Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Magic Cannons Take Over the Battlefield

But just then, the Demon King Monkey suddenly leaped into the air, deftly soaring past its companions. In an instant, it had flown a dozen meters, positioning itself directly above Bai Qimeng.

It hung from a steel crossbeam by one arm, a short dagger clenched between its fangs, its tail coiled around a Molotov cocktail.

It raised its other clawed hand, its five long talons dancing at high speed as if playing a piano. They pulled on a dense web of nearly invisible threads, giving them a sudden, hard tug.

CLATTER—

The pack of monkeys, which had been struggling to catch Bai Qimeng, was suddenly yanked forward by an unseen force. They all leaped in unison, landing around her pink and black motorcycle.

They produced Flying Knives from who-knows-where and hurled them all at Bai Qimeng.

These Mechanical Monkeys weren’t large, but their arms were abnormally long. Every time they swung, the hydraulic joints at their shoulder blades let out a sharp, clicking sound.

The most terrifying part was how they threw the Flying Knives—their long arms snapped straight like ballistae, the blades breaking the sound barrier as they flew, carving white-hot trajectories through the air.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Although Bai Qimeng was protected by her Mechanical Armor, she wasn’t foolish enough to take the hits head-on and was just about to abandon her bike to dodge.

BOOM!

The ground where she stood swelled, and a circular wall of earth suddenly erupted, shielding her and her motorcycle inside.

THUD! THUD! THUD! A series of muffled impacts rang out as fist-sized holes were punched into the hemispherical earth wall. The Flying Knives had nearly pierced clean through its protection.

Fortunately, Bai Qimeng was unscathed.

"Huh?" she exclaimed in surprise. She looked up and saw Wang Xi, who had somehow leaped into the air and was now descending at an incredibly slow speed.

Just like a light, fluttering feather.

—「All-Purpose Warlock」

Wang Xi had used two Magic spells in succession, Earth Barrier and Feather Fall Technique. While protecting Bai Qimeng, he had leaped into mid-air to secure a high vantage point.

"Hey! Are you trying to be a living target?!"

Bai Qimeng shouted.

’So flashy. He must have a death wish.’

Her words proved prophetic in the very next second.

The pack of Mechanical Monkeys turned their heads in unison to face the black-haired young man in mid-air and furiously hurled their Flying Knives at him.

Amid the piercing shrieks, dozens of Flying Knives were all blocked by an azure barrier.

Wang Xi had already put away his Beheading Sword. He paid no mind to the monkeys’ Flying Knife assault, cupping his hands as if holding something. A scorching ball of fire the size of a basketball coalesced between his palms.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the flame rapidly expanded, growing whiter and more blinding by the second.

—「Fireball Technique」「Sub-Grade Flame Demon Bloodline」

Flame Enhancement!

At that exact moment, the Demon King Monkey hanging from the steel frame flicked its tail, throwing the Molotov cocktail. It burst into a huge blaze against the azure barrier.

The moment the flames flared up, however, they were seized by an invisible force, flowing up along the azure barrier and straight into the Fireball in Wang Xi’s hands. The heart of the flame abruptly contracted before erupting in a blinding white light, its power surging amidst the rolling heatwaves.

Devouring Flame!

’The monkey knows nothing of a Flame Demon’s power!’

Wang Xi’s face was illuminated by the firelight as he fiercely hurled the Fireball from his hand.

WHOOM—

BOOM!!!

The half-meter-wide Fireball landed in the center of the monkey pack, exploding into a sea of fire.

Tongues of flame swept out like a pack of hungry beasts, licking at every Mechanical Monkey. The monkeys shrieked as their outer shells instantly melted and charred, revealing the metal skeletons underneath.

But even their steel frames were burned red-hot. Black smoke, sparks, and electric arcs spewed from their mouths and noses. One by one, they struggled in the inferno, seizing up before falling still.

The earth wall protecting Bai Qimeng had long since collapsed. She had already escaped the sea of fire on her motorcycle.

She stopped her bike and looked back, her face beneath the rabbit mask a picture of shock.

’This guy... just how many tricks does he have up his sleeve?’

Bai Qimeng murmured to herself.

With his Swordsmanship alone, Wang Xi had already demonstrated the skill expected of a Professional Four Stars. Now he had used water, earth, wind, and fire—four types of Elemental Magic—in quick succession, and none of them were weak.

Especially that Large Fireball he had just thrown down.

He wiped out the entire pack in a single move.

It was a little ridiculous.

Even someone on the level of a Defense Captain could probably only accomplish this much.

Moreover... Bai Qimeng turned her head to look toward the edge of the stage.

The Magician’s head and body lay dozens of meters apart.

The Rampaging Demon King, which she had been unable to get the better of just moments ago, had been killed via Beheading by Wang Xi in less than a minute.

’This guy...’

’I can’t figure him out at all.’

"Oh no!" Bai Qimeng suddenly remembered something. She slammed a fist on her motorcycle and ground out, "Now I have to call him Dad!"

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Suddenly, piercing shrieks erupted overhead.

Bai Qimeng looked up.

The last Mechanical Monkey was hanging from the steel frame, its mouth opened to a ridiculous degree. A stream of Flying Knives shot out, raining down on the azure barrier around Wang Xi with a deafening crackle.

Wang Xi was clearly extremely confident in his Defense Ability. He didn’t even blink in the face of the curtain of Flying Knives as a Spiral Water Blade condensed in his palm, which he then slashed through the air.

"SCREE!!"

The monkey let go in a panic and began to fall.

But with a loud POP...

The Water Blade grazed the steel frame, and a thumb-thick steel pipe was severed as if it were butter. The cut was clean and glinted coldly.

Wielding the ethereal Water Blade, Wang Xi spun into a backhanded swing.

—「Cloak Strangling Sword Skill」

This school of Swordsmanship, which focused on distance control and thrusting, was a surprisingly perfect match for the Tidal Blade, and Wang Xi was using it to its fullest potential.

Falling through mid-air, the Demon King Monkey had no way to dodge and could only watch helplessly as the Water Blade approached from an uncanny angle, sweeping over its body like the Grim Reaper’s scythe.

SPLASH-CRACK!!

A watery mist exploded outward, blurring the stage lights.

The Demon King Monkey’s body, which was as tough as steel, might as well have been made of paper as it was sliced clean in two.

The wreckage, arcing with electricity and spewing black smoke, plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily into the inferno below.

"Th-That’s it?!"

Bai Qimeng deactivated her transformation. Her Mechanical Armor and motorcycle dissolved into pink particles as she reverted to her normal appearance. She stared at the stage, which was gradually being swallowed by the sea of fire, her face a mask of disbelief.

’That was a Maze Demon King! A Rampaging Demon King!’

’How did it not even last two hits against Wang Xi?!’

By the edge of the large hole, Lin Xin’Er watched the battlefield in silence while Liu Wenjie stood dumbstruck. The live stream chat had completely exploded, with comments flashing across the screen at high speed.

"Holy crap! He took down two Rampaging Demon Kings in a row!"

"And a whole pack of those monkeys."

"I feel bad for the monkeys, squealing as they burned."

"Water Shield, Earth Wall, Wind-Blown Fireball... He’s a walking Magic Cannon, isn’t he?"

"That’s such a solid deck! All powerhouse cards!"

"Xi’Er is carrying, and Xin’Er is getting carried."

"Liu Wenjie must’ve traded his life expectancy for this insane viewership. Too bad his four teammates are lying down for good now. They must be smiling in their graves."

"Idiot streamer."

...

...

After completely clearing the stage, the group reconvened.

After the fierce battle and his frequent use of Magic, the combined toll on his stamina left Wang Xi feeling a bit fatigued.

"By the way, Miss Bai..."

he said, turning his head.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Bai Qimeng’s eyes darted away, and she quickly cut him off.

"We should hurry and find the hidden reward! The fire is getting worse. If we don’t look now, it’ll be too late..."

Wang Xi said nothing, simply staring at her.

Bai Qimeng didn’t dare meet his gaze. Her expression shifted several times before she put on a cheerful grin.

"We managed to clear the stage even during a ’Maze Rampage,’ so the hidden reward must be amazing! I wonder what it’ll be? I’m so excited!"

"..."

No one took the bait, making the atmosphere a little awkward.

Bai Qimeng finally couldn’t stand his strange gaze any longer. She whipped her head around to face him and snapped in exasperation,

"Fine, you win! I give up! I’ll do it, I’ll call you—mmph!"

Wang Xi clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" he said, his expression turning solemn. He raised a finger to his lips. "Listen. Do you guys hear that? A strange sound."

Instantly, both Bai Qimeng and Lin Xin’Er’s expressions grew serious as they listened intently to their surroundings.

Liu Wenjie and the live stream viewers all perked up as well.

DING!

「Target Defeated!」

「Capture the ability of "Bai Qimeng"?」

A voice only Wang Xi could hear rang out.

The reward came so suddenly.

It was completely beyond his expectations.

Who would have thought Bai Qimeng would suddenly have a crazy impulse before the fight, proposing a race to kill the Demon King and betting she’d have to call him ’Dad’ if she lost?

Wang Xi never even intended to take her up on that bet.

And now the reward was being delivered right to his doorstep.

’...Whatever. It’d be a waste not to take it.’

He mentally confirmed his choice. A flash of blue light emanated from Bai Qimeng’s body, and an orb of light flew straight into the space between Wang Xi’s eyebrows, settling into the Independent Card Pool in his mind.

Inside the theater, aside from the crackling of the inferno and the groans of collapsing wreckage, there was only the sound of their breathing.

"What sound?" Lin Xin’Er asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I didn’t hear anything."

"I must have misheard."

Wang Xi said with an apologetic look, letting go of her mouth.

Bai Qimeng shot him a suspicious look, only to see Wang Xi winking at her, as if to say, ’Let’s just drop it.’

At that, Bai Qimeng raised an eyebrow.

’He’d go to all this trouble just so I wouldn’t be embarrassed?’

’Hakixi, you...’

’You’re surprisingly gentle.’

After that, Wang Xi and the others quickly got to work. They first collected the loot from the theater, then began searching for the "hidden reward."

However, they didn’t find a single thing.

Even after turning the place upside down, they came up with nothing. Even the Maze Card Pools that should have been in the two theaters were nowhere to be found.

"How weird," Bai Qimeng said, folding her arms and looking around.

"We’ve killed all the monsters and the Demon King, so where’s the hidden reward? Don’t tell me the system ate it."

"I doubt that."

Wang Xi glanced at her, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"The hidden reward might not be inside the theater."

"Not in the theater? You mean it’s outside?"

Bai Qimeng asked in surprise.

Wang Xi shrugged and turned to leave.

He tossed over his shoulder, "We’ll know once we take a look."

The two women exchanged a glance and hurried after him.

They left the theater and went outside.

They immediately spotted a familiar figure.

Under the moonlight, the clown Mechanical Doll that had been selling tickets at the Circus entrance was now hopping around in the middle of the road, happily tooting a small horn. TOOT TOOT TOOT-A-LOO.

"Hm?"

Bai Qimeng stopped in her tracks, a look of astonishment on her face.

’What’s going on here?’

The clown Mechanical Doll suddenly stopped its music. It clutched its little horn, its unlit eyes staring blankly toward the theater and its billowing black smoke.

"BZZT... My companions... can finally rest in peace."

The intermittent, staticky sounds came from its open mouth.

Then, it cracked a smile.

VMMMM—

Instantly, the clown Mechanical Doll’s body erupted in a rainbow of light.

The three of them were startled.

The hidden reward was—

A Card Pool?!

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