Chapter 87: Midnight Metamorphosis III
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Bat Bat shrugged. "Is explanation," she insisted. "Want to Do."
Sekhmet’s gaze narrowed. He felt a headache forming already. Then another thought stabbed him. He looked Bat Bat up and down, then spoke carefully.
"Did you know you were female all this time," he asked.
Bat Bat blinked.
Then she looked away, suddenly less confident.
"I... don’t know," she admitted.
Sekhmet’s eyebrow rose.
"You don’t know," he repeated.
Bat Bat shrugged again, then mumbled, "I had a feeling."
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed.
Bat Bat quickly added, defensive, "But Bat Bat is Bat Bat. Bat Bat is not boy or girl. Bat Bat is Bat Bat."
Sekhmet stared. That sentence somehow made sense and made no sense at the same time. He inhaled slowly.
Then the real question came.
The one Sekhmet couldn’t avoid.
The one that had been haunting him since the moment Bat Bat’s glow faded.
Sekhmet’s voice lowered.
"Then why," he asked, "did you pee in public... on the enemy."
Bat Bat froze. Her wings stiffened. Her cheeks went red. Her eyes widened as if Sekhmet had accused her of a crime worse than murder.
"I—" Bat Bat stammered.
Sekhmet stared steadily.
"Didn’t you feel shame," he pressed.
Bat Bat’s face scrunched.
Her tiny hands clenched.
Then she shouted, voice high and defensive.
"NOBODY KNEW," she yelled.
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed.
"I knew," he said.
Bat Bat pointed at him like a prosecutor.
"You didn’t teach me," she accused. "It all your fault."
Sekhmet blinked slowly.
"Mine," he repeated.
Bat Bat nodded aggressively.
"Yes," she said. "Your fault."
Sekhmet’s jaw tightened.
"I told you many times not to do it," he said. "You didn’t listen."
Bat Bat crossed her arms.
"That was before I know," she argued.
Sekhmet’s eyes narrowed further.
"Before you know what," he asked.
Bat Bat’s voice dropped into an embarrassed mumble.
"Before I know... girl," she said.
Sekhmet stared.
Then he exhaled sharply through his nose, the closest thing to laughter without admitting it.
Auri’s lips twitched faintly.
The six rare bats remained silent, but their eyes gleamed in a way that felt like they were watching entertainment.
Bat Bat looked around and noticed the attention.
She became more flustered.
Then she pointed at Sekhmet again.
"You didn’t teach me," she repeated stubbornly. "You blame Bat Bat. But you master. You teach."
Sekhmet’s forehead vein throbbed.
He lifted his hand.
Bat Bat flinched.
Sekhmet did not hit hard.
He gave Bat Bat a gentle chop on the head.
Chop.
Bat Bat squeaked.
"Ow," she complained dramatically.
Sekhmet’s voice was flat.
"Stop messaging around," he said.
Bat Bat pouted, rubbing her head with both hands like a child.
Sekhmet exhaled slowly and looked at Auri.
"Auri," he said.
Auri straightened.
"Yes, master," she replied.
"Standby," Sekhmet ordered again, calmer now.
Auri bowed her head slightly.
"Yes, master."
Sekhmet looked back at Bat Bat.
From tomorrow, he thought, I’m assigning tutors.
He could already see the chaos coming.
A six-inch girl with a bat mind and a habit of peeing on enemies was not something he could handle alone while managing his father’s business.
He spoke aloud, voice firm.
"From tomorrow," he said, "you need to learn the basics of being a girl."
Bat Bat’s eyes widened.
"Basics," she repeated, suspicious.
Sekhmet nodded.
"Basics," he confirmed.
Bat Bat frowned.
"What basics," she asked.
Sekhmet stared.
He realized he did not have a clear answer.
He settled on the most important one.
"First," Sekhmet said, "no more peeing on people."
Bat Bat’s face went red again.
She looked away.
"Okay," she muttered.
Sekhmet nodded once, satisfied.
"Now," he said, "let’s sleep."
Bat Bat’s human form flickered.
She hesitated.
Then she sighed dramatically as if making a great sacrifice.
"It cost chaos energy," she said. "No need when sleep."
Her body shimmered.
Red light flashed briefly.
Fzz...
And she turned back into her bat form — three inches, cute, red, familiar.
Sekhmet blinked.
He stared at the bat on the bed.
He had just watched Bat Bat become a six-inch girl and now it was back to the bat that had bitten werewolf necks and peed on frogs.
He exhaled slowly.
"Why did you turn back," he asked.
Bat Bat’s bat mouth moved, voice muffled but clear.
"It costs chaos energy to keep," she said. "Sleep time. No need."
Sekhmet nodded slowly.
That explanation actually made sense.
Bat Bat hopped forward.
Then, without asking, she climbed onto Sekhmet’s chest and curled up like she owned the space.
Sekhmet froze.
He glanced at Auri.
Auri stared back calmly, expression neutral, but her eyes carried a faint question: is this normal?
Sekhmet did not answer.
He simply spoke.
"Auri," he said softly, "go to the void land."
Auri bowed.
"Yes, master."
Sekhmet opened the void land connection.
Auri stepped forward calmly and vanished into the storage space without resistance.
The six rare bats followed his command silently, one by one dissolving into red mist and returning to the void land, their wings fading as if they had never existed in the room.
The room returned to quiet.
Only Sekhmet remained, sitting on the bed with Bat Bat sleeping on his chest.
The lantern flickered.
Outside, the city remained asleep.
Sekhmet looked down at the tiny bat on his chest.
A strange warmth touched his heart. Not romance. Not softness. Something simpler.
It was an attachment.
He had been alone for years in purgatory. Alone in blood and hunger and survival. Even when he fought beside temporary allies, he never trusted them fully. He never allowed himself to lean.
Bat Bat... leaned anyway.
Sekhmet exhaled slowly. His mind replayed the day. He had gained power. He had gained summons. He had gained a harpy bat named Auri. He had gained the ability to build a team. He had gained a new problem: Bat Bat was a girl.
He stared at the ceiling.
"In one day," he thought, "I gained more than I gained in years."
He felt satisfied.
He felt cautious.
And under it all, he felt hungry still — but not screaming now, just waiting.