"…Hah, the pests of paradise."
Standing amidst the roaring flames, Nihilister's crimson eyes burned like smoldering embers. She strode forward with a lofty, arrogant gait, looking down on the group with undisguised disdain.
A crazed grin stretched across her face as she let out a wild laugh, her mocking words dripping with scorn.
"Provoking me?… You dare to provoke me?"
The overwhelming aura she exuded carried pure malice—absolute, unfiltered evil.
"If you're truly insane enough to seek death and wish to be reduced to ashes—" Nihilister's wicked grin widened, her fiery-red pupils locking onto them like a predator eyeing its prey.
"Then allow me to grant your wish—!"
At that moment, Cecil's anxious voice came through the communicator.
"Nihilister's core output is rising rapidly!"
"Detecting extreme temperatures!"
"Be careful—!"
Before Cecil could finish, the team had already launched an attack.
They couldn't afford to let her strike first. Better to preempt her with an all-out assault!
"Tsk, tsk. If you're so eager to throw yourselves to death, then let me send you off properly!"
Nihilister let out a savage laugh. The flames around her surged violently as the temperature soared. Her form twisted, shifting into that of a massive dragon. She beat her wings and launched herself into the air, opening her colossal maw. A flash of light burst forth as an ultra-high-temperature blast shot out—condensed to its very limit!
"Boom—!"
Danger!
In an instant, the entire world was illuminated as if it were midday!
The sheer energy transformed into a devastating shockwave, unleashing a scorching hurricane that swept through the battlefield like a force of nature. Rocks shattered into dust, the ground peeled away, and entire trees were instantly carbonized into fine ash.
Any trace of life in the blast radius was wiped out by the raging inferno, and as the blinding light faded…
The already scorched landscape now bore a massive ten-meter-wide trench of molten rock, its depth unfathomable. The ground itself had been liquefied. A hundred-meter-high hill had been completely penetrated, leaving a gaping lava-filled hole that stretched all the way to the horizon!
Everything in its path had been reduced to charred wasteland.
Every material—be it stone, tree, mountain, or river—had been obliterated, incinerated into molten slag.
The lingering heat distorted the very air itself.
"Tsk, tsk. Insects will always be insects, so pathetically weak it's almost pitiful," Nihilister sneered, sounding almost disappointed. "I was hoping for some real entertainment. Didn't expect you all to be this fragile."
She turned away, spreading her wings, preparing to leave.
But then—something caught her attention.
"Hm?"
She halted.
Turning back, she looked over her shoulder.
Standing amidst the devastated battlefield, a lone figure remained.
Mo Chen.
His clothes were in tatters, scorched beyond recognition—barely clinging to his frame. With a casual tug, he ripped the remnants away. The fabric tore apart with a crisp rip, discarded to the side.
His exposed physique, sculpted like granite, was defined and powerful—like a masterpiece of raw, explosive strength.
The Nihilister before him was far stronger than anything in the original game!
Mo Chen's sharp gaze locked onto Nihilister.
That last attack… it had actually made him feel a sliver of danger.
The sheer heat had reached thousands of degrees, at the very least.
But Mo Chen was no longer who he once was.
Even if he sustained severe injuries, with the Blacklight Virus's absurd regeneration, he could recover in mere moments.
"Tsk, tsk."
Nihilister's glowing crimson eyes roamed over Mo Chen's muscular frame, her expression shifting to something resembling… excitement. She seemed intrigued.
"If you brought such a special gift for me, why didn't you say so sooner—?"
The moment she finished speaking, Nihilister vanished.
Her speed was unreal.
In the blink of an eye, she was already right in front of Mo Chen.
"Boom—!"
Nihilister's punch was blocked by Mo Chen!
"Huh?"
Nihilister was visibly surprised.
"If I remember correctly, you're supposed to be human, right?"
"You talk too much!"
Mo Chen responded coldly. His muscles tensed, and with a sudden pull, he yanked back the hand gripping Nihilister's fist. His right hand clenched tightly, drawing back before launching a devastating punch straight into Nihilister's chest!
Faster than the speed of sound!
"Boom—!"
A figure shot out like a meteor, moving so fast that it was almost impossible to track.
The impact exploded through the air.
With the Blacklight Virus amplifying his strength more than tenfold, the force behind Mo Chen's punch easily exceeded tens of thousands of tons!
"Hahaha… Hahahahaha!"
Accompanied by manic laughter, a loud boom echoed as the shattered rock burst apart. Nihilister emerged from the debris completely unscathed, striding forward with burning crimson eyes filled with exhilaration.
"Human, you're really giving me a surprise. You're far more interesting than those pathetic little insects. Tsk, tsk… They must have been the ones who brought you here, right? To show my gratitude, I've decided—I'll spare them for now."
The moment she finished speaking, Nihilister stomped her foot, wings igniting in a violent burst. Her body transformed into a streak of blazing red as she shot toward Mo Chen.
"Let them watch as you die!!"
Meanwhile, ten kilometers away—
The forces of Eden were all severely wounded, with Isabel sustaining the heaviest injuries. She had been airborne at the time of the attack, taking the brunt of the fiery shockwave head-on.
Her light wings were destroyed, her armor had suffered over 57% structural damage, and her weapon systems had been critically compromised.
The others weren't in much better condition, but thankfully, there were no casualties.
It was all thanks to Noah's vibranium shield, which had absorbed the majority of the blast.
But because of that, they had been violently thrown ten kilometers away.
Johan, who had also been caught in the shockwave, ignored his own injuries as he hastily contacted Cecil.
"Cecil, have you figured it out yet? What the hell is going on?"
This was nothing like the previous encounter. Nihilister's strength had undergone a terrifying increase—far beyond his expectations.
Just one attack had nearly caused fatal casualties in Eden.
If not for Noah's shield mitigating the energy blast, he would have already been dead.
Such an immense power-up in such a short time was unfathomable. Even someone as composed as Johan couldn't help but feel a creeping emotion he wasn't supposed to—
Fear.
It reminded him of his first ground battle after graduating from the military academy as a commander.
"The energy intensity of Nihilister's last attack showed a significant increase compared to previous encounters—data analysis indicates that her energy levels have more than doubled."
Cecil's voice came through the communicator.
"Additionally, within Nihilister's body, our scans detected an abnormal energy signature. Analysis suggests that it's not her original core."