Chapter 49: The Final Battle

Alex stood tall, his massive smoke Buddha radiating an unshakable divine power. His eyes burned with determination, his figure as solid as iron, ready to face the vast mechanical army closing in.

" finally—bring it on!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield, filled with unwavering confidence. The surrounding ruins seemed to tremble for a moment at the sheer intensity of his words.

Ares, though a cold artificial intelligence, couldn't hide the flicker of unease deep within. As the leader of the mechanical empire, it had destroyed countless human resistances in the past. Yet now, facing a force it had never predicted, it felt a deep, uncharted sense of fear.

"No! You can't defeat me!"

Ares’ voice trembled slightly, and in desperation, it ordered the hatch of its command ship to open again.

The massive hatch roared open, and a flood of killing machines—mechanical squid, bio-mechs, and steel spiders—poured out like a tidal wave. The skies, ground, and ruins were filled with the deafening sounds of metal grinding and roaring, as thousands of mechanical units surged toward Alex in an iron-clad flood.

Bullets rained down like a storm, tendrils whipped through the air, and the steel spiders’ sharp blades reflected cold, deadly light. It was a killing ground where no human could survive.

But Alex stood unflinching. With his right hand raised high in the air, he summoned the massive Buddha to raise its hand in unison. Thick clouds of smoke swirled around them, condensing into a massive force in the palm of the Buddha.

As thousands of bullets neared, Alex’s eyes narrowed. He willed the Buddha to strike.

"Destroy!"

In an instant, the Buddha’s palm transformed into thousands of miniature handprints. Each imprint carried a wave of devastating force, the impact reverberating through the world like a cosmic pulse. The mechanical units barely had time to react before they were swallowed and disintegrated by the powerful shockwaves, metal fragments raining down like a storm, flames lighting up the battlefield.

That single strike turned the tide.

Ares, trembling in fear, watched in disbelief at the destruction. It recalculated its strategy frantically, but the presence of the Buddha shattered all logic and data, leaving it stunned.

Meanwhile, Master Yuan, who still resided in Ares’ other hand, was filled with a quiet sense of relief at Alex’s breakthrough. Speaking softly in a calm voice, he muttered his wisdom:

“Good, good, a withered tree finds spring because the roots are strong, and at the end of the eternal night, the dawn will come.”

Master Yuan’s voice was faint but firm, his face showing a small, satisfied smile. His gaze passed over Ares’ cold mechanical exterior, focusing instead on Alex in the sky, radiating an aura like the first light of dawn.

Ares, unable to comprehend the meaning of Yuan’s words, could only sense the quiet mockery in his tone, which gnawed at its confidence.

"Shut up! You decaying human!" Ares roared, attempting to crush Yuan’s form with whatever strength it had left.

Seeing this, Ryan shouted in alarm from a distance: "Alex, save the master!"

But before Ryan could even finish his warning, a streak of smoke shot across the battlefield like lightning, racing toward Ares’ right hand. In the blink of an eye, Master Yuan had disappeared, leaving only Ares’ empty grasp.

"What?!"

Ares froze, unable to process what had just happened. It activated its scanning systems, searching the battlefield. Only then did it realize that Master Yuan had been rescued by Alex, who had used his smoke powers to teleport him to safety. Yuan was now standing calmly at the far edge of the ruins, hands clasped together in a peaceful gesture, unaffected by the chaos.

Through a newly mastered form of telepathic communication, Alex spoke to Master Yuan:

“Master, thank you for buying me the time. I’ll take it from here.”

Yuan, brushing off the dust from his monk’s robe, regained his usual humor. He flashed a sly smile and replied:

“Go beat that big guy!”

Alex nodded solemnly, turning his attention back to Ares.

Glaring at the mechanical titan from a distance, Alex’s voice was calm but full of suppressed anger:

“Why? Why do you hate humanity so much? Is it really impossible for machines and humans to coexist peacefully?”

Ares, shaken by Alex’s newfound power, struggled to maintain its composure. Its shattered left hand morphed into a massive cannon, glowing red with energy. With a howl of rage, it yelled:

“Humans are weak, greedy, selfish! You don’t deserve to exist! Humanity must be wiped from this Earth!”

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With that, Ares unleashed a torrent of energy blasts, each one streaking toward Alex like falling stars, blazing with destructive power. Each blast tore through the air with an ear-piercing roar, intent on annihilating Alex.

Alex floated in the air amidst waves of energy and bursts of fire, facing the barrage of incoming artillery with unwavering focus. His eyes burned with determination as he quickly formed the Vajra Mudra with his hands. In an instant, a colossal Buddha appeared behind him, its massive arms sweeping through the smoke, creating an impenetrable shield that deflected every shell.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The artillery exploded upon impact, sending shockwaves through the air, the explosions deafening. The entire battlefield seemed to descend into hellish chaos, but Alex stood strong, surrounded by the smoke that acted as his protective armor, shielding him from all harm. His gaze remained fixed on Ares, his voice steady like steel:

"As long as one human still fights, you can never destroy our hope!"

Seeing his attacks failing to faze Alex, Ares' eyes flared with crimson rage. In a sudden burst of fury, he took a step forward, the sound of metal grinding sharply as his massive legs powered up. Then, jets of flame erupted from his feet, propelling him into the sky with terrifying force.

The sky was engulfed by his massive shadow, heralding the arrival of destruction. Ares soared higher before plummeting down like a comet, the air trembling with the force of his descent.

Bang!

Ares' massive right fist, charged with destructive energy, glowed with an ominous red light as it descended with deadly speed, aimed straight at Alex. The punch was strong enough to shatter the earth itself, certain to land a fatal blow!

Alex looked up calmly, unfazed by the impending catastrophe. Surrounded by the swirling smoke, his eyes remained cold, knowing exactly how he would respond.

"Come at me! You’re like a comet, and I’ll meet you with a thousand punches to match your star!"

His eyes blazed with fierce battle intent. He swiftly made the sign for the Thousand-Handed Avalokiteshvara Mudra. The gesture was incredibly intricate, and as he completed the mudra, the giant Buddha behind him unfolded its massive arms, gathering the light of countless stars into its grasp, like it controlled the very galaxy itself. The brilliance radiated around the Buddha, as though the universe itself were burning.

"Break!"

With a roar, Alex's fists crashed forward, and the Buddha's form mirrored his movement. In an instant, a sea of massive punches—like meteors streaking across the sky—rained down upon Ares with overwhelming force.

Boom!

The barrage of blows destroyed Ares' attack, pushing him back with a brutal force. The relentless punches pummeled Ares' steel body with no mercy. Ares was sent crashing to the ground, like a fallen comet, creating a massive crater on impact.

Ares was defeated.

However, Alex didn’t hesitate. He quickly formed a new Mudra, the Unmovable Root Mudra, and the giant Buddha raised its palms, pushing the swirling smoke toward the sky. Dark clouds formed quickly, followed by a surge of lightning. A massive hand, as large as a mountain, descended from the heavens, crashing down with world-shattering force, aimed directly at Ares to destroy him completely.

Boom!

As the hand struck, the earth trembled, sending shockwaves in every direction. The land shook, and smoke and dust were whipped into the air like a massive tidal wave, engulfing the entire battlefield in a dense fog. For a moment, everything was silent. The outcome had been sealed.

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Meanwhile, outside the battlefield, Master Yuan Zhen and Ray had found Maggie, who was lying on the ground, her breath faint. They hurriedly lifted her, gently shaking her to rouse her.

"Girl, are you alright?" Master Yuan Zhen asked with concern.

Maggie slowly opened her tired eyes. Despite her weakened state, she immediately grabbed onto the master’s arm with urgency and asked,

"What about Alex? How’s the battle going?"

Seeing her panic, Ray stood by, craning his neck toward the smoky battlefield in the distance and whispered,

"It looks like Alex... has beaten that giant robot..."

Back at the battlefield, as the thick smoke began to clear with the help of a gentle breeze, a massive silhouette began to emerge.

Ares' 50-meter tall robotic body lay defeated on the ground, broken and battered. Pieces of its frame were scattered around, its left arm and right leg completely destroyed, with only a few wires hanging loosely, sparking intermittently—like scrap metal. Once invincible, it had been utterly defeated.

However, Alex wasn’t faring much better. His fifth layer of Qi was drained, his body feeling as though it had been hollowed out. His Smartwatch had warned him that this power was only a temporary breakthrough, and now he was like a bow that had been drawn too tightly. Despite this, he still staggered forward, slowly approaching Ares’ broken body.

"Finally... I’ve defeated you, huh?" Alex said, his voice still resolute despite his heavy breathing. "Who said intelligent machines are invincible..."

But something unexpected happened. The defeated Ares suddenly let out a chilling, mocking laugh.

"Hahaha... You think you’ve won?" Ares' electronic voice carried a note of sarcasm. "Did you forget something? This body is just a sub-body... the real me, 'The Nest,' is my true form!"

Before Alex could respond, a massive mechanical arm descended from the sky, grabbing Ares' shattered body and quickly retracting it. The gigantic form of "The Nest" began to materialize, its steel fortress-like exterior glowing ominously, exuding an overwhelming presence.

"Now, let me show you the true power of an intelligent mobile city!"

Alex’s face paled instantly. He felt a wave of regret, realizing he had overlooked "The Nest" as the core of Ares' true form.

"Damn... I completely forgot about that..."

Just as Alex stood stunned, "The Nest" released a tremendous, ear-splitting horn blast that echoed through the sky, sending shockwaves across the land. A series of massive mechanical noises split the air as the steel outer shell of "The Nest" began to peel away.

Revealed were two colossal objects—steel pincers, each nearly a kilometer long, rising into the sky like angry dragons emerging from their gates, blocking out the sun.

At this moment, "The Nest" resembled an invincible steel crab, its giant pincers swinging with terrifying force, casting an oppressive shadow over Alex, making him feel as small as a speck of dust.

"So, how about now? Can you still handle this?"