Chapter 103: Chapter 88: Experiment Failure

Even though they were now on opposing sides, Isaac had to admit that Philo’s idea was truly genius.

Extract an already-formed Divinity Network, transplant it into a colossal Alchemy Golem, and then use a Magic Ceremony to accelerate the fusion. This would allow one to forge an exceptionally powerful Divine Species in the shortest amount of time!

The most difficult parts of the entire experiment were extracting the Divinity Network and fusing it with the giant Golem. Isaac had watched up to this point, but he still couldn’t figure out how she had done it. He could only guess it was either Forbidden Knowledge acquired from an Outer God or her own Talent Witchcraft.

Of course, it could have been both. For instance, his own incredible Witchcraft, the Flesh Nest, had come from a trade with an Outer God.

If he could do it, so could others.

The logic was universal. If others could do it, so could he!

’I’ll watch closely for now. If this thing is viable, I’ll just tear it down, head back, and build one myself!’

And so, as everyone watched, the Divinity Network extracted from the rat slowly merged into the massive Golem. The ceremony then activated, and a golden web began to spread downward from the top of the Golem’s head.

Watching this scene unfold, Philo grew excited, Hitz’s expression turned serious, and Mensa remained nonchalant. As for Isaac, he sighed.

It was a failure.

He had handled nearly a hundred Divinity Networks to date. Since almost all of them had only succeeded due to the power of his Golden Finger, he had witnessed countless instances of a network failing to unfurl. The process seemed to be going smoothly now, but based on the Golem’s massive size, the network would likely get stuck once it reached its nose.

The Power of Faith was insufficient.

Although Philo had managed to procure a supply of Power of Faith from somewhere, she had clearly overlooked the issue of attrition. The Power of Faith meant for a Deity is targeted; using faith that isn’t your own leads to either massive losses or mental chaos.

This was one of the reasons Isaac suspected the historical God Creation attempt had ultimately failed and spun out of control.

While Legendary Mages also required the Power of Faith, it was fundamentally different from the faith that Deities relied on.

The simplest example is that one cannot be a Believer of multiple Deities. Once you become a Believer of one God, you cannot also be the Believer of another. At any given time, only a single Faith can exist within a person. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But the faith for a Legendary Mage was different. After finishing one "book," you could immediately start reading the next. If you were skilled enough to multitask, you could even read two at once, and both would provide the Power of Faith.

That was why the Power of Faith Isaac typically used to modify Divinity Networks was all harvested from hypnotized rats. It was low-grade, but still better than using an incompatible source.

Thus, seeing it reach this stage, Isaac already knew the outcome.

So, with a wave of his hand, the Great-Horned Rats that had been watching from the side immediately swarmed toward the Golem!

The Great Sword Ghosts, meanwhile, returned in an orderly fashion to the Flesh Dimension behind him. They first dissolved into a fleshy sludge, then liquefied into blood, and finally transformed into pure Magic Power to be stored in the Flesh Nest.

"Hey! What are you doing?! It’s about to succeed!" Philo, who had been watching the Golem with an ecstatic look, suddenly noticed the swarm of Great-Horned Rats and immediately raged at Isaac.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "First, my name isn’t ’Hey.’ Second, there’s no way in hell you were going to succeed."

He didn’t bother explaining further, simply directing more Great-Horned Rats to surge toward the Golem.

As a mere spectator, Hitz wasn’t nearly as furious as Philo. He watched with great interest as the tide of Great-Horned Rats washed over the Golem, curious as to how these little creatures intended to take down something so enormous.

This Golem was far from simple. The material used for its main body alone was Harris Goat Steel, a relatively expensive alloy smelted from Demon Flesh.

While weapons and armor forged from it weren’t exceptionally durable, they possessed first-class Magic Power conductivity and even a slight potential for growth. Most importantly, the Harris Goats could be raised in captivity. However, despite a large potential output, the supply was primarily funneled to the military, making the material’s price on the open market exorbitant.

Only because Philo was the Eldest Princess could she acquire such a large amount; otherwise, even some Grand Arcanists would have been unable to.

However, while the durability of Harris Goat Steel was only average, that was in its normal state. With Magic Enhancement, it was another matter entirely. Otherwise, it would never have become a primary material for military equipment.

Then, Hitz fell silent.

He watched as the rats swarmed up the Golem’s single leg, gnawing as they went.

With just their teeth and claws, it was obvious they couldn’t chew through it. Forget the Magic-Enhanced Goat Steel—they would have shattered their teeth trying to gnaw on it even before the enhancement!

But to Hitz’s astonishment, he discovered they could absorb the Magic Power from within the Goat Steel!

A single Great-Horned Rat didn’t absorb much, true, but what about ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million?

The Great-Horned Rats surged forward relentlessly, taking bite after bite, devouring the Golem’s Magic Power!

Under normal circumstances, even though the Golem’s forging was incomplete, it still should have possessed defensive mechanisms. Ordinary Demons wouldn’t have been able to get so close so easily.

But the Golem was currently at a critical juncture.

All its defensive measures were offline, leaving it completely at the mercy of the rats!

Philo was so furious watching this she looked ready to shatter her teeth!

The cruelest thing in the world was to be given hope, only to have it personally snuffed out before her very eyes!

"That’s enough. Stop shouting." Mensa waved his finger with a resigned air, magically silencing Philo. "Isaac is correct," he continued. "This experiment has already failed. As for why it failed... regrettably, you are fated never to know. And don’t complain. The only reason you’re still alive is because you are the Eldest Princess. You’re already very fortunate."

Having said his piece, Mensa turned to Isaac, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Without a doubt, Isaac was a genius.

A research-oriented genius, no less. He would have been a perfect match for them, the Arcanists!

Unfortunately, Isaac was a Mad Witch—and one of the most extreme kind. Otherwise, Mensa truly would have wanted to take him on as a student. What a shame.

Mensa watched Isaac, shaking his head with a heart full of complex regret. On the one hand, he hoped Isaac would live and see his talent flourish, perhaps one day advancing to the rank of Great Wizard. But on the other hand, because of the deranged nature of a Mad Witch, he also hoped Isaac would never grow any stronger...

Of course, the greatest regret was that Isaac held two things he had stolen from the Outer Gods. If he were killed, the items inside him would instantly become an Anchor Point for an Outer God’s Divine Descent, and the Empire would suffer an even greater catastrophe.

The best end for any Mad Witch was to die at the hands of an Outer God.

Of course, the main reason he wasn’t killed was because his surname was Solomon. The repercussions would be too great.

BOOM!

Soon, amid the onlookers’ silence, the magical glow emanating from the hundred-meter-tall Golem gradually faded. Having lost its Magic Enhancement, its single leg could no longer support such a colossal body, and it came crashing down!