"You're really shaping up as a tank, huh?" Jasper Xiao poked at himself with a knife and sword, but his dragon skin didn't budge. Even if a regular guy went at him with a kitchen cleaver, he'd only leave a scratch. "Guess I'm officially thick-skinned now."
"Forget about thick skin—what I'm really curious about is the dragon whip." Teacher Yang, wearing his signature deadpan look, poked his chin at a certain object. "They say dragons are all about lust, and Western dragons are famous for their... prowess. Now that you've drunk dragon blood, has your, uh, thing changed at all?"
"I'm super curious about that too!" Oddball seemed to teleport next to Jasper Xiao, desperate for answers like someone hunting down a miracle doctor. "Bro, spill it—how do you feel now? Is it bigger? Harder? Oh, you're embarrassed? Or maybe you don't even know yet? No worries, let's run a little experiment!"
Oddball threw his left arm around Jasper Xiao's shoulder and pointed at a twin-tailed girl nearby, voice low and sleazy: "Look, that chick over there—her attitude sucks but her body is fire! Stare at her rack, does it make you feel hot and bothered, ready to charge in? Ever wanna just grab her wrist, pin her down, rip her clothes, and—"
"Die, you creep!" Whirr—an electric chainsaw came slicing through the air as the 'chick' stormed over, hell-bent on chopping Oddball to pieces.
"Bro! If it really works, let me know—we'll go dragon hunting together next time!" Oddball shouted as he sprinted off, leaving Jasper Xiao torn between laughter and tears, but somehow feeling a lot lighter.
Jack Young walked over and handed him a beer. "Yanjing Beer—picked it up special on the way."
"This stuff's great! Haven't had one in ages!" Jasper Xiao popped the tab and glanced at the prize zone. "Heh, figures—another 'thanks for playing.'"
Standing shoulder to shoulder on the hilltop, Jasper Xiao and Jack Young watched the armies rolling across the plains below, and in the distance, Kathy Yang tending to the Sunblade Core. For a moment, nobody said a word.
In the distance, Kathy Yang was chatting with Rachel Luo: "I did the math—Sauron’s actually a decent guy. The Nazgûl brought us a ton of loot! Half the credit for the Sunblade Core goes to Sauron. And all this good stuff? Dug up from history’s junk pile. So why fight? Let’s team up with Sauron and go grave-robbing instead! In a few years, everyone’ll have their own Sunblade Core!"
"Martial Uncle, you really... have some wild ideas..."
The voice cut through the air, clear as day even without any special powers. The two on the cliff listened, sipped their beers, and watched the sunset.
"You seem distracted," Teacher Yang said calmly. "Did you sense something in that black fire?"
Jasper Xiao didn't answer. Instead, he sighed and said something off-topic: "Honestly, you don't have to stick with me any further."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yeah," Jasper Xiao took a swig of beer and flopped down on the ground. "You, whatever. But her—she doesn't need to go east again."
"Hold up, first—what do you mean, 'you, whatever'?" Jack Young grinned, shooting him a sideways glance. "Second, if you said that to her, what do you think she'd say?"
"She'd probably—uh..." Jasper Xiao tilted his head, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Probably beat me up..."
"Exactly. So quit overthinking it. A Chosen One's life is all about swimming upstream—nobody gets to play it safe. We're here to back you up, and we're not bailing halfway." Jack Young finished, and said no more. Down the slope, a stunning woman with deep blue eyes walked toward them—Galadriel, no doubt.
Suddenly, Jasper Xiao grinned and slapped Jack Young on the shoulder, shoving him off the cliff. Jack Young flipped him the bird and dove after, landing gracefully in front of the Elven Queen.
"Do you need something?"
"Nothing else, really. The battle against Sauron won't be easy, and I want to help. I can't fight Sauron myself, but I won't just sit back while you risk your neck." Galadriel did something totally unexpected—she took off her Water Ring and handed it to Jack Young, her eyes shimmering. "Sauron's magic is all about fire and burning. Take this ring, let it shield you from his evil flames. It's just a token from me—hope you don't mind."
The Water Ring glowed with a soft light—a true treasure of the world. The whole scene set off wild speculation among the crowd. Oddball, who'd wandered off, suddenly came running back, whistling out of tune.
Jack Young hadn't even responded before Rachel Luo started to panic. Feeling outnumbered, she grabbed Kathy Yang and dragged her over. "Martial Uncle, look at her! Say something, please! This can't be allowed!"
Cicadas buzzed in the quiet woods, birdsong echoed through the hills. With the battle paused, the distant voices somehow made everything feel peaceful. Jasper Xiao watched his friends joke and mess around, and couldn't help but smile.
"Boss, the wind's picking up—don't catch a cold." The Holy Light Knight came over and gently draped a cloak over Jasper Xiao's shoulders, her gaze full of admiration and shyness. The wind whipped the cloak around. Jasper Xiao touched it, then suddenly tilted his head back and drained his beer. He crushed the empty can, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and his eyes burned with determination.
This chapter's not over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
He'd made up his mind for good.
"We've made it ninety-nine steps, can't chicken out now!" Jasper Xiao jumped to his feet and grabbed the Sword of Kings. The blade flashed in the sunlight. "Let's go—time to storm Mount Doom!"
Wipe down your guns, rack the bolts—time to storm Mount Doom!
Grip your swords, shed your splints—time to storm Mount Doom!
Last time, all the races attacked Mordor together, and the army took heavy losses—but they still won. This time, it's a whole new ballgame. After a year of fighting, it's all coming down to today. So, warriors, get your courage up, show some guts, and face the deepest shadow of Middle-earth—time to storm Mount Doom!
Creak—the White City gates open, the army stands ready. No more wounded, sick, or second-stringers—this time, only the best. Warriors, you'll face hellish magic eating away at you, suffer pain no normal person could handle. But when you come back victorious, you'll be draped in glory, legends forever.
So don't be afraid, don't hesitate—today's a great day to die with style!
Let's go—let's show that bastard Dark Lord what we're made of! Time to storm Mount Doom!
Rumble, rumble—the army marches, heading east.
Flags billowed, war drums thundered, spirits soared. Dragons and cavalry charged out from Gondor, heading east for the counterattack. The mage corps worked their magic, sending cool breezes to bless the warriors. The three great wizards couldn't fight Sauron himself, but they marched with the army, doing their best to weaken the hellish magic.
Magic flashed like torches at the front, lighting the way. Night fell, but it was regular darkness—not hell magic. The volcanic clouds shrank back toward Mount Doom, revealing bright stars and moonlight. Under the moon, the elves' gear sparkled—they looked downright divine.
Cross the Borna River, arrive at Thousand Sails Harbor. The paladins bless the dead, keeping the place free from vengeful spirits.
Dash across the great plain, reach Iron Fortress. Kings from every land gaze east, eyeing the ancient enemy of Middle-earth.
"Up ahead is Mordor—Mount Doom's territory." Galadriel stared at the sky. Even in the dark, you could see those swirling clouds—blacker than black, more evil than evil. In that cursed zone, all living things suffer. "Inside Mordor, the doom energy ramps up. We can't clear all the bad vibes. If Sauron's army is waiting up ahead, we're in for a brutal fight."
"These black clouds are a pain—worse than Beijing smog, it's like PM 250!" Kathy Yang griped, eyeing the volcanic haze. "Doesn't bother me, but it sure stinks. Hey, isn't my energy supposed to purify the air? Why's it useless here?"
"These doom clouds are packed with hell energy—hundreds of times stronger than regular volcanic clouds." Teacher Yang switched to energy vision, breaking down the science: "Your energy and hell power are both just energy, kinda similar but not quite. Like rivals in the same field. Looks like our little bit of outside energy can't eat up all this hell magic."
"Yeah, I get all that. But how do we deal with this nasty secondhand smoke? If only we had a giant filter or vacuum—wait, a vacuum!" Kathy Yang snapped her fingers, a light bulb going off. "Hold on, let me try something!"
She whipped out Flame Tide and raised it high. The upgraded Flame Tide showed off its power—the scattered hell energy in the air got sucked right in, like birds flying home. Even the hell clouds over Mordor started drifting this way.
At the head of the army, she stepped forward, Flame Tide in hand. The closer she got to Mordor, the thicker the hell magic—and the faster it got sucked up. The moment she crossed into Mordor, Flame Tide buzzed with excitement, gobbling up hell energy like a bottomless pit.
The magic stirred up a gale—Kathy Yang was like the eye of a typhoon, or a deep-sea vortex, swallowing up all the storm clouds. Even the sky's thick clouds got dragged down into Flame Tide, thinning out the hellish haze. The way it faded was like relief funds in the hands of a corrupt official—gone in a flash.
Nature's energy surged in, like a tide pushing forward, clashing with the hell clouds. Every step Kathy Yang took, the frontline bent toward Mordor; every step, hell's power got pushed back.
The army roared, banging shields and swords, battle cries echoing everywhere.
Kings exchanged glances, hope and excitement shining in their eyes.
Kathy Yang strode to the mouth of Mount Doom, turned around, and waved to the army behind her, roaring: "Follow me! Charge!"
"Attack!" Hooves thundered toward Mount Doom—the final battle for Middle-earth was about to begin.