227.FATE Awakening Sword (Part 1)
Whoosh——
Li Aozi tore through a stream of light, spanning several kilometers. Caramel Snail immediately dove into the fray, clashing with the enemy.
With the Fierce Iron King unleashed, flight was forbidden. Relying on this advantage, Li Aozi instantly lunged at the Magnetic Machina Deity. Compared to his mere two-meter stature, the deity's towering twenty-meter frame made him seem minuscule.
Minuscule, yet impossible to ignore.
The sword blade spun at high velocity, carving a perfect arc in midair before striking down precisely.
[Bloodline] granted monstrous strength.
Bang!
The Magnetic Machina Deity raised its magnetic shield in defense, but the heavy sword blow knocked it over—shield and all.
「What is this power——?!」
In its moment of astonishment, Li Aozi dragged a crimson trail as he charged again. Facing its colossal figure, he raised his blade.
[Gravity] granted high-speed momentum.
He lifted his sword, building power, and ghostly purple miasma coiled around the sword's edge.
Then——
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Like a raging tempest, a barrage of lightning-fast slashes rained down. The overwhelming force and gravitational acceleration required no extraneous technique. Li Aozi simply swung, cleaved, hacked, smashed, drove, and thrust.
Dashing and cutting in high-speed flight, he unleashed a ferocious, rapid sword dance that overpowered the Magnetic Machina Deity Umbra. It struggled to maintain its shield, shouting in shock and anger:
「Impossible! You're only a pseudo-Zeta-tier ascendant—how do you possess such strength?!」
"Because the world adores me, favors me, and dotes on me! It knows full well who will treat it kindly, who it loves most."
Li Aozi's figure shot skyward, streaking toward the firmament. Meanwhile, his hands moved swiftly, reconfiguring the Omega Energy sequence.
「Don't think you can escape!」
Umbra raised its arm. Like a swarm of locusts, countless aircraft poured forth. Legions of autonomous mechs transformed on the spot into anti-air cannons, launching barrage after barrage of supersonic missiles and lasers—a grandiose symphony.
Reinforced Ability Capsule • Omega Energy Link
[Sequence 9 • Gravity]—stacking.
Li Aozi's eyes glowed with golden rings, his body expanding an invisible gravitational field that repelled all gaseous matter, forming a vacuum sphere.
"Do you know what the [Domination] path means?"
[Sequence 56 • Remaining Moon]—stacking.
Both gauntlets turned a pale blue. The nearby space-time distorted unpredictably, his figure flickering like a mosaic.
"The higher your [Charisma], the more this world loves you. The more your actions align with Star Abyss's values, until even Star Abyss surrenders to my [Charisma], at my mercy."
[Sequence 77 • Calamity]—stacking.
Purple-red fortune seeped through the seams of Li Aozi's helmet, warping the threads of fate.
"Man or woman, living or dead, old folks or children, carbon particles, black holes, space-time, history, timelines, concepts—whatever exists, it's only natural that all eyes are upon me, for all I do is repay Star Abyss for its affection."
[Sequence 82 • Bloodline]—stacking.
"So, you see…"
Breaking through the atmosphere, Li Aozi stood atop the azure starry expanse, sword in one hand, the other hand rubbing his fingertips as he spoke casually:
"This world exists solely to be dominated by me."
[Your behavior greatly pleases White Candle Star; it firmly agrees with your thoughts and presence.]
[White Candle Star fully embraces you: your faction/interest group/species will gradually become native to White Candle Star and will not be discriminated against or rejected.]
[You have received a White Candle Star exclusive buff: while within this planet's atmosphere, you have infinite stamina, regenerate 6% of your maximum mana per second, and recover 2% of your maximum health every 5 seconds (doubled out of combat).]
Zing——
Scarlet lightning burst from his iron armor. Li Aozi's figure plummeted at once, purplish-red rings binding Umbra's body on the ground.
Umbra struggled, unable to repel the creeping disaster force.
「I can't move—damned Omega Energy!」
As Li Aozi freefell at high speed, his body flickered between two-dimensional and three-dimensional space. Missiles and lasers struck him in vain. Undeterred, his velocity only soared, friction igniting a searing crimson glow in the surrounding air.
"Quadra-Unity: Ultimate Crimson!"
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble——
The heavens splintered. Those circular rings around Umbra rose sequentially, guiding Li Aozi's trajectory. Each time he passed through a ring, a vivid spray of blood erupted from within his armor, forming six crimson ribbons trailing behind him like living beings, propelling him further!
A dazzling crimson plummeted.
Umbra couldn't dodge. It was instantly swallowed in red. Radiant blood surged like a tsunami across the snowy peaks, turning the ice fields deep scarlet in a flash. In mere moments, the snowy mountains became mountains of blood. The raging flood of crimson water annihilated billions of tons of permanent ice. Such overwhelming energy even erased half of the 1,865-kilometer Austro Mountain Range from the map in an instant!
Heaven and earth trembled, mountains and rivers shifted.
Yet White Candle Star forgave Li Aozi's little prank.
Compared to his greater undertaking, such destruction was trivial.
The flood of crimson melt roared onward, merging into rivers, lakes, and seas. Li Aozi's bloodline became nourishment for countless creatures, and with White Candle Star's acceptance, the entire natural ecosystem welcomed his genetic presence. In a few hundred years, perhaps new species inspired by him would arise on this planet.
But that would come later.
Thud.
Li Aozi dropped to one knee, crimson flames dancing wildly behind him. Umbra's body was annihilated in that instant.
[Ultimate Crimson] combined four Omega Energy sequences, enough to obliterate a Zeta-tier councilor in one blow.
From Li Aozi's past life experience: defeat all three councilors in their fused form and take them out in one strike. They would share a single resurrection timer—based on the level of Umbra/Malansh/Seibert.
Umbra focused on overall balance and intelligence gathering; Malansh specialized in melee charging; Seibert excelled in firepower and demolition.
Each form was formidable. If allowed to fight indefinitely, resurrecting and growing stronger, nobody could match it. After thousands of deaths, it might even surpass Omega-tier.
Splitting them up would let the three councilors recover too fast. Beating the fused state was the real key to victory.
Li Aozi rose, sensing White Candle Star's blessing and favor. The entire world seemed so enchanting in his eyes. Even Azure Star's affection paled to a fraction of White Candle Star's.
If not for having a home base on Azure Star, he'd be tempted to settle here.
Creak.
At that moment, a crack appeared on the Fate Awakening Sword in Li Aozi's hand.