The footsteps grew clearer, mixed with a heavy metallic tremor. A tall silhouette emerged from the darkness, twice the height of a man and broad like a wall. Right after, the outline of a cold, metal-colored human face surfaced in the shadows, neither joy nor sorrow on it, utterly expressionless; half of its face was covered in crystal, and the crystal ran down its barely discernible neck all the way to its shoulders, forming a huge tumorous mass. It wore a long Cloak, the metal trims of the Cloak hanging all the way to the ground. An iron-like hand thrust out from under the Cloak, tightly gripping a bronze cane as thick as an adult Human’s arm.

The monster stopped not far from Brand, and where it stopped made Brand curse inwardly, because it was standing right next to the Earth Sword that had been knocked away. Only after it halted did Otarais and Brand hear a rhythmic tick-tock coming from inside its body, like the beating of a heart. That sound was the sound of a pendulum; beneath the Cloak was shrouded a gigantic pendulum, driving the monster’s movements like a Spring.

This was a ruins guardian of the Tower of Heaven, a Lv92 Clockwork Man. Brand’s expression shifted. Babel Fortress was thousands of miles away—how could a monster like a Clockwork Man appear in this place, had this World gone completely off the rails? Besides, the Tower of Heaven was content added in version seven; with the current Strength of a Clockwork Man, it’d be top-tier even in the entire Kruz. In the late Blooming Era, even three Veronicas together might not match one of these things.

Brand couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Otarais seemed to have no idea what this monster was; she only instinctively felt the newcomer wasn’t friendly. Noticing the subtle shift in Brand’s mood, she asked, "You know this thing?"

"This is a Clockwork Man," he was at a loss for words for a moment, not sure how to describe its Strength. "Anyway, it’s really, really strong. We’re nowhere near its match. The only good thing is it’s a Magic Puppet and can’t use Enlightenment Element. Do you have any way to get us out of here?"

"Don’t treat me like a Savior. That’s no good for your growth." Otarais answered irritably.

"Who the hell cares about growth right now, if we can’t run we’re both dying here," Brand thought.

But the Clockwork Man seemed not to see Brand at all—or rather, acted like he wasn’t there. It gave the Earth Sword on the ground a cold glance, reached out and grabbed; a chain shot out from under its Cloak, wrapped around the Earth Sword, then flung it far over. The Earth Sword clanged to the ground at Brand’s feet and spun once. Brand was stunned—what was that supposed to mean, did this Clockwork Man actually believe in knight spirit and refuse to kill an enemy without a Weapon? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

So did that mean as long as he didn’t pick the Sword up, everything would be fine? Brand couldn’t help indulging in that fantasy for a moment. But the towering Clockwork Man before him was obviously out of the ordinary. The most striking feature was the crystal on its face and shoulders; a normal Clockwork Man didn’t have such bizarre decorations. But that wasn’t good news for Brand—whether it was an Elite specimen or a Leader-class monster, it was out of his league.

Honestly, he couldn’t even beat an Ordinary one.

The Clockwork Man tossed the Earth Sword down at Brand’s feet, then actually spoke, its voice cold and metallic: "So it’s a Traveling Mage Apprentice, and using this kind of thing. How boring."

"Oh come on," Brand was instantly in tears. Even the Earth Sword was getting looked down on. But he still straightforwardly bent down and picked up the Sword—he couldn’t beat this thing anyway, so there was no need for the other side to play any dirty tricks on him. "You’re a Travel Mage?"

"Seems you still don’t understand. Travel Mages are powerhouses who use Planes as a chessboard; they don’t need to rely on such flimsy things," the Clockwork Man ignored him, but pointed at the Sword in his hand. "I am not a Travel Mage, but I follow my great master. You cannot imagine his Strength."

As it spoke, it waved the bronze scepter. A card appeared out of thin air and opened a Light Door. From within, with a clack-clack sound, marched out a squad of Puppet Knights. Their bodies gleamed with a bronze luster, limbs and trunk studded with dense rivets, each holding a Floral Sword, and a huge Spring strapped to their backs. There were more than twenty of them in total. As soon as they emerged, the Clockwork Man swung the bronze scepter forward: "Attack! Expel the invaders—"

"Saying you’re not a Travel Mage while using Destiny Cards—what happened to heavenly principles, what happened to the law of the land?" Brand cursed a big "fuck" in his heart and hastily retreated. These puppets were called Clockwork Knights, each only a bit over Level 40, but sheer numbers made up for it. Not to mention there was a suspected Travel Mage Clockwork Man in the back. Brand didn’t dare get entangled and hurriedly withdrew.