I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 246 (Patreon)

Chapter 246: Even if Your Head Is as Hard as Iron, There Will Be Another Hole

As William spoke, the guards around had already surrounded them.

Laude's forehead was dripping with cold sweat; these thirty seconds were undoubtedly the longest he had experienced.

"Alright!" At the last moment, Laude sighed and slowly reached for the wine glass on the table, as if about to drink it down. Yet, at the final moment, his expression abruptly changed, flinging the red wine in the cup towards the nearest guard.

The crimson liquid immediately splattered on the person's face, sticky like viscous mud, obviously more than just wine.

A dozen fully armed guards began swinging their blades.

Laude crouched, shamelessly ducking under the table, evading the swinging swords, calmly analyzing the situation.

While the opponents had numbers, they were just ordinary, overweight William moved clumsily; there might still be a chance for him!

Just as he thought, the long table above was flipped, revealing that it was William who initiated the attack!

Mind you, an entire solid wood table laden with food probably weighed over a hundred pounds, yet William effortlessly sent it flying.

Luckily, Laude wasn't an ordinary cripple; his alchemical prosthetic limb was more agile than a regular person's. He maneuvered, narrowly dodging a few swinging blades, and directly charged at William, who was close by!

A fully armed guard immediately blocked his path, their burly figure akin to a massive wall.

Laude didn't slow down, lifting his cane and placing his hand on the hidden compartment.

The next moment, a piercing thunderous sound reverberated within the enclosed hall. Bullets, exceeding a speed of three hundred meters per second, pierced through the helmet the moment the gunshot rang out, turning the opponent's head into a twisted mess.

Flesh and blood splattered on Laude's face, but he paid no mind; before a dozen guards could encircle him, he had already aimed the cane gun at William's head.

"Surrender, William! You've seen its power just now. Even if your head is as tough as steel, it'll still have an extra hole." Laude spoke fiercely.

Although this firearm couldn't be activated a second time in a short while, it didn't stop him from using it as a threat.

However, William blatantly ignored the incredibly powerful cane gun pointed at his head and disappointingly remarked, "Is this your reliance?"

A warning flashed in Laude's mind. As he glanced down, the ground collapsed beneath him. Without checking, he lost his balance, tumbling down along with the overweight William.

Laude swiftly scrambled to his feet, only to find himself surrounded by a terrifying sight.

This was an underground palace, its walls lined with numerous openings, each holding sharp crossbows.

William was in no shape to stand up, seemingly transformed, trembling as he spoke, "The entire hall's walls are built with two-meter-thick boulders, filled with traps like these. The ground is even flooded with oil. Unless a grand wizard or the Archbishop arrives personally, no one can leave here alive!"

"You're not William!" Laude finally realized something was wrong because the real William would never put himself in such danger.

Unless... this was just a decoy!

Damn it!

Laude immediately realized this and never expected to die here along with a decoy.

Accompanied by a faint mechanical echo, the crossbows aimed at the openings retracted. It was the sound of reloading!

Faced with thousands of dark crossbow apertures all around, Laude could only resign himself to fate, knowing even if he could fly, he couldn't escape.

Yet, after waiting for quite a while, there was no sound of the crossbows firing. Both individuals present froze in anticipation.

The machinery... stopped?

---

Several minutes earlier, outside the fortress gates, Murt, who had confiscated Laude's belongings, ventured deeper into the estate. After numerous twists and turns, he entered a concealed chamber—William's true hiding place!

Apart from a select few trusted confidants, nobody knew William had a doppelgänger, someone strikingly similar in appearance, managing external affairs or attending noble banquets.

Compared to the decoy outside, the real William appeared even more corpulent, even making people wonder if he could catch his breath.

"As you anticipated, sir, Mr. Laude doesn't seem prepared to negotiate with us." Murt approached, presenting two daggers and a small crossbow arrow he had confiscated from Laude.

"You've done well, Murt," praised William.

Although intelligence indicated Laude was just an ordinary non-magic wielder, those wizards' magic was bizarre. Who knew if he had any tricks up his sleeve? William had no intention of facing him personally.

"Go fetch Cody; I have something to instruct him," William said in a deep voice.

However, Murt stood motionless, seemingly not hearing his command.

"Murt!" William's already small eyes narrowed, brimming with hostility.

Just then, a voice, alien and frightening, resonated within the chamber.

"Forked Lightning!"

Blue-purple arcs illuminated around Murt; the lightning's speed exceeded ordinary levels. Before William could react, several guards standing before him were engulfed by the lightning, their sturdy iron armor acting as perfect conductors.

In just a moment, under the charge of tens of thousands of volts, they convulsed and fell to the ground. William, too, found himself within the range of the thunderous magic.

Due to the guards' iron attire, the effect of conducting the lightning was profound. William's reaction was limited, but as the current passed through, his adipose trembled involuntarily.

"Affected by conductors? That's quite a significant, albeit minor, flaw."

The unfamiliar voice resonated in the chamber once more. Following that, Lynn's figure appeared in the void, observing the fallen guards and the unharmed William.

It seemed his new magic needed further refinement...

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