Chapter 52

Therefore, I can't possibly forget something like this.

I know them intimately... I mean, their physical bodies. I'm pretty sure my second teacher doesn't know anything about engineering or mecha, so this one in front of us is probably an "upgraded version of an electronic Artificial Demon." It should be even stronger, judging from its more disgusting appearance.

Seeing this kind of thing really makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Although I know that my teacher isn't the only one who possesses the ability to create mutated creatures using forbidden evil arts combined with alchemy, seeing something so familiar rushing right in front of me still makes me feel as if I've returned to that era.

I had to hold Mel's hand tightly, or I would fall back into that memory.

That period of time, living in constant fear, diligently studying magic in order to...

... the years spent seeking to kill the teacher, or being killed by the teacher.

Chapter 52

To be honest, I've never consciously thought about whether I should be a dark mage or a light mage. If I had to compare, I'm actually quite satisfied with my life now, especially after moving into Mel's Tower and taking Moli as my apprentice.

Although the seven years in the bunker are a past I'd rather not recall, I might not be who I am now if I hadn't been captured by my second teacher... Luckily, that didn't happen. My teacher—my first teacher—expected me to graduate smoothly and become a qualified research assistant. If his wish had come true, I think the research institute would most likely have been lost.

I now know hundreds of spells that could obliterate a research institute, each with consequences perfectly matching the classic visual design of horror or disaster movies. After all, I spent seven years meticulously studying how to kill a person, and this research topic is hardly beautiful or moving, so I must confess that most of the magic I know is malevolent magic.

Furthermore, I have indeed seen far too many spellcasters bewitched by the immense power that malevolent magic brings in a short period of time, to the point that they willingly become slaves to evil arts.

The danger posed by black magic is scientifically based—after all, when you can disembowel someone with a wave of your hand, and that's the intended effect of the spell you've mastered, who would want to abide by trivial laws and regulations like waiting for a red light when crossing the street?

I remember a long time ago, my teacher—my first teacher—patiently and meticulously corrected my gestures, but I still couldn't perform them successfully. A few days later, he realized that he had remembered them wrong...

During that time, I never thought about why I wanted to learn magic. After I was taken out of the orphanage, my memories were always intertwined with magic. Therefore, when I was young, I regarded magic as a necessity of life, just like eating and drinking. However, parents tend to think about more practical issues or guide their children in this way—for example, my teacher asked me, "Xipei, what do you want to do after you learn magic?"

Naturally, I couldn't answer for a long time and almost burst into tears, so my teacher quickly comforted me:

"Xipei, not everyone has to do earth-shattering things, not everyone has to become a savior hero. The vast majority of people... like the teacher, are just ordinary people. We live our daily lives, and Xipei, as long as you can make that life a little better, then you won't have learned magic in vain."

But...

I've been pondering this for over a decade: how can I use all my sorcery to make life better?

Emotions aren't something you can just let go of, especially when memories bring them back. Otherwise, why would the confessional at the Temple of Light be so crowded?

I found that after I deliberately suppressed them, they came back stronger than before.

... It turns out I never really left that bunker.

I actually thought that by going to work properly, I wouldn't be a dark sorcerer obsessed with evil magic! The only difference is that I'm now an insignificant dark sorcerer with a stable job and no wanted status.

The Absolute Protection remains bright and sturdy in my hands, and I've expanded it to include Lusien and Angela in the battle. Based on past experience, cyborgs always appear in groups, and I can't say this Electronic Demon will be alone. Cyborgs can be used as stress relievers by Ms. Angela, but Electronic Demon are different. Even if it's a brand-new, unprocessed Artificial Demon fresh from the lab, we can't be careless with it. I've seen them devour my fellow disciples, and my second teacher tacitly approved of it.

My guess soon came true. The Absolute Protection blocked the main force of the Electronic Demon behind it, but the first one was still inside the Absolute Protection. Lusien and Angela worked together to try to cut it apart. The outside of the Absolute Protection was full of Shadow Dance's shadows, which Mel controlled, as if commanding an army.

Reynold's lip was bleeding from a slap he'd received sometime earlier, but he seemed to have regained some of his authority as Speaker. Of course, he didn't fight—I knew he was incapable of fighting—but he did pull out a handheld video camera and explained, "Record this and send it back to the Federation. That way, even if something happens to us here, they'll have time to prepare."

So tragic?

Even Mel was starting to look at him with new respect.

That's not all; Electronic Demon keep coming one after another—

Mel used air blades to cut them, leaving behind their blood and battery fluid on the ground. However, these things were not so easy to kill. Several times, we were forced to move to another location by the Electronic Demon that pounced on us like mad dogs. They would even deliberately crash into the mine rocks, using the terrain to inflict damage on us.

I noticed that even though Mel disliked Reynold, he was still well protected by Mel. Mel himself was bleeding from his arm, but Reynold, Luolan, and I were all unharmed. Every time the Absolute Protection was shaken, the Electronic Demon that rushed in couldn't get past Mel.

But Mel seemed very restrained. I realized that because Lusien and Angela were trying to fight the Electronic Demon, Mel couldn't use large-scale, high-damage spells, as that could easily get her own people caught in the crossfire. Moreover, I believed that the Electronic Demon was definitely stronger than Lusien and Angela in terms of physical strength.

They fought for a long time, finally taking down the first one, and then retreated back to our side.

"Xipei..." Mel's back shielded me as he said, "There are too many enemies, can you still hold them off?"

They didn't launch an attack, which put us at a significant disadvantage. However, we couldn't hide in Absolute Protection forever. If my mental energy ran out, they would still be overwhelmed by the Electronic Demon. The Electronic Demon that rushed up were entangled by Mel's thorns, and then Lusien rushed over and frantically chopped off their heads. Lady Angela even used both her hands and feet, since she was now a bear. Perhaps because bears also find the electronic monsters a bit disgusting, they refused to bite them.

The area of Absolute Protection is shrinking, not because my mental strength is insufficient, but because there are too many demons, and their weight is a major drawback.

Soon, Lusien and Angela's movements became increasingly difficult, because Electronic Demon were indeed a new thing for them, and for me as well, since I was only familiar with the original, unmodified form of Artificial Demon. And these Electronic Demons were indeed... quite numerous. We suddenly realized that this did not seem to be a coincidence or an accident.

Lusien shouted, "We've been tricked!"

Yes, Ms. Angela was obsessed with tearing apart cyborgs, and we were also quite arrogant, so the enemy tricked us. They dropped easy-to-dismantle cyborgs along the way, letting Ms. Angela have her fun, and then we were lured into a trap they had set in advance.

The Electronic Demon had been waiting here for a long time. Just as Lusien realized something was wrong, heavy mechanical doors suddenly fell from both sides of the passage. We dared not break them open easily, because Mel and I were worried that if they exploded and caused a collapse, it would only make things worse.

Hmm... There are so many Electronic Demon here, we could be crushed to death just by pushing and shoving! My Absolute Protection is surrounded by squashed demon faces, and after the mechanical door closed, they could only press in on us. Reynold's calves were visibly trembling. This time, I can't blame him; I was trembling a bit too, because, as I just said, I have a physiological aversion to things that are too densely packed.