The mechanical engineers could not ignore the threat posed by the legendary dragon.
If Garon was determined and focused solely on the magical shipyard and the ships, it would be impossible for them to launch and leave.
The silver dragon hovered in the storm.
Patiently observing the mechanical engineers whose expressions rapidly changed.
The best outcome would be for the Imasca artifacts to be handed over voluntarily. Given the presence of the Guardian Angel, Garon couldn't easily snatch the artifacts, especially with a significant number of legendary mechanical engineers present.
The situation was delicate.
Overall, the mechanical engineers were stronger than Garon. However, they feared the power of the saints and were desperate to preserve the legacy of the Imasca Empire by leaving quickly. Otherwise, Garon wouldn't be able to coerce them like this. If Garon really destroyed the magical ships, the mechanical engineers wouldn't be able to leave, facing pursuit from the Guardian Angel and a host of legendary mechanical engineers, with no chance of obtaining the Imasca artifacts.
Thunderous power made the ground tremble, emanating an increasingly terrifying aura.
The saints, from the outside in, gradually approached the imperial capital.
They could have directly descended upon the capital and destroyed the heart of the Imasca Empire with the force of thunder, but they chose not to. Instead, they slowly devoured the empire's territory, making it more despairing for people to watch their empire fall bit by bit, helpless to stop it.
The mechanical engineers glanced towards the distance.
The power of the saints emitted an endless divine glow, clearly visible even from the Radiant Peak.
This light was approaching.
With every step closer, the engineers grew more anxious.
Garon added fuel to the fire, chuckling, "No rush, I can wait for your response."
He also looked towards the direction of a saint, telling the engineers, "But it seems you don't have much time left."
"You now face two choices," said the silver dragon calmly.
"One is to hand over the Imasca Empire's artifacts. I will keep my promise and let your people leave safely."
"The second choice is to give up leaving the continent of Ferun, try to fight to the death with me, and then perish along with the Imasca Empire."
Under Garon's menacing threat, the lead mechanical engineer's expression darkened.
"The empire's artifacts are our hope for reviving Imasca in the new world."
"We cannot give them to you!"
Knowing the dragon's love for wealth, he proposed a solution to avoid disaster by offering wealth, "I can give you other treasures, but not the empire's artifacts."
Most of the empire's heritage was recorded in the artifacts. Without them, it would be difficult for the Imasca Empire to rise in a new material world.
"Other treasures? If their value is comparable to the artifacts, I might accept. But can you provide them?"
Garon sneered.
His target was the empire's artifacts; ordinary treasures no longer interested him.
"You are the last spark of the Imasca Empire."
"Think about it. If you cannot leave Ferun, the Imasca Empire will be utterly obliterated at this moment. In thousands of years, the multiverse will no longer remember the name of the Imasca Empire."
"All your past glory will be erased in the currents of time."
The engineers fell silent.
"Are you sure you want to extinguish the empire's last hope over equipment that can be recreated?"
Garon persuaded them gently and unhurriedly.
The Imascans were the ones in a hurry, not him. Thus, Garon was very calm, with the Guardian Angel watching closely but hesitant to act for fear of Garon destroying the magical shipyard.
Looking at the engineers struggling to make a decision, Garon smiled, "I know the empire's artifacts contain your heritage as mechanical engineers. Without it, you lack confidence in rebuilding the Imasca Empire."
"Let's do this; I'm not a devil."
"Give me the first to sixth artifacts, and you can take the seventh."
"With the heritage of the seventh artifact, you still have a chance to revive the mechanical empire."
Garon already possessed the seventh artifact.
Completing a set of Imasca artifacts had been his long-standing desire.
To avoid the Imascans from acting recklessly, he could forego the second Imasca artifact, leaving the engineers with some hope.
Hearing the legendary dragon take a step back, the lead engineer thought there was room for negotiation, saying, "The heritage of only the seventh artifact is incomplete."
Before he could finish, an overwhelming dragon's presence enveloped everything.
The storm was dispersed by the dragon's might.
A clear area appeared in the dense rain.
The dragon's wings spread, blocking out the sun. The silver dragon roared lowly, "I have shown the mercy of a legendary dragon. If you don't appreciate it, then stay here and witness the destruction of your empire with your own eyes!"
A blatant threat.
Having the option to leave with one artifact gave the engineers the choice to back down under these circumstances.
As Garon said.
This group was the last heritage of the Imasca Empire.
If they couldn't leave, they would perish with the empire under the saints' mighty power, and the Imasca Empire would cease to exist.
Although being plundered in such a crisis was humiliating for the Imascans, they made the wise decision not to act rashly in such a critical situation.
Next, under a contract made in the name of the Eternal Dragon of Time, Garon got his wish and acquired the first to seventh Imasca Empire artifacts.
Imasca Crown.
Imasca Ring.
Imasca Tome.
Imasca Armor.
Imasca Staff.
Imasca Blade.
Imasca Magic Circle.
"Even the lowest-level mechanical engineer, if able to operate all seven artifacts simultaneously, can attain demi-godly power."
Garon narrowed his eyes, collecting the Imasca artifacts to study later.
A set of Imasca artifacts could grant the user immense power, but Garon knew even mechanical angels could equip only three at most. Artifacts crafted with the nation's resources were powerful, but using all seven simultaneously was not easy.
After collecting the artifacts, Garon turned to the launching magical ships.
Though a contract had been made, the contract Garon made under the guise of another timeline had no binding power on him.
If Garon wished, he could ignore the contract and keep everyone here.
However, the silver dragon calmly watched the magical ships depart without hindering their departure.
Garon's target was the Imasca artifacts, and he had achieved his goal.
As for the future second Imasca Empire, let Garon of this timeline deal with it. The injury inflicted by the Guardian Angel was remembered, and upon returning to the main timeline, he wouldn't let the second Imasca Empire off easily.
The Guardian Angel did not follow the magical ships.
It was one of the mechanical angels executed in humiliation by a saint's avatar, staying behind to vent the saints' fury.
Similar to Garon's scales, the Guardian Angel, after silently ensuring the magical ships' safe departure, turned to Garon.
Raindrops fell from the sky, sliding off the smooth silver-white body. The Guardian Angel gave Garon a glance without emotion, then spread its energy wings and faced a saint destroying Imasca's territory.
Without divinity, the empire's artifacts, or the emperor's will.
Such a mechanical angel's battle against a divine saint was a foregone conclusion.
The Guardian Angel's silhouette quickly vanished from Garon's view.
Garon spread his wings, tearing through the storm and soaring into the sky, quietly watching the final chapter of the Imasca Empire unfold from tens of thousands of meters high.
From above, the paths of destruction left by the saints on the land were visible.
Countless mechanical legions from all directions fought against the saints, smoke and fire enveloping the entire eastern continent. Under the power of the divine saints, the battlefield resembled a giant grinder, with mechanical beings shattered and engineers turned to ash every second.
Meanwhile.
Garon, through a time stamp, observed the Guardian Angel's target.
A female saint controlling numerous giant vines, flowers, and ancient trees, crushing through the mechanical legions.
The Guardian Angel's wings stretched to their limit, drawing energy from the space around it.
Transforming into a streak of silver light, like a sharp sword, it pierced through the giant plants on its path, aiming directly at the saint.
As an observer, Garon could clearly see the saint smirk dismissively upon noticing the Guardian Angel. To the saint, mechanical angels were merely pseudo demi-gods. Without the artifacts' support, a mechanical angel could easily be destroyed by the saint with a flick of her wrist.
To Garon's surprise, the Guardian Angel began to change.
First, its energy wings began to disintegrate with extreme extension, then its silver-white body turned to a scorching red, seemingly radiating intense heat, evaporating the dense raindrops before they could even touch its body.
The saint's expression slightly changed.
Her arm, coated in divine light, lifted slightly.
Boom!
Thick, resilient green vines erupted from the ground, intertwining like green serpents, quickly enveloping the female saint in a tight, impenetrable protection.
The next second, the Guardian Angel collided with the nearly sky-reaching green vines.
Boom!
A deafening explosion sounded.
Bright light illuminated the dark sky under the clouds, lighting up an area. The ground cracked and shattered under the massive shockwave, soil waves rolling ceaselessly. Nearby mechanical legions were engulfed by the light, and the giant protective vines around the female saint broke apart.
After a while, the dust settled.
On the devastated land, the female saint held a broken, charred metal skull—the head of the Guardian Angel.
A noticeable wound was on the saint's cheek.
Divine blood dripped down, immediately sprouting colorful flowers and fresh green grass upon touching the ground, adding a vibrant touch to the ruined land.
"Gods, can bleed."
Inside the ruined metal skull, a faint, emotionless voice spoke, merely stating a result.
"Mortal creations, interesting."
The female saint didn't get angry but looked intrigued at the metal skull.
She gently wiped the blood from her cheek, and the wound healed.
Then, the female saint collected the severely damaged metal head as a toy and continued towards other cities of the Imasca Empire. However, before leaving, she looked around suspiciously, having felt watched just a moment ago.
Whoosh!
A wounded squirrel emerged from the rubble, catching the saint's attention.
"It's you, poor little thing."
The saint showed pity.
With a light touch, the squirrel's back, mangled by the explosion's aftermath, instantly healed.
The feeling of being watched disappeared, and the saint resumed her task.
Meanwhile.
The silver dragon, high in the clouds, paused briefly.
The female saint's feeling of being watched wasn't unfounded.
Garon's time stamp was imprinted on the Guardian Angel's head. Now that the female saint had taken it, Garon could indirectly watch her every move. However, from the saint's reaction, it was clear she could sense Garon's scrutiny to some extent.
Though curious about the female saint, Garon suppressed his interest.
Spying on a female divine saint could lead to severe repercussions if discovered.
"Let's pretend this time stamp doesn't exist for now."
Garon opened his eyes.
As time passed, one by one, the cities of the Imasca Empire fell to the saints' hands.
Finally, the saints carved more than twenty paths of destruction and ruin, almost simultaneously reaching the imperial capital. These paths, later called the Paths of the Gods, bore remnants of the Imasca Empire.
The capital hosted the most powerful mechanical legions.
Legendary creations like mechanical titans were common.
Yet, this glorious city of machinery, after fighting to its last breath against more than twenty saints for a few days, collapsed. High-rise buildings fell, the ground shattered, and fire and smoke spread everywhere. Like other ordinary cities, it became a vast ruin.
And the saints didn't leave.
They stayed in Ferun, helping their followers build a new faith-filled nation on the ruins of the Imasca Empire. With the saints present, no other forces dared interfere with the now masterless eastern continent.
Having just witnessed the destruction of a great empire, who would dare provoke these fearsome saints?
Such an overwhelming number of demi-gods was like a dimensional assault.
Garon left.
It's best not to linger in places of conflict. After obtaining the Imasca artifacts, he quickly departed from the eastern continent.
He didn't immediately return to the main timeline because the time portal's energy wasn't fully charged yet.
The silver dragon had just crossed the Star-chasing Sea, reaching the Blue Dragon Clan's Dragon Bay. When they noticed Garon, the clan, having been taught a lesson previously, wisely hid in their nests, avoiding giving Garon a chance to cause trouble, which he found somewhat disappointing.
After leaving Dragon Bay, Garon continued north.
Because, at the moment of the Imasca Empire's fall, Garon received news from Ioleum. The first floating city of Nasrerial was complete, and the Grand Arcanist invited Garon to witness the significant moment of the first floating city's ascent.
This future Arcane Empire was about to flourish, gradually advancing towards a glory not inferior to the Imasca Empire.
However, Garon planned to return to the main timeline soon and likely wouldn't see Nasrerial's development.
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