NIKKE: The Apocalypse Arrives, But the System is 100 Years Late

Mo Chen felt his scalp tingle as he watched Marian attempt to kill Indivilia again. He quickly grabbed her, holding her back.

"Wait, don't. She's still useful to me."

Marian's lips trembled, her eyes growing misty as if she were about to cry.

Mo Chen hurriedly comforted her.

"She's nothing more than a breeding machine—a tool for carrying out the hard work of childbirth. How could she possibly compare to Marian? Right? Besides, she's our enemy, not one of us. Once she's given birth, we'll kill her."

A short distance away, Indivilia's face turned deathly pale, her entire body shaking.

It wasn't from fear.

It was pure rage.

She was still here! She wasn't dead yet!

And yet, they were standing there, talking about her like she was some livestock—right in front of her!

Indivilia was so furious that she felt like she was about to explode.

Earlier, she had felt some fear.

But now?

It was pure, unfiltered wrath.

If she weren't so weakened and outmatched by Mo Chen, she would have launched herself at him in a desperate struggle.

"Really?"

Marian's eyes sparkled, turning to Mo Chen with eager anticipation.

"Of course. Absolutely," he said without hesitation.

Marian immediately wrapped her arms around Mo Chen, her voice filled with joy.

"Commander is the best!"

He gently stroked Marian's silky hair, exhaling in relief.

Thank god she was easy to pacify.

Marian lifted her head, her expression full of anticipation.

"But I've decided—I still want to give the Commander a child."

Mo Chen: "..."

Just as Mo Chen was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to explain that Nikkes couldn't have children, a sudden chill crept up his spine. The fine hairs on his skin stood on end, his sharp instincts screaming that something was coming.

He turned his head, scanning the surroundings.

Under the dim moonlight, a slender figure silently emerged, as if rising from the depths of an endless abyss. Her complexion was as pale as jade untouched by sunlight, her lips closed tightly yet tinged with an eerie, seductive red. Her eyes were deep and hollow, as though they could devour any light that dared to touch them, pulling all who gazed into them into an inescapable void.

Mo Chen froze.

Marian, noticing his reaction, followed his gaze out of curiosity.

The woman's long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying slightly in the breeze. Yet, it held no trace of life—more like the drifting wisp of a ghost in the night. Her form flickered between solid and transparent, sometimes as ephemeral as mist, sometimes as tangible as flesh, as though she existed outside the bounds of reality.

Indivilia's reaction was even more intense—her eyes widened in pure shock, pupils dilating as if they were about to burst from her sockets.

The presence of this woman was like an icy wind cutting straight through to the bone. Her empty gaze held no emotion, devoid of any earthly sentiment. She clutched something tightly in her arms, murmuring ceaselessly to herself.

"My head… where is my head…?"

Her voice was like shattered glass rattling in the wind—soft and fragile, yet piercing, shifting unpredictably between near and far, as if whispering directly into one's ear, blurring the line between reality and illusion.

Mo Chen felt a chill crawl up his spine.

A ghost?

No, that wasn't it.

But his instincts told him that this woman was dangerous—dangerous enough to be a real threat, even to him.

Suddenly, a swarm of Raptures surged forward from the shadows, drawn like ravenous wolves to the scent of fresh blood. They lunged at the pale figure, intent on tearing her apart.

She lifted her head slightly.

That beautiful yet lifeless face held no trace of fear—only those empty, deathly eyes, utterly devoid of vitality.

Then, in an instant, a brilliant blue light erupted from her body, radiating outward in waves. The massive surge of energy passed through the Raptures, and in the blink of an eye, they disintegrated into nothing more than ashes, like paper consumed by flames.

All that remained was a thin layer of dust on the ground.

The sheer force of that energy was overwhelming.

Even from a distance, its intensity barely diminished, and in the span of a single breath, it was already upon them.

Mo Chen remained unmoved.

Raising his hand, he summoned Ryūjin Jakka, flipping his wrist as he pressed the blade's tip against the ground. The moment it made contact, a torrent of spiritual pressure burst forth, forming a protective barrier that absorbed the incoming shockwave.

The barrier rippled violently, as if struck by a raging storm.

Mo Chen's gaze sharpened.

For the first time in a while, the usual ease in his expression faded, his brow furrowing ever so slightly.

This power…

Even he found it surprising.

Clearly, she wasn't just anyone.

A new Heretic?

As the woman approached, her thin, gauzy attire barely concealed her form—it was even lighter than sleepwear, clinging to her body like a second skin. Her golden hair cascaded like a flowing waterfall, shimmering brilliantly under the faint moonlight.

It was as if the sun itself had carefully coated her in a radiant golden glow, gleaming with an almost ethereal allure.

Mo Chen found her oddly familiar.

Behind him, Indivilia, still kneeling on the ground, showed no signs of tension. Instead, a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of mockery flickered in her crimson eyes, as if she were enjoying a private joke.

It was her.

She and Chatterbox had encountered this woman before.

Back then, they had only decapitated one of her subordinates—nothing significant in Indivilia's eyes, just another disposable pawn. But for some reason, that woman had lost her mind, going berserk and relentlessly attacking them like a lunatic.

Neither she nor Chatterbox were necessarily weaker than her. They had simply chosen not to sustain unnecessary injuries fighting against someone so deranged. After all, engaging with a madwoman was itself a form of madness.

And now…

Indivilia, still kneeling, shifted her gaze from Mo Chen and Marian—those insufferable lovebirds—toward the approaching woman. She was already looking forward to the spectacle about to unfold.

At that moment, as Mo Chen blocked the incoming energy wave, the woman draped in sheer fabric seemed to take notice of him. Her steps halted, and slowly—almost unnaturally—she turned her head toward him.

Her empty eyes, devoid of life, sent a chill through the air.

They were truly lifeless.

A second later, she moved.

She was heading straight for Mo Chen.

Her footsteps were slow, as if every step was unbearably heavy.

"My head… where is my head…?"

Her hollow voice drifted through the air, carried by the wind like a whisper from beyond the grave.

Among everyone present, the only one who felt genuinely unnerved was Mo Chen.

The Nikkes, lacking human hearts, didn't experience such emotions. Indivilia had already encountered this woman before. Marian, on the other hand, was simply curious.

Only Mo Chen felt an eerie chill creeping up his spine.

As she drew closer, he finally saw what she was cradling in her arms.

A Nikke's severed head.

But it was heavily damaged, aged beyond recognition. The once-defined features had eroded over time, leaving behind only a disfigured, nearly unrecognizable relic of what was once a face.