Judging by this Witch’s moves, she was clearly a rookie.

Facing a master like Su Qing, she actually dared to leap—so high, too.

That single detail? Practically a death sentence.

A greenhorn like her against Su Qing’s physically enhanced body? Surviving would’ve required freakish toughness.

With her frail, elementary-schooler appearance, Lu Yunzhi felt she had virtually zero chance to fight back.

And sure enough—Jiang Qianyu was getting pummeled one-sidedly.

Just kicked flying, she hadn’t even steadied herself when the sharp axe came slashing down again.

She barely twisted her head aside. The blade grazed her cheek and slammed into the solar water heater—*clang!*—shattering it completely.

*Snick!*

A hidden blade in Su Qing’s heel sliced Jiang Qianyu’s chest.

Luckily flat-chested—no critical hit.

No blood spilled from Jiang Qianyu’s doll body. Only faint wisps of black mist seeped from the gash: her sustaining soul, functionally like fuel in a car.

Su Qing barely blinked. She’d slain countless such monsters.

No wonder they called this sweet-faced little Witch a demon in human guise—she wasn’t human at all.

High kick, then a brutal downward slash. The short blade in her heel shot toward Jiang Qianyu’s forehead, pale blue flames flickering along the edge—an enchantment lethal to supernatural horrors, preventing resurrection.

Jiang Qianyu dodged sideways while striking at Su Qing’s other leg—a seeming opening.

But Su Qing anticipated her anticipation. As her right leg missed, she stomped the ground hard, then whipped her left leg upward diagonally, sending Jiang Qianyu spiraling backward like a broken ragdoll.

She crashed down hard. Another deep, bone-exposing wound bloomed.

“I doubt you’ll see them again,” Su Qing said lightly. “Better a quick end than slow suffering. Let me finish it.”

“No medical license, but don’t worry—I guarantee results.”

*Bang!*

The axe struck stone. Sparks flew. Debris scattered.

Jiang Qianyu barely dodged the killing blow—but not the follow-up.

Scrambling up, Su Qing’s fist was already there.

Blades seemed hidden everywhere—even her gloves sprouted knives.

Punch after kick. A living punching bag.

The power gap was glaring.

Jiang Qianyu never got a single counter.

Wounds multiplied. Black soul mist thickened the air.

Without the dozens of tenant souls and five Hunters’ souls she’d consumed earlier, this leakage alone would’ve forced her to revert to her true form.

She appeared utterly broken. Victory was only a matter of time.

Lu Yunzhi watched from the edge, not interfering. She knew she’d only get in the way.

“Well… expected,” she mused. “Sister Su’s amazing. She trained us once—technically, my half-teacher.”

“The moment I saw her arrive, I felt safe. Seriously, she radiates security.”

“Shame we’ve got nothing to do tonight. HQ never warned me another team was coming.”

“Even if their motives are shady… I should thank them for tripping the trap. If I’d come alone? Dead for sure.”

Lu Yunzhi slipped into her usual rant mode. To her, Su Qing *was* safety incarnate. With her here, that little Witch couldn’t stir a ripple—especially watching her dominate the fight so effortlessly.

Before arriving, Liu Yongkang’s plea, the sea of corpses on the fourth floor… the unknown had weighed heavily on her. Every shadow whispered danger.

Now, seeing Su Qing crush the mastermind? Lu Yunzhi thought: *She’s seriously cool.*

Jiang Qianyu stayed silent, watching her “self” get beaten.

*Expected. Facing a Class A Hunter is still tough…*

*Haven’t fully digested tonight’s souls yet. Growth needs time. Tonight was too rushed.*

Hearing Lu Yunzhi gush through the earpiece, Jiang Qianyu’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

*Will what I do next scar this girl?*

“Yunzhi—something’s coming up the stairwell! Look!”

...

“Oops, Miss Witch. Dead end.” Su Qing advanced, axe in hand, toward Jiang Qianyu slumped against the rooftop water tank.

Her body was shredded. Clothes torn. Wounds deep enough to expose bone. A normal person would’ve died long ago.

Black soul mist hung thick in the air—harmless, dissipating.

Jiang Qianyu pushed herself upright. Still smiling.

Su Qing narrowed her eyes, gripped the axe firmly, and swung without hesitation.

*Thwack.*

The doll’s head rolled away. Clean. Efficient.

“Hmph. *This* is your trump card?” Su Qing glanced up at the little girl in white on the tank. “Tch. I expected more. Where’s the confidence?”

She’d assumed the smile meant the girl was the final move.

Didn’t matter. She’d been watching the hidden figure all along.

Most of her focus stayed on the girl. She didn’t notice the severed head roll an extra half-turn—defying physics—into her blind spot.

Didn’t notice the soul mist rapidly vanishing into it.

Not a soul-specialist. Dissipating mist seemed normal.

Still, she swung again at the “corpse” to confirm death.

The moment the axe fell—the “corpse” moved.

With speed utterly unlike her earlier rookie act, Jiang Qianyu seized Su Qing’s wrist. Su Qing’s heart jolted.

Zero openings shown. Pure amateur act. Pathetic physique.

Who keeps pretending *after* losing their head?

No one would suspect she’d faked weakness from start to finish.

Caught off guard, Su Qing couldn’t break free.

The white-dressed girl raised a hand—seemingly attacking. Su Qing’s eyes flickered panic, then steadied.

*A mere Class B can’t kill me.*

As she kicked Jiang Qianyu’s body, her instincts screamed.

Every hair stood on end. She glanced back—

The severed head, cheeks puffed, had absorbed all the mist.

Too late.

Wrist trapped. Attention diverted. No time to react.

The head expelled the mist—a jet-black soul spear shot forth, piercing her back.

Her soul shattered instantly—like a torpedo detonating underwater.

Her body was tough. Liu Yongkang’s Soul Threads couldn’t scratch it.

But this? Unstoppable.

Countless Soul Threads coiled around Su Qing, draining her shattered soul in seconds.

All of it—right before Lu Yunzhi’s eyes.

She watched Su Qing fall, helpless to intervene.

Jiang Qianyu *had* warned her. The woman in white *did* appear—but only glanced and left.

How long does turning away and back take?

In that sliver of time, Su Qing—dominant, untouchable—was reversed.

Unbelievable…

Jiang Qianyu’s headless body rose calmly, dusted her tattered dress, brushed past Su Qing’s standing corpse, and picked up the head.

Utterly composed.

Holding the head, she walked to the rooftop edge, turned to the stunned Lu Yunzhi. The head smiled.

“Sister… this counts as self-defense, right? You’ll vouch for me?”

Then she leaped—vanishing into the deep night.

***

At that same moment, Jiang Qianyu’s true body sat at home, eyes lowered.

No wonder Su Qing looked familiar.

She’d visited her orphanage six years ago.

Every Nightwatcher involved in *that incident* wore a flying-bird emblem. According to Lu Yunzhi, they were “Overseers.”

Overseers: core Nightwatchers, utterly loyal. Chosen only after brutal trials. Talent and loyalty—non-negotiable.

In short: the Nightwatchers’ elite. Their most obedient, effective tools.

“Yunzhi,” Jiang Qianyu sighed dramatically, snapping back. “The Witch escaped badly injured. I’m sorry… Sister Su seems to be gone. But don’t worry—you still have me.”