[Reboot Volume] Chapter 243: Lucifer

Mo Xing swung his blade, channeling the power of the Water Dragon God within him to strike at the "weasels" before him.

"Cold Water—"

The blade traced a brilliant arc, its energy fusing with the power of the Water Dragon God to instantly solidify into a sharp edge of ice, sending the entire row of monsters flying.

The ice blade danced in mid-air, scattering thin, bluish-white snowflakes.

Mo Xing felt a slight tug on his left hand, as if a red thread were coiled around it. He pulled his hand back slightly, and the distant ice blade rotated in a semi-arc, returning toward his position. It struck one of the rising "weasels" a second time, piercing through its body and pinning it firmly to the floor!

"Cold Water: Rebound Strike?!"

Mo Xing exclaimed in surprise. He had finally succeeded in unleashing this technique!

Unlocking a new skill! Yes!

"Awoo—"

The disoriented "weasels" were clearly not deterred; they lunged at Mo Xing one after another, launching an even fiercer assault!

"Damn it! So many weasels!" Mo Xing gasped. "Fine, then let’s fight to the death!"

"Boom—"

Before Mo Xing could act, several lightning-shaped missiles slammed down from above, blasting the "weasels" away. A blue shield materialized around him, accompanied by a cluster of particles of varying sizes spinning alongside it.

This... is this an [Ion Shield]?!!! A Gunner's skill?!!!

Mo Xing looked up to see dozens of reinforcements appearing in mid-air, looking like soldiers. Behind them, [Wings of the Dragon God] of various colors unfurled, creating a stunning rainbow.

The person in the center held an exquisite heavy cannon in his left hand and gave Mo Xing a salute with his right.

Captain Huo!

"Sorry to keep you waiting, little brother!" Captain Huo shouted. "You are not fighting alone! We are here!"

"Yeah."

Mo Xing’s expression softened slightly.

The melee squad members landed, drawing greatswords and rushing into the fray to engage the mutated "humanoid monsters." The long-range members hovered in mid-air, targeting every active entity, while others established a defensive line in the center of the casino hall, rounding up the uninfected gamblers and wanted criminals.

Captain Huo commanded from a vantage point, issuing orders to each squad via a device similar to a walkie-talkie.

The arrival of the Imperial City SWAT team allowed Mo Xing to breathe a sigh of relief. He tightened his grip on [God’s Frostless] and dove back into the fray.

***

Third floor of the underground casino.

This was the staff lounge and executive office area. Potted plants beside the translucent glass had been overturned, and paper documents were scattered all over the floor. The tea in the cups was still warm; these "behind-the-scenes bosses" had only just fled.

Mr. Shen paced the corridor with his crystal bow. In truth, he hadn't intended to abandon Mo Xing.

First, the Imperial City SWAT team had already arrived; if he didn't slip away, things would get complicated, especially since Captain Huo Tianying was no simple character.

Second, he had already placed a [Guardian Arrow] on Mo Xing, and with that boy’s own abilities, dealing with those "monsters" was no problem at all, especially with the SWAT team there.

Third, there were critical items on the third floor of the casino that he had to retrieve personally.

The door to the innermost office stood wide open, as if waiting for a distinguished guest to take a seat.

"Oh?"

Mr. Shen smiled and stepped inside.

"You finally came."

A man stood in the dark corner, admiring the battle in the casino hall through the translucent window, holding a glass of blood in his hand.

"It really is you, Lucifer."

Mr. Shen recognized him. Even in the dim light, he could sense that aura—a veteran of the Kalendis Sect, born with an air of arrogance, and the mastermind behind the Seven Forbidden Drugs project.

"Old Sa, do you know the price of betraying the sect?" Lucifer asked.

"Heh, and so what?" Mr. Shen chuckled. He was indeed the man known as Old Sa. "The sect preaches the pursuit of power every single day; it’s truly quite tedious."

"You traitor, you still have the nerve to speak?" Lucifer’s voice turned harsh. "The power of the Water Dragon God, which the sect struggled so hard to obtain, was stolen by you and injected into the body of a mere mortal!"

"I felt like it!"

Mr. Shen drew his crystal bow, and a powerful surge of wind elemental energy erupted, unleashing a [Piercing Arrow] at Lucifer!

Lucifer merely smiled, his entire form turning into a streak of purple lightning as he flashed behind Mr. Shen.

Lucifer’s hand morphed into a black claw and swiped. Mr. Shen turned sharply, unleashing [Wind Element: Overlord Pressure] to create distance.

"Is that all the speed you have?"

Lucifer charged forward, a vortex of purple-black mist surging out. Books and documents on nearby tables flew into the air.

When the black claw pierced toward Mr. Shen, his body shattered like foam.

An afterimage?!!!

Lucifer frowned slightly and turned just in time to see several cyan arrows rushing toward him like a roaring lion!

Lucifer whipped his right hand, releasing three large black-red fireballs that incinerated the arrows in mid-air.

"You even learned that technique?"

Lucifer laughed, but Mr. Shen had already vanished into the shadows of the room.

The Concealment Art!

It masked the power and aura of both the caster and the recipient, achieving an incredible stealth effect. A master of this art could even deceive the eyes of a Purple Cauldron-tier expert.

A fierce, resonant hum echoed from the corner of the room—the song of a weapon!

Suddenly, countless cyan arrows shot toward Lucifer from different directions.

The arrows were like the lingering trails of a shattered galaxy—gorgeous and dazzling, yet carrying a lethality capable of piercing the opponent's very soul!

"Damn it!"

A violent burst of black lightning erupted from Lucifer’s body. The tempered glass of the windows shattered, and the desk and chairs exploded into splinters as the entire room was filled with an electric field.

Mr. Shen was forced out of the shadows by the wild black thunder. His suit jacket was shredded, and electric arcs danced violently across his muscles. Blood sprayed into the air, stimulating his neural pathways.

***

Casino Hall.

"Cold Water: Rebound Strike!"

Mo Xing swung [God’s Frostless], releasing an arc of ice that hovered in mid-air, striking the nearby "monsters" in succession.

He was becoming increasingly proficient with this skill. It felt like manipulating a boomerang; it could hit the "monsters" repeatedly and dealt decent damage. Most importantly, it was fun—he could use it to pick fruit from trees later!

He had already learned the Ice Element skills [Ice Pillar] and [Ice Blade], as well as the Cold Water Element skills [Cold Water: Spiral Storm], [Cold Water Grip], and now this new one, [Cold Water: Rebound Strike]—a total of five skills! However, these were all minor or control-based skills. He wondered when he’d be able to learn a major ultimate...

"Little brother! Don't lose focus!"

Captain Huo’s voice rang in his ear. Mo Xing snapped back to reality just in time to see the monster at his feet sent flying over ten meters away by a heavy blow from Captain Huo’s cannon.

"Big Brother Huo, you can use that cannon like that too?!" Mo Xing exclaimed. Putting aside the incredible strength required, it was rare to see a long-range weapon used in melee combat.

"I’m used to it. I combine melee and ranged attacks—I did study boxing for a while back in the day!" Captain Huo laughed, releasing a [Magnetic Storm] that pulled all the "monsters" in the front row together. Other long-range squad members cast a large net of special blue material, pinning the "monsters" in place.

"Im... impressive." Mo Xing couldn't help but sigh.

The cooperation of the Imperial City SWAT team was divine; they ended the battle in less than a minute, bringing the "monsters" and the wanted criminals to justice.

"What’s the situation in the third-floor office?" Captain Huo asked into the radio on his belt.

"Report, Captain! There seems to be a powerful black current deep in the third-floor office—" the member on the other end responded.

"Black current?" Captain Huo frowned, a flash of memory crossing his mind, and he immediately roared:

"Evacuate, now!"

"Zzzzt—" Static crackled over the radio; the signal was cut!

Mo Xing saw the urgency on Captain Huo’s face and was about to guess what had happened when a piercing screech rang out—

"Boom—"

With a massive thunderclap, the outer wall of the third floor collapsed instantly. The entire space shook as shattered concrete rained down, resembling a meteor shower!

Or more accurately, a deadly collision between "Mars and Earth"!

"Activate barriers!" Captain Huo roared.

"Yes!" The other members activated colorful barriers, forming a massive protective dome over the casino hall, reminiscent of Nüwa patching the sky with countless multicolored stones.

Chunks of concrete slammed down, pitter-pattering against the barrier like a torrential downpour.

If they had been any later, the people in the hall would have been crushed. Thankfully, Captain Huo had given the order in time.

Everyone looked toward the shattered office on the third floor. A man with silver-white hair and a crimson trench coat rushed out, black lightning crackling from his purple claws.

Floating in mid-air was another figure with tattered clothing, clutching a cyan crystal bow. Mo Xing’s pupils constricted—the severely injured man was—

Mr. Shen!

The crystal bow vibrated, letting out a dying wail. Just as the two were about to collide, a massive cyan domain erupted from Mr. Shen, blasting the silver-haired man back.

Cyan hurricanes swirled around Mr. Shen. His hair whipped about, his suit jacket was torn, and cyan-grey scales covered his muscles. A cyan glow shone in his eyes as his fingers danced over the bowstring like phantoms. Countless cyan arrows shot forth from the crystal bow.

The silver-haired man’s eyes widened, and a black symbol appeared on half of his face. Blinding, bright purple lightning danced across the cyan domain. The two powerful forces collided, and endless light, heat, lightning, and wind scattered in all directions. The deafening roar that followed sounded like the funeral knell of the world!

Those in the hall couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Mo Xing faintly heard Captain Huo mutter:

"The Seven Sins—Lucifer, and Samael!"