Though the fusion progress wasn't yet complete, Lin Xin's odds had shifted. With the enhanced firearm Rose's Woe in hand, her chances of survival had risen sharply.
She crouched behind the cracked door, breath held, listening intently to the slow, deliberate footsteps of approaching Hellfire Cultists. Each step echoed like a countdown.
Her breathing was shallow, but her heartbeat remained steady—trained by countless battles in her past life as a top-tier Mechanic Class player.
When the cultists were just ten meters away, Lin Xin sprang into action.
With a swift, precise motion, she kicked the door open.
Boom!
The door slammed against the wall with a heavy thud.
Lin Xin raised her pistol, the muzzle locked onto the three Black Robed Men.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bullets tore through the air, trailing brilliant muzzle flashes. Each shot struck true—dead center on their foreheads.
Blood splattered. The cultists dropped instantly, lifeless before they could even scream.
–361! –389! –388!
The damage numbers floated in the air, glowing orange—critical hits amplified by Mechanical Affinity. Against ordinary Level 5 cultists, it was a massacre.
The thunderous gunfire shattered the eerie silence of the sacrificial hall.
At the altar, a man in a windbreaker stirred.
He raised his head slowly, gaze slicing through the chaos until it landed on Lin Xin.
He didn't panic. Instead, his lips curled into a smile—hungry, calculating.
"Interesting…" he murmured, eyes gleaming with greed.
Seven more cultists sprang into action, blades drawn, moving with coordinated precision. They weren't mindless mobs—they were trained, tactical.
In the cramped hall, they spread out, attempting to flank Lin Xin.
She didn't flinch.
Another shot rang out—one cultist dropped, blood pooling beneath him.
But as she focused forward, one slipped in from the side, blade poised for a silent kill.
Lin Xin's Agility: 30 kicked in.
She sensed the movement instantly, ducked low, and swept his legs out from under him.
Before he could recover, her boot slammed into his chest, pinning him.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Bang! –400!
The bullet tore through his skull. Blood splattered across her boots.
Lin Xin stepped back, expression unreadable.
Her movements were fluid, instinctive—refined by years of combat experience.
Even without the Gun Mastery skill, her stats and muscle memory made her lethal.
But the cultists didn't retreat. They charged with fanatic zeal, eyes burning with madness.
Lin Xin exhaled, gripped Rose's Woe tighter, and began to move.
She ran, dodged, and fired—each shot a death sentence.
Clink-clank…
Spent casings hit the floor like funeral bells.
One by one, the cultists fell.
Until silence returned.
Lin Xin lowered her smoking weapon and turned toward the altar.
The Windbreaker Man stepped forward.
His iron-plated mask revealed only sharp, hawk-like eyes. In his hands, he toyed with a deck of cursed poker cards, performing dazzling flourishes.
Lin Xin's heart sank.
She had expected a priest.
Instead, she faced a Hellfire Cult Elite.
Akesi Kulainan (Weakened State)
Letter Rank: 30
Strength: 120 (300)
Agility: 120 (300)
Stamina: 100 (250)
Spirit: 150 (350)
Health: 1000
Power: 1500
Skills: Cursed Flying Cards, Teleportation, Fel Energy Slash
Evaluation: Akesi, the Magician—one of the Hellfire Cult's Five Evils. A sadistic illusionist who lures noble maidens with charm and magic, only to torture and sacrifice them to the Evil God. Currently weakened due to unknown reasons.
Good news: he was weakened.
Bad news: even now, his stats dwarfed Lin Xin's.
She fired her last bullet.
Bang!
Akesi flicked his wrist.
Clink!
A poker card sliced the bullet in half mid-air.
He chuckled darkly.
"You have no chance, my little beauty. I look forward to watching your despair. A top-tier maiden like you will earn me divine favor… Hehehehe…"
His laughter echoed, chilling the air.
The fox-eared girl trembled behind the door.
Lin Xin lowered her gun, feigning surrender.
Akesi laughed louder.
Then—
Ding~ System Notification:
Heart of Hero fusion complete…!
Lin Xin's eyes lit up. She opened her panel.
Heart of Hero (Sacred Grade):
Can consume Essence Energy to fuse materials into Knight Armor. Power scales with material rarity and energy consumed.
Essence Energy: 0
Note: First creation is free. Proceed?
Knight Armor transformation…?
She scanned the room.
Her eyes landed on the cursed poker card Akesi had used.
She picked it up.
Ding~ First creation initiated. Material: cursed poker card…
Creation successful: Ace Memory acquired (Kamen Rider W transformation item).
Akesi began walking toward her, steps heavy and ominous.
Lin Xin smiled.
She held up the Joker-patterned card—it shimmered with purple light, morphing into a USB-shaped Ace Memory.
The Firefly Transformer in her hand responded, reshaping into a sleek, silver-red Lost Driver.
Firefly Transformer (Epic Grade)
Originally designed to summon Firefly IV Assault Armor. Now modified to adapt into Knight Armor Drivers based on fused items.
Lin Xin clipped the Lost Driver to her waist. A belt extended and locked into place.
She pressed the button on the Ace Memory.
"JOKER!"
The electronic voice echoed through the hall.
Akesi flinched, eyes narrowing.
Lin Xin inserted the Memory into the belt slot.
A ripple of purple energy surged outward, enveloping her body.
She raised her right hand.
"Henshin."
With her left hand, she flipped the single-sided driver.
The ripple contracted, forming a cocoon of light.
A blinding violet glow filled the hall.
Akesi shielded his eyes.
The fox-eared girl peeked out, eyes wide—but the transformation was too radiant to see clearly.