Mai wanted to run.
But the others showed no fear whatsoever.
Blades flashed, swords clashed, and death loomed near.
Just as the attack was about to strike, Old Tang stepped forward.
He struck a pose, activated the Flame Dragon Armor Summoner in his hand, then crossed his arms overhead in a stylish battle stance.
At the same time, he shouted loudly:
"Flame Dragon Armor—merge!"
A violent blaze swept out like a storm.
But instead of being harmed, everyone only felt the heat.
The flames didn't hurt them at all.
The scythe weasels charging toward them, however, were instantly reduced to ash by the fire.
"What the...?"
Mai was utterly baffled.
Did this fire just auto-detect friend and foe like in a game?
She knew that the power of Word Spirit didn't have such a function.
An attack was an attack.
It's like punching yourself—just because it's your own punch doesn't mean your body is immune to the damage.
From within the flames, a red-armored figure emerged.
The Flame Dragon Warrior had arrived.
The fire lit up the surroundings.
Old Tang instinctively flicked his wrist.
As everyone knew, Flame Dragon Warrior had a bit of chronic joint pain.
He always needed to loosen his wrists before a fight to feel comfortable.
"I'm going in!"
Old Tang got into position, and then terrifying flames burst from both his hands.
Its true function as a Word Spirit was intense heating—instantaneous heating, rapidly raising the temperature of all matter within the domain and causing them to explode.
Whoever wielded it was essentially a humanoid walking bomb launcher, armed with limitless explosions. As long as the user stayed alive and regained stamina, the blasting could go on indefinitely.
If one gained full mastery over it, they could absorb and solidify the extreme heat onto their body or other objects.
This created a Flame Domain—invisible to the eye except for faint flowing black patterns. Once the domain was disturbed, the hyper-condensed flames would detonate instantly, hitting targets with the force of a napalm bomb.
The Bronze and Fire King held absolute dominion over flame.
Dangerous and scalding, flames in his hands was like clay—molded at will.
Old Tang launched a punch.
A massive red dragon of flame formed from the fire.
The dragon coiled through the air.
Wherever it passed, all scythe weasels were reduced to ashes.
The fire lit up the night. The heat was so intense it warped the very air.
Thousands of degrees burned away every living thing in its path.
Then the giant red flame dragon dove deep into the tunnel and exploded.
"BOOM!!!"
The fiery explosion annihilated everything in its wake.
It completely destroyed the scythe weasels' nest.
The shockwave from the explosion spread like a tornado of fire in all directions.
The terrifying blast made the entire tunnel tremble violently.
Luckily, they were inside a Nibelungen—a self-contained domain built through alchemy.
This domain was extremely durable, capable of withstanding even his flame technique bombardment.
Feeling the tremors beneath her feet, Mai muttered:
"This tunnel isn't gonna collapse, is it?"
Old Tang turned around, looking ridiculously cool in his Flame Dragon Armor.
If he stood on a busy street like this, he would definitely attract a bunch of kids to crowd around and watch.
"I am the righteous Flame Dragon Hero! My light is destined to illuminate the darkness. The explosion radius of my Flame Fist won't affect this area—don't worry."
Old Tang struck another heroic pose.
Then, the armor deactivated.
This was also designed by Ren Asakura.
At that moment, Mai suddenly felt that the armor looked a little familiar—but she was sure this was the first time she'd seen Old Tang transform into the Flame Dragon Hero.
She didn't recognize it, but Lu Mingfei did.
Because the Flame Dragon Armor looked exactly like the one in a certain tokusatsu show.
Armored Warrior.
It had only recently started airing.
Lu Mingfei had watched it out of boredom while binge-watching shows.
"Old Tang, did you just transform into the Flame Dragon Hero? That was so cool!"
Lu Mingfei's eyes sparkled. What boy didn't have a chūnibyō dream?
Transforming into a cool armored warrior had become the dream of so many kids since that show aired.
Wearing that awesome suit on the street would absolutely draw attention—and admiration from children.
Old Tang scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Big Bro gave it to me!"
Lu Mingfei looked excitedly at the Flame Dragon Armor Summoner in Old Tang's hand.
"Can I use it? Does it need the bloodline of the descendants of the Hidden Leaf Village or some kind of Fire Shadow Stone or something?"
Old Tang thought back to what Ren Asakura had explained about how the armor worked.
It was just a key—a key that unlocked a seal on their own bodies.
"Actually, it's just a key…"
After a round of explanations, Lu Mingfei finally understood what the so-called Flame Dragon Armor Summoner actually was.
He couldn't use it.
"Boss!"
Lu Mingfei turned toward Ren Asakura with eyes full of hope.
"I refuse," Ren said flatly. "You're a cultivator. What's the point of becoming an armored warrior?"
"But it's so cool! That red armor, the slick look, the metallic texture—just pure awesomeness!"
Lu Mingfei jumped up, expressing his excitement.
He used to dream of having a secret identity too—living a normal life by day, pretending to be a loser, then moonlighting as a righteous hero saving the world by night.
But reality told him he was just a loser. No mysterious identity—only a lonely throne waiting for him.
Ren Asakura absentmindedly picked his ear.
"If you want to cosplay, you could become an artificer and craft one yourself. Or just buy a costume. You don't need the power of the Flame Dragon Armor. As a cultivator, that kind of extra stuff will only lead you down the wrong path."
Lu Mingfei thought of the fate awaiting him in the future.
He calmed down.
Giving up a watermelon for a sesame seed—he wouldn't make that mistake.
If he wanted to explore a different system, he at least had to establish his own path first. That way, even if he wandered, he could return to the right track.
Learning a bit from the East and a bit from the West would only blur his path in the end.
And turn him into a jack of all trades, master of none.
Neither here nor there.
The Flame Dragon Armors used by Old Tang and Constantine were, in truth, just representations of their power.
They weren't the real Flame Dragon Armor. They were still using their Authority and Privilege—the power of their respective Dragon Kings.
In the end, the Flame Dragon Armor made by Ren Asakura was nothing more than a key. A prop.
Lu Mingfei firmed up his cultivation heart.
The road to cultivation was still long. He had only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage.
He had only just begun his true path.
Switching to another system now would only cause his strength to become chaotic and unfocused.
°°°
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