52: Weapon Upgrades

'Not good!'

Jia Gu Yi Yan remembered that there were civilians hiding in the buildings on both sides.

He swiftly pursued it at extreme speed!

His speed was completely incomparable to that monster's!

Even though he was caught off guard and momentarily blocked by the tree roots, he was still able to make a comeback and catch up!

Jia Gu Yi Yan's breathing changed, and for the first time in his armor form, he activated the [Basic Breathing Technique].

In an instant, his breathing became incredibly hot, as if there was a fire burning in his chest, and his heart pounded rapidly like a pump, transporting the power of the flames throughout his body.

The Fire Finch Armor also lit up accordingly.

If it was like burning charcoal before, now it was like glowing embers fanned by a bellows, about to burst into flames at any moment!

"Fire Finch Armor, Blazing Form!"

Whoosh!

The flowing wind was torn apart by the explosive flames, and Jia Gu Yi Yan's body completely transformed into a fiery phantom, rushing towards the monster.

Just then, thick tree roots once again broke through the ground, crushing the walls of the buildings, and blocked Jia Gu Yi Yan's path.

Jia Gu Yi Yan slightly bent down at extreme speed, drew his blade, and slashed!

In an instant, the thick wooden roots blocking his path were incinerated into ash by the fiery blade.

Jia Gu Yi Yan dared not stop, slashing out again at the fastest speed.

However, it was already too late.

Looking at the monster in front of him, he could only unleash his powerful blade strike into the wall beside it.

At this moment, the monster was holding a woman by the neck with one hand, lifting her into mid-air.

"Wuwu..."

The woman struggled violently, but could only let out a terrified, pained whimper.

"Can you tell me your true identity now?"

The monster looked at Jia Gu Yi Yan and spoke again.

"I'm not some savior, sacrificing my life for a stranger."

"A mere hostage can't threaten me."

Jia Gu Yi Yan gripped his blade and pulled out a white card.

"Clack!"

"Ah ah ah!!"

The monster didn't hesitate at all and directly broke the woman's wrist.

"Bastard!"

Jia Gu Yi Yan angrily took a step forward, and the card in his hand was inserted into the Fire Finch Blade's card slot.

"Equipment Upgrade!"

Clack!

[Fire Finch Blade F → Fire Finch Blade E!]

Flames quickly enveloped the entire blade, and the blade became wider and thicker.

The Fire Finch on the blade guard also seemed to unfurl its tail feathers, like wisps of hanging flames, spreading into the blade itself.

Its closed eyes also opened, like a jewel formed from fire.

"Now do you think I still wouldn't dare to kill her?"

The monster's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"Fire Finch, this armor is too much of an eyesore for me, even more than that Light Armor."

"However, your weakness is indeed the same as 'Light'."

"Both are so incredibly foolish."

Jia Gu Yi Yan remained silent, but his blade slowly activated, and the armor on his body reignited.

"Your ability isn't omnipotent."

"After a few experiments in the recent battle, I've confirmed that the attacks I inflict on you aren't immediately reflected back to me."

"There's a momentary delay."

Jia Gu Yi Yan stated his judgment.

"That's indeed the case."

"Do you want to try to kill me within that momentary delay, so the attack can't be reflected back to you in time?"

Jia Gu Yi Yan's judgment seemed to amuse the monster.

"In that case, you'll have to use all your strength and unleash your strongest strike."

"If you can't seize that momentary delay, all the attacks will be reflected back to yourself."

"Do you want to gamble your life with me?"

The monster was very willing for Jia Gu Yi Yan to gamble his life with him.

If he could exchange this monster's body for the life of the Second Generation Summoner and the Summoner itself, it would be too worthwhile.

"Not just that, you bastard."

"I'll also kill you before you can crush this woman's neck."

"Listen to me, the moment your finger moves, you'll die."

Jia Gu Yi Yan gripped the Fire Finch Blade, extended a finger with one hand, and pointed at the monster's face.

The temperature of the entire space continued to rise, and both of them came to a standstill.

'This guy is really gambling his life.'

'For this ordinary human he doesn't even know.'

'Too foolish.'

The monster looked at Jia Gu Yi Yan in front of him.

And Jia Gu Yi Yan suddenly moved, without any warning.

One second he was still holding his blade in one hand and pointing at himself with the other, looking arrogant.

The next second he vanished like a sudden burst of flame, like an exploding firework.

He clearly hadn't moved his finger yet.

"Idiot, do you really believe I'd wait for you to move your finger?"

"Of course, I'll strike with all my might when you're unprepared!"

A voice sounded from behind him.

Then, starting from the monster's arm that was gripping the woman's neck, fine, hair-like scratches appeared.

Blood seeped from the scratches, spreading continuously.

Until they covered the monster's entire body.

Whoosh!

The monster's body instantly disintegrated into countless pieces of flesh, scattering across the ground.

The Fire Finch Armor's flame form, combined with the upgraded Fire Finch Blade, revealed the Fire Finch Armor's extreme speed at this moment.

But even so...

Jia Gu Yi Yan swayed and fell against the nearby wall, his burning armor also returning to its dim state.

Beneath the armor, numerous dense lacerations appeared on his skin, seeping blood.

His attack just now started by slashing the monster's arm, not by immediately striking its head.

Therefore, he didn't kill the monster instantly.

Before killing the monster, a portion of the attack was still reflected back onto him.

"..."

Jia Gu Yi Yan glanced at the woman on the ground, confirming that she was only unconscious and not dead.

He then squatted down and roughly reset her broken arm bone.

Then he pulled out [Potion F] and inserted it into his Summoner.

"Potion F."

Clack!

A syringe of Potion F appeared in his palm, which he then injected into the woman's arm, fully administering it.

Only then did he pull out a blank card and collect the monster crystal floating in the air into it.

On the blank card that had absorbed the monster crystal, the full image of this monster appeared.

...

"It hurts so much, damn it!"

Jia Gu Yi Yan was currently wrapped in bandages all over his body, lying in the medical room, crying out in pain.

"So, behind this monster, there's an even more powerful mysterious monster hidden."

"It knows First Generation, and it's very likely the monster that killed First Generation, wanting to obtain the Summoner."

"I said I'm in so much pain!"

White Feather ignored Jia Gu Yi Yan and instead fell into deep thought.

"Brother Yan, I brought you a gift this time, you'll definitely like it!"

On the other side of the hospital bed was Chen Xuan from the Monster Countermeasures Squad, who was Jia Gu Yi Yan's partner on their last mission together.

"Thanks, what kind of gift is it?"

"Official physical merchandise of Armored Warrior! I got a pre-release version through special channels!"

"..."

Chen Xuan took out a box.

The cover was printed with large characters:

Strongest Light Armor · Legend.

Below the large characters was an image of the Light Armor, looking majestic and powerful.

"...Anyway, thanks."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very good at giving gifts?"