"So, you're my opponent?" Not long after walking forward, another figure appeared ahead of them.
Within this vast mansion, the pathways twisted and intertwined. A few turns were enough to leave someone far behind, yet she floated there lightly, as though gravity held no meaning for her.
"An Enchantress..." The other party looked like an extremely adorable little girl, but Chu Lian knew that once she transformed, she would be more terrifying than the vast majority of monsters. This kind of creature excelled at taking on the appearance of an attractive human to lure in the opposite sex—only to devour them alive afterward. In terms of appearance, her true form was several times more grotesque than Shalltear's.
"Stay. And you, leave." She spoke, her voice ethereal and drifting. When Chu Lian heard it, it felt like a gentle scratch against her ears—oddly comfortable.
"Lian, go. She—leave her to me." Though the opponent's strength stood at half-step Earth rank, far stronger than Inori Yuzuriha's current level, she showed no fear. She flipped lightly down, her black cloak swaying, as if she felt no concern whatsoever about the battle about to unfold.
"Inori..." Chu Lian felt uneasy. The Enchantress's strangeness was such that even she found it somewhat troublesome to deal with without activating the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Inori herself was more of a long-range attacker. If she became entangled in close combat with an Enchantress whose melee ability was terrifyingly strong, she would almost certainly fall into a disadvantage. Chu Lian was afraid something might happen to her.
"Believe in Satsuki. Believe in Chu Chu. Then believe in me too." Inori turned to look at Chu Lian and blinked. Her meaning was instantly understood. Leaping down from Suicune's back, Chu Lian gently patted her shoulder and instructed softly, "Don't force yourself. If you can't win, leave. She won't be able to catch you."
"I will." Inori smiled lightly. The energy Chu Lian had passed to her was exactly what she needed to turn defeat into victory. As long as that power remained within her, the Enchantress would not be her match.
"Dividing the battlefield... Though I don't know what you're truly planning, I'm rather curious what kind of surprise you can bring me." If Chu Lian still failed to grasp their intention by now, she would truly be a fool.
"It has nothing to do with you. Just leave." The Enchantress's target was not her, but the pink-haired girl before her. From her body emanated a scent that made the Enchantress salivate. She wanted so badly... to eat her...
"Suit yourself. In any case, you'll all fail in the end." Chu Lian shrugged. Ignoring the doll-like Japanese-style girl floating midair with her hair trailing to the ground, she turned and mounted Suicune again, urging it forward.
"Then here I come, human. Let me... eat you..." Her long hair surged outward like countless writhing tentacles, sweeping toward Inori. A violet-red gleam flashed in her eyes, excitement reaching its peak.
"Is that so?" Inori showed no fear. Energy surged from her body as crystalline armor manifested around her, revolving to block the oncoming hair and prevent it from approaching.
"How fun..." The Enchantress did not perceive the girl as dangerous. Instead, she found the situation amusing. Not only did her hair not retreat, it pressed inward even more, enveloping all the crystal armor protecting Inori and tightening with force.
Crack— The sound of crystal shattering rang out. Inori's expression shifted slightly. She raised her hand and fired three shots, all striking the Enchantress—yet they caused no damage at all.
"What an annoying human." Mana surged violently. The strength of her hair increased further. The crystal armor shielding Inori could not withstand such force and instantly shattered.
Fortunately, the girl had prepared in advance. The moment the crystal broke, before the hair could coil around her, she flipped away and retreated beyond its range.
"What a pity. I thought I could finish it in one go." The Enchantress shook her head. She had assumed that under such an assault, the girl would have nowhere to escape and would become nourishment for her body. Unexpectedly, she had still managed to evade.
"Why?" Inori was puzzled. All three shots had clearly hit. Why had they dealt no damage whatsoever? Could it be that her attacks could not even break the opponent's defense? That shouldn't be possible.
"You want to know why? Become a part of me, and you will." The Enchantress offered no explanation. Floating forward, she stepped out of the house and saw Inori already retreating into the courtyard. A trace of displeasure crossed her face. "Why move away from me? I'm clearly so cute."
"No. You're a monster." Inori paid her no mind. Shot after shot rang out. Whether effective or not, at least firing made her feel steadier.
Clang— It seemed something had been struck. Pain flashed across the Enchantress's face. Bloody tears streamed from her eyes, and her once adorable human form instantly transformed into a grotesque creature composed of little more than a massive mouth and elongated limbs.
"So you are a monster after all..." Inori let out a breath of relief. That must have hit her concealed core, forcing her back into her true form.
But that true form was hideous beyond measure. Her limbs were slender, while half her body consisted of a single gaping mouth. Teeth reflected a cold sheen beneath the lights. A blackish-red tongue split into multiple forked strands, writhing like tentacles within her maw—disgusting to behold.
She also had a tail. At its end was a head—the same little girl's appearance she had taken earlier. That small mouth was chewing on black worms—or rather, worms writhed within her mouth, crawling across her face, merging into the Enchantress's body before circulating once more.
"Truly... disgusting..." The opponent's strength had reached its peak. Inori frowned and switched to machine-gun fire, only to find the bullets sinking into her as though into a swamp—more revolting than her earlier humanoid form.
"Don't think this means I can't deal with you." Inori's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she activated the power Chu Lian had left within her. Reaching to her chest, she drew forth a massive Void greatsword.
"This is my gift to you..." Black boots strode forward across the ground. Inori swung the Void greatsword, carving a long gash across the Enchantress's body.
Unfortunately, the creature ignored such an attack entirely. Spotting the girl's back, she lashed out with her forked, tentacle-like tongue like a chameleon's strike, forming a massive net of flesh to ensnare Inori.
Yet she had underestimated Inori at this moment. The attribute amplification of the Void greatsword was something both Chu Lian and she could utilize—it was merely a matter of who wielded it.
"Sss—" A shriek of pain rang out. Inori spun and struck with a single slash, easily severing the tongue that was harder than steel. Purple-black blood sprayed as the Enchantress recoiled. Though her eyes were so small they were nearly invisible, they locked onto Inori with a hatred that could never coexist under the same sky.
"Please die quietly." Her slender feet stepped lightly through the air as Inori's body began to dance. The Void greatsword cleaved downward as she descended in a flash, drawing a single devastating arc.
Although her Deathblow had a relatively low chance of triggering against an opponent whose innate abilities surpassed her own, she was confident that this strike would be enough to slay it.
"Hiss—" Having reverted to her true form, the Enchantress could no longer speak human words, but her perception of danger had grown far sharper. Under that lethal threat, the head on her tail snapped upright and spewed a torrent of black worms toward Inori.
Knowing those worms were abnormal, Inori had no intention of letting them touch her. Gritting her teeth, she swung out a blade of light, annihilating every last worm. But the strike that should have been fatal only severed one of the Enchantress's forelimbs and carved a wound across her body that would never fade. It failed to kill her.
"Roar—" With a strange cry, at the brink of death, she finally called for reinforcements.
A fierce gust erupted from behind. The energy carried within it was unmistakably high Earth rank—enough to kill Inori instantly.
"Don't push things too far." Time froze. Inori's hair shifted to violet in an instant. She turned to face the burly giant wearing a ghost mask. Extending a slender finger, she flicked the exposed top of his head. In that very instant, he shattered into fragments.
The ghost mask fell into Eve's hand after his death. Holding it, she sensed the eerie energy within and immediately understood what it was.
"A human? A puppet controlled by a ghost mask? I didn't expect this item to possess such power. Perfect—I was just wondering what gift to give the little one. I'll gladly accept this." With its owner already dead, there was naturally no reply. Eve was merely speaking to herself.
"You're quite unpleasant, little thing..." Slowly descending, Eve casually swept the Void greatsword around her body. Countless wind blades tore deep furrows into the hardened ground. The might of Heaven rank revealed itself effortlessly in that simple motion.
Yet the Enchantress had every reason to believe that this was merely the tip of the iceberg. The true extent of her strength was something she would never have the chance to witness.
"I hate insects the most..." Wearing a lighthearted smile, she swung her blade and split the Enchantress cleanly in two. The head on her tail attempted to flee, but after flying a short distance, it froze midair.
Eve walked over slowly. Seeing the adorable appearance it had taken after separating from the main body, she tilted her head and said, "Very cute. Unfortunately, you're a monster." Then, ignoring the terror on its face, she reached out and crystallized it into a single block.
Crack— A gust of wind passed. The crystal shattered into powder and scattered. Eve murmured softly, "If her head exploded, it would only become countless worms. Something like this should simply vanish from the world. Enchantresses do not deserve to exist."
After speaking, she closed her eyes. Her hair instantly returned to pink. The Void greatsword did not disappear. Holding the ghost mask, Inori followed Chu Lian's trail.
Even Chu Lian herself likely had no idea what had transpired in the area Eve had just frozen, nor that Inori—who had been the last to engage in battle—was now the first to catch up.
"Oh? Unexpected..." In the innermost chamber of the Wang family mansion, Wang Hao, seated beside the lich Ger, seemed to sense something. After letting out a whistle, he spoke with interest.
He had no way of knowing what had occurred during the interval when Eve appeared, but the fact that Inori had resolved the Enchantress—who should have been the most troublesome—and arrived first piqued his curiosity.
He knew Inori was Chu Lian's most important right hand, which was why he had even set up an ambush with one of their strongest forces besides the two of them—the Ghost Mask Strongman.
And yet she had still eliminated him. That was truly beyond his expectations. Was it that this girl's combat power exceeded his imagination, or did she possess some secret he had yet to uncover?
Still, to achieve this step—she truly lived up to being Chu Lian's finest aide. Failing to eliminate you this time is quite unpleasant indeed.
But it no longer matters. Chu Lian has completely stepped into the trap. Once we draw in the net and capture her, no matter how capable you are, you will only be able to watch us leave—powerless to act.
Even if you, Li Mingxue, were to overturn Sucheng and even the entire province, you would still be unable to save your daughter. Who told her to carry so many secrets and priceless treasures?
As the saying goes, a common man is innocent, but he becomes guilty by possessing a treasure. Owning what she should not possess is the greatest crime of all. If you must hate someone, hate yourself for letting her come out.
"What happened?" Hearing his remark, Ger turned with a trace of tension in his voice. They had reached the final moment. He did not want anything to occur at this critical juncture that might jeopardize him. That would be disastrous.
"Heh, something interesting. That pink-haired little girl didn't die. Instead, the Enchantress and the Ghost Mask Strongman did." Wang Hao adjusted his glasses, clearly unconcerned.
"It won't affect the plan?" Ger had staked everything on this scheme. If it failed, he would lose everything. Forget the imagined status he desired—retaining his current position would already be a blessing.
"It won't. Because our prey has arrived." Wang Hao could sense Chu Lian stepping into this building—the encirclement woven like a heavenly net.
"Let's hope so..." Things had not unfolded entirely as he wished. A faint tension and unease had already taken root within Ger, fear creeping in that this hunt might end in failure.
"When the time comes, the two of us will act, along with the five Earth ranks lying in ambush. Even if she's half-step Heaven rank, escape will be impossible." Wang Hao's confidence lay precisely here. If not for the concern that squeezing Heaven-rank power through the rift might cause it to collapse and seal their retreat, this place would likely already contain true Heaven-rank beings.
"True. Just a mere yellow-haired girl—how much trouble could she possibly cause us?" A few of Wang Hao's words gradually calmed Ger's turbulent heart. Considering Chu Lian's age, no matter how talented she was, reaching that level was impossible.
"Alright. It's time to draw in the net." With a soft laugh, Wang Hao sensed that Chu Lian had reached the very center of the encirclement and immediately gave the order.
Though Ger felt slight displeasure at his overstepping, this was indeed the optimal moment. He said nothing further and instead commanded, "Draw in the net..."
Riding Suicune, Chu Lian cautiously entered the final room—the most luxuriously decorated hall in the mansion. Just moments earlier, not a trace of enemy presence could be sensed. Yet in an instant, countless hostile auras surged from every direction.
"Five mid-Earth ranks... thirty at peak Spirit rank to half-step Earth... They really think highly of me..." In that moment, Chu Lian understood. The net had closed.
Yet in her heart, she smiled.
Finally, I don't have to keep pretending anymore...