108 Why Won't You Die Already!?

The sky was swallowed by rolling smog, and endless thick smoke clung to the night. Suddenly, eerie gongs and drums resounded across the land, followed by headless monsters, spiders with women's faces, and evil spirits carrying blue-green lanterns emerging from the shadows, launching a relentless wave of attacks on Li Aoz.

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

"The Great Onmyoji Abe Tadayuki has finally lost his temper."

Li Aoz half-crouched, one hand dangling from the hilt of his greatsword as if carrying it on a shoulder pole, while the other hand casually rested on his black Tachi. He remained indifferent to the demon rushing towards him.

Looking up, you can see a middle-aged man in a wide robe wearing a tall hat, with a face as white as paper and teeth blackened. His appearance is really not flattering. He has age spots before he has many wrinkles, and you can smell his sickly odor even from a distance.

Abe Tadayuki stared intently at Li Aoz, who was holding a mirror in one hand and a Totsuka-no-Tsurugi in the other. Judging from the muscular physique of his body, it was definitely not just used as a magical weapon.

While the Great Onmyoji may not be the strongest among the Gamma-rank, he is the religious leader of the Sky Ring. Therefore, it cannot be seen as just him making a move, but rather as all the Onmyoji of the Sky Ring declaring war on Li Aoz.

Abe Tadayuki didn't rush to launch an attack. His annoying triangular eyes gleamed with shrewdness. Only after the demon army surged into the city like a tidal wave, gradually transforming the Nine Dragons Gathering venue into a demon capital, did he speak slowly and deliberately, his voice resonating directly in Li Aoz's heart:

"Lord Aoz, I believe that Sky Ring has not been negligent in its hospitality."

Although he appeared to be a middle-aged man, Li Aoz knew that this man had basically sacrificed his heart and lungs to a great demon, which was why he had the power to command thousands of evil spirits.

Unlike the shaman, who had accumulated power over centuries like Archduke Gamos, Abe Tadayuki, as the Soul Retriever Abe Tadayuki, was more inclined towards the realm of the mind. He wasn't just making small talk; he wanted to directly interfere with Li Aoz's thinking through extraordinary psychology.

[Abe Tadayuki has cast a [psychological suggestion - guilt] on you, and is now performing a [willpower] attribute check...]

Upon hearing what the other party said, Li Aoz felt ashamed, especially since everyone was watching, and there seemed to be drones taking pictures and broadcasting live in the sky. It was as if the whole world had seen his dishonesty.

[Specialty - [Autocratic] Triggered]

[Judging in progress... Your Primary Attribute [Charisma] is overwhelmingly superior to the target.]

You have been granted immunity from this attack.

Li Aoz shrugged, his expression indifferent. "So what? Your Sky Ring isn't any better. On one hand, you discriminate against Aura Awakening, and on the other hand, you use Aoneng Awakeners for human experiments."

"Your slander doesn't surprise me, but this blatant fabrication is truly laughable. Has no one taught you to adapt to local customs?"

Abe Tadayuki's words, laced with disappointment and sarcasm, were designed to provoke Li Aoz's sense of guilt. "Because of your actions, 500 million people in our country are now suffering under the shadow of terrorism. Isn't that outrageous? It was the people of Heavenly Ring Nation who supported Guland's independence, and it was Sky Ring's diplomats who spoke out righteously and protected you, exposing Frostplate's evil experiments—and you, Li Aoz, is this how you repay the Heavenly Ring People? Even if you're incapable of repaying your obligations, at least have some basic gratitude, right?"

[Charm] Overwhelmed, judgment passed.

You have been granted immunity from this attack.

"I am grateful to your mother for selling fried dough twists. Anyone can say that, but Sky Ring cannot."

Li Aoz spat out a mouthful of saliva:

"If you want to fight, then fight. Don't just talk tough here. You can't out-argue me anyway. Besides, just because of your surname, you're destined to be a target for trolls."

"It's a pity. I thought we could understand each other." Abe Tadayuki shook his head slightly, not feeling dissatisfied with Li Aoz's straightforward reply. On the contrary, from the beginning, Sky Ring's attitude towards Li Aoz was to 'try to win him over'.

Sky Ring is currently beset by internal and external troubles. Internally, it is under threat from organizations such as the Red Squad, and in the north, the Red Arrow Empire is eager for revenge. The most urgent task should be to take advantage of the Red Arrow Empire's interest rate hike period to harvest foreign exchange from all over the world, launch a large-scale invasion of Frostplate, seize important resources, and divert attention from the growing contradictions within the country.

Li Aoz's identity is too sensitive—he comes from Frostplate, is a descendant of refugees from the Outland, a citizen of the Red Arrow Empire, and has trade dealings with Zhengxu. The matter with Grand was even entrusted to Li Aoz Sky Ring.

If Li Aoz wants to attack Sky Ring, he only needs to provide some details of the process of the independence of the Great Land to Frostplate. Frostplate can then gain international support in the name of 'erosion of sovereignty' and launch sanctions against Sky Ring.

Sky Ring was in a dilemma. On the one hand, they really didn't want Li Aoz to cause a scene at the meeting and then leave without a trace, gaining only posthumous fame. That would be too undignified for Sky Ring, one of the Four Nations and known for its military might. Even if the higher-ups agreed, would the people agree? If they couldn't stabilize the emotions of the lower classes, given the current economic situation, things might get out of hand.

So, can Li Aoz be killed? Not necessarily, but it's best not to. Li Aoz is a legitimate citizen of the Red Arrow Empire with Green Card. At this critical juncture, Sky Ring's main force should be focused on invading Frostplate, rather than launching a decisive battle against the arrogant Red Arrow Empire. Otherwise, Zhengxu and Frostplate will only reap the benefits.

There are quite a few countries in the world with nuclear weapons. When two behemoths are locked in a fierce battle, who has time to care about these small countries taking advantage of the chaos? The Four Nations do not want to become the Azure Planet Federation, at least not now.

However, this approach does not apply to the Red Arrow Empire.

Abe Tadayuki deliberately arrived a few minutes early, precisely because he was afraid that these four Gamma-rank powerhouses would kill Li Aoz so badly that not even a trace of him remained.

It's best not to kill Li Aoz; they don't want to clash with the Empire.

The Red Arrow Empire's goal is revenge. For this purpose, they don't care about the future of this planet. The absence of Sky Ring, Frostplate, and Zhengxu is very important to them.

Abe Tadayuki's attitude was quite clear: he was trying to make Li Aoz his head voluntarily out of inner shame, so that while everyone was still waiting, he could still show that "it was the Great Onmyoji, with his superb skills and physical prowess, who subdued Li Aoz and made him sincerely repent."

In this way, it would only be a loss of face, and Li Aoz could be handed over to Red Arrow under the pretext of 'deportation' to save his life? Otherwise, what makes him think he's still alive as a mere Beta-rank? Is it really because of his strength? Don't be ridiculous, four active Gamma-rank could easily take him down.

But that's politics.

Why was he able to become a high-level leader of the Sky Ring despite not being strong in the Gamma-rank? Politics is all about how you conduct yourself. Skillful tactics and deep thinking are key. As long as someone isn't my enemy, they're my friend.

Logically speaking, given the intelligence of someone like Li Aoz, it's impossible that he wouldn't understand the unspoken message he's conveying.

However, Li Aoz's firm attitude disappointed him greatly, and even puzzled him somewhat.

"I gave you a way out, but you turned away and ignored it. It's a real shame. There is a possibility of mutual understanding between people. I thought the bond between us could transcend the barriers between two countries. Now it seems that I was just being wishful."

Abe Tadayuki's words were watertight, completely shirking responsibility:

"Since that's the case, don't blame me for being rough. Disrupting the ritual is wrong. The Ring King is the supreme ruler of the eternal lineage. If you disrupt his ritual, the Dragon God will punish you sooner or later."

"Who cares about you? You're just a G7+1."

Li Aoz scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the white flag with a red ring fluttering in the distance—the emblem of the Ring King, representing an unbroken lineage, and also the national flag of the Sky Ring.

But this is not the banner of the Heavenly Ring People.

"Your king and gods are outcasts of the times, but it doesn't matter, your people will shatter your old dreams with their own hands."

Just then, a message popped up from the system:

You have triggered the Side Quest "Black Sun Rising".

[Type]: Combat/Revolution [Duration]: 3 hours [Difficulty]: S [Description]: Did you see sunrise?

(Did you see the sunrise?)

Black shining sadness. Tell me, tell me.

Why was it born?

"The Ring of Heaven is a shackle, a collar around the necks of the people! The old men fight, the tycoons make a fortune, while poor young men are sent to their deaths on the battlefield!"

The black sun rises, the revolutionaries shout, and the whole world will respond to their call:

"They can no longer take away our destiny, our freedom, and our property. Let the former kings and dragon gods kneel; we are the true masters of this country!"

"Unite, we must fight! We may lose our lives, but we will gain a freedom and happiness we have never experienced before!"

"For the new world, we will shatter all the shackles of today!"

[Settlement Conditions]: A. "Fight with One's Back to the River" - The Red Squad, led by Xiajian Jing, has launched an attack on Shiratori Town Prison. You must prevent four Gamma-rank enemies from intervening in the suppression in the short term. Reward: Skill [Savage Trample]; B. "To the New World" - Use any method to shock the Heavenly Ring People and make them realize who their enemy is. Reward: If the shock progress reaches 80%, a random Omega-class Aoneng will be awarded.

China Telecom is truly the worst of the worst.