Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

click!

A crisp sound of the striking pin rang out, and the drumstick missed its target.

In that brief lull in firepower, a glint flashed in Zhang Ruoxu's eyes. With a flick of his sleeve, three Five Emperors Coins shot out in a triangular formation, aiming straight for Evan's face.

when!when!when!

Evan didn't even try to dodge.

He casually tossed aside the scorching submachine gun, and at the same moment, a gleaming military dagger appeared in his hand.

With a flick of his wrist, he precisely knocked three copper coins away with the dagger.

Immediately afterwards, the figure in the black trench coat pounced like a cheetah.

Close-quarters combat!

This is Evan Cross's real trump card.

He was a killing machine from the special forces, while Zhang Ruoxu, no matter how high his Taoist skills were, was still a seventy or eighty-year-old man in his physical body.

call--!

The dagger whistled as it slashed toward Zhang Ruoxu's throat.

Zhang Ruoxu dodged to the side, but Evan's change of move was incredibly fast. Missing his first strike, Evan followed up with a heavy shoulder strike, slamming into Zhang Ruoxu's chest.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

Zhang Ruoxu felt as if he had been hit by a speeding vintage car, his whole body flying backward uncontrollably and crashing heavily into an oil-stained brick wall.

"Cough cough..."

He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his spotless Taoist robe red.

Li Bai, who was on the Financial Avenue in the distance, sensed the crisis of his master and roared in anger, wanting to go back to help. However, he was trapped by countless official documents and bills controlled by Roosevelt and could not move an inch.

In the dark back alley, rain began to fall in a drizzle.

It was black acid rain, carrying the filth and coldness of the industrial age.

Evan Cross gripped the dagger in his backhand, his leather shoes clicking on the wet ground as he approached Zhang Ruoxu, who was standing in the corner.

There was no pity in his eyes, only the cold-bloodedness of carrying out a mission.

"It's over, Taoist priest."

Evan's voice sounded exceptionally clear amidst the rain.

He walked up to Zhang Ruoxu, looking down at the disheveled old man, and slowly raised the dagger in his hand, aiming it at his heart.

In the global live stream, the chat was filled with groans of despair.

"It's all over, it's really over!"

"Is this the true value of a Tier 0 version? The moment the inherent barrier is activated, it's a complete game-changer!"

"Old Celestial Master, don't die! Li Bai, save him!"

"It's no use. Li Bai himself has been 'banned' (his name has been suspended), how can we save him?"

A sense of despair was spreading.

Faced with absolute rule-based suppression, individual martial prowess appears utterly insignificant.

In the dark back alley, black acid rain drizzled down.

Raindrops pattered on Evan Cross’s cold exoskeleton armor, sending up wisps of white steam.

The old master leaned against the greasy brick wall, a trickle of crimson blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—proof of internal organ damage.

Just as Evan Cross was about to make his move, Zhang Ruoxu suddenly spoke.

"Lay Buddhist".

"We each have two Command Seals left. Are you sure you want to settle this with this sword right here?"

Evan paused for 0.1 seconds.

For top-tier experts, that's enough.

Zhang Ruoxu suddenly raised his right hand, and the two remaining Command Seals on the back of his hand lit up almost at the same time.

"In the name of the Command Seal—Saber, I will drink this cup for you!"

boom!

The first ray of red light tore through the rain curtain, ignoring the barrier of space, and instantly disappeared into Li Bai's back in the distance.

Before Evan could react, Zhang Ruoxu's voice rose again.

"Once again in the name of the Command Seal—Saber, this body is the Blue Lotus!!"

The second command spell was instantly cleared.

Holding nothing back and leaving no way out, that's the gambling spirit of the Old Master. He either doesn't gamble, or he goes all in.

Evan's expression changed drastically.

He instantly understood the old Taoist's scheme—it was an open conspiracy! A complete arms race!

If he doesn't follow up, Archer Roosevelt will definitely not be able to stop Li Bai under the enhancement of these two Command Seals. Once the Servant is defeated, it will be meaningless for him, the Master, to kill any number of Taoists.

"That damned old fox!"

Evan cursed under his breath; as a soldier, he hated being forced to make choices.

But he had no other choice.

He suddenly raised his right hand, and the eagle wing command seal on the back of his hand, symbolizing America's glory, burst forth with a dazzling blue light.

"In the name of the Command Spell! Archer, show the world your ideal nation!"

"In the name of the Command Seals once more! Archer, for America!!"

Two immense sources of magical power, so powerful they caused the space to tremble, were simultaneously injected into this inherent barrier.

……

On Financial Avenue.

Li Bai, who had been weighed down by countless bills, suddenly looked up to the sky and roared.

The howl was filled with overwhelming intoxication, and the originally dim Azure Lotus Sword suddenly burst forth with a thousand feet of light, forcefully breaking through the surrounding chains of rules that were pressing in.

At the end of the avenue, the Federal Reserve Building behind Roosevelt rose from the ground, piercing the sky, aided by the Command Seal.

The entire "World as I Wish" barrier solidified to the extreme, the originally illusory bricks and stones were completely materialized, and even every grain of dust in the air was stamped with the "Federal Property" seal.

As the power of the two Servants surged out of control, a massive surge of magical energy instantly sliced ​​the battlefield in two.

An invisible force field wall descended, completely sealing off the back alley.

This place has become an arena where Masters fight to the death.

"Now, it's fair."

Evan Cross had a cold look in his eyes. His trench coat shattered from the surge of magic, revealing a sophisticated tactical exoskeleton that shimmered with red light beneath.

"No matter what tricks you use, the difference in strength is absolute."

boom!

The puddles beneath our feet burst open.

Evan activated the exoskeleton's booster engine, transforming into a black afterimage as he lunged at Zhang Ruoxu with a sonic boom.

This time, it's a kill shot.

Zhang Ruoxu coughed up another mouthful of blood. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his withered fingers stained with the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rapidly drew a complex talisman on his palm.

He gave a low shout:

"quiet!"

hum-

A strange fluctuation spread out.

On the straight line where Evan was charging, the originally torrential rain suddenly slowed down, and the air seemed to solidify into glue.

Evan, charging at high speed, felt as if he had crashed into a ball of cotton, and his speed dropped by 30%.

"Eastern witchcraft?"

Evan snorted and the exoskeleton engine roared, forcefully tearing through the resistance.

But in that brief, less than half-second delay, Zhang Ruoxu's figure had already vanished from the spot.

The old Taoist priest stood with his feet positioned according to the Big Dipper constellation, his figure elusive like a ghost, each step he took seemed to land on a point in space.

shhhhhh!

Dozens of copper coins, stained with the Celestial Master's heart's blood, shot out like locusts.

Instead of attacking Evan's armor, they blocked all his escape routes, forcing him to take the hits head-on.

Ding ding ding!

Evan displayed a terrifying level of combat skill.

He forcefully twisted his body in mid-air, using the hardest exoskeleton arm armor to withstand the rain of copper coins. Amidst the flying sparks, he was completely unharmed.

"It's useless, Taoist! Your attacks can't even scratch my paint!"

Evan landed, turned around, and charged again.

Zhang Ruoxu fought and retreated simultaneously.

He looked disheveled, each dodge a close call, his Taoist robe torn, and several bloody marks on his body.

But with each step he took back, he would seemingly unintentionally smear blood on the ground or the wall.

One step, one bloodstain.

One step, one rune.

Evan's patience finally ran out after failing to break through the defenses.

"Let's end this boring game of hide-and-seek!"

He roared and pressed the red button on the exoskeleton arm.

"Overload mode!"

sizzle-

Scorching steam spewed from the heat dissipation vents on the back of the exoskeleton, and the core reactor was operating under overload.

Evan's speed instantly surpassed the limits of human vision, carrying enough kinetic energy to penetrate the armor of a main battle tank, and he punched Zhang Ruoxu in the chest.

This time, there were no frills, only ultimate power and speed.

There is no way to avoid it.

Faced with this seemingly fatal blow, Zhang Ruoxu stopped in his tracks.

He didn't dodge anymore, but gently placed the last drop of blood from his fingertip into the puddle at his feet.

That was the final touch to the entire formation.

The old Taoist priest raised his head, and there was no trace of panic in his cloudy eyes.

Yes, only the hunter's mocking gaze upon his captured prey.

"The Three Talents Soul-Locking Array, activate!"

boom!

In that instant, all the previously inconspicuous blood-red marks in the dark back alley lit up simultaneously.

Heaven, Earth, and Man.

When the three powers return to their proper places, blood and energy surge to the heavens.

An invisible shackle appeared out of thin air. It did not attack Evan's body, but instead, like a sharp scalpel, it slashed fiercely at the magical channel between Evan and Roosevelt, which had become incredibly thick due to the Command Seal's activation.

Sizzle—!!!

Evan's unstoppable fist suddenly stopped three inches from Zhang Ruoxu's chest.

It's like a machine that's been unplugged.

The dazzling magical light on the exoskeleton dimmed instantly, the overload mode was forcibly interrupted, and the backlash of electricity made Evan's body stiff.

"This...how is this possible..."

Evan's pupils dilated; he couldn't sense that Roosevelt's magical supply had been cut off!

"Layman, relying too much on external things will ultimately lead you to a lower level."

Zhang Ruoxu smiled faintly, his left hand behind his back, his right hand in a palm, with lightning surging in his palm.

This is the palm thunder he cultivated for sixty years in Longhu Mountain.

Although its power is not comparable to modern artillery, it is enough to hit an ordinary person who has lost his magical protection and whose body is stiff.

"go."

He gently placed his palm on Evan's chest.

boom!

Lightning exploded.

Evan Cross flew backward like a kite with a broken string, flying more than ten meters before crashing heavily onto the muddy ground. Black smoke billowed from his exoskeleton, and he could no longer get up.

Servant battle, end.

……

The main battlefield is the Financial Avenue.

As Evan fell, Roosevelt's once indestructible natural barrier began to flicker unnaturally.

But he was, after all, a giant who could make the world tremble even while sitting in a wheelchair.

Even without the Master's support, he still maintained absolute control of the situation thanks to the lingering glow of the Command Seals.

"I hereby declare this area under wartime economic control!"

Roosevelt's voice was like a resounding bell, echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

The free magic power within the entire space was forcibly taken over by the "state," and Li Bai felt that the magic power within his body was being forcibly extracted by a domineering rule.

That's "taxes".

In this world, even breathing requires paying taxes.

"Hahaha! You want to control everything, including my drinking and sword practice?"

Li Bai laughed wildly, twirling his Green Lotus Sword. He didn't rush to attack, but instead began to recite poetry, his eyes glazed with drunkenness:

"Everyone has their own unique talents, and even if I spend all my money, it will come back again!"

Words become law.

As the poem was recited, countless golden characters surrounded Li Bai.

That is not just poetry, but also "the Way".

The magic (money) that Roosevelt had just withdrawn actually formed a perfect closed loop under the rule of this poem, flowing back into Li Bai's body.

You want to collect taxes? I'll print money!

This is a battle between "internal circulation" and "macroeconomic control"!

Roosevelt's face darkened; he hadn't expected the other side to exploit a bug in this way.

With a wave of his hand, countless bills flew behind him.

"Initiate trade protection legislation! Ban all foreign 'concepts' from being dumped!"

Transparent barriers appeared out of thin air, attempting to isolate the artistic conception of Li Bai's poems.

Li Bai raised an eyebrow, took a step forward, and pointed his sword at the sky:

"How can I bow and scrape before the powerful and wealthy, thus losing my joy?!"

This sentence is defiance!

That indomitable spirit transformed into an invisible sword, carrying the rogue spirit of "I refuse to be controlled," and slashed fiercely at the barrier representing the "majesty of the law."

Click!

An invisible barrier was forcibly torn open.

"Since the law can't control you..."

Roosevelt finally lost his temper.

He slowly raised his hands, and the towering Federal Reserve building behind him began to transform and reassemble.

The silhouettes of Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, and the Pentagon merged into one at that moment.

Rumbling--

A giant, hundreds of feet tall and made entirely of gold and steel, rose from the ground.

It has no facial features; its face is a giant dollar billboard relief. Its left hand holds a law book, and its right hand holds a large club.

This is the final form of Roosevelt's Noble Phantasm—[The State Machine].

It is not a specific deity; it is the system itself, collective violence, and an inviolable will.

The giant's massive hand, covering the sky, slowly pressed down on the tiny Li Bai with a terrifying pressure that could crush all heretics.

In the global live stream, everyone held their breath.

This goes beyond the realm of Servant battles; it is the arrival of a myth.

Faced with the systemic power that could crush even the gods, Li Bai suddenly suppressed all his arrogance.

He sheathed his sword and sat cross-legged in mid-air.

The haze in those drunken eyes faded, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and profundity.

He didn't look at the golden hand pressing down on him, but turned his head and nodded slightly to Zhang Ruoxu, who was coughing up blood in the ruins in the distance.

"Thanks, Lao Zhang."

next second.

Li Bai closed his eyes, and his solemn and dignified recitation seemed to come from the Milky Way in the heavens, each syllable causing Roosevelt's solid ideal state to tremble violently.

"Venus shines brightly, Taiwei descends with its radiance!"

"My body is the Milky Way, a blue lotus transformed into an immortal embryo."

As he recited the poem, Li Bai exuded a sacred aura that seemed otherworldly and beyond the mundane.

A golden star mark slowly appeared on his forehead.

that moment.

The inherent barrier that Roosevelt was so proud of, that hazy sky, began to shatter inch by inch, like a mirror.