Moon God's Protection

"First Herrscher!" Raiden Ryoma could tell that this truly was the First Herrscher's ability, but Welt Yang wasn't supposed to be...

Li Ming felt that this was like the one from the Anti-Entropy Invasion arc—a replica?

But wasn't that supposed to happen more than a decade later?

"Do you know how to counter it?" Li Ming was having a hard time. The Honkai Energy corrosion had already stiffened some of his movements, and constantly releasing energy was draining his stamina even faster.

If this body's physical condition hadn't already been fairly good, and if the training gains from his special training in the Elysian Realm hadn't synchronized here, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold off Boss Yang.

Raiden Ryoma's mind raced. To be honest, as a researcher, it wasn't impossible for him to come up with a solution, but he had never considered how to deal with his own boss!

The phone in his hand had already sent out a distress signal. The request for rescue had been transmitted.

After thinking for quite a while, Raiden Ryoma finally said, "Destroy its core. This shouldn't be the real First Herrscher, so its abilities aren't nearly as strong. That means it needs a core to store and release Honkai Energy. You can probe it first. I've already called for backup."

"Probe it?" Li Ming knew his own limits. Without armor boosting him, he could probably only barely reach B-rank Valkyrie level. If not for the extra stamina from the beginner gift and a month of special training in the Elysian Realm, he would probably be nothing more than a modern college student with barely enough strength to truss a chicken.

He would try first. Gritting his teeth, Li Ming looked at the man before him, whose eyes glowed red—Mr. Welt Sit-up Yang, perhaps—and gathered energy in his hand, even drawing in some of the Honkai Energy the man had released.

"White Tiger Listens to the Wind: First Form, Second Form... Sixth Form!"

After unleashing a full combo, Li Ming's hands were numb from the recoil, only to find that a light shield had appeared in front of his opponent and blocked every one of his attacks.

"Can't break through at all. Zero damage!"

The bodyguards who had already turned into zombies gradually began walking toward the only two living beings nearby, though the indiscriminate gravity field made their movements sluggish.

Raiden Ryoma merely pulled a pistol from his briefcase. After firing several shots, each zombie needed multiple bullets to be brought down due to the gravity field, but his marksmanship was unexpectedly precise. Moreover, those bodyguards had not evolved further, so dealing with them was no problem.

Seeing that Li Ming was in trouble, Raiden Ryoma reloaded and emptied another magazine at the man.

Since Raiden Ryoma had launched the attack from behind, the counterfeit Boss Yang failed to react in time. And since the energy shield could only block one side, the burst of bullets directly blew open the counterfeit Boss Yang's head.

The counterfeit Boss Yang's light shield seemed on the verge of collapsing. Seeing the man whose face somewhat resembled his own boss get his skull blown open by him, Raiden Ryoma repeatedly apologized in his heart, hoping Boss Yang would never find out.

However, the counterfeit Boss Yang did not immediately kick the bucket. Instead, he gathered energy. "Star of Eden: Pseudo Black Hole, release at one hundred times power!"

A pale-blue orb gathered the Honkai Energy around it and within the counterfeit Boss Yang's body.

After absorbing enough Honkai Energy, the orb detached from the counterfeit Boss Yang's body. A black hole nearly ten meters in diameter appeared, devouring everything around it.

Only this big? It seemed this clone's abilities were incomplete and somewhat flawed.

Although he had created such a large black hole, the man finally collapsed. The core within him had left his body. The counterfeit Boss Yang still could not compare to the genuine article—he could not pull off Yang sit-ups.

Li Ming and Raiden Ryoma stared at the black hole in horror. As for Yae, she had closed her eyes as soon as Raiden Ryoma fired, only feeling the force that had pinned her to the ground disappear.

Shenzhou Headquarters, Qinghe Branch

"A powerful Honkai Energy fluctuation has appeared in Qinghe City. It is suspected to be a Quasi-Herrscher. However, the Honkai Energy readings are steadily rising, and zombies may appear."

"There is a distress signal near the Honkai Energy source. Valkyrie support must be dispatched immediately."

"Notify the Valkyries and combat squads to assemble. Have the Anti-Entropy Mecha squad assemble as well. Prepare to deploy."

"Yes!"

"Uncle Ryoma, got anything to say? I'm about to be unable to hold it back!"

The instant the black hole appeared, Li Ming had thought of getting away, but he was still a step too late.

He could only throw the man's corpse at the black hole. Under the black hole's pull, the man's skin peeled away layer by layer, eventually exposing a metal skeleton. The metal frame did manage to hold out for quite a while.

Luckily, Li Ming had kicked his urea sack far away. Otherwise, he would have cried himself to death.

"Gemini Soul and Soul Fragments detected. Collect?" Ai Yi's voice sounded, though it was merely the bridge's built-in voice-over.

"Yes." Who knew where the Soul Crystals had come from.

"Collected 10 Gemini Soul Crystals and 30 Soul Fragments."

Li Ming did not think too much about it. He took the chance to move closer to Raiden Ryoma. "So, what do you think? Got any ideas?"

"It was a good thing that person self-destructed. Otherwise, we would have had to spend quite some effort finding the core. That blue orb at the center of the black hole—if you can destroy it, the problem will be solved. But you need to hurry. It is not only drawing in nearby objects, but also Honkai Energy. Its energy level is constantly rising."

Raiden Ryoma pulled Yae behind the car to hide, but the metal skeleton did not last long. In barely more than ten minutes, it was completely crushed by the black hole.

The powerful attraction began dragging the car over as well. Yae and Raiden Ryoma slowly pulled themselves farther back. Li Ming racked his brains, but in the end, he could only place his hopes on his cheat ability. There was no helping it—his level was low, and spending money was the only way to get stronger.

"Uncle Ryoma, do you have any money? Lend me some!" Li Ming asked shamelessly, holding the car up in front of himself as a shield.

Raiden Ryoma was stunned by the question. "Borrow money? Why are you borrowing money at a time like this?"

However, seeing the sincerity in Li Ming's eyes, Raiden Ryoma did not hesitate. He pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it to Li Ming, treating it as being robbed during a crisis. Better to lose money than his life. "There's one million Schicksal Coin on this card. The password is... I don't know what you're doing, but hurry up."

"April thirteenth... Yae's birthday?" Li Ming muttered softly. Taking the card, he opened the top-up interface. A notification informed him that an interface had appeared inside the urea sack, and Li Ming had to run over to retrieve it.

He pulled out a POS machine, inserted the card, and entered the password. When transferring the money, a top-up interface appeared in his mind. Torn between three hundred gift coins and sixty gift coins, Li Ming hesitated before choosing six gift coins. After all, the money was borrowed. He did not have that much to repay.

Raiden Ryoma watched Li Ming continue fiddling around while the black hole had already crushed the car to pieces. Unable to hold back, he urged, "Little brother, are you done yet?"

After topping up, the gift coins became sixty. He received a new mail. Opening it, he found Moon God's Protection and Gold Coins.

After obtaining the dual pistols, Li Ming opened his equipment and then his weapons. Moon God's Protection lay quietly inside. Aside from upgrade and enhance, there was now an equip button, likely because Li Ming could not open the equipment panel.

Its information appeared in his mind. It was a four-star weapon, but it was not at max level, so both its Critical and Attack were still somewhat low. Fortunately, he could use Soul Crystals to enhance it. He was about to have his first max-level four-star weapon.

After enhancement with two Gemini Soul Crystals and Soul Fragments, Moon God's Protection had become level 35, with 169 Attack and 28 Critical. Skill: Crescent Strike. Launches enemies around the target into the air and triggers Time Fracture for 3.30 seconds. Its yellow-white stripes and crescent-like barrel were accompanied by a crescent-shaped trigger glowing faintly. Fine words were engraved upon it: "May moonlight protect you." The words after that were somewhat blurred.

With the dual pistols in hand, Li Ming's confidence soared. He directly said to Raiden Ryoma, "Have you ever seen a star shatter?"

Actually, when the system was opened normally, he could not see his own status panel, because he... was not a Valkyrie.

That was pretty Honkai. If non-Valkyries could not board the ship, did that mean he would have to cross-dress whenever he wanted to see his panel?

But during battle, he could see his HP and SP, though he could not see enemy health bars. Li Ming had complained about that for quite a while.

Li Ming checked his stamina. His HP had already dropped by half, but after the previous exchange, his SP had reached 76. After thinking for a moment, he stared at the black hole. Though it was only a Pseudo Black Hole, it still could not devour all light. Li Ming could vaguely see the blue-glowing core flickering at its center.

However, only after getting Moon God's Protection did Li Ming feel the Critical bonus. The blue orb that had been difficult to see became much clearer.

Li Ming was not sure whether it would work. With a flick of Moon God's Protection in his hand, gun kata! No, Crescent Strike!

He suddenly felt hollow inside. Moon God's Protection flashed, and a black bullet struck the black hole's core.

To be honest, Li Ming was gambling. He was not sure he would succeed. He remained doubtful whether the Time Fracture effect could work on a Pseudo Black Hole.

Suddenly, light flashed. The black hole's rate of absorption slowed. A pale-purple radiance, utterly out of place with the black hole, enveloped the surroundings. Li Ming focused his gaze. It worked!

Only 3.30 seconds—he had to hurry. Honkai Energy gathered in his hand. "Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt!"

The energy condensed into a sphere. Violent energy stirred up fierce winds around him, and the bright-yellow energy directly drove away the Honkai Energy that had corroded Li Ming's arm.

His palm aimed at the blue core. The Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt in his hand was already around a meter in diameter.

The yellow thunderbolt collided with the black hole, producing a deafening sound like an exploding thunderclap.

The powerful Honkai Energy plowed a deep trench into the ground before flying diagonally upward toward the Pseudo Black Hole's core.

The two spheres clashed. Though the Pseudo Black Hole was stronger, under the Time Fracture effect, it had no way to resist and could only silently endure.

Seeing that the black hole could not fight back, Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt shoved itself desperately against the Pseudo Black Hole, practically shameless beyond belief.

Under the powerful impact, the Pseudo Black Hole's flow became sluggish. Then the 3.30 seconds passed in a flash, and the Pseudo Black Hole began operating again. The black hole that crushed everything started moving, and Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt suddenly sensed resistance from the Pseudo Black Hole before becoming even more excited.

Honkai Energy surged violently. The black hole continuously wore away Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt's energy, leaving the two seemingly deadlocked.

As time passed, a full ten minutes went by before Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt finally pierced through the Pseudo Black Hole.

Only when he saw the black hole gradually dissipate did Li Ming let out a sigh of relief. The core, split in two, fell to the ground.

"Detected Anti-Entropy Imaginary Core ×10, Micro Reactor ×3, and Reconstruction Mold: Ability Specialization ×1. Collect?"

"Collect!" Li Ming was so exhausted that he sat down on the ground.

Seeing that the black hole had dissipated, Raiden Ryoma emerged from behind the car. He looked at Li Ming, who sat on the ground panting, and at Moon God's Protection in Li Ming's hand. A glint flashed through Raiden Ryoma's eyes. When Li Ming saw him approach, he stood and returned the card. "I spent thirty thousand. I'll pay you back when I have money later!"

Raiden Ryoma put away the card and smiled in Shenzhou language. "You don't need to repay the money. Consider it thanks for this little brother saving our lives. Yae, come thank your big brother!"

Raiden Yae cautiously poked her head out from behind Raiden Ryoma and said softly, "Arigato!"

Looking at the tiny and adorable Raiden Yae, Li Ming was rather curious. Who could understand the appeal of such a tiny Raiden Queen?

He patted Raiden Yae's head.

He got to touch Yae's head!

Happy.jpg.

"It's nothing. Those who are capable should do more!" Though he said it was nothing, Li Ming's hand never left Yae's head. Queen Yae was practically about to cry, okay?

However, when he withdrew his hand, Li Ming noticed pale-red markings appearing on his wrist. He instinctively covered it.

Seeing Li Ming's movement, Raiden Ryoma calmly moved Li Ming's hand aside and naturally noticed the signs of Honkai corrosion on his hand.

Then he said, "Little brother, your strength is impressive. You handled this sort of problem without even changing expression. I am the president of ME Company, and I would like to hire you as a bodyguard, mainly to protect my daughter. As for the salary, would a monthly wage of one hundred and fifty thousand Schicksal Coin work?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand Schicksal Coin?" Li Ming instantly turned into Crab Agin, his eyes filled with little money symbols. How many Monthly Cards could that buy? Hmm, wait. Thirty thousand bought six gift coins, so one hundred and fifty thousand meant thirty gift coins, which was equal to one Monthly Card.

Once he calculated it that way, Li Ming immediately calmed down. Still, one hundred and fifty thousand Schicksal Coin was indeed a considerable amount, and given the local prices, he would definitely be a Ten Thousand Yuan Household, wouldn't he?

But Li Ming was still hesitant. Raiden Ryoma's group had caused such a huge scene just getting off a plane today. If something went wrong again in the future, would he not end up dead? In such a short time, he had already been corroded.

It was not as if he was immune to Honkai Energy corrosion. He had only avoided becoming a zombie in that earlier high-Honkai-Energy environment because of his cheat ability. Hadn't those three bodyguards gone straight from handsome big brothers to pretty zombie young ladies?

Well, they were actually still handsome zombie young men, except one of the bodyguards had failed to withstand the zombification process and turned directly into ash.

But why were Raiden Ryoma and Yae fine?

"Can you give me some time to think about it? I only came to this city to seek help from a friend, so I need to talk things over with my friend first."

Raiden Ryoma looked at him, then finally took out a business card and handed it to him. "My contact information is on this. You can contact me if anything comes up. Also, I can help resolve the Honkai corrosion issue on your hand."

Yet even after taking the business card, Li Ming still did not agree. After all, if he could find a solution in the Elysian Realm, it would be best to avoid danger whenever possible.

Seeing that Li Ming did not agree, Raiden Ryoma took Yae and left first to prevent any further trouble. However, he did not go far, because he knew that after such a huge commotion, Shenzhou Headquarters would definitely send people over. As one of the parties involved, he naturally could not leave the area.

As for the other party involved, Li Ming looked at the light-brown business card in his hand. The ME Company logo had been stamped on it in gold lettering. He put it into his pocket, then hurried over to retrieve his urea sack and get out of there.

All he could say was that his brain had just been washed. He definitely was not thinking clearly.

Looking around, Shenzhou had always done well with safety drills. As soon as the incident occurred, the civilians had already found safe places to hide. Seeing that those kind people were fine, Li Ming felt relieved.

After he left, a battleship stopped above the airport. Several figures descended from the sky, while several huge mechas landed on the ground with thunderous crashes. Before they even began operations, they started handling the aftermath.