“How is it, touched, Muen?”

The Banshee chuckled, her face showing a trace of Shali’s bashful blush.

“This is me, just as you wished, telling you some heartfelt words.”

“Such honesty truly moves me to the core.”

Watching the Banshee so casually split open her own abdomen, Muen’s eyes flickered. He forced down the disgust welling in his chest and put on a smile that seemed unconcerned.

“Still, I can’t help but feel, Miss Banshee, that you’re not quite loyal enough to the Moon.”

“Oh? This still isn’t loyal enough?”

“Why not offer up your brain as well? Why keep that thing around just to disgust people?”

“Kh-khh... Hearing that from you makes me happy. It seems my failed plan wasn’t completely without worth.”

The Banshee threw him a sultry wink.

“What a shame. That brain—I still need it. It has great use.”

“Indeed, very useful. First you send your so-called ‘father.’ Then you send your subordinate. And finally, you came yourself, even letting me stab you a couple times to vent. Such generosity—rare warmth indeed in this long cold night.”

“You—”

Even without a heart, in that instant it was as though Muen’s words truly pierced hers. Humiliation surged back into her mind. Her alluring face twisted into a snarl, her charm instantly replaced with killing intent sharp as ice.

But sudden emotional shifts always leave a fleeting lag in reaction.

That fleeting gap was exactly what Muen had been waiting for.

In an instant—

The air rang with a violent crack.

Like thunder slamming down.

The falling rain shattered into countless droplets under the shockwave, spreading into a misty fog that obscured vision.

And in that instant, Muen’s body, long since coiled with power, snapped taut like a hunting leopard and sprang forward.

Shadow Step.

Augmented by Tenfold Time Dilation.

When Muen burst through the mist, the Banshee seemed not even to have reacted yet. Her expression hung dazed under slowed time.

Muen gave her no chance.

Target: the brain.

His blade light slashed forth, cold as death, gathering into a single killing strike.

The Banshee appeared to have no time to dodge.

But—

Just as Muen’s blade touched that sickeningly sultry face, warning exploded in his heart!

The death sense honed through countless deaths inside the Black Book surged again at the critical moment. Without a shred of hesitation, he twisted his motion, jerking his head aside.

As expected—

At the exact moment he shifted, another crescent-shaped scimitar pierced cleanly through the back of the Banshee’s skull, aiming straight for his own face!

Cold sweat drenched Muen’s back.

If he hadn’t dodged, he would have been skewered straight through like a gourd on a spit!

His gaze sharpened as he looked past her—

And saw... another Banshee?

“My, surprised?”

Seeing him slip away just in time, the second Banshee looked regretful for a moment, then carelessly flicked her blade.

The Banshee she had pierced instantly collapsed like a punctured skin, floating down as nothing but an empty husk.

“Shed skin?” Muen’s eyes narrowed, immediately retreating.

When?

Or was it... fake from the very beginning?

“Snakes shedding skin—nothing strange about that, is there?”

The Banshee laughed, her boneless frame suddenly dropping low.

Only then did Muen notice what lay hidden in the darkness—her lower body was a massive serpent’s tail!

Of course—she was also a serpentkin. And now, with that coiled tail drawn tight...

She was about to strike!

The Banshee exploded forward like a venomous snake springing from ambush. Even under Tenfold Time Dilation, her speed was monstrous.

No time to dodge—only block!

Muen crossed his short blades. The twin arc-shaped scimitars in her hands crashed against them.

Clang—

The screech of steel on steel thundered in his ears.

Muen staggered back several steps, each footfall shattering the stone beneath. His throat tasted faintly of iron; his chest churned with disordered aura. Even his battle qi faltered.

Glancing at his trembling hands, his heart sank.

What crushing force!

The last time he had fought her briefly, she hadn’t given off this overwhelming oppression.

Was it because, having revealed her true form, she could now wield her full strength?

“My, Muen, you keep surprising me.”

Scales now covered her face, radiating a chilling menace. Seeing that he had managed to hold his ground, if only barely, a flicker of astonishment passed her eyes before twisting into scorn.

“To think you could even block me head-on in serpent form. This body strength—at least Third Rank. And that sudden speed burst just now—magic? Martial skill? Or some special artifact? I didn’t see any spellcasting signs.”

“Nothing special.”

Though pressed hard, Muen refused to yield in spirit. Forcing a grin, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) he said:

“But unlike you, I can’t pull a second transformation and turn myself into some half-human, half-monster freak. Otherwise, I might already have blown your brains out.”

“You really dislike me like this?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t be disgusted by your appearance?” Muen said flatly.

At this point, though her face still retained its seductive beauty, her body was wrapped in dark steel-blue scales. Naked or not, there was no trace of allure left. She was worlds apart from the enchanting snake-women of film and animation from Muen’s past life. No beauty here—only nightmare fuel that would scar the faint of heart.

“Kh-khh... Hate me, yes, hate me.”

But even as Muen cursed her to her face, the Banshee only laughed happily. The gloom Muen had planted earlier seemed swept clean.

“Suddenly I don’t want to kill you anymore. I’d love to see you, carrying this disgust, when you meet that beloved Senior of yours.”

“What do you mean?”

Muen’s gaze narrowed dangerously.

“What a pity. At such a crucial time, of course I can’t allow you to interfere with the Moon’s plan.”

Her forked tongue flicked out, licking the edge of her curved blade.

“And so, I’ll have to finish you here.”

“Confident, are you?”

Muen sneered. “Careful you don’t break your teeth.”

“Kh-khh... Not confidence—strength.”

Her serpent’s tail writhed, circling him as she spoke leisurely:

“You think I’m just wasting words with you, Muen Campbell?”

“What do you mean?”

“Kh-khh... From the probing just now, I’ve confirmed it. Those artifacts you rely on—they’re used up. Otherwise, your safest move would’ve been to shove an alchemy bomb straight into my gut.

And from our brief clash, I’ve gauged your range of strength. Even your sudden speed burst—that should be your trump card, yes? But now, to me, it’s no secret.

So you—a duke’s son who knows nothing of magic, whose flesh may rival a Third Rank warrior but whose true cultivation is only Second Rank, dragged this far on a few little tricks...”

At that moment, the aura she had been suppressing erupted.

It surged higher and higher, to a level that made Muen’s eyelids twitch violently.

She straightened, her long serpent body towering above him, eyes gleaming with mocking amusement, as if gazing down at an ant.

“How will you possibly face me—blessed by the Moon—who now wields Third Rank Peak strength, already brushing against the threshold of Fourth Rank... a monster?”