Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 570-568: Loki's Potions, Legendary Combat Techniques (Please Subscribe)

In August of the year 316 of the New Divine Calendar, two pieces of news shocked the entire world of Herka.

Firstly, on the Eastern Front, the Slavs finally proved themselves to be a powerful continental nation with a victory.

They first breached the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then used a tactic of "multiple breakthroughs and comprehensive advance" to defeat the combined forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Habsburg Empire.

In this war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was stripped of its image as a powerful nation. The Magic Legion, which it had painstakingly built, was filled with people with connections and former nobles who came to gain prestige.

When the fighting actually started, the only way to describe it was a complete rout. The Slavs even thought they had come to deliver magical equipment.

In contrast, later on, the traditional knightly orders and militia joined forces and played a certain role in hindering the Slavs, inflicting considerable losses on them with lives and numbers.

The Habsburg Empire, on the other hand, was a typical example of being poorly prepared.

Or rather, the superior forces were concentrated on the western front, and no one expected that the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom would be defeated so quickly.

By the time they redeployed their legions to the Brusilov region, it was too late.

This battle was extremely fierce.

Leaving aside other factors, just considering the casualties alone, in just a few months, the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost a total of 110 million men, and the empire also lost nearly 30 men for emergency conscription.

The Slavs pushed their territory forward by nearly 100 kilometers, truly bringing them to the heart of the empire.

The only good news is that the Slavs also suffered heavy losses in this battle.

The meticulously trained magic legion suffered losses of up to 500,000 men, with nearly 40 divisions wiped out.

After this war, the Slavic Empire lost its ability to advance eastward, and its war potential was completely exhausted, leading to a stalemate between the two sides once again.

The second piece of news originated on the Eastern Front, then spread to the Western Front, and was eventually confirmed.

The shock and horror it brings are comparable to the towering waves that surge on an endless ocean.

All of this began with the Slavic Empire's magic legion.

Undoubtedly, there are two requirements for forming a magic legion: magic weaponry and soldiers with magic power.

With the Glorious Empire providing a large supply of weaponry, this first requirement was easily met.
However, the second problem is that the large number of young and middle-aged magic apprentices with magical abilities is the biggest obstacle to expanding the army.

However, this time, the Slavic Empire army almost managed to ensure that most of its soldiers possessed magical powers and could charge into battle wielding magical weapons.

It's important to understand that the Slavic empires were known for their vast territory and sparse population, making education difficult to implement, let alone promoting basic meditation on a large scale.

In addition, the previous series of war defeats and heavy losses have almost depleted the existing pool of magic apprentices.

This time, however, their army consisted of at least thirty magic-powered divisions.

If we consider a division of nearly 10,000 people, that means a total of 300,000 people possessed magic.

Although their training was severely inadequate, and their shooting accuracy and skills were far from perfect, being able to fire first on a battlefield with firearms was a huge advantage!

The question is, where did all these magic apprentices come from?
The intelligence agencies of the Habsburg Empire sensed that something was amiss and launched a covert operation to conduct an in-depth investigation.

Although the number of people was large, the information was kept very secret. They only discovered it after suffering heavy losses. The root cause seemed to lie in a mysterious magic potion.

Loki's Potion is the name of this potion. It is a special supply, and each one is numbered. Who used it, the reaction after use, the effect, and the physical changes are all continuously tracked and recorded.

Basically, one needle is enough to awaken magic, though it's not very useful, but it's enough to pull the trigger and pull the breech.

Before this, the most mature, cheapest, and effective meditation potions in the entire Old World were the two from the Flower Territory—the Soul-Stabilizing Incense and the Soul-Calming Incense.

It can only serve as an aid to meditation!

Therefore, if you can gain magical powers with just one injection, then it's not a magic potion, but a divine medicine.

Even if they exist, they would be extremely rare.

But now?

Upon their arrival, there were over 300,000 magic apprentices!

The immense doubts forced the Empire to make a decision: they deployed their highest-level spies and sent a legendary figure to assist them, ultimately seizing a batch of more than ten Loki potions.

Then, through testing this mysterious potion, the empire's researchers were horrified to discover that it contained the aura of the abyss and fragments of demonic flesh.

Now the truth is out!
For the Allied Forces, the traditional methods of training magic apprentices were too slow and required ample resources. The Habsburg Empire alone took decades to complete its educational reforms.

The Slavic Empire didn't have the time or the energy, so they came up with a quick fix.

For example, reaching an agreement with certain abyss lords to unite mortals and low- to mid-level demons through a contract.
Then, mortals can use the power of these abyssal demons to accumulate some magic power.

Of course, it wouldn't be right to just openly declare it, so they had to find a way to package it, and that's how Loki's potion came about.

Loki, the legendary god of deception, was given this name perhaps as a metaphor by the creator of potions.

As more information was uncovered, the Empire realized that this wasn't something the Slavic Empire alone possessed.
It was a project jointly launched by the three leaders of the coalition.

Long ago, when the coalition was plagued by manpower shortages, the three leaders were already looking for a solution.

So, at a single command, all sorts of magicians, even legends, were gathered together and actively sought a solution.

The final research result showed that 'concluding a contract' was the fastest method!
The best targets are actually celestial beings, whose magic is inclined towards the light and has few side effects.

At the very least, they must be extraordinary creatures such as dragons, fairies, or elemental spirits. For example, Oliveira has a contract with a wind-type spirit.

However, these two are either rare or disdainful of making contracts with mortals, making it simply impossible.

Therefore, they could only turn their attention to the lower planes.

Abyssal demons, hellish devils, purgatory demons, and even the souls of the underworld are all within the range of choices.

However, making contracts with these lower-dimensional beings is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin, just like the soldiers of the Slavic Empire, who exhibited varying degrees of abyssalization.

Ignoring the changes in personality such as being irritable, belligerent, enjoying killing, and bloodthirsty.

Slavs are known for their barbarity and don't really care.

The problem is that issues such as short lifespan, physical alienation, and spiritual distortion cannot be ignored.

Furthermore, as their numbers increase, they can cause enormous damage to the entire prime material plane, accelerating its decay and decline.

Upon receiving the news, the Imperial Cabinet was stunned into silence, and then, without hesitation, they chose to announce it to the public.

Thus, following Loy's canonization, the most talked-about event in the entire Old World, the 'Loki's Potion' incident, erupted completely. This was different from sending demons directly onto the battlefield; it genuinely threatened the survival of humanity and the very fabric of society.

This has caused quite a stir, and the uproar it has generated has continued unabated.

Countless nobles and celebrities have spoken out, expressing various opinions, and even within the three leaders of the allied forces, things are in complete chaos.

Of course, there must be some opportunism involved, most likely because of the nobles who suffered losses during the promotion of the magic energy industry.

Previously, they had no choice but to obey the prevailing trend.

Now that they've seen an opportunity, they naturally want to jump out and cause trouble.

As a result, the three leaders of the coalition were under tremendous pressure, to the point that the three emperors had to put forward several nobles of high status as scapegoats.

Even when the three emperors appeared, they all looked grief-stricken.

However, despite saying that, they continued to do what they were supposed to do and did not stop.

For the soldiers about to go to the battlefield, using magic-powered weapons offered a chance of survival.

No need. Even if you wear the last knight's plate armor, the death rate is still 99% even with a cold weapon!

The coalition forces didn't even coerce them; they simply displayed a survival rate comparison chart, and most soldiers made the wise choice.

After all, once you're dead, you lose everything; only when you're alive can you talk about the hidden dangers of the potion!
When the news reached Luo Yi, he remained silent for a long time. There was no doubt that the three leaders of the coalition were truly driven to desperation.

Doing this will have far-reaching consequences, and for countless years to come, the Old World will have to pay the price for their decision!
In fact, regardless of the outcome of this world war, those at the very top will be forever infamous.

However, in the short term, it has indeed solved the biggest weakness of the coalition forces—the shortage of magic soldiers.

Looking at the horizontal strength comparison, the coalition has strong forces, a solid base, and has largely resolved the issue of outdated weaponry.
If we address the weaknesses of the magic soldiers, the result will be obvious.

From this perspective, the year 316 of the New Divine Calendar may have been the turning point of this world war.

However, as his thoughts wandered, Luo Yi put all of this out of his mind. Being far away was enough; he could keep an eye on things, but they weren't worth expending too much effort on.

Since the three leaders of the coalition have made their choice, there is nothing he can do to stop them, not even the Church of the Sun.

His most pressing concern right now is himself! And his cultivation!

After the canonization was completed, Loy stayed with His Majesty Saint John Stuart for a few days and consulted him on the knowledge of legendary combat techniques.

Luo Yi has met quite a few legends, but when it comes to a well-established lineage, profound knowledge, and solid theoretical understanding, none other than His Holiness Saint Jon is the best.

Even the ancient red dragon Virgil could talk about the past and present without any problem; he could talk about it for three days and three nights straight.

But when it comes to knowledge of legendary combat skills, I'm sorry, it's really not my area of ​​expertise.

Saint John was very accommodating and stayed for three more days to answer Loy's questions.

In his account, there are actually no hard and fast rules regarding legendary combat techniques.
Rather, it is a powerful attack method formed by legendary powerhouses by integrating their own characteristics, battle aura attributes, mastery of rules, and combat habits into a refined and pure form.
That's what's considered a legendary combat skill.

As for its specific power?

That depends on individual ability and performance.

This is completely different from legendary magic, which has a fixed framework and can be systematically learned.

However, this is also a characteristic of combat professionals; what suits you best is the best.

Under Saint John's guidance, Loy began to ponder the gift that Grand Duke Carlen had once given him, the legendary combat skill originating from the Silver Angels—Holy Light!

Perhaps it's due to Deep Blue's analysis, or perhaps Luo Yi is now a completely different person, and her understanding is truly rapid.

In just three days, he was able to imitate it quite well.

As the Void Angel unfurled its wings and slashed with its divine sword, holy battle aura swept across the void, giving the impression that a silver angel had been reborn.

That’s not all!
Luo Yi even applied this knowledge to other situations, constantly seeking breakthroughs by combining it with his previous offensive and defensive tactics.
In addition, a constant stream of inspiration keeps him immersed in progress every day.

However, Saint-Jon gave him a little advice: rather than being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, it is better to specialize in one thing.

Because of the sacred technique and that 'great dream,' Luo Yi has actually been involved in a great many rules, all kinds of them, and they are very complicated.

However, if there are too many of them, it is easy to lose focus and it is difficult to form combat power in a short period of time, which means being a jack of all trades and master of none.

The general impression is that their attack methods are quite good, but there are very few that are extremely lethal.

After careful analysis, Loy realized that Saint-Yon's insight was truly profound.

Then, based on his own circumstances, he chose the rules of the sacred fire and spatial direction for in-depth analysis and comprehension.

And you know what? This immediately boosted the progress.

Regarding the path of the sacred flame, he seeks 'purity,' which means constantly developing the flame towards the highest level of 'fire.'

Putting everything else aside, even a single stray wisp of it could be used as an absolute killing move.

As for space, he tries to explore, expand, think, and create as much as possible, the more the better.

Space distortion, space extension, space fragmentation, space shattering, multiple spatial folds...

Every combination of rules and attack methods can lead to a multitude of possibilities.

Taking 'spatial extension' as an example, Luo Yi can now make a single sword strike, the sword light forming a circle, and the space within that circle extends for several miles.

At this distance, most enemies couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes, naturally placing him in an invincible position.

There's also spatial distortion, which Loy combined with the 'Holy Light Spear' to enhance the use of space.

It's true that with one strike, the next second it can appear on your face, back, temples, groin, or any other vital area.

Although he seems somewhat sinister and doesn't fit his 'great, glorious, and righteous' image, he's truly impossible to guard against.

It can be said that when Luo Yi fought the demigod, it was purely due to her bloodlust and unleashed all her holy skills.
Now, in such a short time, his offensive and defensive skills have matured to the point that even legends can only look up to him.

Furthermore, having broken through the limits of the human body, her physique, fighting spirit, and even her sacred skills were all in a period of explosive growth. Luo Yi felt that her strength was changing every single day.

He once again experienced the feeling of "making rapid progress" that he had at the beginning of his cultivation.

This situation continued until the return of the demiplane exploration team, who brought Roy a detailed statistical report.

(End of this chapter)