058. The Echo of the Star Realm
"Blades and swords are a kind of romance."
Li Aozi parried Liuer's guard with a sword, delivering two alternating slashes to her shoulders. Then, he twisted back a step, tore open a spatial ripple, and looped behind her, landing a heavy slash on her spine.
Liuer's body tilted slightly, but after learning in battle, she immediately lowered herself, using the momentum to propel herself tens of kilometers toward Polaris, evading most of the attacks.
With her retreat, Li Aozi understood one thing:
Her health was finally nearly depleted.
The Blood Demon Flow prevented her from healing and constantly fed damage back to her through the life link. Meanwhile, Li Aozi would occasionally use [Life Sever] to draw her life force.
His normal attacks dealt low damage, but his effects were numerous, and his technique sharp. Each strike on Liuer inflicted—
The percentage-based magical damage of [Life Sever]
The burning damage of [Natural Ignition]
The malevolent power boost of [Soul-Imbued Sword Saint]
The accelerated impact from [Gravity]
The immense strength from [Power of Pegasus] and [Body Reinforcement]
The echoing effect from [Echoer], amplifying and spreading these damages further.
Added to that, his Fate-Awakened Sword, a divine weapon, provided a high boost of 200 extra damage. Accumulated over time, even with some reduction from tier-level damage resistance, Li Aozi's attacks still caused significant damage.
Little by little, the damage added up, and now even Liuer could no longer ignore Li Aozi's power.
"You haven't retreated before now."
Li Aozi dragged his sword down, feeling invigorated and satisfied.
"I'm old. Maybe, maybe I really am old."
Gravitational waves carried back Liuer's weary tone.
"You're like rubber, impossible to break down, no matter how I shape or bend you, you return to form… Damn it, are you really a Gamma-tier? Or is this the advantage of youth?"
Her energy was no longer what it had been in her younger years.
"Once you leave the Narrative-Level Civilization, you age fast."
"Natural aging and death—that's what I pursue."
"Natural death?"
Li Aozi looked surprised.
"Someone who studies immortality yet yearns for natural death?"
"What's strange about that?"
Leaning against a derelict spaceship, Liuer's will to fight wasn't as tenacious as Li Aozi's, but she maintained the composure of a scholar:
"A scientist must respect natural laws to use them as a basis for exploring and controlling those laws."
"If so, isn't it a shame to lock away those with Sequence-level Omega Energy instead of putting them in the positions they deserve?"
Li Aozi steadied his pulse, gradually adjusting his stance.
"Perhaps some can't control the power of Sequence-level Omega Energy, spiraling into chaos and ruin—but I don't think I'd be one of them. I also don't think most people are incapable of mastering it."
"Aren't you proving that to me right now?"
Liuer straightened.
"If you intend to prove this, then show me your understanding of 'Echo,' your mastery over Omega Energy..."
"Your domination over fate."
Through their battle, Liuer's opinion of Li Aozi changed:
"Come on, kid… no, young man. Defeat me."
"One last question—what exactly is Calamity? Did the Commune disband over this?"
Li Aozi asked, curious.
"It was… a terrible tragedy. We didn't expect so many lives to be lost. We overestimated ourselves, underestimated Leozi—Supreme Omega Energy isn't easy to handle, even the kindest person can't remain composed before it."
Liuer said with a complex expression:
"We thought Leozi was perhaps a kind, brave fighter; maybe that wasn't the case… But what's the point of saying this now? Perhaps it truly was my mistake. You have the 'Calamity' records… read them if you like. Then, you decide whether I was wrong, or if I'm outdated in this era."
"However, you shouldn't question Leozi's existence. Emulating Leozi was consistent with the universal values of the Star Abyss."
"That's up for debate," Li Aozi shrugged.
"What? Are you not interested in Leozi? Do you not believe that such a hero ever existed in the Star Abyss?"
"No."
Li Aozi held his sword, calmly replying:
"Because I am Leoz."
Liuer paused, then accepted it with understanding.
"That makes sense… His achievements have long resonated with people."
"Then, let's begin."
She stood tall, and the spatial ripple that was her head began drawing in fragments of meteorites and metal, forming a helmet like a knight's armor.
"Tradition or change, right or wrong, show me your answer—Leoz."
"Honestly, I don't know what's right or wrong."
Li Aozi raised his sword, as blood and flesh regenerated on his head, fusing meteorites, metal, and blue halos into a helmet with sharp edges.
"But history and the starry sky will bear witness."
[Tyrant Form Activated]
Two generations of Echoers—legacy and transformation, gravity against gravity—all merged into the Echo of Dominion.
[Never Disobedience]
Snap!
Li Aozi and Liuer simultaneously reached up, each placing a hovering, deep-dark halo over their heads.
"All out."
Liuer's form burst forth with intense energy waves, blue and purple energy engulfing her body before coalescing into a regal suit of armor.
"As you wish."
Li Aozi's form morphed into that of the Dominator—his skin tearing, growing into red-black crystalline spikes, blood vessels on his neck hardening. His face inverted, covering in black-red membranes, ribs bursting through his skin, spreading calcium armor across his torso.
Buzz—
The surging energy washed over his entire body.
Gravity echoed and resonated, and under high-frequency transmission, mysterious information seeped into the red-black Hyne crystals, purifying them. The savage hue faded, replaced by a clear blue.
The monstrous, primitive body solidified, coalesced, unified, and ascended under the power of the Echo.
A series of Omega Energies surged in harmony, integrating on his body into a stable silver-white armor.
The battered flesh washed away, leaving only a smooth, porcelain-like armor.
The radiance faded, revealing to the cosmos nothing but a cerulean Dictator.
[Lord of Iron and Gold]
He raised his hand, slicing through the mist, the sword in his grasp shimmering with electromagnetic heat. The dark halo atop him, like a crown, devoured all light.
"It's time to end this, Liuer."
His voice reverberated, echoing through the cosmic star realm.