The Deluge and the Transformed Thugs

The deluge arrived as if on cue.

Gathering storm clouds blotted out the already scarce light.

Beneath the dim sky, the thugs—no, calling them that now felt entirely inappropriate.

Their formidable, predatory bearing was more akin to that of seasoned veterans, forged through countless trials of blood and fire.

Without a word, they seamlessly formed a square formation.

No commands were shouted, no orders barked, yet their perfectly synchronized footsteps echoed through the empty street, splashing water with every stride.

****

“What in the world is happening?”

Liu Yu’s steps faltered, her eyes widening at the strange transformation unfolding within the throng.

The once pathetic thugs had metamorphosed into a disciplined army; Liu Yu knew, with a certainty that resonated to her very core, this was unequivocally the work of some supernatural force.

And in this world, the only ones possessing such power were likely…

‘Could it be another pack of Black Bloods, emerging from who knew where? The Blood Kin alone were already a persistent nuisance.’

“—Did you hear that?”

Villy’s voice interrupted her silent grumbling.

“Hear what?”

The dark-haired girl’s expression was grave. “I heard… singing. It was very faint, very indistinct. But it was definitely a song, one I couldn’t understand.”

“Let me listen…”

Liu Yu strained her ears, trying to discern the song her friend spoke of, yet despite her efforts, all she could hear was the relentless drumming of the rain.

‘Was my hearing truly that bad?’

Under Villy’s expectant gaze, she mumbled evasively, “I heard something, but it’s too faint to distinguish.”

“Just as I thought…?”

The dark-haired girl murmured to herself:

“I recall some Black Bloods can manipulate the minds of living beings through sound, subtly turning them into puppets.

Doesn’t this situation strike you as remarkably similar?”

Though phrased as a question, Villy uttered it with an air of certainty.

As the thugs steadily advanced, she tugged Liu Yu away, moving in the opposite direction of the approaching crowd:

“I’ve already contacted Yao Jing. He said he’ll arrive as soon as possible and told us to protect ourselves in the meantime…”

****

“WHOOSH!”

A sharp whistle sliced through the air, cutting through the drumming rain.

An iron bar was hurled from the midst of the thugs, aimed directly at the two retreating figures.

Catching the sight from the corner of her eye, the grey-haired girl deliberately fell back a step, her petite frame perfectly shielding Villy’s back.

Shrouded in shifting black mist, she absorbed the incoming attack.

“CLANG.”

The harmless projectile clattered to Liu Yu’s feet.

Under the protection of her shadows, even the attacks of Black Bloods were negligible, let alone a mere iron bar imbued only with brute force.

Liu Yu stepped on the iron bar, vaguely discerning a familiar ‘duck-voiced’ figure in the crowd whom she’d met once before.

Now, his eyes burned with an unwavering resolve, like a true warrior, utterly devoid of his previous timidity.

“Pfft.”

This bizarre contrast made the girl burst into laughter.

She said, “It seems they don’t intend to let us go, do they? But—my dearest Miss Villy~.”

She drew out her words, complaining amidst Villy’s blushing cheeks, “Could you possibly let go of my hand? It’s rather hard to fight when you’re clinging to me like this.”

“…”

Her hand was abruptly released, and she was met with an inexplicable glare.

‘Good heavens, why is this woman suddenly so fierce? Wasn’t she always so soft and easy to tease?’

Liu Yu rubbed her already somewhat useless right hand, grumbling inwardly.

Yet, she then heard the dark-haired girl’s disdainful voice: “They’re getting closer.

If you’re going, go now. Don’t stand in front of me, being an eyesore.”

‘Is she going through menopause?’

Confronted by the girl’s sudden change of demeanor, Liu Yu instinctively wanted to engage in their usual spirited sparring, but her gut feeling warned her that this was not the time.

After a moment’s thought, she happened to notice Villy’s clothes, now thoroughly damp from the rain.

A sudden idea struck her.

In a swift motion, she shrugged off her overcoat and draped it over the dark-haired girl, offering a fawning smile as she said:

“Quick, put it on.

Be careful not to catch a cold.

I have my shadows to protect me from getting wet, but you’re different.

With just a normal person’s physique, you’ll easily fall ill if you get soaked.”

“—You.”

Villy was starting to wonder if this little rascal had been ‘PUA-ing’ her all along; this ‘hit-and-then-sweeten-the-deal’ tactic was certainly not new.

They say, the most skilled hunters often appear in the guise of their prey.

Could she have been feigning this idiotic act to toy with me all this time?

Amidst her wild thoughts, her gaze inadvertently met those sparkling, magnificent eyes, like distant stars.

‘…She’s truly adorable.’

The girl couldn’t help but exclaim, and the slight annoyance festering in her heart vanished instantly.

Even the most critical person could find no fault with Liu Yu’s appearance.

In this era, saved by Heroes, the very existence of Heroes was the trend itself.

Statistics even showed that since the Great Migration, human aesthetics had gradually shifted towards those well-known Heroes.

And Liu Yu, who bore an almost identical resemblance to Vanguard, was undoubtedly a beauty naturally perched at the apex of the aesthetic pyramid…

‘Never mind, PUA or not, what does it matter?’

‘She’ll get her comeuppance eventually.’

With that thought, Villy couldn’t resist sneaking another glance at the girl beside her.

Having shed her overcoat, Liu Yu was now clad only in a thin short-sleeved shirt, and with every slight movement, her graceful, well-proportioned figure was highlighted with stunning clarity.

‘Whoa, what on earth does this girl eat to grow like that?’

“Ahem, they’re coming.

Be careful.”

Reluctantly tearing her gaze away, Villy urged Liu Yu to prepare for battle.

The thug army was now just a short distance from them, their formidable aura seeming to tear through the storm clouds above.

“Don’t worry, they’re just cannon fodder, not even worth calling minnows.”

To prove her words true, the grey-haired girl entered her Carnivorous Hound combat mode.

With a flicker of thought, dark shadows converged around her feet.

Finally, she lifted her right leg, aimed at the iron bar beneath her foot, and targeted the crowd…

Then, she kicked it gently.

“WHOOSH!”

Driven by terrifying power, the iron bar shot towards the thugs.

Even with most of her strength restrained, it still far exceeded the capabilities of any normal human to counter.

“It’s a hit! A home run!”

Accompanied by Liu Yu’s cheer, the iron bar tore through the thugs like a tiger unleashed into a pack of wolves, effortlessly scattering their orderly formation.

The once formidable army instantly devolved into a scattered rout, with only a handful of thugs barely able to remain standing.

“In bowling, it’s called a perfect game.”

Watching the self-satisfied little girl, Villy instinctively corrected her.

However, even after witnessing the destruction wrought by Black Bloods like the Blood Kin and Elves, the power Liu Yu displayed still sent a shiver of dread through her.

It was precisely this power, far surpassing common understanding, that rendered conventional armaments utterly useless.

In a sense, this might have been why the military’s role had been consolidated.

—The notion of overwhelming Black Bloods with sheer numbers had become an impossibility in the face of such absolute power.

“CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!”

“You stay put, I’ll be right back.”

As the old saying goes, if you’re going to see a Buddha off, see them all the way to the Western Paradise.

To ensure these people were ‘neat and tidy,’ Liu Yu tossed out a remark before charging into the crowd, knocking down all the remaining small fry.

For good measure, she even gave each of them an extra kick, ensuring the thugs would absolutely not be getting up again anytime soon…

“Look out!”