Seeing that warrior from the Children of Echoes actually get hit at the last second, Xilonen was quite surprised.
"Lord Pyro Archon, how did you predict that?" Xilonen looked at him in disbelief.
You're one of the Seven Archons, not some God of Time, how could you foresee that?
"The defense turret ultimately operates using the Pyro Element. Even if you can't perceive it clearly, I can see the flow of its Pyro energy from a distance," Caelus said with a faint smile.
This was one of the benefits of becoming the Pyro Archon, his perception and control of the Pyro Element had reached an entirely different level.
To Xilonen and the others, the turret's attacks seemed erratic and unpredictable.
But to Caelus, its firing pattern was completely clear.
"You could tell just from that?"
For a brief moment, Xilonen imitated a certain Mondstadt astrologer's tone and muttered, "As expected of Lord Pyro Archon…"
As Natlan's top artisan, Xilonen knew better than anyone that the gap between people could sometimes be wider than the gap between a human and a beast.
And the one standing beside her now was Natlan's Pyro Archon.
With elegant steps, she walked over to the warriors.
"Why did you activate the defense turret without my permission? What if someone had gotten hurt?"
The warriors of the Children of Echoes immediately showed apologetic expressions.
"Sorry, we just touched it out of curiosity. We didn't expect it to activate."
"So it was triggered accidentally…"
"At first, the tower suddenly started launching fireballs. We thought it had malfunctioned."
"But then we realized the fireballs didn't hurt much. They were actually useful for reaction training, so we've been practicing here for the past few days."
One warrior pointed to the spot where he had just been hit and grinned.
"The fireballs in this mode don't really hurt. They can't injure us."
"That's because you activated the turret's training mode. The firepower is greatly reduced," Caelus explained as he walked over.
"Lord Pyro Archon?!"
The previously relaxed warriors immediately straightened up respectfully.
Someone asked cautiously, "Lord Pyro Archon, you said we activated training mode. Does that mean there are other modes?"
"Correct," Caelus replied. "The defense turret was commissioned by me and built by Xilonen to eliminate Abyssal Monsters and protect our homeland."
"When Enemy Annihilation Mode is activated, the fireballs are dozens of times more powerful than what you just experienced. Their speed is also significantly faster."
In training mode, a fireball might only cause minor damage.
In Enemy Annihilation Mode, one direct hit would be devastating.
Even a heavily shielded warrior would struggle to endure repeated strikes.
"This thing can really eliminate Abyssal Monsters?" The warriors instinctively doubted it.
Although the turret's attack speed was impressive, so fast that even experienced warriors struggled to dodge, they found it hard to believe a fixed construct could replace humans in battle.
"If you don't believe it, why not experience it yourselves?"
Caelus turned to the leopard-eared woman beside him.
"Xilonen, adjust training mode so its output matches Enemy Annihilation Mode."
Xilonen hesitated.
"Won't that seriously injure someone?"
"I'm here," Caelus said calmly.
With the Pyro Archon present, how could anything truly go wrong?
Reassured, Xilonen moved to recalibrate the turret.
Meanwhile, Caelus raised his hand toward the warriors.
Scarlet Pyro particles gathered in his palm before spreading outward, enveloping them.
"My body feels warm…"
"It's like standing next to a furnace in winter."
The warriors stared at the faint red glow surrounding them in amazement.
"I've placed a specialized Pyro shield on you," Caelus explained. "It will ensure you suffer no physical injury from the fireballs."
"However," his tone shifted slightly, "you will still feel the full pain of the impact. Only by experiencing it will you understand the turret's true power."
"So there's no life-threatening danger?"
The warriors exchanged stunned looks.
Natlan had many Vision holders.
Especially after Caelus distributed imitation Visions, the number of Pyro users had increased significantly.
But none of them could create a shield as refined and stable as this.
"Isn't the Pyro Archon supposed to be the strongest warrior chosen through combat?"
"With Lord Pyro Archon's mastery of Pyro, he could pass for a researcher."
The warriors muttered among themselves.
Even those with Pyro Visions could only enhance weapons or release elemental attacks.
Creating such a precise and durable shield was far beyond their level.
"Lord Pyro Archon, the adjustments are complete," Xilonen called out.
"Then I'll go first."
The volunteer was Traco, the same warrior who had been hit earlier.
"Traco, you sure about this?"
"Don't get knocked out in seconds again."
The others laughed.
"I was careless earlier!" Traco protested. "If I'm serious, I can last at least a minute!"
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Traco stepped forward to face the turret.
The next moment,
A massive fireball erupted from the barrel.
"Whoa!"
Traco's eyes widened.
During training mode, the fireballs had been small.
Now, what shot toward him was a blazing sphere nearly a meter wide, traveling at terrifying speed.
How was he supposed to dodge that?
He threw himself sideways with all his strength, barely evading the first shot.
But before he could regain balance, the second fireball was already upon him.
"Aaaagh!"
A scream tore from his throat.
Logically, such an attack should have left him gravely injured.
But the shield Caelus had placed on him absorbed all physical damage.
Even so, the pain was real, intense and overwhelming.
Only when Caelus raised his hand and drew the flames back into his palm did Traco's screaming stop.
"Traco, are you alright?!"
The others rushed forward.
His screams had been so harrowing it sounded as if he had actually died.
Even watching from the sidelines, they could feel the oppressive heat and force of the fireballs.
Experiencing it directly must have been far worse.
"I… I'm fine…" Traco panted, fear still lingering in his eyes. "Lord Pyro Archon's shield protected me."
Still skeptical, the others checked him thoroughly.
Only after confirming he was completely uninjured did they relax.
"To think such power didn't leave even a scratch…"
"The Pyro Archon's shield is unbelievable."
"If he hadn't been shielded, we'd be carrying his body right now."
"With firepower like that, even Abyssal Monsters, who don't feel pain, wouldn't survive more than a few hits."
The warriors of the Children of Echoes were stunned.
But an even greater shock was yet to come.
"Next," Caelus said calmly. "Who's stepping up?"
The remaining warriors' expressions stiffened.
"Lord Pyro Archon… we have to try too?"
"Of course," Caelus replied with a smile. "If you don't experience it yourselves, how will you truly understand the turret's power against Abyssal Monsters?"
When Traco had been struck, both his reaction and the others' fear had generated a considerable amount of Emotion Points.
Seeing this, Caelus naturally decided to continue while momentum was high.
Since they doubted the turret's power
He would let them confirm it personally.
...
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