The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

"Indeed, there's no such thing as a perfect person, because humanity itself isn't inherently good." Lee didn't defend humanity by glossing over their flaws or arguing against [Lee]'s desire for a "perfect world." She simply smiled.

"But those imperfections are precisely what make us human."

"Humans aren't always righteous. I've seen a starving mother steal food to keep her child alive, and a brother commit brutal acts to protect his younger siblings… Even I deceived others to avoid being disliked."

"These actions aren't right, but they are understandable, relatable. Humanity isn't perfect, nor does it need to be. This imperfection, born from emotion, is what makes us shine."

"What kind of twisted logic is that? It's utter nonsense! Right is right, wrong is wrong—everything else is just sophistry!" While Lee remained calm, [Lee] was the opposite, plugging her ears like a child.

She had no intention of reasoning further. With an angry wave of her hand, she began calling for reinforcements.

Although the Previous Era's metal box legion was defeated, only their mechanical bodies were broken. Their consciousness remained intact. So, abandoning those outdated shells, she used the power of Origin to create new bodies for them!

The deactivated robots flickered out of existence, replaced by several human figures appearing before [Lee].

This process consumed a significant amount of energy, so she didn't materialize everyone, only the stronger fighters—but even this should be enough to deal with a single imposter!

"Elysia, take care of this fake!"

"..."

[Lee] waited, expecting the figures to rush forward and tear the imposter to shreds. But seconds passed, and nothing happened. Only she remained, awkwardly posing.

Worse than their disobedience was the fact that these figures, her creations, completely ignored her, walking towards the imposter with excited expressions!

"Lee… Is that really you?!"

Elysia's hands trembled with excitement. She wanted to rush into Lee's arms, but hesitated, fearing she might scare Lee's spirit away.

She knew her suspicions were correct—Lihua was Lee, and Lee was Lihua! Their souls were one, and under the right conditions, Lee's soul could be summoned back.

I was right! Haha, I was right! I'm the one who understands Lee best!

Compared to Elysia, the others were more reserved, silently staring at Lee, speechless.

Since they were meant for combat, [Lee] had only materialized those skilled in fighting. Besides Elysia, there were Sakura, Kosma, and Kalpas—and these three were usually more comfortable with actions than words. Expecting them to express themselves eloquently in this situation was asking too much.

Finally, Kalpas broke the silence. "You—"

"What are you doing?!"

As Kalpas uttered the first word, he vanished into thin air. Not just him, but Elysia, Kosma, and Sakura as well. The culprit was, without a doubt, the now-furious [Lee].

"Traitors… I knew I couldn't trust any of them!" [Lee] seethed, her teeth grinding. She had summoned them to help her, not to switch sides.

You dared interrupt Kalpas? You better not meet him alone later…

Watching [Lee] stomp her foot in frustration, Lee struggled to suppress her laughter, instead offering earnest advice. "You shouldn't use such words. They haven't done anything wrong. Your words are an insult to them."

"That's exactly what they are! A bunch of backstabbers!" Lee's attempt at peacemaking only fueled [Lee]'s rage. "Kevin, take care of her!"

[Lee]'s furious command echoed, but the expected response never came. Silence reigned.

Nothing happened.

Despite [Lee] standing right next to Kevin, he didn't even glance at her.

"…Fine!" [Lee]'s rage turned into a chilling smile. She had seen through the shameless nature of these Previous Era relics. Abandoning all hope, she clenched her fists.

"Useless… If none of you are willing to help, then I'll do it myself! I'll defeat this imposter and reclaim Lihua's body!"

No matter how the imposter had taken over Lihua's body, once she defeated her and used the Herrscher of Sentience's power to investigate, she would understand everything.

It was still Lihua's body, after all. It couldn't be that strong. With this thought, [Lee] charged forward, aiming for a swift victory!

Bang!

In a flash, the white figure was slammed into the ground, sending lunar dust billowing.

The attacker was Kevin, and the one struck down was [Lee].

"Kevin, you?!" [Lee] coughed up blood, staring up at Kevin in disbelief. She could understand his reluctance to fight the imposter—that was typical Kevin—but why attack her?

"Why…?!"

[Lee]'s eyes closed, and she lost consciousness. Only Lee and Kevin remained, their gazes locked in a silent standoff.

"Kevin, that was excessive." Lee's smile faded as she frowned at the unconscious [Lee]. "Why attack a child?"

"…She's a Herrscher," Kevin explained after a brief silence.

There was no need for morality when dealing with Herrschers. Use them when needed, dispose of them when not—Kevin saw nothing wrong with his actions. But facing Lee's serious expression, he felt compelled to explain.

He felt a strange unease, wondering why he was explaining himself to her.

Was it because a part of his weak, former self still lingered within him?

She was just… a phantom of the past.

"While she is a Herrscher, she's fighting for humanity and hasn't truly harmed anyone. She's just a child making foolish mistakes due to her naiveté," Lee said, her gaze serious. "Most importantly, she trusts you, Kevin… You shouldn't have done that."

"It doesn't matter." Kevin regained his composure, his voice as indifferent as ever. "If she becomes emotional and refuses to cooperate, I can just extract her Herrscher core and use it directly."

Kevin's matter-of-fact tone left Lee speechless. He's really become ruthless, ready to rip someone's heart out at the drop of a hat…

"Heh, you've become very decisive, Kevin…" Lee chuckled, lowering her gaze. "But I still prefer the old you… A constant frown doesn't suit you."

…Kevin knew he couldn't listen anymore.

He thought his heart wouldn't waver again, but with the figure he had yearned for standing before him, speaking such gentle words, weakness bloomed within him.

The arrow of revenge could pierce through any hardship, but if it sank into the mire of tenderness, it would never reach its target.

He had to keep moving forward, without hesitation.

"…Enough. Why are you here?" Kevin's gaze sharpened. "You're just a phantom of consciousness lingering in her bloodline."

Yes, in Kevin's eyes, Lee was just a manifestation of the Kaslana bloodline within Lihua, activated in a moment of crisis, a phantom of Lee's consciousness awakened.

She couldn't be Lee's resurrected soul, because this phantom—still loved humanity.

How could Lee still love humanity? She couldn't possibly retain such warmth towards them!

No one, no matter how kind, could continue fighting for humanity, even after death, after experiencing such a tragic end, even protecting the humans of another world!

So, this consciousness must be from a Lee before the Finality… from the Kaslana DNA, a Lee who hadn't experienced that tragedy yet.

A Lee still clinging to naive hope, unable to stop his march of revenge.

"…I'm here to stop you, Kevin," Lee sighed.

While not a bloodline phantom, I can use the power of the bloodline… Looks like this fight with Kevin is unavoidable. Should I wake up Kiana and the others and give them some pointers?

Lee felt the power surging within her, pondering the question.

Before coming to the moon, Li Bei had upgraded Lihua's diluted Kaslana bloodline to its full potential, so Lee could wield it with ease.

1.5 million energy points just for a bloodline upgrade without any after-sales service or activation instructions… I thought it was expensive back then, but now it seems like a bargain. This power contains not only my own, but also that of Kevin, the strongest human!

Lee could vouch for this power. If fully unleashed, its physical enhancement would surpass even her former artificial Herrscher body.

But in all these years, few Kaslanas had managed to tap into even a fraction of Kevin's power within their bloodline, let alone hers.

Well, consider it an ancestral welcoming gift…

Under Kevin's watchful eye, Lee bent down and picked up a few stones, weighing them in her hand before throwing them at the unconscious Kiana, Durandal, and the others, jolting them awake.

"Kevin, how many times have we fought?" Ignoring the confused looks, Lee smiled at Kevin.

"Including spars, one hundred and forty-six times," Kevin replied calmly.

"Ah, that many already… Feels like I've been losing lately." Lee chuckled nonchalantly, swinging the Might of An-Utu. "But this time, I think I'll win."

"Kiana, Durandal, watch closely—"

Locking eyes with Kevin, Lee said softly, "This is how you use the power of the Kaslana bloodline!"