At that critical moment, Chu Lian suddenly smiled. Ghostblade, who had been watching her closely, felt his heart jolt. He saw a bewitching red glow flare in her eyes.
The seductive crimson radiance carried an indescribable authority, making him feel an almost primal urge to flee far away. But he knew—if this woman acted, he had no chance of survival. If he ran now from such a slight provocation, his future would be ruined. Returning to the Otherside, he would be mocked, and even if he completed the mission, his merit would be canceled out entirely.
So, even sensing something was wrong, he suppressed the urge to flee and instead glared at Chu Lian with vicious intent.
A mocking smile curled her lips. Just as the specter's scythe was about to fall on her neck, the restrained Chu Lian suddenly dropped into a crouch, breaking free from the invisible confinement. She hugged her head, trembling, and cried out, "Don't come near me, don't come near me—I'm the strongest!"
The sudden move caused the specter's sure-kill strike to miss entirely, and Ghostblade stared in shock, not understanding what had happened. How had she broken free at the last moment and started spouting such strange words?
Still, he knew this was the perfect moment. If he didn't strike now, neither he nor the specter could harm her again. So he swung the cold longblade he'd yet to use, aiming at her crouched form, while at the same time the specter's second attack came, carrying a chill black wind.
But Chu Lian showed no fear. "Second second…" she murmured.
Clang! Both the specter's scythe and Ghostblade's longblade struck her, but neither could harm her. Instead, a greater force erupted back through their arms.
The specter was fine—it had no physical body and simply tumbled backward in the air. But Ghostblade, already gravely injured, couldn't withstand the backlash. His weapon flew from his grasp as he staggered back, blood spraying from his mouth before his legs gave way and he collapsed unconscious.
"Fifth second…" she whispered, straightening at last. Ignoring the unconscious Ghostblade, she turned her gaze to the black-robed specter. "I've been waiting for you. I didn't expect you to hold back until now. Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Shinigami. I didn't think the Otherside would waste someone like you—sealed to less than 10% of your power and wounded at the core, unable to advance, just so you could open a rift for them."
"You're strong. I can feel that surging power inside you. But right now, you're no match for me. Do you still want to fight?" Chu Lian rested the Void Greatsword on her shoulder, her eyes locked on the specter, her tone leaving no room for defiance.
The specter floated silently, gripping its scythe, staring back at her. After a long moment, it slowly shook its head and dissolved into smoke.
Only then did Chu Lian relax. Had she not timed it perfectly and used the passive effect of Remilia-sama's Dignity—granting five seconds of invincibility after a failed repel—she might have been in real danger.
With her remaining strength, she could defeat this Shinigami descendant, whose stats were down to around 35 in all attributes and who possessed a special intangibility. But if victory could be won without fighting, all the better. After all, this specter's appearance wasn't part of her mission.
This opponent's strength must have been close to that of the top-tier powerhouses. Even with over 90% of their power sealed, they were still formidable enough to nearly kill her. The system likely hadn't accounted for this individual's existence—if they had been included, this wouldn't have been a Advanced-difficulty mission at all, but an Abyss-level mission with extreme danger.
Turning around, Chu Lian dragged the Void Greatsword along the ground, slowly walking toward Ghostblade's body. As the massive blade slid over him without her so much as a frown, she stooped and picked up the cold longblade in his possession.
"Detected exchangeable item: Senluo Longblade. Quality: Excellent weapon. Can be exchanged with the system for points. Exchange value: 1,320 Item Points."
"Senluo Longblade: Favored by the Yasha clan's most skilled greatsword users, this is their mainstream weapon. Though the Otherside's environment is harsh, it is rich in minerals, and the forging skills of its inhabitants are exceptional. Their weapons are imbued with metals unique to the Otherside, making them resilient and incredibly sharp. Even in today's world, it would be considered a fine divine weapon."
"The system's hiding quite a few things… This is the first time I've found an item that can be exchanged directly for points. Looks like from now on, if the spoils aren't of much use, I can trade them in. And since Item Points can be exchanged, other point types should also be possible—so long as I find the right exchangeable items. That would mean not just Item Points, but possibly Goddess Points, Dream Points, Culture Points, and Skill Points could be traded. Integrity Points and Admiration Points probably can't. Once all point types that boost my power can be exchanged with things from the real world… that's when I'll control the world." She analyzed calmly, the smile on her lips deepening.
"Hmph, stupid first personality. With strength like this, all she does is act cute and tsundere, hypnotizing herself to kill monsters—and in the end, I have to clean up the mess. How disgraceful…" Choosing to exchange the weapon for Item Points, Chu Lian muttered, harshly mocking her surface personality before sighing. "If it weren't necessary, I wouldn't want to come out to help you. I'm the rebellious side born from your weakness, but in the end, I'm still you—whether you admit it or not."
With those words, she closed her eyes. The Void Greatsword in her hands slowly dissolved into points of light, vanishing into the air. Along with it, the invisible shroud of black mist covering her body dissipated.
"I'm sorry, but this is something I had to do." Opening her eyes again, she looked down at Ghostblade's bisected corpse and stood silent for a moment before speaking softly. She didn't regret it, but was still unsettled by the life that had ended at her hands.
Then, she stepped lightly and ran toward where Chu Chu and the others were.
Just moments before others arrived—drawn by the commotion—she vanished, leaving behind only a field of corpses and a single letter.
Following her connection with Tina, she darted through the forest with her LV4 Teleport, quickly reaching Chu Chu's hiding spot.
No sooner had she appeared than she was tackled by a figure crying out, "Big Sis, Big Sis, Big Sis—Chu Chu was so worried about you, so worried, so worried~" The soft body clung to her, arms wrapped around her waist, cheek nuzzling her less-than-full chest.
Chu Lian knew Chu Chu was using this as an excuse to take advantage of her, but for once, she didn't push her away. Instead, she gently stroked her hair and said softly, "It's my fault. If I were stronger, you wouldn't have been hurt…"
"It's not Big Sis's fault at all. It's because I was overconfident and careless. I thought with my current strength, helping Big Sis would be easy. I didn't expect to be injured by those monsters. When we go back, I'll train hard so I never trouble you again…" Chu Chu shook her head in her embrace, her voice tender and sincere.
"Knowing you need to work hard is a good start. I look forward to the day you truly become my right hand..." Chu Lian smiled warmly. Though her younger sister often acted irreverent, when she got serious, there was nothing she couldn't achieve.
Of course, she deliberately ignored Chu Chu's so-called "grand ambition" of becoming her big sister's bride—or making her big sister her bride. Who knew if she had just unintentionally set herself up with a flag?
"Lian, you're back…" Inori's voice was soft. Watching the sisters embrace stirred something indescribable in her heart. She knew she wanted to do the same, but didn't know how—until they finished talking, and she finally spoke.
"Mm, I'm back. I've taken care of what I needed to. It's already late, and tomorrow we have other things to do, so let's head back and get some sleep." Chu Lian gently took Inori's hand, squeezing it lightly. Her suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. Then she turned to Tina, still in battle form at her feet. "Tina, take us back."
Roar… Tina rose, letting out a low growl. Her already three-meter-long body expanded to four meters—easily enough to carry the three girls.
"Farewell, primeval forest. Tomorrow, we're off to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area…" Chu Lian, Chu Chu, and Inori climbed onto Tina's back as she raced toward the Qingping Grand Hotel. Chu Lian gave a faint wave behind her, not even sure who she was addressing.
Not long after they left, the vanished specter reappeared in the area. A quiet voice lingered in the air: "Daughter of Fate, are you trying to send me a message? The mission has already failed, so let me see—what will you do next?"
Then, its body vanished again like a phantom, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.
By then, those drawn by the sounds of battle arrived at the scene. Upon seeing the massive crater—ten meters deep and ten meters across—each of them gasped sharply. That white sphere of light earlier must have exploded here. The destruction was on a missile-level scale. Could a human really do this?
But what they saw next was even more shocking: Yasha corpses—human-shaped but far more massive, with faces like demons—and the scattered remains of Nightfiends, whose heads were like rats, bodies like men, legs like leopards, and claws like blades.
They exchanged glances, realizing this was far beyond their ability to handle.
Then, a burly soldier in uniform picked up a letter near Ghostblade's body. The neat handwriting read: If you know what a Rift Guardian is, open this letter. If you don't, hand it to the state immediately. This is of utmost importance—do not neglect it. Remember this well…
He understood instantly: something terrifying had happened here. This area would remain closed for a very long time, and this was no matter for them to meddle in.
The soldiers left only one warning: "Don't touch anything here. The army will arrive shortly to seal off the area. Speak not a word of what you've seen, or it will be treated as treason. Is that clear?"
With that, they escorted the man holding the letter away, leaving behind only a group of bewildered civilians—ordinary people caught up in events far beyond their understanding.