The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

The battle was fierce, but nowhere near the scale of the all-out brawl against Kevin. No laws of reality were being broken yet.

Firstly, [Lee] wasn't as powerful as Kevin.

Without her mind control working effectively, even as the Herrscher of Sentience, she was weaker than Prime Unit-3. Secondly, her opponents were nowhere near as formidable as the united front against Kevin. Kiana and the others were still injured, Durandal's squad was absent, leaving only Kallen, Eleanor, and Mei as the main combatants.

The destructive power unleashed was still terrifying.

Within minutes, surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble—but thanks to the Space-Time Isolation Field, the onlookers were unharmed, witnessing the disaster movie-like spectacle as if it were a hologram, bewilderedly tapping the perfectly intact walls beside them.

I can't tell… I just can't tell!

But even if they couldn't distinguish virtual from real, they knew this battle would decide the world's fate.

They didn't know what a victory for Mei and the others would entail, but judging from [Lee]'s earlier behavior, a victory for the enraged imposter wouldn't be good… So, they were generally rooting for the protagonists.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to insufficient positive energy on this Earth, their hopes couldn't translate into power for their chosen side.

The battle continued to tilt in [Lee]'s favor. Though both sides were weaker than their prime versions, [Lee] was still stronger, holding a steady advantage despite the stalemate.

The advantage was hers.

If [Lee] broke through the Divine Key's mental defenses before they defeated her, the battle was over—and Mei knew it.

As time passed, she fought more desperately, knowing what happened to unprotected minds against mental powerhouses. Previous Era Kevin had demonstrated that countless times.

But they couldn't do it. They couldn't defeat her, only wait for the inevitable—unless something changed.

"Oh my, what do we have here? My old friends! And they seem to need some assistance~"

A playful voice drew everyone's attention to a figure standing at the edge of the battlefield.

It was Otto!

He smiled, pleased with how things were unfolding. His timing was perfect. With his and Fu Hua's arrival, they should be able to subdue [Lee].

This timely intervention would also ease the hostility from Theresa and the others… after all, he hadn't done anything too terrible to them. As long as he hadn't killed their loved ones, there was room for negotiation.

This wasn't his Earth, and he had no time for old grudges. He needed to find Lihua, and for that, he needed everyone's help, not their animosity.

But [Lee]… Otto's eyes flickered as he looked at the figure in the center of the battlefield.

Even after hearing about it so many times, seeing that face was still unsettling.

Though he knew she wasn't Lihua, the resemblance was uncanny, beyond mere blood relation… reincarnation would explain it, but that was impossible.

No matter how similar, this wasn't Lihua.

Lihua wasn't averse to power. If it meant a better life for everyone, she wouldn't mind a position of authority. Her creation of the Schicksal charity Association, which later became a massive organization, proved that.

But she didn't crave power, nor did she believe she had the right to dictate anyone's future.

Controlling the world "for humanity's good"… such arrogant, foolish words couldn't come from her.

And Otto Apocalypse needed no such justification. He was close to his goal.

"Everyone, do you need—"

"Kiana, we're here to help!"

Durandal and Cecilia, ignoring Otto, rushed into the fray. Their relationship with him was strained, and fighting the enemy took priority.

Otto just chuckled, summoning the reluctant Void Archives to join the fight—building some goodwill now would make talking to Theresa and the others later less awkward.

"Immortal Phoenix, why are you just standing there?" Before joining the battle, Otto glanced at the motionless Fu Hua. "What are you going to do… think carefully."

…Think?

Yes, she should think… Why is she here?

Fu Hua's gaze hadn't left [Lee] since arriving.

There was no mistaking it. This was her, not Lihua, Theresa, or even Amber… this was the real Lee!

But she—no, Otto had risked everything to come to this world because of the possibility of finding Lihua, who was also dead.

So, Lee's presence here was… normal. Perhaps she'd been resurrected in this world too…

Looking at the moonlight-colored hair, Fu Hua realized that despite envisioning this moment countless times, she didn't know what to do.

She'd once flown into a rage at the mere sight of Lihua, but now… perhaps seeing so many look-alikes had dulled her initial fury.

After centuries of reflection, she'd come to believe that Lee might have lost control at the end… the Herrscher was the enemy, not Lee. Perhaps her hatred was misplaced.

Though she'd collapsed numerous times during these reflections, her perspective had shifted—the Herrscher-ified Lee deserved to die, but Lee herself didn't.

She was her friend. If she was alive, she should be happy, not angry.

But this situation…

Staring at the distant battle, Fu Hua was confused.

Lee was her friend, and Kiana and the others were her close companions—why were they fighting each other?

As Fu Hua continued to ponder, the battle shifted. With Otto and Fu Hua (who was still on the sidelines) healing Cecilia and Durandal, and with Otto's support, Mei's side gained a significant advantage, even pushing back against [Lee].

[Lee] grew desperate. Seeing the still-motionless Fu Hua, her eyes lit up.

"Hua, why are you just watching?!"