Apocalypse Back Mountain, near the Cave.
The roar of helicopter propellers approached from the distance.
One, two, three... a total of five heavy transport helicopters slowly lowered their altitude, hovering over the clearing specially prepared on the back mountain.
The cabin doors opened, and massive slings descended. Special transparent containers filled with seawater were carefully lowered down.
Inside the containers were swarms of Blue-Ringed Octopuses.
Those palm-sized creatures writhed in the cramped space, the deep blue rings on their bodies shimmering with a lethal glow in the sunlight.
They were among the most venomous creatures in the world; the toxin from a single one was enough to kill more than twenty adults.
And now, they were being dumped in batches into a massive pool dug in advance.
Forti stood by the pool, his dark red pupils scanning the dense blue spots of light as he frowned slightly.
He signaled with his hand, and as the last batch of containers was emptied, the fleet of helicopters turned around and roared away.
"That should be enough."
He muttered to himself.
"It's enough for the Master to complete this evolution."
He turned around and waved his hand at the surrounding guards.
"Everyone, evacuate the back mountain. No one is allowed to approach without my order."
The guards saluted in unison and quickly disappeared into the woods.
Forti took one last look at the faint darkness deep within the Cave, bowed slightly, and then turned to leave as well.
Silence returned to the back mountain.
Only the occasional splashing of the Blue-Ringed Octopuses in the pool and heavy footsteps from deep within the Cave could be heard.
A figure massive enough to blot out the sun slowly stepped out of the darkness.
The silver-white Exoskeleton reflected a cold metallic luster in the sunlight. On the hideous crest, four crimson slit pupils narrowed slightly, adjusting to the change in light.
The pair of dragon wings folded behind her back, even when stationary, had their Wing Blades resting on the ground, carving deep furrows.
Apocalypse's loli leader.
This was her true form—
A Bloodlust tyrant!
Lilith took heavy steps toward the edge of the pool.
Her four crimson slit pupils looked down at the dense blue dots in the pool with a calm gaze.
She lowered her head.
Feeding.
No technique, no elegance.
For her current massive size, those palm-sized Blue-Ringed Octopuses were merely food to be swallowed.
Her giant maw opened, and a crimson tongue flicked out from between her sharp teeth, giving a gentle sweep.
Dozens of Blue-Ringed Octopuses disappeared into the depths of her mouth.
No chewing. No tasting.
Only swallowing.
The blue spots of light in the pool diminished at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Those venomous creatures that once struck terror into countless marine life didn't even have the right to struggle before a true apex predator.
Lilith could clearly feel that as each Blue-Ringed Octopus entered her belly, the Gene Dominator talent began to operate frantically, decomposing, absorbing, and assimilating those unique genetic fragments.
System notifications rang out one after another in her mind.
[Blue-Ringed Octopus Gene Fragments +2%... Current progress 89%]
[+1%... 90%]
[+2%... 92%]
[+1%... 93%]
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
The last Blue-Ringed Octopus in the pool was swept into her mouth and vanished.
Lilith raised her head, her four crimson slit pupils narrowing slightly.
[Blue-Ringed Octopus Gene Fragments: 100%]
[Complete Blue-Ringed Octopus gene sequence detected. Mutation can be initiated.]
[Please select Mutation direction—]
Lilith was in no hurry to choose.
Her consciousness sank into her body, feeling the newly integrated genetic power surging and churning in her bloodline, awaiting her guidance and decision.
A light screen unfolded before her eyes, and three options appeared one by one.
[Option 1: "Soft Body Reconstruction"]
Break free from the constraints of bones and gain partial characteristics of invertebrate organisms. The body can adapt to more terrains and pass through narrow areas that were previously impassable.
[Option 2: "Pufferfish Toxin"]
A walking biological weapon. A permanent poison sac is generated within the body, which can store and synthesize various toxins. As the types of ingested toxins increase, they can be fused and upgraded, with toxicity growing exponentially.
[Option 3: "Optical Camouflage"]
Obtain concealment capabilities comparable to the Abyssal Walker path. Can actively adjust body surface color and texture according to the environment to achieve near-perfect visual invisibility.
Lilith's four slit pupils scanned the three options in turn.
The first one, [Soft Body Reconstruction].
Blue-Ringed Octopuses have no bones and can twist their bodies at will, passing through any gap larger than themselves.
But her evolution path had been a combination of Exoskeleton and strength from the very beginning; giving up bones for flexibility would be like crippling her own martial prowess.
The second one, [Pufferfish Toxin].
Her gaze lingered on this option.
A permanent poison sac generated internally. Storing and synthesizing various toxins. Toxins can be fused and upgraded as the variety of consumed toxic substances increases.
This meant she could become a walking biological weapons depot.
Given her current size, the amount of toxin she could store would be enough to poison any ordinary carbon-based life on this earth.
And as she devoured more toxic substances, the toxins in her body would continuously fuse and upgrade, eventually forming a unique, non-immunizable, complex lethal toxin.
More importantly...
She looked at her claws covered in Exoskeleton and her Tail Blade encased in dark red metal.
If these toxins were applied to her claws and Tail Blade, every cut would carry lethal toxic damage.
Opponents would not only have to endure her physical attacks but also constantly fight against the erosion of toxins within their bodies.
The third option, [Optical Camouflage].
Lilith only spared it a glance before looking away.
Concealment capability.
She didn't need it.
She didn't need to adapt to the terrain, the environment, or hide in the shadows waiting for prey.
As long as she was strong enough—
She could make the environment adapt to her.
And leave the prey with nowhere to hide.
Her four crimson slit pupils finally settled on the second option.
"Option two."
Lilith spoke, her deep yet majestic, youthful voice echoing over the back mountain.
[Mutation direction confirmed: "Pufferfish Toxin"]
[Starting Mutation...]
No sooner had the words been spoken.
A familiar sharp pain suddenly exploded from deep within her body!
It was the agonizing pain of genetic reorganization and the construction of entirely new organs.
The Blue-Ringed Octopus genes were being forcibly dismantled, their core toxin synthesis capability extracted and then violently implanted into her original physical structure.
But Lilith remained motionless.
Her expression didn't even change.
Her four crimson slit pupils remained calm, only narrowing slightly, as if the pain tearing through her internal organs was merely a breeze brushing against her face.
She could have chosen to let her body enter a dormant state and complete the Mutation while unconscious.
But she didn't.
She wanted to adapt to this pain.
Every Mutation, every evolution, was a leap in the level of life.
She had to completely control this process, sensing the change in every cell and becoming familiar with every inch of her newborn body.
Only in this way could she perfectly harness her own power in future battles.