Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 120: The Great Attack (End)

"What are you doing, Flame Beast?!"

Shido Itsuka gritted his teeth, his face contorted with rage, as he stared at himself. The eyes beneath the mask met Shido's gaze, and after a moment of intense concentration, the look in his eyes gradually turned crazed.

"Shido, it's not a good time to ask me these questions, after all..."

"Roar roar roar—!"

Just then, not far from the group, the massive, mechanical, black phantom beast suddenly let out a deep and deafening roar!

With each step the mythical beast took, its incredibly heavy footsteps slammed into the ground like a giant hammer, causing the land, which had already become a ruined amusement park, to tremble violently.

The ruins trembled precariously under the tremors, seemingly on the verge of collapsing completely at any moment, raising clouds of dust.

"You... you've run out of time. That 'evil dragon' with nothing but destruction is waiting for you to defeat it."

Shido suddenly turned around, his gaze fixed on the phantom beast that was wreaking havoc, watching it begin to move towards Tengu City.

"You have no choice, Itsuka Shido. You must find a way to defeat him now, otherwise, the [Phantom Beast] will move to Tengu City and the surrounding area, which will cause the deaths of many innocent people. Come, 'Hero', defeat the evil dragon and save everyone."

Shido Itsuka clenched his fists, his heart filled with conflict and helplessness. He looked at the missile launchers on the shoulders of the [Phantom Beast] and its enormous size, which didn't belong to an ice puppet, and Tohka wasn't even there...

"So...did you create this monster?" Shido asked finally, his face grim. Seeing that Ming didn't answer but seemed to agree, he continued, "Why did you do this?! Do you know how many people this will harm?!"

Shido's face was filled with rage, his eyes wide open, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly. With that, he pushed off the ground with a bang, his body shooting towards Ming like an arrow released from a bow.

However, just as he was about to rush in front of Ming, suddenly, an extremely hot black flame appeared out of thin air, like a ferocious fire wolf, tightly enveloping Ming.

The raging black flames emitted a chillingly high temperature and a terrifying aura.

Upon seeing this, Shido was startled and abruptly stopped his forward momentum.

"Do you think that just because I'm willing to help you, it means you're on the same starting line as me, Itsuka Shido?" Mei's voice came from the flames, carrying a hint of arrogance unique to this man.

Shido frowned deeply, knowing full well that the person before him possessed the power to instantly eliminate him. He then composed himself, his eyes fixed intently on Ming within the flames.

At this moment, the roar of the phantom beast came again, each roar like a heavy hammer striking Shido's heart.

"Your chance is almost gone. If you keep bothering me now, I'll be charging into Tiangong City as a [Phantom Beast]."

Shido gritted his teeth. He knew that the safety of Tengu City was more important than learning the truth he wanted, and he couldn't delay any longer.

"No matter how you try to stop me, I will not let that phantom beast harm the people of Tengu City." With that, Shido turned and ran towards the phantom beast.

Ming watched Shido's departing figure through the flames, a faint smile playing on his lips. In truth, all of this was a trial in which he needed this 'hero' to defeat him in the future.

After Shido ran towards the direction of the phantom beast

"Uh... why do I smell barbecue? Wait, I remember there's only... oh no... my niece! Aaaaaaah!!"

Ming quickly extinguished the raging flames, his eyes widening in horror as he stared at the right hand beside him—a piece of roasted meat about to be cooked.

Ming's heart was pounding, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes—Mikie's right hand was almost scalded into a roasted meat!

The terrifying scene almost made him turn into a black and white painting. "My dear niece, don't scare your uncle! Holy crap, isn't this Ashcroft fireproof? And it's trying to deal with Allen... Edgar's death was not in vain."

After finishing the simple treatment and using the Flame of Regeneration to repair his hand, he looked in the direction of the phantom beast. The [Unicorn] matching knight lance that had been absorbed into his body beat like a heart.

thump!

Ming's consciousness, linked to the unicorn through the spear, and then from the unicorn, linked to the hollow dragon that had been invaded by the virus, "issued the command that when the first life form approaches you, abandon the primary target of destruction and destroy the attacker."

The connection was broken, and Ming felt the astonishing computing power he had just experienced when connecting to four Ashecroft servers. "It's not like I gained nothing at all."

Using the [Phantom Beast] to make Shido actively aware of his spiritual power is not the same thing. After all, he doesn't expect Shido to have the ability to defeat him in one go. His main goal is to imprint Artemisia's unique computing power in his mind.

Ming cut off his thumb and dropped it to the ground. Black regeneration fire rose up, and a person who looked exactly like him but wore a mask walked out from it.

"Hello, original [me]." The person who looked exactly like Ming spoke, speaking in a manner similar to that of artificial intelligence.

"It worked!"

Because my body, and even every cell in it, is composed of spiritual energy, I am like a walking spiritual crystal. However, the human soul cannot be divided, so the black flame creations I created do not have the ability to think independently. Using Nibelkol to copy my own appearance cannot assist in combat, which is very troublesome.

However... as long as Artemisia's computing power is copied, then one can create a second "me".

They possess independent thinking abilities, and their consciousness can be manipulated by themselves, much like the Hollow Dragon and other Aschcrofts, to achieve the purpose of creating a semi-thought structure through [Hive Mind].

Meanwhile, Shido charged towards the phantom beast, thinking of a strategy as he ran. "It's huge... Is it really something I can handle...?"

Shido stared wide-eyed at the front, where the enormous and ferocious figure of the phantom beast was rapidly approaching.

As the distance closed, the oppressive feeling it brought grew stronger, as if a mountain about to collapse was pressing down on Shido's heart.

Shido felt as if his legs were being crushed by heavy lead weights, making it difficult to move an inch, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

However, despite his inner fear, he knew perfectly well that if no one stepped forward to stop this ferocious phantom beast, the consequences would be unimaginable. If it were allowed to enter Tiangong City, it would become a living hell, and countless innocent lives would be lost in an instant.

Thinking of this, Shido involuntarily recalled the innocent and lovely smiles of his classmates, Kotori's lively and playful appearance, and those people and things that were incredibly precious to him. They were all important parts of Shido's life, and objects he had always strived to protect.

"No matter what, I cannot stand by and watch these beautiful things be ruthlessly destroyed!!!"

Hearing the boy's roar, the giant phantom beast stopped as programmed and looked at Shido for analysis.

Shido stared intently at the phantom beast, feeling somewhat awestruck by its enormous size, unsure how to defeat this tyrannical monster.

"Issue the command: when the first living being approaches you, abandon the primary target and destroy the attacker." The command echoed in the phantom beast's brain via the virus.

Shido noticed that the phantom beast had suddenly stopped moving. Although he didn't know why it had stopped, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you... alright...?"

However, before Shido could recover from his shock, the mysterious and powerful phantom beast suddenly started moving again without warning!

With a slight tremor, the missile launchers, composed of countless [Leon] that had been lying dormant on its surface, instantly activated, emitting a series of chilling mechanical sounds.

In an instant, a dense swarm of magic missiles, like locusts in flight, poured out from all directions.

These missiles seemed to possess their own lives, tracing dazzling yet deadly arcs through the air, hurtling off in all directions with a fierce momentum.

The entire sky was shrouded in a rain of missiles that blotted out the sun, and the sunlight became dim and lifeless, as if the end of the world had arrived.

As Shido saw the missiles approaching, his pupils contracted sharply. His body reacted purely instinctively, trying to dodge the overwhelming attack. However, there were too many missiles, and they were too fast; he knew that simply dodging wouldn't guarantee his safety.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, thick smoke billowed out like a surging wave, obscuring the sky. When the smoke gradually dissipated, the sight that appeared before people's eyes was astonishing—a colossal crater of ruins!

This huge crater is like a hideous wound left after the earth was torn apart. The surrounding soil and rocks were blasted and scattered everywhere, forming one undulating hill after another.

In the center of these ruins, an ice cube about the size of a person stands alone.

It is like a fine work of art, its crystal-clear surface shimmering with a cold light, making people marvel at it.

The ice cube shattered, and Shido, panting heavily, stood silently, supporting himself with his hands.

"Huff...huff...huff"

Shido was panting heavily, clearly indicating that the operation he had just performed had taken a heavy toll on both his mental and physical health.

One minute ago

Facing the missile that resembled the scythe of death and exuded a chilling aura, Shido stared wide-eyed at it with a look of terror on his face.

At this moment, Shido felt utterly desperate. The shadow of death weighed heavily on his heart like a mountain, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

However, at this critical moment, a thought suddenly flashed into his mind—his lovely elves and his dear sister Kotori were anxiously waiting for him to return home.

"Tohka... Kotori... Yoshino! Ahhhhh! They're still waiting for me to come home and cook!!!"

(...Although, lately Ming has been cooking all the meals.)

The thought of their expectant and concerned eyes filled Shido with a strong desire to survive.

At the same time, he also heard the words Mei had said to him back in Yoshino: 'Use that power…'

Recalling all this, Shido had no choice but to raise his hand as before, thinking to himself that the cold air spread from his hand and began to freeze the surrounding moisture.

Back to the present, Shido, mentally exhausted, looked at his right hand in disbelief, but before he could think, the phantom beast had already raised its massive, sky-covering claw and slammed it down heavily.

A fierce battle ensued, resulting in the death of the Duke!

For some reason, Shido instinctively shouted when faced with the threat posed by the bureau chief. Immediately, the sword-shaped Heaven appeared in his hand, compelling him to counterattack.

Shido gripped the Executioner's Blade tightly and swung it upwards with force. A chilling light flashed, actually blocking the giant claw of the phantom beast that blotted out the sky.

The phantom beast seemed enraged, and its other claw swept out. Shido had no choice but to do as he had fantasized about in his teenage years, pushing off the ground with both feet and leaping backward to dodge the attack. At the same time, he used the recoil to propel himself forward, aiming straight for the phantom beast's abdomen.

The phantom beast suffered an attack on its abdomen, causing a few mechanical circuits to burst out and emitting a painful roar. However, this did not render it incapable of fighting; instead, it ignited an even fiercer counterattack. It opened its blood-red maw, and a ball of energy condensed within it.

Shido sensed the destructive power contained within that energy and was greatly alarmed.

However, just as Shido was filled with joy, a bone-chilling cold suddenly swept over him, like a surging cold tide rapidly engulfing the entire battlefield! This cold came so swiftly that Shido had no time to react at all.

In the blink of an eye, he and the incomparably powerful [phantom beast] were instantly frozen in place.

"That's enough. If Ashcroft gets damaged, wouldn't that be equivalent to indirectly killing Artemisia? That would be a lot of trouble for me."

Ming walked leisurely step by step, and then the huge [Phantom Beast] seemed to have received a command, and a black light emanated from the ice, turning it back into four Ashcrofts.

"Unexpectedly... Although he lacks combat skills, Shido's physique is surprisingly suited for combat. It's a pity that his physical attributes are insufficient, but he can react and attack quickly. It's a pity that he has no one to guide him... He still has a long way to go before he can kill me."

Although Ming intended to use the [Fourth Demon King] to activate his spiritual energy channel, causing Yoshino, who was connected to him, to contribute more spiritual energy to assist in the battle, he did not expect it to be so successful.

Thinking it over, Ming picked up the chip containing four Ashcrofts and watched Shido melt the ice attached to his ear.

【Soul-Suppressing Demoness - Reverse - Harmonious Melody】

A mysterious and powerful technique was deeply imprinted in Shido's mind. This technique originated from Artemisia's arduous training in the SSS, and it contained countless exquisite skills.

As these techniques flooded into Shido's mind, he felt as if he were in that intense and tense training scene.

'Hmm...'

Because he had several years' worth of someone else's memories directly implanted into his mind, Shido was clearly in extreme pain even through the ice, and his consciousness gradually became hazy until he lost consciousness.

The pages opened, and two Nibekol appeared.

"Move Itsuka Shido outside."

"Yes, Father!"

After Nibelcol and Shido left, Ming didn't care about the AST that had been mobilized due to the disturbance caused by the phantom beasts on the horizon.

He went straight to Miki, who had fainted on the ground, and placed all four Ashecroft chips in her palm.

"Goodbye, my niece... I'm such a bad uncle..." With that, Ming turned and transformed into countless black butterflies that flew into the air.