245. Giant God Returns
"[Society] is nothing more than a wild beast, and you and I are just one insignificant blood-red cell on that beast. You cannot change the world, just as a single cell can never decide what the brain thinks."
"You've been unleashed by this beast called [Society], acting as a plague virus infecting other living people, turning them into cells just like you, and calling it 'liberation.' But in reality? You're only creating more cells, subjecting more people to the same suffering as you! You're worse than slaves—at least slaves know how to resist!"
"We destroyed our own world, then were incited to trample on others', all so the [Society] behind us could become even more gluttonous."
Horst and White Shark exchanged glances, each sensing the other's amusement.
"You're right, maybe…maybe only [Society] is like that in this world." White Shark stifled a laugh, grabbed Igorai Matthew by the hair, and sneered cruelly: "Since you're dead set on seeing us as a scourge, well, we scourges are still inclusive toward our own—so I'll give you a choice."
His fingertips dug into Igorai's scalp; the armor split apart, revealing sharp shark-like teeth:
"Tell us where you sent the councilor [Seamstress]—the one Horst went through so much trouble to unearth."
Blood seeped from Igorai Matthew's scalp in pale etheric streams. He glanced at White Shark and said indifferently:
"Sent her to the sky."
"You dare murder a councilor!" White Shark instantly flew into a rage: "You treacherous rebel! Are you trying to overthrow everything? The [Emperor] Councilor will never forgive you!"
"Heh heh, calm down. I was just joking." Igorai Matthew grinned: "Why would I hurt an unarmed girl?"
"Igorai Matthew, this is no joke." Horst slowly raised his hand, a floating hourglass materializing in his palm: "As [Bell Ringer], I can revive a compatriot who died not too long ago—anything within ten years, I can reverse her living timeline. Alive, we want to see her in person; dead, we want the corpse."
"What if I don't know where that girl went?"
"That's fine too." Horst smiled faintly. "White Shark."
White Shark waved his hand and pulled out a staff made from a girl's spine and skull:
"Come on, Sister Zonia. Say hello to this gentleman."
Igorai Matthew's pupils contracted. He cursed:
"You beasts—turning such a young child into a device…"
"It's only a temporary half-finished product. Only Councilor [Engineer] and [Scholar] have the skill to create a complete construct. I know, Mr. Igorai Matthew, you're not afraid to die—you're a righteous tough guy who once refused the olive branch from [Scholar] out of personal moral principles. You fled the [Secret Society] and would rather wander Star Abyss than serve as a noble juror."
Horst gently held up the hourglass and said with a smile:
"But you've been living on this planet for decades; surely you've made some friends."
"What do you intend to do—"
"Forty years is enough time for friends to start families, right? So they probably have sons and granddaughters—people they deeply care about?"
"You scum, you poisonous-blooded monster, your soul has been completely devoured by Gaia, you piece of trash!"
"Call me what you like, but understand this: as citizens of [Society], we have no weaknesses."
He lifted the hourglass and turned his gaze to a few survivors wearing gas masks and trembling nearby, especially to a baby lying atop its mother's corpse.
The infant had been fitted with a custom mask by the father, who reacted swiftly to the spread of etheric poison blood. The mother's resilience, even in her final moments, allowed her to shield the child, forming a small safe triangle with her arms.
Igorai Matthew's pupils shrank as he struggled violently:
"—Stop! [Bell Ringer], whatever you want, come at me! Don't you dare harm the innocent! You beast, you bastard, you scum—going after a child, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I'm nothing at all. Everything I am now—my identity and profession—was granted by [Secret Society]."
Horst raised the hourglass toward the infant, then turned to Igorai Matthew with a smile:
"Take a guess, what kind of device shall I turn this child into?"
"Doesn't matter what you turn it into."
A rough voice suddenly rang out.
Clang, clang, clang…
Iron boots stomped upon the ice and snow, accompanied by a red-black sky outside that rumbled like thunder.
"What matters is that I'll turn you into minced meat, using your poisonous blood to irrigate this wasteland."
Isaac Maxim slowly emerged from the darkness, his body encased in scales, metal, and mountain-like armor. Flames and frost danced wildly in his hands, sparks of lightning flickering within. A gravitational shield blocked out the blizzard. With raw physical power shaking the earth, his silver eyes of truth coldly foresaw their fate.
Igorai Matthew swiftly sensed the newcomer's bio-frequency. His decades of life on Azure Star had honed his sensitivity to different Dao tiers.
At first, seeing someone come to his aid made him relieved. But when he truly felt the aura, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently:
"An Alpha-tier presence—mortal, run! They aren't human; they're poisonous-blooded monsters—ugh!"
"Tch!"
White Shark flung Igorai Matthew aside, pinning his head down with a foot while resting his sword on his shoulder, sneering:
"You think an Alpha-tier nobody is worth any—"
Squelch!
White Shark's head was instantly blasted to bits.
Squelch!
The remaining brain matter splattered in all directions. Even his spine was torn out by the violent impact, falling to the ground.
[White Knight] Yuhle, dead.
Battle duration: 0.22 seconds.
The sudden turn of events happened so fast that Igorai Matthew, whose vision was blurred by blood and gore, couldn't react. Horst, seeing this, merely lowered the hourglass and gave it a shake:
"[Death Knell at Dusk]."
White Shark's body instantly reversed in time, his personal spacetime flowing backward. The scattered brain matter, blood, and bone rose like a reversed recording, restoring itself to its previous state.
"So that's how you resurrected this beast."
Li Aozi shook his head. He'd summoned too much Omega Energy, and even Isaac was beginning to complain about the strain.
Yet Isaac's body still bore the burden with ease. As a [Martial Artist], his talent was extraordinary. Even without Li Aozi's summons, he'd likely be a martial grandmaster in Azure Star.
Gazing at the newly revived [White Knight], who now looked terrified, and at the frowning [Bell Ringer] deep in thought, Li Aozi shrugged.
"Fine. Whatever intel they have, we'll kill them and consume them after."
With that, he raised his hand.
[Bloodline]
[Body Enhancement·Omega-tier]
All 24 instances of [Body Enhancement] Omega Energy descended on Li Aozi at once. His figure immediately shattered all constraints, transforming into a colossal, imposing form radiating scorching heat.
The Giant of Destruction—Doom King Kong!