Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2774: Monster

The golem turned slowly, scanning the room.

Its faceless helm fixed not on Dravic... but on Guskov.

[Intruder... intruder.]

Julian cursed under his breath.

He had plans for Guskov—he couldn’t let the man die here.

"Senior Casiel!!"

The seraph shot upward, golden feathers bursting from his wings before swirling into a raging golden tornado above him. His spear spun in his grip as he dove, its radiance cutting a trail through the dust-filled air. But the golem reacted instantly—it hurled its tier-7 hammer with monstrous force, the weapon crashing into Casiel’s attack and dispersing it all.

BAMMM!!!

Casiel was forced back, wings flaring to regain balance.

Still unfazed, the golem charged forward, its glowing eyes fixed solely on Guskov.

That left Julian and Poseidon no choice but to join the fight.

Water erupted across the hall as Poseidon summoned his domain, waves spiraling around him as he lunged from the left. Julian came from the right, golden wings shimmering behind him as he charged with shield raised high.

Their timing was perfect—but it didn’t matter.

The golem slammed through their combined assault as if a titan had rammed them aside. The impact thundered across the chamber. Julian and Poseidon were hurled into opposite walls, crashing hard enough to break stone.

Guskov froze, panic flooding his expression.

He unleashed everything—firing blast after blast from his cannon artifact, but the golem simply tanked the barrage, the beams striking its metallic frame and scattering like sparks off an anvil.

The hammer flew back into the golem’s hand. It raised the weapon, ready to deliver a killing blow.

Fortunately, the desperate assault had bought just enough time. A streak of blinding gold descended from above—the Seraph had given chase. Casiel dove in from behind, wings flaring wide, spear thrust forward with divine momentum, intercepting the descending hammer just as it was about to split Guskov in half.

BAMMMMM!!!

The impact detonated like a cannon blast. A violent shockwave rippled across the hall, cracking stone pillars and sending torches clattering from their mounts. Even with the interception, the sheer force was overwhelming—Guskov was launched across the chamber, slamming into the far wall with a crunch. He slid down, coughing blood.

"Damn!! What a monster!" Julian hissed, steadying himself as dust rained from the ceiling. His mind raced—calculating, cutting losses, prioritizing survival.

He made a split-second decision.

"Athena! Get everyone out!!"

He ordered all his magus knights and specialists to retreat. They simply couldn’t do anything against such a monstrous golem—sending them in would only mean casualties.

Athena didn’t argue. She gathered the six Nova Roman magus knights and specialists, pushing them toward the stairway leading out of the hall.

But the movement immediately drew the golem’s attention.

[Eliminate. All. Intruders.]

The guardian’s head twisted with a mechanical snap. Its golden-lined eyes fixed on the retreating formation. Then, like a boulder launched from a catapult, the golem charged.

It was heading straight for Athena and the fleeing Nova Romans.

Julian’s face drained of color.

"NO!!"

He lunged forward, wings flaring, but he was too far—far too far.

In that critical moment—when death was already sprinting toward Athena’s retreating group—one of the six Nova Roma magus suddenly broke formation.

The specialist in the dark cape halted mid-stride, turned sharply, and flung a cluster of black orbs toward the charging white golem.

The spheres cracked through the air like snapping bones.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions were violent, stronger than Guskov’s earlier cannon blasts. A shockwave tore through the hall, ripping banners from the walls and sending ancient dust swirling like a storm. Thick smoke drowned the entrance, swallowing the golem in a curtain of black fog.

By the time the smoke thinned, the six Nova Roman magus—including Athena—were no longer anywhere near the doorway. Somehow, impossibly, they stood hundreds of meters back inside the hall, far from the golem’s line of attack.

Many of them gasped in confusion.

Julian’s eyes narrowed.

His gaze locked onto the hooded specialist, and he demanded an answer, but the question hung unspoken. There was no time to address it.

With the group now far from the entrance, the golem halted, scanning the hall for a new target. Its glowing eyes flickered, its internal gears whirring like grinding thunder.

Then—

RUMBLE.

Something trembled beyond the doorway. Dust rained from the ceiling. A split second later, something broke through the entrance altogether.

A towering lizard-beast puppet barreled into the hall, metal claws screeching against stone.

"That’s Lady Vashka’s puppet!!" Dravic gasped, recognizing its design.

Hope surged through him—only to die an instant later.

Bad timing. Even worse positioning.

The white golem reoriented immediately, locking onto the new arrival.

[TARGET ACQUIRED]

Its tier-7 hammer lifted and swung with annihilating force.

BAMMM!!!

The lizard puppet shattered instantly, exploding into fragments of metal and dust. But from inside the collapsing husk, another, smaller humanoid puppet leapt out—narrowly escaping the fatal blow before skittering to safety.

A sharp, furious female voice echoed from within the puppet, cursing her luck.

Dravic’s face drained of color.

If Vashka had returned only in puppet form... things had grown even more dire than he feared.

He spun toward Julian again, voice cracking with desperation.

"You STILL don’t want to work together?!"

Julian ignored the outburst. He took the distraction as a chance to lead Casiel and Poseidon toward Athena’s group, to ensure their safety. Only then did he turn back toward the hooded specialist—the one whose mysterious intervention saved them moments earlier.

The magus’ appearance was identical to his own personnel, but the aura... There was something wrong about it. Or rather, something hidden. A darkness, subtle yet unmistakable.

"Who are you?" Julian demanded.

The man didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the golem as its golden lines flared brighter, scanning for its next target.

Instead of responding, he spoke with calm certainty."If you want to leave, I can get you all out right now."

Julian froze.

Recognition crashed into him like a bolt of lightning.

"Emery!!"

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