205. Reverberations
The campaign against Remaining Moon ended just like that.
Li Aozi deactivated the Dictator Form, replacing it with a new exoskeletal headpiece. His muscles twitched from the extended strain, leaving him fatigued.
In truth, his goal had yet to be fully achieved.
He searched everywhere for Remaining Moon but couldn't find the cards sealing Lucite and Hobbs.
"Their biological frequencies are still registered with the school, which means the effects of [Remaining Moon]'s Omega Energy have been lifted. They're alive and well—just scattered across other dimensions, for now."
Li Aozi could only console himself with such reasoning.
The good news: The two may have fallen into an alternate plane of existence suitable for biological survival, meaning their lives aren't in immediate danger.
The bad news: With countless dimensions across the universe and no leads to investigate, recovering them would be immensely difficult.
Li Aozi wasn't overly worried about their safety.
Both were resourceful, especially as Star Abyss entities. They would easily dominate indigenous lifeforms in other worlds.
"Old Hobbs, Old Lucite, you two just stay put. Give me ten years or so, and I'll come fish you out."
Wrapping up the battle, Li Aozi began tallying his gains.
First, the experience points: The massive amount provided by Remaining Moon propelled his [Echoer] level to 110, granting him 6 [Charisma] points and raising his total effective Charisma to 577.8.
Additionally, thanks to being nearly overpowered by Remaining Moon, [Grim Smile] bestowed him a fair amount of extra experience. He was now approximately 400 million points shy of reaching level 120 and becoming a fully-fledged Zeta tier. Another grueling battle or two, and he'd be there.
The next reward came in the form of a [Template].
[Cross-Tier Challenge Reward: Template Advancement]
[Due to your versatile combat style, choose one of the following templates for your advancement:]
A – Advanced Lord-Type NPC (Health cap +100%)
B – Combat Specialist NPC (Damage output +25%, permanent dodge rate +35%, resilience +15%)
C – Berserker NPC (Damage output +300%, ignores tier-specific effects)
D – Junior Boss NPC (System template fully optimized; when HP drops below 50% in combat, enter "Phase Two": Attack frequency +45%, 10% damage immunity.)
"C."
There was no need to think twice.
The Berserker template suited Li Aozi perfectly. With the [Bloodline]'s ultra-high strength, ignoring tier-specific effects made his damage output formidable.
Examples like the "Silver Armor" Nephis or Guard Zhu from Liuer demonstrated how devastating [Destruction]-type high-damage professions could be when paired with the Berserker template—it was like strapping a nuclear warhead to a rocket.
Terrifying stuff.
For Li Aozi, however, damage was secondary.
With the Berserker template, the benefits of [Gravity] surged dramatically. Using it to manipulate "Time Stop" meant he no longer had to worry about high-tier enemies nullifying his effects.
Moreover, [Calamity]-type probability-based Omega Energies would now trigger more reliably against high-level targets instead of draining his resources for minimal returns like against Remaining Moon.
Templates A and B were trash. As for D... that was for NPCs walking the Boss route.
Li Aozi had no interest in being a Boss NPC. Boss paths focused on clashing with players, but Li Aozi viewed players as livestock, so there was no inherent conflict.
Secondly, with [Bloodline]'s durability, his defenses would never be fragile.
Thirdly, with [Remaining Moon] in play, his evasive capabilities wouldn't be lacking.
Three strong reasons made the decision obvious.
"The next template upgrade will be tricky... Advancing from Berserker to 'Chosen Berserker' requires cross-tier consecutive kills to complete the challenge."
All in all, he'd gained plenty.
Estimating the time, Li Aozi figured Headmistress Nastisha must have cleared out the enemies. It was about time to head out.
Compared to Remaining Moon, this was the real serious issue.
Exiting the two-dimensional space, Li Aozi landed on Trivira's cold ruins. The dark domain had long since dissipated, leaving broken buildings surrounded by sirens and wailing cries.
A post-apocalyptic wasteland scene.
"Back already?"
Nastisha's voice rang out from nearby.
Turning, Li Aozi saw her sitting casually on a collapsed lamppost. Her staff was planted in the body of a Bravo Squad member, with several of Remaining Moon's subordinates kneeling beside her, restrained by Arcane Seals.
As for the Exoskeletal Soldiers—more than 30,000 of them were obliterated the instant Nastisha unleashed her Lightning Domain.
Twelve Zeta-tier soldiers annihilated, Remaining Moon's forces captured, and the city's enemies purged in a flash.
If Remaining Moon hadn't targeted Li Aozi directly, Nastisha could have easily dispatched him with a snap of her fingers.
Even for an Ita-tier Ascendant, Nastisha's performance was overwhelming.
"Headmistress."
Li Aozi stepped forward respectfully.
"Had you not intervened, I would have perished at the hands of that brute."
"Enough, enough..."
Nastisha, hair disheveled, sighed and looked at him with a complex expression.
"Ugh... What's your name again?"
"First-year student in Applied Magic, Leoz," he answered.
"Leoz, huh... You are as brave as Leozi, and just like him, you belong to [Domination]."
Nastisha brushed back her hair, silently pondering before asking:
"Leoz, what's your purpose?"
"I'm here to study," Li Aozi replied truthfully.
"To study? Ha..."
Nastisha raised her gaze to meet his.
"A Zeta-tier [Domination]-type Ascendant disguised as a student, engaging in a massive brawl with another Zeta-tier [Domination] Ascendant, and you're telling me it's all for school? Do you even believe that yourself?"
"I swear by Star Abyss, I came to learn magic, earn a degree, and find stable work."
Raising his fist, Li Aozi solemnly declared:
"Lucite and Hobbs are my friends. If it weren't for Remaining Moon—"
"If it weren't for Remaining Moon, you would have kept hiding your identity as an Omega Energy wielder and even a Sequence Omega holder until graduation, correct?"
Nastisha's piercing gaze locked onto him.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then—" Nastisha flicked her fingers, revealing a card: "Isn't this "Lyle Swindler's Fate Card" your true goal?"
Li Aozi shook his head in confusion.
"I have no idea what that is."
"Oh?"
Nastisha stared at him.
"[Oath Spirit]."
A glowing arcane spirit erupted from a circle beneath Li Aozi, locking his body in place.
"Headmistress," Li Aozi said, "we have no grievances, do we? I even helped eliminate Remaining Moon. Is this how your school treats students who fight terrorists and act heroically?"
"Forgive me, child," Nastisha said regretfully.
"[Domination]-type Ascendants are not allowed here. It's the rule."
Behind her, teleportation arrays lit up one after another, and formally dressed high-ranking mages arrived at Trivira. Each one was horrified by the devastation before them.
"My God, what happened to our city—"
"Who's responsible for this? My students, my school! I must report this to the High Council!"
"And the Night Butterfly military is here too? Great, those idealist pigs have invaded our backyard!"
Before long, their eyes fell upon Li Aozi.
One mage stormed over, visibly furious. He glared coldly at Li Aozi before turning to Nastisha.
"Is this the perpetrator?"
"No, the perpetrator was the interstellar criminal Remaining Moon," Nastisha said calmly. "He's the one who took down the criminal."
"Him?" The mage looked at Li Aozi. "Defeated the criminal? Not bad. But you're already Zeta-tier, and you're still hiding in school? Why hasn't the draft office sent you to the battlefield?"
Li Aozi's mind raced. He realized Nastisha had deliberately concealed his [Domination]-type identity.
"I…"
Before he could finish, the mage waved him off.
"Forget it. Even if you got lucky this time, you won't escape next time—Nastisha, why is this young hero still bound by [Oath Spirit]? He's not a Night Butterfly."
"I had to ensure he wasn't brainwashed by idealist doctrines," Nastisha replied matter-of-factly. "When I arrived on the surface, he was already fighting Remaining Moon. I helped him a bit, and he finished the job. But that means I can't be sure he wasn't influenced by the Night Butterflys."
"Your caution is justified. We must be thorough." The mage sighed. "The Minister is confronting the Night Butterflys' Kappa-tier forces. White Candle Star is in chaos, and there might very well be Night Butterfly spies and informants at work."
"It's necessary," Nastisha said, nodding as she directed [Oath Spirit] to lift Li Aozi.
"I'll take him back to White Candle Interstellar University for evaluation. The city's rescue and recovery efforts are yours to handle."
The other mages nodded, dispersing swiftly.
Once they were gone, Nastisha snapped her fingers.
Ping—
In the next moment, Li Aozi found himself in a pitch-black room. The [Oath Spirit] vanished, and faint blue candlelight flickered around him. Nastisha seated herself casually behind a desk, casting multiple spells to create a shielded force field before turning her gaze to Li Aozi.
"I've smoothed things over with the officials for now."
Nastisha said coolly,
"Don't thank me just yet. You're not off the hook."
Li Aozi shrugged, noticing a chair behind him. He casually took a seat.
"Headmistress, I'm a model student. I've never caused trouble. After all this, if the school doesn't give me a scholarship, I'd feel shortchanged."
"Is that so?" Nastisha tapped her desk. "Then explain the Elemental Outburst incident."
"Hmm?" Li Aozi blinked. "Elemental Outburst? What's that?"
"You don't remember? Then how about [Mechanical Society]?"
As she spoke, Nastisha activated a magic array, extracting countless surveillance record crystals.
"I had the Smart Magic Brain look into you. Turns out, you're quite an interesting character."
"In less than a month of enrollment, you failed 15 courses. Yet in just three months, you not only made up the credits but surpassed many students."
"That's because I reflected on my learning methods, developed new strategies, reviewed past experiences, and worked tirelessly to improve with the enthusiastic help of my teachers and classmates," Li Aozi declared righteously.
"Your tireless effort and hard work involved sleeping in the dorm for a month?"
"Not at all," Li Aozi replied without missing a beat. "I excel in learning through dreams!"
Nastisha stared at him.
"That divine sword you're carrying—where did it come from?"
"Passed down through eight generations of my family. As for why it recognizes me as its master, it all started when a fiancée from an arranged marriage came to break off the engagement. Feeling humiliated, I declared, 'Thirty years east, thirty years west—don't underestimate the youth—'"
"I used Magic Brain GPT to identify it. That's the Sword of Fate Awakening, wielded by the legendary demigod of Felicia Civilization—Fang Peak."
Nastisha's expression turned stern.
"Your enrollment records list you as Tanassian, claiming descent from C3 Luka-type extraterrestrials. However, database checks show your family has been Tanassian for eight generations. So, what, did your ancestor wear a green hat?"
Li Aozi looked away, admiring the candlelight.
"Such beautiful flames—surely made from rare biological fat, right?"
"Bought wholesale from the Winged House Market."
Nastisha crossed her legs, eyeing Li Aozi.
"Be honest. I won't make things hard for you. After all, you're still my student."
"I'm telling the truth," Li Aozi said innocently.
[You attempted a 'Deception' check, rolling against [Charisma]...]
[Check succeeded! Failed—target countered with [Intellect Overpower], rejecting your lie.]
['Nastisha' has lowered her favorability toward you.]
Tch.
Against an Ita-tier powerhouse, his stats were indeed lacking.
"Listen," Nastisha sighed. "Leoz, I had [Oath Spirit] analyze your thoughts. You don't have idealist tendencies, which is good—it proves you're not a Night Butterfly. But that doesn't mean you're safe."
"What should I do?" Li Aozi spread his hands. "You've already lied to the officials. Why not follow through?"
"You've revealed Zeta-tier capabilities in that meeting. The High Council will eventually uncover that you killed Remaining Moon. The best I can do is hide your identity as a [Domination]-type Ascendant. I've used the Lightning Domain to scrub the battlefield, ensuring no traces of your Omega Energy remain. This keeps you out of prison."
Nastisha leaned forward, exuding suffocating tier-based pressure that pinned Li Aozi to his chair, immobilizing him.
"But your Zeta-tier power—that's something I can't conceal."
She raised a hand.
"Biological frequency is the best method to detect tier progression—it can't be hidden. And do you know how desperate the frontlines have become?"
Li Aozi narrowed his eyes.
"You're conscripting me?"
"Military service during university enrollment is every citizen's duty. Your academic records will be preserved."
Nastisha smiled slightly.
"Or are you suggesting you're not a citizen of [Crystal Tower] civilization?"
Li Aozi glared at her.
Nastisha's message was crystal clear.
Their teacher-student relationship was fine, and Nastisha's willingness to shield him stemmed from his efforts against Remaining Moon and refraining from absorbing "Lyle Swindler's Fate Card", a fragment of Truth Eye.
But her protection came with conditions.
"Headmistress, you jest. I'm still a student." Li Aozi forced a grin.
"Actually, I'm more than just a headmistress."
Nastisha crossed her arms.
"After my visit to Gladiolus Fortress, I was appointed as the Commander of White Candle Star's Reserve Forces. According to the "Wartime Special Provisions Act", all students at Epsilon tier or higher on White Candle Star must join the reserves, undergo military training, complete missions, and contribute to national defense."
She looked at Li Aozi, smiling.
"So, prison or military service—your choice?"
As she spoke, she added,
"With Trivira in ruins, I can easily have your records updated—say, from first-year to fourth-year student. That way, you can firmly establish your Zeta-tier student status without linking to [Domination]."
Li Aozi fell silent.
Gotta hand it to high-level mages.
Nastisha's intellect and methods were impressive. Despite her role as an educator, her adaptability was remarkable.
While military service might seem risky, having Nastisha as the reserve commander essentially meant serving under her protection.
Her offer was exceptionally generous, with no personal stakes involved.
Besides, if push came to shove... escaping wouldn't be too hard for someone like him.
"...I'll join the reserves."
Li Aozi nodded.
"I'll report to the draft office in a few days."