Chapter 66: The Power of a Soul Vessel

The woman’s body froze, and her pupils, previously constricted in pain, suddenly lost focus.

Several tense seconds passed in silence before her eyes suddenly opened once again. This time, every trace of emotion had vanished, and the face that had just been filled with fear and concern became eerily calm.

Albert quickly noticed the change, and he tightened his grip on his staff. "Elena?"

The woman slowly turned her head, looking first at Albert, then Victor, and finally, she smiled. But this was not the gentle expression carrying traces of Elena’s habits from before; this smile was completely unfamiliar.

"Finally, I get to meet you."

Victor tightened his grip on Crimson Flame Fang. "You know me?"

"Of course." The woman lowered her head and flexed her fingers as though she had only just begun adjusting to this body. "Victor Alves, nineteen years old, the sole heir of Duke Alves, and once nothing more than a noble young master of little value."

She raised her head again. "Then, starting from a certain day, you suddenly changed."

This was no longer a big secret. Elias knew, the fake Ron knew, and now this second personality knew as well. However, her next sentence was completely different from what the previous two had said.

"We’ve been observing you for twenty three days."

"And what was the result?"

"The result?" The corners of the woman’s lips lifted slightly. "You’ve disappointed us because, even now, we still haven’t figured out..."

She stared directly at Victor. "How exactly you’re doing it."

Just like with Ron and Elias, she did not know about the System, and with that, the last trace of concern in Victor’s heart disappeared. As long as they did not know what his core advantage was, he still held the advantage.

"Then keep investigating." Victor raised Crimson Flame Fang. "But answer my questions first."

"You think you’re qualified to question me?"

"Whether I am or not..." Victor glanced toward the Star Devouring Shadow Beast, which was already preparing to attack again. "Survive first. Then we’ll talk."

The woman’s smile stiffened slightly, and in the next second, the Star Devouring Shadow Beast vanished.

Whoosh!

It erupted from the ground, its enormous jaws opening wide, yet the woman under the control of the second personality did not dodge. Just as its fangs were about to close around her shoulder, a layer of silver gray starlight suddenly exploded behind her!

Boom!

The Star Devouring Shadow Beast was forcibly knocked off course, but it did not fly away. Instead, it twisted in midair and slashed downward with one claw.

Rip!

Flesh tore apart as the woman’s left shoulder, along with a large section of her research uniform, was ripped open, but no normal blood sprayed out. Rather, the wound revealed layers upon layers of silver threads.

For the first time, Victor truly saw the inside of this vessel. Bones existed, and muscles existed as well, but large portions of tissue had already been replaced by some extremely complex astral material.

No wonder she had no normal heartbeat.

At its core, this thing was not truly a human body after all.

The second personality glanced down at the wound, but there was still no pain on her face. "Failed products really are troublesome."

Failed product? Victor quickly caught those words.

"Zero is just a failed product?"

The woman looked at him, seeming to realize she had said too much, but it was already too late.

"So there’s a Number One, a Number Two, or even more?"

Ignoring his question, she raised her hand, and silver mana suddenly condensed. Its target was not the Star Devouring Shadow Beast. It was Victor!

"Victor!" Albert’s voice rang out, but Victor had already moved sideways in advance. Before the woman’s mana truly erupted, Combat Intuition had already sent him an extremely clear warning of danger.

Boom!

A silver gray beam grazed past his shoulder and pierced through three large trees behind him, but it did not stop there, as a second beam was already forming.

"Looks like you didn’t come here to talk." Victor’s gaze turned completely cold.

"I originally didn’t want to kill you this early," the woman said indifferently. "But you’ve seen too much, and..."

Her gaze fell on Victor’s chest. "Hand over that chip."

"You want it?" Victor smiled. "Come take it yourself."

Boom!

Starlight erupted beneath the woman’s feet, and she charged forward almost instantly. However, before she could cross even half the distance, a golden chain erupted from the ground.

Snap!

It wrapped around her waist in an instant.

Albert gently turned his staff, and a second chain appeared, followed by a third. Six golden chains emerged from different directions, sealing the woman’s limbs.

"I’m still here." The vice dean’s voice remained calm. "Attacking an academy student right in front of me... Are you looking down on me that much?"

At those words, the second personality frowned. She clearly knew Albert was powerful, which was why she had deliberately avoided provoking him ever since appearing.

However, the next second, she suddenly smiled. "Albert, you’re still exactly the same as you were three years ago."

The vice dean’s movements paused for an instant. And in just that brief instant, silver light exploded within the woman’s pupils!

Boom!

All six chains trembled simultaneously.

"Do you know who approved Elena’s final failed experiment..." Her voice began to change. Half belonged to the unfamiliar personality currently controlling the body, while the other half had somehow become Elena’s voice again. "...three years ago?"

"What are you talking about?" Albert’s expression wavered.

That brief falter caused the golden chains loosened for the briefest instant, and astral energy erupted from the woman’s entire body.

Under the shocked and somewhat confused gazes of Albert and Victor, she charged directly toward the Star Devouring Shadow Beast!

’What is she trying to do?’ Victor’s eyes flashed.

The next moment, the woman slammed one hand directly onto the Star Devouring Shadow Beast’s head. The beast, which had been preparing to attack her, suddenly seemed to fall under the control of something, and its entire body stiffened violently as silver gray patterns rapidly spread from the woman’s palm across its entire body.

[Warning!]

[Forced astral connection detected.]

[Zero Astral Vessel is attempting to control the Star Devouring Shadow Beast.]

’This...’ Victor’s expression darkened as he immediately understood what was happening.

"Stop her!"

Albert had clearly realized it as well. A vast wave of golden light immediately descended. However, the second personality seemed to have anticipated exactly what would happen, and she suddenly turned toward Victor.

"Haven’t you always wanted to know why we chose Leah?"

Victor gave no reply, simply taking a battle stance biz sword held out.

"Because the Astral Spirit Envoy isn’t important." The woman smiled. "What’s important is her Astral Core."

Boom!

Every silver black marking within the Star Devouring Shadow Beast suddenly lit up, and an extraordinarily powerful resonance instantly spread throughout the entire trial ground.