13: Chapter 13 Captain Level!! Hope Angel Leia

The moment the choice was made, the world seemed to be pressed onto the mute button.

[Consuming 1,000 points of life essence...]

[Promoting host's class: Lord of Light (Rank 1 → Rank 2)...]

The cold system notification echoed in Li Yuan's mind, but he had no time to worry about it. A vast amount of knowledge surged from the depths of his consciousness.

"Ugh—!"

Li Yuan couldn't help but let out a suppressed groan, his temples throbbing.

He saw countless forms of light—the soft light of healing, the holy flames of purification, the bulwark of protection, the sharp spear of judgment...

He understood the essence of summoning—creating something from nothing, using energy as the bone and laws as the network to shape loyal creations. And for the Captain-class, it required injecting a seed of "spirituality" into it...

While Li Yuan was fully focused on ranking up, the Light Guardian who had been standing quietly by his side also began to undergo a change.

Hum—!

A burst of pure, incandescent white light erupted without warning from the Light Guardian's core, instantly engulfing it. That light was like a miniature star born within Li Yuan's command center, illuminating every corner of the space with extreme clarity.

Li Yuan instinctively squinted, staring intently at the shifting source of light.

He could feel that the Light Guardian was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation, becoming more active, more complex, and more... divine.

That light-forged body, over two meters tall and filled with a sense of power, began to slowly "melt" like a wax statue meeting heat. Its silhouette shrank at a visible pace, contracting from its previously oppressive physique to become more slender.

The light was like a chisel in the hands of a master sculptor, finely carving every detail.

The light-armor that originally covered the entire body was now outlined with clear, perfect female body curves—

A slender yet powerful waist, long and straight legs, and high, full cleavage.

The armor was no longer full plate, but had turned into silver-white armor that fit the body's lines, protecting key areas while unabashedly showcasing that breathtaking grace.

"Shua—"

As if a scroll were unfolding, or an angel awakening, a pair of huge, pure white wings suddenly spread out from behind her back. Those wings were not made of real feathers, but were woven from highly condensed holy light energy.

Every "feather" flowed with a faint golden halo, its edges shimmering with light. As they stretched, it was as if fine dust of light fell, stirring the surrounding energy field and bringing a visual shock like the swaying of a galaxy. This was the majesty of the heavens and a symbol of purity.

The dazzling light gradually dimmed, finally merging completely into the newborn body. At this moment, standing before Li Yuan was no longer an elemental construct, but a living angel girl with peerless beauty.

She exuded a pure and warm divine aura, as if she were a collection of all imaginations concerning "light" and "goodness" in the world. Her skin was white and flawless, as delicate as the finest mutton-fat jade, no different from a real person's, yet emitting a faint aura of life from the inside out.

She wore a crown that seemed carved from ice crystals, with sharp edges and crystal-clear transparency, constantly refracting the cold holy radiance flowing within. She appeared noble beyond compare, like a miracle of ice and holy light blending together.

A suit of silver-white armor covered her key areas. The armor was radiant, with the cold texture unique to metal perfectly blending with the warm luster bestowed by holy energy, vividly outlining her proud body curves. Especially that high and beautifully arched softness, which appeared even more perky under the support of the armor.

In her left hand, she held a translucent Holy Shield of Light, its surface engraved with complex and mysterious starburst runes, giving a sense of indestructible stability. In her right hand, she held a longsword burning with golden holy flames; the flames leaped quietly, yet emitted a terrifying power capable of incinerating all evil in the world.

Her face was exquisite beyond the limits of the mundane. In her clear eyes, it was as if the sea of stars was contained, flowing with compassion for all living beings and the determination to protect order.

Especially, what made Li Yuan's heart stop was that she was facing him, the corners of her flawless lips slightly upturned, sketching a smile enough to make a hundred flowers pale and the spring breeze feel intoxicated.

Then, she spoke, her voice crisp and pleasant, with a natural softness and respect:

"Greetings, Master. Angel of Hope Laya, reporting for duty."

...

...

Silence.

A strange, pin-drop silence fell over the command center.

Li Yuan's mouth was agape, his eyes wide. What did he just see? An angel? A living, bubbly-beautiful angel girl who also called him master?!

Where was his thick-waisted, broad-shouldered, taciturn, tanky, and combat-ready Light Guardian baby that gave him such a sense of security?!

The huge psychological gap and visual impact left him stunned for a full ten seconds before he suddenly snapped back to his senses:

"Wait, wait! You, you, you... where is my Light Guardian? My big one! The Light Guardian that could serve as my cover?! Where did you put it?!"

He circled Laya twice, trying to find any trace of that previous iron hunk from any angle, but he failed. Before him was only this smiling, beautiful-eyed Angel of Hope.

"Hmph, men who say one thing but mean another!!"

Just as Li Yuan was dazed, that familiar sweet girl's voice rang in his head, her tone filled with undisguised contempt.

"What do you mean?! What do you mean by that?!" Li Yuan retorted in his mind, feeling shamed and angry: "Despising me? If you're a man, come out and fight me one-on-one! Give me back my baby!"

"Captain-class evolution is based on the summoner's truest subconscious expectations," Customer Service Agent No. 1518 explained, but Li Yuan could clearly feel the teasing beneath the tone: "Simple put, she became like this because deep down in your heart, you wanted her to be like this. Also, I am a woman!!!"

"Nonsense! Pure nonsense!" Li Yuan was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, defending himself with a red face and thick neck: "My expectations? Shouldn't that be a Gundam? A Zaku would work too! I've been solo since birth for 25 years, how could I possibly like girls?!"

"Heh heh!!"

The Customer Service Miss used two cold onomatopoeic words to convey complex information like "keep making things up," "I totally believe you (not)," and "men really are all big pig trotters."

No. 1518 seemed to feel the blow wasn't enough and slowly added another sentence:

"Also, a friendly tip: the behavior of a Captain-class summoned beast, outside of combat mode, also reflects certain... well, desires deep within your heart."

"Wh... what desires? Don't talk nonsense!" Alarm bells rang in Li Yuan's heart, and an ominous premonition surged.

However, Customer Service Agent No. 1518's warning came a step too late.

"Master, what are you saying? Laya... Laya doesn't understand."

Laya's sweet and innocent voice rang out, and in the next second, Li Yuan felt his right arm sink into a soft, warm embrace.

Laya had actually grabbed his arm with both hands, hugging it tightly between her high, perky chest!

Hum—!

Li Yuan only felt a chill shoot from his tailbone up his spine to the top of his head.

"Don't... don't do this! It's... too numbing! This is improper!" He tried hard to pull his arm out, but Laya's slender arms contained a terrifying power far exceeding that of the Light Guardian, and she didn't budge.

Moreover, the more he struggled, the clearer that wonderful sensation became. The clearer it became, the more he struggled.

"Does Master not like Laya?" Laya looked up, those beautiful eyes flowing with starlight instantly misting over. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth drooped, looking like she was about to burst into tears—a truly pitiable sight.

Li Yuan was completely flustered. Who could withstand this?! Just as he felt he was about to give in, the system's explanation flashed out.

"Combat Mode!"

The moment the command was issued, the sweet and weak aura on Laya vanished instantly!

She released Li Yuan's arm, her body sinking slightly into a perfect combat stance. The Holy Shield of Light in her left hand guarded her front, while the Flaming Holy Sword in her right pointed diagonally at the ground, her eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

"By your command!" Her voice also became cold and decisive.

"This... this Captain-class evolution... is a bit too stimulating..." He muttered to himself. Was he, a shut-in, really this closeted?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the terrifying thought. "The system must have misunderstood! Yes, it must be a bug!"

To distract himself and verify just how strong a Captain-class's combat power was, Li Yuan decided to start testing immediately.

He took Laya to a relatively open area of ruins outside the command center. Li Yuan first pointed to a wandering Drone in the distance.

"Laya, test your basic defense and mobility. Attract that Drone to attack you."

"Understood."

The pure white wings on Laya's back fluttered slightly, and her figure turned into a streak of white light, appearing before the Drone almost instantly.

The Drone spotted the enemy and immediately spat out venom. However, its attack couldn't even get within a foot of Laya.

"As expected... the less you wear, the higher the defense..." Li Yuan rubbed his chin, commenting thoughtfully.

"Next, test your attack. Target: that Roach." Li Yuan pointed to a Zantar Cockroach further away.

Laya took the order, her figure flashing again to appear above the Roach. She simply performed a mid-air slash at the Roach below!

In the next moment, that thick-skinned and resilient Zantar Cockroach, along with the ruined wall behind it—which was over half a meter thick—split open silently from the middle like butter cut by a hot knife, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror. The Roach's body split left and right, crashing to the ground.

Li Yuan: "..."

He opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time. He knew a Captain-class would be strong, but this strength... wasn't it a bit too broken?!

After a preliminary test of Laya's combat power, Li Yuan turned his gaze to another core ability of the Rank 2 [Lord of Light]—the [Light Mage].

This time, a soft milky-white pillar of light appeared. Within the pillar, a figure wearing flowing magic robes woven from light slowly condensed and emerged.

The robes were wide, obscuring most of the body's curves, but the graceful female silhouette beneath could still be seen. Like the previous Light Guardian, her face was shrouded in a hazy halo, making it impossible to see her features clearly, only allowing one to vaguely sense a quiet and wisdom temperament.

Li Yuan tried to communicate with her, but received only a silent yet respectful bow. It seemed not all summoned units possessed high intelligence and interaction capabilities like Laya.

"Test the Light Mage's attack capability. Target: the Zerg fifty meters ahead." Li Yuan ordered.

The Light Mage elegantly raised her hand, and three [Holy Spears] made of liquid light, about a meter long, instantly condensed in front of her before shooting out with a whistle!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Li Yuan carefully observed the destructive effect and compared it with the data in his memory.

"Power... is roughly fifty percent of [Metal Element Enchantment + Dual Rockets]." He quickly reached a conclusion. It took one hit to insta-kill a Zergling, while killing a Drone required two shots.

"The Rank 2 magic attack isn't even half of the String-Controlling Weaver's Level 1 skill. It seems the String-Controlling Weaver's Rank 2 skills are stronger than imagined!"

He shook his head, suppressing the thought for now. "The battlefield is so complex now; precision strikes are more suitable. There's no rush for area-of-effect attacks."

Finally, the biggest quantitative change of this upgrade—ten newly added ordinary Light Guardians.

Li Yuan looked at these ten newborn Light Guardians. Behind the ten Light Guardians, multi-functional quivers constructed of light appeared simultaneously!

Li Yuan's eyes instantly lit up!

The ten new Light Guardians perfectly filled this gap!

50 arrows for each Light Guardian!!!

The aircraft carrier battle group, at this moment, officially sets sail!!!

"It's time to let this world witness true light."