The black liquid slowly crept over Yang Hailiu’s fair skin…

Leaving behind inky marks like cursed seals. As mist rose beneath her feet, her Lolita-style skirt began to transform.

The plain fabric swiftly gilded at the edges, while obsidian gemstones bloomed at the collar and hem.

Bat-like wings unfurled from her back, flapping once—proof this was no mere ornament!

Soon, dark liquid traced tattoo-like patterns across her face. The whites of her eyes bled black,

her once-brown irises now burning crimson.

Her flowing black hair writhed to life, splitting into serpentine heads that hissed venomously toward me.

So this was Yang Hailiu’s fate—to live on as something utterly inhuman?

“Amazing! This power! TOO AMAZING!!!!!!”

Post-transformation, her scarred face radiated shock and euphoria—

as if savoring every drop of this newfound strength!

“The contract is sealed, my master. Congratulations on claiming your desired power~~”

As the black mist cleared, Wu’s bloated form still stood beside Yang Hailiu.

Having witnessed her transformation, it offered its congratulations without missing a beat.

“This… what’s happened to my hands?”

Just as Yang Hailiu turned to thank Wu,

she seemed to notice her grotesquely distorted hands.

Disappointment flickered across her face.

“What’s going on? Wu! You promised I’d become…”

Shock hardened into fury in an instant.

She roared at Wu, the very entity that granted her power—

clearly, the reality fell far short of her expectations.

Wu had promised conditions that now lay shattered.

“Indeed. You’ve shed mortal flesh to ascend as a higher being. I’ve upheld our contract. Now, I claim my due~~”

Wu remained utterly indifferent to her rage, ignoring her blazing fury

as it calmly stated its next move: collecting payment.

“Don’t let it take the price!”

The moment Wu finished speaking, Kyuubi—now back at my side—hissed urgently,

its tone brooking no argument. It had foreseen this outcome, desperate to prevent it.

This was the first time Kyuubi had ever spoken to me like this.

“How do we stop it?”

I didn’t question Kyuubi. I simply nodded.

But the method… I needed its guidance.

It surely knew the answer.

“Too slow, Contractor. I’ve already claimed my prize~~ Such a delightful treasure~~~~~~”

Before Kyuubi could explain, Wu’s mocking voice cut in—

it had seized the price first, taunting Kyuubi deliberately.

“What did you take? Why do I feel… empty? Why…”

As Wu’s gloating washed over her, Yang Hailiu clutched her face, wailing in agony.

Her twisted hands clawed desperately at her skin,

but every effort proved futile.

“Merely your proof of existence. Surprising you sensed its loss~~”

Wu had no face to read, yet instinct told me:

if it did, it would wear utter nonchalance.

Its flat tone confirmed it cared nothing for the ruin it wrought.

“YOU LIAR!!!!!!!!”

Realizing the betrayal, Yang Hailiu’s fury exploded.

She lunged, fist clenched—only for it to pass through Wu’s bloated body like smoke.

“Humans are ever so greedy~~”

Unfazed by her rage, Wu sighed as if discussing the weather,

utterly detached from the chaos it created.

“UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!!!”

When her strike failed, Yang Hailiu’s wings flared. She soared skyward,

then drew an oversized pistol from thin air, aiming squarely at Wu.

“Remember who granted you power. Your magic cannot touch me.”

Wu stood motionless, voice steady, utterly unafraid beneath the gun’s muzzle.

“I DON’T BELIEVE YOU! I WON’T BECOME THIS MONSTER! I WON’T SURVIVE IN THIS MAD WORLD!!!!!!!!”

Ignoring Wu’s words, Yang Hailiu squeezed the trigger with a child’s stubborn refusal.

A massive crimson-black magic circle erupted before her—

“…”

I watched their feud unfold, unsure what expression to wear.

Kyuubi’s earlier warning now played out before my eyes.

Thank goodness I’d trusted it implicitly…

But was this truly beyond saving?

Gazing at Yang Hailiu’s twisted form, a quiet sorrow clung to my chest.

Watching someone familiar become a stranger…

Who wouldn’t ache?

“If only she’d listened back then…”

“They never understand…”

As I almost muttered the old adage, Kyuubi cut me off sharply—

as if refusing to let me voice that judgment.

“True. Not everyone withstands temptation…”

Kyuubi had a point. I held my tongue.

Hadn’t I, too, clung to survival by forging a contract with Kyuubi’s master?

Who was I to judge?

Memories flashed: Lin Jincheng, Shen Shiyu…

even that chuunibyou uncle Liu Kai—all bound to Bonesouls for power.

Could anyone truly resist such allure?

“You see clearly for a human~”

“Do I? If I’d resisted temptation… I’d be reunited with my father underground by now.”

I, too, had been weak. Had I refused Kyuubi’s master that day…

I wouldn’t be standing here.

“Enough dwelling. Focus on cleaning this mess.”

Sensing my distraction, Kyuubi tugged my gown’s hem with its paw,

pulling me back to the present.

“Right. This mess.”

My gaze snapped to Yang Hailiu.

Crimson spikes poured like rain from her magic circle,

hammering the spot where Wu stood—

she meant to erase it utterly.

Yet Wu remained calm, letting the assault wash over it.

Each spike struck its bloated form like water, rippling through harmlessly.

“How… how can this be… I was supposed to be invincible…”

Watching her attacks phase through Wu, Yang Hailiu’s face crumpled into despair.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Unable to accept reality, she threw her head back, screaming raw anguish at the sky.

Crimson-black mist began swirling around her body—

“Her power’s destabilizing. Faster than expected.”

Wu’s countless eyes fixed on the sky, tracking Yang Hailiu’s unraveling form.

“I knew you’d linger for a reason. This was your plan all along.”

Kyuubi’s eyes narrowed at the spectacle above, then at Wu.

It had seen through the scheme: Wu stayed only to push Yang Hailiu over the edge.

“Naturally. What did you expect? She’s yours now. Good luck~”

Mission accomplished, Wu’s form began fading, its voice light and cheerful.

“She’s yours! I must chase that thing!”

The moment Wu vanished, Kyuubi bolted after it,

leaving me alone with Yang Hailiu’s seething silhouette.

Darkness radiated from her like a storm—

*Power spikes when corrupted, fades when redeemed.*

An unbreakable rule since time immemorial.

But…

“Go!”

I waved toward the hovering water droplets.

They shot toward Yang Hailiu like arrows—

each condensed with the magic she’d unleashed earlier.

Why call the skill *Tit for Tat* otherwise?

“DON’T INTERFERE!!!!!!!”

Struck by my counterattack, Yang Hailiu whirled like a wounded beast.

Her pistol swung toward me, finger tightening on the trigger—