Chapter 144: The Mechanical Duke
After Jeremy and Bonnie joined forces to stabilize Emma and Claire's emotions, the group continued their journey toward the very heart of Mechanical Town.
As the distance between the group and the town center diminished, everyone began to notice an increasing number of mechanical monsters moving around them.
"Pay no mind to these monsters. Our objective is to reach the central tower of the town as swiftly as possible. These mechanical creatures appearing around us are merely distractions meant to divert our focus. We must not be misled!"
Jeremy voiced his judgment directly.
Since Jeremy and his companions had realized that the longer they remained within The Iron Lair instance, the more they all gradually transformed into mechanical beings.
It was evident that they needed to hasten their search for the boss of The Iron Lair instance. Everything else was of no consequence.
Thus, Jeremy and his group reached the vicinity of the central tower of Mechanical Town at the fastest possible pace.
At that moment, Jeremy could clearly observe a vast amount of high-dimensional data swirling around the tower.
The closer one got to the top of the tower, the denser the high-dimensional data became. When Jeremy cast his gaze toward the pinnacle of the tower, the dense high-dimensional data formed an illusory portal.
Behind this illusory portal, it seemed as though a pair of eyes were staring intently at Jeremy.
Jeremy immediately realized that the boss of The Iron Lair instance might be lurking behind the portal formed by the high-dimensional data, represented by those eyes.
"Stay here and don't move! I'm going to scout the area around the tower first!"
Having said this, Jeremy sprinted toward the tower at top speed. The moment he made contact with the tower, the illusory portal at the top, composed of high-dimensional data, underwent a dramatic transformation.
The illusory portal expanded continuously, eventually engulfing the entire sky above Mechanical Town. Within the portal, countless high-dimensional data streams began to diffuse into Mechanical Town.
As the high-dimensional data spread, many mechanical entities within the town were converted into mechanical monsters.
The moment these mechanical monsters were born, they locked their attack targets onto Jeremy and his companions.
"Do not stray too far from me, both of you! If you move too far away, I won't be able to protect you!"
Bonnie swiftly assessed the situation the instant the anomaly occurred.
She believed that although she might not be able to assist Jeremy directly, she could certainly ensure the safety of Emma and Claire. In a way, this would also allow Jeremy to focus without any concerns.
Emma and Claire, witnessing the mechanical monsters charging towards them, displayed expressions of sheer terror on their faces.
However, they had also steeled themselves for combat, fully aware that Jeremy had forewarned them of the numerous dangers they would encounter within Mechanical Town.
With a casual flick of her wrist, Bonnie summoned her staff and conjured a barrier of ice before the trio.
Though the barrier of ice managed to temporarily halt the onslaught of mechanical monsters, the sheer number of these menacing entities surrounding them meant that the ice barrier would inevitably be breached.
Thus, after erecting the barrier of ice, Bonnie immediately led Emma and Claire towards the direction of the tower.
While Bonnie did not possess Jeremy's ability to visualize high-dimensional data, she could certainly sense its density. Bonnie discerned that the density of high-dimensional data was greatest around the tower.
Interestingly, the mechanical entities near the tower had not been rapidly transformed into mechanical monsters. In contrast, those situated farther from the tower were the ones undergoing the transformation.
This implied that the dense high-dimensional data around the tower could provide them with temporary shelter.
As Bonnie and her companions advanced, Jeremy, already positioned at the tower, fixed his gaze intently on the illusory portal above.
Within the portal, a colossal black shadow gradually manifested before Jeremy's eyes.
This enormous black shadow was encircled by a vast amount of high-dimensional data. At the very center of the black shadow were two blue orbs.
These blue orbs stared unblinkingly at Jeremy, clearly the hidden eyes he had sensed earlier.
"How dare you trespass upon the domain of the Great God of Data! As a servant of the God of Data, it is my duty to defend His domain. I shall annihilate every last one of you foolish intruders!"
A voice, resonating like the friction of metal, emanated from the massive black shadow.
Without delay, the enormous shadow transformed entirely into high-dimensional data. A substantial amount of this data surged into the nearest building to the tower.
Jeremy did not remain idle. As soon as the immense shadow morphed into high-dimensional data, he sprinted towards the direction in which the data was heading.
Just as Jeremy was about to reach the building that had absorbed the high-dimensional data, the structure erupted into a violent explosion.
In the aftermath of the explosion, a gigantic figure, entirely mechanical in nature, materialized before Jeremy.
Name:[The Mechanical Duke]
Level:[ 50]
Rank:[ Gold]
[Note: The Mechanical Duke is extremely dangerous. To completely annihilate it, you must locate its true form!]
Jeremy hadn't anticipated that the boss of The Iron Lair instance would be the level 50 Mechanical Duke.
Had his skills not been sealed, he would have been exceedingly confident in swiftly defeating The Mechanical Duke. However, the vast majority of his abilities were currently sealed.
The only skills at his disposal were Basic Mechanical Mastery and Mechanical Puppet Technique. These abilities seemed insufficient to pose a significant threat to The Mechanical Duke.
Nevertheless, Jeremy refused to abandon hope.
The hint from The Eye of Omniscience had inadvertently provided Jeremy with crucial information. It revealed that the massive robot composed entirely of scrap equipment before him was merely The Mechanical Duke's puppet.
The true form of The Mechanical Duke remained concealed.
With this realization, Jeremy immediately retrieved a data core he had acquired earlier. He began channeling high-dimensional data from the core.
"Although the Mechanical Puppet Technique is likely ineffective against you, I can still manipulate high-dimensional data to uncover the location of your true form."
Jeremy suspected that The Mechanical Duke's true form was composed of high-dimensional data.
When The Mechanical Duke first entered Mechanical Town, its initial action was to transform itself into a stream of high-dimensional data.
Jeremy's maneuver thoroughly infuriated The Mechanical Duke.
With tremendous force, The Mechanical Duke charged at Jeremy.
Naturally, Jeremy had no intention of engaging The Mechanical Duke head-on. The Duke's power currently far exceeded Jeremy's. To defeat The Mechanical Duke, Jeremy would have to rely on cunning strategy.
While dodging The Mechanical Duke's attacks, Jeremy continuously utilized his two available skills to pinpoint the location of The Mechanical Duke's true form.
Jeremy's approach proved highly effective.
He had already determined that The Mechanical Duke's true form was hidden within the colossal robotic figure composed of countless discarded devices.
Now, Jeremy had to enter the interior of the gigantic robot standing before him. Only by doing so could he find a way to disrupt The Mechanical Duke's true form, the powerful stream of high-dimensional data.
With this in mind, Jeremy halted in front of the moving structure.
He tightly gripped the data core in his hand.
"If you want to annihilate me, I'm giving you the chance! I'm standing right here, waiting for you to come and destroy me!"
As he spoke, Jeremy activated his Mechanical Puppet Technique.
The high-dimensional data within the data core was entirely drawn out by Jeremy. At the very moment he completed this maneuver, the colossal robot controlled by The Mechanical Duke loomed over him.
The massive robot raised its fist and brought it crashing down toward Jeremy.
Jeremy concentrated all his strength into his own fist, targeting a weak point within the giant robot's fist, and struck it with all his might.
The moment the weak spot was breached, Jeremy injected all the high-dimensional data he could control into the robot's interior.
Suddenly, the gigantic robot lost its ability to maintain its balance.
As it began to topple, the robot's body disintegrated. The discarded equipment that made up its structure scattered in all directions, transforming into individual mechanical monsters.
The core of The Mechanical Duke seemed unable to react in time. The entity, composed entirely of high-dimensional data, lingered at the spot where the giant robot had once stood.
"I've finally found you!"
A smile of relief appeared on Jeremy's face upon seeing the core of The Mechanical Duke.
Despite his current dire condition and the toll the previous battles had taken on his mental faculties, he pushed through the throbbing headache and reactivated his Mechanical Puppet Technique.
A substantial amount of the high-dimensional data constituting The Mechanical Duke's core was absorbed into Jeremy's data core.
Naturally, The Mechanical Duke was not one to concede easily. The entity divided itself into two parts. One portion of the high-dimensional data was indeed absorbed into the data core.
However, the other segment successfully evaded Jeremy's control. This high-dimensional data dispersed, infiltrating the bodies of the surrounding mechanical monsters.
Under the infusion of high-dimensional data, these mechanical monsters became even more formidable than before.