Chapter 211: Leftover Food on Face

The thick Purple Light Shield was covered in cracks but had not actually shattered, firmly protecting Rhode within it.

This kind of Purple Light Shield was similar to the light membrane of the Titan Colonization Armor. However, the one on Rhode was definitely not powered by an Amethyst Core, but rather by Derivative Amethyst Technology.

Nevertheless, precisely because of this, the energy barrier around him was incredibly thick.

Rhode looked terrible. With his Crystal Overlay ability and his Advanced Amethyst Armor, he had thought this battle would be a guaranteed victory. Instead, it had devolved into this current state.

"The intelligence data is vastly outdated. This guy's strength is far beyond our expectations," Rhode cursed his organization's intelligence division under his breath. The opponent's actual strength did not match their files in the slightest.

Even one of the B-Class Lifeforms he brought along had been killed, severely weakening his overall combat power.

If anything happened to the remaining B-Class Lifeforms, he would truly be in grave danger.

And Li Yu had exactly that intention. He never stopped moving. Having long since locked onto a B-Class Amethyst Being, he moved with the thunderous roar of a sonic boom, leaving trails of spreading purplish-red electric arcs in the air.

Naturally, Rhode could not just sit by and watch Li Yu attack his men. The mechanical components of his Advanced Amethyst Armor vibrated, spiderweb cracks spread across the ground, and he launched himself forward.

The Power of the Cube flickered incessantly as deep blue electric arcs emerged. Energy was extracted at high speeds, assembling an Electromagnetic Cannon Turret. But this was only the beginning.

Hum—

The very next second, a continuous, deafening roar echoed from the sky high above!

Rhode violently jerked his head upward.

Five deep blue beams of electric arcs crashed down from above at an unbelievable speed.

These deep blue beams of light were all electromagnetic cannons. The Splinter Deployment Armor had constructed five Small Electromagnetic Cannon turrets in an impossibly short time, each energy beam measuring nearly fifteen feet in diameter!

Rhode's pupils contracted sharply.

He only had enough time to manifest his Amethyst Shield before the five electromagnetic energy cannons violently crashed down!

Boom!!

A deafening explosion swept in all directions!

Relentless shockwaves of gale-force winds blew away absolutely everything in the vicinity.

The native marauders in the distance were left completely stunned. A battle of this magnitude far exceeded their realm of comprehension.

A blinding blue mushroom cloud of electric arcs soared into the sky, washing out the entire field of vision in a stark, blinding white.

Firing five Electromagnetic Cannon Turrets was the current limit of the Titan Colonization Armor. Otherwise, there simply would not be enough energy to support firing them all simultaneously!

The electric arc mushroom cloud continued to expand and rise with terrifying momentum, blasting a massive crater into the ground.

Li Yu did not delay. The thrusters on his Titan Colonization Armor violently flared, and he closed in on a B-Class Amethyst Being.

The opponent's expression changed drastically as he scrambled to block. However, having already channeled the majority of his power to Rhode, he had almost no capacity to resist the fiercely approaching Li Yu.

The Ship-breaking Blade effortlessly tore through the weakened Amethyst Shield in front of the opponent's body, turning him into a soul under the blade.

Rhode continuously reinforced his Amethyst Shield, neutralizing a massive amount of the electromagnetic assault. This single strike was not enough to severely injure him. Furthermore, since the five electromagnetic beams were scattered in their attack, the kinetic force was naturally unfocused, wasting a great deal of destructive power.

The greatest outcome of this attack was allowing Li Yu to kill yet another Amethyst Being, weakening Rhode's forces even further.

Figuring it was about time, Li Yu decided not to give Rhode any room to breathe and immediately pursued him into the crater.

Rhode and his shield had been blasted deep into the dirt. Only the top half of the hemispherical purple energy barrier remained visible. It was riddled with cracks, standing out starkly amidst the floating blue electric arcs and clouds of dust.

Boom—

Right at that moment, Rhode violently snapped his head up. His mask had shattered, revealing a contorted face. A trail of blood trickled down his forehead, and his eyes overflowed with murderous intent.

As if he had anticipated Li Yu's pursuit all along, the mechanical hand of his Advanced Amethyst Armor reached up, clawing toward Li Yu. Surrounding purple light interlaced into a massive net, descending upon his opponent.

Both men had abundant combat experience. In the exact moment he was struck by the electromagnetic bombardment, Rhode had predicted Li Yu's next likely move.

While resisting the attack, he had conveniently set a trap. The giant amethyst net was designed specifically to snare Li Yu.

However, in the very next moment, Li Yu's figure suddenly vanished, and the giant amethyst net was torn completely open.

Whoosh—

Less than three feet behind him, a sudden gust of wind whistled past. Rhode's sharp perception screamed that someone had just appeared directly at his back.

'How is he this fast?!' Rhode's expression shifted drastically. Before he could even turn around, a massive hand clad in white gauntlet armor clamped over the back of his head. The energy shield, already on the verge of collapsing, instantly shattered.

An irresistible force erupted. With a heavy thud, he was smashed face-first into the dirt.

The right arm of the Titan Colonization Armor acted like a pile driver equipped with heavy-duty springs, unleashing strikes so brutal that Rhode could barely endure them.

Furthermore, the blue light of energy overflowed from within the Titan Colonization Armor, surging wildly and converging entirely on that single arm.

Boom, boom, boom—

The chain of energy blasts rattled Rhode's brain into a chaotic mess. Stripped of all resistance, he was forced to obediently endure Li Yu's torrential assault. His entire body convulsed uncontrollably as he was hammered relentlessly.

Even after the energy discharge concluded, Rhode remained severely disoriented. Before he could recover, Li Yu silently and decisively pushed the Titan Colonization Armor straight into its Overload State.

Raising his arms high, blinding energy gathered around both fists, surging with purplish-red electric arcs.

In the next instant, both fists violently smashed down!

Bam!!

Spiderweb-like lightning exploded outward. The bottom of the crater shattered with fresh fissures, unleashing a deafening boom!

Li Yu put absolutely everything into this strike. With the enhancement of his Lone Wolf ability paired with the Titan Colonization Armor's Overload State, the destructive power was simply terrifying!

Crack!

Despite the deafening roar of the impact, Li Yu could clearly hear the sickening crunch of Rhode's bones snapping beneath him.

Li Yu maintained a cold, composed expression, showing no mercy whatsoever. He grabbed Rhode by the throat. Stabilizers assembled from his feet, locking tightly into the earth to reinforce his stance.

Twisting his body forcefully, he hurled Rhode like a shot put. The exact moment Rhode left his grip, a visible ring-shaped shockwave burst through the air.

Whoosh—

Rhode launched straight out like a cannonball, instantly flying out of the area covered by the electric arcs. The distance widened rapidly until he nearly vanished from sight.

However, the assault was far from over!

As Rhode flew far into the distance, the horizon lit up once more with five blue beams of light.

A second electromagnetic volley!

Rumble—

A second sea of electric arcs spread outwards.

The shockwave arrived right on schedule. With the stabilizers on his legs planted deep into the ground, Li Yu held his posture firmly, remaining entirely unmoved by the blast.

With a flick of Li Yu's wrist, countless mechanical arms emerged from the back of the Titan Colonization Armor, rapidly assembling into a vast array of ranged cannons and firearms.

Boom, boom, boom—

Multi-colored pillars of energy crossed the immense distance, striking the target zone and setting off a chain of violent, unceasing explosions.

Rhode's Adjutant watched this scene unfold, his heart gripped by profound horror. This was simply too cruel. The sequence of actions was as smooth as flowing water, executed without a single shred of hesitation.

Although his previous combo had looked incredibly impressive, Li Yu reckoned his opponent was still alive. He prepared to press the advantage and pursue him once more.

At that moment, Rhode's figure suddenly burst out from the sea of electric arcs. Launching into the air, he bolted in another direction at top speed, trailing a long streak of residual purple energy behind him.

'Is this guy trying to shatter my Splinter Deployment Armor?'

Li Yu's eyes narrowed. Activating his thrusters, he soared upward to intercept him.

"Damn it..." Rhode glanced at the rapidly approaching Li Yu, gritting his teeth in fury.

He was heavily injured. His right arm hung limply, and his neck was twisted at an unnatural angle. The entire right side of his body had been severely battered by Li Yu.

His arm bones were shattered, and he honestly did not know if he had any unbroken ribs left.

His chest and back burned with agonizing pain. His physical condition was abysmal, and he was currently relying entirely on his armor's life support system for rapid medical treatment.

It had been a very, very long time since he had suffered such grievous wounds. At this moment, he felt a mix of shock and rage—shock at Li Yu's overwhelming strength, and rage at allowing himself to be injured so terribly.

Despite being heavily wounded and furious, Rhode still maintained a sliver of rationality. He planned to dismantle the weapon that continuously fired electromagnetic cannons. Only then would he stand a chance at turning the fight around.

From Li Yu's perspective, the mechanical arms on his back took turns firing, attempting to impede Rhode's flight speed.

However, Rhode was now on guard. His flight trajectory was entirely erratic, refusing to travel in a straight line. Simultaneously, he utilized his amethyst energy as a shield, completely blocking or dodging every single incoming energy blast.

Realizing he could not stop him, Li Yu made a calm judgment and ceased his interference without hesitation. The electromagnetic cannons required time to recharge; they could not be fired again in such short order.

Rhode finally closed in on the Splinter Deployment Armor. Gritting his teeth, he forced his left arm up, preparing to activate his Advanced Amethyst Armor. Those five electromagnetic turrets posed far too great a threat.

Every volley dealt him a heavy blow. As long as he dismantled the apparatus, he believed he could still put up a fight in a head-to-head clash with Li Yu.

Yet, exactly at that moment, the five electromagnetic turrets—each comparable in size to a small building—suddenly retracted like flowing liquid.

The massive amethyst warhammer manifested on Rhode's left arm lost its target, striking nothing but empty air as if smashing into cotton. The abrupt change left him momentarily stunned.

Flanking him, the blazing fast Li Yu darted out. The Ship-breaking Blade glowed a brilliant crimson, vibrating fiercely as it slashed across Rhode's chest with unrivaled momentum.

Caught completely off guard this time, Rhode was sent flying, tumbling through the sky. A massive gash was torn through his thick Advanced Amethyst Armor, showering sparks and leaving the internal mechanisms clearly exposed.

The Splinter Deployment Armor morphed into a puddle of white liquid and seamlessly merged back into the Titan Colonization Armor.

In a way, Rhode had successfully forced the electromagnetic turrets to be dismantled, but the shattering of his own armor was entirely contrary to his goals.

His face was drained of all color. Given his current condition, continuing this drawn-out brawl would yield only one result: death.

"Let's stop here," he forced out through gritted teeth. His armor's AI blared nonstop warnings, indicating that the vast majority of its functions were now offline.

"Huh?" Li Yu stared at him wide-eyed, as if he hadn't heard clearly. "Excuse me, what exactly do you mean by stop here?"

A deep sense of shame washed over Rhode. Before arriving, he had pledged with absolute sincerity to his father and the high echelon that he would bring Li Yu back. Now, he had no choice but to compromise.

"Don't tell me you actually think you can walk away from this unscathed?" Li Yu guessed. Seeing Rhode's stubborn silence, he confirmed his ridiculous theory with a look of disbelief.

Li Yu had no idea why Rhode would entertain such a delusional thought. Did the Amethyst Civilization stamp his intelligence file with the label of being handsome and kind-hearted?

"I am a man who honors his commitments. I never intended to sell the same item twice." He shook his head and sighed, looking genuinely troubled by the situation.

It seemed the Amethyst Core he had just sold was about to find its way back into his hands.

"Inject Amethyst Active Hormone!" Rhode commanded his armor's AI. Inside the armored suit where Li Yu could not see, a syringe slowly drove into Rhode's flesh.

In an instant, his pupils became entirely bloodshot. Brilliant purple energy erupted from his forehead, blasting toward Li Yu like a miniature purple sun.

A desperate final trump card was always exceptionally powerful. The energy readings on Claptrap's combat system had already gone off the charts. Not wanting to trip up in an easy situation, Li Yu had no intention of tanking the attack head-on. He instantly vacated his position.

Yet Rhode had no intention of changing his trajectory. He smashed headfirst straight into the ground.

Boom!

The purple sun detonated, blasting yet another deep crater into the earth. Looking down from high above, the entire combat zone was scarred with fractured terrain, two massive craters, and lingering plumes of explosive smoke.

Rhode lay in the center of the crater. Several B-Class Lifeforms positioned nearby quickly rushed over to his side, firmly pressing the newly acquired Amethyst Core into his hand. This instantly gave Li Yu a very bad premonition.

"I possess a specialized method to detonate the Amethyst Core. The energy concealed within it is more than enough to blow this planet into fine powder."

Rhode was clearly not naive enough to think mere words would convince Li Yu to spare his life. This was his true trump card.

His sudden outburst earlier was nothing more than a ploy to get close to the subordinate safeguarding the core.

Li Yu frowned slightly, staring at the blood-soaked Rhode, who was gritting his teeth to remain conscious.

"Wait a moment. I need to verify your claim."

He had Claptrap open a comms channel with Kansa...

"Hello, has the transfer of the core been completed?" Kansa asked as soon as the line connected.

"No... there's been a slight complication," Li Yu denied, proceeding to explain Rhode's threat and verify its validity with Kansa.

"Amethyst actually tried to recruit you?" Kansa sounded genuinely shocked on the other end. He had completely been kept in the dark about this.

"Just answer my question!" Li Yu emphasized.

Kansa fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Meanwhile, Li Yu harbored an entirely different suspicion:

"You're not trying to mislead me into attacking Rhode just so I die here, are you?"

"How could I!" Kansa hastily denied. He quickly explained, "Rhode's claim is very likely true. It's just that I haven't been in contact with the Amethyst research institutes for a long time, so I can't be one hundred percent certain."

The Amethyst Civilization had built its foundation on Amethyst Cores. In the entire universe, no one could compare to their sheer depth of research into the material.

Severe agony radiated from every corner of Rhode's body. His adjutant had already injected him with a cocktail of Vitality Serums.

He kept a dead stare on Li Yu hovering in midair, tightly clenching the Amethyst Core in his palm.

"Fine." Li Yu had no desire to perish alongside Rhode. He relented, "As thoroughly displeased as I am, you may leave."

Rhode's taut nerves immediately relaxed. Supported by his adjutant, he was just preparing to stand up.

"Blegh!"

His vision suddenly went pitch black. Warm, damp fluids splattered directly onto his face, followed by a pungent, acidic stench that assaulted his nostrils. Some of it even seeped into his mouth.

A massive spray of vomit had unexpectedly smeared his entire face.

His adjutant was convulsing violently, violently emptying his stomach. Streams of leftover food kept spewing out one after another, leaving everyone wondering exactly how much the man had eaten yesterday.

"Get lost!" Rhode stood dumbfounded for a brief second before flying into an absolute rage. Enduring the blinding pain, he furiously shoved his adjutant away. The sheer volume of vomit smeared across his face made his own stomach churn violently.

Meanwhile, Li Yu stared suspiciously at the Amethyst Being. For some reason, that specific style of vomiting felt inexplicably familiar to him.

Pop!

A fist-sized pink sphere was finally heaved up by the adjutant. It bounced a few times on the ground, and only then did the violently twitching adjutant manage to settle down.

Li Yu's pupils shrank to mere pinpricks. 'Fuck!'