Chapter 287: Mantlescramble Battle (Twenty-Two)
Chapter 287: Mantlescramble Battle (Twenty-Two)
"Listen, he was the one who threw money onto the street, he killed the cops, and he murdered Robin", Shiva continued, her voice sharp with persuasion. "Those cops, and the Net of Gods people—they didn’t ask questions, didn’t care about truth. They just grabbed me because they thought I looked ‘dangerous.’ Of course I ran. These so-called ‘justice’ warriors always cling to their own moral principles, forcing others to follow their rules… You know how annoying that is better than anyone, right?"
Her words were calculated, aimed straight at Jason Todd’s rebellious nature. After all, Jason was the most defiant of all the Robins, openly challenging Bruce Wayne’s ideals.
A person’s experiences shape their worldview and understanding of justice. Jason’s transformation from Robin to the Red Hood created a reality that Dick and Tim could never fully grasp. To him, the first and third Robins had been brainwashed by Wayne, blindly following an idealistic code he considered idiotic.
Some might call Jason extreme, but others could argue Batman himself overcorrected. Both men bore childhood scars and trauma—deciding whose moral compass was "right" was anyone’s guess.
Of course, the Joker would probably call them all lunatics…
"Is that so?" Jason Todd replied, taking cover behind a nearby structure. His voice, low and gravelly beneath the mask, carried a challenge. "Then prove it. You want to kill him? Fine—I’ll sit this out. Handle it yourself." Thanks to endorphins dulling the pain, his fractured right arm no longer throbbed. But if he tried using that arm to shoot or fight anytime soon, he’d risk worsening the injury—possibly even collapsing from agony.
Shiva didn’t hesitate. "Agreed!" she snapped, already moving. She vaulted onto the rooftop in a blur of motion, then leapt off the edge, diving toward the street below.
Jason tracked her via his helmet’s cameras, watching her jump. Even with his enhanced reflexes, he’d never attempt an eight-story drop without gear like his Glide Mantle or a rope.
But this civilian? He’d just jumped headfirst from the eighth floor…
"Are all these otherworld travelers superhuman?" Jason muttered. At this point, he was convinced they were.
Landing smoothly, Shiva glanced upward. Jason’s silhouette was absent from the rooftop, but she knew he was watching.
"I hope you keep your word", she called out. "Don’t ambush me while I’m dealing with him."
Silence answered her. But silence was enough.
Her focus shifted to Feng Bu Jue’s hiding spot—the car. A cold smile curled her lips.
Behind her, the psionic weapon Celestial Dance Hourglass materialized. Seven disc-shaped constructs of white light hovered into position, ready to strike.
From Shiva’s position, the discs could operate within a two-hundred-meter radius, darting like hyper-agile drones capable of firing beams from any angle. Trapped inside the car, Feng Bu Jue was a sitting duck.
"Smartasses often dig their own graves", Shiva remarked smugly. Compared to Jason, she felt no restraint here—no bombs could threaten her at this distance. Even if Feng’s explosives were real, as long as they couldn’t kill her outright from 200 meters, they were meaningless.
The discs streaked toward the car, circling above like vultures locking onto prey. Seconds later, a chorus of sharp pew-pew-pew sounds erupted as beams rained down. The car erupted in flames and exploded.
But it was just a car explosion—damage limited to a dozen meters. Feng Bu Jue’s boast about blowing up "entire city blocks" never materialized.
"See that, Jason?" Shiva called upward. "He’s a fraud. All lies. If he’d really been carrying bombs, he’d have—"
"—blown you both sky-high by now." A new voice cut in, finishing her sentence.
Shiva spun toward the sound, instinctively opening her game menu. Sure enough, Mad Bu Jue’s status still read Surviving.
From the flames emerged a hulking figure. Each step clanged like metal striking concrete—a robotic gait.
"What the hell is that?" Shiva blurted.
"You’ve got a frozen armor set", Jason observed from above, recognizing it instantly.
Feng Bu Jue’s laugh boomed through the armor’s speakers, distorted by electronic filters. "Shiva, right?" he taunted. "You really thought standing 200 meters away would save you from my bombs? Hmph… I’ve said it before—when this thing goes off, no one within several blocks survives."
"Give me a break", Shiva scoffed. "Even if you did strap Tnt to yourself, how much could you carry under that coat? You expecting us to believe you’ve got a miniature nuclear bomb in there?"
Feng’s reply dripped with smugness. "I’m carrying a thermobaric bomb. Want to test it?"
"What?!"
Shiva stayed silent, but Jason’s reaction from above was explosive. This was the gap between an amateur and an expert.
"You should be thankful I suited up in time", Feng gloated. "Otherwise, we’d all be dead."
"You madman!" Jason roared. "Do you even realize what kind of destruction that would cause in a city?!"
"Good question", Feng replied. "Earlier today, Professor Frees and I tested one at the Northern Pure Land factory. I know exactly what this baby can do."
Shiva interjected, "Even if you sound convincing, I don’t buy it. Strapping bombs to yourself might scare Npcs—" she gestured at the discs now encircling Feng, "—but against players like us? That’s playing with fire." She raised an arm, palm up. "We don’t care what happens to this virtual city or how many die here."
"Bringing a suicide bomb to a 1v1 fight might work", Shiva continued, "but this is a free-for-all. You think I’m scared to die here with you?"
Feng laughed coldly. "In this kill game, I’m the weakest on paper. Taking anyone down with me is a win. And killing one of the Gods’ leaders? That’s a trophy worth showing off." He adjusted his Frozen Pulse Rifle, its bulk resembling an oversized M4A1.
"Hmm", Shiva smirked. "You’ve got a point. Guess I underestimated you."
Before her voice faded, the discs launched another barrage. Beams lashed out from all angles, hammering Feng’s armor.
But against flawless-grade armor, the attacks were laughably ineffective…
"Nice firepower", Feng quipped. "So that’s a psionic weapon, huh?"
Shiva wasn’t surprised Feng knew the term—forums had already leaked details. "Correct. It’s called the Celestial Dance Hourglass. Since I got it, I’ve never lost a one-on-one fight. I don’t expect you’ll change that."
"Is that so?" Feng countered. "With a weapon that fires three shots at a time, recharges every minute, and can’t reach beyond 200 meters?"
Feng’s words sent Shiva’s Terror Value spiking.
"Where did you get that data?!" she demanded, suspicion flaring. Had the Gods’ leadership been infiltrated? How else could he know the weapon’s exact specs?
"Observation", Feng replied simply—and opened fire.
The rifle’s bulk slowed him, forcing a sideways stance to aim. The attack was painfully obvious, giving even ordinary people time to dodge.
But the Frozen Pulse Rifle’s flaws were irrelevant.
Boom—
A searing blue-white beam erupted from the barrel, illuminating the night like a floodlight. Shiva moved fast, dodging sideways ten meters in two seconds.
But the beam pursued.
Unlike a single shot, this beam functioned like a firehose—Feng only needed to hold the trigger and sweep the gun. The beam’s freezing effect spread outward, turning the battlefield into a growing zone of ice.
In this moment, Shiva wasn’t dodging a single attack—she was fleeing a massive, mobile Aoe of death.
(End of Chapter)
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