Once again, a pillar of white light soared into the sky. Everyone watching from the quarantine zone beneath the hotel blinked as the brilliant beam—seemingly linking heaven and earth—flared into being. In their eyes, it felt eternal.
A massive void greatsword, over two meters long, reappeared in Chu Lian's hand. She whispered softly, "Tina, come."
Elsewhere in the hotel, Tina was fighting off xenomorphs when she heard the call echo from the depths of her soul. She instantly shifted into spiritual form and used Shadow Escape to teleport to Chu Lian's side, reverting to her battle mode upon arrival.
"Your mission is to protect Inori. Don't let anything that could harm her get close—not even if it costs your life. Understood?"
A flash of violet flickered in Chu Lian's eyes. Her voice held an inexplicable force that made Tina nod instinctively.
Tina's task had always been to accompany Inori. But when chaos erupted, she'd been off on her own, causing the two to be separated. Wracked with guilt ever since, Tina had resolved to protect the pink-haired girl with her life if necessary.
"I'm going to kill him!" Chu Lian pointed her sword toward the boy on the helicopter, her voice icy. Her focus was entirely on the one who dared threaten someone precious to her. The xenomorphs closing in from just meters away were utterly ignored.
Without a sound, several xenomorphs lunged at her simultaneously. But in the next moment, they were all cleaved in half. Their bisected bodies, oozing highly corrosive blood, plummeted toward the ground below.
Their comrades showed no fear. These emotionless creatures lacked eyes, but their thermal senses were terrifyingly acute. To them, Chu Lian's concentrated energy made her shine like a miniature sun. All they felt was a primal urge—to capture her, to make her their ultimate queen.
More xenomorphs broke through windows, climbing balconies from every direction in a chaotic charge toward her.
Only now could onlookers comprehend the depravity of the boy's actions. Over a hundred adult xenomorphs, each over two meters long, covered the building's exterior. More surged in from within. The entire floor was crawling with nightmarish beasts.
But if a single individual's power vastly eclipses that of the group, sheer numbers are meaningless—unless they can overwhelm through absolute superiority.
Chu Lian had chosen this confined space precisely to shield Inori. Only about five xenomorphs could attack her at once, neutralizing any numerical advantage. As a result, they couldn't harm her in the slightest.
Expressionless, she swung her void greatsword and split another xenomorph in two. Whether it was hatred for these otherworldly creatures or something deeper, her blade's "Deathblow" ability triggered nearly every other strike.
One xenomorph burst in from inside the room, but Tina—waiting on the balcony—swept her tail and sent it flying out the 37th floor window. The impact alone killed it instantly.
Her strength scaled directly with Chu Lian's. As Chu Lian's stats grew exponentially, so too did Tina's.
Tina: (Skills unchanged, but attributes significantly increased)
Spiritual Form: Strength: 10, Agility: 50, Stamina: 18, Inspiration: 26
Normal Form: Strength: 15, Agility: 27, Stamina: 21, Inspiration: 31
Combat Form: Strength: 36, Agility: 42, Stamina: 32, Inspiration: 18
In combat form, Tina's full-power strikes rivaled a compact car at top speed. Ordinary adult xenomorphs had stats of: Strength: 23, Agility: 27, Stamina: 30, Inspiration: 12.
With a 13-point strength gap, they stood no chance of resisting.
Tina, now maintaining a three-meter-long form, sheltered the unconscious Inori beneath her. The girl had fallen into a slumber after her void powers had been depleted, leaving her slightly pale and weak. The beastly majesty that Tina exuded began to fully manifest—a pressure befitting a true king among beasts. Though xenomorphs weren't exactly beasts, even they instinctively recoiled under such primal might. Their strength diminished imperceptibly.
While Chu Lian relied on sheer speed and the unstoppable force of her Void Greatsword to dispatch xenomorphs, Tina's method was far simpler. Having been warned by Chu Lian, she knew that these creatures weren't trying to kill Inori—but to capture her. That meant they held back just enough to avoid lethal damage, and Tina ruthlessly exploited that hesitation. One swipe of her tail, and she sent a whole cluster of them flying off the balcony.
The spirit cats were not to be underestimated. Even in their infancy—when their raw stats were unimpressive—every part of their body was a lethal weapon. Razor-sharp claws, whip-like tails… as living weapons, they stood on equal footing with the xenomorphs.
But things soon changed. Two new xenomorphs appeared, crawling slowly across the rooftop above. They were shorter than average, their carapaces tinged with white, and their steel-saw-like teeth radiated a savage aura. Just one glance was enough to stir primal fear.
One of them seized the chance while Tina was engaged with other enemies and slashed deep into her side, gouging long wounds across her abdomen. Crimson blood stained her snowy white fur almost instantly.
Roaring in pain, Tina lashed out with both front claws, swatting away the remaining xenomorphs crowding her before turning to face the two white-shelled variants with icy fury in her eyes.
Opening her jaws, she fired a spirit energy orb—condensed purely from her life force—at the sneak attacker. The blast dissolved the creature's right arm on contact. Had it not relied on its instincts to dodge at the last instant, sacrificing half its body in the process, it would've died instantly.
But this only enraged the xenomorph further. Along with its companion, it began weaving across the room in a terrifying display of coordination. It was unclear what host had birthed them, but they shared some unknown sensory ability. The moment one attacked, the other would either flank or defend its partner with seamless timing.
The two moved with uncanny precision, leaving Tina momentarily unable to break their rhythm. Thankfully, their emergence forced the other lesser xenomorphs to stay back. With Chu Lian guarding behind her—Void Greatsword at the ready—Tina could focus all her attention on these two elite threats.
As the battle dragged on, Tina grew increasingly disturbed. What sort of evolution had birthed such creatures? They had no emotion, no hesitation—just a single-minded drive to kill or capture. Aside from the pain-induced fury they exhibited when wounded, they resembled beasts in no other way.
And these were just two mutated variants. If allowed to reproduce freely and parasitize stronger hosts, how terrifying could they become? Even her powerful Spirit Cat Clan might struggle to contain them in the future.
These monsters must never be allowed to spread. If they escape, this world could be doomed. Tina had grown fond of this world during her short stay—its beauty, its people, even its strange but pleasant peace. The idea of seeing it reduced to a wasteland filled her with cold determination.
Chu Lian shared the same thoughts. She didn't care much for people's lives—but the thought of these xenomorphs spreading unchecked was unacceptable. If the system declared it a global threat, the panic would derail her missions entirely.
Right now, the xenomorphs were still under the control of that boy. But biological weapons were never easily tamed. If even a small group slipped his grasp, he might never find them again. With their level of intelligence, they could vanish into the mountains, spawn a hidden army, and reemerge only when too powerful to stop.
Therefore, there was only one viable solution: eliminate them all while they remained centralized and under command. If their controller died, the rest would vanish due to dimensional contract laws. That was the safest way to prevent catastrophe.
A surge of spiritual energy rippled outward from Chu Lian, a white halo spreading from her body in all directions. Every xenomorph it touched disintegrated like paper catching fire. In a single instant, she cleared all enemies within a 20-meter radius.
Compared to White Chu Lian, who still relied solely on the Key of Seven Illusions' implanted combat knowledge and couldn't yet use spiritual energy, Black Chu Lian wielded vastly superior skills. Her mastery over spiritual power allowed her to dominate the battlefield.
Taking advantage of the cleared space, she summoned the Seven Illusions Bow—something she had yet to use. Drawing the bowstring, a wave of energy brighter than the midday sun formed into an arrow.
With her waist low and eyes locked on the helicopter still circling overhead, she whispered coldly, "Pitiful, detestable person... goodbye~"
The moment she drew the Seven Illusions Bow, the boy had sensed something was wrong. He immediately ordered all remaining xenomorphs to attack her and stop that arrow at any cost. From that bow, he felt an aura of terror—it was a weapon of unparalleled lethality. He could not let it strike.
Unfortunately for him, Tina wasn't idle either. Now fully enraged, she held the two mutated xenomorphs at bay, not letting them take a single step forward. And with all nearby creatures already annihilated by Chu Lian's spiritual wave, no one remained to interrupt her.
"Damn it!" the boy growled, biting his lip. Left with no options, he activated a powerful life-saving artifact—a trump card he had obtained at great cost. If not for needing to stay close to the xenomorphs to maintain control, he would've fled long ago instead of risking it all here.
Just as Chu Lian released the spiritual arrow, a violet shield shimmered in front of the helicopter. The boy's voice echoed: "The Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens!"
This artifact, drawn from myth and made real in the Type-Moon world, provided absolute defense against projectile weapons. Though Chu Lian's arrow wasn't technically thrown, its nature made it nearly indistinguishable to the shield's magic. Composed of seven concentric bronze rings, it was exceedingly difficult to penetrate.
The spiritual arrow struck the shield and released a blinding burst of light. The boy instinctively squinted, stunned by the force. The arrow shattered five layers of the shield before dissipating. Only two rings remained.
He smiled in relief. He had blocked it. Let's see what else you've got, Chu Lian.
But in the very next moment, his smugness turned to horror.
A slender figure walked on air, her massive greatsword in hand. In the blink of an eye, she was upon the helicopter. The final two rings of the Rho Aias couldn't withstand the strike—they shattered instantly.
Before him stood Chu Lian, her face etched with icy killing intent.
Their gazes met in the air. His eyes were wide with fear, hers cold with disdain.
The Void Greatsword sliced clean through the helicopter. Chu Lian's silhouette emerged just behind it as the vehicle erupted in a fireball behind her.
Dressed in Kuroyukihime's sleek black battle outfit and suspended midair by the sword's powers, her butterfly wings shimmered behind her like ornaments of death. She looked like a goddess of war—beautiful and terrifying.
"It's not over yet!" a voice seething with hatred roared behind her.
Chu Lian turned around—