"Mo Wang? How did you get here?"
Kiana stared at Mo Wang, who had popped out from some random corner, and asked, completely bewildered.
"Would you believe me if I said I took the stairs?"
Mo Wang pointed to the nearby stairwell.
"What the heck?" Kiana shot Mo Wang an annoyed look. Was that what she was asking?
"Tch, never mind that. Is... is Bronya okay?"
Kiana glanced at Bronya on the ground. Jeez, he hit her right in the back of the head. Wasn't he afraid of killing her with one swing?
"She's fine. I think Bronya is pretty tough, almost as tough as the Principal. You can't kill her with a bat."
Mo Wang stated matter-of-factly.
"For realz? Wait, no! Even so, you can't just hit someone in the back of the head!" Kiana retorted.
"What do you know? It's called aiming for a vital spot, got it?"
"As the saying goes, 'Strike the throat from above, the groin from below, the ribs from the sides, and the center in between. Below the nose to seal the eyes, a palm to the back of the head for the soul.'"
"It's all recorded in the ancient martial arts manuals."
Mo Wang explained to Kiana with a perfectly straight face.
"What is all that? I don't understand a single word."
Faced with Mo Wang's bizarre ramblings, Kiana declared that she was a foreigner and had never heard of any of this.
What did all that weird Chinese even mean?
Let's_speak_English.jpg
"Forget about all that nonsense for now. Shouldn't we be getting out of here with Mei? Can't you see she's already down for the count?"
Mo Wang smacked Kiana on the back of the head and pointed to Mei, who had been lying on the ground for who knows how long.
"Oh, right! We have to get Mei out of here first..."
As Kiana was speaking, she saw Bronya rise from the ground like a zombie.
Her blood-red eyes seemed even redder than before.
Well, okay, if you ignored the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, she did look pretty scary.
"See? I told you that one swing wouldn't kill her," Mo Wang said, calling out to Kiana as he saw Bronya get up.
"Is this really the time to worry about that?! Can't you see she's already brought out the BFG?!"
Kiana shouted as she grabbed Mei and started running.
A massive cannon had appeared above Bronya's head, looking ready to blast Mo Wang, the guy who had hit her in the back of the head, into smithereens.
"Holy crap, she's packing that much heat?! Why isn't my character in the game like this?! Damn you, game devs! Nerfing characters again, are you?!"
RUMBLE!
This time, the powerful blast covered the entire deck of the Selene.
In the nick of time, Kiana managed to use her Time Fracture ability to carry Mei to safety.
"That guy, Mo Wang... he didn't just die like that, did he?"
After setting Mei down, Kiana immediately ran back in Mo Wang's direction.
Seeing the smoke-filled area, Kiana's heart leaped into her throat.
"Ahem! Mo Wang, are you okay?!"
Kiana shouted into the cloud of dust.
Just then, a faint golden light flickered in the smoke ahead.
"Is that?"
As the dust began to settle, Mo Wang was revealed, hiding behind a projected copy of Judah.
"Phew~ That was close. Almost a goner. Good thing my skills are superior."
Mo Wang said, patting himself down.
Although, he didn't look like he had been "almost a goner" at all.
"Holy crap, Judah?!" Kiana stared at the massive cross in front of Mo Wang, then looked at him in disbelief.
"You're so dead! You even stole Judah?! Auntie is going to kill you!"
"Don't be ridiculous." Mo Wang pushed Kiana aside.
"How could I possibly steal the real Judah? This is a replica, a replica, okay!"
"A replica?" Kiana looked at the shimmering golden Judah with a strange expression.
It wasn't like she had never seen a replica Judah before, but none of them looked anything like this one. They were all leagues apart.
And Mo Wang was saying this was a replica?
What kind of replica could withstand a blast from Bronya's cannon?
"Heh, you saw through me. Actually, let me tell you a secret: there are actually two of every Divine Key. The one Theresa has is the female one, and mine is the male one. Mine is actually better, you know?" Mo Wang whispered mysteriously to Kiana.
"What male and female? You're obviously lying to me again!"
Kiana ground her teeth. Did this guy really think she'd never heard of Journey to the West?
"Oh? You knew I was lying? Haven't seen you for a few hours and your IQ has actually gone up? What have you been taking?"
"Get lost! Oh no, Bronya's coming again!"
While Kiana and Mo Wang were bickering, the red-eyed Bronya launched another attack.
This time, however, seeming to realize that her ranged attacks were useless, Bronya summoned Project Bunny and decided to go for close combat.
"Out of my way! Let me handle this! It's time to turn Bronya into a roasted duck."
Mo Wang pushed Kiana behind him and flashed Bronya a bloodthirsty grin, characteristic of a martial arts fanatic.
"Huh? Hey! What are you talking about?" Kiana was having trouble processing Mo Wang's words. What was he even on about?
"Taste my blade! Extreme Ghost-blade Art: Storm Slash!"
However, Mo Wang didn't answer Kiana. A greatsword of shimmering energy suddenly appeared in his hand.
The blade glinted coldly in the sun as Mo Wang swung it in a graceful arc, slashing straight for Project Bunny's arm.
CLANG! A sharp metallic sound rang out as the blade collided with Project Bunny's armor, the impact echoing deafeningly. The force was so great that Mo Wang's sword was sent flying.
But there was no panic on his face. He immediately projected another blade, a miao dao, and without a moment's hesitation, slashed at Bronya.
"Projection! Miao Dao: Electric Soul!" he roared, the blade crackling with golden lightning as it struck Bronya's armor. Sparks flew at the point of contact, and Bronya was knocked back a few steps. Her emotionless face now showed a hint of gravity.
But Mo Wang didn't stop. He tossed the blade aside and instantly projected another greatsword. "Projection! Greatsword: King Cobra!" The green blade fell like a giant python, crashing heavily against Bronya's armor and forcing her back again.
As the battle intensified, more and more blades appeared around Mo Wang. Alloy Dominator, Hybrid Greatsword Type-17, Crystal Edge, Energy Leech... one after another, weapons sprang into existence in his hands, each one projected in an instant and relentlessly assailing Bronya.
Faced with such a frequent barrage, Bronya was forced into a steady retreat, cracks appearing all over her black armor.
"This is the last one!"
Seeing an opening in Bronya's defense, Mo Wang summoned a greatsword engulfed in flames into his hand.
"That's...!" Kiana, watching from the side, was speechless.
That sword... it was clearly the same weapon her deadbeat dad used—the Judgment of Shamash!
"Taste this! I'm about to unleash an awesome attack!"
The fiery greatsword, wreathed in flames, swung down fiercely at Bronya.
BOOM!
With another explosion, Bronya's black armor finally shattered completely.
Her corrupted state had been beaten back by sheer force.
"Tch. So I still can't project this thing properly."
Mo Wang looked at the Judgment of Shamash, which was already dissipating in his hand, and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Normally, with the true power of the Judgment of Shamash, not only the Selene but probably the entire city below would have been obliterated.
But unfortunately, with his current mana level, he couldn't project an attack that powerful.
But Mo Wang wasn't disappointed.
If he had managed to create a perfect copy of the Judgment of Shamash, he probably would have lost his arm in the process.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot this."
Mo Wang took out his phone and snapped a picture of himself with the unconscious Bronya.
"Hee hee, I'll save this photo. I can use it to blackmail the rich girl into working for me later."
Looking at the photo in his hand, Mo Wang let out a villainous laugh.