As Ah Zhan and Marlene stepped out of the Cyber Clinic, the Bangkok night sky was suddenly torn apart by an ear-piercing electronic noise.
The giant screens in the shopping mall that had previously been extinguished, and the holographic projections along the roadside, suddenly lit up simultaneously. Instead of displaying the Black Dragon King's arrogant declaration, the images now showed a huge, crystal-clear portrait of Marlene.
[Citywide Mandatory Wanted Notice: AAA-Level Target]
[Codename: Spirit Maiden Sequence · Number Twelve]
[Status: Extremely Important/Captured Alive]
[Bounty: 100 million Bangkok dollars or three Perfect Evolution Potions].
'Number Twelve... Spirit Maiden?' Marlene stood frozen, staring at her familiar yet unfamiliar reflection on the giant screen, her voice trembling uncontrollably. 'Uncle, are they talking about me? I'm just a street performer on Khao San Road…'
'It looks like your broken guzheng isn't just for playing "Second Drink Half Price".' Ah Zhan's eyes turned icy cold. His newly modified right arm emitted a faint hydraulic hum as he shielded Marlene behind him. "Hey, little girl, stop hypnotising yourself." Cyber, wrench in hand, walked to the door. His mechanical eye rapidly zoomed in and out, projecting a stack of encrypted file fragments.
"In the early days of Bangkok, to combat the tide of supernatural powers, our ancestors buried a 'Brahma Defence System' underground. But this system requires twelve pure spiritual energy sources with perfectly synchronised frequencies as energy keys, and these children are called 'Spirit Maidens'.' Twenty years ago, a fire broke out in the laboratory and eleven of the Spirit Maidens disappeared. The Black Dragon King has been searching for you for twenty years because of this.'
Cyber exhaled stale air and looked at the 'Pure Sound' guzheng in Marlene's hands. "That instrument is the system's ultimate controller," he said. You are not someone abandoned by the gods, but the city's last 'fuse'. The Black Dragon King didn't capture you to kill you, but to drain your spiritual energy, reverse the overload of the defence system and instantly demonise everyone in Bangkok.' "
System Side Quest: The Truth of Redemption.
[Quest Objective: Escort Marlene to the core control room at the bottom of Bangkok Tower.
[Difficulty:
[Difficulty: Nightmare
With the release of the wanted poster, the last vestiges of humanity in the eyes of the supernatural bounty hunters who had previously roamed the streets were instantly replaced by greed.
"There! The girl behind that guy in the black trench coat!' In the dark alleyway, dozens of chaotic fluctuations in combat power indices erupted simultaneously.
Wild Dog Gang: Combat Power Index: 8000. Specialises in combined attacks.
One-Eyed Assassin: Combat Power Index: 12,000. Supernatural ability: "Shadow Leap".
Heavy Armour Mercenary: Combat Power Index: 15,000. Fully covered in bulletproof armour.
"Uncle, you should go." Marlene hugged the guzheng tightly, her head bowed and tears streaming down the strings. "With me, this 'trouble', you can't reach the top of the tower. They want me. If I go with them, the Black Dragon King might let you go..."
"Snap!" Without turning his head, A-Zhan said, simultaneously slashing his right hand back and shattering a wanted poster that had just floated by in mid-air.
'Marlene,' he continued, 'there are two things I hate most in this life.'
He slowly drew his reforged 'Demon-Slaying Black Star Greatsword', the dark red patterns on the blade seeming to sense the killing intent and beginning to roar madly.
"First, police checking my combat power stats. Second, someone trying to take what I've got my eye on... the 'power bank'.
"Kill that man! Take the girl away!'" Dozens of bounty hunters surged forward like a tidal wave, their supernatural energy illuminating the street as though it were daytime.
Ah Zhan stepped forward as the first crack appeared in the heavy gold spirit-locking clasp on his right arm. Dark purple steam billowed from the armour's vents, instantly evaporating the surrounding water.
Ultimate move: 'Black Star – Heavy Pressure Slash!'
Ah Zhan lifted the two-hundred-pound Black Star greatsword with one hand, his movements as light as a feather being waved. The slash fell without an explosion, yet the entire asphalt road crumbled like tofu under the pressure of the blow, creating a bottomless chasm.
A heavily armoured mercenary with a combat power of 15,000 attempted to block the blow with his shield. However, the moment the Black Star greatsword touched the shield, the high-frequency vibrations from the heavy gold suppressor shattered its molecular bonds. Shouting, he asked, "Does this kind of combat power dare to come and claim the bounty?" "
Ah Zhan's figure flashed, each landing creating a black shockwave. He no longer feared the power of the Life-Sucking Curse. His cybernetically modified body could now withstand even more ferocious attacks.
[Combat Power Surge: 0... 10,000... 25,000... 32,000! Status: Armed Kill Mode.]
In just three minutes, the once arrogant bounty hunters lay scattered on the ground, their pupils filled with fear of 'Zero'.
Ah Zhan sheathed his sword; the armour on his right arm burned hot. He looked ahead to see the massive shadow of the Bangkok Tower at the end of the street, which resembled a towering tombstone.
'Marlene, hold on tight.' Ah Zhan hoisted the somewhat dazed girl onto his back, his eyes gleaming with death-defying madness.
'Since the whole city is after you, we'll storm in through the main gate and plaster this "Wanted" poster on the Black Dragon King's face.' "
[Battle Power Countdown: 01:00:00]
[Bangkok Tower Defence System: Full Capacity Activated]
'Black Dragon King's Royal Guard: Assembling'
The ground floor entrance to the Bangkok Tower, which was once a bustling shopping mall lobby, had now been transformed into a 'forest of bones' enveloped in a blood-red membrane. Countless fluorescent, purplish-red pipes hung from the ceiling, pulsating in a nauseating rhythm.
'Uncle, my zither... it's crying.' Marlene clutched the 'Pure Sound' guzheng tightly, her fingers unconsciously plucking a series of rapid, chaotic notes.
Ah Zhan stopped, cold steam billowing from the armour on his right arm. He looked up and saw eleven enormous, amber-coloured cultivation chambers suspended at the centre of the massive, fleshy roots. These chambers were filled with murky liquid and, within them, one could vaguely make out the pale, youthful faces of lifeless girls.
'Those are... they?' Ah Zhan's voice was as cold as an ice cave.
'Welcome to the "Spirit Maiden Altar", Sequence Zero.' A chilling female voice echoed in the hall.
A 'Black Dragon Priestess', dressed in a pure white robe and bearing only a single enormous electronic eye, emerged slowly from the darkness. She held countless translucent threads, each connected to a cultivation pod.
[System scan: Black Dragon Guard – Stitching Priest]
[Combat Power Index: 42,000]
[Warning: large-scale resonance curse detected.]
'For twenty years, the Black Dragon King has been refining the souls of these girls. Though they are dead, their bodies and abilities have gained immortality." The priestess tugged frantically at the threads in her hand.
'Crack—boom!'
The three cultivation pods exploded, their contents spilling onto the floor. The once-still remains of the girls twisted and reformed eerily. Bony blades sprouted from their spines and metallic threads resembling zither strings covered their skin. Purple ghostly flames burned in their empty eye sockets.
[Forbidden Creatures: Spirit Language Bio-Beasts (Sequences 1, 4 and 7)
Single Combat Power: 18,000 (Combined Attack: 55,000!)
'Kill the traitor and retrieve the key!' screamed the priest.
The bio-beasts let out piercing howls. This sound completely bypassed A-Zhan's physical defences, attacking his cerebral cortex directly. Marlene screamed in agony as blood seeped from her nose — this was suppression at the same spiritual power level!
'Marlene, cover your ears! Don't look at them!' A-Zhan stomped the ground and the Golden Spirit Lock on his right arm instantly activated to level three.
Ultimate skill: 'Black Star – Reverse Scale Heavy Slash!'
A-Zhan spun rapidly in mid-air and the Black Star Heavy Sword created a ring of black and red energy storms which forcibly cut off the sound waves propagating in the air. The heavy sword collided with the bone blade of the bio-beast, creating a dazzling spark, and the immense force shattered the marble floor into dust.
The 'Spirit Maiden No. 1' bio-beast transformed into a white blur and teleported to A-Zhan's flank, flicking countless poisonous metal wires from its fingertips. A-Zhan abruptly raised his left hand, revealing the golden revolver he had retrieved from beside Zack's corpse.
'Bang!' Despite the gun shaking violently due to its incompatibility with his powers, the purifying bullet imbued with a righteous aura bought him a 0.1-second window.
Gripping the hilt of his greatsword in reverse, A-Zhan slammed the bio-beast into a wall of flesh with an elbow strike.
'Marlene! Now! Use your zither to disrupt their frequencies!' A-Zhan roared. His right-hand armour was overloaded and the steam formed a barrier.
Marlene wiped away her tears; her eyes revealed an unprecedented resolve. She placed the zither on her knees and moved her hands across the strings as if they were afterimages.
'If this is destiny, then I will end this suffering!' [Ultimate Technique: Brahma – Requiem]!
Golden sound waves emanated from Marlene's body. When they touched the bio-beasts, their frenzied movements instantly froze. The souls twisted by the Black Dragon King experienced a moment of peace under the soothing influence of the same power source.
"Damn it! Sequence Twelve is seizing control!' The priest frantically tugged at the threads.
'Too late.' Azan had already appeared behind the priest, the Black Star Greatsword radiating a black light capable of annihilating everything.
'I'll send you to your doom.' The greatsword slashed, neatly severing all the threads connecting the cultivation chambers. Deprived of energy, the priest turned into a pile of rotting flesh; the bio-beasts, meanwhile, took one last look at Marlene before rapidly turning to sand and dissipating into wisps of pure white light in the decaying hall.
'Uncle... did we win?' Marlene slumped weakly to the ground.
A-Zhan gazed at the slowly opening fleshy gate at the far end of the hall leading to the top of the Bangkok Tower. A dangerous hum emanated from the golden spirit-locking clasp in his right hand.
'Not yet. This is just the beginning.' He looked at the shattered cultivation pods; the killing intent in his eyes was almost tangible.
'Black Dragon King, for what you did to these girls, I will make you pay ten thousand times over.'
[Battle Power Countdown: 00:45:00]
[Target: Ascend the Heavenly Staircase]
[Obstacle: Black Dragon Guard Legion — The Last Line of Defence]
Following the collapse of the 'Spirit Maiden Altar', the spiral staircase leading to the top of the Bangkok Tower shook like the backbone of a coiled dragon at the edge of an abyss, accompanied by red thunder.
The ornate decorations had disappeared, replaced by walls of fused liquid metal and mutated tissue. Each step was inscribed with bizarre runes that amplified demonic energy. The Black Dragon King had activated the tower's final defence system at this vertical point, creating an impenetrable fortress.
[System Deep Scan: Ascending Staircase]
[Overall Defence Index: SS (Divine Realm Level Interception)]
[Guard Distribution: Black Dragon Guard Legion, Truth Cult Fanatics, Total 1200] [Name]:
'Uncle, don't worry about me...' Marlene's face was ashen. Playing 'Requiem' had exhausted her spiritual energy, and blood was seeping from her fingertips. Two of the zither strings had broken.
Ah Zhan didn't speak, but instead kicked open the first line of defence. The black, dark gold armour on his right arm was glowing red from the heat, and the surrounding air was distorted into blurry, indistinct shapes.
'Marlene, close your eyes and hold onto my neck.' Ah Zhan's voice was low and deep, as if he were holding shards of ice in his throat.
Facing the densely packed enemy ahead, whose combat strength was evenly distributed... Among the 15,000-strong Black Dragon Guards, Ah Zhan did something that would have terrified the Cyber Doctor if he had been alive to see it.
He pressed his left hand against his right arm and twisted it outwards sharply. With a 'crack', the fourth seal of the Heavy Gold Soul Lock was forcibly dismantled.
[Serious warning: host is entering 'life-burning' mode.]
Health points are decreasing at a rate of 0.5% per second.
[Combat Power Index: 32,000... 45,000... 58,000... 75,000 (peak cannot be stabilised!)
The dark red demonic energy surrounding A Zhan instantly receded, replaced by an intense, dark grey flame capable of absorbing light itself. This flame had no temperature, yet it instantly vaporised the steps beneath his feet.
Freeze-frame perspective 1: A-Zhan moved, no longer teleporting but folding space. Before a heavily armoured guard with a combat power of 20,000 could raise his Thunder Hammer, A-Zhan's figure had pierced his chest. The guard didn't feel any pain; his entire body turned to dust the instant the dark grey flame swept past.
Freeze-frame perspective 2:
"For truth! For God!' A hundred fanatics launched a self-destructive charge. Dense beams of supernatural energy blinded the staircase.
Ah Zhan wielded the 'Black Star Greatsword' in one hand. Attacks powerful enough to flatten a building vanished the moment they touched the grey-black flames surrounding him, like water droplets falling into lava without even a ripple. He needed no defence.
Freeze-frame perspective 3: With every hundred steps that Ah Zhan took upwards, a trail of purplish-red blood trickled from the corner of his eye. The 'Life-Eating Curse' was completely draining his internal organs and burning his bone marrow. But the madness in his eyes shone brighter with each step; only fifty more to go until he reached the top platform.
The remaining hundred or so... The Black Dragon Guards retreated in terror — they had never seen such a creature: a demon god carrying a girl on his back, engulfed in deadly flames, whose numerical values were impossible to discern.
"Get out of my way, or die." With each word, A-Zhan exhaled black smoke and cracks appeared in the armour on his right arm, revealing dark silver skin underneath.
'Stop him! The Lord is about to become a god!' the Guard Commander roared hysterically, attempting to unleash a final combined attack.
"Since you're so eager to see a god..." A-Zhan lifted Marlene higher. His right hand was holding a black... Suddenly, the Star-Heavy Sword began to tremble violently, emitting a sound like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts.
"Secret Technique: Black Star – Ragnarok!"
This strike, unleashed by A-Zhan, wasn't a blade of energy, but rather a forceful contraction of gravity within a radius of one hundred metres, followed by an explosive outward burst.
BOOM—!!!
The entire spiral staircase let out a heart-wrenching roar and then crumbled completely, like a collapsing block. Using the force of the explosion, A-Zhan smashed through the top ceiling like a black meteor shooting against the current and crashed heavily onto the open-air platform at the very top of the Bangkok Tower. The smoke and dust cleared.
A-Zhan knelt on one knee, the Black Star Heavy Sword planted upside down in the ground to support his body. His breathing was heavy, like a bellows. The grey-black flames engulfing his body slowly died down, revealing his emaciated frame, ravaged by dehydration and exhaustion.
Opposite him, the Black Dragon King, Chen Wu, remained seated on his bone throne. Behind him, the Bangkok Tower's massive power-emitting device emitted a purple light powerful enough to alter the global climate.
'Truly my most prized creation,' the Black Dragon King murmured, his eyes filled with admiration and cruelty. 'He led a spirit maiden through the entire Imperial Guard. Ah Zhan, you now..." His combat power is probably approaching the legendary '100,000 threshold', but unfortunately..."
He pointed first to Ah Zhan's cracked right arm and then to the demonic vortex that had formed in the sky and now enveloped the entire city.
'Your candle has burned out.'
A-Zhan staggered to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. He turned to look at the trembling girl on his back. 'Marlene, wake up. It's time for us to go.'
[Combat Power Countdown: 00:15:00]
[Zhan's status: critically ill (will locked)]
[Black Dragon King: True God Mode (analysis progress: 99%)]