Chapter 122: The Enigmatic Witch and the Illusory Transformation

“Hahahaha! How interesting—truly, how fascinating! You actually acquired such power, and you can even absorb the crystals I created. Are you really human?”

Laughing heartily, the Emperor-Level Evil God climbed to his feet, brushed the dust from his clothes, and walked toward her one step at a time.

“Well, who knows? Why don’t you guess whether I am or not?”

Zhuang Xiaoyuan laid Wen Hui, whom she had rescued from the crystal, on a flat patch of ground. Then she rose and turned toward the Emperor-Level Evil God, a bewitching, utterly fearless smile upon her face.

“Hey, whether you are or not, you’ll become my most perfect collectible. You’ve merely gone from being a little white rabbit to a clawed wildcat, and now you’ve started acting arrogant?”

The Emperor-Level Evil God narrowed his eyes slightly. Invisible mental power surged toward Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

“Bewitching Witch.”

Even in her current corrupted state—one that had also reversed Izayoi Miku’s transformed form—Zhuang Xiaoyuan still did not dare underestimate an attack of mental power from the Emperor-Level Evil God. At her call, a silver conductor’s baton appeared in her hand.

As Zhuang Xiaoyuan swung her right hand forward, the sound of the baton slicing through the air suddenly grew louder, transforming into a blade of sound that shot toward the Emperor-Level Evil God.

Boom!

The mental shockwave collided with the sound blade midway, canceling each other out. The spreading aftershock left the ground pitted and uneven.

“Hmph. If you want to make me your collectible, then we’ll see whether you truly have the ability to do so. Bewitching Witch—form change: guitar.”

She snorted coldly. Irritation flickered across her face at the Emperor-Level Evil God’s insolent remark. As Zhuang Xiaoyuan waved the Bewitching Witch in her hand and issued her command, the baton-shaped weapon melted like mercury and finally transformed into a silver electric guitar.

“Witch’s Hymn.”

As Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s fingers moved rapidly across the strings, a bright rhythm began to echo across the wasteland. Wherever the music resounded, clusters of shadows resembling black sludge appeared on the ground.

“Come forth, my servants. Kill this rebel who dares to profane me.”

One black fiendish god after another crawled out of the sludge-like shadows. Unlike ordinary fiends, these creatures seemed to possess no physical bodies at all; their forms were translucent and illusory. At Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s command, they all lunged at the Emperor-Level Evil God.

Mixed among them were evil gods far smaller than the fiends, attacking the Emperor-Level Evil God as well. Among the countless evil gods, one female shadow god with mantis-like forelimbs stood out particularly strikingly.

“What are these...?”

A casual strike failed to harm the shadow fiends swarming toward him. The Emperor-Level Evil God raised an eyebrow, amusement appearing on his face. Then mental power erupted from him. Accompanied by its overwhelming pressure, the surrounding shadow fiends shattered and returned to the earth.

“Oh, it’s you... I see. So these are all the creatures who died by your hand. I never expected them to appear in this form. You’ve truly surprised me.”

Black flames sprayed from the Emperor-Level Evil God’s hand. With a sweep of his arm, the flames surged toward the shadow girl who had already appeared before him. This female evil god was exactly identical to the one that had attacked Zhuang Xiaoyuan and the others earlier.

The black flames seemed to carry a special energy. Beneath them, every shadow fiend was effortlessly destroyed by the Emperor-Level Evil God, unable even to approach him.

“Is that all? If those are your only tricks, then you might as well obediently become my collectible.”

“What feeble attacks. What was I thinking back then? I actually used such a weak transformation ability. It’s unbearable to watch.”

As the Emperor-Level Evil God continued destroying the puppets she summoned, Zhuang Xiaoyuan paid him no attention. Instead, she was deeply dissatisfied with her own current power.

With that, Zhuang Xiaoyuan directly canceled her transformation into Izayoi Miku. As the transformed state faded, her true appearance was revealed.

It was still Zhuang Xiaoyuan, without a doubt, but her entire bearing had changed completely. More importantly, a vivid blood-red demonic sigil had appeared on her forehead—strikingly similar to the one belonging to the Emperor-Level Evil God.

When Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s transformation ended, all the shadow puppets summoned by Izayoi Miku’s reversed form vanished. Only the lonely figure of the Emperor-Level Evil God remained before her.

He made no move to attack. Instead, the instant he noticed the demonic sigil on Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s forehead, an intense desire erupted in his eyes.

“Only a killing blow can be called true strength. These limp attacks are completely wrong. Fortunately, my former self was clever enough to leave behind one final trump card.”

A black card with a blank white center appeared in Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s hand. The moment she held it, the white blankness was rapidly dyed black.

“Come forth. Show me the character I desire.”

As Zhuang Xiaoyuan spoke, the black energy coiling around her suddenly poured into the card, which had now been completely stained black. An equally pitch-black figure appeared within the card in her hand.

“Now that’s more like it. Phantasmal Armament—Fantasy Transformation.”

Zhuang Xiaoyuan gripped the black character card tightly in her right hand and pressed it against her chest. At her movement, the card burst into pitch-black radiance.

Black should have been the absence of light, an impenetrable darkness. Yet now it shone, emitting a dark radiance that seemed to devour every trace of light around it.

The dark light swallowed Zhuang Xiaoyuan and formed a round black cocoon. In the next instant, the cocoon split apart and shattered, revealing Zhuang Xiaoyuan in a new form before the Emperor-Level Evil God.

She wore heavy, pitch-black armor. Her pale-golden hair, nearly white, was coiled at the back of her head, while the strands connecting her bangs to her temples fell loosely along her cheeks. Her golden eyes radiated intense coldness and authority, striking fear into anyone who looked upon them.

Most important of all was the pitch-black sword in her hand, its surface etched with crimson markings.

Without question, she was a powerful warrior who wielded the sword as her weapon.

“As expected, you were worth coming here for personally. Not only have you obtained power of the same nature as ours, you can also change your form several times. And judging by the looks of it, your abilities change along with each form. This time, it’s a sword, is it? As it happens, I’ve also devoured a guardian who wielded sword techniques.”

Having noticed Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s transformation, the Emperor-Level Evil God’s desire to possess her grew even more intense.

He casually picked up a sheet of steel lying beside a nearby vehicle. Under the influence of his power, the metal rapidly changed shape, eventually becoming a broad, two-handed greatsword.

“A sword... You’re courting death.”

Her expression was cold as frost. Zhuang Xiaoyuan stamped her foot against the ground and charged forward, both hands dragging the black demonic sword behind her. In the blink of an eye, she stood before the Emperor-Level Evil God.