Chapter 415: Hunting Game

Countless beings with bright red eyes stare at the Evolution Medusa.

By the common sense in their hearts, this situation could never occur to a phantom.

After Medusa endures the pain, a huge delight shows in her eyes, and her hair, like swimming snakes, fully revives.

Her golden vertical pupils snap open, and pale violet magic shimmers and flows over her body.

Her previously jet‑black long hair is entirely replaced by little snakes, which gently sway in midair with elegance and grace, slowly unfurling.

The pink‑gray scales cover Medusa's pretty feminine face; after a while, all the magic retracts into her body, and she has already adapted to this suddenly surging power.

She kneels before Jiang Xia like the most faithful servant; she has been reborn, as if newly born.

Her inner loyalty is fully awakened; from beginning to end she obeys the Sage's orders to seek out magical humans and make them fall, not because she wishes to gain companions, but because the Sage needs newly‑born phantoms to hold a witch's night banquet.

Therefore Jiang Xia's reward and approval are extremely important to her, important enough that she would give her life for them.

"Do any of you still have objections to harming humans?" Jiang Xia asks.

This time, no phantom dares to voice any dissent; the first one has already shown its fate, and the fear in their hearts now dominates the phantoms.

For beasts, displaying strength can earn everyone's approval.

"Very good, you have obeyed my command, so you should receive a chance," Jiang Xia says, "a chance to evolve like Medusa."

All phantoms look up at once, the fear of death and disappearance that once lingered vanishes in an instant; in this factory, silent enough to hear the white smoke hiss, their fervent gazes are like wolves eyeing fresh meat, eager.

All phantoms await Jiang Xia's orders; what guides human despair, what ring‑wearing magus—none of that matters any longer.

Now the important question is how to obtain the Evolution opportunity; it certainly isn't without cost, something must be paid, but regardless of the slaughter required, they will do it.

"This is a hunting game; only the strongest can seize the chance to control their destiny, while the losers become sacrifices, consumed as material for Evolution."

Jiang Xia descends slowly from the heights, watching these red‑eyed "hounds," and says, "I will select one phantom among you; whoever kills it first will earn the Evolution chance, and the loser will be devoured by the victor."

"Initially, I intended to kill a few disobedient phantoms as prizes for the hunting tournament, but only Ba Li Xi Bu stepped forward; you're all so obedient, what a pity, so the chosen phantom will be selected according to my mood."

The phantoms, upon hearing Jiang Xia, collectively lower the heads they had raised in a swift motion.

It's like a student being asked a question by a teacher; though their heart brims with refusal, no one can defy the teacher's authority.

Jiang Xia looks around; he now somewhat understands the feeling of a teacher on the podium—no matter who is prepared to answer, seeing such silence indeed stirs emotion.

"Of course, as your Sage, I am impartial; if a phantom chosen as a sacrifice evades the hunt within the allotted game time, its reward will be an ultimate magic gem."

After scanning the area, Jiang Xia fixes his gaze on the verdant figure and says:

"I just accepted Guleimlin's reward, so let Guleimlin be this hunt's target."

"What!" Guleimlin lifts his head in terror.

At the instant he looks up, the phantoms that had bowed all stand, as if pre‑arranged, surrounding him with perfect coordination.

"By the way, the only rule is that humans may not be harmed; after all, humans are our essential source, and this rule applies to all phantoms. You wouldn't want to know the consequence of breaking it."

Only now do the phantoms realize the no‑harm‑to‑humans rule is for hunting preparation, and stating it early was merely to see which would disobey and be turned into prizes.

And the only lesson they learn from that unlucky soul is that the Sage's orders tolerate no questioning, no matter how absurd.

When Jiang Xia announces the rules, he waves his hand, and golden, tooth‑like objects fall from the sky, piercing every phantom present until they fully merge inside.

"Then, let the hunt begin."

"Boom!" The gargoyle phantom unfurls its twin wings behind, and with steel‑cutting claws it viciously claws at Guleimlin; gargoyles serve as wizard slaves in myth, and now it lives up to that role.

Guleimlin's body rapidly mutates into a monstrous form; it turns green, a phantom modeled after a little tree spirit, wielding two long swords, and collides directly with the airborne gargoyle phantom.

Guleimlin is instantly blasted away by the massive impact; being small, its only advantage is speed, and against the stone‑hard gargoyle phantom, it is like a goblin stared down by a dragon.

Nevertheless, as a phantom's most escape‑skilled officer, Guleimlin rolls on the ground, his body becoming a fleeting shadow that darts away.

Simultaneously, the steel factory's doors and glass shatter, and the phantoms, bearing their own wishes, break through the restraints.

Dozens of flying phantoms snap their jagged wings open, letting out hunting cries as they speed through the air,

soaring aloft like the followers of ancient wall‑painting deities.

Those flying above, those running below, the invisible and the burrowing all aim toward the same direction.

Having reverted to human form, Medusa rises from the ground, fixes her gaze on the admiring Jiang Xia and asks, "Sage, I have a question."

She's learned to be cautious, not daring to pose the question outright, because the Sage may not answer; thus the manner of expressing doubt now matters.

Although she feels the Sage's personality seems to have changed slightly, she thinks this change isn't bad; at least the benefit is tangible.

"Ask, Medusa."

"I want to ask, why did you choose Guleimlin as the sacrifice? It shouldn't have been a spur‑of‑the‑moment decision," Medusa asks, puzzled.

"Oh?" Jiang Xia looks at Medusa with a different gaze; he indeed hides no malice toward Guleimlin, yet not everyone can discern it.

"The Sage's eyes change when he sees Guleimlin, so I think Guleimlin must have done something to anger you," Medusa says judgmentally.

"Indeed, Guleimlin truly infuriated me; both his deeds as a human and as a phantom were excessive," Jiang Xia admits.

Guleimlin boasts of having a human heart, yet when he was the human Long Jiang Kong, he was a serial killer.

Photos of the victims could cover three blackboards, and his chosen targets were young women in white clothing with long black hair.

He lured those girls using his barber identity, then cut their hair with scissors and finally killed them.

Someone who tramples lives has no right to be called human; even if he weren't a phantom, Jiang Xia would still kill him.

After the second failed resurrection ritual of Di Mu Li, Guleimlin exploited the gap to not only kill Di Mu Li and seize the Philosopher's Stone, but also attempted to fill the Stone's magic with human lives.

No matter the deed, once it falls into his hands there is no chance of survival.

Now using him as bait for the hunt is simply to let him feel what true despair is.

Death itself isn't frightening; waiting to die, or after he truly escapes the hunt, having Jiang Xia snatch away his hope, that is the real suffering.

"Humans?" Medusa asks, puzzled about what the human period means, but seeing Jiang Xia give no answer, she stops asking.

Jiang Xia walks out of the dilapidated factory; his phantom exterior slowly retracts into his body, revealing his true face.

When Medusa sees Jiang Xia voluntarily reveal his human form, she smiles with delight, not expecting the Sage's true face to be so young and handsome.

"Medusa," Jiang Xia says.

"Yes, Wise One." Medusa swallowed, forcing her attention elsewhere.

"Come with me somewhere."

"All right." (End of chapter)