201. Remaining Moon's Final Stand (2)
Gravitational Overwhelm!
Li Aozi pressed his knee firmly against Remaining Moon's chest, raising both fists and slamming them down fiercely.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each punch descended like a torrential storm from above. Remaining Moon's head took the brunt of Li Aozi's relentless strikes. The ferocious fists tore through the air, forming Mach rings and igniting from friction, as scorching punches landed solidly on his face. Under the terrifying impact, his muscles twisted and deformed rapidly. Despite this, Remaining Moon's [Remaining Moon] Omega Energy still faithfully absorbed 80% of the impact. However, lacking the Zeta-tier effects, Li Aozi's output still fell short.
But this didn't mean Li Aozi's punches were soft or powerless.
On the contrary, each heavy punch slammed Remaining Moon's head deeper into the ground, leaving craters in its wake.
— His punches were so powerful that additional control skills were entirely unnecessary.
Amplified by gravity, each punch struck like a meteor in freefall, pounding into the earth with precision. Before long, the residual shockwaves had shattered the ground, with razor-sharp blasts cutting through and shredding buildings and terrain alike.
Whether it was the concrete jungle of steel and cement or towering natural peaks, the sound of destruction from Li Aozi's punches resembled an unending nuclear explosion, deafening and relentless.
Remaining Moon's health plummeted rapidly. The continuous barrage of punches left him gasping for air, and his cybernetic body could no longer endure such punishment.
'If this keeps up, I'll lose—'
Remaining Moon's gaze sharpened as he steadied his nerves. He struggled, swinging his body left and right, subtly releasing bioelectric currents from his cybernetic implants to gradually paralyze Li Aozi. Soon, Li Aozi's punching speed noticeably slowed.
That's it!
Seizing an opening in Li Aozi's assault, Remaining Moon suddenly swung his elbow, striking Li Aozi's side. Flipping himself up, he used his entire body like a high jumper, grazing Li Aozi's shoulder as he leaped past. The moment he landed, Remaining Moon raised his clawed hand and grabbed Li Aozi's face.
Dimensional Tear!
Li Aozi's head was instantly shredded into six dazzling fragments.
"Hmph, so this is it. No matter how strong you are, you're just running out of steam now—"
Before Remaining Moon could finish his sentence, the headless body slowly stood upright. A gray spatial ripple, burning like fire, swirled atop its neck as it steadily advanced toward him.
Remaining Moon's smile froze, and he slowly retreated.
"You... you actually cut off your own head for Sequence Omega Energy?"
Li Aozi kept moving forward, his fingers flexing and tightening into fists.
"Remaining Moon, the Marauder!"
A thunderous voice roared from the sky.
Remaining Moon looked up. [Storm Bearer] Nastisha hovered high in the air, gripping a staff whose crystal radiated brilliantly at its tip. Her presence struck fear into the natural ecosystem of the entire White Candle Star.
Her Ita-tier aura radiated unrestrained, her biological frequency scanning like a source of intense radiation that sent shivers through those who sensed it.
For mortals, simply looking up at Nastisha burned and seared their retinas, leaving them unable to discern her form.
"An Ita-tier mage..."
Remaining Moon clicked his tongue and glanced at Li Aozi:
"Unlucky day—Li Aozi, looks like you got a free pass."
Waving his hand, he slowly retreated toward the teleportation tower's gate, covertly sending a message to Bablushka.
Nastisha seemed unaware of his subtle actions. She held her staff with a piercing gaze, glancing briefly at Li Aozi on the ground. After a moment's hesitation, she pretended not to notice and turned back to Remaining Moon:
"You're not going anywhere today. I'm sending you to Surnamu Prison, where you'll taste a fate worse than death! Only then can the souls you slaughtered rest in peace!"
With that, she began casting a spell.
"Not necessarily."
A message came through the communicator, and Remaining Moon smirked slightly:
"Only losing war criminals go to prison. Victorious ones live in palaces."
Nastisha's fury erupted, and a bolt of lightning instantly shot downward.
Zzzt—Boom!
The sky tore open, striking directly toward Remaining Moon. At Nastisha's level, if the lightning hit, Remaining Moon would be incapacitated instantly.
But at that moment, the teleportation tower behind Remaining Moon suddenly shed its outer armor, revealing a deep blue energy core. A molecular teleporter opened instantly!
Zap, zap, zap—
Three strange devices launched from the teleporter, spreading outward to form a pitch-black canopy. The veil not only blocked the lightning but also plunged all of Terrivila into an unfathomable darkness.
"Bravo Six, entering the Dark Zone."
Governor's elite guard, Bravo Squad, stepped out of the portal in an orderly and silent manner. Encased in Black Moon armor that absorbed all light, they were invisible to any device or magic within the Dark Zone's shroud.
Bravo Six held an assault rifle tightly wrapped in Saint's Burial Shroud with one hand, dragging a heavily injured Remaining Moon struck by lightning with the other:
"Report to Dark Wolf. We've retrieved Remaining Moon and are verifying his status."
Dragging Remaining Moon to safety, the squad set up mobile shields and temporary fortifications. A medic approached, placed him on a stretcher, murmured prayers, and poured holy water on his forehead before using advanced medical devices to restore his heartbeat and repair burns. Within seconds, Remaining Moon's body recovered, and he sat up.
"Cough, cough—any later, and I'd be moving rocks in Surnamu!"
Remaining Moon complained.
Bravo Six extended a hand coldly:
"The fragment."
Remaining Moon nodded slightly, steadying his emotions, and replied:
"It's not on me."
"What? You didn't retrieve the fragment?" Bravo Squad members were astonished.
"Of course I did, but it was snatched away. Doesn't that mean it's not with me?"
Remaining Moon retorted irritably, shifting blame.
"I was fine until your governor failed to block the intel, letting that madwoman barge in. I would've succeeded otherwise—she's an Ita-tier foe! Isn't it easy for her to target me? If the fragment isn't recovered, even your gods won't forgive you!"
Bravo Squad remained silent, reluctantly reporting the information.
"Calling Dark Wolf, Alpha, and Charlie. This is Bravo Squad. We retrieved the target, but the fragment was taken by an Ita-tier enemy."
"Dark Wolf copies. Stand by."
On Bablushka's flagship, staff scrambled to check with the other two squads: "This is Dark Wolf. Report your status."
"Copy, this is Alpha. We successfully retrieved the fragment and are en route back."
"Copy, this is Charlie. We've returned with the fragment."
Headquarters quickly analyzed the intel and turned to Bravo Squad:
"Dark Wolf to Bravo Squad. While we've mostly recovered the objective, Governor Bablushka is fighting a bloody battle, even using curse powers to buy time. You must attempt to reclaim the last fragment to minimize losses."
Bravo Squad's commander clenched his teeth, understanding the grim outlook. He replied emotionlessly:
"Understood."
Dark Wolf sighed, speaking solemnly:
"May you return to the embrace of the Night Mother."
Bravo One turned to his troops—12 Zeta-tier warriors. Their numerical advantage meant they could hold their own against the enemy.
All the soldiers stared calmly, awaiting his command.
"We'll fight to the death," Bravo One declared. "The Mother guides us. Let these foolish materialist mages witness the greatness of our nation's weapons. The gods are on our side—Hassala!"
The squad pounded their chests in unison, chanting solemnly: "Hassala!"
Remaining Moon tilted his head slightly, barely suppressing laughter.
These idealistic fools were so easy to manipulate. A few words, and they'd throw themselves into a meaningless mission without hesitation.