226. The Aozi I Stan
"（Farlician）Retreat, you filthy scraps of rusted iron!"
Lidevidens swung his blade, and crimson swordlight instantly covered the blade's surface, toppling thousands of mechanical soldiers. Their metal bodies promptly corroded, swarming with plump, wriggling maggots like rotting flesh.
He was once an Omega-tier powerhouse, a demigod knight, and the successor to Sharpfang Peak. Though a millennium's time had obliterated his stature and rotted his body, his skill remained immaculate.
He flicked his cursed sword coldly. With raw power, he subjugated the air as his slave, forcing it to pounce on his enemies like a well-trained hound. Intense friction from the scorching air slashes sparked glaring red flames.
[Meteor Slash]
A mandatory technique for high-level [Destruction]-path swordsmen.
As long as you fight within an atmosphere, [Meteor Slash] is both the simplest and most efficient way to attack. It can repel and suppress enemies at close range, or pick them off from afar with hit-and-run tactics.
Most importantly, it consumes no extraordinary energy whatsoever, but demands extremely rigorous skill with a blade.
Lidevidens swung his cursed red sword with cool detachment. His left foot stamped on ice and snow, his right foot trampled mechanical remains. Fire and frost intermingled, playing a literal "Song of Ice and Fire."
The rhythm of Destruction pulsed, and the assault of the Mechanical citizens grew all the more frenzied.
Lidevidens was utterly calm.
His mind and body perished twelve centuries ago. All that remained was a withered soul.
He had no complaints—driving out these [Society] citizens was simply his duty, like scratching an itch, sneezing, or spitting: removing harm clinging to his body.
That was all.
His heart was already dead; he could no longer feel excitement, nor hatred.
He merely repeated meaningless slaughter, wielding his weapon without any emotional fluctuation as a spirit.
「Mechanical Fusion•Transform•Heavy Armored Dragon Seibert!」
Off in the distance, Sophia Marlin was hurled against the mountainside. Three combat mechs reassembled into a red-and-white mechanical dragon bristling with heavy armaments. It slashed at the lake fairy with razor-sharp claws, slapping and tearing repeatedly. Its tail whipped the earth behind it as support, hoisting its enormous mass and letting its thick steel forefoot stomp mercilessly on Sophia Marlin.
Boom!
Dust and debris flew everywhere.
Lidevidens observed coolly, with no intention of intervening or helping.
The lake fairy and he merely cooperated. She insisted on protecting Farlicia's heroic tomb, but Lidevidens never asked for her help; they only shared the same objective.
He glanced over, then resumed his own killing.
Repetitive, monotonous, crushing slaughter.
His thoughts were dried out, his emotions faint—no gratitude, no adaptability.
He killed any foe he saw and spared any ally, all with the same apathetic disregard.
Perhaps because his divinity had eroded away for so long, even the Star Abyss curse no longer bothered with him.
Without this ongoing massacre stirring the mechs' fear, the world might have abandoned him long ago.
He raised his sword, about to clear the mechs on the next mountain, when suddenly a nimble figure flashed before him.
"Heave-ho!"
Caramel Snail leapt into the air, piloting a colonized trooper. He kicked off in mid-flight to change direction, raising his blood-pressure cannon and firing a volley, blowing apart several mechanical soldiers on the spot.
"Awesome—dead on every shot!"
Gary Don jumped over, launching a plasma grenade, and praised him.
"You flatter me; it's all thanks to this colonized trooper." Caramel Snail scratched his head sheepishly.
Gary Don rolled his eyes. "I was praising the gear's auto-aim."
"…(Yanxia civility)."
Caramel Snail mumbled. Suddenly he sensed something amiss behind him. Spinning around, he locked eyes with Lidevidens.
The pressure of an Epsilon-tier power bore down upon these two Delta-tier troopers, pinning the little Alpha-tiers in place.
"Crap—" Gary Don froze like he'd plunged into ice. "We're screwed. Is he gonna hold us accountable for setting that fire?"
Staring into his twelve pupils, Caramel Snail was momentarily unsure where to look. Yet, for reasons unknown, he felt none of Gary Don's terror.
A white wolf helmet, brass chains twined around the neck, faded armor, and the crimson cursed sword.
That image…looked so familiar.
Caramel Snail's mind blurred, green light flickered in his eyes.
「It's you, Knight Lidevidens…」
"（Farlician）…[God of Shattering Delusion] Gio 'Zeou.'"
Lidevidens spoke in a quiet spiritual murmur, addressing him directly:
"（Farlician）You continue in a different form, though it took five thousand years. Your grievance with the [Tailor]—may it finally end."
「All in all, I have returned.」
Caramel Snail smiled, lips closed, conversing face-to-face with Lidevidens:
「And I am not the only one who's back.」
With those words, Caramel Snail deliberately glanced at Gary Don.
"（Farlician）…Him as well?"
「All of them.」
Caramel Snail nodded, confirming it.
For an instant, the shriveled heart in Lidevidens's chest seemed to stir.
Lidevidens turned away, saying nothing.
Gary Don watched him depart, scratching his head, then looked at Caramel Snail, who looked equally puzzled:
"What was that about?"
"I dunno. I'm a casual gamer—why ask me?"
Caramel Snail shrugged, raising his blood-pressure cannon with a delighted grin:
"Time to mow 'em down!"
Gary Don grumbled:
"What kind of 'casual gamer' has play hours like a pro? Your family should get you a healthy gaming schedule. Don't know if you're in a STEM college or an esports school."
"Look, Gary Don—this blood-pressure cannon's got a neat trick. Like this:"
Caramel Snail lifted the cannon, switching to a 10x scope, and shot at something shadowy in the distance:
"Zzz—Boom!"
Pressurized steam ejected, the heated, compressed blood fluid streaking across kilometers, leaving a red blot on the target.
For fun, Caramel Snail used the blood-pressure cannon to carefully outline a double-cannon motif:
"Ehehehahahaha! So much fun!"
"Damn impressive. Let me draw Marin Kitagawa on its back, then Shiosan Mayumi…"
Caramel Snail laughed brightly, about to paint an old man face. But suddenly, the target in the scope whirled around, four thrusters on its back spurting purple flames as it hurtled straight at them.
[Warning! You have provoked 'Mechanical Councilor•Heavy Armored Dragon Seibert' (Zeta-tier)!]
Gary Don flung the blood-pressure cannon aside, fleeing at once:
"Rookie! What the hell did you do? You pissed off a Mechanical councilor!"
"Huh?"
Caramel Snail was still reveling in his artistic approach. He looked up to see a twenty-meter mechanical dragon bristling with heavy weaponry charging directly at them.
「You—lowly—ants—!」
The mechanical dragon opened its jaws, spewing dense purple flames for hundreds of meters, engulfing Caramel Snail completely.
This was bad…no escape.
The inferno distorted the air, battering the biomechanical gear. Even through the armor, Caramel Snail felt the searing heat. He raised an arm to shield himself, blurting:
"I'm sorry, I messed up! I promise I'll never troll-snipe again—"
Clang!
A blade pierced time and space, stabbing into the ground before him.
Boom————!
The flames collided with the sword like hitting a wall, dividing and flowing around Caramel Snail on both sides.
「In the name of Sharpfang Peak…」
A slender young girl touched down ahead of Caramel Snail. She raised her hand toward the sword barring the flames, gripping it firmly:
「We shall hammer and forge this entire world!」
One foot planted beside Caramel Snail, her boot entwined by metallic particles, forming a layer of armor. Next, a familiar voice rang out:
"Looking rough, Snail."
"…Eh?"
That voice.
Caramel Snail raised his head. Wrapped in swirling metallic armor, Li Aozi fitted a biomechanical helmet in place, rotating it side to side to secure it.
Red magical energy traced his tear-stained cheeks, revealing his breathtaking features. Li Aozi turned and flashed Caramel Snail a gentle grin:
"Hey, miss me?"
Caramel Snail's eyes lit up:
「Leoz—er, Li Aozi!」
The metallic helmet sealed around Li Aozi's face, scarlet light shining through the slitted visor. The lower edge of the helmet split open, revealing a row of sharp crimson fangs:
"Stand up. I still need you, O Descender."
He extended a hand, waiting for Caramel Snail's response.
Jania shot them a glance, snorted, then shouted:
「True Name Activation! Fierce Iron King!」
Pop!
Caramel Snail resolutely clasped Li Aozi's hand and sprang up.
Li Aozi smiled beneath his helmet, then his gaze sharpened. With a simple gesture:
「Let the forge blaze, the hammer strike in sequence, the body formed of iron, the soul molded of titanium.」
As Jania's words rang out, her figure projected behind Li Aozi. In the next instant, a fierce crimson lightning bolt rended the sky!
Crackle!
Red light shone from every gap of Li Aozi's armor. Vivid scarlet magic burst forth like a waterfall of blood, pouring onto the ground and rapidly spreading outward—fast as wildfire, igniting on contact.
Massive amounts of steel, mechanical debris, and the Mechanical's alloy terrain instantly fell under his dominion, subject to Li Aozi's command.
「Such an environment…perfect for our battlefield! Gather all metal under heaven and offer it to the great monarch as tribute!」
Metal from all directions was stripped away at once, swirling at high speed under Jania's power. Centered above Li Aozi's head, tens of millions of metallic fragments surged into a fierce metal storm streaked with crimson lightning and laced with cruel, maniacal laughter.
Vuhahahahaha…
Cruel, snarling laughter echoed across the sky.
Within a blazing red magic circle, a monstrous steel spirit emerged from the eye of the metal tempest. Horns like those of a ram jutted boldly from its head. Its massive body, easily three hundred meters tall, could only partially extend from the swirling maelstrom.
Even so, its figure towered nearly three hundred meters.
Spreading its arms, it embraced the snowy mountains. In its U-shaped pupils burned a radiance as hot as the sun. Indescribable markings formed bizarre script. Anyone who gazed upon them felt raw terror and dazed awe, eyes stabbed repeatedly by invisible needles. Blood inside the skull churned and twisted into hammering swords, skewering the brain from within, killing on the spot.
「Fierce Iron King • Karachia descends upon this world. All mortal worms shall bow in submission!」
[Fierce Iron King: Activated]
[You have gained a temporary status: [Blood Lord]—you may directly manipulate divalent iron ions within a 600-meter radius. Any entity attempting to attack you must forcibly undergo an 'anemia' [Constitution] check.]
"The range tripled…Jania, your trust in me has grown."
Li Aozi tilted his head, looking at Jania.
「Shut up!」 Jania glared. 「I just don't want another sword-bearer dying on me, that's all.」
With that, she paused and glanced at the vicious mechanical dragon, speaking seriously:
「Li Aozi, you absolutely cannot die! If you dare die, I'll kill you!」
"Sure, sure, I definitely won't die."
Li Aozi gripped his sword. Caramel Snail asked:
"Hey, Li Aozi, why show up now?"
"You're confused?"
"Because the outcome's basically set. If you stayed in hiding and healed up, sooner or later the councilors would be beaten, or White Candle Star would develop immunity. You could've just waited, right?"
"Looks like you've learned a lot—did the lake fairy tell you? Such a shame, I can't just sit still."
Li Aozi raised a hand, pointing at the Mechanical councilors:
"I want the renown for defeating [Society] and saving civilization."
He tightened his grip on the Fate Awakening Sword, speaking flippantly:
"I need to fulfill this sword's promise, uphold my principles, reinforce trust, and establish my persona. I plan to pull that off."
"I want this, and that, everything good belongs to me."
"I'm so beautiful, so powerful, the entire world loves me. Obviously, this world revolves around me! No, this world is mine! Nobody else can have it."
Under Caramel Snail's watchful gaze, Li Aozi lifted his sword, declaring calmly:
"Leoz is quite greedy, you know!"
「Leee—oooz—!」
The mechanical dragon rapidly transformed back into Magnetic Machina Deity Umbra, roaring toward Leoz:
「You're finished! I'll banish you to the void forever! And you, rookie—I'll rip you apart and grind your soul underfoot. Kneel and apologize!」
"Snail," Li Aozi said quietly. "Can you keep up with me?"
"—Hell yeah!"
Caramel Snail steadied himself, turning to face Umbra with his katana drawn:
"Apologize for what? I did nothing wrong!"