Amid the sound of turning gears, Hua and Reporter Tan, who had been standing in the center under siege, dissolved into a cloud of smoke and vanished.
In their place was a large top hat shaped like a pocket watch, creaking as it spun on its own.
Gasoline splashed over the hat and quickly erupted into raging flames.
When the blaze reached its peak, the top hat transformed into a gigantic crimson lotus.
Flames danced as the lotus petals unfurled one by one, revealing an alluring figure within.
A cascade of fiery red hair spilled down her back, while a bright smile gleamed within her ruby eyes.
With the hiss of surging steam, Azure Empyrea reappeared on the stage.
Her white qipao was slit high along the sides, and her full, towering breasts seemed on the verge of spilling free.
Through the high slit, glimpses of the smooth, snow-white inner flesh of her thighs could be seen. The metallic floral thigh ring encircling her left leg made those flawless legs even more captivating.
Purple-black feathers adorned her robe, while the plumes and gemstones atop her head further embellished this peerless immortal maiden.
Lotuses seemed to bloom beneath her bare feet. Her steps were swift as the wind, making her resemble a fairy descended from beyond the heavens.
The bikers stared in utter shock, mouths hanging slightly open and eyes fixed upon the beautiful girl before them, who seemed to have come from the celestial realm.
"Gasp!" A chorus of astonishment rose from the bikers as the girl's flawless beauty seized every gaze.
Even Reporter Tan, who had been transported atop the high wall by the escape trick, could not help exclaiming, "Her bones are sculpted from purest gem, her fair wrists veiled in frost. With an icy complexion and exquisite grace, she is beautiful beyond compare. She could captivate all living beings, standing slender and elegant, possessing a thousand enchanting manners unlike anything of this mortal world."
"This time, Azure Empyrea seems to have stopped suppressing her power. Has even her appearance changed as a result?"
"But how can her figure be so different too?! So she was hiding something enormous all along."
Nearby, Hua, whom Vill-V had transformed into someone who looked like Vill-V, silently lowered her head and glanced at the heavy frontal armor before sighing.
Azure Empyrea as portrayed by Vill-V was much closer to Dan Zhu's original design.
Even in exactly the same clothes and accessories, the two of them produced a difference as vast as a seller's promotional image and a buyer's actual photo.
Vill-V really was more suited to playing an immortal.
Hua herself simply lacked the assets necessary to portray one.
Vill-V had no idea that Hua was belittling herself again.
She had replaced Hua for three reasons. First, Hua was injured. Second, their opponent appeared to be a MANTIS experimental subject. Third, she wanted to display Azure Empyrea's unrivaled power!
Her injuries earlier?
That had merely been Azure Empyrea taking pity on mortals and sealing away all her power.
Now came the real performance!
"The warm-up act is over. It is time to show you what I can truly do... How about this?"
Magician raised her pink eyes, their pupils shaped like power buttons.
"Come! Let the gears begin to roar!"
"Welcome the descent of the Herrscher... Immortal!"
The Herrscher of Reason had descended upon this place!
An invisible pressure enveloped the entire area, leaving the surrounding bikers unable to breathe, as though unseen hands had closed around their throats.
This was the gaze of a deity standing at the pinnacle of the planet. It was also an instinctive fear engraved into humanity's ancient genes.
They experienced unprecedented terror, like insignificant ants prostrating themselves beneath a giant's shadow.
She was a lofty fairy who could not be profaned.
For a moment, even the emotions Landro had controlled within the bikers were released under this overwhelming pressure.
"So this is the true Azure Empyrea!"
"Her presence is so overwhelming! No human could possibly compare!"
"I feel like I'm suffocating! This pressure is terrifying!"
"With that mysterious and haughty bearing, she must be an immortal!"
"We were practically seeking our own destruction by offending such a powerful immortal!"
The bikers turned deathly pale and trembled from head to toe.
They had already felt Azure Empyrea's "power."
However, nobody knew...
She was actually a useless Herrscher without a single Authority.
Her Herrscher transformation could do little more than release a Herrscher's pressure.
Otherwise, everyone present would not merely have felt oppressed. They would have experienced what it was like to become zombies.
Well, if I don't have an Authority, I'll just compensate with technology. The Herrscher of Reason's Authority is practically technology anyway.
Which move should I use?
"Let me imitate the Herrscher of Thunder's entrance too—"
Magician pointed lightly, and thunder roared overhead.
"Tribulation!"
The energy gathered in the sky descended, making even the roar of engines seem insignificant beside the thunder.
The bikers' modified motorcycles had exhaust pipes that practically stretched toward the heavens, making them perfect lightning rods.
A lightning beast with a gleaming serpentine tongue of crackling electricity found the ideal prey.
Crackle! Pop! Bang!
The lightning serpent plunged into the bikers' vehicles.
The riders screamed as their motorcycles tumbled amid bursts of flame. The agony of electricity tearing through their bodies was almost unbearable.
The others hurriedly slammed on their brakes, but just then, a second bolt descended. Even more vehicles were struck and erupted into flames.
The riders fled in panic, desperately evading the wrath of the heavens.
Watching the bikers' miserable plight, Magician complained softly, "The lightning-attraction device Expert made isn't very reliable."
"The lightning was supposed to strike me. A mighty expert breaks her seal, provoking the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, which sends down a lightning tribulation to punish the immortal. Then the immortal slowly emerges from the lightning completely unharmed. That was supposed to be the script. Why did every bolt hit someone else? I'm not some Heavenly Emperor who uses tribulation lightning to attack people."
"This is probably the lamest Herrscher entrance ever. I should have danced my way out to Treasure Island instead."
But in the next instant,
the members of the Ghostfire Syndicate, whose emotions had been controlled by the bloodstock, suddenly broke free of its influence. They raised their machine guns and opened fire on the gasoline cans scattered across the ground.
Crackle! Pop! Sparks flew everywhere, and raging flames instantly erupted across the ground, surrounding Azure Empyrea, played by Magician, at the center.
Magician revealed a brilliant, gratified smile. "It seems everyone remains full of enthusiasm. Do you wish to admire the beauty of flame? Come, my dear audience. Join me upon this fiery stage!"
Although the clothes on Azure Empyrea's body were being scorched, they showed no signs of damage.
Magician lightly clapped her hands. The flames on the ground suddenly came alive, twisting upward and transforming into firebirds half a meter tall that danced gracefully around her.
Reporter Tan was widely experienced and immediately recognized the blazing bird. "The divine firebird Jingwei, its plumage blazing and its wings like flame, soaring skyward in a burst of fire whenever it moves. That is a divine beast of Shenzhou! Azure Empyrea can actually command such an ancient divine creature... No, she must be Jingwei herself!"
The bikers were once again dumbfounded.
"Superpowers! Those are superpowers!"
"Hey, I poured water into the gasoline. That must be why."
"You bastard, so you're the one who stole the fuel..."
The flames clung to Azure Empyrea like docile little birds. However, they were nowhere near as friendly toward the bikers.
The firebirds abruptly lunged at several nearby bikers. Before those men could react, golden beaks of flame had already licked across the hems of their clothes and the cuffs of their sleeves.