayed, quite admirable. Of course, one of the mirror's most magical abilities was its ability to reflect the user's inner emotions.
When a user stands in front of the mirror, their reflection, in addition to their normal appearance, is subtly shrouded in their emotions. For example, when the user feels joy, the mirror surface will glow with a soft golden halo, like sunlight shining on a calm lake. When feeling sad, the reflection will be surrounded by a light blue mist, giving a feeling of coldness and loneliness.
When angry, the person in the mirror is surrounded by red, thread-like patterns, as if scorched by flames; when fearful, the mirror blurs, revealing distorted black shadows, as if something unknown is watching. And at this very moment, a series of question marks representing confusion appear above Ian's head in the mirror.
The fact that this magical little mirror has the ability to "peep into emotions" is also the reason why Ian took it.
He is an alchemist who loves learning.
"No problem, not even my hair is messed up." Ian repeatedly checked that he didn't have any small horns growing on his head. He was increasingly puzzled as to why the black-robed wizards in the Steel City were so afraid of him. To be honest, if he were black, he could understand that the people of the Steel City were afraid he would go in and pollute their white bloodline.
But he's very fair-skinned now.
Skin so smooth and delicate it could be broken with a touch.
"Hey! Are you sure you've got the right people?" Ian shouted, his voice carrying away in the wind. He then tried to extend his mental energy towards the protective shield to express his goodwill to the ancient wizards inside, but his mental energy was bounced back as if it had touched a hot iron the moment it touched the shield.
obviously.
This protective magic could even block the intrusion of mental power. Even though Ian possessed the rank of a legendary wizard, he still couldn't budge this protective shield in the slightest.
This is what Ian can't understand the most—these wizards all have magic and magical power that are equal to or even stronger than his own.
Yet they all resembled frightened birds.
As for?
Just when Ian was completely baffled...
Just then, the steel city suddenly moved.
It wasn't the city itself that moved, but some mechanism within the city that was activated. The wizards of the Steel City turned a deaf ear to Ian's goodwill, raising their hands and chanting ancient incantations.
The next second, the steel surface of the entire city began to ripple, the previously still steel pipes began to twist and deform, cracks appeared in the ground, and countless metal behemoths were torn apart from the city walls, towers, and mechanical gears. Their bodies were made of pitch-black metal, steam spewed from their joints, and eerie blue flames burned in their eye sockets.
These giant beasts come in various shapes and sizes. Some resemble giants with three heads and six arms, their joints covered with sharp spikes; others are like giant pythons, their bodies covered with gear-shaped scales.
Some of them resembled spiders, with the tips of their eight long legs gleaming coldly.
Without exception.
They are all extremely large.
It is also made of pure metal.
With steel bodies and cold eyes, controlled by a group of black-robed wizards, they resembled a group of awakened war machines, with hundreds and thousands of metal creations flying out of the building.
"Is this... a welcoming ceremony?" Ian's lips twitched as he watched those enormous creatures rise into the air from the edge of the city, looking as terrifying as a swarm of gigantic bees.
"This...this is too outrageous!" Ian's eyes widened, and he quickly retreated. He couldn't help it; he could sense that these metal behemoths were targeting him.
The next second, these steel behemoths pounced on him with astonishing speed, closing in on him almost instantly. Ian reacted swiftly and immediately unleashed his magic.
at the same time.
"boom--!"
The first steel behemoth flew in, its shape resembling a mechanical dragon, with wingspans reaching twenty meters wide and its metal claws gleaming coldly.
Ian quickly raised his wand and released the spell that he thought would work well.
"Torn apart!"
A silver beam flew toward the nearest spider-like behemoth, but only left a white mark on its shell. This magic had absolutely no effect on these behemoths.
Ian could only dodge awkwardly.
"Blazing Flames!" Ian launched the first attack, his wand tip spewing out red flames. However, the flames vanished the moment they touched the steel behemoth, as if swallowed by a black hole.
no way.
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Ian could only transform the flames into Fiendfire. The blazing flames transformed into a giant dragon, roaring as it charged towards the steel behemoth. However, just as the flames were about to engulf it...
Dense runes appeared on the metal surfaces, and the seemingly indestructible flames were completely absorbed as if they had vanished into thin air. Yes, the blazing flames, like a roaring fire dragon, rushed straight towards the steel dragon. However, the moment the flames touched the dragon's body, they instantly evaporated without leaving even a trace of burning.
This wasn't the first time Ian had encountered a substance that Fiendfire couldn't burn.
And it was at this time.
"What?!"
Ian's pupils contracted.
They had already realized that the city and these behemoths—the metal that constructed them—were the same metal that had been used to build the bronze gate. Sure enough, the bronze gate and the wizards here were at least connected in some way!
Before he could even process this information, another steel behemoth attacked from the side, its body resembling a giant scorpion, its tail spewing out high-pressure steam.
The sharp metal needle pierced straight at you!
"Fel Burst!" Ian roared, a dark green beam of fel energy erupting from the tip of his wand. This was his modified Killing Curse, powerful enough to equal Voldemort's achievements over hundreds of years in one go.
However, the spread and eruption of the fel energy caused the runes to light up again the instant it struck the steel behemoth, and the beam of light was once again completely absorbed without leaving a trace. Moreover, the energy struck another steel behemoth behind it and was directly absorbed, transforming into its own power source.
Or perhaps it's the vitality of metal.
"What?! It can even use the Star-Absorbing Technique?!" Ian stared in disbelief. He suddenly realized—this wasn't ordinary magical defense, but some kind of energy system beyond his comprehension.
"Listen! I am not the enemy! I come from another era! I just want to go home!" Ian shouted in a series of ancient languages.
however.
"It's happening again! It's repeating the same syllable again!"
The black-robed wizards of the Steel City stood on the city walls, waving their staffs and chanting strange syllables. Just like before, Ian couldn't understand a single word.
All he could hear was gibberish.
"Damn it! These guys' steel is just as sturdy as the bronze gate... completely immune to magic?!" Ian gritted his teeth and quickly dodged to the side.
however.
The stinger of the giant steel scorpion grazed his shoulder.
His cloak was still torn open.
"Damn it! Are you even being reasonable?!" Ian cursed loudly as he dodged the overwhelming attacks. His wand flashed rapidly, drawing countless spells.
But these spells, learned from his own time, were utterly ineffective against the steel behemoths. Ian tumbled through the air, trying to create distance, but more steel behemoths surrounded him from all sides—mechanical eagles, gear-like serpents, steam giants—they were lifeless, immune to mental interference, and even ignored all magical attacks!
It seems as if it was born to fight against wizards.
"Vulcan clears the way! Shadowless storm! Gravity collapse!" Ian waved his wand wildly, unleashing a torrent of spells, however, whether it was a cutting spell or an explosion spell.
They were all swallowed up or repelled by those strange runes.
Even the magic that controls gravity cannot affect these steel behemoths.
"Boom—!"
A colossal steel golem swung its fist, compressing the air into a shockwave. Ian barely managed to block it with his Ironclad Charm, but was still blasted dozens of meters away, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
"These lunatics!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring at the black-robed wizards on the Steel City. "I did nothing, and you just attacked me to the death?!"
"How rude!"
Ian was accusing these black-robed wizards.
However, the wizards merely watched him intently. Although the steel behemoths seemed to have the upper hand, the wizards appeared to be under just as much pressure as Ian was under.
Not even a black-robed wizard stepped forward to engage Ian in a magical duel.
Is it that you don't want to?
Judging from this, it seems more like they dare not! They didn't take action themselves, but merely controlled the steel behemoth, which seemed... more like they wanted to drive him away rather than kill him completely.
"Are you bunch of lumps of metal deliberately targeting me?!" Ian yelled angrily as he dodged, "I was just passing by! I'm a polite person!"
"Damn it, we can't kill these things at all." Ian gritted his teeth, but now was not the time to dwell on that. He took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"Since magic is useless..."
He abruptly put away his wand, crossed his arms over his chest, and his magic surged wildly. The next second, his body began to twist and deform, his bones rearranged, his muscles contracted, and his skin turned into jet-black feathers.
Animagus form!
"Hey——!"
A giant raven took flight, its jet-black wings slicing through the sky, silencing the steel behemoths' attacks. Ian's figure instantly transformed into a shooting star, hurtling towards the steel city's protective shield. The wizards seemed stunned, exchanging bewildered glances before erupting into even more intense cries of alarm.
"It really is it!"
"Stop it! Stop it!"
"Phase Two! Its Phase Two is here!" The black-robed wizards were all terrified and began to control the metal behemoths, attempting to intercept the ravens charging towards them.
(End of this chapter)