A dazzling radiance burst forth from the crevices of the broken armor.

When the entire black carapace peeled away, the Black Knight did not collapse but instead revealed an even more slender, delicate, and elegant… pure white chassis!

“No, no… this isn’t right… It can’t be.”

Ravenna’s pupils shook violently, her fingertips trembling. Her voice, usually indifferent and cold, now undulated distinctly: “An external independent circuit armor… Is that a layer… a decoy to deceive Nidhoggur?!”

“Good morning, Miss Ziegler.”

Conrad Luminaris appeared atop the “Black” Knight, patting the immaculate and beautiful mechanical suit, his smile radiant:

“Nidhoggur… Ah, a remarkable, awe-inspiring design.”

“To bypass the external alchemical apparatus and directly sabotage the internal etheric circuitry, achieving utter destruction, even effective against the extraordinary beings themselves, devouring flesh, ether, and even capable of consuming souls… You truly are a genius in the realm of ‘destruction,’ Miss Ziegler. From firearms to floating cannons, from floating cannons to Nidhoggur, oh…

you seem to have also contributed to the design of several special firearms, haven’t you? Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

He lamented, “I cannot even fathom what kind of cruel and brutal mind could conceive of these, each more terrifying than the last.”

“Alas.” The prodigy of the Etheric Academy shook his head regretfully, tapping his temple, “Too impersonal, and that’s not a good thing.”

“Do you remember those members of the Tower of Babel you expelled from the alchemy workshop?”

He looked up, his smile beaming towards Ravenna in the sky.

“Although they knew little, mere fragments of information, it was enough for us to deduce and reconstruct what you were truly designing. Moreover…”

The behemoth that had loomed over the empire for centuries now revealed its purest malice to her:

“Even if we were unlucky enough to have one of them captured by you, do you think… how many more do we have within the Tower of Babel?”

So… that’s how it is.

Ravenna’s eyes, now devoid of light, whispered in her heart.

It was… betrayal, again.

Just like grandfather.

Those few who had been guided by Ansel on the prototype of Nidhoggur had leaked information to the Etheric Academy.

They dared not offend Hydral, so they wouldn’t reveal anything about him, but the people of the Etheric Academy were not fools. They lacked the ability to design Nidhoggur, but merely deducing its design purpose was not difficult.

So from the very beginning, they were prepared—on this so-called “Black” Knight, they had fitted an external independent etheric circuit armor. The etheric circuit that Nidhoggur eroded was not the Black Knight’s true body, but merely a… useless shell!

Conrad’s words, crystal clear through the light screen, reached the empress’s ears.

“Ha ha ha ha ha—”

Ephesande did not hide her joy, laughing heartily: “Fascinating… fascinating! Even without knowing the specifics of the process and cause, this desperate counterattack, ultimately tightly controlled by the opponent, is truly a delight to the senses!”

“Waste… a bunch of waste from Babel!”

Contrary to her mother’s joy, Evora’s eyes blazed with tangible flames, her words seething with rage as if they could scorch the air:

“You, none of you, will escape!”

Everyone saw the near-mad fury of the Elder Princess and prepared to immediately sever ties with the Tower of Babel, knowing full well that it was doomed, with no chance of redemption.

The fearsome, elderly empress stood up, “This has been a most satisfying performance… Ansel, you—”

“Wait, Your Majesty.”

The young Hydral, who had remained silent, still watched the light screen, blinking in surprise:

“It seems… the situation is somewhat different from what Conrad described.”

As Ansel spoke, the white giant standing on the battlefield suddenly took a step forward.

Conrad, perched on the shoulder of the mechanical armor, paused for a moment, then looked down at the black knight and frowned, “What are you doing, Schmidt?”

The pilot of this mechanical armor could only be from the Spirity Lake territory. He was the strongest fourth-stage warrior of Spirity Lake, capable of fully utilizing the mechanical armor. But now, it seemed…

“Lord-Lord Conrad, I don’t know!”

Schmidt exclaimed in terror, “It’s not under my control! Wait… No! No!”

The pure white, slender knight gripped the long sword embedded in the ground, slowly drew it out, then turned around, facing his “companion”, and raised this city wall-like giant sword, and then…

Boom!!

A shockwave that stretched for at least a kilometer shot into the sky. The remnants of the Spirity Lake soldiers were almost completely obliterated by this one sword strike. Even the fate of the Count of Spirity Lake was uncertain. And it wasn’t over yet. It raised its long sword again, slashing fiercely at the air.

The terrifying shockwave lifted the ground, turning it into a huge wave of mud and rubble, burying the remnants of the Spirity Lake army.

Under the stunned or shocked gaze of everyone, including those in the palace hall, this mechanical armor went berserk, wildly unleashing its brutality on a battlefield where few living people remained.

The Duke of Luminaris’s famous “Radiant Cascade” indiscriminately bombarded everything around it. The massive magical array covering the sky was constantly pouring down a rain of destruction, causing continuous explosions on the battlefield. Even Conrad was forced to flee, because he knew the power of this spell better than anyone, and he shouted in extreme shock and anger:

“Ravenna Ziegler! What the hell did you do, are you crazy? Are you trying to kill me too?”

Hendrik was also shocked. From hope to despair, from despair to numbness, and now to this uncontrollable situation that caught everyone off guard, all he could do was teleport with Ravenna as soon as he reacted, then shake her anxiously:

“Ravenna, what the hell did you do? Is this Nidhoggur’s problem? Why did the Black Knight turn out like this?”

“…No, it’s not…”

Ravenna, her eyes devoid of light, murmured softly, “Nidhoggur is almost depleted, it didn’t invade the Black Knight’s body.”

“Then how could… how could this happen!”

“…I don’t know.”

Even if Nidhoggur had invaded the Black Knight’s etheric circuit, it now only had the most basic destructive function. Ravenna saw the prospect of this great design, but didn’t have enough time for more in-depth research. Even theoretically, Nidhoggur could have this function, as long as it replaces and alters the etheric circuit, the operator can use their will…

…Nidhoggur can do this.

But the method of altering the use rights of alchemical tools may not only be Nidhoggur’s.

The change in the Black Knight, this loss of control… doesn’t seem to be related to other methods. At present, the most relevant thing can only be Nidhoggur.

In this world, who else knows about Nidhoggur, a more powerful and comprehensive Nidhoggur?

In this world, which alchemist can turn this vision that transcends the era into reality?

At this moment, the cold Ravenna…

Saw the devil smiling at her.

*