202. Remaining Moon's Final Stand (3)
Remaining Moon opened a private communication channel, exchanging words with his crew aboard the ship. Before long, Mozilan and his subordinates emerged to greet him.
"Dad?"
Mozilan approached excitedly. Remaining Moon hugged him and discreetly slipped a card into his hands.
"This is—"
"Don't say anything, child." Remaining Moon gently brushed his son's hair. "This is all my savings. If anything happens to me, take it to the Valkyrie Fortress. It's neutral ground, and you can use this to start over."
Mozilan nodded.
This was the dialogue they had prearranged, specifically meant to be overheard by the Night Butterfly Federation soldiers.
In reality, what Remaining Moon handed over was undoubtedly a fragment of forbidden knowledge, one of the shards of the Truth Eye.
"But what about you, Dad?"
"I probably won't find that bastard Du Zexin anytime soon."
Remaining Moon turned to look at Li Aozi, still shrouded in the Dark Zone:
"But I can at least bring back a Sequence Omega Energy."
In the Dark Zone, only those who had undergone prior surgeries could see normally. In such a vast area, the opponent could only choose between large-scale bombardment or engaging in close-quarters skirmishes.
That gave Mozilan enough time to use the forbidden knowledge to address the lingering aftereffects.
Remaining Moon gently caressed his son's face before turning away, stepping past the soldiers.
"Wait, where are you going?" a Bravo Squad member shouted.
"The Ita-tier up in the sky, [Storm Bearer] Nastisha, is yours to handle."
Remaining Moon tilted his head, his body adorned with a faint blue armor. A Remaining Moon-shaped helmet covered his face:
"Her student is her weakness. I'm going to capture him!"
Dictator Form Activated!
Remaining Moon's body was cloaked in dimensional fragments, integrating his Omega Energy to greatly enhance his efficiency. He charged directly toward Li Aozi with accelerating speed!
Leveraging the concealment of the Dark Zone, his approach was sure to be undetected.
This time, there would be no decapitation. As long as he pierced the heart and used Dimensional Slash to cut Li Aozi into fragments, taking just a piece back would suffice to extract his [Gravity] Omega Energy.
Victory was within reach!
Remaining Moon struck instantaneously, slashing toward Li Aozi with his hand blade.
In the silent moment when the dimension was torn and his slash descended, he suddenly noticed a pair of silver runes lighting up within the void-like spatial ripple atop Li Aozi's head.
Deployment of Omega Energy • [Truth Eye]
Remaining Moon's talks with Bravo Squad, his whispers with Mozilan, and his transformation—everything had been seen clearly by Li Aozi.
Yet Li Aozi remained still, quietly waiting for the perfect moment.
Remaining Moon took large, silent strides. The dimension tore open without a sound, leaving him confident that his hand blade would cleave Li Aozi in two, just like so many enemies before.
[Player 'Night Sword Dance' is offering to trade the item—Tsu•Shadow's Edge]
As Remaining Moon's hand blade slashed down at high speed, Li Aozi suddenly moved.
In an instant, a slender black katana appeared in his grip. The blade emitted a swirling purple miasma as it struck diagonally.
Shhhk—
Remaining Moon's right arm was precisely severed, the radiative damage continuing to corrode his cybernetic implants.
Blood spurted wildly, and Remaining Moon's expression shifted dramatically.
This weapon... it didn't rely on physical cutting. Instead, it inflicted damage through radiation.
"Leoz, you—"
Remaining Moon clutched his severed arm and retreated swiftly, eyes wide with shock.
—How had this guy's power increased so much in an instant?
This was far beyond the level he'd displayed during their last encounter.
Swish—
Calmly, Li Aozi shook the blood off his blade.
Unlike the real damage caused by Jania's [Lord of Iron and Steel], which Remaining Moon's tier effects could mitigate at the cost of rapidly depleting his energy reserves...
Using the radiative damage of Tsu•Shadow's Edge consumed far less energy while delivering continuous erosion damage.
"I was waiting for someone to deliver a weapon. What were you waiting for?"
Li Aozi had already seen forum discussions about his quest, some even live-streaming their progress. With constant access to this information, he held an undeniable advantage.
Meanwhile, Remaining Moon knew nothing about him—not even that he currently wielded Remaining Moon's son's [Remaining Moon] Omega Energy.
Remaining Moon stepped back, preparing to call for help from Bravo Squad.
Crackle—Boom!
Lightning pierced the Dark Zone as Nastisha, shrouded in crackling electricity, descended with her staff in hand. The storm brought her an influx of information as she slammed the staff into the ground.
Thud!
In an instant, countless magic arrays unfolded behind her, dense and overwhelming like a swarm of locusts, spinning rapidly.
"I didn't want to step onto the battlefield, but you forced my hand. And you've hurt my students…"
Nastisha twirled her staff, smirking:
"Thunderstorm—Unlimited."
In the next moment, countless magic arrays unleashed bolts of blinding silver lightning, hurtling toward Bravo Squad's position.
"Bravo Three! Deploy the magnetic shield! Bravo Seven! Start chanting the scriptures—Bravo Five and Four, set up close-defense turrets for interception!"
Bravo Squad responded calmly to the wrath of [Storm Bearer] Nastisha, temporarily unable to spare attention for Remaining Moon.
"What are you looking at?!"
Li Aozi's figure suddenly appeared, his blade slicing gracefully. Moving as though in a dance, he circled Remaining Moon, exploiting the latter's evasive maneuvers to slip behind him. A swift slash tore open Remaining Moon's back.
Remaining Moon found himself at a disadvantage. His dimensional jumps were restricted, leaving him no way to escape for now. Under the absolute strength of [Bloodline], Li Aozi fought as an equal-tier [Martial Artist].
Close combat put Remaining Moon at a severe disadvantage.
Li Aozi was about to pierce Remaining Moon's heart with his blade when a burst of bullets struck the katana, deflecting it into the ground.
Turning, he saw Mozilan struggling to reload a precision sniper rifle, glaring at him through gritted teeth:
"Stay away from my dad!"
Remaining Moon showed no gratitude. Instead, he was terrified, shouting at his son:
"Stay back!"
[Player 'Cumin Powder' is offering to trade the item—Dust-Sealed Sanctuary]
"The radiant blade, forged to dispel evil shadows."
Li Aozi reached into the void with his right hand, grasping the Dust-Sealed Sanctuary. The giant sword, encased like a box, cracked open, emitting a dazzling brilliance. Infused with Li Aozi's energy, the radiant blade extended and came to rest against Mozilan's throat.
"You bastard!" Remaining Moon's eyes bulged with fury, ready to spring.
"Don't move!" Li Aozi said coldly. "Or your son dies."
"Ugh—"
Shards of light burned Mozilan's smooth skin, leaving searing scars. The excruciating heat made him cry out, tears welling in his eyes.
Yet he still shouted:
"Don't worry about me, Dad! Kill this bastard!"
"Let him go!" Remaining Moon growled, his tone softening. "I'll give you whatever you want, Leoz. You're not like this, right? You kept your promises in school. You're not someone without principles—please, don't harm a child. He's just a kid."
Li Aozi reversed Tsu•Shadow's Edge and planted it in the ground. Raising his right hand, he gestured:
"Hand them over."
"Don't panic, don't panic."
Remaining Moon tried to calm him, pulling four cards from his pocket:
"You want your people, right? Your good classmates are all here."
"Put them on the ground, then turn around and walk a hundred meters away. Hands on your head, squat down."
Remaining Moon obediently complied, placing the cards down, turning around, and loudly counting his steps: "One, two…"
At a hundred steps, he raised his arms, shook them to show he was unarmed, then clasped his hands on his head and slowly crouched.
Li Aozi, holding the radiant blade, walked to the cards. He sheathed the blade, bent down, and picked them up.
Flipping them over, he saw the faces of James II, Maria, and two unfamiliar students.
Hobbs and Lucit were not among them.
"I've been tricked!"
Remaining Moon grinned, instantly spinning around. He tore open a dimensional rift, separating himself from Li Aozi before running quickly to Mozilan's side.
Experience triumphs again!