Chapter 26: Who Gave You the Courage
"Die, you bastard!"
Boom—!!
Accompanied by a sharp cry, the air was torn apart.
A mass of energy rapidly condensed in Lilith's hands, and then a massive, pitch-black fireball slammed down, instantly consuming everything in front of her!
Seeing this, the Pure White Collector was momentarily surprised but still reacted with extreme speed, dispersing into a mass of bandages—the terrifying heat singed those clones, and the originally pure white bandages instantly became charred and curled.
"Such strong destructive power..."
After a low whisper, the Collector's figure reformed over a dozen meters away—it seemed largely unharmed except for some charred parts of its body. Facing Lilith's fury, it wasn't afraid; instead, it revealed an even more fanatical gaze, even clutching its head and shouting deliriously:
"Wonderful... wonderful... a specimen of rage... the beauty of struggle and stubbornness... it's simply... drop-dead gorgeous!"
"Shut up! Pervert!"
She didn't give it any chance to finish speaking.
Lilith's figure instantly vanished from where she stood.
The next second, she appeared like a ghost above the Collector's head.
Her skirt fluttered.
Those long, beautiful legs wrapped in ultra-thin black stockings now turned into lethal weapons.
[Succubus Combat Technique: Heel of Condemnation]
Lilith exerted force from her waist, her supple body carving a perfect arc in the air. Her calves, showing a delicate skin-toned luster beneath the black stockings, came crashing down with the sound of whistling wind and the force of ten thousand tons!
With the enhancement of mana, this strike seemed to carry the power to crush everything in its path, as a dark blade of energy whistled forward!
But in the Collector's eyes, this kick was pure art! It was a masterpiece that should be frozen in time with bandages and admired slowly!
"Beautiful!"
Bang—!
A dull thud sounded.
Lilith's heel slammed heavily onto the Collector's shoulder.
Without any suspense, like a sharp blade cutting into tofu, the Collector's seemingly tough bandage body instantly collapsed. By the time it could react, it had been sliced vertically into two halves!
"It's not over yet!"
A sharp cry rang out from the air.
Lilith didn't pause at all after landing—leveraging her momentum, her body twisted flexibly, and her agile heart-shaped tail, like a poisonous stinger wreathed in dark red mana, instantly pierced through the Collector's chest!
Whoosh—!
Shadow Flames poured into the Collector's body along the tail, turning it into a massive torch in an instant.
"Aaaagh—!"
The scream echoed throughout the entire gallery.
A few seconds later, just as Lilith had expected, that mass of humanoid bandages was completely reduced to ashes, scattering on the ground as charred remains.
Wait... pant... pant...
Having finished this, Lilith retracted her tail.
She lightly brushed back her messy white hair, her cheeks flushed from the intense exertion and her chest heaving as she panted, but her eyes held a fierce glint:
(What Eighth Floor Guardian... that's it?)
(Wanted to turn me into a specimen? In your next life!)
"Pah."
Thinking this, Lilith spat disdainfully, then turned around, preparing to release Hill who was hanging in mid-air.
However.
Right at the moment she turned.
"Heh heh... heh heh heh heh!"
A bone-chilling low laugh rang out once more from that pile of ashes.
"What?!"
Lilith whipped her head back.
She saw the pile of remains on the ground, which should have been burnt to ash, actually beginning to squirm eerily.
Immediately after, countless white bandages from the surrounding walls, ceiling, and even the cracks in the floor swarmed in as if they were alive, instantly converging onto that pile of ashes.
Sizzle, sizzle—
In just the blink of an eye.
The Pure White Collector, wearing its top hat and tattered tailcoat, stood there completely unscathed, even its clothes looking brand new.
"Again?!"
Lilith's eyes widened:
(How do these monsters in the Abyss Labyrinth all know how to revive? They're all gimmick-based monsters!)
"You... you don't die even when burnt to ash?"
"Heh heh heh... it still hurts... but at the same time, it brings me pleasure!"
The Collector continued to laugh hideously, patting the dust off its body. Its single eye leered lustfully at Lilith, filled with mockery and teasing:
"What beautiful and powerful destructive force... if we were outside the labyrinth, perhaps I really would have been killed by you."
"But unfortunately, this is the eighth floor of the Abyss!"
As it spoke, the Collector's dull yellow eyeball became bloodshot. It spread its arms wide as if embracing the entire space:
"Don't you understand yet? My noble guest."
"I am this floor of the labyrinth, and this floor of the labyrinth is me!"
"Every brick, every monster, and every inch of air here is part of my body!"
"I am an immortal protected by the 'Ragnarok' seal! As long as the eighth floor exists, I am invincible!"
"Hahahaha!"
After saying this, the Collector began to laugh madly again, its terrifying laughter echoing throughout the corridor.
On the other side, hearing this, a realization flashed through Lilith's mind.
(So that's how it is?)
She finally understood why she couldn't detect the seal source with her mobile phone before.
It wasn't that the source was moving, nor was it because the mobile phone was broken, but because the entire eighth floor itself was one giant seal source!
So no matter where the pointer aimed, it was detecting the floor itself!
"Which means..."
Lilith grit her teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes:
(As long as I destroy it completely, leaving nothing behind, this layer of the seal will be broken, right?)
(Since killing it once isn't enough, I'll kill it a hundred times! A thousand times! Until it can no longer revive!)
"Stop laughing, you pervert, and just die!"
Having figured it all out, Lilith roared. Instead of retreating, she charged forward once again!
This time, she held nothing back, her Rank 9 mana fully unleashed!
[Succubus Combat Technique: Dance of the Dark Rose!]
As mana surged within Lilith's body, countless pitch-black mana petals bloomed in the air, swirling around her body like butterflies. Along with her extremely seductive movements, they attacked the enemy—each petal contained enough terrifying power to slice through steel and would rapidly generate high heat upon impact. Hitting just one would cause the Collector's body to ignite instantly!
The Collector's movements couldn't keep up with Lilith. Although it tried to dodge, it was hit by the petals after only avoiding one of Lilith's punches.
Boom—
After that, it was simple.
Its body was burnt to pieces by the petals, then quickly restored, then burnt to pieces again, then restored once more.
Once, twice, three times... ten, twenty, thirty times!
Flames were everywhere, charred bandages were everywhere. The entire corridor was scorched into a mess by Lilith, yet the Collector's bandages seemed inexhaustible, and its recovery speed remained astonishing.
Puff... pant... gasp...
A few minutes later, Lilith's movements finally slowed down.
Although she had plenty of mana left, her stamina was starting to flag. This Collector fellow was laughing while running and occasionally striking back with bandages, making Lilith incredibly frustrated.
(Physics teachers are all liars; energy is definitely not conserved!)
(What kind of boss is impossible to kill no matter how you hit it! Even if it can recover, there should be a limit!)
"Have you played enough? My cute little kitten~"
A mocking laugh drifted through the air. The Collector's perfectly intact figure stepped out from the smoke and dust, still maintaining its composure like a cat playing with a mouse:
"Since your performance is over, then next... it's my turn!"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Lilith's eyelid twitched, and she quickly took two steps back, assuming a defensive stance.
But who would have thought that the Collector didn't even need to use its main body to attack.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
With just a slight lift of its hand, countless bandages that had long been lying in ambush around Lilith lunged out like predatory pythons!
Detecting the danger, Lilith didn't even have time to fly up before her ankles were tightly bound.
"Ugh!!!"
Next were her wrists, waist, and neck!
A massive pulling force came, and by the time she realized it, she had been pulled into a spread-eagled shape and slammed hard against the wall.
"Let... let me go! You bastard!"
Lilith struggled with all her might, her legs in black stockings kicking wildly in the air, but it was to no avail.
"Hee hee hee... what wonderful vitality!"
The Collector slowly floated over, its single eye greedily scanning Lilith's exquisite body. Over a dozen controlled bandages floated up, waving back and forth in front of Lilith, making her heart tighten.
"Let's return to our unfinished lesson... since you won't admit you're a girl, I'll just have to help you recognize reality through a more... in-depth method!"
"What? You dare!"
Looking at those flexibly writhing 'tentacles,' Lilith, with her legs forced apart, tensed her arches, and a hint of panic finally surfaced in her eyes.
"You... you ugly old mummy with weird fetishes! If you touch me, I'll... I'll definitely—mmph mmph mmph!"
As she spoke, several bandages wrapped around Lilith's mouth, making it impossible for her to make any more sound.
"Your mouth is quite foul, but it doesn't matter~"
"Once I've finished inspecting your body, I will savor every inch of your skin from the inside out, from head to toe, and turn you into a perfect exhibit, heh heh heh heh!"
The Collector said with a hideous grin.
After speaking, it raised its right hand and walked toward Lilith step by step!
(Damn... damn it!)
At this moment, Lilith had never been so terrified since her reincarnation!
(To think... to think I'd be pushed to this point by such a low-rate villain! If I weren't still unfamiliar with my skills and lacked combat experience, a guy like you would never...)
(Oh no... I can't break free... damn it!)
Thinking this, a glint of crystal moisture faintly appeared at the corners of Lilith's eyes, and she closed them, seemingly having accepted the fact of her defeat... those tentacles fell like raindrops, and in just half a second, they would touch the succubus's incredibly soft and tender body... But, at this critical moment!
Boom—!
A world-shaking explosion sounded, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing.
The entire dome of the Eternal Gallery was forcibly ripped off in this instant by an indescribably terrifying power!
"What?!"
The Collector looked up in terror, only to see rubble flying and dust filling the air.
A pillar of pitch-black fire descended from the sky, instantly consuming the tentacles in front of Lilith as well as that arrogant Collector!
"Aaaagh—!"
This time, the Collector's scream was more shrill than ever before, as if its very soul was being scorched.
Immediately following.
A tall, cold figure, radiating a terrifying pressure that made the entire space tremble, slowly descended from the black flames.
In his crimson eyes burned a rage capable of destroying the world.
Asmodeus reached out and pulled the disheveled, teary-eyed Lilith into his arms, his arm tightly encircling her soft waist.
"Ah! My Lord!"
Whether it was instinct or a subconscious reaction, Lilith actually let out a nearly pitiful cry.
Then, Asmodeus looked with cold indifference at the Collector's rapidly recovering body:
"Who gave you the courage to touch what belongs to me?"