The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

The world fell silent.

Roars, shouts, all sounds vanished, returning the moon to its natural tranquility.

Every eye focused on the figure who had intercepted Kevin's attack.

They all recognized her. Just moments ago, she had stood on the scorched earth, facing Kevin's assault.

"Li… Lihua?"

Otto, lying on the ground, looked up, his gaze finally leaving Kevin, staring blankly at the person who had saved him.

It was Lihua, not some look-alike. Even the dust from the previous battle was the same. Only her moon-silver hair, no longer bound in a braid, flowed freely, as if the tie had been burned away by the attack.

But looking at her, Otto felt a strange disconnect. While she appeared identical, something felt… off. Her eyes weren't the same as Lihua's. The Lihua he remembered always had a gentle warmth in her eyes, like the morning sun.

This person's eyes, while also gentle, held a deeper sense of peace… and a tinge of melancholy.

Ah, I see…

Somehow, despite never having met her, Otto knew this wasn't his Lihua.

This was undoubtedly the person whose name he had encountered countless times in records, from his friends, even in leaked Blue Earth information.

"Lee…?" Kevin breathed the name that had echoed in his heart for millennia, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes.

"Kevin, I didn't realize you'd become so impatient." The wielder of the Might of An-Utu chuckled. "That's not like you. Being hesitant and indecisive is more your style."

Kevin fell silent, his deep eyes fixed on the figure before him.

He searched for any difference between this person and Lee.

No two people were exactly alike. Even Lihua had subtle differences in personality from Lee. He believed any fake would eventually reveal a flaw.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't separate this person from the image in his memory… Her clothes were different, yet she felt a billion times more real than the [Lee] who had dressed identically.

It was as if Lee had been resurrected…

Of course Kevin couldn't find any differences. The Lee before him was the real deal!

Well, not entirely accurate.

While the one piloting this body was undoubtedly Lee, the body itself was still Unit-1's.

The protagonist, Li Bei, could summon his units, but they couldn't appear too far from his main body—Li Bei, sitting on Blue Earth, couldn't directly summon Unit-3 to the lunar surface.

So, this time, he had used a newly acquired ability, allowing Unit-3 to awaken within Unit-1!

Essentially, Lee's cyber-ghost had possessed Lihua's body, activating tag-team mode—after all, they were ancestor and descendant, connected by blood. A descendant facing a crisis, unlocking the power of their ancestor? Perfectly reasonable! Siegfried and Kevin had done it.

But such a transformation couldn't just happen out of the blue. Lihua needed a trigger, and facing mortal danger certainly qualified. Having been unable to find a good opportunity to be in danger since arriving on the moon, she had finally managed to activate her cheat the moment Kevin attacked!

This wasn't a Stigmata transformation but a system-enabled Synchro Summon, and it wasn't perfect. While Lee had merged with Lihua, she couldn't bring all her attributes. Techniques and system-bought skills were accessible, but physical items like her Herrscher core couldn't manifest.

However, she could access Lihua's strength as the base of the summon…

Lee flexed her fingers subtly. While Unit-1, her predecessor, was pathetically weak, this body wasn't completely unusable.

After all, Kaslana blood contained the genes of both her and Kevin, two ridiculously powerful individuals…

But Kevin's being all cool and silent again. Should I say something first?

Just as Lee was about to speak, a sharp, incredulous voice interrupted her.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Lee looked up and, practically seeing her own reflection, grinned. Isn't that [Lee]?

[Lee], having sensed Kevin attacking Lihua from afar, had rushed to intervene, ignoring everything else. Kevin hadn't even listened to her!

Finally arriving, she found another imposter in her place!

[Lee] trembled with rage, pointing at Lee. "Why are you imitating my face? Why are you impersonating me?!"

Oh, so Daddy looks like his son, does he? You ungrateful brat. I'll deal with you after Kevin.

"I'm not impersonating anyone. I'm just… a ghost awakened by chance."

Despite her intention to thrash [Lee] later, Lee wore a melancholic smile. "I never thought I'd have to fight for humanity even after death."

"What nonsense are you spouting…?!"

[Lee] felt an intense irritation looking at her doppelganger. This imposter was acting like the real Lee, even occupying Lihua's body… She should have hated her, wished her dead.

But seeing Lee's resigned acceptance of fighting for humanity again, she felt—a frustrating sense of disappointment.

"Humanity isn't worth protecting anymore! The Stigma Project is their last shred of mercy!" [Lee] roared. "Only by redefining humanity can we create a perfect world!"

Lee simply chuckled. "Heh… Then I suppose I'll have to stop you. After all, I'm quite fond of humanity as they are now."

"…Huh?!" [Lee]'s eyes widened, almost disbelieving what she had heard. Snapping back, she raged, "Are you insane?! Don't you remember what they did to you? You experienced their wickedness firsthand! How can you say such a thing?!"