The corners of Chu Lian's delicate lips curved into a faint smile as she looked at the changes before her. Her strength had increased again, hadn't it? It was probably because of today's series of fierce battles—some hidden power within her had leaked out and been absorbed by her own body.
That was the only explanation she could think of. Otherwise, she truly didn't know how to explain the sudden surge in her attributes. Of course, her reasoning wasn't exactly wrong—it was just slightly off the mark.
"Lian, you're smiling," Inori said softly. After comforting Chu Chu, she had closed her eyes to rest, but now she turned her head slightly toward Chu Lian, speaking in a gentle tone.
"Mm, it's good news. Once my body recovers, you'll understand," Chu Lian replied with a warm smile. This girl always noticed even the smallest changes in her—as if she could see right through her every shift and feeling.
"Then, can you feel what's changed in me?" Inori suddenly reached out and placed her right hand over her heart, asking in a quiet voice.
"Could it be…" Chu Lian's eyes lit up with sudden realization. Using the system's interface, she scanned Inori's status—and found that her attributes had changed quite a bit as well.
Inori Yuzuriha: Heroine of Guilty Crown, an artificial human. A member of the Resistance and one of the most famous online songstresses under the name Egoist.
She was originally the resurrection vessel for Mana Ouma, the embodiment of the Apocalypse Virus. After the destruction of the Guilty Crown world, she drifted through countless timelines, was touched by a mysterious power, and through her time with Chu Lian and the others, she came to understand emotions—becoming an individual with her own identity.
Three souls dwell within her body: Inori herself; Mana Ouma, who was separated from the Apocalypse Virus; and Eve, a fusion of the Apocalypse Virus' core consciousness and the world's will.
Though Inori is the dominant soul, the other two can manifest through her body under certain conditions.
Attributes: Strength 34, Stamina 32, Agility 37, Spiritual Perception 40, Spiritual Power: A
(Due to the contract, her attributes will grow alongside her contractor's, and can also increase independently. They are not restricted by the contractor's power.)
Abilities: Void Greatsword, Deathblow, Lost Christmas, Premonition (Mana Ouma), Apocalypse Descent (Eve)
Void Greatsword: Can be drawn from her body by the Void Controller, formed from her own genetic Void. As one of the highest-level Void abilities, the Void Greatsword possesses unimaginable destructive power. The stronger the user, the greater the weapon's potential. While wielding it, all of Inori's attributes are increased by 50%, and she gains the ability to walk in the air and unleash all of her Spiritual Power in a single strike—"Void Ray." While in possession of the Void Greatsword, Inori's stats are further boosted by 10% of her contractor's attributes.
However, due to Inori's current limitations, most of the weapon's full power remains sealed. Original Rank: SS → Current Rank: AAA. Because of her unique genetic nature, the Void Greatsword can merge with other gene weapons to form even stronger, unique Voids.
Deathblow: A power obtained during her wanderings through space-time after being infected by a mysterious force.
Ability ①: Attacks have a chance to trigger an instant-kill effect, slaying the opponent in one blow. This trait is automatically applied to the Void Greatsword when it manifests. The activation rate depends on the difference in strength between user and target.
Ability ②: After every two attacks, the next one deals bonus Spiritual Power damage equal to (Strength + Stamina) / 2.
Lost Christmas: The Fallen Christmas. When activated, a crystalline flower born of the Apocalypse Virus blooms from her body, spreading viral crystals outward. All enemies within the affected area are immobilized for a time, and those too weak will die from infection.
When the skill ends, enemies still trapped within the bloom suffer 10%–90% of their maximum HP as damage, depending on their strength. Range and duration scale with Spiritual Power. Current range: 300 meters; duration: 1–10 seconds. After activation, Inori becomes weakened for three days.
Spirit Armor: Using the crystalline essence of the Apocalypse Virus, a full-body crystal shield forms around the user, offering absolute protection. As long as the shield remains intact, Inori will take no damage. Shield durability = Stamina × 10.
Spiritual Bullet: Condenses spiritual power into a bullet imbued with the infection ability of the Apocalypse Virus. Weaker enemies have a chance of being crystallized and erased. Even against stronger foes, there is a chance of partial crystallization on the targeted area.
Her attributes had risen slightly, but what surprised Chu Lian the most was that the system revealed how Inori's power could continue to grow—partly through Chu Lian's own strength and partly through Inori's personal potential. In other words, her growth was limitless.
That meant Inori would never be a useless person by her side. Though Chu Lian didn't mind protecting her forever, she worried that Inori might start overthinking things. Now, there was no need for concern.
Of course, beyond her attribute growth, Inori's newly gained abilities and skills were even more impressive. Even after extracting the Void Greatsword, Inori could still fight independently, and her power increased slightly by inheriting a portion of Chu Lian's attributes.
The Spirit Armor, meanwhile, provided her with an extraordinary layer of protection. With durability equal to Stamina × 10—that meant a 370-durability shield. In other words, it was as if she had an extra 370 HP.
To put it simply, even if Chu Lian herself wielded the Void Greatsword, it would take at least ten solid strikes to break through that shield. That was how tough it was.
The Spiritual Bullet further enhanced Inori's offensive strength, giving her a major advantage when using firearms.
Unfortunately, Inori's gun had yet to display its stats, and her cultivation method and innate talents remained undisclosed. Chu Lian didn't know whether the system simply couldn't detect them or if they hadn't yet unlocked. She could only wait for the day Inori would reveal them—she was sure it would be quite the surprise.
"Let me guess," Chu Lian said teasingly, "your strength increased again, didn't it?" But when she looked into Inori's beautiful wine-red eyes, her teasing words caught in her throat, and she had to change her tone mid-sentence.
Inori really had become her weakness in more ways than one.
"Mm," Inori nodded lightly. "After you defeated those monsters, a surge of power flowed into me. Its source… was you."
She didn't elaborate further, but Chu Lian understood what she meant.
It seemed her breakthrough had occurred right after the battle at Miss Sakurako's Café. Had Chu Lian not been seriously injured and distracted, she probably would have noticed much earlier.
Thinking of that, her mind drifted back to the changes she had noticed earlier in Tina and herself.
Tina's transformation went far beyond physical flexibility—the three new abilities she gained were astonishingly powerful, each more extraordinary than the last.
Spiritual Sight hadn't explained its precise effect, but when combined with the later Underworld Watcher—a natural nemesis of the undead—it clearly enhanced her spiritual perception, granting her eyes a special power. What exactly that power was, Chu Lian didn't yet know, but she would find out eventually.
Underworld Watcher was an ability purely designed to annihilate undead-type enemies. Wherever she appeared, any undead weaker than her stood no chance. The name "Watcher" was misleading—she wasn't merely observing; she was guarding, keeping the undead from wreaking havoc.
The last ability, Transformation, might have seemed inferior to the first two, but Chu Lian could sense something far deeper about it—something she couldn't quite describe, yet felt instinctively powerful.
Especially that final line: "Tina will no longer fully obey her master and may act on her own will at times." Chu Lian didn't think the system wrote that as a mere note—there was likely a greater meaning hidden within.
Regardless, for now, it simply meant she could save Dream Points when traveling with Tina, and the cat could move freely without constant supervision. In battle, that freedom would also prove invaluable.
After all, a being capable of shifting freely between spiritual and physical form—darting between the tangible and the intangible—with both strength and agility on par with elite fighters, was a nightmare opponent. Especially if Tina appeared behind an enemy in spirit form, then instantly switched to combat form… the battle might end before it even began.
Compared to Tina's transformation, Chu Lian's own changes were not minor either. Even setting aside her attribute increases, the fact that the system had finally filled in her long-empty "Spiritual Perception" field alone was enough to make her elated.
Moreover, the long-dormant energies within her body had begun to stir and evolve—the first two, Spiritual Power and Magic Power, had both advanced by one rank. Though her usable power levels remained the same for now, the improvement itself meant her potential was no longer shackled.
The new title, Eastern Dream, was most likely a result of her experience at Mount Li. If she were back in her homeland, she might already be hearing others call her by that name.
Her new talent, Rose of the Eternal Bloom, gave her pause. Absentmindedly, she touched the center of her chest, where a small white rose lay. That must be the so-called Rose of the Eternal Bloom—what would happen once it bloomed, she wondered?
In the skills list, two new entries had appeared—Spiritual Bullet and Spiritual Blast—both abilities she had frequently used in recent battles. Their appearance here meant the system had officially recognized them as legitimate skills.
Beyond that, not much else had changed. The items section had gained a Black Snow Princess Outfit, and a few of her proficiencies had risen slightly—but that was all.
"So, I've reached the intermediate stage of the Spirit Rank, huh? Just a few attribute increases were enough to raise me a whole tier… How exactly are these ranks determined, anyway? The cultivation world, the Otherside, the alternate worlds, and this one—they're all becoming more and more intriguing…"
She withdrew from her thoughts, one hand absently stroking Tina's fur while the other supported her chin as she gazed out the window, sinking once more into quiet contemplation.
The night had deepened. The once silent road suddenly showed faint, shifting silhouettes—and within the darkness, an elusive killing intent flickered in and out of existence…