Chapter 13: The True Way to Unlock the Artifact
A yellow and silver figure collided at incredible speed on the streets of Washington, D.C.
Abomination's bulging, muscular green fist smashed against Xi Nian's dark gold round shield. From the rooftop behind, the US soldier watching the battle would never forget the horrifying sight.
At the moment of impact, the air seemed to freeze. Half a city block fell silent. The quiet was so absolute that one could hear their own heartbeat and breathing, and survivors instinctively held their breaths.
Then, a terrifying semi-transparent shockwave radiated outward from the center where the green monster and the silver-haired boy stood. The ground beneath them peeled away in a layer, and broken streetlights, windows, car windows, and glass doors were all obliterated.
It was as if a modern missile had struck, or a meteor had fallen from the sky.
Even thirty meters away, the US soldier was blasted by the aftershock, ears ringing, body hurled into a living room, pinned by the intense wind pressure.
And this was just the beginning of the fight.
Abomination pressed its fist against the dark gold shield, continuously applying force. The shield radiated a faint divine light, absorbing most of the impact. Yet even the residual force shattered the ground beneath Xi Nian.
Xi Nian countered Abomination's punch with a shield strike. His eyes glanced at the monster's arm and then to the vintage sword slanted into the ground behind it.
Without that sword, even Abomination's skin defense could not be breached.
This was why Xi Nian had taken the initiative to attack.
He held the shield firmly, refusing to retreat, planning to pass by Abomination and reclaim the sword.
Abomination, seemingly aware of Xi Nian's intention, twisted into a sinister grin and brought another fist crashing down, leaving no chance for escape.
Boom!!
The cracked road beneath him gave way first, forming a half-meter-deep circular pit.
Xi Nian stood at the center, boots sinking into the earth. Facing unprecedented danger, he remained upright, steadying the dark gold shield.
Just that morning, he had been an ordinary high school student.
Now, he was calm to an almost impossible degree.
Perhaps it was the divinity inherited from his aunt's power, rendering his emotions transparent. Or perhaps he was simply born for battle now.
As he endured Abomination's relentless pounding, his mind worked at lightning speed to devise a strategy.
What weapons did he have besides the sword?
Ah, yes.
As he thought this, Abomination suddenly released the shield, grabbed it with one hand, and swung the other toward Xi Nian's head.
Without hesitation, Xi Nian released the shield in his right hand and raised his arm as a makeshift shield.
Abomination's massive green fist struck his hand—or more precisely, the silver bracelet on his wrist.
Vibrating with power, the bracelet unleashed a silver energy that forcibly nullified the blow.
"I knew it!" Xi Nian exclaimed.
A body full of artifacts—this was no joke.
Abomination, failing to land a hit, swung its head like a giant green hammer, hurling Xi Nian and his shield fifty meters away.
He bounced across the ground, smashing into a car door, deforming the vehicle.
"Almost got reckless. The crown isn't just defensive?" Xi Nian muttered, lying on the wrecked car, forehead burning, removing the silver crown from his head.
The crown was undamaged, finely engraved, elegant—but compared to the shield and bracelets infused with divine power, it seemed modest.
Yet as he held the silver crown, he realized it resembled a ranged weapon.
"Could it be?"
Xi Nian thought quickly, standing and throwing the crown forward at Abomination.
If his aunt knew, would she scold him? The thought flashed through his mind.
The crown flew through the night, transforming into a thin, elusive silver streak.
Abomination paused mid-charge. A blood blossom appeared from its left eye. The crown arced around its body and returned to Xi Nian's hand.
The crown remained pristine, elegant, untouched by blood. Xi Nian shivered at the thought.
Who would have guessed?
The most beautiful, noble silver crown was also the deadliest hidden weapon.
Or perhaps this was the true way to activate the artifact.
After losing its right eye and receiving a scar on the left, Abomination could not accept the situation. Blood-filled, cracked, one-eyed and bloated, it charged Xi Nian recklessly.
Xi Nian reflected the approaching monster in his silver eyes. He quickly raised his left arm, bracelet-clad, as a shield, and for extra security, his right hand followed suit.
Unexpectedly, when his bracelets collided, a mechanism triggered.
A clear metallic chime rang. In that instant, divine energy surged, converging on the crossed bracelets.
Vibrant energy exploded in front of Xi Nian, sparing him entirely, but everything nearby—including dust and the charging Abomination—was blasted away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Abomination crashed into one building, passed through, hit a second, and finally stopped against a third, furious and humiliated.
Imagine—at peak power, believing it invincible, a level 70 challenger had provoked it. When it tried to crush him, the boy revealed full-level divine artifacts.
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