The fury of a fifth-level Moonlight
Outside the ornate palace, several Morning Star Wizards exchanged glances and kept their distance, while the lower-ranking servants could only cower with their heads in their hands, trembling uncontrollably.
The wild waves of energy swept outward indiscriminately, and soon, not a single living thing remained within the throne room's domain.
"A short temper is a Wizard's worst enemy! Did you inherit the bloodline of a sorcerer or something?"
A light laugh, clear as a mountain spring, suddenly rang out from the void, carrying with it a teasing note aimed at Jiasia.
What was truly shocking was that upon hearing this voice, Jiasia actually calmed down. Aside from his breathing being slightly heavier, he was indistinguishable from before.
"You're right! But those damned Comoin sorcerers — I'll exterminate their bloodline sooner or later!"
Jiasia sank back into his throne, and the moon sigil on his forehead radiated a cool, luminous glow that filled the entire palace.
"Even with your current strength, even having used large quantities of Fire Source Stone to amplify your soul, you're probably no match for Red Pupil! Unless you can lure him out of the Lava World, or find some way to counteract the World
The woman's voice spoke coldly.
"You're still pushing me to use that thing?" Jiasia replied icily.
"Yes! I have the most extensive experience with the Dimensional Clone experiment. I can bring the failure rate below one in ten thousand — it's also your best option for entering the Lava World…"
The female voice seemed to be analyzing the situation with perfect calm, yet carried an almost tantalizing quality that stirred one's instincts.
"The only way to wield fifth-level power inside the Lava World is through this method. Moreover, a clone that has been cleansed by Dimensional Consciousness will no longer be recognized as an enemy by the foreign world…"
At the last sentence, Jiasia fell noticeably silent.
The World Will of a foreign realm was the greatest enemy of all Wizards. Once it bonded with an already-powerful native combatant, the resulting amplification was so terrifying that even a fifth-level Moonlight Wizard wouldn't dare face it head-on.
Perhaps only those Dawn Stars seated upon their thrones possessed the power to annihilate a World Will in a single stroke?
Jiasia's expression shifted several times before hardening into a dark scowl. "Pass down my orders! Every Morning Star Wizard under Jupiter's Thunder is to return immediately — we are preparing for interdimensional transit! All previously laid plans and contingencies are to be activated at once. Let's deliver Red Pupil a grand gift for his Sacred Star Festival!"
Jiasia's voice gradually sank lower, growing ever more savage…
Completely unaware of the movements on that side, Lei Lin was currently following Rocke behind Shi Ke as they arrived at the Presidential Residence once again.
"You're in luck! I've been transferred to the Central Guard, and you two were previously special task force members. So I recommended you both for the President's military aide office!"
Shi Ke was wearing the uniform of a Fire Feather clan general as he led Lei Lin and Rocke to the entrance of the aide office.
"We are truly grateful for your recommendation, sir!" Both Lei Lin and Rocke wore expressions of tearful gratitude.
Being stationed here meant gaining credentials, and any future posting would come with several ranks of promotion — not to mention the benefits of being close to the President.
And both Lei Lin and Rocke harbored ulterior motives. Their reason for getting close to Shi Ke had always been to use him as a stepping stone to approach the President. Now that their wish had come true, their faces were alight with elation.
"Hmph! As long as you understand my good intentions!" Shi Ke patted Lei Lin on the shoulder, not bothering to spare even a glance at Rocke beside him. But remembering his father's plan, he forced a smile toward the latter.
"This place is nothing like the special task force. You need to be on your best behavior. If you break the law or regulations, even I won't be able to save you…"
Shi Ke earnestly admonished them as he led Lei Lin and Rocke into a small office. "From now on, he will be your superior — Burns!"
"Haha! Shi Ke, it's been a while since you visited! Are these the two young ones? Don't worry, I'll take good care of them!"
Sitting inside the office was a middle-aged man with golden-blond hair, his face brimming with an amiable smile. Upon seeing Shi Ke, he rose to his feet in greeting, looking every bit the easygoing sort.
But Lei Lin and Rocke dared not take the man lightly. This Burns was not only their future superior — his aura bore a faint resemblance to that of the Northern Duke from before!
The new superior Lei Lin had been assigned to was, in fact, another powerhouse who had cultivated the Fire Feather Technique to the tenth layer and stepped into the realm of star-level strength!
"This aura! He's one of the star-level experts in the aide office that I sensed last time!" Lei Lin bowed respectfully on the surface while secretly sizing the man up, then cast a glance at the progress display on his Chip.
The red progress bar had already reached the halfway point. It indicated that he had begun successfully integrating the core essence of the tenth-layer Fire Feather Technique into his Morning Star point of power, enhancing his own might.
"I wonder how the tenth-layer Fire Feather Technique, refined by the Chip, will fare against these genuine Fire Feather clan star-level experts when the time comes. I'm looking forward to it…"
The corner of Lei Lin's mouth curved upward slightly, revealing a hint of eager anticipation.
Burns, of course, had no idea that this subordinate was already planning to achieve full mastery of the Fire Feather Technique and then punch him into the ground. On the contrary, he found Lei Lin quite pleasant and approachable, which earned him an additional measure of goodwill.
"The aide office has its own duty room and living quarters. You can't stay at the special task force barracks anymore — you'll need to move in here. For now, you have no special assignments. Your responsibilities are to patrol with the night shift and attend daytime training. Any problems with that?"
Once Shi Ke had departed, Burns turned back to look at Lei Lin and Rocke. His tone was no longer as cordial as before, and his entire bearing was suffused with an imposing authority.
"Yes, sir!" Lei Lin and Rocke bowed in unison.
Night fell.
Something felt off to Lei Lin. He sat up in bed. Although the rooms in the Military Affairs Office were small, at least every officer had a private bedroom — that was decent enough.
"Shi Ke has always treated us as his trusted people. Now that he's heading to the Central Garrison, he's not going to bring us along?"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. "Even if the Military Affairs Office has better prospects and we're his father's personal guards, there's no way he'd place both of us here. Unless… someone has been exposed…"
Lei Lin naturally had confidence in himself, but Rocke's disguise couldn't even fool him — how could it possibly pass under the gaze of a fifth-level powerhouse?
"So it seems that while they're relatively trusting of me and even dangled the tenth layer of the Fire Feather Technique as an inducement, they're not fully convinced. They want to keep me here and watch…"
"As for Rocke, he's nothing but bait — they plan to use him as the centerpiece to sweep up the entire network behind him…"
The more Lei Lin thought about it, the more convinced he became. At that moment, a ring on his finger began to slowly emit a faint red glow.
Lei Lin's expression shifted. He reached over and picked up a pale yellow parchment map.
On the map, a small black dot was slowly moving.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to wait, but I didn't expect it this soon!" A smile crept onto the corner of Lei Lin's mouth as he casually lay back down.
A wisp of black thread suddenly rose from his body and vanished instantly into the darkness.
Using the spatial shadow zone for concealment, along with his own precise control and the Chip's detection, Lei Lin carefully navigated past the numerous detection devices and traps inside the Presidential Residence, tailing another figure.
That person was using a black pearl in their hand to pass through several checkpoints without incident, seemingly recording something.
"Intelligence gathering? So Jupiter's Thunder also wants to make a move against the Atlanta President…"
Lei Lin smiled faintly, then spotted another shadow trailing behind Rocke. He shook his head and concealed himself even more thoroughly.
The one here was his true body. The Lei Lin in the bedroom was merely a shadow puppet, but with the Chip's simulation, it could pass as him for a while without issue.
"This Rocke — he's been discovered and doesn't even know it. He's walking straight into his own death!"
Now that he knew this was an enemy trap, Lei Lin immediately considered slipping back to his bedroom to lie low and hide.
But just as he was preparing to leave, terrifying and ferocious energy fluctuations surged toward him, freezing him in his tracks instantly.
"These fluctuations??"
He jerked his head up, gazing at the sky not far away. "A Morning Star killing move? No! It doesn't seem like one! It's a different energy system's pathway — similar to magic in nature, but it's not a killing move. It's a composite fire-elemental formation!"
As the powerful fluctuations intensified, a speck of crimson firelight blazed to life on the horizon. Rumbling sounds cascaded from the sky like muffled thunder.
Tiny droplets of molten rain began to fall, covering an enormous area — so vast that the entire Prime Minister's residence was engulfed within it.
"They're attacking this place directly? What sheer audacity!" Lei Lin didn't know whether to praise or condemn their nerve.
The terrifying rain of lava surrounded the estate. Every single droplet carried the destructive force of temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees. If they truly fell, every military officer present would be annihilated — save for the Prime Minister and the other few Star-ranked powerhouses — and the entire residence would be leveled, turning the Prime Minister into a laughingstock.
"Stop!" "How dare you!!"
Several fierce and overwhelmingly powerful fluctuations erupted simultaneously from the surroundings of the residence. Brilliant pillars of energy materialized, then merged into a luminous membrane that enveloped the entire estate.
"Heh heh heh! How many do you think you can save?" A strange, eerie voice boomed from the sky. Then the torrent of fire rain suddenly dispersed, spreading outward to blanket the entirety of Transex City.
For the ordinary civilians in the capital, even a single droplet of that fire rain would be lethal. And if such an incident occurred during the prelude to the Sacred Dawn Festival, even President Atlas would find himself in tremendous trouble.
Therefore, Lei Lin judged that the defenders had no choice but to intervene!
"Keee—!"
At that very moment, accompanied by a piercing, majestic cry, a colossal crimson bird — trailing brilliant, blazing tail flames — soared out from within the residence.