Ark Chess Player.

Misha observed that the amber-colored substance in the birdcage changed whenever the skeletal kidnappers made a move. The more violent the movements, the more energy they consumed, and the more energy was drawn from the birdcage. For example, it might enhance regenerative abilities or rapidly grow bone spurs.

The skeletal hijacker now lay prone on the ground, poised to strike. The semi-solidified amber in the birdcage showed signs of melting, far exceeding anything it had done before. Misha deduced that the hijacker was preparing to unleash a terrifying attack; once it was used, everyone present would be in danger!

"Thump...thump thump!"

Misha endured the boiling water in the birdcage; her skin turned red from the heat, and she struggled to breathe. Even so, she continued to raise her arms and pound against the periosteum-like barrier, sending out sounds that could not be heard.

"--careful!!"

Perhaps due to the telepathic connection between fraternal twins, Alex suddenly felt a sense of unease.

He clutched his chest, as if he could hear his sister's voice.

Could it be...

Alex abruptly looked up, staring intently at the skeletal kidnapper. The rings around the kidnapper, resembling eye totems, now had bone spikes pointing upwards, and the energy within its body glowed due to the rapid flow of energy.

"—Stop it!"

Misha's voice echoed in Alex's mind, conveying itself clearly.

Without hesitation, Alex endured the excruciating pain and channeled his mental energy into the Bone Crusher in one fluid motion. He had memorized the feeling, how to fully unleash the power of the Originium explosives, and how to maximize the weapon's capabilities.

The old hunter's phantom had left him at some point, but Alex would never forget this lesson.

The grenade traced a trajectory and landed on the circle of the skeletal hijackers, producing a deafening roar and billowing black mist. In the deep, viscous darkness, a dangerous red light rose from the triangular eye sockets of the skeletal monster.

Chapter 343 DIEND (4K)

"Gaga gaga aa ...

The skeletal hijacker raised its inverted triangular head, and the orange-red glow dispelled the lingering black mist!

A terrifying power accumulated, and it abandoned the regenerative abilities of other parts of its body, allowing an amber-colored liquid to flow from its wounds. This energy-rich liquid was highly flammable, igniting as Alex's Originium explosives detonated. The fire was spreading, making the Bone Jackal look like a beast returned from hell.

Alex didn't stop attacking. He replenished the Originium fragments needed for the Bone Shattering Gun and continued his assault. He wasn't just scratching the surface; each shot inflicted significant damage when Amiya cleaved through the enemy's shield. The Bone Lurker, however, adopted a desperate stance, completely ignoring the melting cracks within itself.

"Oops..."

Alex reached into his pocket, only to find it empty. The feeling of emptiness made him freeze in place.

"Click, click, click."

Alex pressed the mechanism of the Bonebreaker Gunblade and swung his arm again, but this time the transformation failed, and he was unable to successfully return to the gunblade form. The weapon was malfunctioning; it seemed to be overloaded.

Whether it was the battle against Texas, the fierce fight against the Kingslayer, or the act of shielding himself from the claws of the Bone Jackal... and the forced use of the Transformation Slash after parrying, all of these things caused his weapon's durability to plummet to a dangerously low level. Add to that Alex's relentless firing with Originium explosives fully activated...

Those who do not know how to cherish weapons will naturally not receive the favor of the god of weapons.

Alex wanted to directly pull the pivot to change its form, but the Bone Crusher was firmly locked and could not be transformed into a blade.

This is probably the drawback of traditional old hunter weapons. The hunter workshop manufactured these weapons in a very long time ago, and the craftsmanship has long been lost. Even if repaired, they will eventually reach their limit.

Running out of ammunition and food.

If you can't switch to gunblade mode, forcibly slashing in gun form will only render the weapon useless.

Alex also put all the Originium material he carried into the Bone Crusher. He didn't have a single Originium left... No, how could he not have any left?

I am infected with Oripathy!

I myself am Originium!

I am Broken Bones!

"Athena, we have used all our strength this time, and now we have nothing left."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Seiya, you're not completely without anything—you still have your life, don't you?"

Alex was hallucinating. Five years ago, Lin Lu had told him a story in a temporary camp in the northern border of Ursus about a bad woman named Machima who turned into leftovers in the refrigerator... no, it was a story about a bad woman named Athena.

This story tells of the unscrupulous capitalist Athena who tricks her miserable employee Seiya. She tells her group of workers called Saint Seiya that they should go to Tata with beautiful hopes and dreams! Believe that they should risk their lives to go to Tata! If this continues, sooner or later, with the efforts of the Saint Seiya, Athena will be able to afford a Lamborghini.

Once, Seiya fought until his eyes were closed and his mouth was agape, his entire body turning into a groan as he collapsed to the ground, howling. He told his unscrupulous boss, Athena, that he was about to die from overwork and couldn't keep going like this. Athena replied that talking about money was vulgar; he was a working-class man with dreams! Seiya thought for a moment, "Yes, I still have dreams, I still have hope! With hope, who am I afraid of!" He downed this bowl of inspirational chicken soup, put down the bowl, and went to work. His idealism erupted, and he defeated his enemies.

Later, Seiya was defeated by an enemy, this time a god, an being standing at the very top of the order. He was in despair; he had lost everything, even the courage to stand up. At this moment, the inhuman Athena appeared. Leaving aside the question of what humanity was worth to a capitalist like Athena, she immediately declared, "Don't you still have life?" Seiya thought for a moment, "Yes, I still have life!" So he roared and burned his life force, his idealism erupting once more, and he defeated the god.

After hearing this story, Alex initially thought, "Is this guy an idiot? He's so easily fooled and willing to risk his life for others. That's why sycophants are really something else."

Lin Lu smiled and told him, "You'll become that kind of fool too. Risking your life for something you have to protect."

Alex didn't believe it at the time, saying he wouldn't, and that he promised the old man he would live a good life.

Until now...

"Teacher, can you even see my future?"

Alex pursed his lips, tore open his shirt, and grasped the Originium crystal covering his left shoulder. A cold sensation spread through his palm. Without hesitation, he snapped off a piece of the black crystal! These Originium crystals, connected to nerves, instantly transmitted the excruciating pain of flesh being torn apart, shooting straight to the top of his head, no less intense than being ripped apart by a beast.

"Ugh... Hmph!!"

Alex, his face flushed and trembling, endured the pain and raised his hand to load the blood-stained crystal into his weapon. He aimed hesitantly at the target, pulled the trigger, and the recoil sent him staggering back several steps.

"boom!!"

The Originium explosives slammed into the skeleton kidnapper's ring. This explosion was far more powerful than the previous ones, but it still wasn't enough.

—That's not enough.

"Click."

The second black crystal.

"Snap!"

The third black crystal.

"Click, click-click, click-click-click...click."

This is the last black crystal to seep into Alex's skin.

"Aim at the enemy and pull the trigger."

"Grasp the key and concentrate."

"Detonate the ammunition with a spell, it's that simple."

Alex muttered to himself, he had to rely on conversation to stay conscious. He pulled the trigger towards the blurry white figure in his field of vision; this was his last Ripple. Take it, Amiya…

“That’s enough, Alex.”

Amiya cradled Alex's tattered body and carefully handed him over to Gavial, who had retrieved the Originium Staff.

Gavial, unusually, gently cradled a patient in her arms, a gesture so tender it left those who had previously received her treatment speechless. Her usual method was to grab the person by the collar with one hand, toss them to the ground, and then smash them down with Excalibur, curing all ailments. But now she was remarkably gentle, a gesture of respect for a warrior, and also because she feared she might accidentally crush Alex, whose current physical condition was indeed dire.

"Miss Gavial, please take good care of him..."

Amiya held up the central core of the Ark Driver and took out a new class card to place on it.

"Leave the rest to me."

She slapped the side handle with one hand, stood tall, and completed her transformation.

"Sniper"

Layers of phantoms overlapped around Amiya, and her Special Class class transformed into Sniper Class.

A strong wind rose, blurring the night sky, and under the dazzling orange glow, undercurrents surged.

Amiya slowly opened her eyes, her bright pupils reflecting the outline of her aiming gaze. She seemed to have glimpsed another side of the world. This was a step towards godhood, and it had to be said that it was too fast for her. Too much rigidity leads to breakage; this rate of growth was far from keeping up with digestion and absorption, but the enemy would never wait for you to grow stronger.

"With the restrictions removed and spell resistance at zero, another card would be more suitable to deal with you."

Amiya spun the dark blue gun upwards, its unique design standing out from ordinary one-handed guns.

In a sense, this weapon and the Ark Drive are similar in function.

Amiya took another class card from her class card case and inserted it into the gun's slot. Without any instruction, she placed her hand on the butt of the gun and slid it forward, unfolding the weapon.

A deep blue data glow flowed across the gun body, creating rings of light.

"Caster"

The mechanical female voice from the RPTS system brought a touch of life to the night.

Amiya twisted her wrist, aimed at the right side of her standing position, and pulled the trigger. No flames shot out of the muzzle, nor did a bullet fly out. Instead, layers of afterimages appeared again.

If you count carefully, you'll find that there's one less phantom than when you transformed before.

The Mirror Originium Technique was activated, and another figure was reflected in the radiance.

"Hey!?"

Gavial stared wide-eyed at the figure that had appeared out of nowhere, his mouth agape in astonishment.

“Two…” Gavial’s eyes widened, her gaze darting back and forth. She asked with some curiosity, “Amiya?”

Amiya, projected through the dark blue gun, maintained the appearance Gavial was most familiar with, wearing an ill-fitting Rhodes Island standard coat and thick stockings with an excessively high denier count.

Two rhombus-shaped totems rose simultaneously from the void, continuously expanding until their borders gradually merged together.

This gave Gavial the illusion that the totem was like a small piece of a puzzle in a painting, and that the painting could only be fully revealed when more diamond-shaped totems appeared.

"Don't worry, it's me."

Amiya and her phantom exchanged a glance, the feeling of their minds being divided into two strange ones. Their thoughts were connected, yet they could simultaneously be distracted by different things.

The mind can truly be used in two ways.

"Well then, it's time to end this."

Amiya's fingers rested on the class card box. She hesitated, staring at the cracked black card, as the scene of the Doctor facing Talulah in Chernobog flashed through her mind. At that time, the Doctor had only recently awakened from the sarcophagus, even though he had lost his memory and forgotten who he was. Even so, he adhered to his principles and would never abandon anyone.

The image of the black knight standing tall on the earth, cleaving through the clouds of disaster with a single sword strike, is unforgettable.

Amiya's slender white fingers lightly traced the black card's crystalline surface. She then selected another white card, placed it into the dark blue gun's magazine, read the information, and swung the gun to load it.

"FINAL ATTACKRIDE"

Amiya had little prior experience with firearms, but that didn't mean she couldn't use them. With her mental strength, controlling a firearm was as easy as breathing. Her superior magical talent meant she didn't need to rely on other spellcasting units.

At this moment, the Ark Driver fully unleashed the power of the Sniper class, so there was no need to worry about accidental shots. Amiya's task was simple: raise her hand, aim, and maintain steady breathing.

The field of vision bursts forth in her eyes, power surges forth, and she manually locks onto the target.

The dark blue muzzle of the gun was aimed at the enemy before it. At the edge of its vision, thick steam rose slowly, and a terrifying figure swayed within it. The skeletal hijacker radiated intense heat, and the amber-colored solution within its body rapidly evaporated. The orange-red glow was like the rising sun, almost illuminating the night sky of the Lungmen Wasteland.

"Gaga gaga aa ...

The skeletal hijacker let out its final roar. Its triangular head, already mangled from Alex's relentless attacks, exploded in a violent energy reaction.

Alex's efforts were not in vain. Although his attack could not completely stop the opponent from attacking, it caused the amber-colored blood vessels on the upper body of the Bone Jackal to rupture, causing the solution containing Originium to leak out. This not only reduced the power of the opponent's desperate finishing move, but also bought Amiya time to master the use of the Ark Driver.

The skeletal hijacker's mangled body pressed to the ground. It raised the cracked ring above its head and released all its gathered power! This was a world-destroying cannon designed to completely incinerate the enemy. No siege device Amiya knew of could match the power unleashed by this monster, enough to pierce through the walls of any mobile city.

“AAA-Amiya!”

Sniper, Vanguard, Guard, Caster, Heavy, Medic, Specialist, Support... The symbols of each class shine brightly, and halos are placed at the muzzle of the gun, outlining the trajectory of the bullet.

Amiya pulled the trigger; the dark red gun needed no loading, only unwavering courage.

Gale-force winds, raging flames, and magical radiance imbued with true damage erupted from the gun barrel, their spreading power gathered and released by the light wheel. The trajectory of the light cannon was a torrent of scorching flames, countless beams of light rising up, a final strike meeting the City-Burning Cannon. The radiance of the flames shone brightly in the darkness, causing the clouds in the Lungmen night sky to swirl and burn with a fiery hue, as if dividing the world.

"—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"

Two high-energy beams of light collided, triggering a series of explosions!

The earth cracked, the rocks melted, and a raging storm swept away the dust.

Gavial quickly moved the heavily injured and unconscious Alex into her arms, using her back to shield him from the razor-sharp wind blades. The cuts stung intensely. This was only the aftermath of the battle; it was unimaginable what kind of hell the battlefield was like. Even she wasn't confident that standing directly between those two intersecting beams of light would melt her instantly.

The final strike and the city-burning cannon were locked in a stalemate, and Amiya was subtly losing ground. Her mental energy and the COST stored in the Ark Drive were depleting at an alarming rate, showing a clear downward trend.

However, Amiya had long ago realized that she couldn't maintain the same reserves as the Bone Raiders. It's like comparing physical strength between humans and machines; in the face of tireless machines, humans have their limits.

Unless, we exceed the limits.

Amiya, a Sniper-class character, possesses the eyes of a god observing the world; she can see many things that don't exist, and she can connect them to things from the past that she dared not think about in detail...

So this is how the doctor sees the world.

Chapter 344 Chimera (4K)

Lights maintain a balance with each other, and the world is in turmoil.