Rustle.
The sound of pages turning reached his ears.
Thousand-Faced Moon Second Transformation, [Life-Stealing Spirit Cat] activated—
A black cat appeared out of thin air where he stood.
"Jingle—"
Behind the black cat, the phantom of nine tails emerged.
A bell hanging from the tip of a tail rang out with a pleasant chime.
[Night Wanderer] activated!
"Buzz!"
Bai Zhou's figure flickered where he stood, then appeared at the far edge of sight.
In the air, the black cat spread its limbs and leaped high.
It was as though it were flying.
Like a bird, it spread its wings and soared high, as if it had never been bound.
"You?!"
Van Gogh's startled voice drifted over from the ground behind him.
But the sound came to an abrupt stop.
Because his figure was swallowed by a tidal wave of flames crashing down like an avalanche.
"BOOM!!!"
The great explosion swelled outward, instantly vaporizing and melting the villa's walls and windows. The blazing torrent of the blast spread in all directions with devastating force, swallowing Van Gogh in the blink of an eye before racing after Bai Zhou.
The next second, Bai Zhou was swallowed as well.
"Rumble—"
An incomparably enormous mushroom cloud rose from the ground, endlessly expanding and churning as it hung over the villa's ruins, blotting out the sky and sun.
Not just the nearby area—even the entire South City District seemed to tremble twice as though struck by an earthquake.
After a long while—
"Crackle—"
Thick smoke billowed above the ruins.
The enormous Deep Pit was a scene of utter devastation, pitch black everywhere, scattered with burning Crimson Debris.
Ash drifted down in flurries like pitch-black snowflakes. Even the small river before the villa had been cut off.
Van Gogh, lying amid the ruins, had already become