Chapter 172: The Ethereal Crimson Leaf in Void Form—No One Can Take My Bai Fu!
Although they did not know why this time the Dark Zone Insect Swarm had deployed two brain bugs, under the current situation there was no need to waste time investigating.
After successfully locking onto the targets, Manu immediately issued the command for a general assault.
Hundreds of starships were divided into two forces.
One force was personally led by him, with battleships at the forefront, charging like fearless knights toward the slightly larger brain bug on the left.
The other force’s ships were considerably weaker in performance, but led by members like Crimson Leaf, Herbert, and others from the Star Web Commonwealth. The ships were mostly crewed by mercenaries hired by the Star Web Commonwealth from various locations.
On the surface, brain bugs could rely on continuously deploying smaller bugs to wear down defenders’ numbers, weapons, and morale.
But once they entered deep space and their hiding spots were exposed, the threat posed by the brain bugs drastically decreased.
The bugs they released could indeed operate in a vacuum and were fairly strong, but compared to the overwhelming hordes on the planet surface, their numbers were no match.
byd, take my cannon blast!
Over a thousand ship cannons fired simultaneously. No matter how many bugs the brain bug released at range, they were all pulverized.
In the starry sky, laser beams, artillery explosions, the electric flashes and storms unleashed by thunderclouds… every violent weapon revealed its fangs here.
In fact, the brain bug side was still incredibly formidable.
They could not only use virtual invasion to quickly seize control of small escort ships, but also deployed the bio-warship, a major weapon.
But Manu could rely not only on his fleet, he also had the planetary array cannon on the surface. With a full charge, the planetary array cannon could rip apart an escort ship in one shot. Unless someone had special abilities, no ordinary S‑class psionic could dare to tank it head‑on.
A deep‑purple torrent of particles shot across a million miles and struck the bio-warship. The warship writhed violently in space, emitting silent wails.
“Oh my god, 130,000 hit points, riddled with holes and still thrashing around!”
Bai Fu, and all the players watching this scene, were stunned.
Especially the players—imagining themselves besieging this kind of monster—
Wow, a toothpick stirring a lake… no, it was like a mosquito biting an elephant!
It was absurdly tanky. No wonder the Dark Zone Insect Swarm had turned this cosmic beast into a transporter and incubator for insect eggs.
Bai Fu really wanted one for herself.
But no matter how tanky, under the continuous assault of the planetary array cannon and ship cannons, that massive bio-warship finally couldn’t hold on.
After spewing one last thick glob of plasma toward the battleship’s shield, it suddenly lifted its broken head, whimpered once, and powerlessly closed its murky eyes.
Whether illusion or not, Bai Fu thought she saw a hint of relief in those eyes.
“Ha ha ha!”
Manu let out an exhilarating laugh.
The bio-warship and the escort ships whose control had been seized broke through the shields of the battleship he was on, but they still hadn’t fully destroyed them, had they?
Now that the bio-warship was dead, the two brain bugs no longer had any backing.
“Full speed ahead!”
Manu no longer cared if the shields would break during the straight‑on assault. He no longer had time to instruct the ship’s mechanics in a battle of wits with the brain bugs. His eyes were fixed only on the two brain bugs.
As long as those two brain bugs were dealt with, the crisis would resolve itself, and he would certainly succeed in drawing the Dark Zone Insect Swarm’s attention, buying enough time for the main fleet’s surprise attack.
“Not easy.”
Bai Fu, seated by a viewport, sighed.
After crossing tens of thousands of light‑years to reach Tianhu Star, her original plan was simply to cling onto Crimson Leaf and soak up some benefits, then happily sip a bowl of hot soup.
Who would have thought that after she arrived at Tianhu Star, although she did gain a lot of benefits, after nearly ten exhausting days she still hadn’t had that one bowl of hot soup from Crimson Leaf. Their interactions had been entirely her making—all her efforts, how absurd.
Fortunately now, she finally didn’t have to do the work—she could lie back and watch how Crimson Leaf handled things.
“Once this commission is completed, I’ll probably get tens of millions of experience points. I just wonder what the hidden reward will be.”
So relieving!
Bai Fu slowly raised her right leg and crossed it over her left—felt good, might as well put up a foot first.
A few minutes later, even without relying on detectors, she could clearly see the appearance of the brain bug: fat head, fat brain, its body covered in black tendrils like bony whips.
No hesitation needed—once they appeared, all the ships launched their attacks simultaneously.
Burn, rage!
Pour it out, all the pent-up frustrations!
Dimensional wave shock bombs made the surrounding space extremely unstable. The brain bugs couldn’t use their spatial abilities to dodge effectively. They could only simultaneously use virtual invasion to seize control of more ships, and risk moving closer to them under fire.
Once they succeeded in latching onto a ship, they could avoid artillery strikes.
“It’s moving incredibly fast, our attacks can hardly hit it!”
“Doesn’t matter, let it come. I’ll deal with it.”
Herbert cracked his knuckles.
He had been bearing those damn bugs for far too long. They’d been flapping around all this time, not only failing to kill Bai Fu, but actually turning Bai Fu from Savior Saint into a Goddess of Victory. Anyone who didn’t know better might think she had brought in plants to boost her—just to trip others up.
Die, die, die—he was so annoyed he saw red every time he saw those bugs.
With a red flash, a brain bug slammed like a lump of mud onto the flight‑deck launch bay of a ship. The fierce impact rattled the ship violently.
The next second, Herbert’s figure suddenly vanished into thin air.
When Bai Fu saw him again, he was in the launch bay, battling a brain bug.
This brain bug was not only adept at virtual invasion and opening sub‑spaces, but also masterful in psychic abilities and toxin attacks. Its combat methods were extremely diverse—not something ordinary S‑class psionics could handle.
But Herbert was no ordinary person. He was a supervisor of the Star Web Commonwealth. In every assessment of the Commonwealth at the Starting Gate star cluster, he had placed either first or second.
Strength was his source of pride!
The gleaming blade light wove a cage in the air, sealing off every escape route of the brain bug.
Faced with the insect’s psychic shock and illusion attacks, Herbert stood unmoved. On his path of growth, his will had already been forged a thousand times over; even the sting of psychic pain could not make his wrist tremble.
“Has Herbert gotten stronger again?”
“His blade is steadier, but compared to Crimson Leaf…”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Crimson Leaf in unison.
Compared to Crimson Leaf, Herbert was still far inferior. They would never forget the terrifying scene of Crimson Leaf at full power.
At this moment, Crimson Leaf stood with arms crossed, her exposed right toes rhythmically tapping the floor, making a crisp tapping sound.
She was displeased.
Even before boarding the ship, she had set her sights on that brain bug. But she had just lost focus for a brief moment, and the opportunity to engage had been snatched away by Herbert.
“Can you even do it? Manu’s side is already about to finish off that brain bug.”
Herbert couldn’t be bothered to respond. He was determined to claim this kill today.
Although the brain bug’s psychic attacks were difficult to endure, his blade wasn’t just for show. He was absolutely confident he could kill the brain bug before he exhausted himself.
Crimson Leaf could see that too—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been this anxious.
Of course, the ones seeing it even more clearly were Bai Fu and the players, since they could plainly observe the changing HP of both Herbert and the brain bug.
The damage numbers above the brain bug’s head were larger and more frequent. Its HP bar was depleting much faster than Herbert’s.
This was just how it went when a summoner faced off against a melee fighter—not every summoner was Bai Fu, who looked frail but was actually tankier than a Tiger tank.
“Radiant Slash!”
With a roar, Herbert swung his light blade. He closed in, shrouded in a tens-of-meters-long blade light, flashing like thunder, illuminating the starry sky.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Herbert passed by the brain bug. In his wake, golden shockwave ripples lingered long after.
Herbert and the brain bug froze in place, like a still frame. This stalemate lasted about seven seconds. Then, a slanted gash appeared across the brain bug’s bulbous body. The wound widened rapidly, spreading across its whole form. As blood spurted, its body split neatly in half.
“Hmph!”
Herbert let out a cold snort.
Even before he finished off this brain bug, news had arrived from Manu’s side that the other brain bug had already been blasted into fragments by ship cannons.
With both brain bugs dead, it meant this counterattack was a great victory.
The mercenaries managed to remain composed, but those from the Star Web Commonwealth erupted into thunderous cheers.
“We won, we won!”
From the Star Sea to the ground, the defenders spread the good news.
Especially on the ground, the Star Web soldiers—burning with pent-up rage—leapt over the first defensive line. The brain bugs were dead, the bugs had lost their command, and all turned into headless flies. Now was the perfect time to slaughter them and vent their anger!
Manu made no effort to stop them.
Sure, the Dark Zone Insect Swarm might send new brain bugs in the future, but that was a problem for later. First, they had to celebrate the victory. Otherwise, what was the point of winning?
Herbert put away his light blade and casually walked toward the flight-deck launch bay.
Bai Fu waved her hand helplessly.
She had hoped to see Crimson Leaf go all out just once—too bad it ended like this. Still, the result wasn’t bad. Regardless of who killed the brain bug, she would get the mission reward.
“Phew, finally over!”
Bai Fu stretched lazily. Just as she was about to stand, she suddenly noticed the brain bug’s corpse behind Herbert twitching.
What?
Bai Fu was dumbfounded.
She had just said it was over, and now this… when had she become a jinx?
It wasn’t just her—everyone on the ship saw it.
The brain bug wasn’t dead?
Impossible!
Bai Fu immediately dismissed that thought.
She had seen with her own eyes the brain bug’s HP drop to zero. Plus, she hadn’t seen any resurrection-related talents or skills in its set.
This wasn’t some simple resurrection—it was something more complex.
Even through several layers of metal, Bai Fu could still feel a soul-piercing chill.
“Herbert, behind you!”
A supervisor from the Star Web Commonwealth shouted anxiously.
Herbert quickly turned around.
In that flash of a moment, a shadowy black figure rose from the brain bug’s corpse.
In that moment, everyone finally saw her true form. Yes, it was a woman—a tall and voluptuous woman!
She floated slightly above the ground. Her head tilted gently, and her long, deep-purple hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner, her pupils a bright violet.
Below a black choker, her curvy body was wrapped in a skintight, black deep-V bodysuit. Notably, the V-shaped opening at the front seemed as though it had been ripped apart by some proud attribute. The twin hemispheres below threatened to burst free but didn’t—because a pair of claw-like, devilish constructs under the bodysuit firmly held them up. Further down, a black belt covered her navel.
She was a woman with both the allure of a fox and the chill of a viper!
Herbert felt a wave of cold rush through his heart. From this woman, he sensed a terrifying pressure that made his soul tremble. He had only felt such pressure from Disaster-class psionics before.
Disaster-class!
That was the kind of being that could shake the land and single-handedly destroy a small fleet!
Forget him—even if Crimson Leaf went all out, she couldn’t defeat this woman. No matter how powerful Crimson Leaf was, she was only close to Disaster-class, not a true Disaster.
Doomed.
Herbert drew his light blade with trembling hands.
It was too late to contact headquarters—even a transcendent Vow Master couldn’t instantly cross billions of light-years to reach this remote edge of the Edge Worlds.
Seeing the woman raise her hand, Herbert could only pray he could block the attack. If he managed that, he might still have a chance to retreat into the ship—at least he wouldn’t die immediately.
A second later, a violet glow surfaced in the palm of the woman’s gloved hand.
“No!”
Crimson Leaf’s face changed drastically. She suddenly realized that the woman’s target wasn’t Herbert—it was Bai Fu.
Bai Fu realized it too—because she received a game notification.
[You are under attack by [Life Drain]. Your HP is rapidly decreasing.]
Minus 1% per second. In 100 seconds, Bai Fu would be sucked dry into a corpse. But it wouldn’t even take 100 seconds—her chest would deflate first!
Too vicious!
Bai Fu hurriedly activated her Psionic Shield, but it was completely useless.
What kind of insane ability was this? It was even more outrageous than her own psionic burn of the Dark attribute.
She quickly cast Psionic Vision on the mysterious woman, but the data returned was all question marks. Name, age, template, race, level, skills—every field was a sea of question marks.
Only two attributes were visible: Strength 191, Intelligence 121. And Favorability. Despite the mysterious woman actively draining her life, her favorability toward Bai Fu remained a neutral 0.
Such a heartless being—able to kill without even a trace of dissatisfaction!
Just as Bai Fu hastily pulled out a bunch of cards—Visual Fog, Spatial Distortion, Whispers of the Aberration, and more—Crimson Leaf suddenly vanished from her spot. When she reappeared, she was right above the mysterious woman, her right leg lifted high and coming down like a mountain-splitting axe.
As her heel was about to crash down on the woman’s head, the woman’s figure faded. Crimson Leaf managed to halt her strike in time, or else she would’ve dented the ship ceiling.
She stared intently at the mysterious woman, who had reformed five meters away like mist.
Bad news: her attack missed, and she hadn’t seen the woman’s movement at all.
Good news: it interrupted the woman’s attack. Bai Fu was out of danger!
“She may have reached Disaster-level!”
Herbert warned Crimson Leaf through the communicator.
Disaster-level?
As that term spread through the defenders’ communication channels, nearly everyone showed the same horrified expression as Herbert—even the composed Manu was no exception.
Players weren’t exactly scared, but they were bewildered.
No way. They weren’t even B-rank yet, and the map had already spawned a Disaster-level World BOSS?
While everyone was still reeling, Bai Fu suddenly shouted.
“She’s not Disaster-level!”
Bai Fu was certain.
If this mysterious woman were Disaster-level, her Psionic Vision wouldn’t have returned even a sliver of usable data.
The gap between Disaster-level and S-rank wasn’t just raw destruction. It lay in control—control over one's power, over one’s awareness of the world.
The same amount of power might yield 10,000 battle strength in the hands of a newly minted Disaster-level psionicist, but only a fraction of that in an S-rank’s hands.
“Huh?”
Crimson Leaf looked from the mysterious woman to Bai Fu, then chose to trust Bai Fu. A true Disaster-level wouldn’t be wasting time playing games with them.
She would’ve just used real power to start the killing.
Psionicists, interstellar warriors, ships—none of that could stop her.
Still, even if the mysterious woman wasn’t Disaster-level, her strength was undoubtedly immense. She could destroy the ship they were on. If that happened, many people would die.
“She’s probably as strong as I am.”
Crimson Leaf’s expression turned grim.
Then the mysterious woman finally spoke: “Hand her over to me, and I won’t attack you.”
Crimson Leaf knew she meant Bai Fu.
She had already been annoyed at Herbert for trying to poach Bai Fu and steal the kill. Since they were both from the Star Web Commonwealth, she hadn’t said anything.
But now here came another one—dressed bizarrely, speaking strangely—demanding Bai Fu be handed over.
Alright then.
Her temper flared. Her face no longer grave, her worry vanished.
[You tried to steal my subordinate before, and now that I finally found one as perfect as Bai Fu, you want to snatch her away? What, you think I’m a sick kitten just because the tiger hasn’t roared?]
Crimson Leaf’s hair began to rise without wind.
The mysterious woman sensed her wrath, but her face remained unchanged. “You’re no match for me. You’re too weak. I have no interest in weaklings. Get lost.”
Crimson Leaf laughed.
She saw it now—this woman’s power was roughly the same as hers. Of course, that referred to the power Crimson Leaf disliked using.
“Weakling?”
Before everyone’s eyes, Crimson Leaf’s exposed pale skin began to glow with a strange red light from underneath.
“Supervisor!”
Seeing this, Crimson Leaf’s top aide, Green Sludge, couldn’t help but panic.
But Crimson Leaf acted as if she didn’t hear him. The red light beneath her skin grew stronger until her body was fully wrapped. Red, glossy carapace-like material—or was it like a second skin?—began to emerge from her surface.
It covered her limbs and torso, stopping only at her chin.
Her fingers became claws. Her toes looked encased in some kind of mechanical power boots. Faint red patterns appeared on her cheeks. Her features hadn’t changed, but her entire aura had.
Fiery and fierce, yet eyes as cold as ice.
And that wasn’t even the end of it—flames suddenly ignited around her. Strange, ominous flames that made the space around them tremble.
“I’ll make you understand who the real weakling is!”
Crimson Leaf glared at the mysterious woman with icy eyes.
Today, no one was taking her Bai Fu away!
PS: Thanks to the Knight of the Judgment World for the tip.
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