Ark Chess Player

At this moment, Lin Lu was fully confident that he could escape alone. He only needed to ascend to a certain height to avoid the center of the explosion, and then use his materiality as a barrier to block out a large amount of light and heat, ensuring his safety. Alternatively, he could switch class cards at the exact moment of the explosion, cheating by using the fictitious spell of mirror memory; even if a slime monster used a self-destruction attack, it wouldn't be able to penetrate his defenses.

But what about the others?

A chess player's instinct immediately led Lin Lu to consider the option of sacrificing a piece. As the player controlling the pieces, each piece has an assigned mission. Sometimes, death is also a way to win. This is why players often set traps to lure their opponents, yet remain unfazed as their own pieces are devoured—all for the sake of final victory.

This is a very natural and common way of playing the game; everyone plays it this way, and everyone in a high position can do it.

only……

"I won't."

Cobalt blue flames surged from the left eye, and the Eye of Judgment radiated boundless majesty.

Lin Lu's mind is synchronizing with the virtual body of the support operator Angelina, and the value is constantly increasing.

Although they had never met, they shared some commonalities, and this feeling of resonance continued to grow stronger.

"This time, I will not sacrifice anyone."

Lin Lu pulled open the side of the Ark Driver, causing the central core to flip ninety degrees, with the card slot facing upwards.

The white card was held between Lin Lu's fingers. Apart from the eight class cards, the only special cards were the black and white cards.

The Black Card, as the trump card among trump cards, allows Lin Lu to directly enter the "Doctor" Knight riding form, but it also places a considerable physical burden on him. There is a shocking crack on the black card surface, a scar left from his last confrontation with Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement.

The white card, which Lin Lu also used after waking up, was used to drive an upgrade.

Lin Lu flicked his fingers and tossed the white card into the slot with a flick of his wrist. He then crossed his hands and pushed the side of the driver to complete the transformation.

"Force Rise"

A cold, mechanical female voice came from the Ark Driver, and the naturally accumulated Cost value plummeted like a receding tide, evaporating instantly.

Unlike when she transformed from Myrtle's piloting form to Grani's piloting form, Angelina's potential is already at the peak of the support class. Going any higher... would mean surpassing the peak.

Cobalt blue flames flowed around Lin Lu's body, and the Mirror Origin Stone technique was constantly reconstructing and reorganizing, displaying infinite potential in a finite form, crossing the bridge of time to arrive here.

As the flames that had been entangling Lin Lu dissipated, he underwent a transformation while floating in the air. His once shoulder-length, fluffy twin tails now reached his waist, his perfectly developed, full breasts were encased in a tight-fitting black leather jacket, his body was wrapped in white restraints, and he wore a red robe with a gray lining.

His entire demeanor became more mature, composed, and resolute. His red eyes burned with an inextinguishable cobalt blue flame.

Anxinyuan Angelina – Quality Visitor.

The Originium staff in Lin Lu's hand was also somewhat different. The two-meter-long staff had become heavier, and the black and silver handle felt icy cold even through his gloves. He was able to further connect his mind with the Originium Arts trigger device, and the already intimate Originium Arts instantly felt like extended fingers, grasping the elements like microparticles.

The power of time has come to an end, and the world returns to normal.

The slime monster's raised iron fist landed again, seemingly heavier than before, almost lifting Flamebringer off his feet due to the trembling ground.

The crimson slime carpet radiated intense light and heat, already nearing its limit. It couldn't hold back any longer; now was the time for the slime monster's lava to unleash its fury!

The congested slime mold exploded one after another, and the white light that burst forth almost lit up the night sky. The fragile factory walls, the ground, and everything stained with mud were melting.

Just as the air was about to ignite and trigger a massive explosion capable of destroying everything in its path, a profound force distorted space, as if invisible water were falling from the sky.

"Secret Staff - Fast Charging Mode".

"Secret Staff - Particle Mode"

"Secret Staff - Anti-Gravity Mode".

Using three Originium Arts simultaneously, Lin Lu held his fully extended staff upright in front of him. Three halos of light appeared at the core of the staff's tip, and the materiality of reality flowed slowly between his casting unit and his fingers. A tranquil blue aura swirled around Lin Lu, as if the will of the stars had descended upon this place, and the sound of ocean waves could be faintly heard.

The cobalt blue flames transformed into a bowstring, and Lin Lü raised his hand, drawing the bow like a full moon.

Real matter condenses into arrows, which fly away from the bow and transform into countless streams of light to meet the point of light.

The sounds of violent explosions continued to ring out, followed by the constant whirring of flames being extinguished, as if two opposing forces were locked in a standoff, with the cobalt blue side always holding the upper hand.

In the sterilization room of the food processing plant, a white-haired girl named Natalia looked up, her heterochromatic red and blue eyes dull and lifeless.

Outside the ceiling of the massive, melted cavern, bright light illuminated everything; despite the darkness, there was no chill. At the edge of Natalia's vision, a deep red robe fluttered in the wind. She saw an indomitable figure, she saw the flames that altered the laws of nature, she saw the being she once longed for.

She saw hope that she had long since given up on.

Chapter 110 It's Common Sense for Guards to Recite Poetry

"What's this……"

A ring of cobalt blue flames wrapped around Yan Ke's body. The flames weren't hot; when you touched them, they felt warm, like basking in the sun.

This was precisely Lin Lu's multi-pronged approach, precisely targeting each element of the real substance at the center of the slime mold eruption point, dispersing and suppressing each ignition point. At the same time, he still had the capacity to apply an anti-gravity Originium Arts layer to Yan Ke. Yan Ke's weight increased several times as a result, preventing him from losing his balance on the wildly trembling ground, essentially saving his life.

Yan Ke smiled calmly. He was confident but not arrogant, and quickly accepted the gift from the stranger.

Even if Lin Lu could lock down each burst point with his spiritual domain, he could not completely negate all the damage.

The floor tiles were lifted up, the walls were destroyed, the ceiling collapsed, and countless pieces of rubble flew everywhere.

Yan Ke crossed his katana in both hands to protect himself, revealing a glimpse of his fierce swordsmanship as he shattered everything that came flying through the air.

He single-handedly stopped it, the blood flames on his blade leaving scorching marks in the air; nothing could penetrate his sharp edge.

Yan Ke thought to himself that even if this was just a return gift of magical protection, he would still protect the little girls in the factory.

In the food processing plant, the anemone, who had expected to be impacted, was surprised to find that she could slack off again and nothing happened.

The Noah Heavy Machinery, which stood in front of the three mischievous children, was only met with a blast of hot air. This level of aftershock was less of a threat to it than the mechanical fatigue caused by the acceleration of the chip device during startup.

Sonia silently gazed into the distance, her eyes fixed on Yan Ke outside the breached wall. He was easily deflecting the mixed shrapnel, comparable to that produced by an explosive grenade. Even she couldn't achieve that level of swordsmanship; compared to these warriors who had fought their way through countless battles, her strength was far too weak.

Very unwilling.

Sonia gritted her teeth; if she had that power, she could protect even more people.

She was still too weak.

As a student, she was clearly being too hard on herself.

"Sonia."

Anna grasped the girl's hand, and the warm, damp touch of her palm brought Sonia back to her senses.

“Rada is alright now. These medicines are very effective; the bleeding will stop quickly. We'll all be fine, we'll all get better,” Anna whispered. True to her nature, she wouldn't utter unrealistic fantasies. But she knew that what her companion needed most right now was comfort; letting her dwell on things alone would only hurt her.

"……Um."

Sonia closed her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably.

When she opened her eyes again, a small flame burned deep within the girl's heart.

She has already realized this, but she needs time and effort to accumulate experience and add fuel to the fire.

Outside the food processing plant, in the upper town of Chernobog, the epicenter of the fiercest fighting.

Generally speaking, a qualified sorcerer is one who can maintain composure and focus their mind while casting spells, without being disturbed by strange sounds.

By channeling willpower and talent as fuel and successfully materializing them under the Originium Arts trigger device, one can skillfully master the form of spells, thus becoming a highly skilled mage.

Whether novice or veteran, these spellcasters share a common trait: they cannot cast too many Originium Arts simultaneously. Casting Originium Arts is like a single-threaded process; in program execution, the path follows a sequential sequence, and the preceding steps must be completed before the following ones can execute. Otherwise, it's easy to go astray, causing the spells to spiral out of control, resulting in anything from minor mental trauma to self-destruction.

Yan Ke has really learned something new today. It's the first time he's ever seen someone use two... no, three Originium Arts at the same time!

Yan Ke wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the girl floating in the air seemed to have grown a lot in every way.

"That belt... isn't it that person's?"

Yan Ke slowly narrowed his eyes, a strong fighting spirit solidifying within them, and a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.

On the other side, Lin Lu, completely unaware that he was being targeted by an intruder who was trying to take advantage of the challenge mission, still kept his gaze on the slime.

Even though Lin Lu nipped a potential explosion that could have breached the upper city in the bud, the group was still in grave danger. He was the kind of person who wouldn't feel at ease until he was absolutely certain the enemy was dead, even if it meant finishing them off with two more shots to the heart and head. The battle had only reached the second phase; it was still uncertain whether there would be a third phase.

This slime monster would be an Arch-Tempered event monster in the game, with incredibly high HP and terrible resistances. I wonder if it will unleash a screen-wide one-hit kill if I don't use enough elemental weapons.

Fortunately, after a series of self-destructive actions, the slime's hard armor shattered, its dark green mud armor crumbled, and fragments scattered all over the ground. Moreover, based on his combat experience, Lin Lu analyzed that the slime's current state was extremely dry, and it would be unable to recover to its previous limp state at least in the short term.

This is the best opportunity; if you miss it, you'll have to wait until it's fully restored and then go through the story again to get the QTE!

Damn Capcom!

"That Sarkaz katana-wielder over there!"

Lin Lu held his hands up in front of him, floating upside down, and shouted at Yan Ke, "Stop slacking off, come and help me destroy the parts!"

"...Slacking off?"

Yan Ke looked at his hands. What fish? Where did this fish come from?

Lin Lu flipped in mid-air, using his staff as a bow, and fired four rapid shots, marking the joints of the slime monster's limbs.

Yan Ke then understood her intention, carrying two katanas, and strode across the broken road.

The chaotic streets, the smell of magic and gunpowder, gave him a feeling of returning to the battlefield, as if he were home.

"Swords and fire, come first."

Yan Ke sprinted forward, his footsteps causing tremors in the ground.

For a slime that has no sight but an over-amplified sense of ground, this is the best source of signal.

The slime monster raised its charred iron fist, its hind legs crumbling into pieces, and leaped into the dark ground! In an instant, it covered a distance of nearly a hundred meters, rushing forward like a cannonball. It was hard to imagine that it still had such strong endurance after being subjected to continuous self-destructive bombardment.

Lin Lu, who was floating in the air, was almost hit by the slime monster's uppercut. He dodged the slime monster's huge body in the air as if dancing.

Lin Lu flipped his body in the air, his legs, clad in black stockings, pulling at the bowstring formed from solidified matter.

The bowstring was taut like a full moon, and a powerful arrow pierced the air, penetrating the back of the slime monster's head, tearing through a patch of mud armor, and bursting out a sticky, thick liquid.

The power of space surged into the slime's body, slowing its movements to an extreme degree. What should have been an earth-shattering impact became a slow descent, like a 300-pound child jumping into a children's ball pit.

Yan Ke did not let this opportunity pass, unleashing the power of the Blade Demon.

Flaming demons coiled around his blade as he leaped forward to meet the monster descending from the sky, drawing his sword and slashing.

"Blood and bone come last."

As Yan Ke landed back on the ground, the slime monster was slammed behind him by Lin Lu's right arm, which was marked with a materiality mark, raising a cloud of dust.

Yan Ke looked up triumphantly, only to find that the girl in the black leather jacket had tears in her eyes, her legs were trembling and twisting, and she was leaning against her staff in pain, with an expression of existential doubt.

Being handsome always comes at a price.

The audacious act of shooting an arrow while upside down in mid-air using one's legs to draw a bow caused Lin Lu to... get a leg cramp.