58. Star Realm Echo

"Swords and blades are a kind of romance."

Li Aoz deflected Liu E's parry with his sword, then alternated between slashing at Liu E's left and right shoulders. He then turned and stepped back, tearing open a spatial ripple, and circled behind her, twisting his body to deliver a powerful slash to Liu E's back.

Liu E's body tilted slightly, but after learning how to fight, she immediately lowered her body and gave herself a force towards the North Star, instantly teleporting dozens of kilometers away and avoiding most of the slashes.

As she retreated, Li Aoz realized a fact: her life points were finally running out.

Bloodfiend Style prevented the opponent from healing and continuously fed damage back to the opponent through Life Link. At the same time, Li Aoz would occasionally use [Sever Life] to take a deep breath.

His basic attacks may deal low damage, but they are full of special effects and highly skilled; every hit he lands on Liu E is—

[Sever Life] Percentage-based spell damage

[Natural Ignition] Burning damage; [Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint] Aura damage increase; [Gravity] Accelerated impact.

The extremely high power provided by [Pegasus Force] and [Physical Enhancement], along with the echo effect of [Echo], further amplifies this damage.

In addition, the Fate Awakening Sword, as a divine weapon, has a high damage increase of 200 points. Even after some of the damage reduction effect of the tier was deducted, Li Aoz's attack still caused considerable damage.

Little by little, the power has grown to the point that even Liu E can no longer ignore Li Aoz's strength.

"You haven't retreated before."

Li Aoz slashed down with his longsword.

"I'm old. Maybe I really am old."

The Gravity Wave brought back information, and Liu E's tone was weary.

"You're like a piece of rubber, you can't be broken no matter what you do, no matter what shape you're crushed into, you can always return to your original state... Damn, are you really Gamma-rank being? Or is this just an advantage of being young?"

Her energy is not what it used to be in her youth.

"You'll age faster once you leave Narrative-level Civilization."

"Natural aging and death, that's exactly what I'm looking for."

"Natural death?"

Li Aoz surprised. "Someone who studies the topic of immortality ends up yearning for natural death?"

Is there anything strange about that?

Relying on an abandoned spaceship, Liu E's fighting spirit was clearly not as tenacious as Li Aoz's, but she still maintained the demeanor of a scholar:

"Scientists can only explore and manipulate natural laws by respecting them."

"In that case, isn't it a waste to lock up all those who possess sequence-level Aoneng instead of putting them in their proper places?"

Li Aoz calmed his heart rate and gradually adjusted his condition.

"Perhaps many people cannot control the power of sequence-level Aoneng and go astray and destroy themselves—but I don't think I will be one of them. I also don't think most people are incapable of controlling all of this."

"Aren't you proving that to me right now?"

Liu E straightened up:

"If you intend to prove this... then show me your understanding of 'Echo,' and your control over Aoneng..."

"The master of fate."

As the battle progressed, Liu E's opinion of Li Aoz changed:

"Come on, kid... no, young man. Come and defeat me."

"I still have a question—what exactly is the 'God of Calamity'? Was the commune disbanded because of this?"

Li Aoz asked curiously.

"That was... a terrible tragedy. We didn't expect it to cause so many sacrifices. We overestimated ourselves and underestimated Lioz — the Supreme Aura is not so easy to obtain. Even the kindest person cannot remain calm in the face of it."

Liu E said with a complicated expression, "We thought Lioz might be a kind and brave fighter, but maybe that's not the case... But, hey, what's the use of saying all this now? Maybe I really was wrong, and you've also obtained the 'God of Calamity' record... You can go and take a look later. Then, you can decide whether I was wrong or outdated."

"However, you shouldn't question Lioz's existence. Our imitation of Lioz's behavior is in line with the universal values of Star Abyss."

"I think this issue is debatable," Li Aoz shrugged.

"What? You're not interested in Lioz? Don't you believe that such a hero once appeared in Star Abyss?"

"No."

Li Aoz, holding his sword, calmly said:

"Because my name is Lioz."

Liu E was taken aback for a moment, then understood.

"That's true... His achievements have long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."

"Alright, let's begin."

She straightened up, and the ethereal spatial ripples above her head instantly drew in fragments of meteorite and metal, condensing them into a helmet resembling a knight's armor.

"Tradition or change, right or wrong, give me your answer— Lioz."

"To be honest, I don't really know what's right and what's wrong."

Li Aoz raised his longsword, and the flesh and blood on his head rapidly regenerated. Meteorite, metal, and blue aura merged, coalescing into a sharply angled helmet.

"But history and this starry sky will bear witness for me."

[Dictator Form Activated]

Two generations of echoers, inheritance and change, attraction and attraction, all merged into the echo of dictatorship.

[Never Disobedience]

Snap! Li Aoz and Liu E reached up together, each placing a suspended, dark halo of light on their heads.

"Go all out."

Liu E's figure erupted with powerful energy fluctuations, and the blue-purple energy in turn devoured her entire body, then shaped into a unified form, condensing into a set of king-like armor.

"As you wish."

Li Aoz's form first transformed into that of a ruler—his skin tore open, from which red and black crystalline spikes grew, and the veins on his neck continued to bulge and harden. His face reversed, covered with black and red membranes, and his ribs broke through his skin, becoming covered with calcified armor.

Buzz————

But the next moment, the cleansing energy immediately washed over his entire body.

The gravitational forces resonated continuously, and under the high-frequency transmission, countless mysterious messages seeped into the red and black Haynes Crystal. The originally red and black crystal seemed to be purified all at once, shedding its ferocity and revealing a clear blue color.

The ugly, primitive monster's body solidified, coalesced, clustered, and sublimated under the echoing power.

A series of Aoneng swept across him, unified and integrated, condensing into stable silver-white armor plates on his body.

After the tattered flesh and blood were washed away, all that remained was the smooth porcelain armor.

When the brilliance fades, all that remains before the universe is a blue dictator.

Lord of Metal and Iron

He raised his hand and tore through the mist before him, a red-hot, electromagnetic light surging from his longsword. A deep, dark halo, like a dictator's crown, greedily devoured the light.

"It's time to end all of this, Mr. Liu E."

His voice resonated, echoing across the cosmic realm.