Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 627 - 242. Clear Sky Ring

Chapter 627: 242. Clear Sky Ring

As he spoke, he removed the white armband, tied it on his head, drew his tachi, and revealed a determined gaze:

"Our lives are inherently meaningless. It was His Majesty the Ring King who gave us work and status, making us warriors distinct from the civilians. Our lives exist for this very purpose. Life is but a fleeting dream; only in death on the battlefield do we truly live!"

"Come on, soldiers! The decisive moment has arrived! Do not think about who the enemy is. We are warriors of the deities, samurai of the Heavenly Kingdom. This country is ours to protect!"

"Long live!"

He shouted loudly, finally rousing the soldiers’ will. They looked up at his figure, and the samurai felt a thrill in his heart: "Yes, that’s right! Fight! We must keep fighting! Without a fight, we cannot survive!"

Bam!

As soon as he finished speaking, the large door behind him suddenly swung open. Li Aozi flung the corpse of the Gamma Rank Grand Yin Yang Master inside, clapped his hands, and looked at them, curiously asking:

"Is that so?"

"That’s... Abe... Grand... Grand Yin Yang Master Abe?"

"Impossible! He’s Gamma Rank!"

"He killed a Gamma Rank master, and his hands are still clean—"

The soldiers, whose courage had just been bolstered, fell back into despair and panic. The samurai’s pupils contracted. He never imagined that one of Sky Ring Country’s most formidable figures, the Grand Yin Yang Master, would be killed so easily like a lab mouse, his neck brutally twisted, his body lifeless and discarded here.

This is simply... simply...

"Enough talk."

Li Aozi put one hand behind his back, his eyes glowing with blue Arcane Energy, and said faintly:

"Time to choose quickly."

Swords fell to the ground.

"Will you submit to me,"

Helmets and prosthetics were voluntarily removed.

"Or will you die here?"

The samurai looked around. Even though countless soldiers discarded their armor and prostrated themselves before the man as if worshipping a deity, he had no intention of kneeling and begging for mercy.

Furthermore, several others felt the same as he did.

His heart filled with both sorrow and comfort. He raised his tachi, a prized sword with a golden guard named ’Gyokuza Maru,’ the highest honor a Sky Ring Warrior could achieve.

Facing the godlike man, the samurai shouted loudly:

"I will create a future together with my companions!"

"So will I! Even if we face gods, what of it? We live to slay them!"

"Never underestimate our bonds!"

"Let him see what the people of Sky Ring are capable of!"

The samurai shouted in unison and charged at Li Aozi with their swords drawn.

"Attack!"

Ping—

Li Aozi snapped his fingers.

[Sequence 9: Gravity]

In the blink of an eye, the charging samurai fell to their knees, their spines pierced the floor like spikes. With a beckon of his hand, Li Aozi pulled their bodies together in a heap.

He walked forward slowly and casually pointed his finger.

[Sequence 56: Waning Moon]

The heap of Sky Ring warriors was instantly flattened. Their skins and organs were transformed into a thin layer, spread out on the ground like slides in a glass dish, each inch of their bodies clearly visible.

Without taking their lives, Li Aozi tossed out cards from the Monolith Church.

No need to say more, soon he would have a new batch of followers.

Humans are such creatures; when faced with an unbeatable existence, they either rise to the challenge, viewing the opponent as a rival to grow stronger and challenge tirelessly, or they are utterly conquered and begin to admire their captor, becoming captives in every sense.

At this point, Qiong’anjing was officially liberated.

The Congress Building had been cleared out.

Li Aozi immediately contacted Gretto:

"This should be the last of Qiong’anjing’s armed forces, Gretto."

"Thank you very much for your assistance, Mr. Isaac Maxim. Please convey my regards to Li Aozi. Without your help, these tasks would have come at a great sacrifice."

Gretto Yegg, on the other end of the line, appeared even more mature and steady than two years ago. He smiled and then turned serious:

"Although the Red Squad now controls the capital, Qiong’anjing, the military, financial magnates, and noble families across Sky Ring remain formidable. Besides the Republican Faction represented by the Red Squad, many still aspire to become the rulers of this nation."

"What do you think about this?" Li Aozi asked curiously: "Given the current situation in Sky Ring, if a unified government is not formed, it will definitely lead to factional wars and territorial splits. Sky Ring already has many conquered regions, and if you can’t make them submit, I can help..."

"No! There’s no need for that."

Gretto quickly declined.

The Battle of Qiong’anjing had lasted only 18 minutes for complete liberation. To put it bluntly, it took less time than a constipated person spends in the restroom.

Isaac had no regard for another nation, whether it was Houjo Heavy Industries or whatever. Using Waning Moon to create a Dimensional Barrier, then randomly smashing things with Sequential Arcane Energy, the economic losses amounted to astronomical figures.

Who dared to let Isaac, this walking catastrophe, stay any longer? If he continued, what remained would be a scorched earth, comparatively making the Outer World seem like a developed region.

"This is ultimately a matter for the people of Sky Ring. Even if it leads to a civil war, it is something we must experience."

Gretto spoke tactfully. Relying on foreigners to win a war would inevitably be seen as illegitimate, lacking legal justification.

"I will consolidate the army, and Narrow Space Mirror will help reform the Red Squad into Sky Ring’s own military. Only then will the people support us, and only then can our cause continue."

Gretto shared his vision with Li Aozi:

"So far, we’ve only broken the chains around the necks of Sky Ring people, but the chains in their hearts remain. To make them truly become ’people of Sky Ring,’ rather than ’people of the Ring,’ requires comprehensive changes in the economy, education, and culture. Of course, not all factions support our progress; there are still those who endorse monarchy, theocracy, and plutocracy. Our army was established to oppose these individuals..."

Gretto was not entirely politically inexperienced. He proposed many ways to govern the nation, such as establishing a republican government with rotating party leadership to avoid much bloodshed, or reorganizing the council to provide appropriate seats based on regional populations.

As Li Aozi listened, he glanced at Gretto’s attributes and saw that Gretto indeed had a political occupation—[Prime Minister].

However, his level was low, only level 5, and his main interest groups were [Intellectuals] and [Military], with more support from the former due to his background as a doctor, which garnered higher recognition among intellectuals.

Conversely, the support from citizens, landlords, capitalists, industrialists, entrepreneurs, workers, and farmers, was low.

After all, the leader of the Sky Ring Red Brigade was Mirror of the Narrow Space, currently acting as the nominal president. But in reality, Mirror only managed the army, while internal affairs and ideological guidance were handled by Gretto Yegg.

Gretto Yegg was a unique individual, unlike David Lyn who controlled a nation through military might, or Crown Prince Rudolf who expertly cultivated and utilized nationalism for his benefit. Gretto was an idealist, someone whom Li Aozi propped up, lacking political foundation and manpower.

Securing his position firmly would be a significant challenge for Gretto.

Li Aozi pondered for a moment and said:

"Extra questions are not something I should ask. Civilization requires everyone’s struggle to find a path. I have completed what Mr. Li Aozi entrusted me with; the rest is up to your people."

Gretto was somewhat surprised. When Isaac first approached him, he had thought Li Aozi would use this opportunity to coerce him, perhaps turning Sky Ring into a puppet government for Li Aozi’s personal gain.

But unexpectedly, neither Isaac, with his catastrophic power, nor Li Aozi, far away in the stars, was interested in such matters.

"May I ask a bold question... Mr. Isaac, what exactly is your power? Although you are only at the Alpha stage, you can unleash such terrifying destructive force; it’s almost as if..."

"A god."

Li Aozi smiled knowingly:

"Consider Li Aozi a deity who bestows power upon me."

"A god..."

"Mr. Gretto, I must remind you, gods in the Starry Abyss are not entities used to explain impossible phenomena or lead spiritual realms in metaphysics as we understand."

Li Aozi spread his hands and said:

"In the Starry Abyss, gods are pathways people pursue for supernatural excellence, ultimate morality, or truth."

"The era of deities dominating people in the Starry Abyss has long ended."

"Now, it’s time to harness divine power for our grand narrative!"

"Grand narrative?"

Gretto clenched his fists, his eyes glittering with determination, and praised:

"I prefer that term over country or society."

"Lord Entropy has confined us for five hundred years, but the myth of the Ring King has ruled us for seventeen hundred years!"

"Yes, what we recount is no longer the death of kings and legends of heroes, but the narrative of the people of Sky Ring."

The seed of this narrative was already sown.

Li Aozi’s lips curled into a smile.

The existence of the White Obelisk provided the prerequisites, David Lyn’s early rise accelerated the reforms for Frost Plated. If Sky Ring’s secularization and republicanism succeeded, he would have sufficient conditions at hand.

These changes could not be achieved by his power alone but required the collective effort of countless people, the diligent execution of a competent government, and no mistakes from leaders like Gretto, David Lyn, and Rudolf.

The civilization of humanity was destined to achieve glorious unification.

Li Aozi put away the communicator and looked at the achievement notifications popping up on his panel, shrugging.

"Indeed, despite my nationality changing randomly, I still desire a narrative of my own."