Seriously, Elysia? Do you always have to stir things up like this?
Lin Wei felt dark lines forming on his forehead as he stared at the spectacular scene before him. It looked suspiciously like a "Divine Key Clearance Sale."
Only one thought echoed in his mind— Can someone please get her under control?
But the Judgment of Shamash radiating scorching heat right in the center of his vision answered his unspoken question silently, coldly: "Nope."
…
"Hearing that the great Mr. Lin Wei wants to teach Mobius a big lesson, the villagers of the Elysian Realm were all too eager to lend a hand!" Elysia chirped, her voice overflowing with excitement.
"....."
Listening to that sheer "let's enjoy the chaos and make it bigger" glee in Elysia's voice, Lin Wei only grew gloomier.
You're the one who wants me dead, aren't you?!
Leaving aside all these Divine Keys for a moment... especially that Judgment of Shamash clearly in its Might of An-Utu form... can my frail body even handle the backlash?
Well, okay... with Elysia and Mobius watching from the sidelines, I probably won't actually die... right? Maybe?
But that brought up an even more serious problem—
When the hell did I EVER say I wanted to teach Mobius a lesson! Huh?!
(╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻
Where the hell did you hear that? I certainly don't remember saying it!
And "villagers of the Elysian Realm," "eagerly lending a hand"...
When did you get obsessed with this kind of "role-playing game" again, Elysia?
Lin Wei silently grumbled. Knowing Elysia and her love for stirring the pot, he could easily picture the "plot setup" she'd concocted for him.
It probably goes something like this: I'm the poor village chief whose community has been ravaged by the Demon Lord Mobius. Now, urged by the desperate villagers, I've crossed treacherous mountains and rivers to deliver our village's most precious treasures into the hands of "Hero Lin Wei," who has bravely embarked on the quest to "subjugate Demon Lord Mobius"...
Right. The story was concise, very classic JRPG, and incredibly cliché.
But the biggest problem was...
"Elysia? What are you doing sticking your nose in this!?" Mobius's voice, laced with surprise and annoyance, cut through the air. It sounded like her fun had just been spoiled.
"....."
Lin Wei facepalmed silently. This was the biggest problem—
You just blurted all that out right in front of Mobius! Now, if this "Demon Lord," who's been so thoroughly provoked, still wants to maintain her reputation in this "village," isn't she going to utterly annihilate me, the "hero" and supposed "culprit," until there's nothing left to even sweep up?!
"Mobius, uh, about that..."
Deciding self-preservation was key, Lin Wei made a desperate attempt to salvage the situation. He wanted to see if he could reschedule his meeting with the busy Dr. Mobius, at least until this bizarre storm blew over.
"Mobius, what are you talking about? Weren't you and Klein the ones looking for backup for Lin Wei? I'm just answering the call~"
Elysia giggled at the increasingly indignant Mobius before turning to Lin Wei, putting on a troubled expression.
"While I really, really want to help you, I can't possibly strike out against my dear friend~ You understand, right?"
"....."
Before Lin Wei could even open his mouth, Elysia flashed another infuriating smile, casting a meaningful glance towards the pile of gleaming golden Divine Keys.
"So, as a token of my regret, I brought you all the good stuff I could find! Phew—it took quite an effort to gather them all, you know?"
After saying her piece, Elysia puffed out her ample chest with an expression that screamed "mission accomplished" and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Alright, the goods have been safely delivered~! In that case, I won't disturb you two any longer!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she vanished with a mischievous grin, leaving behind a pile of "treasures" and a completely bewildered Lin Wei standing alone in the wind.
"....."
I have so much I want to scream! Lin Wei fumed internally. You really just wanted to stir up more trouble, didn't you? You specifically came here to add fuel to the fire!
Oh, thank you SO much!
"Hehehe... hehehehe......"
A strange laugh escaped Mobius. The icy gaze from her snake-like eyes turned increasingly cruel as she spoke, her words dripping with implication.
"Well, that was an interesting little interruption, wasn't it, my dear little guinea pig?"
"Ahem, Mobius..." Lin Wei tried again, feeling a chill.
"Since everything's ready, then... let the game begin!"
Teased repeatedly by Elysia like this, Mobius was simmering with fury. She decided then and there to unleash all her pent-up frustration on the convenient "punching bag" standing before her.
She had absolutely no interest in wasting any more words on Lin Wei. With another chilling laugh that served as her "declaration of war," she raised her slender arm high.
An orb of condensed green lightning, long held ready in her palm, was hurled viciously towards Lin Wei!
"!"
The ball lightning, radiating a toxic green hue, seemed slow but moved incredibly fast. Although alarm bells screamed in Lin Wei's head, he had no time to react.
Seriously, this question is way beyond the syllabus!
It was like facing the final boss that other players could only challenge after grinding the Elysian Realm with maxed-out gear and perfect affix rolls. Yet here was Mobius, casually unleashing a devastating blow on an undergeared player like him, without a single thought spared for whether he could even survive it...
Just as Lin Wei almost instinctively summoned Pandora, Yae Sakura zipped in front of him with a "whoosh!"
A flash of purple light accompanied her sword stroke, deflecting the dangerous green lightning orb. In the instant before the deflected orb struck the ground, she grabbed Lin Wei and retreated rapidly, narrowly dodging the blast and landing precisely beside Yuno, who was enveloped by the dust cloud.
BOOM!
The deflected lightning slammed into the solid ground, carving out a shallow crater and releasing a pungent, burnt smell that made one instinctively cover their nose.
Even the pile of Divine Keys nearby was scattered by the blastwave. Weapons of various shapes and sizes rained down moments later like metallic precipitation, embedding themselves haphazardly all over the ground.
You'd probably only ever see a scene like this in the Elysian Realm, right?
Even at a time like this, such a strange, detached thought popped into Lin Wei's mind.
Meanwhile, Yae Sakura deftly batted away several Swords of Domination hurtling towards their position. With swift hands, she precisely plucked a dark, heavy orb from the shower of falling objects and solemnly placed it into Lin Wei's hands.
"Thank you, Sakura."
Lin Wei glanced down at it, feeling a slight sense of relief. This Ninth Divine Key, known to later generations as the "Star of Eden," was probably the most suitable Divine Key for him in this battle, aside from his own Key of Corruption.
Seeing Lin Wei still composed, Yae Sakura also felt a bit more at ease. "What's the plan?" she asked.
"Don't hold back, Sakura. Just go all out."
No matter how goofy he might seem usually, Lin Wei was always terrifyingly calm when it was time to make decisions.
"Since Mobius wants a fight, let's give her one."
"Hehehe..."
In the distance, Mobius let out another strange laugh—it was hard to tell if it was a sneer or a mocking chuckle. Her tool box lifted her high into the air, like a deity seated upon a throne, preparing to pass final judgment on defiant mortals below.
With a wave of her hand, dozens of dark green crystalline spears materialized out of thin air from all directions, plunging mercilessly towards Lin Wei and the others on the ground.
"Sharp Edge!"
Before Yae Sakura could react, several of the Swords of Domination scattered around suddenly flew backward without warning. Their sharp tips violently shattered the incoming crystalline spears before they harmlessly embedded themselves back into the ground.
What was that?
Yae Sakura paused for a moment, then immediately understood. This had to be Lin Wei's doing.
Sigh... although crudely manipulating the Swords of Domination like this feels like such a waste, given the current situation, it's probably the most suitable way for me to contribute on this battlefield, right?
Lin Wei breathed a sigh of relief, stroking the Ninth Divine Key in his hand affectionately. He mentally tried to soothe Pandora, which seemed restless and almost protesting within him, while feeling a bit pleased with himself.
Good thing I have some experience using these Divine Keys thanks to Pandora. Otherwise, getting the hang of this wouldn't have been so easy.
What just happened was clearly him using the Star of Eden to forcibly manipulate the gravity of those few Swords of Domination, making them fly towards his intended targets like the legendary flying swords of ancient tales.
This tactic was something Lin Wei conceived the moment he received the Ninth Divine Key. Though his first attempt looked a bit stiff and clumsy, it was ultimately successful.
Whether it's the Previous Era or the Current Era, I'm probably the first person to use Divine Keys so extravagantly, right? Lin Wei mused silently. Hurling over a hundred Divine Keys at someone with absolutely no finesse or elegance... this kind of wasteful fighting style was simply too decadent.
But then again...
It feels kinda cool, doesn't it?
"Hmph..."
After that initial probing attack, Mobius roughly gauged Lin Wei's capabilities, though she didn't let it show on her face. She just let out a dismissive scoff.
Instantly, two armed ELFs, clearly modeled after Mobius herself, appeared around Lin Wei and Yuno. They closed in menacingly from the left and right, coordinating with Mobius hovering above to create a silent, pincer-like threat.
Although it was just a test, Lin Wei's reaction annoyed Mobius, so she decided on the spot to increase the pressure. With a wave of her small hand and a cold sneer, the two ELFs launched fierce attacks at Lin Wei.
Yae Sakura frowned. The threat level emanating from these two small constructs was surprisingly not much lower than Mobius herself.
Without time for further thought, she swung her sword, forcing one back, then quickly turned to intercept the other. But as soon as the ELFs recovered, they relentlessly charged towards Lin Wei again, seemingly identifying him as the primary target, the weak point of their little group.
Mobius herself merely cupped her chin, watching the game unfold below with keen interest.
Clang!
The next second, Yae Sakura silently leaped out from behind Mobius. The assassination techniques learned in the Elysian Realm proved devastatingly effective here. Her Third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Retribution, slashed down towards Mobius's neck.
Personally, she disliked such stealthy tactics, but Yae Sakura knew that dealing with Mobius directly was far more efficient than getting tangled up with the ELFs.
"Hehehe..."
Sakura's blade struck true, yet Mobius seemed to liquefy. Amidst mocking laughter, she rapidly melted into the surrounding shadows, which seemed almost tangible in their thickness. A moment later, she "dissolved" back into form from a different position, sneering icily.
"Did you really think I'd have zero defenses against such a crude assassination attempt?"
As her voice fell, a dark green serpentine shadow erupted from where Mobius had just been. Almost instantly, it coiled tightly around Yae Sakura. The massive, triangular snake head swung around, flicking its tongue and baring terrifying fangs as it lunged towards Sakura, looking ready to swallow her whole.
In an instant, the assassination attempt had become a deadly trap!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several "flying swords"—guided by Lin Wei's Star of Eden—pierced through the snake construct. Yae Sakura broke free, slashed downwards mid-air, and landed back beside Lin Wei the next second.
"Buy me some time," Lin Wei said, deactivating the Star of Eden's gravitational pull on the ELFs.
The moment the two ELFs were freed, Yae Sakura intercepted them again. Lin Wei, rubbing his throbbing head, quickly walked over to Yuno's side. She was still enveloped by the intensely glowing Fenghuang Down, her consciousness hovering somewhere between waking and sleeping.
After all this commotion, Lin Wei could finally focus on helping her.
With a lift of his hand, the swirling pink feathers surrounding Yuno flew towards him like weary birds returning to their nest. They gathered in his palm, condensing into a small, exquisite flower petal.
Then, with a gentle flick from Lin Wei, the petal transformed into a delicate earring, fastening itself securely beneath Yuno's right ear.
"Ugh..."
Yuno slowly regained consciousness. After a brief moment of disorientation, clarity returned to her eyes.
"Just now, I had to use Fenghuang Down to shield your mental barriers from the impact," Lin Wei explained with a slightly apologetic smile. "I didn't expect it to keep you out of action for so long." The recent interruptions had been numerous.
"Fenghuang Down is still with you now; it will continue to help stabilize your mind. So, for a while, you can move around more freely."
He gestured towards the distance. "See that green-haired person over there? After today's battle is over, we should be able to find a way to deal with that 'curse' affecting you."
Yuno nodded.
She was aware of everything that had just happened, yet it felt like watching it through a thin veil, distant like a dream, unable to interact until now. Lin Wei's explanation helped ease her mind somewhat.
Since Lin Wei said she was fine now, Yuno didn't overthink it. Without hesitation, she dashed past Yae Sakura, charging directly towards Mobius herself.
"Excellent. So," Mobius let out that strange laugh once again as Yuno finally joined the fray. "The warm-up game is over, you know!"
"....."
Watching this scene unfold, Lin Wei felt an odd, indescribable sensation.
A three-person party fighting a boss... something about this feels strangely familiar...