Chapter 204: Temporary Experience Card, Calamity-class Bai Fu Descends!

Thanks to the boost brought by Phantomic Form, even without using [Mental Blessing], Bai Fu still managed to break through Cecia’s encirclement and darted away, leaving Cecia far behind in the dust. Even if Cecia launched an attack with spider silk, she couldn’t so much as touch the back of Bai Fu’s heel.

But she didn’t relax because of this.

After transforming into the Shadow Phantom Form, her stamina consumption would drastically increase. Once her stamina dropped below a certain threshold, she wouldn’t be able to maintain the Shadow Phantom Form any longer.

If the one chasing her were someone else, Bai Fu wouldn’t have much to worry about. But the one chasing her was Cecia!

She could easily defeat Yulia, but if the opponent was Cecia, then forget one of her—even five of her attacking from front and back would most likely still end with the result—

【I’m sorry for not letting Miss Cecia enjoy herself】

No helping it, Cecia was the ultimate endurance queen, with a constitution stat as high as 1764 points!

Unless necessary, Bai Fu absolutely didn’t want to clash with her.

Precisely because Cecia’s stamina was terrifying, the moment Bai Fu decided to flee, she chose the Esper Well as her destination.

A hidden map that could only be opened using the Esper Evolution Tree Chart?

If that was the case, once she entered, could she shut the door behind her, leaving Cecia to gaze at the gate in frustration?

Whether it worked or not, Bai Fu decided to give it a try. If it didn’t, she could just find another place to hide.

Just like that, the two of them streaked across the surface of Jingu Star at high speed.

This movement successfully caught Foster’s attention.

Due to Onandi’s disappearance, Foster had originally been arranging for people to split up and search for Onandi and Feiye’s group, but just then, he suddenly received news that someone suspected to be Cecia had been spotted on the plains.

“Let me see!”

Foster clicked open the surveillance video sent by his subordinates. Though the face wasn’t captured clearly, he recognized at once that the figure who had streaked across the lens at high speed was Cecia.

After a moment of thought, he immediately issued new orders.

“Other than those searching for Onandi, everyone else, stop what you’re doing and come with me to find Cecia!”

Foster was furious.

He believed the reason he was stuck chasing Bai Fu in circles was entirely Cecia’s fault.

If Cecia had simply acted with them from the beginning, they likely wouldn’t have been tricked by all those fake Bai Fus. Even if they were, with Cecia around, they definitely could’ve captured the Void Valkyrie and forced Bai Fu to show herself.

Now they had neither caught anyone nor kept Onandi—who else could he blame but Cecia? Himself?

Impossible.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with his plan!

“If I can’t escape this trap, then Cecia, don’t think of walking away alone—if I die, I’ll take you, this monster, down with me!”

A vicious glint flashed in Foster’s eyes. Following his command, the majority of the fleet’s ships turned direction and headed straight toward the path Cecia had just taken.

Ten minutes later.

Bai Fu dove into the sea. After descending several hundred meters, she stopped above a stretch of pitch-black muddy ground.

The game map showed that her arrow-marked dot had already overlapped with the question mark that represented the entrance to the hidden map [Esper Well].

“To think it was hidden in a place like this—who’d even consider looking here?”

While muttering complaints, Bai Fu pulled out the Esper Evolution Tree Chart.

The moment the chart unfolded, a soft, pale blue light lit up the mud below her. A pleasant game prompt sounded in her ears.

【Hidden Map [Esper Well] has been opened】

Alright, now…

Just as Bai Fu lifted her leg, she suddenly received a burst of over a dozen notifications.

“Hmm?”

She paused and quickly opened the new pop-ups.

【You have discovered the single-use skill [Diamond Body]. Would you like to absorb it using the Esper Evolution Tree Chart?】

【You have discovered the single-use skill [Molecular Disintegration]. Would you like to…】

All the notifications followed the exact same format—a total of 13 messages.

Bai Fu casually tapped one of the notifications and found that the skill’s power had already reached the Calamity level.

[Diamond Body]: Temporarily transforms the body into an unshakable diamond form. It can even greatly reduce the impact of psychic attacks. Remaining uses (1/1).

Bai Fu froze.

She had come here just to hide and stall for time, waiting for the Joint Fleet to arrive. But now it seemed like she no longer needed to keep hiding?

Dropping all thirteen of these skills, even if it couldn’t take down the fleet sent by Mita, killing a few off-guard S+-level Espers shouldn’t be a problem. Even if she couldn’t kill them all, it would be enough to scare the crap out of them.

Thinking this, Bai Fu instantly became much more composed.

She decisively canceled the Shadow Phantom Form. Just then, the waters behind her suddenly stirred—a whirlpool erupted as Cecia caught up.

“You really are relentless.”

Bai Fu turned and spoke helplessly to Cecia over the broadcast channel.

As soon as the words left her mouth, five black spell orbs floated above her head. Violent spiritual energy beams shot out from them, followed by a spinning magic blade.

Even Cecia, who had great confidence in her body, didn’t dare take the blow head-on after recalling their last battle. She moved like a black water serpent, twisting her lithe waist through the water, elegantly dodging Bai Fu’s attack.

“Not running anymore? Did you set up an ambush around here, or just run out of strength?”

Cecia’s voice was cold, but that chill couldn’t hide her excitement.

Just the thought of finally catching Bai Fu made her whole body burn up—especially her navel, which had taken three punches from Bai Fu.

Bai Fu looked at Cecia with a radiant smile. “There’s no need to run anymore. Let’s settle our grudge once and for all right here.”

As she spoke, she quietly opened her communicator, preparing to send her coordinates to Foster to lure him over. But just as she moved, she stopped.

Seems like that won’t be necessary.

Bai Fu looked up.

Cecia mirrored her action.

Suddenly, the dark seabed lit up with a dazzling light. Behind the light, ocean currents surged—Foster, leading hundreds of people, charged forward with ferocity.

“Hahahaha…”

Foster burst into laughter.

He had come looking for Cecia, but to his surprise, not only did he find her, he also found Bai Fu, who had been hiding all this time.

Was this what they meant by “searching high and low, only to find it effortlessly”?

His grudge against Cecia disappeared in an instant. With her here to help, Bai Fu was as good as caught.

“Bai Fu, let’s see where you run now!”

Foster clenched his right fist tightly, overwhelmed with excitement. The others, who had been humiliated by Illusion Bai Fu earlier, also perked up with excitement.

In contrast, Bai Fu and Cecia both frowned.

Cecia frowned because she didn’t want Bai Fu to fall into Mita’s hands. But now that Foster had suddenly arrived, one misstep and her whole plan could fall apart. It made her feel like she’d swallowed a fly, and her burning body turned cold.

Bai Fu frowned because Foster and the others had come too quickly—she hadn’t finished absorbing the skills. Absorbing skills took time. If Foster launched an attack now, something could go wrong. She had to buy time.

That’s it!

Bai Fu’s gaze suddenly locked onto Cecia.

While Cecia looked confused, Bai Fu flashed her a smile that could only be described as sweet as honey.

“Come in with me.”

Saying that, Bai Fu turned and walked straight into the Esper Well.

Cecia was completely puzzled. What was Bai Fu up to? Why smile like that—so sweet?

But puzzled or not, the moment Bai Fu entered the Esper Well, she hurried in after her.

“Don’t think you can escape!”

“Foster, should we follow?” Bronze Furnace turned his head and asked.

In terms of strength, he was stronger than Foster. But Foster was the commander appointed by the steward, so he respected his decision.

Foster’s expression changed slightly. He was worried it was a trap. But then again, since he had already fallen into Bai Fu’s traps more than once, and if he didn’t catch her now, he’d die anyway—what was there to hesitate for?

“Chase!”

He led the charge, and the rest followed, storming into the Esper Well together.

After passing through the blue oval-shaped translucent gate, Foster found the scene had completely changed. From deep sea to a towering cavern. But he had no time to admire it—because he suddenly saw Bai Fu wrapping her arms around Cecia.

“？”

Li Zai Gan shén mó?! (What the hell is going on?!)

Foster was dumbfounded.

Cecia was also stunned, though she recovered quicker. Wasn’t this the perfect chance to capture Bai Fu alive?

Whoosh——

Spider legs, like black thread mesh stockings, stabbed ferociously at Bai Fu’s limbs.

Bai Fu didn’t dodge or flinch—she took the full hit.

Ding!

To Cecia’s shock, not only did her strike fail to pierce Bai Fu’s skin—it was as if she had struck high-density alloy instead of flesh.

When did Bai Fu get this tough?

Cecia was stunned. But Bai Fu wasn’t.

Kid, this is Diamond Body!

She hugged Cecia even tighter. While embracing her, she beamed with joy and said, “Thank you, Cecia. If it weren’t for you, I never would’ve guessed that Foster had an Esper named Onandi by his side, someone who could use profiling to locate where I was hiding. Thanks to you bringing Onandi to me and cooperating with my act, I was able to lure Foster and the others here so easily.”

What?

Foster’s pupils shrank dramatically at those words, and the surrounding Mita members were all stunned.

Bai Fu’s words carried too much information.

Onandi was captured by Cecia? Cecia had secretly defected to Bai Fu long ago?

How was that possible?

They could hardly believe it.

However, Bai Fu knew Onandi’s name and the name of Onandi’s Esper Power. That meant she had indeed come into contact with Onandi. Onandi was either captured by her or was captured by Cersia and handed over to her.

Foster, panting heavily, pressed on, “Cersia, what exactly is going on? Was Onandi really taken away by you? Where is he now?”

Cersia wanted to know what exactly was going on too. How could her spider legs fail to harm Bai Fu? No, this wasn’t the time to get hung up on that. This rotten, festering Bai Fu was currently trying to drive a wedge between her and the Secret Tower. She had to explain quickly.

“That’s not how—”

“Cersia!”

Bai Fu deliberately raised her voice, drowning out Cersia’s words. With the dual blessing of Blessing of the Mind and Vajra Body, even though Cersia was extremely powerful, she couldn’t break free of the restraints for the time being.

“Didn’t you say you’d fallen for me? Actually, I like you too. I was just afraid you didn’t feel the same, so I didn’t dare to confess. Just now, I didn’t respond right away because your words made me so happy I got flustered. I’ve calmed down now. Cersia, let’s be together!”

Cersia’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Even though she disobeyed the Chief Steward’s order, she had never once thought of betraying the Secret Tower to join Bai Fu.

“Let me go!”

A powerful aura burst from Cersia. Her spider legs, spider silk, and a variety of life-draining and resistance-lowering Skills bombarded Bai Fu furiously—but with Vajra Body active, Bai Fu was completely unafraid.

Losing 1,200 HP per second?

No big deal. She had over 30,000 HP and plenty of time to slowly play out the drama with Cersia.

“I won’t let go. This time, I absolutely won’t! Cersia, things have come this far—there’s really no need to hide our relationship anymore. Trust me. I’ll take care of Foster and the others here. After that, whether you return to the Secret Tower to lie low or stay with me is entirely up to you!”

“……”

Yulia, who was residing inside Bai Fu, silently mourned for Cersia in her heart.

Encountering Bai Fu, that queen of drama—you’re done for this life!

Completely done for.

Foster had no way of knowing that Bai Fu had a Vajra Body buff active. From his perspective, Cersia had been attacking Bai Fu for quite a while with no effect. That wasn’t because Bai Fu was tanky—it was because Cersia wasn’t fighting seriously.

A fight?

More like flirting!

Cersia must’ve been so shy after Bai Fu accepted her confession that she couldn’t face anyone and kept slapping Bai Fu out of embarrassment. That’s how young women acted when first in love. Totally normal, except…

What the hell?!

Foster was about to explode from rage.

He had chased Bai Fu all this time, only to finally catch up and be forced to watch this disgusting public display of affection. What sin had he committed in his past life to deserve this kind of punishment in this one?

Damn it, who gave birth to this bird-brained Bai Fu and let her loose in the Sea Lion Galaxy?!

“Fine, great, Cersia. Since you’ve betrayed the Secret Tower, then I don’t need to be polite anymore. Today, I’ll deal with both of you right here. Attack!”

Foster gave the order.

The other members of the Secret Tower beside him were no less enraged. Once they received the command, they charged forward without hesitation.

Kill, kill, kill!

Kill Cersia, then capture Bai Fu alive as a hostage!

Seeing this, Cersia panicked. “Don’t believe Bai Fu—she’s spouting nonsense, she’s inciting—”

“I’m not spouting nonsense, Cersia. I really do like you.”

“I’m gonna stab you to death, Bai—”

“I don’t believe you’d kill me.”

Bai Fu and Cersia clashed fiercely.

In reality, even if Bai Fu hadn’t interrupted her, even if Cersia were allowed to explain, most people wouldn’t believe her.

Why? Simple.

Cersia was already widely disliked in the Secret Tower. Most considered her a monster. That monster, feeling discriminated against, defected to Bai Fu—wasn’t that a perfectly reasonable explanation?

Moreover, when seen through the lens of Cersia having defected to Bai Fu, many past events made sense.

Why didn’t she capture Bai Fu back on Ulysses Star or in the Tide Galaxy?

Because she had already switched sides.

Why did she rush out as soon as she heard the Secret Tower was targeting Bai Fu?

Because she wanted to warn her.

It wasn’t that the enemy was too powerful—it was that they had a pig-headed teammate!

Tonglu, having personally experienced it, was especially enraged. A wave of dread washed over him. If Cersia hadn’t been acting back then, he would’ve been a corpse already.

Die, you monster!

Tonglu punched at Cersia in fury.

At that moment, Bai Fu released Cersia and smiled. “Cersia, now just sit back and enjoy my performance.”

Watch? One more second of this and I’ll die of rage!

Freed from the restraint, Cersia immediately launched an attack at Bai Fu, intending to cooperate with the others and inflict a serious wound. As long as she could heavily injure Bai Fu, all the lies Bai Fu had spun would be easily disproven.

But she still underestimated Bai Fu.

The fact that Bai Fu chose to release her at that exact moment meant she was fully prepared.

“Even though I’ve only absorbed four Skills so far, it should be enough.”

A sharp glint flashed in Bai Fu’s eyes.

She suddenly transformed into a Shadow Wraith and vanished right as two converging auras from front and back were about to trap her.

The next second, she returned to her humanoid form. But this time, her eyes had turned a strange, blood-red hue.

Boom!

A terrifying wave of energy erupted from within her.

In that instant, the entire Melted Hole seemed to freeze.

【You used a one-time Skill: [Universal Frostlock]】

“This…”

Foster’s eyes widened in terror.

He realized that aura surpassed the S+ rank—it was an aura only Disaster-class Psionicists possessed!

But so what if he realized it?

He couldn’t move. He was frozen. From his body to his power—only his mind remained active. But he wasn’t a Mental Esper. All he could do was watch… watch as a silver dust landed on Tonglu at the front line.

That move was still a Disaster-class attack!

Tonglu didn’t even have time to scream. The moment the silver dust settled into his body, his lower half vanished in a flash.

Yes—vanished into thin air!

The cross-section was smooth, without a single ragged edge.

When the freezing effect lifted, Tonglu’s upper half flopped to the ground with a splat. A mix of intestines, organs, and blood gushed out, covering the ground in a gruesome mess.

One had to admit—Tonglu’s vitality was insanely strong. Even in that condition, he still had one breath left.

“You… I…”

Tonglu stared at Bai Fu, never having imagined that his end would come at her hands.

With a wave of Bai Fu’s hand, the Prayer Card dissolved. A dozen spearmen jumped out and began frantically stabbing at Tonglu’s body.

Everyone around stood frozen, including Cersia. No one moved to save him.

How could they?

Disaster-class!

Bai Fu had reached Disaster-class!

Foster’s mind reeled. He was even more shaken than when he learned “Jingu Star was crawling with Undying Ones.” For the first time, he realized how fragile he truly was. Terror devoured his mind and strength, stripping him of all calm.

Why? If Bai Fu was Disaster-class, why didn’t she just wipe them out from the start? Why go to all this trouble to lure them here?

Cersia didn’t understand either.

If Bai Fu was that powerful, what was the point of all the earlier drama? Or… was that not even an act?

Tap. Tap. Tap—

The sound of high heels echoed through the Melted Hole. Bai Fu stepped from the shadows into a brighter area. In her hand was a black scepter. Her chin was slightly raised, eyes gazing downward at the people before her. Her face was now devoid of smiles—only an icy, deathly killing intent remained.

“Let me show you all… what true fear of death feels like!”