Chapter 213: Chapter 207: Your Good Neighbor Allen Wesren Is Online

As the Odyssey passed through the final volcanic pass, the full vista of Victor’s workshop unfolded before Allen’s eyes like a shredded oil painting.

On the main viewscreen, a real-time, high-altitude bird’s-eye view transmitted from the Demon Eye gave Allen his first direct look at the intensity of the war.

The main structure of Victor’s workshop had already collapsed, with only the core area still barely standing.

The wreckage of countless Golems lay scattered around the workshop like discarded toys. Some were torn to shreds, their metal parts mingling with the flesh and blood of Magical Beasts until they were indistinguishable.

Beside the workshop, the rich mineral vein that should have been Victor’s source of wealth had become a gluttonous feast for the Magical Beasts.

Over a thousand Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions swarmed like a black tide, covering the mineral vein. Their fearsome mandibles opened and closed with a grating CRUNCH as they bit off and swallowed huge mouthfuls of the magical ore. The combined sound was like the wail of the very earth being devoured alive.

Allen’s brow furrowed instantly.

"Commander, we’ve found Victor Iron Flame!"

Jarvis’s voice pulled Allen from his thoughts. The view on the screen rapidly zoomed in, locking onto a spot beneath the crumbling ruins of a building in the workshop’s core.

Allen’s pupils constricted slightly.

A translucent shield, composed of a hexagonal lattice, flickered like a candle in the wind. Its light was impossibly dim, each pulse looking as if it would be the last.

Inside the shield, a figure was slumped on the ground, leaning against a broken wall.

Victor Iron Flame.

The heir of the Tieyan Clan—the man who always stood ramrod straight in the Black Tower of the Forge, his eyes a mixture of thirty percent arrogance and seventy percent confidence—was now as pathetic as a stray dog. His Alchemy Wizard Robe was in tatters, his body was covered in wounds that ran bone-deep, and the blood had stained the ground beneath him a dark red.

His left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. The lower half was gone, the stump cauterized to a blackened crust.

As the view zoomed closer, his face was pale as death, his lips cracked and dry. Only his eyes still blazed with defiant flames, fixed on the behemoth outside the shield.

A Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion, a full size larger than the one Allen had previously slain, was impatiently hammering its massive, siege-ram-like pincers against the shield, again and again.

With each impact, the shield’s light grew dimmer.

Not far away lay the corpse of another scorpion king. Its head had been pierced by some terrifying force, and its blood pooled on the ground. It was clearly a victory Victor had bought by playing all his family’s trump cards.

A one-for-one trade. Unfortunately for him, they had another.

To have taken down a peak tier-two Magical Beast, Victor had obviously given it everything he had.

But now, he was spent.

"Jarvis," Allen said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Ready."

"Storm Falcon squadron, target the densest part of the scorpion swarm in the mining area. Deploy aerial bombs."

"Orders confirmed."

Allen chose not to attack the scorpion king directly.

The creature had a tough hide; a few aerial bombs wouldn’t be enough to take it down. It would only enrage it and hasten Victor’s death.

The optimal solution was to create chaos—a diversion.

WHOOSH—!

Six Storm Falcons instantly broke formation like arrows loosed from a bow. After a clean dive and pull-up, the hardpoints under their fuselages opened.

Heavy aerial bombs whistled down, hurtling toward the distant scorpion swarm feasting on the mineral vein.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Terrifying explosions erupted within the swarm. A torrent of flames reaching several thousand degrees swept out, creating a roiling sea of fire.

Dozens of feeding Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions were instantly engulfed, their shrill hisses echoing from within the inferno.

The tactic worked.

In fact, it worked a little too well.

"HIIISSSS—!!!"

In the mining area, hundreds of Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions were utterly enraged by the sudden attack. They abandoned the ore and turned their crimson compound eyes skyward in unison, locking onto the returning Storm Falcons.

The next second, a horrifying scene unfolded.

Instead of scattering, the giant scorpions turned as one, as if receiving a single command. They surged toward Victor’s workshop like a black, furious tide.

Their intention was clear: encircle and crush all enemies!

"Warning! Anomalous group behavior detected! Subjects are moving to encircle! Estimated time to workshop perimeter: one minute, thirty seconds!"

Jarvis sounded the alarm.

’Centrally commanded... It really is the work of a Black Wizard.’

Allen’s eyes grew cold.

This had only pushed Victor into an even more dangerous situation.

"Change of plans."

Allen’s voice remained calm as he continued to issue orders.

"Odyssey, descend to thirty meters. Open the bay doors."

The massive transport ship hummed as it slowly descended. Thirty meters above the ground, the ship’s bay doors slid open, revealing the grim Steel Legion within.

"Spider Slayer IIs, Squads One through Three, full deployment!"

"Pacifistas, join the battle!" Allen added, summoning five PX-1 Golems from his Space Ring.

"Objective: Establish a defensive perimeter around the workshop! Hold back the scorpion swarm at all costs!"

The order was given.

THUD! THUD!

Two six-meter-tall PX-1A heavy Golems leaped down first, their massive metal feet smashing two deep craters into the cracked earth. They immediately began to engage the enemy with spears fashioned from scorpion tails.

Immediately after, thirty Spider Slayer IIs and five PX-1s were deployed to the ground, dropping one after another in rapid succession.

The Spider Slayers landed firmly on their six menacing, articulated metal legs. They spread out quickly, forming a temporary defensive line of steel and firepower on the outskirts of Victor’s workshop.

’They won’t hold for long,’ Allen knew. ’This is just to buy some time.’

"What is that...?"

On the ground, a despairing Victor leaned against a broken stone pillar, tightly clutching a Magic Potion. Every breath sent an agonizing spike of pain through his severed leg.

His Golems were all destroyed. He had already used the trump card his family had given him for survival, and his last defensive artifact was about to fail.

His Magic Power was exhausted.

His Spiritual Power was nearly depleted.

He watched the scorpion king outside the shield raise its massive pincer, preparing to deliver the final blow. A flash of despair and defiance crossed his eyes.

’Me, Victor Iron Flame... to die in this godforsaken wasteland? At the claws of a mere beast?’

Just as he prepared to detonate his remaining Magic Power and take the monsters down with him, a sudden explosion echoed nearby. The scorpion king’s raised pincer froze in mid-air as it sensed the disturbance. A jolt of renewed hope shot through Victor, and he halted his final, desperate act.

A moment later, a piercing sonic boom ripped through the sky.

He instinctively looked up.

A red-and-blue meteor was plummeting from the sky at supersonic speed!

BOOM!!!

The meteor slammed precisely into the scorpion king that had been attacking the shield.

The ground shook violently. A terrifying shockwave of dust and rubble blasted outward, sending several approaching Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions flying dozens of feet through the air.

The blast sent poor Victor tumbling, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His dim shield flickered a few times, then shattered completely.

A colossal figure slowly rose from within the swirling dust.

Before Victor could even react, a voice, amplified by some spell to thunder across the entire battlefield, boomed from the sky.

The voice was deafening, but even on the verge of passing out, Victor recognized the familiar tone:

"Esteemed Mr. Victor Iron Flame, your neighbor, Allen Wesren, has come online."

"Your current credit rating has been assessed as ’Good.’ This rescue service has now been activated."

The iron titan slowly raised its Ship-Slicing Blade, the edge pointed directly at the recovering scorpion king.

"Current service rates are as follows: five thousand Magic Stones per kill."

"Or..."

The mech’s head tilted slightly, looking down at Victor, who had struggled to lift his head and was now staring, dumbfounded.

"You could always opt for the annual subscription plan?"

"Allen..."

He muttered, a pained smile cracking his lips.

"You... you bastard..."