Rumble—
At this very moment...
Silver Wolf, Firefly, and Liu Xiyue each faced their own opponents.
The five attackers coordinated seamlessly, and the battle quietly split into three independent battlefields.
According to the intelligence gathered for this operation, Liu Xiyue was highly likely to be a Level One Esper who had awakened a Fire Element Special Ability.
(Fumina: Rip, they weren't even given her true info.)
However, after a brief exchange of probing attacks, her true strength proved to far exceed their previous estimations.
With two consecutive sneak attacks failing, they quickly adjusted their strategy.
One person would hold Liu Xiyue back, stalling her at any cost, while the remaining four focused on ending the other two battles as quickly as possible. Once they finished off those two troublesome women, all five of them could join forces. They refused to believe they still wouldn't be able to bring Liu Xiyue down.
Only this strategy offered them the highest chance of victory.
But reality often refuses to cooperate, and the situation unfolded far differently than they had expected.
Bang!!!
Accompanied by a dull, thunderous impact—
Firefly's long leg, clad in dark green stockings, swept out like an unsheathed blade with the force of a thousand pounds, slamming heavily into her opponent's hastily raised arms.
The impact was so fierce that both of the man's arms went numb, forcing him to stagger backward several meters uncontrollably.
Just as he tried to steady himself, an emerald-green flash streaked through the air.
The longsword in Firefly's hand, carrying a razor-sharp gust of wind, cleaved straight toward his face!
He instinctively raised his arm to block. An energy shield with a cold metallic sheen instantly condensed in his palm, intricate patterns flowing across its surface as though it were indestructible.
But Firefly's emerald slash was like a blade cutting through thin ice.
With a crisp crack, it split the shield cleanly down the middle without encountering the slightest resistance. The thick shield was cleaved into two perfect halves, the cut as smooth as a mirror.
"Damn it!"
The man cursed under his breath and immediately leaped backward, widening the distance between them.
His gaze settled on the silver-haired woman.
She held her sword casually in one hand, her posture perfectly upright, like a proud pine standing alone amid a winter storm.
Her calm composure stood in stark contrast to his own panic.
Firefly's eyes swept indifferently over the broken shield as it dissolved into particles on the ground.
"Is this your Special Ability?"
Without waiting for an answer, she flicked her wrist, raised her sword once more, and closed the distance again.
The man dared not be careless. Spiritual energy surged wildly through his body as an energy-forged longsword materialized in his grasp.
He charged forward to meet her.
The crisp clangs of clashing blades rang out one after another.
The two figures darted back and forth, crossing paths repeatedly as they instantly became locked in a fierce close-quarters battle.
At this moment, every one of Firefly's movements—drawing her sword, parrying, counterattacking—flowed naturally and flawlessly.
Where was the trace of the shy, gentle, and innocent girl she usually appeared to be?
After only three exchanges—
Crack!
The energy sword in the man's hand shattered into countless particles of light before dispersing into the air.
The sudden turn of events caused his pupils to contract sharply.
Before he could react, Firefly had already closed the gap.
Her expression remained as calm as still water as she drove a heavy punch into his abdomen.
"Cough—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
The man stumbled backward before collapsing onto one knee, his entire body trembling violently from the overwhelming pain.
Firefly made no attempt to press the attack.
She simply stood there quietly, her calm gaze fixed on the battered man before her.
"Give up your resistance, and I will spare your life."
Hearing this, the man's expression twisted viciously, his bloodshot eyes filled with unwillingness.
He was a Late-stage Hidden Prowess powerhouse.
How could he possibly accept losing to such a seemingly delicate little girl?
Besides...
"Hmph, little girl... you're still too inexperienced!"
He sneered outwardly while secretly activating his Special Ability.
In an instant, several Qi Needles, as fine as ox hair and nearly invisible to the naked eye, silently formed.
With a thought, they shot toward Firefly's forehead like arrows loosed from a bow, carrying a deadly chill.
This was his ultimate trump card—
A deadly combination of his Hidden Prowess cultivation and his Special Ability.
Invisible.
Soundless.
A direct strike aimed at the opponent's vital point.
Even a Grandmaster, unless specifically on guard, would find it difficult to escape a one-hit kill.
A sinister smile spread across the man's face.
This girl is still too naive.
If she'd gone for the kill just now, she wouldn't be in this situation.
She brought this upon herself!
He secretly celebrated, convinced victory was already within his grasp.
Little did he know—
As a member of the Stellaron Hunters, even without donning Sam, Firefly's perception of danger was extraordinarily sharp.
As for her earlier offer...
It wasn't because of a sudden burst of kindness.
Ever since temporarily setting aside the identity of Sam and living as Firefly in the real world for several days, she had genuinely come to appreciate the vibrancy and beauty of life.
So when facing her enemies now, the first thing that surfaced in her heart was no longer an instinctive urge to kill—
But a trace of hesitation.
However...
Since her opponent remained stubborn to the very end...
Firefly would no longer show mercy.
Sensing the invisible threat approaching from the shadows, Firefly tightened her grip on the sword.
The next second—
Brilliant emerald-green fireflies suddenly erupted around her.
Like the first rays of dawn, they instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness.
"What?!"
The man's pupils contracted violently.
The smug grin on his face froze instantly.
A scorching wave of heat surged toward him.
His invisible, formless Qi Needles melted away without leaving even the slightest trace under the emerald-green radiance, like snow meeting blazing fire.
The sudden reversal struck him like a bolt from the blue.
Isn't her ability supposed to be physical Enhancement... or that sword?
What the hell is this eerie green flame?!
Firefly offered no explanation.
She simply stood there quietly.
At this moment, the emerald-green fireflies surrounding her had transformed into blazing flames.
Her silver hair fluttered gently within the fire, while her dress swayed softly with the rising currents of heat.
She looked like a perfectly still painting—
Yet one capable of reducing everything to ashes.
Then, beneath her opponent's astonished gaze, the raging flames gradually contracted.
Finally, they condensed into an emerald-green layer of fire as thin as a cicada's wing, wrapping around her entire body.
She didn't transform into Sam.
There was no need.
The emerald-green flames coiled around Firefly like living creatures, draping her in flowing radiance.
She resembled a goddess of war wreathed in divine fire, her presence overwhelmingly oppressive.
"In that case..."
"I will crush you with my own hands."
The moment those words fell—
An emerald flash flickered.
Firefly disappeared instantly, leaving behind only a scorching gust of wind.
The man sensed danger and instinctively activated his Special Ability to form a defensive barrier.
But just as spiritual energy had barely begun gathering in his palm—
An emerald streak flashed past like lightning.
The half-formed barrier was effortlessly sliced apart by Firefly's sword.
A sharp pain shot through his palm.
Before he could recover—
Firefly's kick slammed into him.
Bang!
The man was launched backward, crashing heavily into the wall behind him with a dull, thunderous impact.
"Damn it..."
"Where did this monster even come from..."
Slumped against the base of the wall, the man was overwhelmed with regret over choosing Firefly as his opponent.
He had originally believed that, with his Late-stage Hidden Prowess cultivation, defeating this seemingly frail young girl would be effortless.
Yet after actually exchanging blows—
He discovered that not only was her strength monstrously powerful...
Her speed was absurdly fast.
Even more terrifying was her combat experience.
It was so refined that she bore no resemblance whatsoever to an inexperienced young girl.
In a direct confrontation—
He couldn't even survive five exchanges before being utterly defeated.
Just as the man considered retreating—
A flash of emerald appeared before his eyes.
Firefly had already closed in once more.
Bending her knee and lifting her leg in one seamless motion, her relentless assault arrived before him once again.
"Wait, I—"
Pfft—
He didn't even have time to say the word "surrender."
Firefly's kick had already arrived with a fierce gust of wind.
Immediately afterward—
"Stop—"
Bang!!!
"I—"
Bang!!!
"..."
Bang!!!
...
Bang!!!
"Ha-ah—!"
Firefly let out a sharp cry as the emerald-green flames surrounding her erupted violently.
A storm-like barrage of kicks rained down relentlessly.
Every kick carried a piercing gust of wind, beating the man so thoroughly that he couldn't muster the slightest resistance.
The shrill whistles of slicing air intertwined with heavy impacts, making one's eardrums tremble.
Her legs moved so quickly that they became nothing more than overlapping afterimages, making it impossible to follow their trajectory.
Under Firefly's Shadowless Kicks, which were far too fast to track, the man had long since lost even the strength to scream.
Only faint groans escaped his lips.
His body had become nothing more than a punching bag, battered mercilessly by kick after kick.
Each impact drove him deeper into the wall behind him.
His eyes rolled back, and his consciousness gradually faded away.
The wall supporting him rapidly filled with spiderweb-like cracks beneath the relentless barrage.
Bricks and chunks of stone crumbled away one after another, the entire structure groaning under the overwhelming strain.