Volume Three: The Academy Runs Wild - Ghostification and the Golden Moon

After the violent tremors, the monster was sent flying for the second time today. The attacker was also sent flying in the opposite direction, landing heavily on the ground, having gained little advantage.

"Hey, the atmosphere around you just got really dangerous. Don't do anything stupid in the heat of the moment."

"I've thought this through carefully. But you, are you alright looking like this?"

"It'll probably disappear in a bit..."

It was Xiao Wu saved Haoyue at the critical moment.

But unless one had seen Haoyue in her "ghost form," no one would immediately recognize her, because she looked different in many ways.

Her messy hair grew to her heels, mostly white; her skin became even paler, as if she had never seen sunlight; her pupils had lost their original blackness, replaced by an alluring dark purple; and her nails were sharper, almost like claws.

What percentage is this?

"The degree of demonization? It's probably... close to 50%, around 45%."

"I see. It seems that new components will grow when it reaches 45%."

"...If you look at it any longer, I'll cripple you." Xiao Wu turned her head slightly away; she seemed to dislike her "new part" very much.

"Don't say that, she's very pretty." Haoyue still looked at her forehead with great interest, her eyes genuinely full of praise.

"Pretty? Not at all..."

That's right, what's most eye-catching about Xiao Wu right now isn't her even more chilling and icy beauty due to her demon transformation, nor is it her long, black and white hair that reaches the ground, but rather her horns.

The defining characteristic of the Ghost Clan is the horns on their heads. Even twins will have differences in their horns. No two horns in the world are exactly the same in shape and position. For the Ghost Clan race, the horns are proof of their identity.

When Oni's transformation into a demon exceeds a certain level, horns will grow on its head. This indicates that the Oni has deviated from the human side and begun to lean towards the evil demon side. The greater the leaning, the more prominent, complex, and exquisite the horns become.

The horns that Xiao Wu has grown now are the kind that have just appeared, and their location and shape are quite peculiar even among the Ghost Clan. Her horns are not growing on the top of her head, her forehead, or the back of her head, and they are not even growing on her skull.

Instead, it's located on the brow bone.

The brow bone, as the name suggests, is located above the upper edge of the eye socket, where the eyebrows are. Xiao Wu's horn is a single-horn structure. At first glance, her horn looks like an extension of a willow-leaf eyebrow, growing from the end of the brow bone and extending diagonally upwards, somewhat like the eyebrow ornaments of ethnic minorities, but much more complex and intricate. The horn has countless intersecting wave-like patterns, and its overall color is light purple, emitting a faint glow. It has no sense of ferocity whatsoever; it is simply a masterpiece of art.

"Instead of flattering me, let's deal with that guy first. Why did Ye end up in this terrible state? You'd better explain that to me properly later."

"Of course... Ah, it's here again."

"▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇!!!!!!"

The Killing Intent blasted away the surrounding buildings, and a crimson humanoid figure emerged from the smoke and dust, stepping into view step by step. With each step, the ground trembled slightly. The scarlet Killing Intent permeated everything, corroding the ground, the air, and the sky, turning everything into a frenzy.

"Qipao Woman, tell me about it, the more the better."

"Stop using that commanding tone... Xiao Ye is currently in a berserk state. The deeper the berserk state, the stronger it becomes. Right now, it has no reason left; all its actions are driven by instinct. Its strength, speed, defense, and recovery are all outrageously powerful."

"I've already experienced that defensive power. Even with my demon form at 45% and the 58th move of the Riki style, I could only barely knock it away without causing any real damage."

"Then... we'll all come at once?"

"That's probably the only way."

"How exactly do we do it?"

"Everyone fight their own battle, what else can you do—get out of the way!"

The two rolled sideways simultaneously, and at the same time, a heavy fist formed from Killing Intent swept past where they had just stood, slamming heavily into the half-collapsed building behind them. With a single blow, the building completely crumbled into rubble.

"This is its attack power, what do you think?" Haoyue shouted to Xiao Wu as she sped through the air on moonlight.

"I want to [beep--] a dog!"

"You want to [beep--] yourself?"

"Can't you live without being sarcastic?!"

"You were the one who swore first, huh? No wonder you're such a [beep--]."

"Aren't you the same!"

"Here we go again!"

The monster roared and charged at them, its demonic arm, wreathed in Killing Intent, swung like a cannonball—

"Qipao Woman, step back! Style 225 — Mysterious Heavy Stone!!!"

Xiao Wu suddenly accelerated and stood in front of Haoyue, her arms crossed over her chest. Her body was as steady as an ancient boulder, taking the blow head-on from the demonic arm! The two remained locked in a stalemate for a moment—

"Cough pfft!!!"

After a brief moment of stalemate, Xiao Wu sent flying, coughing up blood. She scraped a deep trench in the ground, and the sound of bones cracking echoed continuously. This was the first time she had been beaten so badly in her demon form!

Are you an idiot?!

"Tsk... I underestimated my opponent..."

Haoyue rushed over and pulled her up. Xiao Wu was covered in blood, and her expression was terrible, like she had swallowed a fly.

A crackling sound emanated from her body as her shattered bones rapidly regenerated, and even the blood that had spilled out gradually receded.

Xiao Wu wanted to rest for a while if she could—but of course, the monster wouldn't give her that chance.

"▇▇▇▇▇▇▇Extreme Punishment▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇!!!"

The monster lifted a boulder weighing tens of tons with one hand, and hurled massive boulders at them one after another! Each one was imbued with Killing Intent and covered with blood-red, rust-like patterns!

"Stand back a bit, Qipao Woman — Seven Kill, 80% effort!!!"

Seven boulders were about to smash into them; a flash of black light from the gun barrel revealed a new black star-like mark on each boulder.

"Burst!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Seven loud explosions rang out, knocking down seven projectiles, but Xiao Wu didn't dare to be careless. After recovering, she immediately assumed a fighting stance, keeping a close eye on the approaching monster, ready for her next attack!

"Hey, you delinquent girl."

"How?"

Are you afraid of electricity?

"Why would I be afraid!"

"Then everything is fine—Golden Moon Thunderous Moon!!!"

A vast expanse of golden light, like the ocean, gathered before the bright moon. As it rolled and compressed, it even faintly emitted a thunderous sound!

"Go!"

The ball of light finally coalesced into a small sphere, no bigger than a fist, constantly emitting blinding sparks of electricity. At Haoyue's command, it flashed and disappeared, reappearing already on the monster's chest.

The crackling of electricity and the blinding flashes of light from the lightning ball upon impact were barely a scratch to the monster.

"Hey, are you kidding me...?"

"▇▇▇▇▇▇▇Poor and weak▇▇▇▇▇!!!!"

The monster was closing in, Xiao Wu made a decisive move, the bayonets of her dual pistols flashing with dazzling light.

"Blade Array Continuous Fire --!!!"

Two lights enveloped the Black Star's bayonet; at that moment, the monster's massive fist, radiating overwhelming killing intent, was almost upon them.

"Ghost Vanish!!!"

In that instant, Bai Ye's bayonet flashed with a dark light, and at the same time, Xiao Wu vanished from her spot! This speed surpassed any of her previous methods of movement!

Xiao Wu teleported instantly behind the monster. The monster, whose senses were usually incredibly sharp, didn't notice Xiao Wu this time, until a gleaming bayonet was pressed against the back of its neck—

"Soul Sever! Cleaving Mist!!!"

Two colossal blades, each a hundred meters long, made point-blank contact with the monster, striking its impenetrable barbed armor with a piercing metallic clang! However, in the next instant, a powerful shockwave erupted from the monster, threatening to send Xiao Wu flying—

"Don't underestimate people!!!"

Ghost transformation, 55%!

The whitening of her hair intensified, and a chilling ferocity emanated from Xiao Wu's eyes! With a crack, for the first time, a fissure appeared on the layers of barbs on the monster's body! The bayonet thrust forward in one swift motion, piercing through the barb defenses and embedding itself in the hard, dark red skin!

Although it was only a shallow wound, this was the first time the monster had bled!

The monster roared angrily, its claws reaching for the back of her neck, trying to seize Xiao Wu, but—

"It's not over yet!!!!!!!"

With the bayonet still embedded in the monster's body, Xiao Wu freed her hands and twisted her body dramatically.

"Ghost transformation 60%--"

Xiao Wu's eyes blazed with purple light. She spun in mid-air, her legs shattering at the cost of her own bodies, deflecting the claws that were reaching for her. In the next instant, her legs were completely healed! Using this momentum, Xiao Wu plunged her legs down and stomped hard on the monster's head!

"Table Four Hundred Styles: Imperial Suppression!!!!!!!!!"

The impact of the distance swept through the space, the shockwaves leveling everything around them. Xiao Wu's full-force kick finally shook the monster's hideous head! Under the pressure of a thousand tons of force, the monster's head, along with its entire body, was slammed to the ground! But this wasn't the end—keeping the monster pinned down, Xiao Wu like a top, using her legs as axes! The devastating earthquake continued to tremble, the relentless impacts bombarding the monster's head and entire body!

Finally, Xiao Wu stomped again, stomping the monster's massive body into the rubble-strewn ground!

However, this only resulted in the monster suffering "normal injuries".

Just as Xiao Wu finally exhausted herself and dragged her agonizing body away, the monster's arm immediately braced itself on the ground, seemingly about to rise again. The wounds Xiao Wu had inflicted on it were healing at a visible speed.

"Damn it, it's still not enough!"

Get out of the way!

Haoyue grabbed Xiao Wu, who was half a head taller than her, and with a flash of orange light beneath her feet, she retreated rapidly!

"Give me a chance! If I could do it again--"

"Do you think my 'Thunderous Moon' is such a simple thing? And--"

The monster had barely stood up when it was immediately pulled back to the ground. At that moment, black light radiated from beneath its feet, and a darkness so dense it seemed almost tangible emerged from the cracks in the rubble, transforming into thousands of tentacles that dragged it to the ground! The tentacles continued to contract, and the ground beneath the monster cracked inch by inch, pulling the monster into the earth at an astonishing speed!

"Hey, who is this—wait!?"

Xiao Wu was surprised to find that several black cracks had appeared on Haoyue's right hand, which was holding the sword, as if her hand had been corrupted by darkness at the same time the monster was pulled into the earth by tentacles!

"Black Moon, Touch of Abyss... The tentacles of darkness will pull everything they touch underground, until they reach the Earth's core. But it won't be long before it breaks free..."

Haoyue's face was very pale; clearly, the "Black Moon" had placed a great burden on her, but a smile still appeared on her face.

"So you're saying we still can't subdue it? Then I'll—"

Haoyue gently pulled her along.

"My Thunderous Moon is not that simple. The first lightning ball was just a positioning move. The real show... is only just beginning."

Then, Xiao Wu understood what she meant.

Boom!!!!!!!!!!!

Golden light illuminated the sky, the clouds swirled into a vortex, and a gigantic golden lightning bolt, tens of meters in diameter, struck down with overwhelming divine power! The monster, which was just about to break free from the dark tentacles, was thus enveloped by the giant lightning!

The impact lasted for an unknown number of minutes. Xiao Wu tightly protected Haoyue, using her extraordinary self-healing ability to resist the lightning radiating from all directions. When everything finally stopped, a huge crater, tens of meters deep, had appeared in the center of the plaza, from which billowing smoke and dust rose.

Also appearing was a scarlet figure.

"As expected... it's still not enough!"

After being bombarded by Xiao Wu and Haoyue's ultimate attacks, the monster's size has shrunk considerably, its human features have become more prominent, and its berserk state has lessened.

However, a monster is still a monster.

It was utterly enraged, and at this moment, both Xiao Wu and Haoyue were extremely exhausted; in this state, victory was impossible.

"Thank you for weakening it to this extent."

Just then, unexpected reinforcements appeared.

A girl with long, light brown hair emerged from the void.

He was also holding a metal rod in his hand.

"This was really dangerous, A Ye..."

Givinia seized the brief opening, pressed the metal rod against the monster's neck, and pressed the button—