118. Obscuration
The fierce bde sshed straight across the skylihe pale executioner baring its fangs and spreading its arms, seemingly immersed in the ret violence.
"How does it feel, Mr. Li Aozi, to lose your panion?"
Youhei held the e made from Zonia's spine, slowly walking towards them. He was in a great mood, even humming a tune, looking pletely rexed, while Li Aozi could only watch, with the system showing that he was in an 'Obscuration' state as Aether Blood tinuously corroded his body.
【Detected Aether Blood corrosion in the body. As your species is not 'C3 Luka-type ic Human,' a 'Secret Awakening' check will be ducted .】
【Aether Corrosion, dug a [stitution] check...】
No! There’s still a ce. I still have that specialty, the one I got from the Abyss professor—
【[Specialty: Single-Minded] activated! This check will be ged to [Charisma].】
Yes, yes, yes, this damn 【Single-Minded】. My 【Charisma】 is high enough; using it for the check, it shouldn't fail—
【Check failed, your [Charisma] is below the minimum threshold (1500 points).】
One by one, his internal ans began to fail; rather than being poisoned, it was as if they were being isoted and pletely cut off from the body's system.
【Awakening failed.】
Aether Blood.
What the hell is this stuff? Li Aozi had never seen anything like this in his previous life, nor in this one.
He had seen the Void Demon Lord detoime-space vortices and withe Great Demons of the Outer Society corrupt the gaxy. Even the fall of the 'God of Cold' Frost, tearing away at the surface of a bck hole, had bee routine background noise for pyers.
But pared to Aether, none of that was anything.
There had never been a force so tyrannical, not giving even the slightest ce to resist.
【Your impnt body 'Li Aozi' is poisoned by Aether Blood, entering a dying state.】
No, it’s not over yet!
Li Aozi’s eyes moved rapidly, a purple light flickering at the bottom of his pupils.
【Blood of Immortality】
Cells regeed rapidly, and the ans that had been obscured and shut down by the hidden state were directly disected by Li Aozi, repced with fresh new ones. His health instantly refilled, his motor system rebooted, and Li Aozi raised his head, holding his breath, immediately drawing the Tsu?Shadow’s Edge from his waist.
Swoosh!
A pale stantly cmped onto Li Aozi’s shoulder, the shark's mouth slowly splitting open as it mocked:
"Oh, you’ve gotten faster!"
In the moment, it sharply kneed him in the abdomen, but Li Aozi mao retreat in time. Using gravity to pull himself dowed his toes firmly on solid ground. Using this rare foothold, Li Aozi twisted his waist, sshing with his back, and a fierce samurai materialized behind him, ed in purple ghost fmes, briefly accelerating and striking at the 【White Knight】!
However, peared to be a fierce terattaortals...
To Youhei, it was like a race between a snail and a turtle.
There was no difference.
Snap.
【White Knight】 casually sidestepped, widening the distanstantly. With a light tap, it sank into the soil, effortlessly dodging Li Aozi’s attack. In the moment, it reappeared behind Li Aozi, sshing his spih a swift strike.
【Armor of the Mountains】
Li Aozi's body was swiftly encased in rock, dispersing the bde’s impact across the armor. The instant, the rock exploded, and Li Aozi, now wearing heavy armor, switched to wielding the Dust-Sealed Sanctuary with both hands isword mode, charging directly at the 【White Knight】.
g!
Youhei nontly grabbed the sword with his left hand, intending to pce the bde on the whetstone on his gauo sharpen it again.
"Idiot, you fell for it!"
Li Aozi twisted the sword handle and activated:
"Shipbreaker!"
Swoosh——!
The greatsword instantly rotated and transformed, its haending, nearly knog Youhei off bahen, the high-speed spinning front end whipped up shattered holy light, and golden fragments, apanied by a fierce stathered inting light drill.
Youhei’s hand was caught in the rapidly spinning bde, and the thin bde armor couldn’t withstand the ship-pierg force, tearing apart instantly.
Got him!
【Strength of Pegasus】
Li Aozi gripped the long handle, eyes bloodshot, fiercely thrusting the light drill towards Youhei's chest armor, blood spraying and flesh flying. It seemed the 【White Knight】 would be pierced through.
Just then, his body suddenly stiffened.
【Aether Corrosion, impnt obscured...】
This ’t be; wasn't I supposed to stop breathing? Without breathing, and with my body sealed by armor, how is this toxin—
At that moment, Li Aozi froze.
No, there's one possibility.
If the exterry is blocked, then only one possibility remains.
...Molecules.
When the beed earlier, the molecules in the blood vessels were also absorbed by the body.
【Damher Blood! What kind of hellish stuff is this?!】
【White Knight】 Youhei slowly stepped back a few paces, seemingly indifferent to pain. He raised his shredded left arm, holding it horizontally in mid-air, then poured a puddle of silvery-white solutio.
"Usiher Solution for healing might be extravagant, but to deal with the famous Mr. Li Aozi, I think it’s worth it."
His arm quickly reset, muscles and tendeed, and the blood that had flowed out moved as if alive, swiftly returning through his feet to restruct the wound.
Moments ter, Youhei’s arm was pletely restored.
"Li Aozi, are you surprised?"
Youhei casually walked up to Li Aozi, stabbed his neck with a sword, and the Aether in the air quickly entered Li Aozi’s body through his trachea, forcibly bonding with his blood. Li Aozi could distinctly feel his cells rapidly succumbing to Aether’s invasion.
The immune system colpsed.
【Detected Aether Blood corrosion in the body. As your species is not 'C3 Luka-type ic Human,' a 'Secret Awakening' check will be ducted .】
【Aether Corrosion, dug a [stitution] check...】
Motor system paralyzed.
【Check failed, your [Charisma] is below the minimum threshold (1200 points).】
itive system severely damaged.
【Your impnt body 'Li Aozi' is poisoned by Aether Blood, entering a dying state.】
"—Nomi!"
【Blood of Immortality】 activated once more, and Li Aozi suddenly lifted his head, letting the bde slice across his neck, then delivered a sweeping kick, knog the 【White Knight】 to the ground.
He picked up his swift katana, ready to lu his oppo, but his body stiffened again.
【Aether Corrosion, impnt obscured.】
Again, the repeated check—air filled with Aether Blood; eveing it on fire would only spread the Aether further, like tuberculosis, dispersing with the ashes.
Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Li Aozi’s body disected again, dropping to one knee. His katana stabbed into the ground, and Youhei immediately flipped up, slig Li Aozi’s spine and tossing it to the ground.
Stra, what have you done? Why has something like this appeared on the Blue Star?
A 1500-point primary attribute requirement—that’s at least level 180.
Moreover, he had never seen or heard of the term 'Obscuration'; even with his past knowledge, it wasn’t in the game, suggesting it didn’t fit the game’s settings.
This kind of thing wasn’t entered even ie-stage third-yer Star Abyss.
"I know, Li Aozi, you’re immortal."
Youhei shrugged:
"No matter how many times I kill you, you revive, right?"
【Aether Corrosion, dug a [stitution] check...】
He raised a foot, crushing Li Aozi’s head, cirg him leisurely:
"Rex, I’ve died too. After dying so many times, you gradually stop fearih, stop respeg life."
【Check failed, your [Charisma] is below the minimum threshold (1000 points).】
Dying again, Li Aozi had no choice but to activate Omega Energy.
【Blood of Immortality】
Suddenly, he swiftly approached Li Aozi's body, watg Li Aozi tinuously regee, calmly speaking beside him:
"But you should know, there are things in this world far more frightening thah."
At that moment, the massive mech lying behind Youhei suddenly had its eyes flicker with light.
Long-short—long-long-short—
That’s… Morse code?
Li Aozi, who had learned some of this during his engineering vocational training, barely mao decipher it:
'Watch me, Liozi.'
Damn—what rotten luck, even though I’m not dead, now my name’s even being misspelled. This idiot must be in a terrible state.
【White Knight】 squatted down, stepping on Li Aozi’s shoulder, looking at his half-regeed head, clig his tongue in amazement:
"Wow, this ability is awesome, really fug impressive. No matter what, you always regee, so aren’t you basically immortal?"
The Vul on on the mech's head slowly began to spin.
"How should I torture you, Li Aozi? You’re not afraid of death, and you don’t have kids, which makes it tricky. The most painful thing would be to take away what’s most important to you aroy it right in front of your eyes."
Li Aozi gritted his teeth, trying to all breathing, withstanding the 180-times gravitational pressure. He suddenly charged again, headbutting Youhei, but Youhei pierced his chest with a single sword strike, tearing his lung with a vicious twist.
"Gravity doesn’t affect me, you fool. izens of the Hidden Society are born as ic species. Supergravity, zero gravity, near-sor orbit, even the edges of bck holes—we are not influenced by gravity or eleagic waves uhe great prote of Aether."
Youhei looked at Li Aozi, who was once again corroded by Aether. His lungs quickly became obscured at a visible rate—the silvery Aether Blood made his lungs darken and thin, as if they were being peeled away from this world, so much so that even wind and air couldn’t touch these hidden ans as they gradually faded and disappeared.
Li Aozi’s body trembled slightly, deliberately showing fear.
"Don’t be scared; I know you won’t die. Our fun journey is just beginning."
He grabbed Li Aozi, digging his fingers into his shoulder, dragging his body to a car, tearing open the fuel tank, and preparing to pasolio Li Aozi’s trachea.
The mech slowly raised its only remaining arm, lifting the Magnum Rifle, with its missile pods standing upright.
"Let me tell you a secret—it’s not just for the rewards that I serve the ibal."
Youhei chuckled:
"I, too, really enjoy the taste of it."
The sixteeronic eyes of the mech blinked rapidly. With his retina corroded by Aether, Li Aozi could barely make out the Morse code:
'Liozi, mer Zone.'
He stabbed Li Aozi’s thigh with a sword, watg as Li Aozi’s eyes turned dull and the Aether rapidly spread, shimmering in silver before quickly dimming, and said regretfully:
"Tender, delicious."
[Bst Magnum Charge]
FAL
