As that face appeared in front of her, the image reflected optically shot toward her brain at lightning speed, processed through countless neurons. In the very instant she became aware of it, she moved.
No verbal probing was needed, no psychological confrontation required. Her severed right hand and ruined eye had etched it deep into her mind how she should respond when facing this person.
The Black Water Shield appeared out of thin air, instantly unfolding into a massive surface—her reaction speed almost simultaneous with Lu Ce’s appearance!
Chiyo Eine knew that if she waited until after “Sin” made a move to respond, she would already be too late.
She had to assume the opponent would attack the moment she saw him, and only by reacting instantly could she hope to keep up with that kind of speed.
And that assumption... turned out to be correct.
Boom!
Like a puppet’s rigid arm, it had already swung out, slamming heavily into the Black Water interface before her, letting out a deafening roar.
The Black Water interface trembled and rapidly expanded, spreading the force out as much as possible.
Lu Ce chuckled with a compliment that felt more like an insult, then clenched his right fist.
Under the terrifying strain of muscle, his skin shriveled like tree bark. A violent cracking sound followed immediately, and the Black Water interface shattered and vanished into thin air.
Chiyo Eine had already managed to react. The force of the impact sent her flying backward. She slid through the Black Water for who knows how long before she slowly raised her head.
Looking at the man across from her—his clothes stained with blood, one hand covering his face, always seeming to suppress a smile—she felt a thin stream of blood trickle from the corner of her mouth.
She was overwhelmed with relief—grateful she had always remained on high alert around Xie Antong.
Even when the other woman had looked completely drained, with no combat ability left, she had stayed wary, afraid that this venomous snake of a woman would strike a fatal blow.
That vigilance, unwavering all this time.
Though it had never actually succeeded—her battles had always been with thin air—this excessive caution had now saved her life.
Lu Ce rolled his shoulder, looked up with a smile.
But unexpectedly, just that slight movement made Chiyo Eine react like she’d been shocked, instantly raising the same kind of defensive interface as before and leaping back a great distance.
Turns out, she didn’t even know Lu Ce’s speed limit. This was the only way she could deal with it—any movement from him, and she’d respond like a startled bird.
Otherwise, she feared she’d die right here.
Her reaction amused Lu Ce. He stood there staring at her for a while.
Then suddenly burst into loud laughter, stretching and rotating his shoulders, arms, and other joints nonstop.
He kept looking at her while hopping around randomly, like a puppet being manipulated—entertaining as hell.
“hhhhh!”
Hearing that grating laugh ringing in her ears, Chiyo Eine was so furious she almost spat blood. She layered up her defenses over and over until she finally calmed herself and began to speak to Lu Ce.
She could now more or less piece together what had just happened—why “Sin” had suddenly appeared before her.
Her expression darkened, and she cursed:
“You b*stard!”
Lu Ce: ?
“Huh? Why the strong words? How’d you see through humanity’s true nature at a glance?”
“You actually switched places with her at a time like this? Something you decided on your own? Now you’re making her face the strongest Hunter?”
“Oh?” A confused look crossed the blue-painted face.
If it were the normal Lu Ce, he might’ve said, “What does that have to do with you?”
But now, the smile on that blue-painted face just kept growing.
“So what if I did?” Lu Ce spread his hands. “She knew exactly what was over there. Why switch then? Looks like her last wish was for me to kill you. Guess whatever you were about to do made her really hate you.”
Chiyo Eine: ......
She was momentarily at a loss for words, then quickly replied:
“She and I are enemies. Of course we fight to the death. If I died at her hands earlier, I’d have no complaint.”
“But you two were teammates, and now you’ve heartlessly thrown away your teammate’s life. You don’t care about your teammates at all—you just treat their lives like chess pieces.”
Lu Ce stared at her for a long time.
She didn’t seem to be acting—maybe she really didn’t know how this Divine Creation worked.
He couldn’t help it. Clutching his face, he laughed like a maniac.
Then, under her disgusted gaze, he finally spoke:
“Yeah, and? What even is a ‘teammate’? You people—do you think you’re worthy of being my teammates? Besides, she and the others are dead now. Isn’t that perfect? I can complete the game perfectly on my own.”
“Also, you want to win, right? Didn’t you say it was all for the greater good of the world?”
“How about a deal? If you can name a price that I find acceptable, I might throw the match. Lose the game on purpose.”
What Lu Ce said was peak b*stard behavior—Chiyo Eine was completely stunned.
Could someone really be this shameless? What the h*ll was he even saying?!
Shaken by his lack of morals, Chiyo Eine gritted her teeth.
“The strongest in the world... why is it someone like you...”
“I will never make a deal with someone like you!”
......
Elsewhere, Xie Antong lay flat on the rooftop of a tall building.
She turned her head and happened to see the Divine Creation’s face right beside her.
Maybe she was just too exhausted, or maybe she’d already accepted death—her expression barely changed. She even managed a greeting.
“Hello.”
In the next second, the stench of blood flooded her entire airway. She looked up—
A massive Divine Creation appeared in front of her, as if it had teleported.
That terrifying visual impact froze her in place. Her pupils shrank—she didn’t even have time to feel emo.
Was this the final boss of the game?
She truly couldn’t imagine what kind of person would willingly try to fight this thing. How could anyone possibly deal with it?
Just as well—she had no desire to resist anymore. She simply stared at the terrifying entity at close range.
But the Divine Creation suddenly slammed on the brakes in front of her, shaking its head slightly in confusion, as if receiving some kind of signal.
Then it looked into the distance, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared again—charging away.
This was the final moment—after the head-shake bug came the second bug: the target-locking bug.
“Ah?”