Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2768: Machinist Tomb 9

"KILL THEM!!"

Vashka’s shriek cracked across the chamber like a whip.

At once, her two silver golems lunged forward—one barreling toward Athar, the other streaking straight for Emery with its arm-blade raised.

Emery moved, his feet gliding effortlessly over the ground as he tilted his body just enough for the blade to carve past him. Each slash came faster than the last, a blur of silver steel and mechanical fury, but Emery’s movements were smoother still.

Then the change began.

Silver fur sprouted across his right arm, each strand glowing faintly as runes awakened. The muscles along his shoulder and bicep bulged, knitting with strength. His fist tightened, cosmic energy spirali ng, and he drove his charged fist forward.

BAMMMMM!!

The punch landed square in the golem’s chest. Metal buckled inward as though struck by a meteor. The impact tore the construct off its feet, sending it crashing back several meters until it slammed into the wall, embedding itself deep in the stone.

The chamber trembled.

Vashka’s eyes widened—first in disbelief, then in irritation.

Athar’s, on the other hand, gleamed with unrestrained excitement.

"HUH! A half-blood," Vashka spat, her lips curling. "No wonder."

Her annoyance was understandable; a half-blood who managed to reach the Grand Magus realm was no simple opponent. Their cosmic body, fused with innate bloodline strength, surpassed most others.

Emery flexed his right hand, the silver fur shimmering as the runes pulsed, as he curled a finger at the female grand magus.

A silent provocation.

The female grand magus let out a breathy laugh, half amusement, half threat.

"You’re going to regret it..."

She raised her arms gracefully, and silvery threads unfurled from her fingertips. All felt the sudden shift—the air itself bending as Vashka opened her cosmic aperture.

Seven silhouettes emerged from the swirling veil.

Four humanoids, tall and unnervingly expressionless. Three beasts: a winged lion with runed feathers, a hulking bear framed in metallic plates, and a horned lizard covered in crystalline spikes, its tail dragging a scar across the floor.

They were not living creatures; they were master-crafted puppets, each connected to Vashka by dozens of shimmering silver strings threading from her fingertips. The air trembled with the weight of their combined cosmic signatures.

Athar blanched. "That’s her infamous Seven Everlasting Constructs! Grand Magus Emery—we cannot defeat her. We must retreat!"

Vashka grinned. The wickedness in her expression sharpened, hunger dripping from every curve of her smile. "No one is leaving."

Her strings danced—

—And the seven puppets exploded into motion.

The four humanoids split instantly—four directions, surrounding the group in a coordinated pincer. The winged lion shot upward, wings folding for a lethal dive. The spiked lizard vanished into the ground with a grinding hiss, reappearing behind the group, guarding the entrance. The bear remained planted before its master like a living fortress.

Vic, Annara, and Athar retreated at once, instinctively closing ranks beside Emery. Panic flickered across their faces—not cowardice, but the sharp, rational terror of fighters realizing the impossible odds before them.

With the two silver golems reactivated, plus Vashka’s seven puppets now in full motion, it felt as though they were facing ten Grand Magus-level opponents at once.

Athar’s flying spirit weapons trembled, orbiting him like restless predators sensing danger too great to contain. "We need to break our way out!!"

Annara pressed closer to Emery. "You can create those magic portals in here, right?" she asked, anxiety spiking through her words.

Emery gave a small, calm smile.

There were indeed restrictions within the tomb, disruption barriers meant to prevent exactly the kind of escape they were suggesting. But with his current mastery over space, he could still cast a portal to at least leave the hall.

However, Emery had no intention of doing so.

He would not leave and give Vashka the time she needed to refine Randhal’s precious treasure.

Emery lifted one arm, the Elysian Vambrace blazing to life the moment the runes along its surface ignited. Threads of celestial energy spiraled outward, weaving into the ground like glowing roots.

From those roots, Twilight Vines erupted—thick, luminescent tendrils twisting around Emery and his group, forming a shield of living cosmic foliage. The vines coiled, intertwined, and hardened, creating a protective dome that shimmered with violet radiance.

A temporary fortress.

Vashka sneered, her eyes glinting with wicked confidence.

"Hahaha!! How long do you think that will last?"

Her fingers snapped.

The four humanoid puppets sprinted, each wielding weapons, artifacts that cleaved through the air. The first puppet stepped in with a flaming greatsword, the heat rolling off its blade like molten breath. Another puppet thrusts forward with a long spear wrapped in twisting wind. The third swung a heavy mace that shook the entire hall with each impact—every blow landing like a meteor strike. The fourth kept its distance while drawing water-forged arrows that shot with quiet, devastating precision.

Unlike the silver golems, each of Vashka’s four humanoid puppets was equipped with high-grade tier-6 artifacts comparable to Emery’s Emebernight swords. They could also cast elemental spells at the level of a cosmic-based grand magus. The fact that mere constructs could unleash such power could only mean one thing: Vashka’s techniques were beyond extraordinary.

Emery’s formidable twilight vines twisted and coiled like living steel, holding the line against the incoming assault. The humanoid puppets hacked, stabbed, blasted, and tore at them, but the vines regenerated as quickly as they were cut. Even Athar, who had seen Emery’s vines before, was stunned.

Vashka narrowed her eyes. Her gaze slid to the Elysian Vambrace pulsing faintly on Emery’s arm.

"Interesting artifact..." she murmured, her voice low with hunger. "I want it."

When her humanoid puppets failed to break through, Vashka shifted tactics.With a hard tug of her strings, the massive bear-like puppet stepped forward. Its entire frame crackled with cosmic reinforcement. This one was clearly her brute-force masterpiece—its physique surpassed that of a typical one-cosmos warrior.

BAM! BAM!

The colossal puppet rammed its body into the vine barrier, each impact shaking the hall, until finally a section tore apart, leaving a ragged opening. Athar instantly stepped in, his chakrams carving bright gashes into the bear’s armored hide. But even the sharp spirit weapons could only leave shallow lines.

"Sir—I can assist!" Vic shouted.

He pulled out a palm-sized turtle-shaped artifact. Runes awakened across its shell as he channeled power into it, forming a dome-like barrier around Emery’s group. A tier-6 formation—quite impressive for someone below grand magus level.

But—

BOOM!

The bear slammed into it, and the barrier shattered almost immediately. For a single breath, however, it had bought enough time for more twilight vines to surge upward, binding the puppet again.

"Hmph! You only delay the inevitable!" Vashka snapped.

At her gesture, the winged lion dove from above. Unlike the bear, it wasn’t built for raw power but terrifying agility. It wove between the vines like a streak of silver light, biting away chunks piece by piece.

By now, Emery had finished his analysis.

The humanoid puppets each possessed strength comparable to mid-stage, one-cosmos grand magus. The beast puppets were stronger—one step away from a two-cosmos level. Together with the silver golems, it was equivalent to facing ten elite opponents at once.

To overwhelm them head-on, Emery would need to reveal his full two-cosmos might.

But he chose not to.

In fact, this might be a good time to reveal the power he had been keeping hidden.He whispered to the three beings within him,

"What do all think? It’s time to make your first appearances."