Purple Mood, Maximum Level!

"Topaz, return. I'll need you for the coming battle."

Daziel commanded Topaz.

Topaz hesitated for a fraction of a second, then replied obediently, "Yes, Master."

Her slender figure dissolved into a streak of light, flowing back into the Aether Coin.

Daziel's palm tightened around the coin, feeling the docile power within as he took a deep breath. It wasn't nervousness, but rather a focused concentration, gathering all his strength to a single point. His gaze sharpened instantly. He tossed the coin from his fingertips, pointing it towards the empty stage before him.

"Alright then, I choose you, my Aether Spirits!"

Following Daziel's determined cry, the coin flashed brilliantly, as if responding to his will.

The first thing that met everyone's eyes was the silhouette of a dark, ten-meter-tall female figure, white hair whipping around, enveloped in biting white frost. Her mere appearance seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

Immediately after, the Aether Spirit form of Elder Sister Asta materialized. Unlike the imposing Mother of Deception, Asta's Aether Spirit form was an intricately designed Annihilation Cannon. Its silver-white body floated in mid-air, tiny sparks crackling across its surface with faint sizzling sounds.

Finally, with a flash of gold, the butt-wiggling Trotter leaped out, round and plump. Yet, its eyes glinted with vigilance, its short legs restlessly pawing the ground.

Giovanni observed the Aether Spirits Daziel summoned with great interest, a playful smirk gracing his lips. He then threw his head back and let out a wild, unrestrained laugh that echoed across the empty stage. It held a hint of arrogance, a touch of anticipation, and an indescribable excitement.

"Hahahaha! Mr. Daziel, I've been looking forward to this for so long! Finally, a chance to truly cross blades with you!"

His words were filled with undisguised excitement, as if a grand performance was about to begin.

Giovanni's gaze swept over the Mother of Deception and the Trotter with interest. Then, his sight landed on the floating Annihilation Cannon, a flash of understanding in his eyes. "The Mother of Deception and the Trotter... these two old friends I've studied countless times in your profile. As for this Annihilation Cannon... let me guess, could it be the esteemed Station Master of Herta Space Station?"

Giovanni placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head back to laugh again, even more recklessly this time, as if he already had everything dancing in the palm of his hand.

Daziel ignored Giovanni's theatrics, merely staring at him coolly, his expression unchanging, holding only a heart-stopping iciness.

"..."

Giovanni's laughter cut off abruptly. His tone shifted sharply, his eyes becoming as piercing as a viper's, locking firmly onto Daziel.

"But this alone is far from enough!"

Before his words faded, Giovanni fiercely threw his own Aether Coin. It traced a graceful arc through the air before landing precisely in the center of the stage with a crisp clang.

"Come forth, my companions! Let me give Mr. Daziel a proper welcome!"

Following Giovanni's captivating voice, the ground in the stage's center began to tremble violently, as if some slumbering behemoth was about to awaken. Cracks spread rapidly like spiderwebs across the entire stage floor.

CRACK—

A piercing shatter echoed through the area as the stage floor in the center collapsed inwards. A massive, pitch-black octopus slowly rose from the fissure, its enormous tentacles writhing like pythons in the air, viscous fluid dripping from its body.

Next, a tall robot appeared beside the octopus, clad in heavy armor, metallic glints flashing at its joints. Its right arm mounted a huge energy cannon, while its left held a translucent yellow, door-sized riot shield.

It was precisely the company's elite combat unit—the Senior Staff: Team Leader Mech.

Compared to the giant octopus Daziel had never seen before, this thing was an old acquaintance.

The Team Leader Mech's scarlet optical sensors glowed coldly. Its head's mechanical structure rotated with dull clank-clank sounds.

"Bzzt... Target locked... Training... commencing..."

The Team Leader Mech emitted a synthesized electronic voice, cold and stiff, utterly devoid of emotion. Without pause, it activated its own skill, summoning subordinate units.

"Basic Employee: Field Personnel, Basic Employee: Security Personnel, activate!"

This could be called the Team Leader Mech's signature skill. Following its command, four more flashes of light appeared, and four mechs of varying forms materialized on the stage. They wielded assorted weapons—energy guns, alloy blades—surrounding Daziel and his Aether Spirits, sealing off all possible escape routes.

"Th-This... isn't this too much? You can bring summoning skills into an Aether Spirit battle? Isn't that cheating?!"

Witnessing this sudden turn of events, March 7th's eyes went wide, her mouth forming an "O" of disbelief. She was clearly stunned by Giovanni's "unsportsmanlike" tactics.

Daziel observed the sudden increase in enemy numbers, his brow furrowing slightly. The situation seemed a bit more complex than anticipated.

"Hmph, just a bunch of grunts. No matter how many there are, it's merely a laughingstock."

Despite the slightly disadvantageous situation, Daziel's face showed no trace of fear.

"Cocolia, no need to hold back. Use Call of the Cold Annihilator directly!"

Daziel's eyes narrowed as he initiated the first attack command. Receiving the order, the Mother of Deception swung the ice lance in her hand fiercely. Instantly, countless lances formed from extreme frost rained down like a sudden storm, targeting Giovanni and all the spirits he had summoned. An icy chill permeated the air, threatening to turn the entire stage into a frozen hell.

"Asta, begin charging! Annihilation Cannon, prepare!"

Daziel's commands continued relentlessly. The Annihilation Cannon form of Asta swiftly entered its charging state, the azure light at its muzzle growing increasingly dazzling, looking ready to erupt in intense flames at any moment.

"Sow, use Ram! Target, the nearest Basic Employee mech!"

Finally, Daziel turned his gaze to the Trotter form of Topaz, issuing the order to charge. Receiving the command, the Trotter pawed the ground violently with its four hooves, its round body shooting out like a cannonball, heading straight for the closest Basic Employee mech.

Facing Daziel's fierce, storm-like offensive, Giovanni appeared entirely at ease, still wearing that confident smile, as if everything was proceeding exactly as he expected.

"Useless, Mr. Daziel. An attack of this level is utterly meaningless to me! Dark Tide Octopus, use Dark Wave!"

Giovanni calmly directed the enormous black octopus. The creature's massive body quivered slightly, and countless rings of pitch-black light radiated outwards from its center, colliding with the incoming frost lances.

Bang bang bang bang—

A dense barrage of impacts sounded like popping beans. The frost lances and dark waves canceled each other out in mid-air, exploding into scattered ice shards and dark energy particles that drifted across the stage before vanishing.

"Senior Staff: Team Leader, prioritize Bottom-Rank Elimination tactic, then use Corporate Culture Shock!"

Giovanni issued another command. The Team Leader Mech received the order and acted immediately. It raised the massive energy cannon on its right arm, aiming the muzzle at two "Basic Employee: Field Personnel" mechs.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two deafening cannon shots rang out. Two thick beams of energy screamed forth, instantly piercing the armor of the "Basic Employee: Field Personnel" mechs, blasting them into fragments that scattered across the ground.

After absorbing the energy from its defeated comrades, a brilliant layer of light suddenly flared up on the surface of the Team Leader Mech's armor, significantly enhancing its performance. Immediately after, it turned its cannon towards Asta's railgun form and fired a massive energy projectile.

"Corporate Culture Shock!"

The projectile trailed a long plume of fire, streaking through the air like a meteor, violently colliding with the blue beam fired from Asta's railgun in mid-air.

BOOM—!!!

The deafening explosion and roar instantly drowned out all other sounds. Dazzling light erupted like a miniature sun, and a powerful shockwave spread outwards, making the stage floor tremble. Thick smoke billowed up, shrouding the entire battlefield.

Explosions, impacts, the whirring of machinery – a cacophony of sounds intertwined. The stage was filled with smoke and chaos as the battle instantly escalated into a white-hot phase.

Although Daziel's Aether Spirits were powerful, under Giovanni's precise commands and tactical suppression, they couldn't gain the upper hand. Instead, they were forced back step by step by the enemy's assault, caught in a bitter struggle.

Giovanni stood at the center of the battlefield, watching Daziel's difficult fight with keen interest, the smugness on his face growing thicker, as if enjoying a spectacular theatrical performance.

"How about it, Mr. Daziel? Feeling the pressure?" His tone carried undisguised provocation, the corner of his mouth lifting into a mocking curve.

"Don't stop now, Mr. Daziel. Show me your true strength! Otherwise, how will you ever find out what sort of schemes I'm plotting behind the scenes!"

Giovanni crossed his arms, looking relaxed as he gazed down imperiously at Daziel.

Daziel gritted his teeth, his face so dark it looked like water might drip from it. The opponent's strength and tactics far exceeded his expectations. This was arguably the toughest enemy he had encountered so far; the previous three Victory Zone Champion Candidates felt like mere skirmishes in comparison.

"Damn it... This kind of game really is just a numbers game, after all."

Daziel cursed under his breath, but his eyes grew even more resolute. He would absolutely not concede defeat. Until the very last moment, the battle was far from over.

He took another deep breath, his fingertip stealthily pressing a hidden button on the Aether Code plugin. A determined glint flashed in his eyes.

"It seems... I have no choice but to crank the Purple Mood Modulation Power to the maximum setting."

With Daziel's action, an invisible wave instantly spread out. The bodies of the Mother of Deception, Asta, and Topaz all trembled slightly at almost the same moment.

From Daziel's own perspective, he could clearly see the cheeks of all three rapidly flush with an alluring crimson hue, their eyes becoming moist and hazy, as if veiled by a layer of mist.

An indescribable seductive charm began to emanate quietly from them.

There were even shallow puddles forming beneath them—a direct manifestation of the Purple Mood setting being pushed to maximum power.

"Now! Victory or defeat hinges on this moment!" Daziel suddenly let out a heaven-shaking roar, like a lion's bellow, focusing all his power into this instant. "Unleash your strongest powers, full release!"

Hearing Daziel's command, the Mother of Deception raised her hands high. An ice lance materialized from thin air. The surrounding temperature plummeted to an extreme low, visible frost even condensing in the air. Countless ice crystals gathered and coalesced at the spear's tip. A blizzard descended, seeming capable of freezing the entire world.

"Omen of the Annihilation Era—!!!"

Simultaneously, Asta's railgun form completed its final charge. The light at its muzzle reached peak intensity, like a miniature sun emitting a glare too strong to look at directly. The terrifying energy fluctuations even caused the surrounding space to subtly warp. She emitted a crisp, synthesized electronic voice, announcing the name of her ultimate skill.

"Meteor Swarm—!"

The Trotter form of Topaz also erupted in dazzling golden light, as if plated in gold, brimming with explosive power. It snorted angrily, its four hooves kicking off the ground fiercely, launching itself like a cannonball straight towards the Basic Employee mechs.

"Sow, use Rocket Headbutt—!"

Facing Daziel's sudden burst of power and the terrifying force unleashed by his three Aether Spirits, Giovanni, who had looked utterly confident just moments before, finally showed a change in expression. His relaxed demeanor instantly froze, replaced by profound shock and disbelief.

"What?! Th-This... is this still an Aether Code skill?! How is the power level so high?!" Giovanni exclaimed, a hint of panic in his voice.

Although the data indicated Daziel's Aether Spirits were somewhat special after equipping the Aether Code plugin, he hadn't expected them to be this special.

If someone else installed the same Aether Code skill, the base power might be 85, but Daziel's reached a staggering 120!

This was the power of modulation!

"Dark Tide Octopus, quickly use Malicious Wave, full defense! Senior Staff: Team Leader, use Cost Reduction and Efficiency Increase, block that beam for me! You Basic Employees, get to the front and act as shields—!"

Giovanni barked out a rapid string of commands, desperately trying to salvage the situation. The black octopus waved its massive tentacles, frantically releasing waves of dark energy outwards, attempting to counter the blizzard.

The Team Leader Mech swiftly raised the energy shield in its hand, positioning it in front of the beam fired by Asta's railgun, trying to withstand the terrifying blow through sheer defense.

As for the Basic Employee mechs, facing the Trotter's relentless charge, they seemed utterly small and fragile. They had no time to react before being directly run over, crushed like brittle toys, shattering into countless fragments.

The power of Daziel's ultimate skills had clearly surpassed Giovanni's imagination and far exceeded the defensive limits of his Aether Spirits.

CRACK—

The blizzard collided with the black octopus's tentacles. In just an instant, the tentacles were frozen solid by the terrifying cold, then shattered inch by inch like fragile glass.

BOOM—!!!

With a tremendous sound, the black octopus's body was instantly encased in ice, transformed into a massive ice sculpture frozen solid on the stage, devoid of all life.

At the same time, Asta's Meteor Swarm slammed viciously into the Team Leader Mech's energy shield.

Zzzzz—CRACK—

The energy shield held for less than a second before emitting a strained whine. Countless cracks appeared on its surface before it finally shattered completely, dissolving into specks of light. The beam continued unimpeded, piercing straight through the Team Leader Mech's chest.

BOOM—!!!

Another earth-shattering explosion erupted. The Team Leader Mech's chest was completely blown open, its internal core energy source instantly detonating. The entire mech exploded like ignited fireworks, disintegrating into innumerable fragments flying in all directions.

As for the Basic Employee mechs, they stood no chance against Topaz's "Rocket Headbutt," utterly crushed and dispersed on impact.

When the smoke on the stage gradually cleared, all the Aether Spirits Giovanni had meticulously summoned lay defeated and motionless on the ground. Only he remained, standing alone and disheveled, a stark contrast to the surrounding wreckage.

Giovanni stared blankly at the scene before him, his face filled with disbelief. His previously confident smile had long vanished, replaced by utter bewilderment and shock. He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but found his throat dry, unable to produce any sound, as if someone were strangling him.

Daziel looked at the pathetic Giovanni, his eyes calm, his tone firm. "You lost, Mr. Giovanni. Time to fulfill your promise."

Giovanni remained stunned for a moment, seemingly just snapping back from his shock. He suddenly burst into laughter, a sound tinged with madness and unwillingness. Then, incredibly, he began to applaud.

Clap, clap, clap...

The crisp applause echoed strangely across the empty stage.

Daziel, March 7th, Topaz, and even the Mother of Deception and Asta (still in spirit form) looked at him inexplicably, not understanding the meaning behind his sudden action.

Daziel released Topaz from her Aether Spirit state.

Topaz returned to her human form, shifting her hips unnaturally. The maximum setting of the Purple Mood had clearly left some lingering aftereffects.

Daziel frowned, looking at Giovanni, and asked in a low voice, "What are you laughing at?"

Giovanni stopped clapping, but his laughter still hung in the air. He lifted his head, his eyes glinting with complex emotions, and spoke slowly, "Truly worthy of being Mr. Daziel. I have indeed ascertained your 'Determination.' Now, it is time to deliver the 'Answers' in full."

Topaz quickly moved to Daziel's side, eyeing Giovanni warily. "It's about time," she said impatiently. "Dragging your feet like this. This concerns Belobog and the company, yet we had to play this game with you. Why make such a mess of the place? We're the only audience here." She gestured at the ruined stage, her eyes showing a hint of dissatisfaction.

Giovanni shook his head, the smile fading from his face, replaced by seriousness.

"No, you are mistaken, Director Topaz. In my heart, this was not simply a game..."

He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Never mind, let's start with what concerns you most. You all currently believe that the meme wreaking havoc on Belobog through the Aetherium Wars is my doing, correct?"

March 7th immediately piped up, "Isn't it? You're the game's biggest sponsor! If the company isn't the problem, then you're the most suspicious!" She glared, hands on her hips, with a clear "don't you dare deny it" expression.

Giovanni shook his head again, his gaze earnest and sincere. "No, you are wrong. None of this has anything to do with me. I am merely an ordinary Aetherium Wars player."

_____

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