Chapter 82 (continued)
However, this Annihilator truly lives up to its reputation as a powerful invention that once drove spellcasters into the dark underground. We fought for quite a while, and to use the online gaming term that Moli often uses, it was simply—it didn't lose any health!
"Commander Goliath! Hold on!" Reynold suddenly shouted from behind, "This won't work, we need to use guns!"
Gun?
Oh, Reynold was referring to firearms, specifically guns.
... I never knew Reynold liked to carry so many guns and ammunition??? Are you even a mage?!
Reynold, utterly devoid of any mage dignity, pulled out five small pistols, each exquisitely crafted, and quickly stuffed them into the hands of everyone except Goliath. Mel and I stared at the pistols in our hands, completely at a loss for how to react.
The three of them are very coordinated and have already started playing.
"Haha! No one can surpass me! Back in the day, I even had professional teams trying to recruit me!" Anna proudly waved the gun in her hand, and with a snap, she hit the Annihilator's left arm joint.
Reynold scoffed, "When I was playing shooting games, you two were still breastfeeding! You've only ever played holographic games, haven't you? Have you ever played a traditional shooting game?"
"Wow, are you that old?" Moli said innocently.
The three of them were fighting fiercely... and it seemed to actually be working?
The magic pistol is equipped with a high-explosive micro-bullet—this was of course what Reynold said, otherwise how would a mage like me know what kind of bullets this gun uses... He said that this kind of bullet can penetrate the small joint gaps of the Annihilator and then explode inside, bypassing its overly hard outer shell defense.
And he proudly displayed:
"Don't let their small size fool you; these guns are incredibly effective. They were specially designed by the Academy of Sciences for government officials to use in self-defense. The recoil is minimal, so you don't need advanced shooting skills because they come with an aiming assist system and ballistic correction! And they're incredibly powerful—one shot can penetrate three walls!"
As he spoke, Reynold fired a shot that went astray, creating a large hole in the wall of the ruins.
Mel and I exchanged bewildered glances. Goliath was still dutifully acting as a human shield, not faltering at all despite the change from a barrage of spells to a hail of bullets. We watched for a while, then, imitating Reynold and the others, we released the safety and took aim...
Hmm...
It's probably not too difficult. Once you get used to the recoil of the gun when it fires, and master the movement, you can shoot quite accurately.
Reynold is right, the recoil is indeed minimal and won't hurt our carefully maintained wrists.
Sparks flew from the joints of the Annihilator. Its long-range shots at the back were all blocked by our Absolute Protection. It seemed to want to bypass us and kill those behind us first, but Goliath and that big gun blocked it, preventing it from getting past easily. So, after about half an hour, the Annihilator was extremely unwilling... This unwillingness is my imagination. The common emotion of villains who fail to cause trouble is usually unwillingness, right? But since the Annihilator had no life, it was just shot into a twitching pile of iron by five small pistols, and its dying words could be omitted.
Goliath then drew his sword and meticulously and professionally dismembered the Annihilator, breaking off every joint with skillful and precise technique, no slower than my own hand speed when dismantling a dead man's bones.
As he disassembled and returned it, he explained to Mel and me, "The structure of this joint is roughly like this..."
Mel and I studied it for a long time, nodded, and felt more confident. We prepared to find another Annihilator to try it out.
But as soon as we voiced our idea, Reynold exclaimed, "Find another one? It's already bizarre enough that one active Annihilator has appeared in this ancient ruin. Do you want more?"
Oh yes... that's when we remembered the question we just mentioned:
Was technology from over two thousand years ago really that advanced? How could the Annihilator have maintained its power supply for thousands of years and still be active?
Reynold looked at his spatial ring with worry and said, "No, please, please don't let any more Annihilator come. I don't have that many bullets left!"
Mel and I thought about it for a moment, Mel asked Goliath, "Is the material of this joint immune to magic?"
Goliath touched it all and said, "No, there shouldn't be any mechanical materials that are completely immune to magic, right?"
"Oh... then why can't we use magic to fight?" Mel asked Reynold.
Reynold explained, "Because that would consume a lot of Magic Power, and most spells wouldn't be able to penetrate such small joints!"
... So that's the reason? I thought that joint had magic resistance or could absorb mana!
"Do you think we're like you?" Mel asked in surprise.
Reynold: "..."
He silently took the guns from our hands, and when he turned to the apprentices, Anna and Moli blinked. Reynold looked at them for a while and said, "... Here you go as a gift."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker!" Anna and Moli said sweetly, adding in unison, "But even so, you still don't have a chance!"
... I get the feeling that Reynold really wants to take back the gun he gave away...
Despite the pressure, he walked to the wreckage of the Annihilator, blocking Mel's hand as she tried to collect the spoils, and began to examine it. Mel watched quietly as Reynold climbed up and down, even tapping on the Annihilator's chest, as if admiring a rare magical creature in a zoo...
Just in case, I still held onto Mel's hand. I'm really traumatized by this; I'm afraid Mel might suddenly unleash his Transformation Spell, especially since he conjures up cute, fluffy little animals that are really nice to touch... It would take up a lot of time and seriously lower my self-control!
I feel my self-control has noticeably declined lately!
Reynold banged on it for most of the day, then looked up with a terrible expression (he hadn't had a good look in days, but it was even worse now) and said, "This isn't the Exterminator Prototype from two thousand years ago. This machine has been tampered with—by people nowadays. Its energy core was only recently replenished!"
Modifying a two-thousand-year-old antique machine? Instead of selling it to a museum... I guess only Machine Zealots would do something so pointless.
If Reynold's complexion had been any worse, I would have started to suspect he was an undead. He said, "I guess this really is the secret outpost we've been looking for! These despicable Machine Zealots, they've seized the Radiant Fortress of the Dark Ages, using it as a vanguard camp to recreate the Dark Ages?"
... Watching Reynold's face turn red and white with anger, I truly felt once again that Reynold might indeed be a mage...
However, they will not succeed.
I suspect those Machine Zealots might have stumbled upon this underground fortress by accident, or perhaps they discovered the remnants of the Annihilator that remained there during their exploration, and then repaired and activated it? That's quite possible, because many Machine Zealots aren't just fanatical in their thinking; they are genuinely skilled in mechanical technology. If they weren't out of their minds, many academies, science institutes, or research institutes would be willing to hire them at high salaries.
Mel nodded. "I see. Then let's go take care of them. They're really unlucky to have run into us!"
As he was speaking, he actually struck a... victory pose? And even winked at me.
Hmm... Mel, do you know you've been getting more and more... chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur) lately? I find it hilarious. Considering your age, Mel is actually two years older than me, yet these past few days you've been acting incredibly youthful and energetic—I'm referring, of course, to the kind of cool, edgy novel protagonist that Anna and Moli admire—
"Teacher!" Moli whispered in my ear, "Anna doesn't write those arrogant and charismatic male protagonists anymore; that kind of character seems so awkward!"
Huh?
No, I think Mel is cute, there's no awkwardness at all... um?
Mel suddenly glared sharply at the two apprentices. With a flick of his wrist, he lifted Anna into the air. Anna rolled her eyes, relaxed her body, and was quite used to being lifted around by her teacher.