Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 289 - 108. Why haven’t you died yet!?

Chapter 289: 108. Why haven’t you died yet!?

The sky was devoured by rolling gloom, bound forever with endless dense smoke and dark night. Suddenly, the ominous clamor of gongs and drums arose from the earth, followed by headless monsters, spiders with women’s faces, and wicked ghosts carrying bluish-green lanterns, all emerging indiscriminately from the shadows, launching a relentless, tide-like assault on Li Aozi.

A procession of a hundred demons during the night.

"Grand Yin Yang Master Abe Tadayuki, you could no longer hold back, eh?"

Li Aozi crouched low, one hand dangling over the hilt of his greatsword, carrying it as if it were a shoulder pole, while the other hand casually rested on a pitch-black tachi. His demeanor was nonchalant towards the monster ghosts swarming towards him.

Lifting his head, he could see a man in a wide robe with a tall hat, his face pale as paper and his teeth painted black. The man’s appearance left much to be desired—the absence of many wrinkles yet full of liver spots, and even from a distance, the sickly smell emanating from him was detectable.

Abe Tadayuki’s inverted-triangle eyes fixed on Li Aozi. Clutching a mirror in one hand and the Ten Fist Sword in the other, the solid muscle contours of his body indicated that he used the sword for more than just a magic artifact.

The power of the Grand Yin Yang Master within the Gamma Rank might not necessarily be the strongest, but he himself was the religious leader of Sky Ring, not to be viewed merely as one man’s action, but as all the Onmyojis of Sky Ring declaring war on Li Aozi.

Abe Tadayuki did not rush his attack. His detestable triangular eyes gleamed with shrewdness. As the army of evil ghosts poured into the city like a tide, slowly transforming the Nine Dragons Gathering venue into a city of evil ghosts, he began to speak unhurriedly, his voice directly resonating in Li Aozi’s heart:

"Lord Aozi, I believe you have not been poorly received by Sky Ring."

Despite appearing middle-aged, Li Aozi knew that this man’s heart and lung organs were mostly sacrificed to a great monster, granting him the power to command thousands of evil ghosts.

Unlike Duke Gamos, who, as a Shaman, amassed power over centuries, Abe Tadayuki, as a Soul Binder, leaned more towards the mental realm. He was not just making conversation; he aimed to interfere with Li Aozi’s thinking through superior psychology.

[Abe Tadayuki has released [Psychological Suggestion: Guilt] at you. An [Will] attribute check is initiated...]

Hearing the other’s argument, Li Aozi subconsciously felt humiliated, especially under the watchful eyes of all, with drones apparently broadcasting live from the sky, as if the whole world witnessed his broken promises.

[Specialty [Arbitrary Execution] Triggered.]

[Checking... Your main attribute [Charm] utterly overwhelms the target.]

[You are immune to this attack.]

Li Aozi shrugged indifferently:

"So what? You people of Sky Ring are no saints either, discriminating against Arcane Awakeners while conducting human experiments on them."

"Your slander doesn’t surprise me, but such blatant lies are quite laughable. Has nobody taught you to respect local customs when you’re abroad?"

Abe Tadayuki’s words were laced with disappointment and mockery, desperately trying to provoke a sense of guilt within Li Aozi:

"Because of your actions, 500 million of our citizens now live under the shadow of terrorism. Isn’t that outrageous? It was the people of Sky Ring Country who supported Grante’s independence; it was Sky Ring’s diplomats who righteously protected you when you exposed Frost Plated’s wicked experiments—And you, Li Aozi, is this how you repay the people of Sky Ring? Even if you’re incapable of fulfilling your obligations, shouldn’t at least have the basic decency to feel grateful?"

[Charm overwhelming. Check passed.]

[You are immune to this attack.]

"I’m freaking grateful to your mother for twisted dough strips. Anyone can say those words, but Sky Ring has no right to."

Li Aozi spat out an insult:

"If you want to fight, then let’s fight. Don’t stand there making empty threats. You can’t outtalk me anyway, and besides, with a surname like yours, it’s a given you’d get sprayed with spit."

"What a pity, I thought we could understand each other." Abe Tadayuki shook his head slightly, showing no dissatisfaction with Li Aozi’s blunt response. On the contrary, Sky Ring’s stance towards Li Aozi from the beginning was ’try to win him over’.

Sky Ring was beset with internal problems and external threats, facing challenges from organizations like the Red Squad within and longing for revenge from the North by the Red Arrow Empire. The pressing issue should be to take advantage of the Red Arrow Empire’s interest hike period to harvest foreign exchange from around the world, launch a major invasion of Frost Plated, seize key resources, and distract from the growing internal strife.

Li Aozi’s identity was too sensitive—he originated from Frost Plated, was a descendant of refugees from Outer World, a citizen of the Red Arrow Empire, and also traded with Azure Star. Even the Grante matter was a task commissioned to Li Aozi by Sky Ring.

If Li Aozi wanted to attack Sky Ring, he just needed to pass on some details of Grante’s independence process to Frost Plated, and Frost Plated could claim ’sovereignty erosion’ to seek international support and impose sanctions on Sky Ring.

Sky Ring found itself in a difficult position. On the one hand, they truly did not want Li Aozi to cause a scene and then leave noisily to win a reputation afterward—that would be too damaging. For one of the Four Nations known for its martial force, even if the upper echelons agreed, would the people consent?

If they could not stabilize the mood of the grassroots citizens, the current economic climate suggested that things could go wrong.

So, could Li Aozi be killed?

Not necessarily, but best not to. Li Aozi was a legitimate citizen of the Red Arrow Empire with a green card. At this critical juncture, Sky Ring’s main forces should be concentrated on invading Frost Plated, not on starting a decisive battle with the haughty Red Arrow Empire. Otherwise, it would only benefit Azure Star and Frost Plated to gain from another’s misery.

After all, there were plenty of nations with nuclear weapons. When two behemoths were locked in battle, who would care about the smaller countries taking advantage of the situation?

The Four Nations were not ready to become the Azure Star Federation, at least not now.

But this approach was not viable for the Red Arrow Empire.

Abe Tadayuki intentionally arrived several minutes early for fear that the four Gamma Rank powerhouses would kill Li Aozi and not even leave dregs behind.

Li Aozi should not be killed, for they do not want to provoke conflict with the Empire.

The purpose of the Red Arrow Empire is revenge and for this cause, they care not about the future importance of this planet. Without Sky Ring, Frost Plated, and Zhengxu, it is crucial for them.

The attitude of Abe Tadayuki was very apparent, he tried to make Li Aozi bow his head voluntarily out of inner shame. By doing this while everyone hadn’t yet arrived, he could then claim, ’It is because I am the Grand Yin Yang Master, skilled and physically superior, that I subdued Li Aozi, making him sincerely repent.’

In this way, it was just a matter of damaging some pride. Li Aozi could also have his life spared under the pretext of ’deportation’, giving an explanation to those narrow-minded, mentally disturbed Imperial citizens.

This is politics.

Why am I able to become a high-ranking leader in Sky Ring despite not being strong among those of the Gamma Rank? Politics is about relationships, skilled maneuvering, and far-sighted planning. As long as you’re not my enemy, you’re my friend.

Logically, with the intelligence of someone like Li Aozi, he could not possibly fail to understand the subtext of my words.

However, Li Aozi’s firm attitude greatly disappointed him, even leaving him somewhat perplexed.

"I left you a way out, but you turned away and ignored it. What a pity. There could have been understanding between us, humans. I thought our bond could transcend the divide between our two countries. Now it seems, I was too wishful in my thinking."

Abe Tadayuki spoke flawlessly, shifting the responsibility completely:

"Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being harsh. To disrupt the sacrifice—that is the Ring King, a sovereign for all eternity. You have violated his rites, and sooner or later, the Dragon God will send down divine punishment."

"Who cares about you, you’re just a G7+1."

Li Aozi looked disdainful as his gaze swept across the white flag with a red ring fluttering in the wind—that was the emblem of the Ring King, an insignia representing an eternal lineage, as well as the national flag of Sky Ring.

But it was not the flag of the people of Sky Ring.

"Your king and god are both the abandoned children of the era, but it’s okay, your people will shatter your old dreams by their own hands."

Just then, a system message popped up:

[You have triggered a side mission—"Black Sun Rising"]

[Type]: Battle/Revolution

[Time Limit]: 3 hours

[Mission Difficulty]: S

[Introduction]:

Did you see sunrise?

(Did you see the sunrise?)

Black shining sadness

(Shining with black sadness)

Tell me, tell me

(Tell me, tell me)

Why was it born?

(Why was it born?)

"The Ring of the Heavens is a shackle, a dog collar around the people’s necks! The old men wage wars, the magnates make a fortune, yet the poor young men are sent to die on the battlefield!"

The black sun rises, and the revolutionaries shout loudly, and the hills and fields will respond to their call:

"No longer can they take away our fate, freedom, and property. Let the kings and Dragon Gods of old kneel, for we should be the masters of this country!"

"Unite! We must fight! We may lose our lives, but what we will gain is a freedom and happiness we’ve never known before!"

"For the new world, we will shatter all the chains of today!"

[Settlement Conditions]:

A. "Backwater Battle"—The Red Squad, represented by the Narrow Space Mirror, has already launched an attack on Shiratori Town Prison. Your task is to ensure that no Gamma Rank can intervene in quelling the uprising in the short term. Reward: Skill [Barbaric Trample].

B. "To the New World"—By any means necessary, shock the people of Sky Ring Country into realizing who their enemies are. Reward: The progress of Shock must reach 80%, and a random Omega-level Arcane Energy will be awarded.