Gepard gritted his teeth, his weapon feeling insignificant before Mo Wang's terrifying power. The golden chains, like a swarm of frenzied serpents, descended upon him.
He summoned another ice wall, but Mo Wang's strength was seemingly endless. The chains shattered the ice again and again, and Gepard's defenses crumbled.
"Hahahaha! What's wrong? Is this all the 'Iron Wall of Belobog' can muster?" Mo Wang taunted.
He was just toying with Gepard, not even using one percent of his power. Of course, this was definitely not him taking out his frustration on the man for constantly spooking his gacha pulls.
Definitely not. But, out of respect for his future brother-in-law, he was holding back. Gepard looked badly injured, but it was mostly superficial.
"If this is all you've got, then I'll be on my way~" Mo Wang said to the struggling captain.
"I... cannot lose! I can still fight!" Gepard staggered to his feet, his body screaming in protest. Just as he was about to collapse, a hand steadied him. It was his sister, Serval.
"Serval?"
"You idiot! Still trying to act tough at a time like this. You never change," she said, exasperated.
"What are you doing here? Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"
"Are you kidding? How could I leave you alone at a time like this?" she said seriously. "Besides, I'm not the only one here."
Gepard looked up to see Bronya, Pela, and a squad of Silvermane Guards standing with them.
"Everyone..."
"Don't worry, Gepard. We're here now. You're not fighting alone anymore," Bronya said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
She turned to Mo Wang, her face a mask of determination. "Mo Wang! We will not let you destroy this city! As long as the Silvermane Guards stand, you will not take another step!"
Mo Wang covered his face and let out a theatrical, villainous laugh.
"Hoh hoh hoh hahahaha!! A bunch of ants, trying to stand against me?" His eyes glowed with a menacing red light. "How amusing! To think that such insignificant beings would dare to challenge a titan! Let me show you insects what true hell looks like!"
"Even if we are but mayflies trying to shake a great tree, our will to protect Belobog will never be extinguished!" Behind Bronya, the Silvermane Guards roared in unison, their morale surging. (Bronya used her Ultimate.)
But just as Mo Wang was about to deliver another classic villain monologue, a voice came from behind him.
"It's not just them! You've got us to deal with too!"
It was March 7th, leading the rest of the Express crew.
"Surrender, Mo Wang! We, the righteous Nameless, are here to stop you!"
Bronya and the others were utterly confused. Weren't these people on Mo Wang's side? Was this some kind of internal conflict?
"Hmph! So you've finally arrived. You broke free from my restraints sooner than I expected. It seems you've grown stronger," Mo Wang said, not surprised at all. In fact, he looked like he was thinking, 'What took you so long?'
"Hmph! Even if... uh, what's my next line? Oh, right! It's useless! No matter how many times you defeat us, we will rise again to stop you! Mo Wang! Turn back now, before it's too late!"
Since Mo Wang's back was to them, the Belobogians couldn't see the frantic, silent conversation happening between the Express crew members. It was faster than a QQ chat log.
Mo Wang: What the hell? That was the wrong line! And why are you guys so late?!
March 7th: You're the one who wrote such hard-to-memorize lines! I'm doing my best!
Dan Heng: Isn't it my turn now? What am I supposed to say?
Welt: Why am I not in this scene? Mo Wang, is this script even reliable?
Mo Wang: You guys don't remember the plot? How are we supposed to act this out? I'm already a third of the way through my villain arc, and you're just now showing up?
Dan Heng: So what do we do now?
Mo Wang: We'll have to improvise! Everyone, use your imagination!
"Hehehe, March, your words wound me. I was your good friend. Why do you stand against me?"
"Hmph! Who's your friend?! The Nameless have always despised people like you! You are the enemy we must defeat!"
Welt stepped forward, his expression grim. "Mo Wang, your actions have completely betrayed the beliefs of the Nameless. We were once comrades, but no longer. On behalf of the Astral Express, I hereby declare that you are officially expelled!"
Mo Wang feigned shock, then burst into maniacal laughter. "Hahahaha! Good! Very good! So you've finally said it, Welt! Since you are so heartless, then don't blame me for being unjust! From this day forward, I, Mo Wang, am done with the Astral Express! I am no longer one of the Nameless!"
An unprecedented power erupted from him. Golden chains writhed around him like angry dragons, and the air grew thick with a suffocating pressure. His eyes glowed crimson, and he looked like a demon god from the depths of hell.
"GRAAAH! You useless weaklings! Today, I'll teach you what ultimate power is!" Blue and white arcs of electricity crackled around Mo Wang, the ground beneath him shattering under the force of 500,000 Honkai Horsepower.
The chains on his right arm multiplied into ninety-nine plasma pythons, each link sparking with atomic fire. "Take this! Celestial Chain Burst Fist—at ninety-five thousand horsepower!"
Bronya's defenses were instantly atomized. Serval's weapon melted the moment it touched a chain. "Gah! You dare stand before me with such pitiful strength?!" Mo Wang's laughter ionized the air, his form splitting into eighteen afterimages. "Behold! The Mo Wang War God! Lie down and die!" (PS: It's just a normal cloning spell.)
As Dan Heng's spear pierced through three of the illusions, the real Mo Wang appeared behind Bronya. "Woman! You dare to look upon me?! Eat my high-powered brainwave suppression!"
A chain wreathed in psychic-polluting energy slammed down, only to be deflected by one of March's arrows.
"Annoying ants!" Mo Wang laughed, twisting the gravity of the entire battlefield. "Then witness my 990,000 horsepower of self-destructive power! Mo Wang Cataclysm Fist!"
His pupils became spinning black holes, the chains weaving into a terrifying singularity that devoured space itself. "Come! You should be proud to have forced me to use this move!"
Welt quickly summoned the Star of Eden, attempting to deflect the attack. As he barely managed to shift its trajectory, Mo Wang's frenzy reached a new peak. "Yes! Struggle! The power that blooms in despair is the most delicious!"
His meridians glowed like a supernova, the chains sprouting serrated edges and nozzles. "My next attack will be at 999,000 horsepower! The Perfect Realm!"
...Okay, so the above was just the abstract ramblings of a certain sleep-deprived author. The actual battle was not quite so insane.
But one thing was certain: whatever script Mo Wang had originally written had now been rewritten so many times, not even its own mother would recognize it.
With a final, POWERFUL! MIGHTY! DOMINATING! blow, the whole of Belobog shook as if hit by an earthquake. Everyone present was thrown to the ground.
"Mwahahahaha! Boxer briefs, boxer briefs! Can you still resist me, the Emanator of Elation?!"
Looking at the fallen crowd, all one could say was that the power of a Pathstrider was truly terrifying.
"So strong... he's too strong! Is this the power of an Emanator?!" March knelt on the ground, staring in disbelief at the seemingly invincible Mo Wang.
Even though they were all acting, his power was real. She genuinely believed he could wipe out the entire Express crew if he wanted to.
"Hey, isn't Mo Wang overdoing it a little? I don't remember the original script being this destructive," Dan Heng whispered to Welt. Could they even salvage this train wreck of a plot?
"It's fine. This is just Mo Wang being Mo Wang. You'll go crazy if you expect him to stick to a script," Welt sighed, a deep headache setting in. He remembered the past and felt the urge to cough up blood.
Mo Wang had been instrumental in stopping the Honkai, but the sheer chaos he caused along the way... The man was just like Aha. No, in some ways, he was even more chaotic.
"Hehehehe! Now, for the final blow! It's over, you ants!" Mo Wang cackled, and the sky filled with a countless number of golden spears, each one aimed at the heart of Belobog.
"Hey, hey, hey, something's not right here," March said, her eye twitching. "Is he crazy? This isn't acting anymore, he's actually trying to kill us!"
"This wasn't in the script, no," Dan Heng agreed, gripping his spear. "But it's not entirely unexpected."
"I knew it," Welt sighed, rubbing his temples. "The script is officially dead. We need to figure out how to save ourselves."
"That bastard! I'm gonna kill him when we get back!" March fumed. "And why does he get to play the big bad villain?! No fair, I want a turn next time!"
Dan Heng and Welt gave her a strange look. Is that really the important thing right now? And you want to try this too? Are you trying to get us all killed?
"Die!" Mo Wang roared, and the spears began their slow, terrifying descent.
"Hahahaha! Tremble, you ants! This is true power! This is the true meaning of Elation!"
Just in the nick of time, a terrifying wave of cold swept through the area, freezing the very air. The golden spears began to disintegrate, dissolving into motes of light.
"That's... Supreme Guardian Cocolia?" Gepard whispered, turning to see her striding out of the administrative hall.
"This ends now, invader! As the Guardian of Belobog, I will not allow you to destroy our city!" An incredible power, equal to Mo Wang's, erupted from her. The citizens of Belobog roared with renewed hope.
"Hehehe, so you've finally decided to show up, Cocolia," Mo Wang said, breathing a sigh of relief internally. Phew, that was close. I was almost out of material.
Now, the final scene of The Great Demon King Mo Wang, Part 1 could finally begin: The Demon King Mo Wang vs. the Supreme Guardian! The final battle!