Chapter 113: The Alchemical Starshard Gauntlets

At Li Nanke’s command, the two dispersed instantly.

He gripped his warhammer, his gaze locked firmly onto the "King of Flames," while Pinocchio skirted around the giant puppet to plunge into the dense swarm of low-level puppets clogging the corridor.

An indiscriminate "Electric Discharge" erupted; surging lightning flashed, and blinding sparks scattered everywhere. Compared to when he first acquired his electromagnetic arm, Pinocchio’s current discharge was not only far more potent but also covered a vastly expanded range. The low-level puppets froze in place, many falling into total paralysis as the red glow in their mechanical eyes flickered intermittently, their systems suffering critical failures. Pinocchio wove nimbly through them, his right-hand sword flashing to strike, taking down one enemy after another.

While the spreading current paralyzed the lesser puppets, it could only cause the "King of Flames" to pause for a fleeting moment. The massive puppet, resembling a behemoth of fire, charged forward with a roar. Each step shook the ground, and the furnace fire in its chest grew more intense, sending the ambient temperature soaring. The air around it warped under the extreme heat, and a scorching wave rolled forward. Its primary target was not the puny humans before it, but Venigni, who had scurried back into his office—the hateful factory owner who had enslaved the puppets for so long.

However, a blaze even fiercer than its own suddenly erupted before it. The heat radiating from this new source was even more intense than the puppet’s own molten fire. This was all the work of the tiny human standing in its path.

Li Nanke’s "Flame Breath" had reached maximum level, and his Tier 2 human trait, "Flame Cascade," was on the verge of its peak. The two traits complemented each other; Flame Breath bolstered the burst power of Flame Cascade, while Flame Cascade fed back into the sustained lethality of Flame Breath. At this moment, the extraordinary flames released by Li Nanke could easily melt stone and metal, burning through anything that stood in his way. With such glorious flames combined with savage strength, what could possibly stop him?

The "King of Flames" roared, thick smoke billowing from the two chimneys on its head, and the flamethrowers at the ends of its massive arms flared with red light. Before the scorching fire even unleashed, hair began to singe and curl, and the surging heat wave made it nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open. In an instant, a pillar of crimson flame, like a rampaging fire dragon, erupted outward!

The surging fire completely engulfed the small human figure. No one could survive such terrifying flames; everything would be swallowed and melted. Yet, that figure leapt up from within the inferno, lunging forward. Wrapped in alloy armor, he seemed to be surrounded by an invisible iron wall that blocked most of the flames. The remaining heat scorched his strange armor but could not melt it instantly. His "Kinetic Defensive Armor" had been restored to pristine condition by the "Nano-Repair Kit," and Li Nanke’s "Ring of the Eternal Suffering Lady" consumed his pain value to drastically weaken the damage from all ranged attacks. Whether it was the electric discharge released by the "Watchman" or the scorching flames of the "King of Flames," as long as it was not a direct physical strike, it fell within the ring’s protective range.

Otherwise, even with Li Nanke’s current physical toughness, he could not have charged through the flames to attack his enemy. He leapt high into the air against the pillar of fire, his warhammer expanding instantly into a giant hammer of flame. The searing fire burned fiercely upon the weapon, as if imbuing it with life and turning the already massive, heavy hammer into a savage weapon fit for a giant. Under the augmentation of his level-eight "Flame Cascade," the Bloodied Warhammer stirred up a violent firestorm, the air thick with scorching heat. Li Nanke had unleashed his trump card, "Flame Cascade"—an ultimate skill that consumed an immense amount of mental energy—in the very first exchange of battle.

Facing the suddenly enlarged flame hammer, which rivaled its own giant arm in size, the "King of Flames" struck back with a fist. Several pipes on its wrist ejected scorching steam to generate powerful thrust, and with a deafening roar, the massive iron fist tore through the air, as if to crush everything in its path.

"Boom!"

A blinding explosion of fire erupted. The massive impact made the entire factory floor tremble, the ground cracking into countless fissures as debris and stone fragments flew everywhere. Some nearby low-level puppets, already paralyzed, were sent flying by the shockwave.

As the roaring fire subsided, the "King of Flames'" iron fist had been reduced to an irregular, charred metal disk. Its forearm was twisted and bent, and sparks showered from the joint connecting its arm to its shoulder. The fire in its chest furnace dimmed, clearly suffering critical damage.

A fierce glint flashed in Li Nanke’s eyes. He inverted his hammer and slammed it into the ground, triggering "Killing Grove" instantly! Countless thick thorns erupted from the earth, impaling and killing a multitude of low-level puppets while temporarily binding the "King of Flames" in place. Molten, iron-like liquid poured from the giant puppet's chest furnace, melting the entangling thorns, but as it exerted force with all its limbs, it forcibly snapped the obstructive vines one by one.

Seeing the enemy about to break free, Li Nanke drew a deep breath, leaving the warhammer to act as the root of the thorns, and summoned his chainsword. Seizing this split-second opportunity, he forcibly unleashed "Flame Cascade" once more!

The mental toll of a Tier 2 human trait was terrifying. A single use consumed most of his mental strength; using it twice in succession was a severe overdraft. But Li Nanke knew he had to end this quickly, as the endless tide of puppets had left Pinocchio exhausted. More than just low-level puppets were swarming in; several massive engineering puppets were now approaching with the army. If they did not resolve the "King of Flames" and leave the puppet army without a commander, both of them would surely perish in the factory.

The chainsword suddenly transformed into a giant sword of flame, the screeching sound of its teeth biting into the air echoing through the factory. With a flash of fire, the sword, trailing roaring flames, struck the giant puppet’s chest furnace. While ordinary puppets relied on a power heart, the fatal point for the "King of Flames" was the furnace in its chest. The flame sword struck, but as the teeth spun wildly, they failed to shred the metal immediately. The chainsword was, after all, only a standard-grade weapon; even with the enhancement of "Flame Cascade," it was far inferior to the Bloodied Warhammer.

Li Nanke let out a roar, sparks flying as a blinding light erupted at the point of impact!

"Boom!"

He landed and staggered back, his face deathly pale, leaning on his sword to keep from collapsing. Li Nanke felt dizzy and mentally exhausted, as if he had been awake for days. The "King of Flames'" chest furnace shattered completely and exploded, sending molten fire splashing everywhere. Amidst the roaring flames, the "King of Flames" crashed to the ground. This supervisor puppet, which had led the factory army, was finally destroyed!

[Nightmare, you have completed Key Node 2!]
[Node Reward: Alchemical Star-Crushing Gauntlets (Pending Collection)]
[Key Node 3: Head to the Puppet Exposition and take control of the Alchemical Teleportation Array guarded by the King of Puppets.]

As the "King of Flames" fell, a stream of azure Ergo light flowed into Pinocchio, causing his metallic left arm to undergo a transformation. The boy’s arm reshaped into a flamethrower, spewing surging flames that turned the approaching low-level puppets bright red and melted them into puddles of molten iron.

Nearly fainting, Li Nanke forced himself to walk into the factory manager’s office. A quick sweep of the room revealed a large suitcase hidden under the desk, a faint white light emanating from within. He opened it, grabbed the large metal gauntlets inside, and without even checking their stats, turned to shout at the manager:

"Venigni, the King of Flames is dead! If you don't want to die, hurry up and have Pinocchio take over the supervisor puppet's permissions!"

Venigni, not daring to show anger at the robbery, poked his head out timidly to look outside. Seeing the "King of Flames" had fallen, he showed no joy; in the distance, he could see several massive engineering puppets following the endless tide of the puppet army.

With a mournful face, he said, "It's useless. All of this is under the orders of the King of Puppets. Even if the supervisor puppet dies, it won't stop the army."

Pinocchio, off in the distance, also shook his head, signaling that the puppet army was not listening to him, even though he had become the highest-ranking puppet within the factory.

Li Nanke gritted his teeth, his voice weak and laced with frustration:

"Damn it! We're retreating!"