154 Cold Bite Marks

"So, your name is Janelia?"

"Listen up, you pretty little thing, I'm your grandpa Nomi Anderson Guersett! If you dare call me that name again, I'll crush your spine!"

Bang bang!

The massive wrench slammed into the ground, instantly launching Li Aoz into the air. The chain lashed out, wrapping around Nomi's weapon, and with a powerful tug, pulled him towards the opponent.

"WuraAAAAA——"

Nomi tilted her head back and slammed it down like a hammer. Li Aoz quickly switched positions, tapping the back of Nomi's head with his feet. He then pulled out the chain and wrapped it around Nomi's neck. With the power he poured into it, the chain emitted a blazing light, melting her festering flesh like butter.

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm small. I'm the leader of the Rose Army guerrillas."

Nomi's head fell to the ground instantly, but her headless body showed no sign of stopping. She raised her sharp, giant claws, grabbed Li Aoz, ripped him off her body, and slammed him to the ground. The flesh and blood cells in her palms rapidly multiplied, forming tiny tentacles like thousands of maggots that kept gnawing at Li Aoz's body.

Bang! Li Aoz raised his left hand, extending his index and middle fingers together, silently activating his Aura Shield. The blood-red Aura Shield pushed open Nomi's palm, repelling him. Li Aoz slapped the ground with one hand, immediately straightening up and facing Nomi again.

Thump—

Nomi staggered back a few steps, her head on the ground twisting violently and bizarrely. Flesh and bone sprouted from the severed end, growing wildly for four or five meters before reconnecting to her body. To accommodate her heavy, eerily long neck, she crawled on all fours, picking up the fallen Engineering Wrench with one hand, and lunged at Li Aoz again! She swung her plesiosaur-like neck, her head slamming down in front of Li Aoz. He gripped the chain in one hand, steadily retreating, dodging the relentless biting and lunging attacks. Nomi suddenly jerked her head away, and Li Aoz immediately leaped into the air to avoid her. However, this was a feint. Using the momentum of her neck, she propelled herself forward, the Engineering Wrench in her hand sweeping out at an unexpected angle, striking Li Aoz hard.

[Dragon School · Neutralizing Force]

Li Aoz flicked his left hand, the resulting surge of energy perfectly intercepting the attack. Li Aoz then clenched his left fist again, blood-red flames swirling in his eyes, and surging power gathering in his fist, instantly completing the power buildup in mid-air.

[Gathering Qi Fist]

Li Aoz landed with a bang, his powerful Bloody Aura creating a shockwave on the ground, sending dust billowing up before dissipating under the force.

Boom! Nomi's body collapsed instantly, her bones shattered inch by inch, and she was buried in the mud. But in just a short moment, she regenerated and healed, her body becoming even taller, and her internal organs and parts swelled and multiplied, like a rose blooming on the earth.

A gust of wind swept through her respiratory tract, and suddenly more arms grew from Nomi's shattered body, reaching out and grabbing at Li Aoz like a tsunami. Before an arm could even fully grow, a tongue would immediately sprout from its palm, or a tooth would pop out from its wound, unleashing a hail of bullets at Li Aoz.

Ring ring—

Li Aoz swung his chains, creating a barrier. He swung them at high speed, swirling up all the incoming projectiles. With his other hand, he quickly changed hand gestures, channeling the demonic energy within him.

[Demon Spirit Fluctuation]

Li Aoz's eyes instantly turned pitch black, and at the same time, a fierce and evil aura erupted from his body. He flicked the chain, pulverizing the matter swirling in the storm, and the entire chain was instantly filled with demonic energy.

With a mighty swing, a black python shot out instantly, piercing through Nomi's body, pulling her up from the mud, and pinning her to the fleshy tree! Bang! Li Aoz remained calm, pressing down with both hands, channeling his energy into his dantian, guiding his thoughts, and releasing his power outward, gathering it into a scarlet ball of energy in front of his chest, continuously compressing and condensing it, causing its temperature to become increasingly scorching and its pressure to increase.

Nomi struggled desperately, her countless arms gripping the chains of the demonic spear piercing her body. She opened her mouth wide with difficulty, and a howling wind pulled her out, causing her to fall to the ground. She looked up and immediately saw a bright, scarlet light.

Li Aoz threw a punch, which slammed into the Aura Sphere.

Fully charged [Dragon School · Aura Cannon].

Rumble, rumble, rumble—! Power surged forth, and the earth crumbled. The surging demonic power was like an atomic bomb, raising a clear red sun on the earth. The white sand along the way was burned into crystals by the high temperature, and the fleshy tree behind was instantly dragged into the sea of fire, with the fleshy corpses of the tree baring their fangs and claws in the flames.

This scene is nothing short of a painting of purgatory.

Nomi's body was burning with the flames of power. She knelt on the ground, and the organs and limbs that had multiplied on her body gradually peeled off as they burned, making a crackling sound.

Her body remained motionless, growing smaller and smaller. When all the debris on her body was burned away, all that remained before Li Aoz was the corpse of a petite young girl.

Half of her face was long gone, perhaps eaten and carried away by birds or beasts. Her intact right cheek was frozen by the heavy snow, making it impossible to see her expression clearly. Her long, messy, white hair was scattered on the ground, stained with her own blood.

Li Aoz stopped his offensive and stood by to observe.

Amidst the Frost and Snow, the girl slowly raised her head, her empty eyes reflecting the man's robust figure.

She woke up.

As she killed Nomi one after another, the restraints that Malefic Calamity had placed on her gradually eased, and her long-dormant soul was finally able to awaken.

"Red Arrow People, ah, yet another Red Arrow People ... I thought I had been forgotten long ago."

The wind tore open the girl's throat, and she mumbled words.

"I once swore to save the Outland from the persecution and destruction of the Four Nations —but I died at the hands of the Outland People."

She glanced at the Engineering Wrench beside her and said in a deep voice, "Was I wrong? I don't know either. Are my comrades who once fought alongside me still fighting against the Four Nations? Or have they become one of the Four Nations? Is the fate of the oppressed to rebel to become the new oppressors?"

The girl looked at Li Aoz and reached for the wrench. "... But there's only one thing I will never give up."

"Even though I was born in darkness, I am still willing to fight for the light. Even if this land is full of unruly people and barbarians, I am willing to dedicate myself to it."

"Nomi Anderson Guersett, the last of the Rose Army, I am still fighting!"

She gripped the wrench with both hands, like a warrior wielding a greatsword. At that moment, she seemed to have truly broken free from the shackles of Entropy, and with her strong and aloof spirit, she walked step by step toward Li Aoz.

Li Aoz remained silent.

When the other person came within ten meters of him, Nomi suddenly leveled the wrench and charged at him.

She lunged forward, bringing the wrench down with a heavy slash. Li Aoz dodged to the side, and then Nomi suddenly swung it upwards, the jaws of the wrench grazing Li Aoz's eyebrow with ferocious force.

On the third strike, Nomi strode forward, twisted her waist, and swung the wrench with all her might, like a bolt from the blue, slamming it down on Li Aoz's head! Boom! The wrench slammed into the ground, and Li Aoz calmly took half a step back, unaffected by the dust.

He lowered his head. Nomi knelt on one knee, gripping a wrench with trembling fingertips. She gasped for breath, each breath spitting out a chunk of rotting flesh.

"... That's the end of it."

Nomi slowly raised her head and looked at Li Aoz: "Until the very end, I couldn't hurt a single Imperial."

"The fiercest resistance has ended, the world is at peace, and perhaps no one will fight again."

"Hey... stranger, what's your name?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Li Aoz."

Nomi's head rested gently against the wrench, his gaze gradually losing focus:

"A name I've never heard of... I wish you all the best, stranger."

Smack

Before she could finish speaking, a warm, large hand landed on her shoulder. She was slightly startled, turned her head, and looked at the man in front of her.

"Stop talking to yourself all the time and making others guess what you're thinking, kid."

Li Aoz down and patted Nomi on the shoulder:

"You don't want to die, do you, Nomi?"

"Who would want to die... But I had no choice. For me, this is the best relief."

Nomi shook his head, his broken body swaying in the wind:

"This is the fate of Outland People: born in the night, die in the night."

"That's not necessarily true."

Li Aoz opened his palm:

"Nomi, lift your head and look up at the sky."

Just then, he immediately switched back to his original form. Li Aoz raised his hand and applied his will to the White Obelisk.

[Whether to unleash and control Aoneng - [Blood of Immortality]]

[Note: Once you release the Aoneng, you and your Path Building will permanently lose their usage rights.]

Generally speaking, this is a time when one faces a choice.

By releasing the Aoneng, her other half of her soul will also be released. Together with the remaining half of her soul and her body, she will soon be truly resurrected.

But this also means that Li Aoz will permanently lose his Aoneng.

[Blood of Immortality] accompanies Li Aoz from the ground to the Star Abyss, helping him establish a great reputation and saving him from danger many times. Moreover, it has great potential and will definitely grow into Omega-rank Aoneng being in the future.

A person driven by greed would certainly not give up such an Aoneng. As its name suggests, Blood of Immortality.

Whether they are short-lived mortals or Long-lived Species, no one can resist the temptation of immortality.

A chaotic ocean swept through Li Aoz's mind, the indifferent red and black sun responding to his words still vivid in his mind:

"You descended here through chaos—10752, you are the 10752nd god born today. Now, take up your sword and die for His Morphedria."

Humans cannot bear to give up immortality.

"But God can."

Li Aoz pressed the interface.

You have unleashed the Aoneng— [Blood of Immortality]