Chapter 51: Five Mudras

“If only… I could harness lightning for myself…”

In that moment, Alex’s mind was struck by the wild thought. He quickly formed a mudra, his hands shaping the flow of energy like a raging torrent, sending it toward the stormy sky, creating a silver-gray pillar of air, like a lightning rod.

“Come on!”

Alex gritted his teeth and held his breath, waiting in anticipation.

A bolt of lightning instantly descended, the deafening roar of thunder almost shattering his eardrums. The lightning struck the energy column, and the light exploded like galloping horses. However, only a few of the energy particles were captured, quickly vanishing into nothingness.

“Damn it! I can’t hold onto the lightning… Is it the mudra that’s wrong?”

Alex panted, sweat pouring down his forehead. He was growing desperate, knowing time was running out as the Nest’s approach grew ever closer.

“Change the mudra… try again!”

He growled, quickly shifting into the next mudra. The energy vortex stabilized, becoming more suitable for capturing the lightning.

Another bolt of lightning struck, crashing into his energy vortex. The lightning swirled within the air like a dragon dancing through the storm. This time, more particles of energy were trapped!

“Come on… Come on!”

Alex muttered under his breath, a flicker of hope in his eyes. But despite his efforts, the lightning could not hold. It quickly dissipated once again.

“Change the mudra… try again!”

Just as he was preparing to try once more, a loud sound interrupted him.

“Human, I will no longer give you any chances.”

The Nest’s voice echoed like a judgment day, shaking the air around him.

“Next strike… I will crush your hope along with everything else!”

Alex looked up, his pupils narrowing. He saw the Nest raise its massive pincers, the sound of grinding gears filling the air as the pincers shifted into giant drill bits, gleaming with cold, metallic light.

From the bottom of the Nest, four massive afterburners extended, their cooling pipes shifting from icy blue to blazing red, turning the entire machine into a mobile volcano. Fuel replaced electricity, injected into the afterburners, and was transformed into a violent wave of flames.

The ground trembled violently as the afterburners roared to life, dust from the ruins was blown up into the air, resembling a sandstorm swallowing the world. Alex knew this was bad. He immediately tried to channel the energy pillar again, hoping to bring down more lightning.

“Hurry… hurry!”

He gritted his teeth, sweat rolling down his forehead as his hands tightened into fists. The energy column stretched wildly toward the sky, as if trying to tear apart the storm clouds. But the lightning still hadn’t arrived, and his heart sank further.

At that moment, the afterburners of the Nest roared deafeningly, four streams of crimson flame erupted, and the entire machine shot into the air, like a moving mountain rising through the sky, casting a shadow over everything.

“Boom!”

The Nest flipped in the air, its giant form casting a shadow over the land, as if the very heavens had lost their light with its descent. The raised drill bits came crashing down like meteorites, carrying the power to destroy the world, heading straight for Alex!

“Damn it!” Alex’s eyes widened, his body instinctively shuddered. The lightning hadn’t fully been absorbed yet, and he could already see there was no way to dodge this strike. Without a second thought, he quickly formed the immovable root mudra. The energy swirled together into a dense mass, moving to meet the descending drill.

“Boom—!”

The drill collided with the energy sphere with a thunderous crash, the shockwave spreading out in all directions, sending rubble flying and buildings collapsing into dust. The ground beneath Alex cracked as the force of the impact sent debris and rubble tumbling into the depths.

“Ah—!”

Alex gritted his teeth, his feet planted firmly on the ground, but his body was being gradually bent by the immense pressure. The energy within him surged wildly, fighting against the overwhelming force of the Nest, but the pressure felt like an endless abyss, slowly swallowing his willpower.

“No… I can't fall!”

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Alex shouted inwardly, his hands trembling, veins bulging on his forehead. He pushed his energy to the limit, trying to control the air currents, but the pressure from the nest was too much to handle. It crushed him, leaving him gasping for air.

Debris flew, steel beams snapped, and Alex’s energy orb began to dissipate. He felt himself nearing his limit, his legs deeply embedded in rubble, his bones on the verge of snapping.

“I… I can't do it…”

Alex lowered his head, every ounce of strength seemingly drained from him. His energy orb was being torn apart by the nest’s drill. His knees sank deeper into the wreckage, his breath ragged and uneven, as if it could stop at any moment.

At that moment, his smartwatch on his left wrist finally couldn’t withstand the pressure. With a loud snap, it fell to the ground beside him. The shattered surface, riddled with cracks, reflected the dim light, and the exposed metal parts seemed to signal the arrival of the end.

Alex stared blankly at the watch, memories flooding his mind like a tide.

The laughter in Rockhill Valley, the parents who had sacrificed their lives for him, Max who died shielding him, Chad the strict but caring training officer, the brothers from Squad 6… and then, Anna, who left him, and Maggie, who had stayed by his side through it all. Finally, the voice of Ray, the one who always reminded him.

“Don’t waste this power... even in the face of doom, it will find a way.”

The memories burned like fire, igniting something fierce in Alex's chest. His eyes watered, but this time, it wasn’t despair—it was filled with defiance and determination.

“I... can’t give up! I can’t betray you all!”

He gritted his teeth, slowly, with immense difficulty, standing up once more.

The massive drill continued to push against his energy orb, the nest’s afterburners roaring like thunder, with waves of scorching air surrounding him. As Alex fought to resist the drill, he racked his mind for any details he might have missed when Master Yuan taught him the mudras.

His eyes fixed on the broken smartwatch at his feet, noticing the exposed resistors.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind.

“If the current needs resistance to control... what if I link the mudras together?”

Staring at the smartwatch, the idea in his head became clearer. Just as electrical currents require resistors to stabilize, could the flow of his energy also need similar control? If he could simulate the components of a circuit with different mudras and link them, could he form a stable "energy loop" to capture lightning?

Alex calmed himself and slowly closed his eyes. In his mind, one mudra after another flashed by like a revolving lantern. His body continued to sink deeper, the drill’s pressure collapsing the ground beneath him, thick smoke and debris fully engulfing him. But in the deep darkness, his mind was clearer than ever.

The brain of the nest, “Ares,” controlled the drill high above, speaking with an air of arrogance and disdain:

“It’s over, don’t struggle anymore, human! You are destined to lose to artificial intelligence!”

Before the words were even fully out, the drill accelerated again, driving Alex deeper into

the earth. The deafening crash seemed to signal his end.

However, the nest was wrong.

In the dust, Alex was still alive. He slowly opened his eyes, his expression resolute, as if all the past pain and sacrifices had merged into an overwhelming force. He thought of Maggie’s steadfastness, Ray’s teachings, and the comrades who had died for him. Finally, he whispered:

“I understand now…”

Taking a deep breath, Alex steadied his hands, bringing them together to form the first mudra.

“First Mudra, Demon-Slaying Mudra! To summon thunder and lightning.”

As the Demon-Slaying Mudra was formed, the sky immediately roiled, and thunder crashed as dozens of bolts of lightning struck the earth, surging into his body. Brilliant light surrounded him, and the lightning coiled like angry dragons, enveloping him entirely.

Ares, hovering high above, blinked in surprise before sneering:

“Futile resistance!”

The drill pushed forward again, but its progress slowed.

“Second Mudra, Wisdom Mudra! To store the electricity.”

Alex growled.

The Wisdom Mudra formed, and the lightning was wrapped in thick smoke and air, condensing into countless flashing lightning cells that danced like silver serpents. They wove together in the air, forming a web that blocked the drill’s advance.

Alex formed the next mudra, his hands flowing like water.

“Third Mudra, Lotus Mudra. To fuse the current.”

As the Lotus Mudra formed, the energy swirled with the lightning cells, creating a storm as the lotus of lightning blossomed, pushing back the nest’s drill. The force was so powerful that Ares was stunned.

“Fourth Mudra, Great Sun Buddha Mudra. To amplify the current.”

His voice was deep and strong, merging with the roar of the thunder.

The Great Sun Buddha Mudra formed, and countless bolts of lightning swirled around him, shaping into a gigantic lightning Buddha, glowing brilliantly and shaking the very heavens. The thunder surged out, bending the metal shell of the nest as electric arcs forced it to warp and melt.

“Damn it! I won’t let you shape this power!”

Ares’s voice finally showed a hint of fear. It accelerated the drill, trying desperately to fight back, but it could no longer get any closer.

At this moment, Alex’s mind had transcended all. He smiled faintly, his voice calm but filled with strength:

“Fifth Mudra, Fearless Mudra. To turn electricity into light... representing my fearlessness!”

As the final mudra was completed, the lightning power fused completely, and the light erupted in an instant, making the entire world still for a moment. The next second, the boundless lightning surged into the sky like a tidal wave, blasting the nest and its drill away.

“No! This can’t be!”

Ares screamed in fury, realizing that the power had solidified. A massive lightning Buddha stood proudly between heaven and earth, its brilliance lighting up the entire sky.

“The final blow, come on!!”