Vol-2: 047. I Really Want to Stay at Your House

I Really Want to Stay at Your House

The blazing flames engulfed the body, and rapidly proliferating cells released a violent shockwave.

"Ugh—!"

The muscles across his entire body spasmed from the burning, tightening, relaxing, and then tightening again, pulling and snapping back like a rubber band stretched to its limits. At the same time, every inch of his skin was torn and twisted, turning into sparks that scattered into the air. The heat, like an invisible wave, continuously pressed against his flesh, scorching and shriveling it. Could there be any pain more severe than this?

"So this is what it feels like to be burned by fire—"

Of course, there is pain worse than burning.

Covered in flames, Li Aozi's body swiftly charged toward the grand duke on the throne.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Eagle Crest sneered as it raised its wrist, and the red radio reappeared in front of it. Its mouth opened and closed, spewing words that cut to the heart:

"Look at your body. Does it still bear any traces of humanity?"

Clap, clap, clap!

Li Aozi's footsteps echoed on the cold marble floor.

"Your thoughts are meaningless. You're nothing but a hypocrite, killing indiscriminately and committing heinous sins while deluding yourself into thinking you can be redeemed."

Li Aozi raised his hand, the fingertips consumed by flames, swirling with a crimson aura.

"Give it a rest, you two-faced idiot. Look at who has killed you—here they come again."

Eagle Crest unleashed three spirit monsters. They shrieked as they shot toward Li Aozi, following a familiar trajectory.

The spirit monsters that had once taken this life reappeared before him. Li Aozi's pupils instinctively contracted, his body trembling slightly—this was the memory of death from his former self, rekindled by facing the spirit monsters once more.

It seems... 'Li Aozi' has never forgotten the fear of being killed by spirit monsters.

When he integrated into this world, the beliefs and unfulfilled dreams he carried were inherited as well.

Eagle Crest taunted:

"Past, present, future—you can't protect anyone!"

Li Aozi opened his mouth, his fingers clenched into a fist, and he swung a punch at the approaching spirit monster.

"You think you can hit a spirit with your fist? Hahaha, that's fucking ridiculous!"

Eagle Crest sat on the throne, laughing heartily.

"—Is it?"

Boom————————

A burning stream of flames erupted from the fiery fist, instantly illuminating the inverted triangular head of the spirit monster.

Without the sound of physical contact, the punch, enveloped in flames, passed through the spirit monster's body, its intangible form torn and shattered by the scorching fire.

Silence.

Li Aozi spread his arms and instantly swept past the remaining two spirit monsters. Before they could face the flames, the three faces reflected in their dark pupils began to melt and disintegrate, collapsing into oblivion.

The residual flames brushed past Alexia, melting the ice. She was able to lift her head, her frost-covered eyelashes slowly thawing as she gazed at the close figure of Li Aozi.

Shining, warm.

"...The sun."

"What the hell?! That's impossible!"

Eagle Crest cried out in horror:

"These aren't ordinary flames. They can burn spirits, killing spirit monsters with one blow—who the hell are you?!"

"—Security."

Li Aozi said, stepping heavily forward.

Eagle Crest could no longer maintain its composure. It couldn't help but rise, but at that moment, its spirit body suddenly detached from the grand duke's body, fully exposed before Li Aozi.

Duke Gamos slowly lifted his eyes, a greenish light swirling within them.

"Gamos! Emerald! You two have been scheming—"

Eagle Crest demanded.

"One of the spirits had to be removed eventually, so why shouldn't it be you?"

The Emerald Wolf Spirit sneered:

"No matter how weak a Gamma-tier [Shaman] is, you, a mere spirit, can't usurp him. Take a good look at yourself, Eagle Crest—look back."

Eagle Crest instinctively turned around, only to see Li Aozi, like a phoenix, spreading his arms wide, surging with flames as he crashed toward it.

Boom——————

The violent explosion instantly filled the Flame King's Hall with fire. The portraits of the past governors turned to ash in the flames, all the luxurious items were shattered by the blast, and all the documents, proofs, and symbols left by the Frost-Plated colonists met their end in the inferno.

"Aozi!"

Alexia was thrown by the explosion, crashing into the wall. She didn't have time to check her injuries; she immediately called out to the center of the explosion:

"No! Aozi, come back—"

The rack that had caught her coat suddenly collapsed, causing Alexia to lose her balance and fall toward the ground.

Thud—

The remnants of the explosion floated down like snowflakes.

Gravity, like a gentle ocean, cradled Alexia's body, slowly and steadily lowering her into an embrace that was no longer hot, only warm.

"Ao..."

"People of the old era are really stubborn."

The severely burned body rapidly healed, the charred skin peeling away to reveal Li Aozi's pale skin, and his face, filled with helplessness and mischief:

"Not even married yet, and already a widow—people will laugh at me."

The charred remnants drifted in the air, and under the flames' cover, the radio fell heavily to the ground, blackened and broken, crackling with a few sparks before exploding.

"Aozi..." Alexia raised her hand, covering her mouth.

"Oh? Elly, why are your eyes wet?"

"The snowflakes on my eyelashes melted, that's all."

"Good, I thought the proudest girl of the old era was crying in front of me."

Li Aozi smirked and set Elly down on the ground:

"I know, you can stand on your own. You're a real woman, holding up half the sky."

——That's why I'm willing to be your groom.

Alexia avoided his direct gaze, releasing her hand from relying on Li Aozi, confidently saying:

"Of course."

Alexia wiped away the melting snow from the corners of her eyes, propping herself up on the floor, standing again alongside Li Aozi.

They turned their heads, looking at the throne engulfed in flames.

Thud—

Emerald claws tore through the flames, and before Duke Gamos stood multiple figures stepping out from the void—forming a snail with four human arms, a faceless woman in white, a figure covered in umbilical cords with a placenta for a head, and a majestic natural beast spirit.

Clap, clap, clap!

The Emerald Wolf Spirit clapped, sneeringly mocking:

"Did you really think a Gamma-tier Shaman only had two spirit companions? Spirit Wife, someone looks down on you."

"Greedy Eagle Crest, how detestable, can't tell the important from the trivial." The Spirit Wife, a ghostly woman in white, spoke with a sinister yet seductive voice, emanating a pungent scent of rouge.

"Enough." The Natural Beast Spirit snorted coldly, its body crackling with purple thunder: "Gamos, your body is about to collapse, don't forget your contract."

Duke Gamos slowly lifted his head, raising his sluggish hand to remove the respirator from his face, revealing an old, grotesque visage:

"I know, you all want my soul. I'm old; on this planet, I'll die sooner or later."

He then replaced the oxygen mask, inhaling a sufficient amount of air, and his eyes gradually lit up with a pale blue light:

"Hah—but for now, I'm still your master."

The Emerald Wolf Spirit bared its teeth, placing one hand on its waist: "Then stop wasting time. This man doesn't seem right. The two of them might really be able to hurt you."

"Emerald, Snail Man, Spirit Wife, Fetus Ghost, Thunder Spirit."

Duke Gamos took a deep breath of pure oxygen, raising his blood oxygen level to ninety percent. Only then did he have a foundation. He turned his head, staring at Li Aozi and Alexia, and whispered:

"Summon."

[Summoning of Evil]

The five spirits let out a sharp cry, their bodies infused with the grand duke's spiritual power, covered in a pitch-black shell, their eyes glowing with a ghostly green light.

"My suggestion is—stay at home," Emerald mockingly raised its sharp claws, "that way, you might not piss your pants."

"Fuck your mother. I suggest you restart your simulated life. With some effort, you might even become human. It'll definitely be better than now, at least you'll be a clown entertaining people at the circus."

Li Aozi's aggressive words almost made Emerald burst with anger.

"Coming on strong, huh?"

Li Aozi looked ahead and suddenly, for no reason, said to Alexia:

"I have a lab in Triangle Town, surrounded by industrial production lines and potions, but there's a couple of sofas inside, and on Sundays, the cafeteria serves potato stew with beef."

"Cool! I'd love to see what it's like there."

The metal covered Alexia's arms, and she nodded slightly:

"But I'd rather stay at your place and talk about these things..."

"My house? Hmm, strictly speaking, it's in space."

He raised his fist, and Alexia, as if they had a mutual understanding, lifted her fist and bumped it against his.

"Then it's a date."

Li Aozi grinned, the red and black in his eyes expanding, his facial muscles splitting and flipping, the red and black crystals covering the edges, cleverly concealing them.

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble——

"What's going on? An earthquake?!" Emerald almost lost its balance, nearly falling to the ground. The other evil spirits were also momentarily distracted, focusing on maintaining their balance.

Gamos, seated on the throne, growled: "Hurry and attack now!"

Emerald retorted mockingly:

"You make it sound so easy! Why don't you try standing up?!"

The marble and the underlying mudstone instantly cracked and shifted, like mountains rising from the ground, covering his body.

[Domination Form Activated]

[dominateall (Dominate Everything)]

Beneath the layers of rock, red and black crystalline spikes broke through the granite casing, rapidly spreading and growing. Exoskeletal armor extended across his body, skin splitting open to reveal scarlet fissures, with synthetic flammables seeping out. In an instant, Li Aozi's body ignited in raging flames, turning the surrounding soil and rock into a heated, charred mass.

[Dominion•Purifying Flames]

At the same time, the metal maximally covered Alexia's arms and legs, golden thorns emerging, shining brilliantly.

Beside her, the rock-covered Li Aozi raised his hand with a roar, shattering the useless layers of rock from his body, molten lava forming into armor.

[Dominion•Earth Armor]

Li Aozi's body rapidly grew taller, swelling to two meters and forty centimeters. The force of gravity allowed the fiery blood vessels to form intricate patterns.

[Dominion•Immortal Physique]

Nerve tendrils shot out from his palms, coiling around his arms like serpents, the tips of his fingers covered with red and black crystals.

[Dominion•Vitality Tubes]

He drew his plain long sword, his right hand immediately transforming into a claw, the nails retracting inward, the hand shape instantly adapting to the hilt. Red and black crystals wrapped around the blade of the plain sword, forming a specialized, elongated crystal katana. The malicious spirits of the slain manifested behind him, causing the evil spirits before him to glance sideways.

"That murderous aura is overwhelming... How many people has he killed to feed that demon sword?"

[Dominion•Battle Demon Blade]

His face was no longer terrifying; obsidian clustered around his faceplate, covering it with a layer of dignified armor. The golden rings in his eyes expanded, glowing brightly beneath the crystal lenses.

[Dominion•Gravity Field]

Boom——

Li Aozi raised his left arm, the flames fanning out like a peacock's tail feathers, sweeping the ground into a fiery skirt.

"From here on, we're going to space together."