Asura in Arknights

The day has finally come...

Since leaving Duva, Leon and Adele had been prepared to be attacked at any time, but they never expected that the attack would be carried out in this way.

Li Ang underestimated the Originium Arts of this world. This technology has been able to permeate the entire history of Terra and still dominate in this era, so it must have its own strengths.

In the wilderness and forests, morning fog is a very common phenomenon. In the past few mornings, Li Ang has been able to see white fog rising in the air. He never thought that the enemy would do anything in such a place.

The dense fog that the mountain winds could not disperse was naturally some kind of Originium Arts released by the enemy. However, the energy it emitted was extremely weak and perfectly blended into the Originium pollution that was common in the wild. Neither Leon nor Adele noticed the problem with the fog.

By the time Li Ang realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Although Li Ang's physical condition meant that the fog only caused him slight numbness and had no major impact, Adele had inhaled a large amount of it, making it impossible for Li Ang to wake her from her sleep.

He carried Adele out of the tent and put her into the off-road vehicle next to him. The vehicle could provide some protection, but Li Ang was not confident that he could protect Adele's safety in the upcoming battle.

Now, all we can do is pray that this off-road vehicle is sturdier than it looks.

The roars of unknown beasts in the distance were drawing ever closer, and Li Ang couldn't help but grip his cane tighter. He never expected that in the end, he would actually use this thing as a weapon.

What will come? Hounds? Wolves? Or some other, even worse, infected creature?

If Adele were still awake, with Leon as her bodyguard and Adele providing firepower from the rear, the situation would definitely not be as bad as it is now.

"They're here," Li Ang said in a low voice.

At that moment, a creature far larger than an ordinary person entered his field of vision.

Li Ang found it difficult to describe what he was seeing. The black and white world allowed him to see, but it also made the scene less impactful.

When encountering terrifying things, these simple lines appear quite kind and approachable compared to the perspective of normal humans.

However, one thing is certain: this thing in front of him is definitely not a normal creature. Li Ang had never heard Adele mention anything like it before, and such a monster could not possibly exist in nature.

That monster barely had a human-like appearance, and its height was over three meters, reaching a height that Li Ang had to look up at.

I don't know what the monster looks like to an ordinary person, but in Li Ang's perception, its body was made up of countless vine-like things that were intertwined together.

The hind limbs, with their knees bent backwards, are strong and powerful. Four thin arms grow from the slender body. Where the head should be, there is a huge spindle-shaped mass covered with depressions of various sizes.

Intuition told Li Ang that if he viewed that lump from a normal person's perspective, he would definitely not feel as calm as he does now.

After the monster entered Li Ang's perception range, it did not immediately launch an attack, but instead crouched on a high slope not far away, seemingly observing Li Ang.

Because the monster was located beyond Li Ang's attack range, he did not make any rash moves.

Leon knew what he had to do: to eliminate the enemy as much as possible while protecting Adele's safety. What appeared before him now was probably just a monster being controlled by someone; the real enemy was still hiding behind the scenes.

If you impulsively leave the vicinity of the SUV, wouldn't that give the mastermind behind the scenes an opportunity to take action?

The peaceful situation did not last long. After observing Li Ang for a while, the monster on the high slope suddenly made a new move. It stood on all fours and arched its body in the direction of Li Ang.

The moment he sensed the monster's movement, alarm bells rang in Li Ang's mind, and he instinctively dodged to the left.

With a loud bang, a gust of wind swept past Li Ang's ears, and amidst the flying dirt, a cloyingly sweet and fishy smell entered his nostrils.

In the blink of an eye, the distance of tens of meters was instantly flattened. The monster's two sharp claws, which were close to the top of its body, slammed into the hard ground, creating two craters of different depths.

One of the claws even scratched the SUV next to it. The steel door was like tofu, with several deep claw marks left on it. However, the car itself was not seriously damaged. It was a miracle that it was damaged by such a powerful attack.

Just now...did that monster consciously avoid the SUV? This thought suddenly popped into Li Ang's mind.

However, before Li Ang had much time to think, the monster had already retracted its claws and stood up on its strong hind legs.

A pair of sharp claws were raised high, and the huge shadow completely blocked out the sky above Li Ang. It seemed that Li Ang would be smashed into a meat patty by these claws in the next second.

To hide or not to hide? Li Ang faced this choice.

If he didn't dodge, Li Ang wasn't sure if he could withstand the attack; if he did dodge, the off-road vehicle behind him would be hit head-on.

As for the monster not attacking the off-road vehicle, that's just Li Ang's guess. What if it's just a coincidence?

No matter how low the probability, if he guesses wrong, the price he will pay is Adele's life.

Li Ang dared not gamble, nor was he willing to gamble.

In the blink of an eye, Li Ang had already made his decision.

With his other hand, he grasped the tip of the cane and raised it above his head. The Originium particles under his control were also converging upwards. Li Ang intended to take this attack head-on.

Even if the cane breaks, he can use Originium Particles to cushion the break.

Just as Li Ang braced himself for the impact, the pair of sharp claws crashed down, slamming heavily into the center of the cane. However, the cane proved to be even more resilient than he had anticipated.

His feet were deeply embedded in the mud from the heavy blow, but his cane showed no signs of deformation.

Amidst the pain that spread throughout his body, Li Ang seemed to feel as if a switch had been turned on deep within his body. His blood was gradually heating up, and even his strength seemed to have increased significantly, with a faint indication that he could push those arms back.

Li Ang also remembered that this monster had four arms.

"Get...out of my way!!"

The other two claws that attacked from the side seemed to be stuck in a sticky swamp, unable to move forward even an inch. Immediately following was a violent explosion, and the shockwave that appeared out of nowhere overturned the monster's massive body.

Li Ang swung his cane with all his might at the monster lying on the ground.

A piercing roar shattered the darkness before dawn.

Chapter 18 Explosive Flame Wave Sword (3k)

Enveloped in the mist, the sorcerer wearing a tall hat frowned; the current situation had greatly exceeded his expectations.

It was one thing for the food laced with sleeping pills to be discovered, but it was just a casual move he made anyway. If it really came down to it, he wasn't really afraid of that so-called genius girl.

Unexpectedly, even after resorting to force, he still encountered unforeseen obstacles.

"That Agorian..."

The fog, which has paralyzing and hypnotic effects, is ineffective. The opponent is blind, so the fog does nothing to obscure their vision. Even his most prized creation doesn't seem capable of killing the opponent in a short time.

That Agorian has gone from being an ant that could be easily eliminated to an enemy that must now be taken seriously.

"It's a pity it's just an ordinary mutant. If only I could get some of the flesh and blood of the mutant king..." the tall-hatted sorcerer murmured.

Although it was his masterpiece, there was still a considerable difference between it and a real alien species, not to mention the legendary alien king.

The fact that things were going badly without his intervention didn't surprise him too much. What more could he ask for than a 'staff' that could achieve this?

However, if he doesn't act now, his masterpiece, which he has spent several years creating, will be destroyed.

Gazing at the figure locked in battle with the aliens in the mist, the tall-hatted sorcerer slowly extended a finger.

……

Due to the attack range, Li Ang's first counterattack only crippled one of the monster's arms.

Li Ang wasn't without other ways to attack, but he had to be wary of enemies lurking in the shadows and couldn't use all his methods.

However, as long as you can suppress your fear, this monster is not difficult to deal with. It just has more arms and is stronger. As long as you can block the attacks of its four claws, the rest of the battle is as simple as a turn-based game.

Although these conditions might seem harsh to others, Li Ang happened to meet all of them.

Having gained the upper hand, Li Ang moved the battlefield to a place a little further away from the off-road vehicle, but one he could return to at any time.

Use your cane to block the attacks of the two claws, use Originium Particles to restrain the other two, and finally use the shockwave to break the monster's balance. Once you master this rhythm, it's only a matter of time before you defeat this monster.

Just as Li Ang was about to deliver the final blow to smash the lump that resembled a monster's head, a sharp ice spike suddenly pierced through the thick fog and stabbed towards his heart.

If Li Ang insisted on unleashing this attack, his heart would be pierced by the ice spike. Left with no other choice, Li Ang suddenly changed the direction of his staff, shattering the ice spike that had suddenly appeared.

A man wearing a tall hat emerged from the mist and stood beside the monster.

Looking at Li Ang, the tall-hatted sorcerer said with interest, "Interesting Agorian. You remind me of those legendary 'hunters,' but unfortunately you are not them. As far as I know, those hunters, for various reasons, could never master any Originium Arts."

They finally emerged... from the enemy who had been chasing them.

Li Ang had no intention of stopping to chat with the other party. After shattering the ice spike, he didn't hesitate at all. He swung his cane upwards and flung away the Originium particles wrapped around it.

Although the Originium Particles are very small, they are still real. Compared to simply controlling the Originium Particles to float over and then detonate them, this attack method is undoubtedly much faster.

To onlookers, it was as if Li Ang had conjured a shockwave out of thin air with his cane.

The monster lying on the ground gained a chance to catch its breath. It struggled to get up and used its massive body to completely block the shockwave.

“Insolent fellow.” The tall-hatted sorcerer shook his head. “Since you’re so eager to die, then I’ll grant your wish.”

Without the tall-hatted sorcerer making any move, the temperature of the surrounding environment suddenly dropped by more than ten degrees, and the thick fog, under the influence of this low temperature, turned into countless tiny ice particles, suspended in the air.

The dense fog spreading across the battlefield became the best catalyst for the Originium Arts of the High Hat Warlocks, and the temperature here continued to drop almost every second.

Under the corrosive influence of this chill, Li Ang felt his body stiffening, and even the flow of his blood seemed to slow down. Li Ang hurriedly gathered the Originium Particles around his side, which made him feel a little better.

The arrival of the tall-hatted sorcerer immediately reversed the previous battle situation, putting Li Ang in an extremely unfavorable position.

The monster's four severed arms had not fully recovered; it merely crouched beside the sorcerer, ready to use its massive body to shield the sorcerer from any potential charge or shockwave from Leon.

The tall-hatted sorcerer, under the monster's protection, used his fingers to condense ice particles into ice spikes, which he then shot at Li Ang.

The dense ice spikes rained down like a storm. Although Li Ang, with the help of Originium Particles, completely blocked them, a thick layer of ice shards had already accumulated under his feet.

The ice spikes couldn't hurt Li Ang, but the constantly dropping temperature around him made it difficult for him to withstand the environmental damage, especially since he hadn't been learning Originium Arts for very long.

This means that as long as the sorcerer in the tall hat is patient, he will eventually freeze Li Ang to death here.

Given this situation, how should Li Ang break the deadlock?

Adele had told him that the easiest way to defeat a sorcerer, besides defeating him personally, was to destroy his staff. If the opponent was not infected, then losing the staff was equivalent to losing the ability to cast spells.

This tall-hatted warlock doesn't look like an infected person, so where is his staff?

In Li Ang's perception, there are now two energy reactions, one large and one small. The monster, which originally had no energy fluctuations, now has an energy reaction that completely overshadows the sorcerer next to it, as if it is also releasing some kind of spell.

No... Recalling the previous situation, to be precise, the Originium energy on the alien only became active the moment the top-hatted sorcerer came into contact with it.

The Originium energy surging from the alien's body felt somewhat familiar to Li Ang, just like... the staff on his wrist.

A term he had only heard recently popped into Li Ang's mind.

"The Witch King's legacy? This monster is your staff?"

These words came out of his mouth, and although it's hard to believe, it's indeed the most reasonable guess.

The endless stream of icicles suddenly stopped.

"Huh? You actually recognize this?"

The sorcerer in the tall hat sounded somewhat surprised.

Although his research wasn't exactly a secret, it was limited to the group of 'Tower Warlocks,' so being recognized by an Agorian was still somewhat unexpected for him.

What he was studying was the technology left behind by the Witch King, which used infected people as magic wands.

However, decades have passed, times have changed, and the Originium Arts of the Tower Warlocks have also progressed. Techniques like the Witch King's, which simply turn infected people into staffs, are long gone.

Although it can enhance the effects of spells, infected people are not durable at all and are very troublesome when not in combat. Only a sorcerer like the Witch King, who controls an entire country, can afford to use such a 'staff'.

In the hands of the sorcerer with the tall hat, this technique has been completely altered.

He obtained the flesh and blood of a different species from the far north, implanted it into a carefully selected body, and eventually cultivated it into the monster it is today.

Without prior explanation, who would guess that this monster with brute strength is actually his staff?

“You have some knowledge, Agor.” The tall-hatted sorcerer’s tone had become somewhat pleased.

In the eyes of the high-hatted sorcerer, Li Ang's life was completely in his hands; whether he lived or died was entirely up to him.

"I'm just here to take away that little girl named Nauman. If you hand her over to me, I won't mind letting you go."

The discovery of his life's work by someone else unexpectedly gave the tall hat sorcerer an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. As long as he had completed his mission, he didn't mind letting the other party live.

“I refuse,” Li Ang replied without hesitation.

Hand over Adele in exchange for his own life? Li Ang completely dismissed the other party's nonsense.

Moreover, has Li Ang really lost yet? He's just waiting for an opportunity.

Seeing that his rare act of kindness was rejected, the tall-hatted sorcerer's face instantly turned cold. "Unfortunately, you made the wrong choice."

"Do you really think you can keep dragging this out? Do you think... I haven't discovered the blind spot in your perception of magic?" The tall-hatted sorcerer's words were full of sarcasm.

The alien creature stretched out an arm, grabbed the tall-hatted sorcerer onto its back, and transformed into a blur that was difficult to see with the naked eye, rushing towards what Li Ang called the 'blind spot of perception'.

Little did they know, this was the very opportunity Li Ang had been waiting for.

He had only just developed this ability with Adele's help, and he wasn't very proficient at it. It was fine for regular testing, but it was a bit of a stretch to use in real combat. That's why he deliberately exposed his weaknesses, even at the cost of taking some non-fatal attacks, to create opportunities for himself.

It was time. Li Ang opened his tightly closed eyes a crack, revealing a glimmer of red light hidden within.

Attribute Transformation: Flame.