Act.17 · Sky-Blue Days

Foreword:

[We'll find the answer where we're headed!]

[--Bu Liuxing]

[Part 1: The Unquenchable Flame]

"They're back! They're all back!"

A Xing shook Diamond, and seeing that the spirits of his companions had all returned to their bodies, he was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

"Hey! Jason! You're amazing! Is that your Soul Power? You've turned into a Flash Butterfly too?"

Jason was completely baffled by the changes in the spirit body.

He didn't know the name of Soul Might, and even with all his might, he could only summon two arms. According to the standards of the Galahad Magic Academy, this was a characteristic of the Ascension stage.

But what about this ability to decompose and reconstruct matter and soul? It's as if Soul Power gave him this superpower in advance.

When he was lost, Wendy Mills pointed to the wall behind the shrine, to the door riddled with drill holes.

"People have been using fire and lightning long before they even figured out the principles—don't hesitate, we don't have much time, you still have other allies fighting the Lord of Cinder,"

Freed from the control of the [Icon], William finally collapsed from the scorching flames, the burn marks on his side and back shocking. He then began to vomit violently.

The giant hybrid warrior's eyes went out of focus as he shielded the meteor from the shockwave of the swamp gas explosion. The damage caused his internal organs to shift, and before he could catch his breath, his spirit was taken away from his body.

When Ibrahimovic returned to his physical body, his face turned deathly pale, and his mental state was severely damaged; like William the Elder, he vomited uncontrollably.

Everyone present suffered some aftereffects, unlike the meteor who was healthy.

A Xing was treating William, Big Wolf Girl and Half Wolf Girl were packing up their heavy armor and needed some of White Lady's products to calm down, while Little Katusha was pounding on her companions' chests, trying to wake up the unconscious and shocking people.

"Should we go back?!" Jason hesitated, standing before the gates of the underground city.

--Leaving aside what's inside the city, judging from the enormous size of the gates that allow cars to pass through, exploring further would inevitably consume a lot of time.

--Jiang Xueming, 9527, and another VIP, Su Ling, are probably all in a state of soul separation. They are fighting against the Lord of Cinder and also dealing with the warriors of the Heaven's Ladder.

Jason's spirit can help them regain their physical bodies and get rid of their inner demons.

If only we could go back to support our teammates at this time.

Before he could finish thinking--

Xia Xia said immediately.

"A Ling is alright."

The VIP took out a glittering Fool's Gold from her baggage; this luminous stone belonged to her attendant, to A Ling.

Yibu, leaning on his knees, vomiting and groggily saying, "We're unarmed, Iason. The Lord of Cinder's soul-powered attacks are incredibly unpredictable. Going back empty-handed, we probably won't be able to help at all—we'll just become hostages."

Diamond and Jason cried out anxiously, "Iason! If you are attacked by these black lines again, can you really remain sober when you face the Lord of Cinder with your keen Inspiration?"

Wendy whispered close to Jason, "You can't go back now. You have to keep moving forward unless you find a way to defeat your enemy, a magic bullet to turn the tide. Otherwise, you don't deserve to return to the surface."

"I understand." Jason stood before the door.

--Activate the spirit and unleash a punch.

A deep blue arm materialized in an instant, blasting the solid door into irregularly shaped steel cubes.

The axles and rails connecting the iron gate were also broken into pieces. These old steel parts floated in the air, and with a gentle push, they made way for people to pass through smoothly.

Diamond watched this scene in astonishment.

"Jason! You've got this skill? All those holes I dug were for nothing!"

"No." Jason carefully examined the broken pieces of the door, with a lot of old mortar still covering the sheet metal. "My spirit can only separate one thing at a time, and the total amount of matter it can affect is limited. If I can't touch the main structure of this door, I probably can't open it—I can only break some of the mortar. Diamond! Well done!"

Wendy remained calm. "Let's go, let's keep going."

Jason was still uneasy, and he kept pressing A Xing for answers, as if trying to convince himself.

"Meteor! Do I really not need to go back? What about Jiang Xueming? If something happens to him, I will regret it for the rest of my life, and live in pain and self-blame forever."

"You should worry more about yourself." Bu Liuxing, wanting to be the first to act, squeezed through the gap in the gate and into the dark underground driveway. "Jason, if Ming Ge and I really die here, in this very place, we'll have no regrets—you know! What we're doing is like landing on the moon! It's an incredibly important undertaking!"

"Let me go first!" Jason immediately sprinted forward to catch up with Meteor: "My Inspiration is stronger than yours, Meteor."

Two men rushed into the dark roadway, one after the other.

Jason felt very strange about this place. Despite the wide, four-lane road, he still felt a vague, inexplicable sense of claustrophobia.

--Wait a minute, why does it look like this?

The road is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, and has many sharp bends.

It has a funnel-shaped constriction and low slopes with complex terrain, making it look nothing like a man-made road. However, the steel walls and the dilapidated lights on them do not lie.

Jason's envisioned dungeon was nothing like this.

--Judging from the urban planning of Red Star Hill, its ground leveling project should be a clean and orderly nest-like underground palace. It would require manual excavation of hundreds of square kilometers of mudflats, driving solid foundation piles underground, building layer by layer until the entire underground palace is formed, before the RSH nuclear power plant and various industrial facilities can be built.

But after walking nearly three kilometers on this inexplicably winding road, Jason was completely baffled by the undulating terrain and couldn't understand the structure of the underground palace.

"Everyone, stop!"

Jason raised his flashlight and carefully examined the details of the tunnel. A strong wind was blowing in the air, indicating that there was indeed an exit.

The tunnel, which is just over four meters high, is only wide enough for trucks to pass through. The various road markings and speed limit signs have been worn away by tires and are no longer legible. No useful clues can be found in the electrical maintenance rooms along the road.

Jason decided to take a shortcut—using the spirit he had just acquired to carve a path.

He swung his fist at the platform, and the steel-constructed surface immediately shattered into chunks of iron, revealing a steel substrate more than half a meter thick. This was Jason's limit of power; his spirit body could only shatter this much matter.

People shine their flashlights down into the pit, but all they see is a bottomless abyss. Staring at it for too long can cause their scalps to tingle and their whole body to shiver due to the inexplicable spiritual pressure.

"Are we inside a giant's intestines?" 3301 stroked the tunnel wall, feeling a strange, eerie warmth.

"No, that's not right." Cold sweat began to bead on Jason's forehead; a scorching spiritual pressure emanated from the Dark Abyss, threatening to engulf him.

A fire ignited in his eyes—

--A dazzling, seemingly inextinguishable fire has appeared.

"William! William!"

Jason roared, clutching the Lapis Lazuli tightly, ready to remove the deadly gemstone from his wrist at the slightest sign of trouble.

"What's wrong?! Iason, what did you see?"

Jason's spirit arm painted on the scattered pieces of iron, trying to capture everything he saw, to show this hybrid warrior the surging, giant figure it represented.

Is this your father?

The withered, azure fingers left intricate white marks on the iron block, producing a sharp, piercing whistle that continued even as Jason bled from his mouth and nose.

He wiped the blood from his nose and mouth, using the pigments to enhance the Fire Giant's bright red fur.

"[WindMills] -- Restore it!"

Jason shouted the name of Soul Might, and the iron blocks on the road all drilled back into the round holes.

People immediately recognized the giant's true appearance.

He was almost identical to William the Elder, after all, William was a direct descendant of the Fire Giant, a life form created from the blood and soil of the gods.

His arms and chest were covered in thick, bright red hair, which looked like flames, rooted in the dirty mud of the Dead Beach. He lay sprawled on the side of the mountain, one arm already submerged in the sea.

Jason took out the whetstone from his combat dagger and began to trace references on one side of the painting.

Not far from the Fireman are the Ice Man and the Laughing Man, and further away are the other giants before the gates of Niflheim.

Blood bubbles were still coming out of Jason's nostrils as he asked William, "Is this your father?"

"That's right! He looks exactly like me, it must be!"

Immediately afterwards--

--The grinding stone in Jason Megan's hand was like a ruthless blade, cutting merciless horizontal lines into the Fireman's limbs.

He divided the painting into five parts.

"[WindMills]! Smash it!"

The spirit separated the iron blocks again, scrambling the puzzle pieces.

Using the body of the Fire Man as a sketch, the outpost of Red Star Hill was depicted on his torso.

William's eyes widened. "My father is dead?"

Jason finished his final stroke, his mental energy completely depleted. His hand trembled as he tried to remove the radiance stone to rest, but Wendy, quick as a flash, snatched her employer's life-saving charm.

"I don't know, but that's what I saw." Jason's eyes still burned with an inextinguishable flame. "I saw a giant, fiery red figure fighting his dead twin brother, before it voluntarily lay down before the Immortal Lune could invade its brain."

"He surrendered?" William pursed his lips, large tears streaming from his childlike eyes. "He was killed by my uncles and aunts?"

"I'm not sure." Jason frowned, unable to deduce the actual living state of this mythical creature. "His spiritual pressure is very active, unlike something that's dead, and..."

Before Jason could finish speaking, William began to cover his face and weep bitterly. He peeked through his thick fingers at the man's gruesome state; his mangled limbs were the result of being torn apart by five horses.

It wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't looked, but once I did, this three-meter-tall baby started crying even harder.

"William! He went down voluntarily!" Jason recited every word of the information he had received in his brain. "Your father, Fireman, went down voluntarily! He found a way to fight the Immortal Lune."

The crowd huddled together, demanding that Jason explain himself clearly.

William asked in confusion, "So, is my father dead or alive?"

"The Fireman gave his physical body to the Soviets." Jason tapped lightly on the thick iron plate road. "He wanted to sever the limbs infected by the Immortal Lune and the Vita Imprint, leaving only his conscious brain."

The ancient and mysterious city gradually unveiled its secrets.

"The Fire Giant left us everything—his head, arms, legs, and feet—divided into five sections, dismantled into solid, underfloor heating foundations, and buried beneath our feet. The Red Star Hill nuclear facility has been able to operate stably for so many years because it was built upon the remains of the Fire Giant."

"We're standing inside its navel; this passage isn't the intestines, it's the umbilical cord."

"The Soviets modified its remains, hammering living quarters and mechanical armor into its hot flesh. Do you remember Mimir/Mim?"

"The giant of the Mímisbrunnr did the same thing—after Mimir/Mim died, his brain became the veins of the Golden Township, and his brain fluid became eclogite and magma, from which countless lives were born."

"Is he dead?" William was increasingly confused, completely baffled by his father's current state. "Can I speak to him?"

"We can give it a try," Jason, pulling out some tea from the VIP tea room in his backpack to regain some of his energy. "But don't get your hopes up, William. We're ten kilometers away from the Fireman's head—even if he were alive, he might not be able to hear you."

"Father!----"

William roared.

"Father!------"

Sparks flew from his throat, and the little giant's skin turned bright red in an instant.

"Father!----------"

The sound reverberated along with the steel tunnel, and the echo carried far away.

Meteor sidled up to William and asked, "No sound at all. Is Dad sleeping too soundly?"

William suddenly wore a relieved expression.

"It's okay, let's take it slow. I'm just calling out a few times. If he actually responds, I haven't even thought about what to say to him yet."

Meteor was greatly disappointed. "Ugh! This is boring!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than something interesting happened.

The tunnel's iron walls began to tremble violently, and William looked bewildered.

Did my father respond to me? What should I say? What should I say?

Immediately afterwards, a bright red light appeared in the distance of the tunnel.

A gust of Hot Wind swept over me.

Jason's eyes widened in surprise. He picked up Katusha and ran for his life; his running skills were top-notch.

"Run! Run! It's not your father, William! You've awakened his possessions!"

Yibu was so terrified he was almost out of his mind. He was slapped hard by Diamond and finally came to his senses.

"Brothers! Run!"

At the leader's command, before people could even see the strange creatures attacking from the tunnel, they immediately turned around and ran back the way they came.

3301 and Meteor strode side by side, sprinting down the slope.

Occasionally, the half-wolf girl would glance back and see round, rolling lava monsters, like spheres made of volcanic rock and magma, their bodies writhing in raging flames as they rolled forward.

They left charred marks as they rolled over the solid iron road, their bodies covered in blocky armor resembling volcanic rock, making a formidable spectacle.

A series of rapid, clattering sounds filled the air as these rapidly spinning lava balls climbed and circled the smooth barrier, leaping and bounding, transforming into human shapes in mid-air and taking enormous strides—

--Each unit is the size of William the Great.

3301's tail was practically on fire. She tilted her head to look behind her, then ran even faster, picking up Meteor with one hand and carrying it on her shoulder as she ran at top speed.

[Part ②: The Iron Fist of Materialism]

Until a fiery meteor flew over Jason's head and landed in front of him on the road.

The creatures that revived from the flames stood upright, hands on hips and heads held high, while the complex stones interlocked and pieced together, transforming into angular facial features that blocked the way.

People panicked when they braked, resulting in many bruises and swelling on their faces.

"Are you alright?" Yibu pulled the bewildered Meteor out of 3301's arms. "Comrades!"

The fire-man's minions shouted, "Comrade-in-Chief!"

It raises its arms and fists, like a scientific giant at Albert Research Station.

Dozens of small fire-men leaped through the tunnel, landing on two legs as they shouted and roared.

"Davari!"

A shooting star snapped to life.

--Reset the dislocated jaw.

Are you exchanging secret signals?

Jason immediately grabbed William and slapped the hybrid giant's face hard.

"Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Recognize his father! He's still alive! He's still alive!"

Grand William was still unaware of what had happened.

--Perhaps it really is as Jason said.

The Fireman is still alive and has become comrades with the Soviets.

Otherwise, how could these subordinates understand this sentence?

At this moment, this precious child born into the mortal world has absolutely no idea what to do.

He could only stare blankly as he pulled out the runestone, as if trying to prove his lineage.

The runestone bearing cuneiform script had barely been revealed when it was snatched away by the vicious little fire elemental.

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaah!!"

The little fireman crushed the stone in front of William, and the procession of his followers seemed to be celebrating the return of their brother. They reveled, making strange noises, like ancient apes waving their arms, and then turned into spheres.

It came in the same way it rolled away.

It all came too fast, and it all went too fast.

--So much so that people don't understand what this means, whether to continue moving forward?

These monsters did not appear to be deadly, or rather, they did not seem to be hostile to humans.

"My ID card is gone!" William exclaimed, his eyes brimming with tears. "My father tore it up! How could he be so rude!"

Meteor suddenly realized. "Oh! That makes sense!"

Jason and Wendy asked, "Should we continue?"

He glanced in the direction of the question, which happened to be directly facing the shooting star.

Meteor immediately replied, "Of course we have to keep moving forward!"

Wendy and Meteor said almost simultaneously, "Of course we have to keep going!"

Meteor: "Jason! Did you see the fire on these minions?"

Wendy: "This is the sword we've been searching for!"

They said to Jason in unison.

"We're going to that place! We'll definitely find the answer there!"

People underground still don't know what's happening on the surface.

Jiang Xueming was caught in a fierce battle--

--The renewed confrontation with his inner demons was like a surprise inspection without any prior preparation for the exam.

He had no supplies, no guns, no bullets, and the physical constants, gravity, and terrain he was familiar with were no longer reliable.

Before the final security post leading to the South Wing, Leonardo, from the Rose Sect, returned to the human world.

This blood bat was blown to pieces by Jiang Xueming with several kilograms of C4 before it died.

Thanks to Soulwell, the spirits returning from Niflheim were able to become somewhat more presentable thanks to the repairs of the [Scarlet Mist].

"Jiang Xueming, I crawled back from hell!"

Little Li remained as elegant as ever, unwilling to fight the enemy in his blood bat form. He toyed with his misty spirit form, looking at Xue Ming's frail half-body.

"See? It proves I was right. You're still a defective product. Only a blind Blessed Mother would choose you—that pathetic state, your legs haven't even fully evolved. You're so weak now, how can you possibly defeat me? Hmph."

Jiang Xueming felt extremely overwhelmed and his head was spinning.

--Because Leonardo is right, without modern firearms, it's simply a pipe dream to kill Leonardo again with just a spirit.

"Don't rush. I'll kill you after I've finished looking at the picture of the Virgin Mary. Perhaps I can borrow your physical essence to reshape a life for my undead." Little Li used his soul power to create an image of the Blessed Mother, his eyes filled with love. "I can feel your spiritual pressure, Jiang Xueming —it seems your lover is in danger. You are very anxious, just as painful and uneasy as last time. Perhaps you can understand my feelings now."

"--You stole my Holy Mother!"

"--You are so cruel! So vicious!"

"--you"

"Wait a minute, you've misunderstood something." Jiang Xueming looked at the countless tiny insects swarming in the mist, seemingly at a loss for what to do. "I have absolutely no interest in the Holy Mother; we're not on the same wavelength."

"What are you saying!" Leonardo roared in fury. "Are you insulting me? Yet again? You've utterly defiled me?"

Jiang Xueming didn't understand. "Didn't you understand? Shall I say it again in English?"

"Do you even know what utter nonsense you just said?!" Leonardo was nearly driven mad, his spirit transforming into a grotesque bat form in seconds. "This feeling... this feeling is like standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of my favorite toy store! Waiting anxiously! Hoping! Yearning for the most dazzling doll in the display case! And you take her out of the display case and smash her on the ground right in front of me! And then you say—you don't care at all?! Don't care?!"

Xue Ming's scratching head could almost be heard in the courtyard of the South Wing.

He's an honest man; if things get really bad, he's prepared to run away, at least taking this dangerous spirit with him and preventing Xiao Qi from causing any further trouble.

--Leonardo, as a mental demon, is someone he can't defeat at his current level.

There were no guns, no gunpowder, and in this place where non-ferrous metals were scarce, not even copper ore could be found, let alone silver.

Leonardo roared angrily, unleashing his fury upon Jiang Xueming.

Several cracks, each over ten meters long, suddenly appeared on the platform in front of the South Pavilion.

A torrent of fury erupted from the earth—

--Xue Ming looked up and saw the spirit swaying in the raging wind stirred by the crimson steel.

He was thrown off his feet by a massive surge of psychic energy, and the sky and earth shattered instantly.

A "building" grew out from the ground beneath the arsenal and from the roadbed of the nuclear power facility.

No! That's not right!

Xue Ming's spirit-like iron jaw almost fell to the ground.

Even if a person is calm and unfazed by such things, the sudden appearance of the enormous object almost emptied his mind, only to fill it again immediately.

It wasn't a building; only then did Xue Ming realize what this "building" looked like.

It is almost ten stories high, nearly forty meters tall.

It is an arm, an iron fist, with the elbow still buried deep in the ground.

Its immense power as it burst from the earth instantly lifted Leonardo into the sky, turning him into a pool of dark blood on his iron arm's knuckles.

Its skin is covered with layers of steel, and through the muscle-like interlayers of steel, one can see the low-temperature sky-blue flames. It drills open a wavy eye, and the flames that drift out seem to bring people back to the long-lost ground, allowing them to see the sky once again!

You can hear the roar of engines emanating from its bones and muscles, like the powerful sound of ten thousand horses galloping!

The lightning that erupted from the steel armor and iron bars was like the breath of a god; the power it unleashed as it pierced the earth almost swept away the thick fog within a radius of hundreds of meters.

It extends its index finger, piercing straight into the universe.

Its arm armor was emblazoned with the Soviet red flag.

--And there were also the very familiar Chinese and Russian labels.

[Materialism·материализм]