"Alright—time's almost up."
Jack returned to his throne, looking down from above at Reincarnated Phoenix Man, who had completely settled down.
"What I mean is—the development of your potential is almost complete. Establishing a god-level organization that surpasses the Monster Association isn't something that happens overnight." His gaze sharpened. "Can you still revert to your initial Dull Bird mode now? Hide your strength and continue to lie low?"
Reincarnated Phoenix Man: …
—And you want me to change back? Then why did you go to such great lengths to kill me… twice?!
Grief and humiliation welled up in his heart. But feeling the seemingly casual yet soul-locking terrifying aura, all his anger was instantly extinguished, leaving only clear rationality.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Insect God. I haven't tried a similar form change before. I… I'll do my best to try."
Swallowing the frustration in his heart, Reincarnated Phoenix Man displayed the composure of a seasoned artist—as if he had followed Jack for many years—and spoke respectfully.
Behind Jack, an alarming red "Danger" symbol flashed before Armored Gorilla's eyes. His gorilla body trembled.
—This acting…
—A formidable, formidable opponent! I must do something, otherwise… my position is in jeopardy!!
At the same time, the exquisitely magnificent fiery light wings behind Reincarnated Phoenix Man fully spread open. In an instant, every feather erupted like solar flares, gushing forth golden flames that shone with dazzling light, illuminating the ruined palace with sacred splendor. Amid the light, the majestic and imposing bird-man body twisted and contracted… Finally, the light dissipated, and the Dull Bird with its beady eyes reappeared.
Even the powerful Dragon-level pressure was perfectly suppressed back to its initial Demon-level tier—an unremarkable aura.
Reincarnated Phoenix Man tilted his Dull Bird head, his dull, beady eyes appearing especially harmless.
"Lord Insect God—do you think this is acceptable?"
Jack scrutinized him up and down. Even with his strength, he couldn't detect the Dragon-level aura hidden by Reincarnated Phoenix Man's form change. He immediately nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good—that's precisely the traitorous vibe I want!"
That's the right flavor!
Reincarnated Phoenix Man: …
Outside the Insect God Temple – A Lively Scene Unfolded
The damaged interior of the palace was quickly cleaned and repaired by Armored Gorilla, who directed a group of Tiger-level Monsters to make it even more grand than before. Currently, Armored Gorilla was leading dozens of Tiger-level Monsters from the Insect God Thirteen Squad to hold a grand welcome ceremony for the newly joined executive—Phoenix Man.
"Come, come, everyone, try it!" Mosquito Girl, dressed in a custom maid outfit, flew around the banquet with a huge tray, enthusiastically promoting her treasured various flavored drinks to every Monster. "This is my treasured strawberry-flavored happy water! After drinking it, your blood will become much more delicious~~"
The flattered Tiger-level Monsters: …
—No, Lady Mosquito Girl—what are you doing?!
—So the so-called happy water… is actually for your own happiness?!
Seeing their expressions change, Mosquito Girl belatedly covered her small mouth, exclaiming in surprise: "Ah—did I just blurt it out… Hehe!"
A pause.
"Why aren't you drinking? Drink! All of you—drink it!"
The Tiger-level Monsters, with bitter faces, were forced to drink bottle after bottle of strange beverages of different flavors by Mosquito Girl, feeling as if their lives might not last much longer. Fortunately, Lord Insect God had recently forbidden Monsters above Tiger-level from fighting each other—and even the ingredients chosen for Lord Pochi were forcibly taken from other nearby leaders—which at least gave them some sense of security.
Seeing that Mosquito Girl didn't immediately rush to suck their blood, the Tiger-level Monsters finally relaxed slightly.
Looking at Armored Gorilla sitting at the head of the table, and then at the Dull Bird executive next to him with an "expression of utter despair," their hearts were filled with shock and awe.
"My goodness—another Demon-level executive! This Lord Phoenix Man is said to be quite famous throughout the entire Association!"
"Unbeknownst to us, Lord Insect God now has three Demon-level Monsters under his command?"
"In that case, our Insect God Army can be considered a formidable power within the Association, right?"
"More than that! Didn't you see? How respectful Lord Armored Gorilla and Lord Phoenix Man are to Lord Insect God! That means our Lord Insect God's strength is far above ordinary Demon-level Monsters!"
"Hiss… The Lord's charisma is simply unimaginable! Long live Lord Insect God!!"
Listening to the deafening flattery around him, Phoenix Man's dull Dull Bird head struggled to maintain composure. He really wished the current commotion had nothing to do with him.
But unfortunately—he was the protagonist of this farce.
Meanwhile – Deeper Within the Monster Association
"What… You said Phoenix Man joined the Insect God faction?"
In the magnificent underground palace, Gyoro Gyoro stared at the single-horned red-ogre Monster delivering the message. The terrifying pressure of a Dragon-level Monster caused the other party to sweat profusely.
"Y-Yes, Lord Gyoro Gyoro!!"
The red-ogre Monster was only Tiger-level disaster rating and was pressed firmly to the ground by palpable psychic pressure, trembling.
"Yes, Lord! This is what this humble one witnessed with my own eyes yesterday! Phoenix Man followed that Demon-level gorilla Monster under Insect God, and soon after, they held a grand welcome banquet there. Many Monsters saw this!"
In the underground secret room, a tall, graceful figure was lazily leaning on a giant sofa. It was Gyoro Gyoro's true form—Psykos.
Her long legs were crossed. Her full, proud curves were particularly eye-catching beneath the form-fitting robe. She held a glass of blood-red wine between her slender, pale fingers, gently swirling it, noncommittal to the information provided by the red-ogre Monster.
"I understand."
Gyoro Gyoro's emotionless giant single eye rotated. The fingers of her two small hands on her chest intertwined, seemingly deep in thought.
"Your ability is to control flames, isn't it? I have a lava beast core here. I'll give it to you."
It said casually in a flat tone.
"Go to the laboratory later—I'll personally perform the implantation surgery for you. Once successful, your disaster level might directly increase to Demon-level… or even higher."
Fusion implantation was also one of the common methods for cultivating Monsters. Psykos had once buried the eyes of a deceased Monster full of resentment into a psychic Monster with weak abilities but suitable physique—eventually giving birth to the Demon-level Monster who controlled powerful resentment: Evil Eye.
"R-Really?!"
The red-ogre Monster on the ground trembled violently upon hearing this—not from fear, but from extreme ecstasy.
"Thank you, Lord Gyoro Gyoro! If I can become a Demon-level Monster, I will go through fire and water for you!!"
Gyoro Gyoro, however, was completely unfazed. Its bloated figure slowly floated up, taking the ecstatic red-ogre Monster into the adjacent laboratory.
A moment later, the laboratory door opened again.
Only Gyoro Gyoro emerged. There was no sign of the red-ogre Monster from before.
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