Ark Simulator, Don't I Lack a Physical Form?

Suddenly, the roar of machinery came from outside the workshop. Su Rui's light dust exploded instantly, displaying a holographic projection in front of Hoshiguma —six heavy Originium Mech were rising from the ground, all their cannons aimed at the workshop.

[Self-destruct mechanism activated.] Su Rui's warning came like a bucket of ice water; [he planned to blow up the entire block.]

Hoshiguma's blade pierced Mifune's neck by half a hair. "Stop the mechs."

Blood flowed down Mifune's neck and into the gold thread embroidery. "Too late... the password is your birthday, Hoshiguma."

These words plunged the entire workshop into a deathly silence. Tetsusai's forging hammer clattered to the ground, and Ling's pupils shrank to pinpoints— Mifune not only betrayed the Metalstone Society, but also used Hoshiguma's birthday to set a self-destruct password; this twisted obsession was chilling.

Moe Moe Xiang suddenly rushed to the workbench, grabbed Tetsusai's communicator. "Mr. Su Rui! The password is 0721!"

Almost simultaneously, the cannons of all the Originium Mech suddenly turned towards the sky, the charging beams illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime. Mifune's expression froze. "Impossible..."

[Password has been rewritten.] Su Rui's light dust formed a smiley face above Moe Moe Xiang's head, [Well done.]

Hoshiguma's blade traced a graceful arc, and Mifune. The controller hidden in the secret compartment rolled to the ground and was crushed by Tetsusai's foot.

"Ten years ago you falsified the ledgers, so I broke three of your ribs." Hoshiguma sheathed his sword. "How many this time?"

Mifune slumped in a pool of blood, laughing maniacally, "You're still so merciful... No wonder Su Rui does your dirty work."

These words pierced Hoshiguma's heart like a knife. Her green hair suddenly flew up, and her demon horns burst forth with blinding blue light—but Su Rui's light dust suddenly formed a barrier, enveloping her firmly.

[He's provoking you.] Su Rui's voice was unusually urgent. [The mine! Now!]

Suddenly, a surveillance video flashed across Hoshiguma's field of vision: Mifune's confidants were setting up Originium Resonator deep in the mine, and the protective shield of "Oni's Tear" had already developed cracks.

"Swoosh!" Hoshiguma swung his sword from its sheath, stunning Mifune. "I'll pin him to the entrance of the Metalstone Society."

Tetsusai had already hoisted Moe Moe Xiang onto his shoulder and was running towards the back door. "Kid! See you in the mine!"

As Hoshiguma charged deeper into the workshop, Su Rui's light dust enveloped her like a cloak. The walls parted before her, revealing a slide leading straight to the ground.

The mine trembled violently from the explosion, and debris rained down like a storm. Hoshiguma grabbed Moe Moe Xiang by the back of her collar and flung her into a crater in the rock wall, shielding her with her own body. Ling's black robe billowed in the dust as she swiftly formed hand seals, and several dark figures shot out from her sleeves, forming a barrier that temporarily held up the collapsing dome.

"Mifune--!" Hoshiguma's roar echoed through the cave, but only a maniacal laugh came from afar in response.

Moe Moe Xiang huddled behind Hoshiguma, her fingers gripping her clothes tightly. "Oni-neechan... are we going to die...?"

"Shut up." Hoshiguma's demon horns glowed with an eerie blue light in the darkness as she stared intently at the figure that was faintly visible in the smoke and dust ahead. "He doesn't have that ability."

Just then, Su Rui's light dust suddenly flashed violently in front of Hoshiguma's eyes.

[Energy has reached a critical level.] His voice was unusually urgent. [Hoshiguma, I might need--]

"Physicalization!"

Hoshiguma shouted almost instinctively. She didn't wait for Su Rui to finish speaking, nor did she consider the consequences—at this critical moment, all she wanted was for Su Rui to truly stand by her side.

The next second, all the light dust inside the mine suddenly contracted and condensed into a single point of dazzling silver light.

Then--

"Bang!"

A burst of silver light exploded, and the shockwave sent surrounding rocks flying.

As the smoke cleared, Hoshiguma's pupils suddenly contracted.

A silver-haired boy stood in front of her.

Naked.

Perfect.

The physical form of Su Rui.

He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with silver hair that cascaded down to his waist like moonlight, and amber eyes that still held a lingering bewilderment from his newly materialized form. His slender figure seemed to radiate a soft glow in the dim mine, and silver patterns faintly flowed across his skin—his energy veins, which were not yet fully stable.

Hoshiguma's mind Blank for a moment.

Volume 16, page 901: That was just an emergency.

Moe Moe Xiang peeked out from behind her, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wow... so beautiful..."

Su Rui seemed to finally realize the situation. He looked down at himself, then looked up at Hoshiguma, his lips twitching slightly: [You...]

"Don't look!"

Ling reacted faster than anyone else. She rushed forward, her black robe unfurling with a "whoosh," wrapping Su Rui completely like a curtain.

"Hoshiguma! What are you thinking!" Ling shouted, rarely losing her composure. "And what exactly is going on?"

Hoshiguma finally snapped out of her daze, her ears burning red. "I... um... it was an emergency..."

Moe Moe Xiang muttered to herself, "She was clearly just stunned..."

"Shut up!" Hoshiguma shoved a hand over her mouth.

Su Rui, shrouded in a black robe, sighed. He tried moving his fingers and found that his materialized body was more stable than he had imagined—it seemed that the energy he had accumulated over the years was enough to support his complete form.

"Let's deal with the immediate problem first." His voice was no longer the emptiness in his consciousness, but a real, slightly magnetic young voice. "Mifune is at the core of the mine."

Hoshiguma's apple bobbed. She forced herself to look away, only to find that Su Rui's silver hair was still peeking out from under her black robe, swaying gently with her breath.

"... Can you fight?" she asked dryly.

Su Rui smiled slightly, "Shall we give it a try?"

He raised his hand, a flash of silver light appeared, and a semi-transparent katana materialized in his palm—a weapon he had materialized using his own energy.

Moe Moe Xiang's eyes lit up. "So handsome!"

Ling, unable to bear it any longer, gave Hoshiguma an elbow strike. "Gather your spirit! The mine is about to collapse!"

Hoshiguma then realized that due to Su Rui's sudden materialization, the energy field of the mine had become extremely unstable. The Originium crystals on the rock walls began to emit a blinding red light, a sign that an explosion was imminent.

"Let's go!" She hoisted Moe Moe Xiang onto her shoulder. "To the core area!"

Ling grabbed Su Rui's wrist and followed, saying, "You'd better pray this body can last until the end of the battle!"

Su Rui chuckled, "Don't worry, my 'container' is very sturdy."

Hoshiguma's ears turned even redder.

The mine's dome trembled violently, and debris rained down on the metal platform. Mifune stood before the resonator, his hands gripping the control panel tightly, his knuckles white from the force. Originium crystal patterns appeared on his skin, his eyes had turned completely blood red, and a twisted smile hung on his lips.

"Hoshiguma!" His voice was metallic and hoarse, "You've finally come! I've waited too long for this moment!"

Hoshiguma's green hair danced wildly in the energy storm as she slowly drew her newly forged katana, its wavy blade gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the dim mine. Her gaze swept over the deep blue crystal floating behind Mifune— "Oni's Tear," the last gift her mother had left her, now imprisoned in a crimson energy field.

"Mifune," Hoshiguma's voice was as cold as polar ice, "You dare disturb the dead?"

The blade sliced across the ground, sparking a trail of fire on the rocks.

Mifune burst into laughter and slammed his hand on the red button on the control panel: "Then let's see who deserves it!"

The machine emitted a piercing shriek, and the entire mine trembled violently. Originium on the rock walls burst open, and crimson energy surged toward the platform like a tide, drilling into Mifune's mouth, nose, and pores. His body began to swell, his muscles bursting through his kimono, and his nails grew longer and harder, scraping against the metal surface with a screeching sound.

"He's gone mad..." Ling's pupils shrank to pinpoints. "He's turning himself into Originium Golem!"

Moe Moe Xiang was so frightened that her teeth chattered. "Is... is that even human?"

Hoshiguma pushed the hilt of her sword three inches away with her thumb, revealing a three-inch gleam of cold light. She turned her head to look at Su Rui: "Can you interfere with that machine?"

A strand of Su Rui's silver hair slipped out from under his black robe, shimmering like flowing mercury in the crimson light. He nodded slightly. "Okay, but it will take three minutes and seventeen seconds."

His gaze swept over the resonator's complex structure, a glint of data flashing in his amber pupils. "Its core protective shield has seven layers of encryption, the innermost layer using the Lungmen Guard Department' old-fashioned firewall—how ironic."

Hoshiguma's lips curled into a slight smile, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Her figure suddenly vanished from her spot, and the next second she appeared in mid-air, her katana drawing a perfect arc, aiming straight for Mifune's throat! Wherever the blade passed, the crimson energy stream was neatly sliced apart, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Mifune laughed wildly and raised his hand, Originium energy condensing into a crimson shield in his palm—"Clang!"

The deafening clang of metal clashing echoed through the mine, the shockwave sending surrounding rocks flying. Hoshiguma's blade scraped against the shield, sparking blinding flashes, but failed to penetrate it in one strike.

"It's no use, Hoshiguma!" Mifune's voice had become inhuman, hoarse with a metallic scraping quality. "Right now, every cell in my body is filled with the energy of a mineral vein!"

His other hand suddenly transformed into a crimson claw, which lashed out at Hoshiguma's abdomen!

A cold glint flashed in Hoshiguma's green eyes. Her body twisted strangely in the air, and the blade slid down the shield, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on Mifune's wrist. Blackish-red blood gushed out, corroding small pits on the ground.

"First cut." Hoshiguma landed lightly on a protruding rock, "To take the tendon from your right wrist."

Mifune stared in astonishment at his bleeding wrist, the shield shattering into crimson particles. He staggered back, staring at Hoshiguma in disbelief. "Impossible! My skin is as hard as alloy!"

"Second strike." Hoshiguma's figure vanished again. "I'll take the tendon from your left hamstring."

The blade flashed like lightning; Mifune hadn't even seen the movement before his left leg suddenly buckled, and his knee slammed heavily onto the metal platform. He let out a beastly howl, the muscles at the severed tendon writhing and twitching like worms, trying to regenerate but failing to heal— Hoshiguma's blade was imbued with some kind of energy that inhibited regeneration.

"The third strike," Hoshiguma's voice was like the Grim Reaper's pronouncement, "Takes your life."

Mifune's pupils shrank to pinpoints; he finally realized death was imminent. He frantically channeled his inner energy, conjuring a thick layer of crimson crystalline armor on his chest: "You won't get away with this—"

The blade flashed like water, piercing through the crystal armor without any hindrance.

Mifune's expression froze. He slowly lowered his head and saw that Hoshiguma's blade was already pressed against the center of his chest, where a fist-sized crimson crystal was pulsating violently—that was the Originium Core that connected him to the ore vein.

"You..." Mifune's voice suddenly became clear, as if he had regained his senses at that moment, "You knew all along..."

Hoshiguma applied slight pressure with the tip of her blade, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the crystalline surface. "From the first time you peeked at Tetsusai's forging notes, I knew you would go down this path."

Volume 16, Chapter 902: The Methods of the Three Ships

"Ha... hahaha..." Mifune's laughter was laced with blood and foam. "Then do you know... why I did this?"

Mifune didn't finish his sentence.

The entire mine suddenly trembled violently! The rock walls at the top began to collapse, and huge boulders rained down— Mifune's resonator had finally gone out of control! The crimson energy flow, like a raging python, twisted wildly within the cave, melting rocks and vaporizing metal wherever it passed.

"Su Rui!" Hoshiguma turned around abruptly.

The silver-haired youth had already taken action. His palm pressed against the resonator, and silver light spread like a spider web, instantly covering the entire machine. The light was as precise as clockwork gears, flowing along every line of the machine, forcibly converting the crimson energy in its path into a harmless silver-blue.

But the collapse was unstoppable. A boulder the size of a carriage crashed down from the top, heading straight for Moe Moe Xiang and Ling's heads!

"Careful!"

Hoshiguma's figure flashed like a ghost, and the Hannya Shield unfolded at the critical moment. "Boom!" A boulder smashed into the shield, and the shockwave pulverized all the surrounding pebbles. Hoshiguma's feet sank half a foot into the ground, but the shield remained unmoved.

"Hoshiguma!" Su Rui's voice suddenly became unusually clear, "Now!"

Without hesitation, Hoshiguma turned around, channeled all her strength into her katana, and hurled it towards the protective shield of "Oni's Tear"!

The blade flashed like a meteor, precisely piercing the crack in the protective shield. The deep blue crystal trembled violently, and then—

"Click."

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the mine.

The protective shield dissipated into countless points of light, and the "Oni's Tear" slowly fell, which Hoshiguma caught steadily. At the same time, all the crimson energy streams disappeared like the receding tide, and Mifune's body began to wither rapidly, with Originium crystals peeling off piece by piece.

He knelt in the pool of blood, watching his body crumble, and suddenly a relieved smile appeared on his face, "I lost..."

The boulder fell, completely burying his figure.

The tremors gradually subsided, leaving only the faint red glow of the Originium crystals inside the mine. Hoshiguma, panting heavily, turned to look at Su Rui: "How are you?"

The silver-haired boy's face was as pale as paper, but his body remained firmly in its physical form. He gently shook his head. "Just a little tired."

His steps faltered slightly, and Hoshiguma darted forward and pulled him into her arms. Su Rui's silver hair cascaded over her arms, carrying a faint scent of mint.

"... Idiot." Hoshiguma's voice trembled slightly, "Who told you to act tough?"

Su Rui's eyelashes trembled slightly, but a smile curled at the corner of her lips, "... You're the... idiot..."

His body felt warm and real, his steady breathing brushing against Hoshiguma's neck. Hoshiguma's ear tips turned slightly red, but her arms tightened involuntarily.

Moe Moe Xiang covered her eyes, but couldn't help peeking through her fingers. Ling rolled her eyes, grabbed her idol by the back of the collar. "Let's go, kid, don't get in the way."

"Hey, hey, hey? I haven't seen enough yet..."

Their voices faded into the distance. Deep within the mine, only Hoshiguma and Su Rui remained, along with the faint glow of Originium scattered across the ground.

Hoshiguma's fingers ran through Su Rui's silver hair, the touch cool and soft. "... Before you materialize next time," her earlobes turned even redder, "Remember to put on your clothes first."

Su Rui's lips curled up slightly as she buried her face in her shoulder. "That's not something I can decide."

Moe Moe Xiang sat in front of the makeup mirror, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the table. The girl in the mirror had red-rimmed eyes, her pink pigtails had lost their usual vitality, and her stage makeup couldn't hide her pale face. The door to the dressing room was gently pushed open, and Ling walked in carrying a stack of documents, the hem of her black trench coat still damp with rain.

"Is everything arranged?" Moe Moe Xiang's voice trembled slightly.

Ling placed the documents on the dressing table, her snake tattoo faintly visible on her cuff. "Venue, security, media—everything's in place." She paused. "But are you really sure? Once you start, there's no turning back."