118 Secrecy
The fierce blade sliced straight down the horizon, and the pale executioner bared his fangs, spreading his arms as if still immersed in the brutality he had just committed.
"How does it feel to lose a comrade, Mr. Li Aoz?"
Yuhelai, gripping the cane made from Zonia's spine, slowly walked towards them. He was in a good mood, even humming a little tune, his expression incredibly leisurely. Meanwhile, Li Aoz could only watch as the system indicated he was in a 'hidden' state, with the Blood of Ether constantly eroding his body.
[Blood of Ether has been detected corroding your body. Since your race is not the ' C3 Luca-type Cosmic Human Race,' a ' Secrecy Awakening ' assessment will be performed next.]
[Etheric erosion, performing a [Constitution] assessment...]
No! There's still a chance. I still have that skill, the skill I got from Nethermark Professor—
[Feat: Arbitrary] activated! This time, the assessment item will be changed to [Charisma]
Yes, yes, yes, that's it, that damn "autocratic" behavior. My "charm" is high enough that using it to judge is basically foolproof.
[Judgment failed; your [Charm] is below the minimum threshold (1500 points)]
One by one, the organs in the body died. Rather than being poisoned, it was as if they were isolated by something, completely blocking their connection with the body's systems.
Awakening failed.
Blood of Ether.
What the hell is this thing? Li Aoz didn't have it in his previous life, and he's never seen anything like it in this life either.
He had witnessed the Void Lord igniting spacetime vortexes, and the great demons of the Outer Society corrupting and degrading the galaxy. Even the fall of the ' God of Cold, ' Frost, stripped away the surface of the black hole, which became a daily background scene for players.
But compared to the ether before them, none of the above mattered.
Never before has there been such domineering power, giving no chance to resist whatsoever.
[Your implant ' Li Aoz ' has been poisoned by Blood of Ether and is in a near-death state.]
No, it's not over yet!
Li Aoz's eyes darted around rapidly, a faint purple light emanating from their depths.
Blood of Immortality
With rapid cell regeneration, Li Aoz simply severed the connection between the organs whose functions had been Secrecy Transformation and shielded, replacing them with newly grown, delicate organs. His blood volume instantly returned to full, and his motor system was back online. Li Aoz raised his head, held his breath, and immediately drew the Tsu・Shadow Edge from his waist.
Whoosh! Pale claws instantly covered Li Aoz's shoulder, and the shark's massive jaws slowly opened, sneering mockingly:
"Wow, it's gotten much faster!"
The next moment, he slammed his knee down hard, striking Li Aoz in the abdomen. Li Aoz managed to pull away in time, using gravity to land on solid ground. With this rare foothold, Li Aoz instantly unleashed a waist-spinning slash. The ferocious warrior behind him materialized instantly, his blade enveloped in purple flames, and after a brief acceleration, he charged towards the White Knight! However, what this mortal considered an incredibly fierce counterattack was actually quite devastating.
But in Yuhelai's view: mortals, Li Aoz —they are like snails racing against tortoises.
There's no difference.
Snap.
The White Knight almost casually created distance in an instant, lightly tapped his foot, and immediately disappeared into the soil, easily dodging Li Aoz's attack. The next moment, he emerged from behind Li Aoz and swiftly slashed Li Aoz's back with his sword.
[Mountains Armor]
Li Aoz's figure was quickly enveloped by rocks. The sharp blades slashed at the armor, and the attack was immediately greatly dispersed. The next moment, the rocks enveloping his body exploded. Li Aoz, carrying heavy armor, had already switched to wielding the Dust-Sealed Sanctuary with both hands and charged directly at the White Knight in greatsword mode.
Clang!
Yuhelai casually lifted his left hand and grabbed the blade, intending to place the sharp edge on the whetstone on the back of his hand to sharpen it once more.
"You idiot, you fell for it!"
Li Aoz turned the hilt of his sword, a thought flashing through his mind, "Battleship Breaker!"
Swoosh! The greatsword instantly spun and transformed, its hilt extending, nearly knocking Yuhelai off balance. Then, the rapidly spinning tip, carrying with it shattered holy light, sent golden fragments flying amidst a fierce storm, which then coalesced into a raging diamond of light.
Yuhelai's hand was caught in the rapidly spinning blade, and the thin layer of blade armor was completely unable to withstand the terrifying attack that pierced through the ship's armor, and was torn to shreds in an instant.
Success! [Pegasus Force]
Li Aoz gripped the long handle, his eyes bloodshot, and fiercely thrust the light drill towards the opponent's breastplate. Blood spurted continuously, and bits of flesh flew everywhere. It looked as if the White Knight was about to be pierced through the breastplate.
Just then, his body suddenly stiffened.
[Etheric erosion, Secrecy Transformation bio-armor...]
This is impossible. Shouldn't I have stopped breathing? I'm not breathing, and my body is sealed in armor, so how did this toxin come about—
At that moment, Li Aoz was stunned.
No, there is one possibility.
If the infection is blocked outside the body, then there is only one possibility.
...molecular.
When the body is regenerating, molecules in the blood vessels are also absorbed by the body.
[Fuck your Blood of Ether! What kind of hellish thing is this?!]
[White Knight] Yuhelai slowly stepped back a few steps, seemingly unconcerned about the pain. He raised his shattered left arm and held it horizontally in mid-air, then poured a pool of silvery-white liquid over it.
"Using Ether Concoction to cure him is a bit extravagant, but I think it's still worthwhile to use it against the now-famous Mr. Li Aoz.
His arm was quickly set, his muscles and meridians regenerated rapidly, and the blood that had flowed out of his body moved quickly from all directions, flowing back down to his feet and reconstructing the wound, as if it were a living thing with a memory.
Moments later, Yuhelai's arm was completely healed.
"Li Aoz, are you surprised?"
Yuhelai spoke leisurely, he walked up to Li Aoz and pierced his neck with a sword. The ether in the air quickly entered Li Aoz's body through his trachea and forcibly combined with his blood. Li Aoz clearly felt his cells rapidly dying and disintegrating under the invasion of the ether.
The immune system collapsed.
[Blood of Ether has been detected corroding your body. Since your race is not the ' C3 Luca-type Cosmic Human Race,' a ' Secrecy Awakening ' assessment will be performed next.]
[Etheric erosion, performing a [Constitution] assessment...]
Paralysis of the musculoskeletal system.
[Judgment failed; your [Charm] is below the minimum threshold (1200 points)]
The thinking system was severely damaged.
[Your implant ' Li Aoz ' has been poisoned by Blood of Ether and is in a near-death state.]
" —Nomi!"
[Blood of Immortality] activated again. Li Aoz suddenly raised his head and let the blade sever his neck. He then swept his leg down and knocked [White Knight] to the ground.
He raised his nimble Tachi, ready to pounce on his opponent, but his body stiffened again.
[Etheric erosion, Secrecy Transformation through bio-armor.]
The judgment is repeated again: the air is full of Blood of Ether. Even if it is set on fire, it will only spread the ether further away, just like tuberculosis, spreading along with the ashes.
Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Li Aoz's body snapped again, and he knelt on one knee. His Tachi pierced the ground, Yuhelai immediately rolled over and ripped Li Aoz's spine out with a single sword strike, throwing it to the ground.
Qiqiao Network, what have you all done? Why did this thing appear on Azure Planet? The requirement of 1500 points in the Primary Attribute requires at least level 180 to reach.
Moreover, he had never seen or heard of the word 'secret' before. If he had never heard of it based on his knowledge from his previous life, then it meant that it did not conform to the game's setting at all.
Even the Third Floor the Star Abyss in the later stages couldn't come into contact with this kind of thing.
"I know, Li Aoz, you are immortal."
Yuhelai shrugged:
"No matter how many times I kill you, you can always come back to life, right?"
[Etheric erosion, performing a [Constitution] assessment...]
He raised his foot and crushed Li Aoz's head, then strolled around in circles beside Li Aoz:
"Don't worry, I've died before. After dying so many times, I gradually stopped fearing death and stopped respecting life."
[Judgment failed; your [Charm] is below the minimum threshold (1000 points)]
Having died again, Li Aoz had no choice but to continue activating his Aoneng.
Blood of Immortality
Suddenly, he quickly moved closer to Li Aoz's body, watching Li Aoz regenerate continuously, and calmly spoke beside him:
"But you should know that there are things in the world that are far more frightening than death."
Just then, the eyes of the massive machine that had collapsed on the ground behind Yuhelai suddenly flashed with light.
Length—long-short—
That was... Morse code? Li Aoz was in engineering school, and he managed to decipher it: 'Watch me, Lioz.'
Mouldy Crotch —that unlucky guy, although he's not dead, he can't even spell his own name right now. This idiot must be in terrible shape.
The White Knight crouched down, stepping on Li Aoz's shoulder, and looked at Li Aoz's half-regenerated head, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Wow, this ability is really amazing, fucking awesome. You can regenerate no matter what, so you're practically immortal, aren't you?"
The Vulcan Cannon on the head of the Mobile Armor slowly rotates.
"How can I torture you, Li Aoz? You're not afraid of death and you don't have any children, so this is very difficult. The most painful thing is to take away what's most important to you and then destroy it right in front of you."
Li Aoz tried his best to keep his mouth shut, attempting to suppress all breathing. With the force of gravity 180 times greater, he sprang up again and slammed his head into Yuhelai's head. But Yuhelai pierced his chest with a single sword strike, tearing open his lungs with a powerful slash.
"Gravity has no effect on me, silly child, noble, secretive Social Citizen, born a cosmic species. Supergravity, zero gravity, near the sun, even at the edge of a black hole, under the protection of the great ether, we are unaffected by gravity and electromagnetic waves."
Yuhelai watched pitifully as Li Aoz was once again corrupted by the ether, his lungs rapidly becoming Secrecy Transformation at a visible speed—the silver Blood of Ether made his two lungs quickly become dull and thin, as if they had been peeled away from this world. Then, even the wind and air could not touch these hidden organs, and they gradually faded and disappeared.
Li Aoz's body trembled slightly as he deliberately feigned fear.
"Don't be afraid, I know you won't die. Our pleasant journey is far from over."
He grabbed Li Aoz, clenched his fingers into Li Aoz's shoulders, dragged Li Aoz's body to a car, ripped open the fuel tank, and prepared to pour gasoline into Li Aoz's trachea.
The Mobile Armor slowly raised its remaining arm, lifted the Magnum rifle, and its missile pods stood erect.
"Let me tell you a secret—serving Infant Eater isn't just about the pay."
Yuhelai chuckled:
"I really like that taste myself."
The sixteen electronic eyes of the Mobile Armor flashed rapidly. Li Aoz's retina was being eroded by the ether, allowing him only a weak attempt to decipher the Morse code: ' Rio, Huoxia District '.
He plunged his sword into Li Aoz's thigh, watching as Li Aoz's pupils rapidly expanded to reveal silver ether and then quickly dimmed, and said sullenly, "Tender and delicious."
[Blast Magnum Charge]