Chapter 1923 - 988: The Craftsman's 'New Clothes' (Part 2)

In other words, as long as Ji Jue isn't dumb enough to show off its special traits to the enemy, then those bugs could scratch their skulls open and claw their brains out and still never figure out what this thing actually is!

Just like the craftsman would never give up Alchemy.

Once they get used to the convenience of past and future sight, the bug would absolutely never be stupid enough to abandon that kind of edge.

Ether would never stop observing, the Heart Core can't just ignore other people's emotions and thoughts, and Ascension is even less likely to give up Spiritual Vision and Extraordinary Perception.

So much so that, even when Ji Jue presses this knife specially prepared for bugs right against their necks, they still stay utterly clueless!

The effect—back during that sneaky peeping—the Dispatcher had already caught a whiff of it and made some guesses, and at the time was already sighing that Ember's quality had once again hit a new centuries-low.

He just hadn't expected the essence of it to be this bizarre!

If 1+1 doesn't equal 2, fine, but how the hell does it end up in the negatives?

"You said the original Taia and Ten Theories—sure, their stances are different, but at least they're both upright and aboveboard... so how is it that once they end up in your hands, they turn this sinister and Evil, bad water gurgling out like a damn reservoir burst?"

"Bullshit, how am I not upright and aboveboard?"

Ji Jue smiled and shot back, "I'm wearing it right on my head, just short of writing a label on it, and they're still too dumb to see it themselves—'eyes yet no pearls'—how is that my fault?"

Kid, who are you calling out here?

The Dispatcher pinched the little pair of shoes he was about to make Ji Jue wear next, gave a magnanimous grin, and didn't take such a trivial slight to heart.

"Only, you sure this thing fully meets Ember's specs?" he clicked his tongue in wonder. "How come there are so many magical little tricks, seasonings, and clever ideas from the other side mixed in?"

"Why fuss so much? Life's just something you muddle through—who you're with, isn't it all the same?"

Ji Jue waved calmly, totally unconcerned. "Close enough is fine. Let's go, time to clock in!"

Ding~

The elevator doors opened, the Border Hell Layer reached.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Ji Jue stepped forward, a crisp, orderly thunder erupted at his sides—a rank upon rank of Peace Cats, Tower Shields raised and Silver Spears in hand, marched in perfect unison, flocking around him.

And right behind him, after a world-shaking, earth-trembling stomp, the nine Hydra Giant Beasts' eyes burst into Blood Flames.

On the walls, within the scrawled frescos, the simply outlined Dispatcher gazed at this scene—something never once imagined when the design was first conceived—and finally couldn't help but let out a silent sigh.

So this is an accident outside the established plan?

Looking at this thousand-army formation, isn't this just a bit too "accidental"?

Yet for some reason, he actually started looking forward to it.

This Temporary Worker outside the established track—what kind of future will he bring to the long-slumbering Sky Rail?

And so, amidst the roar, the black-iron flood surged straight ahead.

Enshrouded and escorted by countless mechanical monstrosities, Ji Jue walked with his hands clasped behind his back, calm and composed; within his flying hair, a strand of brilliant radiance flowed, sparkling like a crown.

No sword needed—authority reveals itself!

[Heavenly Craft·Taia Crown]!

Advancing with his tracks fully exposed, even from a far distance one could already hear that soaring roar.

And within a certain endlessly winding arcade, the Beagle lying on Ji Jue's shoulder and playing dead suddenly lifted its head, opened its eyes, and went "werwer."

A wild donkey shriek, sudden and unannounced.

In that instant, the ornate reliefs on the pillars shuddered as if startled, trembled for a heartbeat, and then were immediately locked onto by the Peace Cats at point-blank range.

Silver Radiance flowed along the length of their spears; with a twist of the wrist, the shaft flashed out like lightning and in a single instant plunged into the wall, nailing down a newly opened "giant eye." The hollow eye convulsed and spasmed, oozing thick, viscous Blood, then abruptly shook violently and let out a shrill cicada-like screech.

That wasn't an eye.

It was a moth-like scaled wing!

The eye-shaped wing clinging to the pillar beat wildly, shedding torrents of glittering phosphorus dust; the cascading phosphor fell and struck the ground, instantly "corroding" one gaping pit after another and clawing out masses of scratches across the surface.

Not venom—aging!

Everything it touched weathered hundreds of years in the blink of an eye.

The sound of snapping rang out. Up front, in the Peace Cat's hand, corrosion rapidly spread along the Silver Spear that had Piercing the moth wing.

Because just moments earlier, the airborne phosphor had swallowed half its body; most of the shaft rapidly rotted into Dust.

Immediately afterward, along with that razor-edged wail, the entire arcade—the domed ceiling, the walls, and even the ground ahead—suddenly opened countless giant eyes, endless and all-pervading.

Those eyes writhed like living things, swelling or shrinking, while their screeching came one after another, overlapping and echoing.

Their number was simply infinite!

This was their nest!

The instant they perceived the alarm, a vast swarm of moth-like Fetus of the Bug surged up, became a storm, and hurled themselves at the intruders!

The gale churned up by thousands of wings was laden with limitless phosphor, sweeping forward like a muddy torrent, vast and overwhelming.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The four Peace Cats spearheading the advance raised their Tower Shields, slammed them down into the ground without hesitation, pinning them in place. Flowing Silver Radiance knitted the four shields together; following standard close-quarters engagement tactics for narrow terrain, they built cover and protected themselves.