138. White Shark
[Fully Armed]
Juhelai lunged at Li Aozi in an instant, his body quickly merging with the blade shark, spinning in mid-air as he donned his armor, then forcefully tackled Li Aozi to the ground.
Bang!
Juhelai's immense strength slammed Li Aozi against the nearby rock wall. The sturdy armor of the Pioneer's colonial suit embedded deeply into the rock. As Li Aozi raised his head, he saw Juhelai's distorted face gradually covered by a pale blade armor — this time, he saw it clearly: those soft, delicate blades grew and seeped from under Juhelai's skin, weaving together to form a pale knight's armor.
"— Oh?"
Li Aozi tilted his head slightly, the figure of the White Knight reflected in his six compound eyes:
"So, the so-called [White Knight] is nothing more than a monster."
"Shut up! You are nothing but a mortal!"
Juhelai thrust his sword toward his neck:
"It's over, mortal!"
"Oh yeah, mortal."
Li Aozi tilted his head, leisurely letting the blade graze his neck as it passed by. He raised his hand and casually pushed against Juhelai's abdomen:
"Standing before you is a mortal who didn't even bring a weapon."
A surge of electric sparks erupted from his palm, and a 300,000-volt high-voltage current pierced the air, creating blue and purple arcs in mid-air. The electricity paralyzed Juhelai, his body instantly stiffened. Li Aozi grabbed his head with both hands, discharging electricity from both palms. The high temperature quickly passed through Juhelai's body, soon emitting the smell of roasted meat.
— As expected.
Li Aozi's suspicion was confirmed.
This guy's armor had no defensive effect at all, and his actual strength couldn't possibly reach Gamma-tier.
Li Aozi released his grip, and Juhelai's body plummeted from the sky like a kite with a broken string. Li Aozi didn't expect this to kill him.
Besides, that would be too easy for him.
He lifted his foot and jumped down, following closely. As he landed steadily, Juhelai was already struggling to get up, having gulped down some Aether potion. Facing Li Aozi, the contempt in the crimson cross-shaped visor was gone.
Li Aozi glanced around: "A valley, huh, perfect for a duel."
"It was just an ambush." Juhelai pulled out a cane made from Zonya's spine: "It's not over yet! Don't think you've won."
"Oh, right, you reminded me."
Several control panels reflected in Li Aozi's retina.
[Power Amplifier]— Off
[Auto Balance Correction]— Off
[Bioweapon Equipment]— Off
"There, I've now limited my physical attributes to Beta-tier, so it's not unfair."
Li Aozi raised his arm:
"To make it even fairer, I won't use any weapons either, Juhelai — Zhubaifang, why are you still standing there dumbfounded?"
[Domination Form Deactivated]
The flesh and black-red crystals receded, revealing the monstrous form of the Pioneer's colonial suit.
It wasn't over yet.
Li Aozi reached out and stripped off the depleted uranium composite armor plates from his body.
After all, that guy could even cut through powered armor, so layers of armor were meaningless. He might as well reduce the weight and gain more maneuverability.
"You son of a—!"
Juhelai gritted his teeth, the gaps in his armor split open, and the blood vessels in the inner layer instantly burst, spreading silver Aether blood mist into the air:
"A defeated opponent like you dares to be so arrogant!"
[Bloodthirsty Soul]
A silver storm swirled around Juhelai, carrying toxic blood. His speed increased fivefold, and in an instant, he was right in front of Li Aozi. His sword and left wrist concealed at his waist, completely hidden by the blood mist.
[Sharpened Fangs]
Swish!
One sharpening stroke, and the blade's sharpness instantly increased. The moment air touched the sword's edge, it obediently sliced apart.
After sharpening, Juhelai stepped forward smoothly, executing a flawless Iai slash.
'You definitely can't block this strike!'
Bang——
A huge collision sound erupted, as immense pressure bore down on the sword, like a mountain crushing down. The blade quivered under the immense strain, emitting an eerie ringing.
Hummmm——
It took Juhelai a full half-second, dazed by the sonic boom, to realize what had happened.
Sonic boom.
Li Aozi had raised his fist ahead of time and used the back of his hand to deflect the upward slash, pure force piercing the air, exploding with a terrifying sonic wave and a scorching white mist of vapor.
But before Juhelai could react, Li Aozi had already begun his performance.
Bang!
Without hesitation, Li Aozi punched Juhelai in the chest. The White Knight staggered, and Li Aozi immediately followed with a step-in, twisting his waist and delivering a left hook that landed solidly on Juhelai's face.
Smack!
The blade armor on Juhelai's face deformed instantly, but more crucially, the blunt force impact made the White Knight feel like his brain was being scrambled. He staggered back two steps, trying to steady himself, but Li Aozi suddenly kicked him in the abdomen, sending him flying five meters back.
Juhelai opened his mouth, spitting out saliva and stomach acid, curling up mid-air.
Yet, Li Aozi had no intention of letting him land smoothly.
Thud!
Li Aozi suddenly stepped forward, and just as Juhelai was about to hit the ground, Li Aozi clasped his arms together and slammed both elbows down onto Juhelai's chest like battering rams.
"Dismal."
Boom!
Juhelai's body instantly went limp and flattened. As his head was about to hit the ground, Li Aozi slammed his fist into the earth.
[Natural Ignition]
Boom!
Scorching flames poured into the ground, and magma erupted, launching Juhelai's body into the air. Li Aozi extended his neural tendrils, instantly lashing out and binding Juhelai mid-air, pulling both of them together.
The reversed gravity allowed Li Aozi to hover in mid-air for an extended period. As a citizen of the secret society, Juhelai wasn't affected by the gravity omega energy — but that didn't mean he was immune to Earth's gravity.
The falling Juhelai was pulled toward Li Aozi. Just as he lifted his head, his face collided with Li Aozi's raised knee.
Crack!
The crisp sound of the collision instantly triggered the violent instincts embedded in human genes, making Li Aozi grin in delight.
"Crazy!"
Li Aozi flipped the gravity again, dragging Juhelai higher into the sky. He quickly adjusted his stance, positioning Juhelai to face him.
With gravity reversed, Li Aozi was now falling upward, while Juhelai, not affected by the gravitational pressure, continued plummeting toward the ground. Juhelai realized there was no time to swing his sword, so he braced himself for a flying kick, aiming at Li Aozi who was rushing toward him.
Li Aozi also readied himself for a flying kick.
Bang!
Like two meteors colliding, the feet of the Pioneer and the [White Knight] slammed into each other under the force of gravitational acceleration, and despite 'going against gravity,' the outcome was unexpected.