152: One toast to tomorrow, one toast to death!

"In the name of the command spells—"

"Saber, let me pour a cup for you!"

Boom!

Before the words had even faded, one of the command spells on Zhang Ruoxu's hand instantly vanished.

A massive, unreasonably powerful torrent of crimson magical energy erupted from Zhang Ruoxu's body. Ignoring the barriers of space, it was sucked into Li Bai's body like a whale swallowing water, who was currently bound like a zongzi by golden chains a hundred meters away.

"Hahaha! The one who knows me best is indeed Master Zhang!"

Having been suppressed for so long, Li Bai threw his head back and laughed wildly. Where was the slightest hint of embarrassment from being bound in that laughter?

The golden chains that had been tightly wound around his limbs, representing the concept of "Freedom from Fear," now let out a groan as if they were being overwhelmed.

The seemingly ordinary wine gourd at Li Bai's waist flew up on its own, its stopper popped off, and a clear stream of wine fell precisely into his mouth like the Milky Way hanging upside down.

Personal Skill—[Immortal in Wine: B], Activate!

As the wine entered his heroic gut, seven parts brewed into moonlight, and the remaining three parts howled into sword qi.

Li Bai's eyes instantly became blurred yet fanatical. Under the dual stimulation of alcohol and the command spells, his magic circuits—originally suppressed by Roosevelt's "new deal" territory—surged wildly like a river bursting its banks.

"When one is successful in life, one must enjoy oneself to the fullest; do not let the golden goblet face the moon in vain!"

Li Bai didn't perform any fancy moves; he simply flicked his wrist and flourished his sword.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The crisp sound of snapping echoed across the plaza.

The four golden chains bound to his limbs were severed inch by inch by green sword light appearing out of thin air the moment he recited the poem, dissipating into the air as golden specks.

Outside the Mirror World, the bullet chat on the global live stream exploded after a brief pause.

"So that's how command spells are used? Full HP and MP plus buffs?"

"Zhang Ruoxu's play was so smooth. Showing weakness before activating cheats—is this the wisdom of an old schemer... oh no, an old immortal?"

"Li Bai: I'll just have one sip, really just one. And then... I'm paying the tab for the whole field!"

On his wheelchair, Roosevelt's deep, lion-like eyes wavered for the first time.

He felt it—the previously casual poet across from him now had his danger level maxed out, turning into a peerless, unsheathed weapon of slaughter.

"Evan, fall back and defend!"

Evan Cross, who was about to deliver a finishing blow to Zhang Ruoxu, did not hesitate.

As a top-tier special forces soldier, executing orders was an instinct carved into his bones.

The exoskeleton engine roared as he backstepped and slid rapidly, instantly blocking the path in front of Roosevelt's wheelchair.

In an instant.

Li Bai held his sword with one hand. The three-foot-long "green lotus sword" now flickered with a hundred-zhang-long green edge, pointing straight at the sky.

His body swayed, seemingly drunk yet not, but his recitation sounded like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the skies of the mirrored Washington.

"Do you not see—"

With just those three characters, the air current across the entire National Mall froze. The originally calm surface of the Reflecting Pool erupted, and countless water droplets suspended in mid-air were imbued with sword intent, turning into lethal steel balls.

"The waters of the Yellow River come from the heavens, rushing to the sea, never to return!!!"

Rumble—!!!

The global audience forgot to breathe at this moment.

The void above Li Bai's head suddenly split open. It wasn't just simple sword qi; it was the true "materialization of artistic conception."

A "Yellow River" formed by billions of green sword beams actually poured down from the highest heavens!

That majestic momentum carried a sense of determination and tragedy, like "time passing like a river," intending to wash away all obstacles in its path.

First Noble Phantasm—[Green Lotus Sword Song: bring in the wine], fully unleashed!

Roosevelt's face was as grim as water, but he did not panic.

As the leader who once led the free world against fascism, the word "retreat" did not exist in his dictionary.

He slammed his hands together, fingers interlaced, as if constructing an indestructible line of defense.

"Four Freedoms!"

Speech, worship, Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear.

The four golden light shields originally floating around him instantly merged, transforming into a giant light screen dozens of meters high, standing between him and Evan.

Engraved upon the light screen were countless constitutional articles and prayers of the people; it was the ultimate defensive form of the concept of "Freedom."

In the next second, the green "Yellow River" and the golden "Wall of Freedom" slammed into each other.

Zzz—!!!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the ear-grating sound of energy annihilation.

Two completely different civilizational concepts clashed frantically at this moment.

Li Bai's long hair danced wildly, his eyes erupting with blinding divine light. He raised his cup again and recited the final line of this eternal masterpiece, which was also the one with the strongest killing intent:

"And together with you, dissolve—the sorrows of ten thousand ages!!!"

Crack... a faint but clear sound of fracturing appeared on the golden light screen that was claimed to be an absolute defense.

Roosevelt's pupils dilated instantly.

Immediately after, cracks spread frantically like a spiderweb.

Boom!!!

The golden light screen shattered completely.

The violent river of sword qi, like a flood bursting a dam, instantly submerged the figure sitting in the wheelchair and the loyal guard standing before him.

A three-meter-deep layer of ground was forcibly shaved off the plaza in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Dust blotted out the sun, and the terrifying energy storm even made the Capitol Hill several kilometers away tremble.

"Did we win?"

"That power... is this the Nuclear Bomb Sword Immortal?"

"After this strike, I bet Lincoln would jump out of his chair and start clapping."

In the Huaxia live stream room, the bullet chat had gone mad.

The elegance of this sword strike satisfied every Huaxian's ultimate fantasy of the words "Sword Immortal."

However, when the dust settled.

The once tidy and majestic plaza had turned into a field of ruins.

In the center of the ruins, a hemispherical energy shield was still flickering with a faint light, but it was on the verge of breaking.

Under the shield.

Evan Cross was on one knee. The tactical exoskeleton on his body, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, was completely ruined, turning into scrap metal hanging off him.

His tactical vest was shredded, his chest covered in dense, tiny sword scars, and blood stained his camouflage uniform.

And behind him.

Although Roosevelt wasn't heavily injured, the armrest of his wheelchair had snapped. His previously composed air of controlling everything was shattered, and his face was as pale as paper.

That strike just now had shattered more than just the defense; it had broken his "new deal" territory, naturally causing a significant backlash.

"It was blocked... what a tough turtle shell."

Li Bai breathed slightly, the light of the green lotus sword in his hand dimming a bit.

This was the side effect of the [Immortal in Wine] state: after the outburst, there must be weakness.

"Truly worthy of being the hegemon of that era."

Zhang Ruoxu had retreated to Li Bai's side at some point, holding a few copper coins in his hand, his expression solemn.

Evan Cross slowly raised his head. In those hawk-like eyes, there was no pain, only a more pure fighting spirit.

He glanced at the pale Roosevelt behind him, then looked down at the back of his own right hand, at the three command spells composed of eagle wings and stars.

"Is this what they call an 'Immortal'? Truly powerful, powerful enough to destroy an armored division."

Evan's voice was hoarse and cold. He slowly raised his right hand, and without any hesitation, the three command spells instantly lit up.

"But you seem to have forgotten that standing before you is the architect of the most powerful nation on this planet."

"In the name of the command spells!"

"For America, Archer! Please show this world the nation of your ideals!!"