187. Moon Echo
"That was… a bit too much."
Li Aozi looked at the half-destroyed city he had obliterated and scratched his head awkwardly.
It had been too long since he had used gravity powers, and the consecutive tier ascensions made him momentarily forget he was no longer a Gamma-tier mortal.
The instinctive gravitational crush combined with the ripples of echoing power resulted in unimaginable destruction.
The ground's center caved in like a meteor impact, forming a massive 12-kilometer radius crater. Underground gas pipelines exploded into flames, and a mushroom cloud lingered in the sky for thirty minutes without dissipating.
Buildings toppled in rows, as if swept by a hurricane. A grotesque vortex dragged half the city into an abyss. The air pressure, affected by gravity, became dense and heavy, compressing masses of air. When the gravity was lifted, the compressed air unleashed a shockwave that swept across the land.
Steel shattered, buildings were severed at their midpoints, bridges collapsed, and the ground was torn apart by terrifying fissures.
Even though he had experienced this countless times in the game, witnessing the destructive power of Zeta-tier sequence Omega Energy—even at the lower end of the tier—still left Li Aozi breathless.
Because this attack had been casual, it hadn't even depleted his energy bar.
The reason Zeta-tier beings were called the Earthly Gods of primitive civilizations was self-evident.
Possessing multiple sequence Omega Energies, Li Aozi's dominance over Delta-tier armored foes was overwhelmingly crushing—it could hardly be called a massacre since all it took was a thought. The earth trembled at his will, swaying twice to produce waves that, combined with his echoing power, reduced an entire city to ruins.
Li Aozi even felt that if he wished, he could lift an entire island into the sky.
He abandoned the use of sword combat—compared to the devastation his calamitous powers could unleash, swordsmanship was simply too slow.
Using gravity, Li Aozi lifted skyscrapers from the ground to form towering floating islands around him. This required minimal energy, and he bulldozed through everything in his path. Armored forces approaching him were pulverized by the whirlwind created by his high-speed movement.
People referred to sequence Omega Energies as calamitous forces, and Zeta-tier beings who wielded them were walking disasters.
The most critical factor was how Li Aozi's [Stellar Echoer] resonated harmoniously with his destructive waves and gravitational oscillations, amplifying his destructive range to a terrifying level.
If an ordinary [Echoer] was a ship's nightmare, then Li Aozi was a complete nightmare to any massed armies.
If not for the dimensional barriers slowing him down, the entire city might have already been dismantled.
Now, Li Aozi couldn't say for certain whether his destruction or that of "Remaining Moon" was worse.
He had been tracking the scent of Lucite's group, but it vanished at a shopping center.
"Could it be because of the seismic disturbance I caused?"
Li Aozi was momentarily speechless. Even communicating with elements wasn't helping—the disaster he'd caused had overly stimulated the earth elements in this area, which overwhelmed the air elements and disrupted their ability to carry scent information back to him.
With no other choice, Li Aozi descended his floating island cluster and began a ground search. Fortunately, all the armored units in the vicinity had been cleared, allowing him to search swiftly.
The ruins didn't hinder Li Aozi's exploration. With a thought, a subway tunnel rose from the ground. His precise control made gravity as effective as telekinesis. With his high [Charisma], he could adapt to the environment better. Li Aozi delved into the underground, nearing an air-raid shelter where numerous student and armored soldier corpses lay.
Descending further into the shelter, now flooded, Li Aozi had to tear open cracks to drain the water. Even so, the complex terrain and ruined debris continued to block his way.
"This isn't getting anywhere—I'd better find someone to ask for directions."
Scanning the area, Li Aozi located a fallen patrol squad member. He placed a hand on the head, and his eyes glowed with a black, magical light:
"Rise, my corpse."
The [Death Prison] divinity granted him the ability to resurrect targets as undead. While this power had no upper limit, Li Aozi couldn't grant bonuses or upgrades to his undead creations. In this regard, it was inferior to the divinity of "Remaining Moon," who had likely unlocked the [Chaos Origin] divinity, allowing control over so many armored units.
Li Aozi was all too familiar with it—spawning waves of armored troops was a signature strategy of [Psionics] users, as they were the only class that could masterfully develop Omega Energy at Zeta-tier and casually implant Omega Energy seeds into armored offshoots.
Even with his loan-based grind to help players power level, Li Aozi couldn't match such rapid progression. It was a divergence in development paths.
Likewise, [Psionics] users lacked the devastating large-scale destruction capabilities of [Echoers].
The undead soldier's transformation was immediate. His corpse shriveled and grayed. Though not decayed, a chilling aura of death emanated from his body.
"Kut Rikson, reporting to your majesty."
Revived from the patrol squad, the undead soldier knelt before Li Aozi. His eyes burned with a blue-green flame, signifying his thoughts and soul had been ignited. Without this flame, he would cease to exist.
Despite lacking self-awareness, he retained some ability to communicate, which was what Li Aozi valued.
"Have you seen an armored Silus catfish person and a curly-haired Tanas man wearing a faded ring?"
The undead solemnly replied:
"When the earthquake struck, they were with Mordot's group in the shelter. I was crushed, but they likely escaped alive."
"Mordot's group, huh?" Li Aozi nodded. "Where were you headed?"
"We were en route to the graduate school to meet the student council president, a retired Zeta-tier veteran—Corena Iberis," the undead said flatly.
It sounded reasonable; seeking a Zeta-tier ally to confront "Remaining Moon" was a wise move.
Yet, Li Aozi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"Earlier, I sensed your presence in the magic tower's library. What were you doing there?"
"Mordot claimed we needed to replenish our weapons and strength, so he led everyone to the forbidden library to copy numerous magic scrolls."
The forbidden library?
Li Aozi frowned.
Others might not know, but Li Aozi was well aware.
The magic tower's library at White Candle Interstellar University housed… fragments of the Identification Eye.
Coincidence? Li Aozi doubted it.
"Tell me everything you experienced along the way."
He grabbed the undead and accelerated, flying straight toward the graduate school.
Since Mordot's group was heading there, meeting them at the destination seemed best. If anything suspicious arose, Li Aozi would already have made contact with the Zeta-tier veteran Corena and held the upper hand.
"After entering the forbidden library, Mordot suddenly sought a powerful magic book, claiming his mentor had instructed him to use it if necessary."
"What was the book called?"
Li Aozi increased his speed, probing and colliding with dimensional barriers using his floating islands.
As the graduate school came into view, the undead answered:
"The Fate Deck of Lyle Swindler."
Li Aozi stopped abruptly and turned around immediately.
"Damn it, that's a fragment of the Identification Eye!"
The patrol squad had been duped. Mordot's true goal was obtaining forbidden knowledge.
No wonder so many students had perished; Mordot must have deliberately sacrificed them.
Was his aim to monopolize the Identification Eye fragment, or was he in cahoots with "Remaining Moon" during the attack on Trivira? Li Aozi couldn't tell.
The only thing he knew was that Lucite and Hobbs, following Mordot, were undoubtedly in danger.