Chapter 29: New Form—The Lotus of Calamity (Early Release)

Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword
Type: Calamity Seed (Weapon)
Description: A grotesque sword fallen into this world from a rift in chaos. Use this blade as the core of an array to summon the “Karmic Lotus,” spreading calamity across the land.
Rating: 0 Star, Tier 3
Attributes: Physique 33, Finesse 33, Spirit 13
Remark: With the power of calamity, summon chaos!
Note: As a source of calamity and corruption, it cannot be taken out of the Realm of Chaotic Calamity.
Detected: An item of chaos matching requirements. Would you like to register it as material for the talent “Super Fusion?”

Tier Three…
A smile appeared on Zhou Yan’s face.
This Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword was by far his greatest gain from this venture!
Behind him, under the influence of the Calamity Seed, the Frost-Armored Demon’s shattered head regrew, its corpse rapidly restoring itself. The icy armor covering its body turned into black profound ice, becoming denser and taking on an even more fearsome and terrifying appearance.
It slowly rose, then let out a wretched howl as it lunged toward Zhou Yan.
Without turning his head, Zhou Yan gripped the black sword firmly and drew it in a powerful motion!
As his blade left its resting place, the black lotus trembled violently, emitting a ghostly white light.
“Material replacement...”
The Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword in his hand disintegrated into shimmering stardust and vanished.
A phantom, exquisitely ornate card appeared before his eyes.
On it, the image of a baseball bat swiftly faded, only to be replaced by the likeness of the Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword.
Chaotic item “Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword” has replaced “Dangerous Baseball Bat” and is now registered as material for the “Super Fusion” talent.

The instant the material was converted, Zhou Yan’s Ace Enforcer form dissolved into points of light, reverting him to the skintight suit of his original Fategear.
Meanwhile, the Frost-Armored Demon was still charging at him.
“Super Fusion…”
For a split second, time itself seemed to pause.
The next instant, Zhou Yan’s body erupted with a torrent of strange light.

Talent activated: Super Fusion
Fused material: Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword

A phantom image of the Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword appeared, merging with Zhou Yan in the radiance.
In the blink of an eye, his form transformed rapidly.
He now wore a sweeping black robe, wild pale hair streamed down his back.
A mask of pure black covered his face, featureless except for the openings at his eyes.
In the void of those eyeholes, his left eye remained his own, sharp and cold.
But from the right eye socket, a black lotus bloomed, growing from within the void.
The lotus was half-open, curling out from beneath the mask, covering the right side where his eye should be.
It looked both otherworldly and terrifying.
As the light faded, a strange black sword appeared in Zhou Yan’s grasp.
Its blade was as long and curved as a saber, yet double-edged, its tip razor-sharp. The guard resembled a double-layered black lotus in bloom, and the grip was long enough for a two-handed hold with room to spare.
It was none other than the Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword itself.

Fusion complete
Fused Fategear Form—Karmic Lotus Calamity Disciple
In this form, combat consumes an additional 15 Fategear Durability per second
Additional attribute bonuses: Physique +33, Finesse +33, Spirit +13
Activated Skill 1—Calamity Eye (Consumes 10 Durability per second when active)
Activated Skill 2—Black Lotus Bloom (Consumes 100 Durability per use)

Zhou Yan’s masked face betrayed no expression, but excitement flashed in his left eye.
He turned and faced the onrushing Frost-Armored Demon head-on.
The black lotus at his right eye suddenly burst into bloom, transforming into a crimson blood lotus.
Crimson lotus sigils surged across his billowing black robe.
Calamity Eye!
Through Zhou Yan’s vision, the surface of all things was traced with strange, illusory marks.
Those are… “Calamity Scars.”
He instinctively understood their meaning, a mysterious smile curling his lips.
He stepped forward and swung his sword.

Swish!
Zhou Yan’s form flashed past the Frost-Armored Demon.
The demon, mid-swing, was momentarily dazzled, its attack missing and sending it stumbling forward a few steps.
It turned in confusion to search for Zhou Yan—
But suddenly its whole body spasmed.
A deep sword mark opened from its right shoulder to its left hip, and from the wound erupted a torrent of black miasmic flame.
Within a single heartbeat, the swelling miasma devoured the Frost-Armored Demon.
It dropped to its knees, reaching weakly toward the illusory black lotus before it.
“Holy… Lotus… save…”
The words died as the miasma consumed it, leaving only a charred husk behind.
The “Holy Lotus” it sought to call for help, now rootless with the Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword removed from its place as the array’s core, barely lingered for a few seconds before dissolving into nothingness.

You have slain “Frost-Armored Demon: Calamity Ghost Form,” gained 203 Spirituality.

You have obtained “Rune Factor: Curse.”
You have obtained “Rune Factor: Restoration.”
You have obtained “Rune Circuit Core: Drain (1).”

Zhou Yan slew the Frost-Armored Demon with ease, feeling the surge of astonishing power within him, and for a moment, was utterly exhilarated.
Now, he was so much stronger. Even without considering skill differences, just by attributes alone, he was twice as strong as his Ace Enforcer form.

Physique 8 (+15+33) = 56
Finesse 9 (+14+33) = 56
Spirit 9 (+9+13) = 31

According to the baseline values on his status panel, all three of Zhou Yan’s core attributes now stood at five times those of an ordinary human.
The increase in physique and finesse left him feeling ever stronger and more agile.
The rise in spirit made his thoughts sharper and more nimble, deepened his perception and understanding of the world.
He could now acutely sense that, ever since he had drawn the “Karmic Lotus,” the baleful aura shrouding this land had begun to wane. Even the strange, chaotic energy within the relentless snow was now slowly dissipating.
“In this form… perhaps I could finally stand toe-to-toe with the real powerhouses of the world…” Zhou Yan quietly held the Karmic Lotus Calamity Sword before his eyes, murmuring to himself.
But in the next moment, he shook his head.
Without absolute confidence in his invincibility, Zhou Yan had no intention of using his Fategear lightly in the real world, much less his even more powerful fusion forms.
There was little point in pondering whether he could compete with real-world masters just yet.
He refocused his mind, turning to examine the spoils gained from slaying the Frost-Armored Demon a second time.

A curse rune: its effect, “Attacks reduce enemy endurance by +1%.” He installed it without hesitation.
The key item was the new rune circuit.

Rune Circuit Core: Drain (1)
Rating: 0 Star, Tier 2
Effect: When installed in a Fategear, increases Physique, Finesse, and Spirit by 1 each, and activates “Drain Circuit (1).”
Drain Circuit (1): When the runes “Curse,” “Boons,” and “Destruction” all coexist in the same Fategear, gain the following additional effects: “10% of damage dealt to enemies is converted into health and stamina for the user,” and “10% of damage dealt is converted into Fategear Durability recovery.”

“What the hell? Lifesteal gear?”
Zhou Yan’s pupils contracted.
Anyone who’s ever played a game knows how crucial lifesteal can be.
Even better, this was “double lifesteal”—it restored both his health and stamina, as well as the durability of his Fategear.
Without hesitation, Zhou Yan swapped out the “Shatter” core rune he’d previously installed.
Then, eyeing the “Physique,” “Curse,” and “Restoration” runes in his slot, he eagerly opened the panel’s “Exchange” function.
He couldn’t wait any longer; he had to try out the effects of this new rune circuit now.

***