Black Eyes

Ivette was actually still conscious. She was simply pretending not to respond.

For one thing, she had no idea what it meant that she was unbelievably weak, infected from head to toe with Mutation Factor, yet still conscious.

For another, she felt that if she acted as though she were completely dead, perhaps Rosaline would have a reason to abandon her—a reason to no longer be bound by gratitude or duty, and to flee with a clear conscience.

She thought that if she were Rosaline, she would definitely run. After all, Rosaline still had hope of returning home. Why insist on dying here? Wasn't preserving her own life better? Teacher? How could a teacher's life be more important than her own? Even if the situation were reversed and Rosaline were the one about to die, Ivette, as someone whose rationality outweighed everything else, would only do her best. She would never sacrifice her own life for a student.

Yet this little girl was stubborn as a mule. She refused to leave no matter what, determined to stay here and die with her!

Damn it, she was about to piss Ivette to death—no, back to life!

Then, stealing a glance at her student still fighting desperately in blood, Ivette felt a strange emotion rise within her.

Why hadn't she mutated yet?

She had given up treatment for so long. Any other creature would have mutated ages ago. Why did she still feel mentally sound, without that maddening sensation of her consciousness sinking away?

Could it be that, as an ageless and immortal Witch, she truly possessed an immortal body? Could she even be immune to an apocalyptic virus like Mutation Factor?

But...

That did not seem right either. She could sense subtle changes occurring within her body. They were minute, not visible on the surface, more like alterations on a microscopic level. Her body itched, and her mind itched too, as if she would mutate the very next second.

Just then, as though to fulfill her wish, an overwhelming drowsiness swallowed her thoughts. Invisible threads drew her consciousness downward, sinking deeper and deeper...

It was as though she had fallen into icy seawater, while the last daylight above her rapidly contracted into a bright speck.

For some reason, she suddenly became calm. She watched the scene coldly, behaving less like someone drowning and more like a bystander.

Then, at the boundless end of the deep sea, she saw two strange things.

One was a bizarre liquid intertwined with black and red, constantly writhing like a living creature, utterly out of place amid the surrounding seawater.

The other was a small, slick, boneless black tentacle, as though it had sprouted from the purest shadows.

She hesitated, then looked at the black tentacle. The next second, it twisted its body nimbly like a fish in water and approached her, before obediently settling in Ivette's palm.

After continuing to fight for several more minutes, Rosaline, clutching her battle blade, finally ran out of strength. Not a trace of magic remained in her. The effects of Scarlet Armor and Muscle Unlimit vanished, and her saber slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, leaving her too weak to pick it up.

Now, she had become that helpless noble young lady again, just as she had been when she first crossed Remnant Abyss all those years ago. Only this time, her teacher would no longer descend beside her like an invincible hero riding seven-colored clouds, wiping out every terror in sight.

Weariness swallowed her like a tide. She staggered backward toward where her teacher lay, letting herself fall onto her back. Whether she mutated from infection or was gnawed down to bare bones no longer mattered. Before dying, she only wanted to stay close to her teacher.

But...

The next second, she felt a small, icy hand brace against the torn back of her clothes and hold her up.

Then, before she could recover from her confusion, she saw countless pale lines shoot out like billions of scattered embroidery needles, piercing every loathsome shell around them with precision, cruelty, and perfect accuracy—whether they were Tideworms writhing and shrieking on the ground, or monster birds circling overhead and spitting acid.

They were everywhere, filling the sky!

The next second, an even more horrifying scene unfolded.

The pale lines embedded in flesh became living, terrifying bloodsucking mouthparts. Every white strand visibly swelled and pulsed.

Their greedy suction crazily drained every remnant of life from the Mutants. Hundreds of Mutants, regardless of size or strength, shriveled and collapsed like dead leaves stripped of all moisture in an instant... leaving behind only dry-corpse-like skeletons and skins.

Faced with such a bizarre sight, Rosaline swallowed hard, feeling a chill rise from the depths of her heart. But when she turned around, what she saw was a face that was extraordinarily familiar, yet somehow strange.

It was her teacher, but not her teacher.

Compared to her usual teacher, there was only one obvious change now: the once-pure whites of her eyes had turned into an abyss-like black. Her pupils had not changed color, but they seemed lit from within, releasing a striking red glow in the darkness.

That change in her eyes alone completely overturned her entire aura. The delicate, immaculate, slightly aloof doll-like girl had transformed into a cold and beautiful Witch with an evil edge, like... the Evil God sealed away in myth.

And her teacher's methods also fit people's impression of an Evil God perfectly. Her soft silver hair, which had once flowed like moonlight, had now completely "come alive," swelling and stretching into writhing straws that sucked up the filthy flesh and blood of the Mutated Creatures to replenish herself.

Utter evil... yet it radiated a breathtaking beauty that made one suffocate.

As expected of her teacher. Even after mutating, she was still so extraordinary, so unmatched in the world!

Rosaline suddenly felt a little moved. Raising a hand to wipe away her tears, she thought that if she died at the hands of such a teacher and was eaten by her, she would have no regrets.

Then, after meeting her teacher's evil black eyes and red pupils for a while, she closed her eyes expectantly and waited.

But...

To her surprise, the death she expected never came. Instead, she heard a thoroughly bewildered question. "Why are you closing your eyes?"

She opened her eyes blankly. Her rain-soaked lashes trembled violently as she murmured, "I'm waiting for you to kill me, Teacher."

"Why would I kill you?" Ivette asked in confusion. She had thought the little girl was asking for a kiss, which had made this lifelong virgin feel a little shy. It had taken her considerable effort to steady herself and set her forbidden thoughts straight.

"Didn't you mutate, Teacher?" Rosaline suddenly realized something. Her tear-streaked little face instantly brightened with delight. "You didn't mutate?"

"I... did mutate, but I kept my consciousness. I wasn't corrupted." Ivette sensed her current condition, and her heart surged with emotions that she could not calm for a while.

It truly was unbelievable.

However, noticing that more Mutants were continuously closing in, she used her newly restored magic to ride the wind into the air, carrying Rosaline away at high speed toward their retreat point.

A summer-night storm unique to the island raged on. Lead-gray clouds rolled and tore through the low sky. Amid peals of thunder, torrents of rain battered the windowpanes fiercely, as though another apocalypse were knocking at the door.

Only after shutting out the wind and rain, and washing the blood from their bodies in the bathroom, did Ivette and Rosaline sit down in the softly lit living room and begin reviewing the day's operation.

The foremost topic, naturally, was Ivette's unprecedented mutated state.

"Teacher, how do you feel now?" Rosaline asked despite herself as she rubbed her wet golden hair with a towel. Her gaze cautiously swept over Ivette. "Do you feel like going mad and eating everything around you?"

Ivette shook her head. She carefully sensed the condition of her body. A moment later, under her conscious control, the darkness in her eyes slowly faded, and her scarlet eyes ceased glowing, returning to their original dark red.

"It... it changed back!" Rosaline said in astonishment.

"I tested it in the bathroom just now. Black Eyes is a state I can switch into, and it doesn't consume much magic," Ivette said.

"So, Teacher, you basically have two forms now? The normal White Eyes state, and the mutated Black Eyes state?"

"For now, it seems that way."

"So cool... as expected of you, Teacher!"

"Next is the second ability." As Ivette spoke, she switched into Black Eyes. The silver hair behind her immediately floated, swayed, and stretched with elegance like living spirit snakes. "Hair—but more accurately, it should count as a simple form of tentacle transformation. And it seems I can now create a tentacle from every inch of my body and adjust its size..."

She spread open her palm. Soon, a white tentacle wriggled out through the skin of her palm. It twisted and shifted nimbly, its diameter capable of shrinking as thin as a strand of silk or instantly expanding as thick as a python.

Rosaline could not help reaching out to touch it. It felt cold and slick, somewhat frightening.

Ivette continued, "...These White Tentacles currently have two known abilities. One is hardening, allowing them to serve as weapons. The second is Devouring, which allows them to consume flesh and blood. If the target is a Mutant, they can directly seize its Mutation Factor. Parts that are not Mutation Factor, such as ordinary biological flesh, can also be consumed directly and converted into magic."

"Isn't that invincible?" Rosaline was deeply shaken.

"Not exactly... because every use of the tentacles consumes Mutation Factor. In other words, I can keep using these abilities until all the Mutation Factor in my body is exhausted. Then I'll completely lose the Black Eyes ability and become an ordinary person."

"Huh? Mutation Factor... doesn't replenish itself?"

"That's the strange part. Mutated Creatures only need to eat normally to gradually increase the concentration of Mutation Factor in their bodies, but I can't. I can only maintain this ability by taking it from outside sources." Ivette was also deeply puzzled by this.

In short, it felt like she had mutated, but not completely.

"I see. That really is strange..." Rosaline muttered. But after a while, she suddenly thought of something and said with some concern, "Um... Teacher... this should be a very important secret to you, right? Is it really okay for me to know?"

Ivette glanced at her without saying anything.

Rosaline froze for a moment, then understood. She smiled faintly and did not continue the subject. Instead, she asked about the full course of the battle at the Mother Nest. At times she listened intently, at times cursed the Twin-Blade Demon for being despicable, at times marveled at her teacher's schemes and deception, and at times sighed in regret over the series of accidents at the end.

As they reviewed every detail, the torrential rain outside gradually subsided. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a bright moon emerged from a gap in the thick clouds, casting tranquil silver frost over the two of them.