Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 601: Half-Step Legend

A triumphant smile appeared on the small yellow cat and the young man as they peered inside the secret compartment. Within its shadowy confines lay a small chest, unmarked yet unmistakably valuable. The mere sight of it caused their hearts to skip a beat in anticipation.

Before Vlad or Jormungandr could reach in to claim their prize, however, they felt a sudden chill flood the air. Their instincts screamed in alarm. All at once, a network of runic lines blazed across the walls and ceiling, humming with lethal intent.

"Watch out!" Vlad hissed, seizing Jormungandr and pressing the small cat to his chest. He flung up his right arm, letting his energy explode just in time to block a savage sword strike aimed directly at his head.

The blow landed with titanic force, sending Vlad reeling across the ornate office. He crashed against the walls, a deep gash staining his right arm with bright crimson. Despite the pain, his eyes glowed with battle focus as he glared at his assailant.

A hulking, dark humanoid automaton—nearly seven meters tall—stepped from the shadows, brandishing a massive black bastard sword. Its obsidian-like surface reflected glints of malevolent energy, and every movement of the automaton’s limbs seemed charged with immense power.

Having knocked Vlad away, the automaton rushed forward at shocking speed, clearly determined to capitalize on the advantage. In the blink of an eye, it reached Vlad’s position, lifting its sword overhead in preparation for a devastating downward cleave.

Yet, just before the blade crashed down, six streaks of plasma lanced across the automaton’s chest, each beam arriving with blinding velocity.

"BOOOOOM!"

The plasma impacted in a brilliant explosion, cutting the automaton’s attack short and blasting it into the office’s arched ceiling.

Vlad clenched his teeth, ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm. He met Jormungandr’s gaze. Both sets of eyes held a solemn light.

"It looks like that hidden compartment wasn’t left unguarded," Vlad muttered, shaking his injured limb to maintain circulation.

Jormungandr’s whiskers bristled. "The runes forming this cage must have been keyed to the chest. The mayor must’ve set it to kill anyone who tried to open it without permission."

A flash of annoyance flickered in Vlad’s eyes. He realized that their earlier assumption—that the office lacked defensive formations—had lulled them into complacency. Now they were trapped in a runic barrier, face to face with a guardian strong enough to seriously wound even a powerful Sage.

Re-focusing, they turned their attention to the dark humanoid automaton. Jormungandr’s plasma blast had enough power to make a hole in the chest of a normal Sage, yet it had barely scorched its chest plate, leaving only superficial damage. Combine that durability with the deep cut the automaton had carved into Vlad’s arm in a single swing, and there was only one conclusion:

Half-Step Legend.

Both Vlad and Jormungandr understood the gravity of that label. They had learned enough about unorthodox Tiers during their time in the Golden Sky Fortress to recognize that a Half-Step Legend was not an official "rank," but rather a moniker for a Peak Sage who had pushed their body or magical power into the Legendary range.

Though this automaton was no fully-fledged Legend, it was still potent enough to slaughter ordinary Sages with ease—especially in the tight confines of a sealed room less than twenty meters high. They also deduced it lacked a standard energy pool and the ability to fly. Still, the small space likely negated any aerial advantage Vlad and Jormungandr might have tried to exploit anyway. freewёbnoνel.com

All of these insights coalesced in the space of seconds. Their A.I. Chips processed data in real-time, feeding them possible strategies. Escaping was out of the question—unraveling the runic cage’s defenses would require more time than they had, especially with the automaton attacking so relentlessly. Destroying the Dark Humanoid Automaton outright also seemed unlikely, given its fearsome durability.

But there was a third option. A nearly identical idea lit both of their eyes. They nodded in tandem, muscles tensing.

Up above, the Dark Humanoid Automaton had landed on the ceiling after Jormungandr’s plasma strike. It now kicked off from that surface, lunging downward with explosive force. The bastard sword whistled through the air, aiming to smash them in a single cataclysmic swing.

Vlad and Jormungandr sprang apart in opposite directions, leaving the automaton’s monstrous blade to crash into the floor.

"KRRRAAACK"

The impact unleashed a massive kinetic explosion, sending fragments of stone and swirling clouds of dust throughout the office. The Dark Humanoid Automaton’s eyes narrowed, scanning for its two targets in the haze.

Within moments, it caught sight of Vlad, illuminated by runic lines and Force that danced across his body. At the same time, Jormungandr unleashed a powerful volley of lightning arcs from the opposite side, trying to divide the automaton’s attention.

Vlad’s Mark of Cain burst with power, pushing his strength and endurance to their upper thresholds. He dashed in with agile footwork, determined not to get pinned by the Dark Humanoid Automaton’s brute force.

His A.I. Chip sounded a note of caution, highlighting the trajectory of the automaton’s sword. Although the Dark Humanoid Automaton’s raw power was devastating, its speed was not quite as overwhelming. Now that Vlad was fully aware, he could predict its moves to some extent.

Pivoting on one foot, Vlad narrowly dodged a horizontal slash that would have bisected him, never losing momentum. Then, he lunged at the automaton’s right knee, delivering a savage, upward slash. The blade bit only millimeters into the black metal, seemingly leaving just a tiny cut.

But then, the Mark of Cain triggered. A faint ripple of dark energy coursed through the wound, causing it to expand abruptly—nearly tripling in size in an instant. Though still small, the opening was now large enough for Jormungandr’s lightning arcs to penetrate into the joint, scorching the automaton’s internal mechanisms.

Sparks flashed around the automaton’s knee, and it stumbled for half a second, forced to shift weight to its opposite leg.

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