Chapter 423: Vladimir’s New Mechanical Arms

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"What is this, anyway?!" Vladimir asked in fury, glaring at the piece of metal with his red eyes.

Solder explained. "Oh, this is a special arm-attaching mechanism. It was forged using Synthetic Orichalcum and Adamantine, the same materials used for the armor and limbs of that massive, destroyed machine the Divine Lord brought to us."

Vladimir tried to turn his arm to get a better look but stopped when he felt something pull beneath his skin. The metal was attached firmly enough that it moved with him, which only made him more irritated.

"You could have told me that before attaching it!" he snapped.

"We did tell you it would attach to your arm," Solder said.

"That’s not the part I’m talking about!" Vladimir pointed at the place where the metal met his flesh. He had expected straps, or at least something he could take off. There was nothing like that here.

"Huh? What machine was that?" Vladimir asked, looking up at him.

"Remember the huge robot Willheim used to fight us? That one," Riven said. He glanced at the mechanism, then at Solder. "So, it works?"

"No rejection so far!" said Solder. "His flesh is binding with the metal parts, and the bleeding has already stopped!"

Vladimir looked down. Solder was right about the bleeding, at least. Blood remained on his skin, but no more was coming out around the edges of the mechanism.

He wasn’t sure whether that was supposed to make him feel better.

"And if it does reject it?" he asked.

Solder leaned closer to inspect the attachment. "Then we deal with it. But it’s responding to your Mana, and you can move it without opening the wound. Those are good signs."

"Good signs," Vladimir repeated. "I’d rather hear that you know what you’re doing."

Riven watched him bend his arm again. This time, Vladimir managed it without flinching, though he still kept his other hand close to the metal.

"Ugh..." Vladimir glared at his own arm. The black-purple piece of metal glowed with a mysterious light, fueled by his own Mana and a special Psionic Engine the Mutants had managed to repair, salvage, and install inside it. "What is this...? It feels weird. Is there something inside this piece of metal?"

"It will become more obvious once you equip an arm," Solder explained.

Vladimir shifted his arm again. The light changed as he moved, and he felt a faint vibration coming from inside the attachment. It wasn’t painful, but he didn’t like feeling something work beneath his skin without knowing what it was doing.

"So I’m supposed to just get used to this?"

"Give it a chance first," Riven said.

Vladimir wanted to argue, but the pain was already easing. He hated that Solder had been right about that, too.

His pain soon faded. Once they let him go, he walked angrily toward the table, still checking the attachment with each step. "So? What do these even do?"

"The red one is called the Infernal Arm. It’s the most compatible with your abilities, and each finger can transform into a long blade," Solder explained.

"The blue one is the Glacial Arm. Aside from the elemental properties you could’ve guessed, it can transform into a long spear to pierce through your foes’ defenses."

"Lastly, the yellow one is the Thunder Arm. It can transform into an enormous drill to crush and destroy things. It also releases potent electricity, which you can store for a while before releasing it all at once, altering gravity around you to an extent. It’s the strongest and most dangerous, but also the hardest to master."

Vladimir looked from one arm to the next. The yellow one caught his attention, but he reached for the red one instead. If it worked with his abilities, he wanted to see how much he could do with it.

"Each finger, huh?" he asked, inspecting the hand.

"Yes, but start with moving them normally," Solder said. "You need to get used to the arm before trying anything else."

Riven glanced at Vladimir’s face. He didn’t seem particularly interested in that last part.

"Hmm..." Vladimir nodded and equipped the red arm.

CLANK!

The arm locked into the attachment, and Vladimir pulled on it to check whether it would hold. It didn’t budge. He flexed the fingers, watching them move as soon as he tried.

"That’s better," he muttered.

He turned his wrist, then bent his elbow. There was no delay, and he didn’t have to struggle with the metal to make it follow his movements.

Solder reached toward the arm to inspect the connection, but Vladimir pulled it away.

"Wait. I want to try something."

"Oh?!"

Vladimir felt a surge of power course through his arm and body. Then he smiled, glaring at Riven as psychic power burst from his arm and its fingers turned into long blades.

He spread the blades apart and watched the red metal stretch into place. His smile widened. A moment ago, he had only wanted to check whether the arm worked. Now he was already raising it.

"Not in here," Riven warned.

Vladimir glanced toward the ceiling instead of answering.

SLAAASH!

BOOOMMM!!!

A massive explosion struck the ceiling as Vladimir laughed, testing the arm inside the workshop without even considering the consequences of such a foolish act.

Pieces of the ceiling fell onto the table. Solder ducked and hurried to pull the other arms out of the way before the debris could hit them.

"Are you serious?!" he shouted, clutching the yellow arm.

Vladimir lowered his blades, still looking up at the damage. That had come out stronger than he expected, but judging by his grin, he wasn’t sorry about it.

Riven stepped around the fallen pieces and pointed at the table, where dust now covered the tools.

"What the hell are you doing?" Riven asked.

"Just testing it. Don’t get too mad!" Vladimir laughed mockingly.

Riven sighed. It was obvious Vladimir had done it on purpose to enrage him, but Riven wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. He quickly pulled Vladimir and his arms into a small bubble of psychic power, where he could no longer threaten any innocent lives.

Vladimir reached out and pressed his metal fingers against the bubble. When it didn’t give way, he pushed harder, looking straight at Riven as if that would change anything.

"Seriously? You’re putting me in this thing?"

"You blew up part of the ceiling," Riven said. "What did you expect?"

Vladimir glanced past him and the workers, then at the damaged ceiling. He pulled his arm back, but the grin on his face made it clear he still found the whole thing amusing.

Solder and his workers stepped back in awe of the Divine Lord’s power. Vladimir glared back at Riven, looking annoyed.

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