Boss, You're... Kind of Awesome

Bai Zhu gripped the hilt, the veins on the back of his hand bulging slightly.

There were not many paths left before him.

The first was to fire White Lightning repeatedly and forcibly blast open a gap.

The problem was that the six iron cans opposite him were spread out, protected by Black Crystal Heavy Armor. Whether White Lightning could kill them was uncertain, but it would definitely drain what little Reiatsu he had first.

The second was Sōkatsui.

Even stupider.

One shot would definitely make for a spectacular scene. But once the spectacle was over, he would be lying on the ground waiting for someone to collect his body. Forget meeting up with Illumi—Milluki would have to risk sneaking out of the hotel and dragging him back from a snow trench.

Bai Zhu glanced at the translucent panel in his vision.

Should he draw a new Kidō if nothing else worked?

The thought had barely surfaced before he rejected it himself.

With the achievement points he had left, he could not draw a high-level Kidō above Number Thirty-Three. Low-level Kidō would be useless against the Black Crystal Formation before him. He already had Sōkatsui; drawing a pile of minor skills would not stop the six people on the other side from crushing him together.

Only one card remained.

That chance at a random Bankai.

It sounded terrifying, but the instructions for the thing had pages missing.

Would the system replenish his Reiatsu?

Or would it merely give him the right to "be able to shout it out"?

If it was the latter, then with his current mana bar, forget Bankai—he was still far short of even the threshold for Shikai. If it came to that, he would collapse before he even finished reciting the line. That would not be an ultimate move; it would be performance art for the enemy.

Bai Zhu gritted his teeth and stared at the panel.

"Damn system, if you'd just give me a trial-use manual, I wouldn't be opening a blind box here!"

Milluki did not understand through the earpiece.

"What are you muttering about?"

"Discussing after-sales service with destiny's customer support."

"Did customer support answer you?"

"It's playing dead."

"Then why aren't you running? The formation's about to close!"

The black patterns had already crawled over the edge of the snow trench. Spikes reached down from the rim, and the black light made his skin tingle.

Bai Zhu held his Zanpakuto horizontally before him.

Just as he was about to take the gamble, a dense buzzing of wings suddenly came from the direction of the distant town.

At first, it was muffled by the forest and difficult to make out. A few breaths later, the noise drowned out the wind and swept into the woods from the town.

Bai Zhu looked up.

Above the snowy mist, a vast swarm of black dots surged toward them, descending lower and lower until it blocked out part of the daylight.

He froze for half a second.

"Milluki."

A smug chuckle came through the earpiece.

"What?"

"Didn't you say you only gave me six beetles?"

"Those were for you."

"Then what are these?"

"Mine."

Bai Zhu instantly perked up.

"You hid away a private army too?"

"Obviously. Did you think I came out here for a picnic?"

The black dots pierced through the snowy mist, revealing metal shells and red lights on their abdomens.

Mechanical Bees.

Swarms of Mechanical Bees rushed into the forest from the town, their wings vibrating at high speed. Countless red lights flashed across their abdomens, making Bai Zhu's scalp prickle.

He suddenly realized that among the Zoldyck family's monsters, Milluki usually looked the least like an assassin. But if given time, materials, and a budget, the fat man could turn an entire city block into a testing ground.

"Fatty."

"Yeah?"

"I take back half of what I said about you before."

"Which half?"

"You're not just a heartless boss. You're also an arms dealer."

"Thanks for the compliment."

The Holy Knights also noticed the swarm overhead.

The knight leading them raised his spear and gave an order through their internal channel.

"Stay alert!"

"They're the same kind as those explosive bugs from earlier!"

"Raise the shields!"

The six Holy Knights turned around. The Black Crystal Circuits that had surrounded Bai Zhu rapidly contracted, drawing huge amounts of energy upward.

A hemispherical black light screen rose.

The first wave of Mechanical Bees crashed into it.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions linked into a chain. Snow dust and shattered ice were hurled into the air, while the black screen rippled from the impacts, rings of distortion spreading across its surface. Yet it stubbornly held.

Bai Zhu seized the chance, grabbed a tree root at the trench edge, and scrambled out of the snow trench on hands and feet.

The moment he left the Black Crystal Formation's range, the black patterns beneath him tried to chase after him. Bai Zhu gave them no opportunity. Gritting his teeth, he activated Shunpo, his figure instantly pulling more than ten meters away.

Once outside the black ring, he bolted without looking back.

Milluki's restrained, excited laughter came through the earpiece.

"Heh-ha... heh-ha..."

"If you can defend, then keep defending!"

Bai Zhu dodged two Black Crystal spikes pursuing him from behind and stole a glance back.

The swarm was still pressing down.

The second and third waves crashed into the shield one after another. The Holy Knights' Black Crystal Shield was absurdly tough. Every explosion was blocked outside, leaving only a few thin cracks at the edges.

Milluki snorted.

"Cheap tricks, and you dare show off in front of your Grandpa Milluki?"

Bai Zhu had already reached a safe enough distance. Crouching behind a fallen tree, he poked out only half his head to watch.

"Who are you saying that to? They can't hear you."

"As long as you hear it."

The Holy Knights did not keep taking the hits.

Two black-armored knights of squad-leader rank raised their long spears at the same time, the Black Crystal on their spear tips shining with a blinding glare. They swept them through the air, sending several black shockwaves slicing into the swarm.

Large numbers of Mechanical Bees were cut apart midair and exploded early, scattering flames and metal fragments across the snow.

A gap was torn through Milluki's swarm.

The Holy Knight leader seized the opportunity and immediately gave the order.

"Withdraw from the blast range!"

"Maintain the shields!"

"Regroup in town!"

Bai Zhu heard that and panicked.

"They're running!"

"I see it."

Milluki's tone remained perfectly steady.

"Then why aren't you worried at all?"

"Because they can't get away."

Bai Zhu was just about to ask where his confidence came from when the snow beneath the Holy Knights suddenly began to shake.

Around the deep pits blasted open by the beetles earlier, several thick metal constructs burrowed out from beneath the snow.

Their shells were segmented, and their heads were fitted with grappling hooks. They slithered along the ground faster than living creatures. From every direction, they coiled around the Holy Knights' leg armor and spear shafts, even attempting to drag away the shield's support points.

One Holy Knight had barely taken a step when a metal ring locked around his ankle.

He roared and swung his spear down.

Another Mechanical Worm shot up from the side and wrapped around his spear. Grinding gears inside it screeched as it forcibly dragged the weapon toward the snow.

The six Holy Knights' formation was thrown into disarray.

The hemispherical structure of the Black Crystal Shield began to sway, and the swarm slipped through the breaches.

The Holy Knight leader roared, "Clear these damned things on the ground!"

Milluki laughed even more happily.

"Who told you I only brought flying toys?"

Crouched behind the fallen tree, Bai Zhu watched the six Holy Knights who had just been overwhelming him get dragged back into the center of the explosions by Mechanical Worms erupting from underground. For a moment, he did not know what to say.

He lowered his head and touched the two remaining "lottery bugs" in his pocket.

Then he looked at the swarm of Mechanical Bees in the sky.

Finally, he looked at the metal worms on the ground, which were tearing into their enemies.

Bai Zhu swallowed, his tone becoming far more sincere.

"Boss."

"What?"

"You're... kind of too awesome."

The sound of Milluki typing stopped for a moment.

"Don't call me boss. It sounds like you're about to skip out on the bill."

"How much does one round of this fire support cost?"

"Even at the friendship price, you can't afford it."

"Then can I pay in installments?"

"We'll talk next time. This service is already entering its final phase."

As soon as he finished speaking, the swarm in the sky stopped probing and began a collective dive.

The metal giant snakes on the ground pinned the six Holy Knights in place. Their Black Crystal Shield was forced to fend off attacks from both above and below, and its energy fluctuations grew increasingly chaotic.

Milluki lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement.

"Bai Zhu, fall back thirty meters."

Without another word, Bai Zhu turned and ran.

"Is that the theoretical safe distance or the actual safe distance?"

Milluki paused in the earpiece.

"This time, fifty meters would be better."