Strip me of my armor? I'll summon the Emperor in a flash!

Chapter 6 Armored Civil War
"Li Yan! Stop!"

"It's not too late to stop now!"

Xin Nan arrived late, his voice echoing in the square, tinged with a hint of hurried breathing.

He had just finished practicing the piano when he received an urgent call from Meizhen, and rushed over without even having time to change his clothes.

At that moment, his gaze swept across the battlefield, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Dongshan, who was already injured, lay motionless in the distance, unconscious, next to the rusty iron frame.

Moreover, you could clearly see traces of blood flowing out from beneath him.

It's clear that if Dongshan doesn't receive timely treatment, his life may be in danger!
On the other side, not far away, Bei Miao's armor had also disintegrated, blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth, and he was struggling to prop himself up, but fell heavily back to the ground.

He was clearly also seriously injured.

This made Xin Nan's heart sink.

Thinking back to what Meizhen said before, is there really any way to talk about all of this?

Is there any way to ease the situation?
Xin Nan knew it was unlikely.

However, he still shouted at Li Yan.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar dark wind eagle armor, Xin Nan was also incredulous.

Another new suit of armor!
It's still the Dark Wind Eagle Armor!

Thinking about this, a bold guess came to Xin Nan's mind.

Could Li Yan also possess a dark version of the Flame Dragon Armor, or perhaps some other type of armor?

This bold guess sent a chill down his spine!

If that's really the case, then that's truly terrifying!

"We can talk, and resolve this peacefully!"

"From now on, we'll still be comrades-in-arms!"

Xin Nan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his palms.

In his eyes, Li Yan in front of him,

Where are these former comrades-in-arms? They are demons crawling out of the abyss.

"Talk?" Li Yan's voice came through the armor, carrying a cold, metallic laugh. "What do you have to talk with?"

He slowly raised his right arm, and the crossbow, wrapped in dark energy, deformed and expanded, with three fully charged arrows buzzing in the crossbow's groove.

"From the day you stripped me of my summoning privileges—" Li Yan's voice suddenly rose, "we were destined to be enemies!"

"Whoosh!"

Three streaks of purplish-black light tore through the air, distorting and swallowing even the light in their wake.

Xin Nan rolled away almost instinctively to dodge, the arrow grazing the hem of his fluttering clothes.

Behind me came a sickening corrosive sound. Three concrete pillars, each half a meter in diameter, had been pierced with holes the size of bowls, and strange purple smoke was rising from the edges.

"Fire Dragon Armor, combined!"

A crimson phantom of a fire dragon spiraled up, its intense heat scorching the surrounding metal scraps until they glowed red.

However, Xin Nan did not attack immediately, but instead adopted a defensive stance, his brows furrowed beneath his mask.

"Headquarters has reinstated your summoning privileges! Dongshan will be transferred to the logistics department!" He tried to keep his voice steady, but couldn't hide his panting. "We can go back to how things were before."

"Ha! Ridiculous!" Li Yan suddenly burst into a piercing laugh, and the Wind Piercing Crossbow completed its third recharge while he spoke. "Now you know to beg me to go back?"

The crossbow bolts were now arranged in a triangular pattern, blocking all escape routes. "When headquarters made that decision, the research institute probably played a part as well!"

Xin Nan had no choice but to summon his Flaming Blade to parry, sparks flying amidst the clang of metal on metal.

He noticed that Li Yan's attack rhythm had a clear playful quality, like a cat toying with its prey.

“They don’t really want me to go back.” Li Yan’s voice suddenly turned low, and the Wind Piercing Crossbow transformed and reassembled into the Wind Eagle Sword, a longsword. “They’re just scared.”

The sword's edge sliced ​​through the wall, leaving a clear, deep mark. "Afraid of the power I possess!"

Having said that, he suddenly sprang into action, the Dark Wind Eagle Sword trailing purple lightning as it aimed straight for Xin Nan's throat.

At the critical moment, a black figure descended from the sky, its heavy shield barely blocking the fatal blow.

"Bei Miao?!" Xin Nan exclaimed.

The heavily wounded Black Rhino Armor's shield-wielding arm was trembling violently, and blood was constantly seeping from the gaps in its visor.

"Stop talking nonsense," Bei Miao gritted her teeth and forced out a few words, "This guy has gone mad."

Seeing this, Li Yan's disdain remained unchanged. "To be honest, I didn't want to be with you guys for a long time!"

"You call that eliminating mutant beasts? You're all just coasting along better than anyone else!"

The crimson light in Li Yan's eyes suddenly surged, and the purplish-black energy on the Dark Wind Eagle Sword, like boiling flames, coiled around the blade and emitted a piercing buzzing sound.

"Since you all love playing heroes so much—" he sneered, his figure vanishing abruptly, leaving only an afterimage, "then I'll make you face reality!"

"boom--!"

Before Xin Nan could even react, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing hard into the wall behind him.

Amidst the distorted, ear-piercing sounds, the chest of the Flame Dragon Armor heaved continuously, and its panting grew increasingly intense!

"Xin Nan!" Bei Miao roared, struggling to raise the Meteor Spear, but before he could make a move, Li Yan's figure had already appeared in front of him like a ghost.

"too slow."

Li Yan's voice was icy cold. He swept his Wind Eagle Sword across the room, knocking Bei Miao's Meteor Spear away. Then, a knee strike landed heavily on Bei Miao's abdomen.

The Black Rhino Armor let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain. Bei Miao spat out a mouthful of blood and was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing into the fountain pool in the center of the square, splashing water everywhere.

The Black Rhino Armor has been destroyed once again!
"Cough cough...!" Xin Nan struggled to crawl out of the ruins and stood up unsteadily, clearly having reached his limit.

He looked up and saw Li Yan slowly walking towards Bei Miao, holding the Dark Wind Eagle Sword high in his hand, the blade pointing directly at Bei Miao's chest.

"Stop!" Xin Nan roared, forcibly urging his last bit of energy, and the Flame Bow ignited with scorching flames, firing a flaming arrow at Li Yan!

however--

"In vain."

Li Yan didn't even turn around. With a casual wave of his left hand, a dark energy barrier instantly formed. Xin Nan's flaming arrow struck it, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, failing to even stir up a ripple.

"With your strength, you think you can stop me?"

“With your abilities,” Li Yan looked down at the two men, his tone full of sarcasm, “you’re not even qualified to make me take this seriously.”

He raised his foot and stepped on Bei Miao's chest, applying slight pressure, which elicited a painful sound from Bei Miao.

“Li Yan…you…” Bei Miao gasped for breath, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Don't look at me like that." Li Yan sneered. "You've always touted yourselves as righteous, haven't you? But what's the result? You can't even protect your own people, so what are you talking about protecting the world?"

He slowly raised the Wind Eagle Sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"It's over." However, just as the sword was about to fall—

"stop!"

A clear female voice broke the silence.

Li Yan's sword suddenly stopped twenty centimeters from Bei Miao's throat. The dark energy wrapped around the sword was still pulsating restlessly, distorting the surrounding light into eerie ripples.

Meizhen stood panting at the entrance of the square, a few strands of her high ponytail loosened from running and clung to her flushed cheeks.

Her white t-shirt and jeans were also a little dusty, clearly indicating that she had stumbled and fallen all the way there.

When she saw the shocking pool of blood beneath Dongshan, her pupils contracted sharply, and her fingernails dug unconsciously into her palms.

"Li Yan, let's talk!" She forced herself to remain calm, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. "State your conditions!"

The visor of the Dark Wind Eagle Armor slowly turned towards her, its scarlet compound eyes flashing with a cold light.

Meizhen suddenly felt a sense of suffocation—there was no anger, no hatred in that gaze, only a chilling indifference, as if looking at a lifeless object.

The sword tip finally left Bei Miao's neck, reflecting an eerie dark light in the sunlight.

When Li Yan removed his foot from Bei Miao's chest, Bei Miao immediately let out a painful groan.

"Conditions?" Li Yan's voice, amplified by the armor, carried a harsh, metallic quality.

He tilted his head, a once-familiar gesture that now looked eerily menacing. "Do you think you're in a position to negotiate with me right now?"

Mei Zhen froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning. She never imagined that one day she would hear such words from Li Yan.

In my memory, he was always gentle and polite, and even after the fiercest battle, he would carefully check everyone's injuries.

Now, that gentle young man seems to have been completely swallowed up by some kind of darkness.

“I admit your armor is strong,” she took a deep breath, her shoulders trembling slightly beneath her white coat, “but you are ultimately alone. The depths of headquarters are far greater than you imagine.”

"Snapped!"

Li Yan suddenly snapped his fingers, and a dark energy wave spread out in a fan shape.

Ten meters behind Meizhen, the concrete road surface suddenly cracked, revealing a ditch three meters deep, with strange purple smoke rising from its edges.

"Go on." Li Yan leisurely played with the Wind Eagle Sword, the blade spinning in dazzling patterns between his fingertips.

Headquarters, very powerful!
There is no doubt about this!

He even knew that headquarters was conducting some mysterious experiments!

If headquarters really intervenes regardless of the cost, his current strength might not be enough!

Even the Dark Emperor Armor won't do!
Unless, of course, the ultimate emperor!
Otherwise, they really wouldn't be able to withstand the power of headquarters.

"Give me the Light and Shadow Stone," Li Yan suddenly said, his voice carrying an unquestionable command.

"Impossible!" Mei Zhen shouted almost reflexively, then realized her mistake and quickly added, "Do you know what the Light and Shadow Stones mean to the armor system! Without them..."

"That means you'll lose all your armor summoning abilities." Li Yan interrupted her with a light laugh, the tip of his sword casually grazing Bei Miao's mask, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound. "Or, shall I make ERP lose three elites right now?"

Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Li Yan's mind:

"Ding, quest triggered: Obtain Wood Shadow Stone"

Reward: Spatial Teleportation System

"Function Description: Can detect the coordinates of the appearance of alien beasts in real time and instantly teleport them."

A slight smile played on Li Yan's lips beneath his mask. This unexpected system notification had caused him to change his original plans.

“I don’t care if you don’t give me anything,” he said, spreading his hands in a show of generosity. “I only want the Wood Shadow Stone; that’s my bottom line.”

Meizhen bit her lower lip until she tasted blood.

She turned to look at the unconscious Dongshan—the Windhawk Armor summoner's condition was deteriorating rapidly.

Blood had soaked most of his chest, and his breathing was so weak it was almost imperceptible.

Although Bei Miao was still conscious, his injuries were by no means minor!
Xin Nan was also staggering.

The word "okay" seemed to have taken all her strength. Meizhen felt warm tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly blinked them back. "I promise you."

"Meizhen! No!" Bei Miao suddenly struggled to sit up, revealing his bloodshot eyes. "Don't agree to him!"

"boom!"

Li Yan stomped him back onto the ground, sending pebbles flying.

"Don't bark like a loser."

He said coldly, turning to look at Meizhen, "I'll give you twenty minutes."

A painful groan suddenly came from afar.

Dongshan briefly regained consciousness amidst excruciating pain, just in time to hear Meizhen's words of compromise.

An expression of disbelief appeared on his blood-stained face, and his right hand unconsciously reached for his Windhawk Armor Summoner.

"No, I can't!" A large amount of blood gushed from Dongshan's throat, staining his pale lips red.

He struggled to stand up, but the next second he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell into a coma again.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw the ending: he would never be able to summon the Wind Eagle Armor again!

Meizhen let out a suppressed gasp and staggered to Dongshan's side.

She pulled a blue-glowing emergency injection from her pocket, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold it.

When the needle pierced Dongshan's neck, she found that Dongshan's vital signs were still declining.

"Mu Yingshi is at the research institute," she said, her voice trembling with tears, her clothes stained with Dong Shan's blood. "I have to save him first."

"No problem, I'll come pick it up myself later!"

"I just hope you won't try any more tricks on me."

After saying that, Li Yan glanced at Mei Zhen one last time, then turned and left.

Meizhen clearly saw the meaningful glance Li Yan gave her before leaving.

That look made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave—it was not the look a human should have, but rather the look of some kind of higher predator assessing the value of its prey.

After the figure of the Dark Wind Eagle Armor completely disappeared into the sky, Meizhen finally collapsed to her knees in despair.

With trembling hands, she dialed the emergency channel at headquarters, but burst into tears the moment she heard the operator's voice.

"This is a request for medical assistance," she choked out, looking at her dying companion, "Dongshan and Beimiao."

An urgent inquiry came from the other end of the communicator, but Meizhen was no longer listening.

Her gaze fell on the huge crater in the center of the square, corroded by dark energy, where unsettling purple energy fluctuations still lingered.

Only now did she truly realize what they had lost—not just the Wood Shadow Stone, but also that once trustworthy comrade-in-arms.

What's even more terrifying is that she has a vague feeling that today's crushing defeat may only be the beginning.
(End of this chapter)