087. The Fierce Demon Iron King (After)
[Natural Ignition]
Li Aozi retreated continuously, raised his longsword, which instantly ignited in flames, then reversed his grip and thrust the blade into his own chest.
Boom!
Burns of intense heat appeared on Kaire and Chandler, but their physical fortitude exempted them from serious damage. Unlike Lyu'e, who was a scientist without combat skills, they were genuine Zeta-tier professional warriors. With a shift in energy, they were entirely unaffected by the flames.
Clang!
Li Aozi stabbed his sword into the ground, spreading his hands and tearing open a personal space linked to the elemental pool. His mental force spread rapidly, guiding the chaotic burning elements, which responded eagerly, gathering fervently.
The fierce fire elements took root and spread like an ocean, embodying themselves with concrete and flame. From the lava, they lifted warhammers, transforming into ferocious elemental giants. They turned, faced the company employees, opened skull-like mouths, and unleashed terrifying, shrill howls.
[Elemental Community]—Structure generated!
"An [Architect]!" Chandler raised his hand, rotating his flying blades into a massive saw blade, which he tossed, slicing numerous fire giants in half. Yet these elemental giants, relying on the fiery environment, merely collapsed momentarily before enthusiastically standing up again, wielding their lava hammers and charging forward.
"Does he have companions?" Kaire lifted an entire wall, swinging it like a fly swatter, knocking down and sweeping away the giants one by one, but still failing to contain the expanding sea of flames.
"No, he's alone."
"You're joking, right? How could anyone master both Omega Energy and structural techniques?"
Li Aozi's response was simple and direct.
He spread his arms, summoning atmospheric elements to generate a fierce gust of wind.
The wind fueled the flames, and the burning fire, in turn, reduced the air density, intensifying the molecular motion, which further stoked the wind.
Gravity then joined, amplifying the flames' spread instantly.
"Let the resonance begin!"
The fire grew more intense, expanding continuously under the pull of the Echoer force, unstoppable even under the fire suppression system's spray.
His flames were endless, and the roaring of the fierce fire surged vigorously.
From the ground, waves of fire rippled and spread, transmitting signals of this assault across the stars.
Even people light-years away could discern the message through the spread of gravitational waves.
Finally, as the news satellites detected the signal and focused their cameras on Velazi Tower—the entire building was engulfed in flames.
Kaire and Chandler, marked by the link, didn't dare push through the flames, fearing they'd bring death to their own. At this rate, Velazi's forces would be entirely wiped out.
"Damn it, where's the fire department? Why aren't they here supporting us!"
Kaire made frantic calls, but the fading signal made his face darken:
"Communications are down, likely due to the fire—no! Something's not right about this fire."
[Calamity]
Li Aozi moved along the fire's edge, releasing the amber dragon he had previously purchased, standing on the dragon's back as a red-purple nebula clouded his eyes, casting his curse upon the building.
A minor electrical fault caused a power strip to short-circuit, which then burned the distribution room, ultimately causing a total blackout.
A fleeing janitor accidentally collided with a wall in the parking garage, prematurely inducing metal fatigue in a supporting column, triggering a collapse on an entire floor.
The underground Vanlenkov Engine fell into a trough, creating stress imbalances, triggering a localized earthquake in Velazi.
Amidst the dense smoke and flames, people stumbled through, collapsing one after another, unaware that the probability of suffocation from silicosis and respiratory burns was rising exponentially.
Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh!
The thin upper atmosphere twisted, and three "Joan"-class small warships, bearing Velazi insignia, warped into view. The fleet commander saw Velazi's precarious state.
"Quick! Get in contact with Young Master Andrew. Where are our people?"
Risking a breach of Vanlenkov's airspace, they had come to assist—not for mere company property, but because Young Master Andrew's communication had been severed.
At that moment, everyone felt a chill at their backs. No one knew what would happen to them if something happened to the young master and they faced Velazi's chairman, a figure nearly god-like.
Still, out of restraint and political concerns, they didn't activate the fleet's main weapons immediately, only the plasma anti-air cannons, to prevent terrorist attacks.
Even so, their actions drew many Vanlenkov civilians into the streets, who held up various devices to record and watch, while angry crowds shouted:
"Get out! Corporate dogs!"
"The Velazi bastards dare bring warships onto our land!"
"Where's the air force? The corporation is infringing on our sovereignty! Shoot them down!"
The fleet high above paid no heed to the civilians. Their real anxiety centered on Andrew, who was in the flames below.
"Velazi ground forces are gathering, but there's still no word from the young master."
"Damn it, get me Chandler on the line! If anything happens to Andrew, I'll personally tear that steel elf apart!"
Amid the chaos on the ship, the main computer issued an emergency alarm:
"Warning! High-energy reaction! An unidentified object is approaching rapidly. Anti-air defenses are active!"
Before the crew could react, plasma cannons emerged from the deck, firing in concentrated bursts at the fast-approaching target.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
Accelerating to near-light speed, searing blue plasma beams shot out like spears, precisely focused on the target rising from below.
Seen from a distance, it was a surreal sight—a massive ship bombing a minuscule black dot. The energy concentration was so high it even pierced the target, and the scorching beam struck the ground, turning an entire mountaintop into glass-like crystal.
"He's done for."
Anyone witnessing this scene would think instinctively.
Hush…
Cold wind dispersed the gray plasma smoke, and the fleet members immediately relaxed.
"No high-energy reactions detected. Warning lifted."
At the very least, they had eliminated the attacker, providing some closure.
Bang!
Suddenly, the lead ship emitted a fierce metallic collision sound.
"Look! That ship!"
The ship's structure twisted slowly, every inch of its deck rippling like waves, as if struck repeatedly by meteors. Metal plating peeled off, and the main engine exploded under intense pressure.
Then, under thousands of onlookers' eyes, the ship bent in half.
Crack!
The ship's AI hesitated briefly, reporting incredulously:
"Warning! Approaching a massive gravitational body!"
Bang!
The Vanlenkov on the ground gaped.
They watched as the company's once-invincible warship twisted and fragmented under an invisible force, breaking apart entirely.
While people were still dazed by the plasma cannon smoke, Li Aozi had already torn apart a warship with gravity.
"That's—Omega Energy! Activate the Higgs counter-force field!"
Boom!
The fleet reacted quickly, activating the defensive field that immediately suppressed Li Aozi's figure, reducing Omega Energy output.
The disintegrated ship's parts were split and broken down into raw forging materials, and Li Aozi's solitary, small figure emerged in the sky.
Floating above, standing on the amber dragon's back, he held a longsword, facing two remaining warships alone.
"Jania."
「Haha, got it!」
Jania let out a sinister laugh:
「True Name Activated! Fierce Iron King!」
「In the name of the Sharp Fang Peak, we hammer and forge the entire world!」