"Boom!" "Boom!"
With each step the giant, legged magic box took, the ground beneath it trembled violently, causing the massive metal plaza to collapse even further.
It felt as though the entire Mechanical Heart was shaking and rumbling.
Ronan snapped out of his brief shock and quickly grabbed two collapsed stone slabs from the toppled pillars, moving swiftly backward.
As he retreated, he saw the surface of the legged giant magic box crack open with numerous jagged lines, and then—
"Creeeak—"
With a loud, grating noise, a massive mouth suddenly appeared in the middle of the box, resembling a terrifying shark's mouth, dark and deep like a black hole, and rows of sharp, jagged teeth were barely visible within.
Ronan's scalp tingled. The worst part was that this fearsome, giant magic box appeared to be charging directly toward him.
Without hesitation, Ronan grabbed hold of Doloreal Three's neck, coating himself in his **Living Steel** armor. Using the **Spatial Silverization** effect, he quickly flickered toward a direction far away from the giant magic box.
As he ran, he realized that the awakening of the giant magic box behind him seemed to trigger some kind of mysterious mechanism. Now, the entire Mechanical Heart, the lost city, was in utter turmoil.
Buildings were collapsing everywhere. Ancient metal golems that were still operational emerged from the wreckage, their remaining rune lines glowing red, giving off an aura of danger even from a distance.
The metal elementals, too, seemed to be in a frenzy, and some were charging straight at Ronan, as if preparing to block his escape and aid the giant magic box.
"Buzz—Buzz—"
Swarming clouds of metal, akin to swarming bees or ravens, appeared out of nowhere, releasing disturbing energy waves. They moved at terrifying speed, darting through the air like shadows.
It was as if a drop of water had fallen into a pot of boiling oil.
The entire Mechanical Heart had erupted into chaos.
Ronan moved swiftly through this metal storm, his arms flailing as countless **Mirror Dagger**-like short blades and fine ice needles erupted from thin air, rapidly shooting in every direction, exploding upon impact, and sending violent shockwaves through the battlefield.
The **Mirror Soul**-summoned metal constructs, under his command, rushed to meet the incoming onslaught of metal elementals and berserk golems. But, within moments, they were overwhelmed and crushed by the ferocity of the chaotic tide.
The giant, legged magic box continued its pursuit from behind, its heavy footsteps echoing relentlessly.
Though the box had yet to unleash any effective attacks, just the sheer oppressive force of its enormous size made Ronan feel like he was being pursued by an unstoppable steel tsunami.
"Definitely above level three," Ronan judged, his eyes flashing.
Whether it was close to a fourth-tier Dawn-level creature, he couldn't be sure, as he had never directly felt the pressure from a Dawn-tier entity before.
Doloreal Three, with its four small goat legs, clung tightly to Ronan's leg, its innocent and confused expression still visible. It was probably still wondering why it hadn't been rewarded or praised despite having found such a "big" box for Ronan.
Ronan didn't have the heart to blame the little creature. Instead, he found himself feeling unexpectedly hopeful.
The thunder and fire hammer that had been so highly treasured by the Mechanical Heart's dwarf king—could it be inside this giant magic box behind him?
This possibility seemed quite high.
However, the giant magic box was formidable, and opening it was an entirely different matter.
"Boom!"
Not far away, an explosion-like sound rang out, like a **High-Energy Crucible** detonating, accompanied by the sharp clanging of broken metal pieces scattering on the ground. It signaled the destruction of the last of his summoned **Mirror Soul** constructs.
Ronan had no idea how far he had run. All he knew was that he had put quite a bit of distance between himself and the giant magic box.
But the danger was far from over. The metal golems and elementals continued to converge on him.
Ronan took flight, evading some of the metal golems that couldn't fly, as he looked back toward the giant magic box's location.
It was still shambling toward him, its gaping, shark-like mouth wide open, and its massive golden legs moving toward him in steady, heavy steps. Clearly, Ronan had not yet escaped its "hate range."
Ronan paused for a moment, evaluating his next course of action.
However, just as he was about to take a step, he heard—
"Boom!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
A series of explosive sounds came from a distant direction.
Ronan quickly raised his head, his senses, far sharper than the average wizard's, detected unusual energy fluctuations accompanying the rumbling sounds.
"Non-metallic elemental spell fluctuations."
"And there's more than one."
Ronan narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering. "Seems like other wizards are fighting."
Were there other wizards in the Mechanical Heart ruins?
This wasn't too surprising, though.
The Mechanical Heart, an ancient and already-discovered hidden realm, had known entrances—what Ronan could find, others could find as well.
Doloreal Three had led him out of the center of the Mechanical Heart, triggering chaos throughout the entire ruins.
It was entirely possible that the wizards currently fighting were dragged into this mess because of his actions.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
The giant magic box's footsteps grew louder as its terrifying presence swept over the area, and the metal golems and elementals began to encircle him.
Ronan didn't hesitate for long and quickly shot toward the source of the energy fluctuations.
He wasn't trying to lead the danger elsewhere. It was simply the natural instinct to band together when facing danger.
In a situation like this, if he could find someone to fight alongside, it would undoubtedly be better than facing the threats alone.
Of course, Ronan wasn't relying on anyone else's help. He just wanted to investigate the situation first.
Using his flying ring and full physical strength, along with the **Living Steel** armor and **Spatial Silverization**'s short-range teleportation, Ronan moved with incredible speed.
He streaked through the ruined buildings, easily bypassing obstacles, quickly reaching the area where the battle was happening.
"Swish—"
Ronan halted a kilometer away from the battle and stood on top of a tall brass-roofed building, observing the situation.
The area was surrounded by a dense, metallic fog, and a swarm of golems and elementals had surrounded four figures. The group was under heavy attack, with waves of enemies charging at them.
Through the dense swarm of attacking metal creatures, Ronan saw four figures struggling to hold their ground.
Two men and two women, all wearing rare, moon-white robes. Their outfits were elegant, and each wore the same insignia on their chest.
It was a symbol Ronan had never seen before: a white ring with a green crown woven from leaves at the center.
It looked like the insignia of a plant-based wizard faction, but the spells they were casting didn't seem to be plant-related. Instead, they were casting bright, white light spells, with faint traces of vitality energy similar to the **Life Sphere** within Ronan, though much weaker.
Among the four, three were third-tier wizards, and the remaining one was a second-tier wizard.
The second-tier wizard was being protected by the three others, indicating her high status.
Ronan's gaze lingered on the young second-tier wizard.
She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen.
With delicate features and a scholarly aura, her short hair barely reached her jaw, and she wore small, exquisite crystal glasses on her nose—she gave off a very pure, academic vibe.
Ronan stared at her for a moment. She looked familiar.
His mind briefly searched his memories, and soon enough, a name appeared at the back of his mind.
"Is it...?"
Ronan's gaze froze as he looked at the young, nervous-looking wizard at the center of the group. His expression softened slightly, and he whispered, "It's her."
"Boom!"
As a massive, pure-white light orb exploded, the surrounding metal creatures and elementals were momentarily stunned.
"Hannah!"
The handsome young man in moon-white robes, holding a pure white staff, called out, and then he flipped his hand, producing a palm-sized, delicate white scroll.
"I'll hold them off here."
The young man turned to the others, his face calm. "You two, take the princess and retreat first. I'll join you soon."
"Donnie, are you sure you can handle this alone?"
A silver-haired woman, with dark skin, asked, concern in her voice.
The young man, Donnie, snorted lightly and replied nonchalantly, "Do you doubt me?"
The silver-haired woman furrowed her brow slightly but didn't protest. She exchanged a brief look with the other male third-tier wizard and then turned to the young princess in the middle, saying respectfully, "Your Highness, please follow us. We'll lead you out."
"Where to?"
The princess asked, her face showing confusion.
The silver-haired woman glanced around, then replied, "There seems to be a disturbance in the Mechanical Heart. The elementals and golems are attacking any intruders. Continuing further may jeopardize your safety. We should retreat for now."
Hearing this, the princess's face showed disappointment, but after glancing at her surroundings, she nodded in agreement, though her gaze remained worryingly fixed on the young wizard Donnie, who was staying behind to cover their retreat.
She hesitated, but Donnie, sensing her gaze, turned and gave her a soft, reassuring smile.
"You needn't worry, Your Highness. I can handle everything."
"Donnie."
The princess didn't seem too fond of the exaggerated behavior and felt a little awkward, but still gave a serious nod, saying, "Be careful."
The decision made, the silver-haired woman and the male third-tier wizard immediately escorted the princess away.
The young wizard Donnie turned and tore open the white scroll in his hand. In an instant, a dazzling white light poured out from it, expanding into a massive white flame ring that spread outwards.
The metal elementals touched by the flame ring immediately melted away, and the once-crowded battlefront cleared a significant portion.
The silver-haired woman and her companion seized the opportunity and broke through a thin spot in the encirclement.
As the princess broke free, she gasped for air, feeling the relief of escaping from imminent danger.
Her heart was still racing, and her face grew pale from the ordeal. She couldn't help but quickly glance back at the young man left behind to handle the threat.
She took a few steps, her eyes scanning the area, but before she could make a decision, she heard an urgent shout.
"Princess, watch out!"
The silver-haired woman shouted in alarm, rushing toward her, abandoning her companion.
The princess looked back at her, just as a huge group of flying metal discs with sharp, spinning edges rushed toward her.
They made a high-pitched, terrifying shrieking sound, and the air around them twisted from their deadly speed.
Despite her abilities, the young princess, a scholar at heart, was unprepared for a battle and froze in place, unsure of what to do.
As the deadly metal discs closed in, she felt an overwhelming sense of coldness spreading over her, as though she were sinking into an icy lake. Her heart raced.
Then, a flash of silver-white appeared before her.
A set of powerful arms suddenly grabbed her, spinning her around.
The coldness receded, replaced by a warm, protective shield, like an umbrella.
The deadly discs collided with the silver-white barrier, their sharp metal slicing sounds replaced by clashing metal.
Everything dangerous was stopped outside the "umbrella."
The princess's heart stopped racing, but the shock and terror of the situation swept over her all at once.
"Bang, bang! Bang, bang!"
Her hand flew to her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her heart.
She quickly looked up, wanting to see who had pulled her from the depths of her icy nightmare.
In the brilliant light of the silver-white barrier, a figure emerged.
A young man with chestnut hair and blue eyes, exuding elegance and strength.
He stood a mere meter away from her, and as he looked down at her, his lips parted in a calm smile.
"Long time no see, Grace."
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