Lilith's cocoon of shadow and psychic energy didn't shatter—it unfolded. Like a black rose blooming in fast-forward, the darkness peeled back in silken layers, revealing the form within.

She emerged, and the word 'elegant' took on a new, more terrifying dimension.

Her body was now the size of a warhorse, her carapace a deep, polished void-black that seemed to absorb the very light from Adam's wings, leaving only faint highlights of an ominous, bloody crimson tracing intricate, spiderweb-like patterns across her plates. Her eight legs were longer, ending in points so sharp they seemed to distort the air around them. Her cephalothorax was sleeker, crowned with a subtle, crown-like ridge of the same crimson-black chitin.

But the most striking change was her eyes. All eight of them now glowed with a constant, hellish crimson light, no longer mere pale orbs but burning coals of intelligent malice and predatory grace. An aura of profound stillness and chilling intent rolled off her—a silence that felt heavier than any roar.

She took one deliberate step forward, then another, her movement utterly silent. A soft, psychic chuckle, now richer and dripping with dark satisfaction, echoed in their minds.

«Fufufu… The weave of power is… exquisite. I feel the threads of fate, of pain, and of thought with such clarity. I believe I can engage in combat with a new level of… intimate brutality.»

Alice's fur bristled along her spine, her own void-touched nature recognizing a kindred, yet rival, darkness that had just deepened. «Let's not get carried away, you eight-legged freak. 'Intimate brutality' is just a fancy way of saying you want to play with your food. It's disturbing.»

«Whoaaa!» Ignis exclaimed, circling the new Lilith with wide eyes, comparing their sizes. «You're as big as me now! Well, almost! But you're all… shiny black and glowy red! It's cool! And scary!»

Adam observed her with his mind, the system already feeding him data.

[ Companion Evolution Complete: Lilith has evolved from Umbral Weave Matriarch to Crimson Weave Sovereign.]

[ New Trait Gained: Empress of Stillness - Movement generates no sound or air disturbance. Psychic presence can induce a state of frozen terror in weak-willed foes, paralyzing them before the first strike.]

[ New Skill Gained: Crimson Gaze - Focuses her hellish ocular light into a beam that inflicts severe psychic burns, bypassing physical armor and causing mental anguish. Can be sustained for minor damage over time.]

[ Skills Enhanced: Umbral Silk is now Sovereign Silk, stronger and capable of carrying passive life-drain or mana-leech effects. Mind Spike potency significantly increased.]

"The evolution suits you, Lilith," Adam said, his approval genuine. "Your control and lethality have taken a qualitative leap. 'Empress of Stillness'… that will be invaluable for ambushes and controlling the battlefield."

"Your perception is, as ever, appreciated, Adam," Lilith replied, dipping her elegant head. The motion was regal, yet the promise of violence in her new form was unmistakable.

Alice's tail lashed once, a whip of shadow in the dim light. «Enough with the praise. Do we have a direction, or are we just going to stand here until the human army arrives for a rematch?»

Lilith's new, crimson eyes gleamed with amusement. «Fufu... such sharpness. One might think you're jealous of the attention, little void queen.»

«Did you say something, you overgrown tick?» Alice hissed, turning to fully face the spider, her form blurring at the edges with gathering void energy.

"Enough," Adam's voice cut through, a note of finality in the telepathic broadcast that made both females pause. He unfurled his wings, the feathered tips brushing the cavern walls. "We're not waiting for anyone. We're going hunting. For the White Serpent."

The declaration hung in the air. Alice's competitive ire instantly shifted to pragmatic alarm. «Are you insane? The humans who escaped will be back with an army, likely sooner than we'd like. Marching deeper on a side-quest for another Dungeon Lord, especially one that's apparently adept at hiding, is the definition of reckless.»

«She is not wrong,» Lilith added, her psychic tone shifting to one of analytical concern. «We have no timeframe for the human response. And this 'White Serpent' from the diary has managed to remain an unseen legend even to other Dungeon Lords. Seeking it out could be a protracted hunt, leaving us exposed and exhausted when the human forces arrive.»

Adam's galactic eyes held a hard, determined light. "It won't be a protracted hunt. I'll find it. And we'll crush it. Quickly."

He felt the truth of it in his bones, in the thrum of the Crown of the Hollow Glutton and the swift calculations of his mind. "I need the essence. I can feel it… the next evolution. It's within reach."

Ignis, of course, loved the plan. «Yeah! Let's go!»

Alice stared at Adam, her purple eyes searching his. She saw not just bravado, but a cold, strategic hunger. He wasn't being reckless out of pride; he was gambling for the highest possible payoff. A calculated, all-in bet for power that could change the game entirely. She let out a slow mental sigh, her fur settling.

«Fine. But if we're doing this, we do it smart. No 'testing its strength',» she said, pointedly repeating his earlier words.

«A sound tactical approach,» Lilith agreed. «My new capabilities are particularly suited to initiating such an ambush. The 'Empress of Stillness' should allow us to get very, very close.»

Adam nodded. "Then it's settled. We move now."

Adam's Hunter's Tri-Sense expanded outward like sonar through the dark, tangled network of tunnels branching from the Arachnowyrm's former domain. He filtered the constant drip of water, the skittering of beetles, the distant echo of falling stone.

"The human in the diary was running away from the White Snake while he was hiding in a cavern which was probably a spider's nest," Adam mused, his galactic eyes scanning the rough walls. "That means its hunting grounds likely border this territory. It wouldn't let prey flee too far into a rival's domain unless there was an understanding… or a boundary."

«Or unless it was herding him,» Lilith's voice slithered into his thoughts. She stood perfectly still, a statue of obsidian and crimson, her own senses probing the psychic and pheromonal landscape. «The journal described not an attack, but a cruel game. It may have deliberately chased him into the Arachnowyrm's web, to spark conflict or as a twisted gift. If so, it knows this area well.»

«So we're looking for a sneaky snake bully who plays with its food?» Ignis summarized, snorting a small flame. «Sounds lame.»

«It sounds intelligent, patient, and sadistic,» Alice corrected. «Which makes it dangerous. We cannot wander blindly. We need a guide.»

Adam nodded. "Lilith. Your method with the Deep Watcher, Cascano Belgrum. Could it work again?"

Lilith's crimson eyes glowed a fraction brighter. One of her razor-tipped forelegs lifted, the point so sharp it seemed to prick the very light. «The principle remains sound. Find a sentient creature with knowledge of the local hierarchy. Apply precise, persuasive pressure. Extract information. My new tools make the process… more efficient. And my Sovereign Silk can ensure the subject remains both communicative and stationary.»

Adam remembered the brutal efficiency with which she had ended the rogue and the porter—a single, precise strike. Interrogation would be far messier, but Lilith had the delicacy for it when needed. "Alright. We find a local with a brain. Something old enough to know the stories."

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