In just a few moments, the corpse's charred, brittle skin completely disappeared, as though it had never existed. In its place was a perfectly intact body.
What was truly chilling, however, was that this "repaired" corpse looked like an entirely different person from the original attacker.
The moment Liu Xiyue saw the corpse's face clearly, her ruby-red pupils constricted sharply, and her mouth fell open involuntarily.
"T-This... this is?!!"
Shock surged through her ruby-like eyes, disbelief nearly spilling over.
At that moment, the corpse before the three of them began shedding its human form.
Its originally well-proportioned body swelled slightly, while its skin took on an eerie crimson hue. The finger bones elongated wildly, transforming into a pair of claws as sharp as blades.
Two pairs of twisted horns burst from the top of its head, their surfaces covered in grotesque ridges. The head that had once belonged to a human was now completely distorted into something beast-like, its jaw protruding unnaturally and lined with rows of densely packed fangs.
At this point, not a trace of humanity remained.
It had become a horrifying monster—neither man nor ghost.
Silver Wolf immediately noticed the abnormal look on Liu Xiyue's face.
It wasn't the expression of someone frightened by the corpse's hideous appearance. Instead, it was one of stunned familiarity, as though she had found a shadow from her memories within this twisted creature.
"You recognize this ugly thing?"
Liu Xiyue took a deep breath before giving Silver Wolf a firm nod.
Although the body still retained many human characteristics, she recognized those beastly features at a glance.
Because she had seen them before.
And they had left an unforgettable impression on her.
It was during the battle that established the Witch, Flame Heart, as the strongest—when she single-handedly blocked the massive invasion of dozens of powerful Extraterrestrial Creatures, burning several continuous mountain ranges into scorched wastelands to wipe them all out.
"Even though the appearance is completely different, I definitely won't mistake it."
Liu Xiyue's voice carried absolute certainty.
"Combined with this almost absurd regenerative ability, I'm nearly certain..."
"This thing belongs to the same species as the Extraterrestrial Creatures I killed when I burned those mountain ranges back then."
In just a few short sentences, Liu Xiyue explained the monster's origins.
Hearing this, both Silver Wolf and Firefly raised their eyebrows.
Silver Wolf's expression grew slightly more serious as she stepped forward.
"Let me have a look."
As she spoke, she put on a pair of high-tech camouflage goggles. With a flick of her wrist, a virtual interface appeared out of thin air, floating before her.
Liu Xiyue watched the virtual screen with slightly widened eyes.
Although she found it incredible, considering Silver Wolf's "Hacker" Special Ability, it somehow also felt perfectly natural.
As for dwelling on it...
Given the current situation, she simply wasn't in the mood.
Silver Wolf moved with astonishing speed.
Her fingertips danced rapidly across the virtual screen, and within only a few seconds, she completed a preliminary scan and analysis of the corpse.
She pushed the camouflage goggles up onto her head.
"This guy is human."
"Or at least... he used to be."
The simple, straightforward conclusion caused Liu Xiyue's brows to knit tightly together.
In other words...
This man had been forcibly modified into this state through some unknown method.
At the same time, the final trump card he had been hiding was finally revealed.
Unfortunately...
Before he even had the chance to use it, it had already been burned to ashes.
"That explains the strange aura around him, as well as his completely different Supernatural Abilities," Firefly said.
She slowly walked over to the corpse, observed it for a moment, then turned back and shook her head at Liu Xiyue and Silver Wolf.
"The changes in the remains have stopped."
"There shouldn't be any further mutations."
Silver Wolf folded her arms and nodded faintly.
"Looks like the boss doesn't have a second phase."
His vitality had indeed been ridiculously tenacious.
But that was all.
Not wanting to waste any time, Liu Xiyue immediately called her aunt.
There was silence on the other end for several seconds before a faint sigh came through, her voice carrying both exhaustion and concern.
"Xiyue... are you hurt?"
"Don't worry, Aunt. This was just a small scene."
"Besides, who could possibly hurt me?"
"It's good that you're alright."
After expressing her concern, Liu Yunshuang asked for the details of what had happened.
Unfortunately, Liu Xiyue had hit far too hard.
At this point, there was no way to obtain any more intelligence from the attacker.
"Sorry, Aunt... I didn't Control my strength very well..."
"Silly child."
"It's not your fault."
"In my heart, your safety is more important than anything else."
"As long as you're alright, I'll take care of the rest."
"Mhm..."
Even so, a fierce determination ignited within Liu Xiyue's eyes.
It wasn't impulsive passion.
It was a resolve born from careful reflection.
Recalling her fierce battle with Yunli...
Remembering her clumsy performance during the Anime Convention...
And thinking about the destiny she would eventually have to face...
She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Only a single thought remained in her heart.
I'm still far from strong enough.
The current Liu Xiyue already possessed overwhelming firepower, along with tremendous reserves of physical and spiritual energy.
So from now on, she intended to devote all her efforts to refining the precision and efficiency with which she Controlled her Special Ability.
Of course...
That would be left for future special training.
Just as Liu Xiyue was immersed in thoughts about her future plans, Firefly's gentle voice interrupted her.
"If you want to extract information, the others are still alive."
"We might still be able to get some clues."
"What?!!"
Firefly didn't waste any words and immediately led her toward the other two battlefields.
Hiss—
Liu Xiyue immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
The brutality of those battlefields was no less intense.
Her gaze instantly landed on the man embedded in the wall.
His entire body was covered with high-heel footprints, making it obvious that Firefly had been the one to subdue him.
To beat someone into that state without actually killing them...
It was obvious that Firefly hadn't had an easy time trying to hold back.
At the same time, Liu Xiyue couldn't help wondering what brand of stockings Firefly was wearing.
After such an intense fight, there wasn't the slightest tear or damage.
The quality was simply incredible.
Maybe she should buy a pair someday...
And have Silver Wolf try them on too.
Hehe...
Perhaps sensing Liu Xiyue's unusually intense gaze, Firefly's cheeks instantly turned bright red with a *whoosh*, like a ripe apple.
Liu Xiyue (*/∇＼*): 'So cute! I just want to take a bite!'
Silver Wolf (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ): "Firefly, why's your face so red?"
Firefly (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄): "N-No... it's just a little hot."
Fortunately, Silver Wolf and Firefly had shown restraint.
Although the remaining four wished they were dead...
At least they were still alive.
This way, Liu Xiyue could at least give her aunt a proper explanation.
Of course...
That was assuming nobody paid attention to the fact that the surrounding landscape for several kilometers had been completely transformed beyond recognition.
About ten percent of the destruction had been caused by Silver Wolf.
The remaining ninety percent...
Naturally, belonged to someone who had decided to carpet-bomb the battlefield without the slightest regard for moderation.
Fortunately, Liu Xiyue's residence had been deliberately built in a remote location.
Otherwise, Silver Wolf's workload would probably have increased by yet another task.
While Liu Xiyue was still grieving over the destruction of her home, she had absolutely no idea what kind of "reward" was waiting for her.
"Those bastards!"
"If they wanted to assassinate me, fine—but why did they have to blow up my house?!!!"
Looking at the Villa reduced to ruins, Liu Xiyue shed tears of heartbreak.
Silver Wolf walked over with a yawn, wearing an utterly speechless expression.
"I was sleeping peacefully and got dragged into this mess for no reason. Who am I supposed to complain to?"
"Exactly... wait. What do you mean, dragged into this? Because of me?"
"...You didn't realize their target was you?"
"Me?"
Seeing her completely clueless expression, Silver Wolf gave her a look full of utter disdain.
"Who in this world could possibly discover my identity? Since they weren't targeting me or Firefly...Who else could they possibly have been after?"
Liu Xiyue (ↀ ᯅ ↀ): "Hiss... when you put it that way... you're right?!!"