154. Cold Bite
"So, your name is Jian Nierlia?"
"Listen up, you pretty-faced brat, I'm your granddaddy, Nomi Anderson Guesset! If you dare call me by that name again, I'll crush your spine to bits!"
--------------------
Bang!
The giant wrench smashed the ground as Li Aozi sprang upward. His chain lashed out, coiling around Nomi's weapon. With a strong pull, he propelled himself toward her.
"WuraAAAAA—"
Nomi threw her head back, slamming it down like a hammer. Li Aozi quickly shifted his stance, springing off the back of her head with both feet. His chain retracted, wrapping around her neck. Infused with Qi, it glowed with searing heat, melting her decayed flesh like butter.
--------------------
"Don't be fooled by my small size; I was the big shot of the Rose Army guerrillas."
--------------------
Nomi's head hit the ground, yet her headless body showed no signs of stopping. Raising razor-sharp claws, she grabbed Li Aozi, tore him from herself, and slammed him into the ground. Her palms multiplied cells into worm-like tendrils that gnawed at his body.
Clang!
Li Aozi raised his left hand, forming a defensive Qi shield. The crimson aura expanded, throwing Nomi off. He slapped the ground and quickly regained his stance to face her again.
Boom—
Nomi staggered backward. On the ground, her severed head twisted violently as fresh flesh and bones sprouted. The grotesque growth extended several meters, reconnecting to her body. To balance her elongated neck, she dropped to all fours, snatched up her fallen wrench, and lunged at Li Aozi again!
She whipped her serpentine neck, her head crashing down in front of him. Li Aozi held his chain steady, retreating with measured steps to evade her snapping strikes. Suddenly, she feinted a head lunge. Using the momentum of her neck, she swung her body, sending the industrial wrench into an unpredictable arc that slammed into Li Aozi.
[Dragon Style•Deflection Technique]
Li Aozi swiftly flicked his left hand, a Qi flow expertly intercepting the blow. With a clenched fist, he summoned demonic red flames around his eyes, concentrating surging Qi into his knuckles mid-air.
[Focused Qi Strike]
Li Aozi descended, unleashing a massive overhead blow. Crimson Qi erupted in a shockwave, scattering dust and debris before being swallowed by a raging vortex of power.
Boom!!!
Nomi's body collapsed, bones shattering as she sank into the soil. Yet within moments, her cells regenerated, growing even larger. Her organs and limbs expanded uncontrollably, resembling a blooming rose of flesh.
Wind surged through her gaping respiratory tract as countless additional arms sprouted from her fractured body. Like a tidal wave, they clawed toward Li Aozi. Some were incomplete yet still formed tongues or teeth to launch volleys of grotesque projectiles.
Clink, clink—
Li Aozi swung his chain, forming a shield. He deftly deflected the flying objects while shifting his free hand into intricate gestures, channeling demonic energy within.
[Demonic Ripple]
Li Aozi's sclera turned pitch black as a fierce, malevolent aura erupted. He infused the chain with this energy, pulverizing the incoming barrage. The chain surged with demonic power.
With a powerful swing, a dark serpent shot forth, piercing Nomi's body. The force lifted her from the ground and pinned her to the Flesh Tree.
Bang!
Li Aozi stood unmoving. With hands pressed down, he concentrated Qi at his core, directing his energy outward. In front of his chest, a crimson sphere of Qi compressed under mounting pressure and heat.
Struggling, Nomi clutched the demonic spear-chain embedded in her. With a howl of wind, she ripped it free and fell to the ground. Raising her head, she saw the blazing sphere of energy.
Li Aozi unleashed a devastating punch into the Qi sphere.
Fully charged [Dragon Style•Energy Cannon].
Boom!!!
Energy overflowed, fracturing the land. The surge of demonic Qi ignited the battlefield, creating a sun-like explosion. The white sands turned to glass under the heat, and the Flesh Tree behind her was consumed in flames, its grotesque remains writhing in agony.
It was a vision of hell.
Nomi's body burned in the Qi's flames, kneeling as her proliferated organs and limbs charred and fell away. Cracking sounds echoed as her corrupted features peeled off.
What remained before Li Aozi was a petite corpse of a girl.
Half her face was missing, likely scavenged by wildlife. Her intact right side, frozen by snow, obscured her expression. Egg-white locks lay matted in her own blood.
Li Aozi ceased his attack and observed in silence.
Amid the frost and snow, the girl slowly raised her head. Hollow eyes reflected his towering form.
She was awake.
With each death, the entropy's chains binding Nomi loosened. Her dormant soul finally stirred.
"A Red Arrow man… another Red Arrow man… I thought I was forgotten."
Her torn throat emitted faint, unclear words.
"I once vowed to save the Outside World, freeing them from the Four Nations' tyranny—but I perished by their hands."
She glanced at the wrench and murmured:
"Was I wrong? I don't know. My comrades who fought beside me… do they still resist the nations? Or have they joined them? Is rebellion's fate to become new oppressors?"
Fixing her gaze on Li Aozi, she reached for the wrench:
"…But there is one thing I won't abandon."
"Even born of darkness, I will fight for light. Barbarity and treachery won't deter me."
"Nomi Anderson Guesset, last of the Rose Army, still fights!"
Raising the wrench like a sword, she seemed to shed Entropy's chains. With resolute spirit, she advanced toward Li Aozi.
He stood silent.
As she neared ten meters, Nomi suddenly leveled the wrench and charged.
Her weapon crashed down, narrowly missing as Li Aozi sidestepped. She spun, wrench grazing his brow in a ferocious arc.
On the third strike, Nomi lunged, twisting her body to bring the wrench down like lightning!
Boom!
The wrench embedded in the soil. Li Aozi calmly stepped back, unscathed.
He looked down. Nomi knelt on one knee, gripping her weapon. Her trembling fingers exhaled mist with every labored breath, coughing out chunks of decayed flesh.
"…So this is it."
Nomi raised her head to meet Li Aozi's gaze:
"I couldn't even harm one imperialist."
"The fiercest battles are over. The world is at peace. Perhaps no one will fight anymore."
"Hey… stranger. What's your name?"
After a pause, he answered:
"Li Aozi."
Nomi rested her head on the wrench, her gaze fading:
"Unfamiliar name… I wish you greatness, stranger."
Snap.
Before she could finish, a warm hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see the man before her.
"Stop the cryptic monologues, kid. Make your intentions clear."
Li Aozi crouched, patting her shoulder:
"You don't want to die, do you, Nomi?"
"Who wants to die… but I have no choice. Death is my best escape."
Shaking her head, Nomi's frail frame swayed in the wind:
"It's the fate of Outside Worlders—born in darkness, die in darkness."
"Not necessarily."
Li Aozi extended his hand:
"Nomi, look up, gaze at the sky."
Switching to his true form, Li Aozi raised his hand, channeling his will into the white obelisk.
[Liberate Omega Power—[Blood of Immortality]?]
[Warning: Liberation forfeits Omega Power and Pathway infrastructure permanently.]
This was the moment of decision.
Liberation would release her fragmented soul, reuniting it with her remnants for true revival.
But it also meant permanently losing Omega Power.
[Blood of Immortality] had supported Li Aozi's rise, earning him renown and saving him countless times. With vast potential, it could ascend to Omega Tier.
A pragmatic mind would never relinquish such power. Blood of Immortality—true to its name.
Mortal or immortal, none resist eternity's allure.
Amid the chaos, visions of a turbulent ocean filled Li Aozi's mind. The cold, red-black sun loomed in his thoughts, its detached words resonating clearly:
「Through chaos, you have descended here—the 10,752nd deity born today. Now, take up your sword and die for His Majesty Morphedria.」
Mortals cannot bear the sacrifice of eternal life.
"But a god can."
Li Aozi pressed the interface.
[You have liberated the Omega Power—[Blood of Immortality]].