Never Fade Away
Bang!
The last Beta-tier in front of the grand duke had his throat crushed. Alexia pinched his artery and windpipe between her thumb and forefinger, squeezing hard to end his life.
Thud.
The corpse fell to its knees, then collapsed to the ground.
All six Beta-tier guards had been wiped out by Alexia alone.
Yet Alexia didn't feel relieved. She lifted her head, looking at the Duke Gamos ahead—a despicable comprador who sold out the interests of the Grantians just to extend his own life.
For three hundred years, he watched as one after another of his sons died. He cared nothing for the lives of the Grantians, nor even the fate of the entire kingdom.
Duke Gamos slumped on his throne. His once-mighty body was now incredibly emaciated, his muscles atrophied, his ash-gray skin rough like bark and full of cracks. His body was filled with various electrodes and tubes, maintaining his body's normal voltage and injecting nutrients.
Thump, thump, thump...
The strong heartbeat echoed through the entire room, like a war drum, filled with an eerie sense of oppression.
His murky eyes could no longer discern colors. All he could do was slightly tilt his head, his massive arm sprawled on the armrest like a Roman column, his gaze slowly turning to fall on Alexia's face.
"Bride."
A hoarse roar came from the respirator, reverberating endlessly in the Flame King's Hall:
"At last, you've come."
Zing——
Alexia had nothing to say. She gestured, and the spear nailed to the Medium's corpse flew back into her hand, melting and transforming back into a scythe, which she immediately swung at him.
In response, the duke merely lifted an eyelid.
Whoosh——!
Instantly, a ferocious green half-wolf, half-human spirit emerged from the void in front of him. It raised its thick arm to block the scythe's slash, its three eyes glowing with a pale blue light.
'Grandpa Wolf knows you, hehe, ghost of the old era, there's one of you!'
The green wolf spirit sneered:
'I know about your comrades, hehe.'
"...What do you know?!"
Alexia pulled back her attack, urgently asking out of concern for her homeland.
"Emerald," the duke said displeased, "stop babbling."
'What a shame, Gamos, this one is a relic of the old era just like you. Not telling her the truth would be too pitiful, right?'
Gamos remained silent, his heavy breathing casting an even darker cloud over Alexia's heart.
"What happened to the comrades of Yamilok?"
'Defiance tastes spicy, pain is slightly sweet, and despair is as creamy as butter.'
The green wolf spirit bared its long maw, laughing sharply:
'It was truly a feast for the taste buds.'
Crunch!
Alexia gripped the scythe tightly, a chilling killing intent rising in her dark golden eyes.
"Getting anxious, hehe, I knew you'd react like this. People of the old era are too naive."
The green wolf spirit chuckled lowly, its form fading as it left a mocking remark before disappearing into the void:
'Don't worry, they lost, and you're next!'
Just as the green wolf spirit vanished, Alexia instantly sliced through its lingering shadow, swinging the giant scythe of judgment at the giant on the throne!
Ding!
Duke Gamos didn't move an inch, but suddenly, a vermilion radio appeared in front of him. It seemed like an ancient artifact from an era even older than the old times. The red radio floated in the air, slowly rotating, emitting the sound of static:
'Shh——welcome to Sunday, Cary's ghost stories.'
A magnetic yet terrifying male voice seemed to pierce straight into the depths of one's fear:
'Today, our story is: "The Death of a Giant."'
Alexia's pupils contracted. She struggled not to listen to the voice, but the radio's sound quietly seeped into her brain, resonating deep in her heart.
'Yinwan was a dying giant, standing on the brink of the apocalypse. His arms had left home, his legs had run off with other giants, his head had rotted, crawling with maggots, and his remaining torso was just a pile of sludge.'
Alexia's pupils expanded and contracted violently, her consciousness becoming increasingly blurred. She bit her lip, using the pain to stay awake.
'After his death, the evil giants that Yinwan had once defeated became even more rampant. People forgot that Yinwan had once crushed the greatest evil and instead hailed Tom next door as their savior.'
Cold, an utterly bone-chilling cold, spread from her marrow to every cell, freezing each molecule.
'So, was this story scary? Miss Alexia Emmanuel Justin?'
Clang——
A claw slowly pushed the scythe aside. An eagle-headed spirit wearing a gentleman's hat and holding a cane effortlessly deflected Alexia's weapon. It spoke with great cheer:
'Good day, madam. It's a pity you didn't witness your great nation collapse and disintegrate in the face of natural disaster—but I swear by the name of the great [Greedy Speaker] Red King, it was a grand spectacle!'
The eagle-headed spirit grasped Alexia's neck. Her resistance seemed utterly powerless, no matter how much she struggled, as if her will had been completely shattered.
Thud!
Alexia, like a broken puppet, was casually thrown to the ground. The eagle-headed spirit circled around her, constantly mocking and desecrating her noble faith.
'Your faith is meaningless because people only live for themselves. Even the poorest worker in Yamilok will proudly puff out their hollow chest when they think of their 'break the inequality' ideals—don't you find that laughable?'
'No one would want to inherit such a will. You're just a bunch of anti-human lunatics.'
'You're the most evil regime in the world, monsters devoid of humanity and conscience.'
'When Yamilok was born, the world gained another demonic evil.'
'You wish to take the fruits of the elites' efforts and distribute them to the poor, but as soon as the giants shrug, the entire world will lose its order.'
'Mere mortals are unworthy of ruling the world; only the elite and the powerful deserve that.'
"Eagle Crest, finish her."
Duke Gamos, barely breathing, commanded. But the spirit called Eagle Crest was uninterested and continued tormenting Alexia with words.
'Let me have some fun, Gamos. You haven't let me out in two hundred years. Let me relax a bit.'
Eagle Crest waved its arm and jabbed its cane into Alexia's spine.
Gamos's eyes faintly glowed with blue light. Eagle Crest's spirit form was jolted as if struck by an electric current. It grunted in displeasure, reluctantly lifting its claw and preparing to stab Alexia in the forehead.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed—it was the door of the Flame King's Hall, which had been sealed.
Eagle Crest jumped in fright, muttering:
'What the hell? I feel an uncomfortable presence.'
Duke Gamos was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead as he insisted:
"Eagle Crest! Kill her!"
'You're so annoying! You're driving me crazy!' Eagle Crest snapped back irritably: 'I suggest you know your place! Without spirits to support your body, you're just a rotting mass of protein! Someone's knocking on the door outside? Aren't you going to react?'
"Don't...mind that...my, my...spiritual...power...is sealing the door!"
'Is that so?'
As it spoke, it opened its mouth, drawing out the faintly visible spiritual energy from Alexia.
Bang!
The door, sealed with spiritual power, was struck again. The loud crash was like the tolling of a death knell. Gamos's hand trembled, and his skin rapidly broke out in disgusting purple rashes.
"Eagle Crest! Hurry up!"
'I've had enough of you, Gamos!'
Eagle Crest, filled with rage, immediately threw Alexia heavily onto the ground, stomped on her spine, and then turned to pounce on Gamos. Its incorporeal body merged with Gamos's, causing the duke's pupils to contract. He opened his mouth wide, emitting a surge of gray light from within.
Gamos slowly lowered his head, tearing off his respirator. A gentleman's hat appeared on his head as he spoke triumphantly:
"Haha, you old bastard, did you really think I didn't know you were at the end of your rope? Now, this body is mine!"
Eagle Crest said, lifting a finger. An invisible spiritual force began to envelop Alexia's body, causing a layer of white frost to form all over her.
"Farewell, the last remnant of the old era."
A cane appeared in Eagle Crest's hand, and just as it was about to shatter the frozen Alexia, the door was struck again.
"Damn it, when will this end!"
Eagle Crest, burning with rage, looked up at the door—instantly, the spiritual barrier shattered, and countless spiritual fragments fell like sparkling dust, like snowflakes.
At that moment, Eagle Crest suddenly realized why it felt so uncomfortable.
Boom————
Flames, burning ceaselessly, reflected a brilliant crimson light in the midst of the falling spiritual fragments.
Alexia slowly moved her eyes; in her frozen vision, she could barely make out the burning figure.
"Li Aozi..."
The flaming figure spoke in a hoarse voice:
"No door can block me anymore."
The burning flames, accompanied by rapid bodily regeneration, slowly receded, revealing Li Aozi's scorched face.
A superpower capsule emerged from his elbow joint, spewing out streams of purple and crimson heat.
[Blood of Immortality]—Stacking
'Don't die, live on!'
Nomi instilled in him the importance of life.
[Natural Ignition]—Stacking
'If you have the time, go to college.'
Qiu Ran taught him the dignity of life.
The power of Omega Energy intertwined and coiled, a promise made here as the soul's refuge.
More and more people entrusted their hopes to him, handed their abilities to Li Aozi, hoping he would do something.
How annoying, he's so dumb, stubborn, and arrogant.
Yet so many people were willing to believe in him, hoping he would be okay.
"As expected, I still don't like thinking too much."
Li Aozi clenched his burning fist; under the flames, tender flesh constantly regenerated, with the flames as fuel and the flesh as energy, like a phoenix reborn in fire, embracing new life.
The abundant Omega Energy provided him with endless power. Alexia, lying on the ground, always reminded him of Qiu Ran, who had transformed into fire.
"Elly, you can't die here."
Li Aozi said.
"Aozi——"
"If you're afraid you can't find the meaning of living—then, do you want to see the sun?"
The sun...
Alexia murmured.
"The blue sky, white clouds, the sun, the moon, and the boundless Star Abyss."
"That's too far away, impossible..." Alexia didn't dare to hope. "We've all failed, and you won't succeed either——"
"Romance is doing what others can't, going where others can't go!"
"I think, even if your faith has long faded, there's nothing more romantic for the entire Blue Star than going to space. If you believe in me, I'll take you to see space, see the moon and the sun, and walk on the edge of a black hole."
"Don't doubt me, Elly—history may forget, but those who follow will never fade away."
"Going to that unknown Star Abyss, dying on an alien planet, is humanity's ultimate destiny!"
Alexia opened her mouth and softly said:
"...I don't believe humans can do it, but I believe in my groom."
Li Aozi clasped his hands, the red and black in his pupils expanding to fill his entire eyes, his body engulfed in surging flames:
"Dual Unity—Phoenix Bomb!"