116. Sever Gold, Slash Steel
The proliferating metallic blades burst forth violently. Draphis twisted her mechanical body with uncanny dexterity, moving in ways that defied normal human physiology. Steam shot from her elbows and toes as she shifted left and right, her evasive movements a blur.
Clang!
Li Aozi swept horizontally with his greatsword. Draphis stepped on one of the blades, the searing electromagnetic force causing her to shudder, only to be instantly flung away.
"Feeble atta—"
[King of Iron and Steel]
Boom!
With a swing of his sword, a violent crimson lightning erupted. Draphis was struck, and in the next moment, the wooden cabin cracked apart under the roar of the thunderstorm.
Whoosh, crash!
Draphis' body crashed into the forest, red arcs sparking from her disjointed parts. She spun elegantly, like a ballerina, toes pointing as her upper body steadied itself—standing on one leg. Her electronic eyes locked onto Li Aozi, analyzing his identity.
[Access Code: WG-190-1010]
[Access to student database granted]
[Matching individual detected: First-year student, Leoz—match rate: 99.99%]
Screech—Bang!
Draphis turned, one hand behind her back, her gaze full of provocation:
"You shouldn't have mentioned [Society], carbon runt."
"You shouldn't have disturbed my peaceful life."
Li Aozi jumped down from the ruined cabin, gripping his sword in one hand. With Janier's assistance, he recalled the blades and reformed them into armor.
The energy consumption of [Armed Empire] was considerably low, making it far more suitable for this forest environment.
Both stood silent, observing each other, waiting for an opening.
[Mechanical Society]Mashgegang, a middle-level society at three hundred ranks, was categorized as a predator type.
Predator [Societies] featured exceptionally powerful leaders but lacked skill in infiltration or concealment. They typically conquered entire civilizations in sweeping assaults, collapsing the core, and eventually summoning the physical embodiment of [Society] to consume the fallen civilization.
However, every [Society] faced the same limitation: when invading a civilization, the individual capabilities of its members were restricted by that civilization's upper limits.
In other words, if that civilization's maximum was the Gamma tier, the invading citizens could only reach Gamma tier at most, starting from a basic power level.
Fortunately, Li Aozi had anticipated the arrival of these monsters and had been preparing all along.
[Detection of societal invasion confirmed. As a Bronze Hunter, you are granted the following information:]
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[Name]: Machina-Soul Draphis
[Faction]: [Mechanical Society - Mashgegang]
[Title]: Jury Member
[Rank]: Heavy Forge (11%)
[Existence Value]: 109,333/110,000
[Mechanical Energy]: Full
[Attributes]:
'Saint Core' Output: 5200 kW
Thruster Output: 90,000 kg
Resistances: Beam, Physical Impact, Shearing
Materials:
Saint Core *1
Self-repairing Liquid Metal
Mithril
[Tier Conversion]: Delta Tier (Imminent Breakthrough)
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"Delta tier, decent enough."
This tier was just right—within his tolerance.
Even without Omega Energy, Li Aozi wielding the Divine Sword could still wipe her out.
[Elemental Architecture]
His toes touched the ground, and the earth immediately thrust up a stone slab. Li Aozi shot forward, the gale aiding his movement, his form blurring into a trail of afterimages as he closed in on his opponent. Draphis quickly raised her leg, her foot ejecting a long, sharp blade that swung ferociously toward Li Aozi.
Clang!
Blades clashed. Li Aozi twisted his wrist, angling the sword to deflect the slash while his feet moved in rapid succession. His brain worked at lightning speed, causing a depression to form beneath Draphis' other foot, allowing him to circle around her and slash downward with all his might!
[King of Iron and Steel]
Crunch!
Draphis raised an arm to block. The residual force caused her shoulder and neck to twist awkwardly, her artificial skin peeling away under the sparking impact to reveal half of a mechanical skull.
But in the next instant, Li Aozi sensed an immense power surge from her body. Her steam heart increased its pressure, boosting her output, and his sword was knocked aside.
"Ha! Pathetic and weak!"
Draphis let out a screeching burst of electricity, swinging her arm fiercely. The brutal force, amplified by steam-piston-powered joints, left Li Aozi almost no room to dodge. He lifted his sword horizontally, barely managing to block the punch.
Boom!
Li Aozi was flung back, his hands stinging in pain. He quickly deactivated the colonial body's pain receptors, spending genetic points to reinforce his palms, adding metallic elements to his bones.
He couldn't keep up this direct confrontation for long, even with the passive effect of [Physical Reinforcement].
Draphis raised her head, one hand behind her back, her foot poised atop the blade—ignoring her ghastly half-burned face—like an elegant dancer.
"How many of your fellow citizens came with you?" Li Aozi suddenly asked.
"I'll tell you when you reach the Abyss."
With that, Draphis leaped, unleashing a fierce flying kick!
Li Aozi backed away while countering with precise sword strikes, attempting to deplete her attack frequency as much as possible. Through the blade, he gauged her strength and anticipated her next move.
Senses fully heightened, his strong [Charisma] resonated with the elements of the world. The forest echoed with murmurs, and suddenly, the nearby treehouse uprooted itself, thick roots whipping toward Draphis.
Boom!
Li Aozi drove his sword into the ground. The earth seemed to feel his determination, trembling violently. Draphis had just steadied herself when she was thrown off balance again.
Li Aozi grasped the air, a wisp of wind forming in his palm, accelerating and compressing until it became a high-pressure gust, slicing across Draphis repeatedly, tearing her mechanical frame.
[Warning: External Armor Compromised]
Li Aozi casually tore open the space—energy accumulated in the elemental pool flowed out like a torrent. With just a slight manipulation, elemental giants formed one after another.
Sensing the threat posed by society, the local trees also responded to Li Aozi's summons. Each tree uprooted itself, growing rapidly, resembling octopi as they moved across the ground. They joined the dozens of three-meter-high earth, flame, liquid, and atmospheric elementals to form a coalition, fearlessly charging forward.
This wasn't magic, but an architectural skill executed using [Charisma].
Li Aozi handled these techniques with ease. As a master of [Starfall Master], he also excelled at [Architect]—harnessing information, programming the world, generating architectures, shaping the environment—all fundamental forms of interactive manipulation.
If he had already acquired the Starfall Art from the [Starfall Master] heritage, even a Zeta opponent might be pressured temporarily under such favorable terrain.
Although [Architect] was primarily support-focused—usually standing behind constructs and buffing them—its branch did include a burst-damage combination known as 'Nature's Wrath.'
Just as he was doing now—releasing the elemental pool, using architectural techniques to code information, resonating elements, whether causing explosions, impacts, or sheer overwhelming force.
Even machines stood powerless before the wrath of nature, for machines were, fundamentally, part of nature itself.
The giants charged repeatedly, some even exploding upon contact. Draphis, who had once been in control, found herself overwhelmed by Li Aozi's elemental tide.
Li Aozi didn't fully grasp the intricacies of architecture, but that didn't matter.
The elements adored him, and they communicated with him directly. Elements had no concept of death; once dispersed, they could reform after several thousand years.
But in those thousands of years, could they encounter someone like Li Aozi, whom they loved?
Hardly.
To the elements, winning Li Aozi's favor was all that mattered.
"You're not fighting me; you're facing the entire natural world."
Li Aozi spoke calmly, simultaneously directing a new batch of freshly-formed elemental giants to charge forward.