Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Henshin

"..."

Lin Xin’Er glanced silently at the young man.

She took another deep breath and said softly,

"It’s nothing."

She had seen it with perfect clarity just now.

Wang Xi had only used three strikes in total.

All four walking cats were slain, unable to even take a single step inside the protective shield.

If it had been her, she was confident she could have taken on all four and killed them with a steady approach, but it would have definitely taken her upwards of five minutes.

To eliminate them that quickly, she would have had to trade injuries for kills.

She could never have done it with Wang Xi’s effortless grace.

His poised and confident stance, in particular, was filled with an elegant beauty. His slashes were fast and vicious, beheading and bisecting his foes with overwhelming force.

It was an absolutely crushing difference in power.

Lin Xin’Er couldn’t help but wonder.

’Just how strong is he?’

PEW PEW PEW...

Bai Qimeng let loose another volley, trading fire with the remaining walking cats from a distance.

The outcome was never in doubt.

The "Long Boot Musketeers" were wiped out, and the performance came to a close.

Bai Qimeng’s marksmanship was exquisite. She was a gun-toting girl who could fire with pinpoint accuracy, equipped with wall-piercing shots and what was basically a wall-hack. How were those dumb cats supposed to fight her?

’Even someone like Wang Xi could probably kill a few just by standing inside the practically invincible shield and spraying wildly, right?’

’This is the power of a pay-to-win player!’

’Being rich is so damn good!’

"Just a warm-up. Is that all you’ve got?"

Bai Qimeng ejected the depleted energy magazine and reloaded, her rabbit mask speaking in a girlish, mechanical voice.

"I hope the final boss puts up a bit more of a fight, or this is going to be way too boring."

"As expected of Miss Bai! You’re amazing!"

Wang Xi clapped in praise, his face full of admiration.

"Every shot a bullseye! You’re a monster!"

"Hakixi, you..."

Bai Qimeng turned to look at him, her expression playful.

"You don’t practice your marksmanship, but you sure study how to flatter people. Having you as a teammate... is just fantastic."

Just as Wang Xi was about to open his mouth and ask if he could get a raise, a loud noise interrupted their conversation.

CLANG!!

The three of them whipped their heads around in unison.

A black shadow descended from the sky and landed in the center of the arena, right on top of the iron target stand, bending and twisting the metal frame.

It was a seemingly ordinary walking cat.

Its attire was quite similar to the previous members of the "Long Boot Musketeers," only its upturned-brim hat and long boots looked more luxurious, embroidered with gold-trimmed patterns.

A spray of long white feathers was tucked into its hat brim, dancing in the night wind. Its left paw rested on the handle of the pistol at its waist, while its right paw held a slender thrusting sword. An ornate, thorn-like handguard made of wrought iron covered almost its entire forearm.

[Maze Demon King · Captain of the Long Boot Musketeers · Boos (Archenemy/Five Stars)]

A Five-Star Demon King.

As another Maze Demon King, Boos was indeed a cut above the Goblin Witch Gurusha in terms of strength.

"Hoh." Boos leaped gracefully from the target stand, took a few elegant steps, and pulled his hat brim low. He spoke in a clear, boyish voice, "Three rude guests, daring to interrupt our performance... I suppose we’ll have to let your screams take the place of the audience’s applause."

The moment he finished speaking.

BANG—

A deafening gunshot rang out.

The three of them hadn’t even seen when the walking cat drew its pistol, let alone when it pulled the trigger.

The shot was as fast as lightning.

A muzzle flash erupted.

THUD!!

The light blue protective shield let out a muffled sound as ripples violently spread across its surface.

Wang Xi noticed that on the flat, circular, landmine-like device at his feet, the displayed power level instantly dropped by one bar.

It was clear that Boos’s shot was no ordinary one.

"Hoh. Is this blue shell the reason you act so brazenly?"

Boos’s cold voice drifted over.

"My bullet will surely kiss your brow, and my blade will gently caress your throat... Ah, what a symmetrical work of art."

"You talk too much."

Bai Qimeng said, raising her reloaded laser rifle and firing a series of controlled bursts at the Demon King Cat.

PEW! PEW!

PEW! PEW!!

The dense trajectories of the laser bolts crisscrossed like a net.

But the Demon King Cat seemed to possess a precognitive ability, anticipating her shots and moving with incredible speed. It dodged left and right, leaving behind blurry afterimages.

In the middle of its evasion, it even managed to fire off two shots of its own.

BANG! BANG!

The shield fluctuated violently again. Its power plummeted, and it began to emit a beeping warning.

"That Hakimi-style Body Technique is something else! How exciting!"

The Demon King Cat’s performance seemed to have piqued Bai Qimeng’s interest. She cried out in excitement and responded with another barrage of laser fire.

"But I’m no pushover either!"

As she spoke, the dangerous explosives previously marked by her rabbit mask appeared in her field of vision.

She adjusted her aim slightly and fired a three-shot burst.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

BOOM—

The landmines hidden in the sand were instantly detonated, setting off a chain reaction. The ground of the Iron Cage Theater trembled as flames surged and dust plumed into the sky.

The traps that were originally part of the stage had been turned into props for Bai Qimeng to use, turning the tables on the Demon King Cat.

"MEOW MEOW!"

An enraged cat’s cry could be heard.

An agile figure shot up into the air, leaping out of the dust cloud. After a few flips in mid-air, it landed on a humanoid target seven or eight meters away.

Its hat brim and long white feathers were on fire, and its body was covered in dust. It looked quite pathetic.

"Damn humans, I’ll... ahem."

Boos cursed, then suddenly put on his airs again, flourishing his sword before speaking indifferently:

"Bullets are the rhymes of a poem, and the tip of the sword is the final period. Allow me to inscribe the epigraph for your final Chapter!"

With that, it stomped its foot.

With a PANG, the humanoid target instantly broke, and its small body had already flashed forward, leaping straight toward Bai Qimeng.

"You two, buy me some time."

Bai Qimeng lowered her rifle and said calmly.

"Yes, boss." Lin Xin’Er agreed, taking the initiative to charge out of the shield and intercept the enemy.

"What are you planning to do?"

Wang Xi turned his head and asked curiously.

Bai Qimeng took out a blue Card and replied in her cute, girlish mechanical voice:

"To transform, of course!"

As she spoke, a blue light flashed.

A strange, palm-sized, square object that looked like a handheld gaming device appeared in her hand.

Wang Xi stared in surprise.

—[Bootleg Transformation Device (Equipment Card)]

’What the hell?’

’She’s actually going to transform?!’

’And the Transformation Device is a bootleg! Isn’t it going to just suddenly explode?!’

Meanwhile, Lin Xin’Er and the Demon King Cat’s figures intertwined, their fist and sword clashing to produce a shower of sparks. Boos’s sword was fast, precise, and ruthless. It suddenly spun out in a silver arc. The girl quickly leaned back to dodge the fatal thrust to her heart, but her left arm was still cut open.

Her strength was ultimately a bit lacking; after just a few exchanges, she was already at a disadvantage, in a perilous situation.

"Get back!"

Wang Xi lunged into the fray, his Beheading Sword swinging toward the Demon King Cat’s face, wrapped in a cold glint. This strike made Boos’s vertical pupils shrink. Its thrusting sword reared up like a viper to meet the attack, and the instant the blades met, a blinding shower of sparks erupted.

CLANG!!

Even the Demon King Cat couldn’t withstand the immense force. Its small body flew backward, landing with a few heavy steps.

But Wang Xi gave it no chance to breathe, pressing forward and unleashing another round of slashes.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!

"Meeow! It’s a strong human!"

Boos thrust its sword out repeatedly, using lightning-fast flicks, deflections, and lifting motions to Parry and deflect the force, but it was still forced to retreat again and again. It spoke through gritted teeth.

Seeing the young man pressing his attack against the Demon King Cat, Lin Xin’Er’s expression grew complicated. She glanced at her bleeding left arm and suddenly felt like she was a bit redundant on this Maze trip.

BEEP-BOOP—

Just then, a sound came from behind her.

Lin Xin’Er turned to look and was stunned.

She saw her boss, still wearing the rabbit mask, striking a strange pose—left hand pointed straight up, right hand over her heart.

A mechanical belt was fastened around Bai Qimeng’s waist. In the center was a black, square device, flashing with a pink light and beeping incessantly.

"Hmph! Time to get serious!"

the cute, girlish mechanical voice said.

It seemed... as if she were deliberately reading the line in a monotone.

Bai Qimeng reached out and grabbed at the empty air, and three Deep Green Cards appeared in her hand one after another.

She then inserted the Cards into the square device on her belt with perfect precision. With each insertion, the device made a DING sound.

Finally, the crimson light on the device flared, and a serious, androgynous mechanical voice rang out:

"Identity Scan. Authentication complete!"

"—Love or Fight?"

"—Fight!"

Bai Qimeng shouted with righteous indignation.

CLANG!

Instantly, petal-like pieces of armor materialized from the void and enveloped her body. Bai Qimeng crossed her arms over her chest, then flung them wide, unleashing a shower of pink particles—

"♡Now, let me count up your sins!♡"

"—Transform!!"

Under her rabbit mask, Bai Qimeng’s expression was perfectly calm as she shouted the inexplicably embarrassing line.

Then, before Lin Xin’Er’s stunned eyes,

Bai Qimeng completed her transformation.

She was now clad head-to-toe in a skin-tight white and pink Mechanical Armor that highlighted her slender figure. She wore the Rabbit Face mask, its ears standing straight up.

In each hand, she held a high-tech pink pistol. The pistols were triangular, with a rounded, short barrel connected to the grip like a handguard. There was even a cartoon rabbit design on the side.

"Boss?"

Lin Xin’Er’s mouth hung open. Finally, she managed to call out.

The Rabbit-Faced Knight turned to look at her, her girlish mechanical voice speaking:

"From now on, please call me the ’Rabbit-Faced Knight.’"

"..."

"Alright, I’m going to go ’negotiate’ with the Demon King."

After speaking, Bai Qimeng’s figure flashed.

The heels of her Mechanical Combat Boots shot out a pale pink flame, and she accelerated to an incredible speed.

Lin Xin’Er felt her vision blur for an instant, and then her boss was gone.

Immediately after, she heard a burst of high-frequency gunfire.

PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW—

She whipped her head around to look.

The Demon King Cat let out a strange meow and fled pathetically amidst a rain of crimson laser fire.

It ran, she chased.

It couldn’t escape even if it had wings.

She pursued, it fled.

Its doom was sealed.

Wang Xi suddenly stopped in his tracks, stunned to see Bai Qimeng leap five meters straight into the air. She flipped elegantly in mid-air, hanging upside down as she fired both pistols simultaneously.

PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW—

"MEEEOOOW!!"

Despite Boos’s agility, it failed to completely dodge this volley. It took a shot to the leg and another to the shoulder, letting out a piercing shriek.

The wounds were completely pierced through, and their edges were rimmed with a crimson flame that was continuously Burning.

The pain sent the Demon King Cat rolling on the ground.

Just as Bai Qimeng was about to press her advantage and finish it off with another barrage,

"The performance isn’t over! I will not exit the stage!"

Boos rolled to its feet and flicked its thrusting sword, surprisingly tracing a brilliant six-pointed star.

SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING!

Bai Qimeng, still in mid-air, was struck by all six slashes!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.