Now, Who Will Die!

Li Ming flexed his wrists, his feet moving as he watched the raging flames spewing from the Zhu Yan mecha. Undeterred, he unleashed Vermillion Bird Treading Clouds, closing the distance and passing through the fiery blockade.

Li Ming felt a wave of heat wash over him, his armor glowing faintly red. A system alert chimed, "Armor body overheating. Damage will occur in one minute."

One minute? You've got to be kidding me. Give me one minute, and I'll blow this thing to bits!

After repeatedly using Vermillion Bird Treading Clouds, Li Ming found himself slightly breathless. Fortunately, he had broken through the flames. However, the moment he emerged, the Zhu Yan's cannon barrel was already aimed at him.

He could even see the fleeting glint of fire within the cannon's muzzle.

He ducked, narrowly and somewhat clumsily dodging a rocket. The rocket plunged into the sea of flames, followed by a violent explosion.

To be honest, Li Ming had been blown up so many times recently that he could barely distinguish the sound of explosions anymore. If not for the armor's excellent temperature regulation system, he suspected he would have already lost consciousness from the heat.

Raising Moon God's Protection, he aimed at an opening in the Zhu Yan mecha's abdomen and fired. The gun barrel flashed yellow, and Li Ming decisively activated Moon God's Protection's skill, [Crescent Strike].

Unlike the previous bullets, these gray projectiles struck the Zhu Yan mecha with such immense force that the entire mecha was lifted off its feet. Gray-purple energy swirled around it, as if it were being controlled and suspended in mid-air.

Skill [Crescent Strike]: Suspends target enemy and locks them in time for 3.3 seconds. Consumes 12 SP, with a 12-second cooldown.

Seeing the Zhu Yan enter a temporal stasis, Li Ming promptly put away Moon God's Protection. He began charging his next attack, and within the 3.3-second time lock, he finished charging in just one second. "Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt!"

A two-meter diameter sphere of yellow energy, accompanied by a violent vortex, swirled in his hands, kicking up dust from the ground. Since learning Avalanche and Heaven Render, the realm of Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt had reached a new level. Even after unleashing Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt, Li Ming's movements didn't stop.

Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt slammed into the Zhu Yan mecha. Suspended in the air, the Zhu Yan mecha was powerless to retaliate. The yellow energy sphere crushed its body, and its thick armor began to crack. Small fragments broke off the Zhu Yan's chassis but didn't fall; they simply hung suspended in the air.

Li Ming drew his right hand back to his waist, adopting a low stance. The release of Inch Strength Extreme: Thunderbolt had taken about two seconds, and the 3.3-second temporal lock was nearing its end. As the faint purple energy slowly dissipated, the Zhu Yan mecha seemed to regain its mobility, and the suspended time around it began to flow again.

Before the Zhu Yan mecha could even react, Li Ming's charge was complete. It had just landed when Li Ming suddenly vanished from his spot, enveloped in a yellow stream of light—the result of dissipating energy.

"Inch Punch: Avalanche!"

His right fist struck the Zhu Yan's chassis. The armor around its abdomen was already completely shattered. Through the gaps, Li Ming could see the pilot's horrified expression, his dark, sinister face now contorted with fear.

But Li Ming showed no mercy. The members of these organizations had shown no mercy when attacking the combat teams, and this Zhu Yan mecha had shown no mercy when firing its cannons.

"Inch Punch: Heaven Render!"

He stomped on the ground with his left foot and kicked the Zhu Yan into the air with his right. This kick sent the Zhu Yan into an overload state. Although the Zhu Yan mecha struggled, its bulky frame was no match for Li Ming's enraged assault.

Its only recourse was to continuously fire its flamethrowers, attempting to suppress Li Ming's next offensive with intense flames.

Even though the Zhu Yan mecha was now in an overload state and its shields were exceptionally strong, Li Ming paid it no mind. As he pushed through the flames, his armor's shield value dropped to 89.

"Warning: Armor damage exceeds 60%. Armor surface has developed breaches. Temperature regulation system about to fail. Warning..."

This time, as Li Ming passed through the flames, he clearly felt their intense heat. Although the temperature regulation system still had some effect, Li Ming could feel the flames seeping in through the armor's gaps.

The searing flames caused Li Ming a slight sting, but it also cleared his head.

Though only three meters off the ground, the Zhu Yan pilot felt an unbearable torment.

He could vaguely see through the gaps as the man in the armor emerged from the flames, flew past him, and landed above him, surrounded by a faint yellow light—he didn't know if it was escaping electricity or something else.

At that moment, he felt that the legends his elders spoke of were true. Perhaps true martial arts, when practiced to a profound level, could transcend the mortal realm, like greatswords that reached the heavens or rampaging beasts that ravaged Schicksal.

He had joined the Chiyou Organization because he found these legendary beasts cool, but he had never truly believed in the legends of Immortal Chi Yuan. Now, he was starting to believe.

"Grandma, so everything you said was true..."

Unfortunately, Li Ming didn't give him much time for contemplation. He used the mecha's body for leverage, swinging himself violently before raising his leg. His right leg, like a battle axe, chopped down fiercely.

The Zhu Yan mecha's already overloaded and glowing red energy shield was shattered by the kick. The immense force, carrying the mecha, slammed heavily onto the ground with a deafening roar, like a giant fireball.

The tremor caused onlookers to turn their heads. The violent shockwave of the explosion swept across the entire airport, engulfing the area in smoke.

Everyone was curious about who had survived.

The members of the Chiyou Organization were particularly concerned, as this meant the balance, which had slightly favored them, had been broken.

But their hopes were dashed. As the dust settled, the imposing figure of the Zhu Yan mecha was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a slender figure emerged from the smoke—it was Li Ming.

In the command center, the person in charge felt a surge of excitement upon seeing Li Ming. He hadn't even noticed Li Ming initially, having focused on the registered local experts. If Raiden Ryoma hadn't contacted them and asked them to pay special attention to protecting Li Ming, he wouldn't have even looked up Li Ming's file.

Upon opening it, he saw a B-rank rating with a single comment: "Defeated a Quasi-Herrscher." It was worth noting that Quasi-Herrschers were beings close to Honkai Emperors, making this no ordinary feat.

However, he had misunderstood. The clone of Boss Yang was merely a clone. It was only due to the core's existence that his energy level reached that of a Quasi-Herrscher. But in terms of actual abilities, calling him comparable to a Quasi-Herrscher wasn't entirely wrong.

After seeing this file, the person in charge's heart pounded. Especially after witnessing the three individuals he had summoned being utterly outmatched, he could no longer adhere to Raiden Ryoma's directive to protect Li Ming. With their home being attacked, how could he worry about such a thing?

Still, he didn't force any conscriptions. Like the other local martial artists he had summoned, he first asked for their cooperation. Although he didn't know what the reward would be, he figured his job was safe, and the branch would have to foot the bill if it came to a significant payout.

But to destroy a Titan in just 20 minutes—this level of strength far surpassed a mere B-rank.

He glanced at his watch. The reinforcements from other branches were still ten minutes away. The Chiyou Organization seemed to have mobilized its entire force, joining with the external HK Organization. The attacks weren't just targeting his location; every city was under assault, though Changming City and its surrounding areas were experiencing the most intense attacks.

For a city like his, located inland, the unrest was relatively minor. Typically, an A-rank Valkyrie in charge, along with two mecha squads, would be sufficient to handle most issues within the city. They didn't even have specialized training facilities, a testament to how years of peace had made them forget about chaos.

"It's time for a change, not just for Changming City..."

He shifted his gaze away from Li Ming and turned to directing the combat teams. When the mechas and Valkyries were tied up, the combat teams were the primary source of damage. Now, he needed to guide them on how to deal with the intruders who had entered the airport.

Li Ming emerged from the dust, his armor's filtration system working effectively, preventing him from choking.

He checked his status: HP: 645, Shield: 80, SP: 245.

His energy bar was nearly full. Even though he had expended some SP just now to destroy the Zhu Yan mecha, his SP had refilled almost immediately. He wasn't sure why.

However, he felt surprisingly energetic. Aside from the significant damage to his armor, the HP loss was negligible—less than a slap from a can.

"Now, who's next to die!"

To be honest, Li Ming was feeling a bit overconfident right now, but even so, no one present dared to challenge him. He had to put on a show, after all, he'd gotten the first kill.

He scanned the people around him. The Valkyries were still in a stalemate, and his morale had significantly increased after he'd just blown up a Zhu Yan. The Titan squad and the Zhu Yan squad were still playing a game of 'you hit me, I hit you,' and it would probably take at least half an hour before they entered overload. As for the three summoned guys, although they had the will, they were being suppressed terribly.

After some thought, Li Ming decided to go help the three guys. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't last until he finished supporting the Valkyries.

With his decision made, he moved his feet, his body rushing directly towards the three Shaman/Vermillion Bird mechs.