248. The Path of Domination
[You killed a Secret Jury member—[White Knight]. Cumulative Hunter progress…]
"Death Knell at Dusk."
White Shark's head reformed from a puddle of sludge. He lifted his chin and once again rubbed his blade against the back of his hand.
"I'll buy you some time—go ahead and sharpen your sword."
[Bell Ringer] Horst flipped open the hourglass and said in a low voice:
"Crescent Timing!"
Dang—dang—dang—
The bell tolled, and the overturned hourglass began dripping ice-blue sand.
The world seemed to pause; the wind and snow ceased. All motion came to a standstill.
Only the [White Knight] and [Bell Ringer] could still prepare freely for combat.
"Ha! Perfect teamwork."
White Shark was pleasantly surprised. The time-stop gave him enough leeway to get ready.
[Sharpening Fangs]
He raised the blade, swiftly rubbing it against the back of his hand.
[Sharpening Fang—
Bang!
Li Aozi flicked a finger, lightly tapping the ground. White Shark's body was instantly melted by searing shockwaves.
"Using temporal-spatial skills against a gravity manipulator? What, are you rebelling?"
[You killed a Secret Jury member—[White Knight]. Cumulative Hunter progress…]
"Death Knell at Dusk."
[Bell Ringer] Horst strolled about leisurely, dodging the Destructive Giant's onslaught as if by foresight, calmly reviving the [White Knight] again.
"Ugh—damn it!"
White Shark doubled over, clutching his mouth, forcibly swallowing the reversed organs. He staggered back across the trembling earth, roaring:
"What the hell is that monster?!"
Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom!
His only answer was a series of punches striking the ground, mushroom clouds rising like atomic blasts.
"This is problematic." [Bell Ringer] Horst spoke flatly. "It looks like that guy is immune to your continuous sacrifices. All you'll do is waste my etheric blood, and in the end we'll both die."
"So what do we do? Come on, give me a plan! If time-stop doesn't work, don't you have anything else up your sleeve?"
"A plan?" Horst nodded. "Naturally."
White Shark looked back and roared, his figure disappearing into the mountains. But a moment later, Li Aozi smashed the mountain to pieces with a single slap. The shockwave roared in every direction, hurling snow and sand tens of thousands of meters into the sky. Friction among the flurry of ice and grit made that colossal silhouette look even more fearsome.
The bedrock shattered and collapsed, burying White Shark beneath the mountains. His frail body was nothing compared to the forces of nature—he was immediately crushed into pulp.
[Death Knell at Dusk]
Time reversed once more, and White Shark's body rapidly reassembled among the rubble. He coughed violently, pushing aside the tons of rock weighing him down. His armor was now dull and lifeless.
"Cough…cough…ugh!"
White Shark spat silver blood, collapsing to the ground. His fingers trembled violently. Being crushed by boulders, then dragged back to life through the gaps, caused excruciating pain, making it nearly impossible for him to clench his fists.
"What is that thing…? This planet should only allow Gamma-tier. I've been reforged once, so I should be unbeatable here!"
He gasped for a while, relieved to notice the Giant's silhouette had vanished. Trembling, he struggled to his feet and summoned the staff made from Zonia. He reached out, preparing to brace himself with it for support.
[Conscription of Omega Energy·Iterative Shift]
Pop!
Li Aozi's figure appeared in an instant, ruthlessly kicking White Shark's kneecap, knocking him to the ground. He took two steps forward, grabbed his head, and slammed him over his shoulder into the earth.
Boom!
White Shark's face smashed into the dirt, his nose and mouth filling with dust and slush. His knight's helmet tore apart, revealing bloodied flesh and the panicked face of a youth.
"Stay…stay away!"
[White Knight] Yuhle's voice was sharp and raspy. With Li Aozi pressing his head deeper into the snow, all he could do was beg in terror:
"Who…who are you?! We have no grudge with you!"
"No grudge means I can't kill you?"
Li Aozi spoke and shoved Yuhle's head into the snow.
"N-no… no… Sister, sister! Zonia, Bell Ringer! You useless fools, why aren't you saving me—"
[Directional Explosion]
Squelch!
Yuhle's head swelled and burst in an instant.
[You have advanced to 'Bronze Hunter' status]
"Seems his teammates betrayed him."
Li Aozi kicked aside the remains of the White Knight's corpse, nudging with his toe until Zonia's staff dropped into his hand.
"Brother… don't…Brother…"
The voice was almost inaudible; clearly Zonia's will had nearly run out.
After checking her properties, Li Aozi understood her principle—this incomplete Society construct depended on Yuhle for life support. With the holder now dead, it would wither away within a few hours.
"…How sad."
Li Aozi shook his head and transferred the construct to his main body. Thus, his mission on Azure Star was officially complete.
[Bell Ringer] had fled, confirming Li Aozi's suspicion that the [Secret Society]'s forces on Azure Star were very limited. Finding Yavanna had likely been their limit.
Abandoning a Jury-level [White Knight] so easily suggested that, to the Secret Council, anyone besides a Councilor was expendable.
"So that's 'equality' under [Society]? How ironic."
Li Aozi shook his head, released Isaac from conscription, and switched back to his main body.
In a temporary prison in Trivira City, White Candle Star, Li Aozi opened his eyes, rolled his neck a bit, and regained control of his main self.
"Next, it's time to welcome my fifth sequence."
Li Aozi made a motion with his hand, accepting the staff sent from his alternate account. Deep-blue tendrils emerged from his palm and fingertips, piercing the staff's vertebrae.
[Omega Energy extracted from target]: [Shadow Assault]
Rating: Mu (μ, the 12th Greek letter)
As the Omega Energy genes were drawn out, Zonia's body shriveled at a visible rate, drying to a wooden husk before finally losing all signs of life in stillness.
For her, leaving this suffering world was perhaps the best release.
"May your soul drift into the Abyss and find a true rebirth… In your next life, don't be a big sister—it's too hard."
Li Aozi lowered his head in a brief moment of solace, then placed the wooden staff in the independent nook of his exclusive timespace.
Immediately afterward, he devoted himself to synthesizing his new sequence of Omega Energy.
First, he extracted the gene models of these Omega Energies from the [White Obelisk]. Then, step by step, he integrated gene fragments to replicate their abilities until the effect of the newly assembled Omega Energy closely matched the original.
Since a few of these Omegas were high-quality, Li Aozi failed several times. Fortunately, his vast resources could withstand multiple setbacks.
Five hours later.
[Glory of Polar Day], [White Phosphorus Flame], [Shadow Dash], [Blessing of Kindness], [Twisted Curse], and [Optical Distortion]—all were successfully combined.
A massive amount of gene fragments were consumed at lightning speed, leaving Li Aozi with a bit of heartache. But seeing the Omega Energy tanks replenished lifted his spirits.
"Now I'm back to a total of ten Omega Energies. Both the [Leoz Armor] and the [Morphedria Sky-Breaking Blade] can be used again."
Li Aozi let out a sigh of relief.
Next, he only needed to find [Sequence Ninety•Extreme Dark Matter]. Soon he'd have a top-ranking and formidable sequence power. In high spirits, Li Aozi offered a small discount on Omega Energy rentals.
"I'm now Zeta-tier (6). After staying one more year on White Candle Star to secure the Specialty: [Perpetual Vanguard] and complete my student status, I can officially apply to join a Narrative-level civilization."
Other Narratives might be tricky to enter, but Li Aozi knew the 「Empire of Heroes」 all too well.
With his Zeta-tier (6) strength, joining the 「Empire of Heroes」 barely meets their minimum requirement. Usually, anyone seeking decent benefits there would aim to be two tiers higher.