Chapter 52: Sisters

In the cave, former friends, even siblings, began cruelly tearing each other apart.

“Clang!”

The dagger and claws collided, faintly ringing like metal.

The slender demon and the agile leopard-woman assassin crashed together—and the smaller assassin, despite her size, seized the advantage in raw power.

The furious brute strength came from boiling blood; Talia’s exceptional racial Tianfu granted her explosive power and strength unfitting for an assassin.

The twin poisoned daggers spun like dual blades, one fast, one slow.

With the acceleration Tianfu , she displayed astonishingly precise control.

Blocking and countering were the foundation of dual blades; shifting rhythm was the prerequisite for lethal strikes, accumulating wounds while also accumulating poison.

The demon, at a disadvantage in direct combat, was stunned by the growing number of new wounds on her body, yet still dared to boast.

“Impressive, impressive, Big Sis—you’ve grown far stronger than before. I thought my current self would be stronger, but how long can you last? A minute? Thirty seconds?!” Haiya spoke the plain truth.

Talia’s two powerful racial Tianfu were both extremely draining, extremely brief in duration, and carried severe aftereffects.

Lightning Phantom Dance (Bronze) could even induce bullet-time sensory acceleration, but after the power faded, it left the user sluggish and mentally scattered.

Bloodlust Rampage (Silver) granted berserk strength and boosted all attributes, but the exhaustion aftereffect was nearly equivalent to a battlefield death sentence.

In Haiya’s memory, the assassin Talia had only ever unleashed this one burst.

Either live, or die—classic assassin, classic creed.

So the frenzied demon simply abandoned defense, relying on her regeneration and vitality to endure.

She believed Talia couldn’t last long, that she’d soon weaken.

But that was the past Talia—the Talia of her memories.

“Crack.”

A syringe plunged directly into Talia’s shoulder.

The specially formulated “mixed venom” surged through her veins, instantly stimulating her heart into frantic, blood-pumping spasms.

“Ugh.” She gasped heavily, her body visibly swelling, “Rampage” intensified with the boiling blood.

Simultaneously, the paralyzing venom completely dulled her fatigue and pain, while the activated heart granted enhanced endurance and explosive power—good children shouldn’t try this; any normal person would drop dead instantly!

Meanwhile, parts of Talia’s flesh, under the activation of her Zhiyenengli , began to turn ethereal.

Shadow particles replenished her body, granting greater resilience and stamina.

“Shadow Poison Spike?!” Haiya was startled—this was exceedingly rare.

A rare and potent third-tier assassin advancement, skilled in enhancing oneself and weakening opponents through venom, using shadow power to boost overall capability.

Its signature semi-elemental (shadow) body greatly extended the duration of poison and rampage effects.

But the advancement required venom mastery, toxin-resistance training, and shadow Tianfu —a progression far too demanding to be common.

Like many seasoned Qiangzhe , Talia used her Zhiyenengli to compensate for the weaknesses of her racial Tianfu .

Physical hardware (evolved race and racial Tianfu ) and software (profession, soul abilities) complemented each other, forming a superior combat system and logic.

Except…

“Talia! You’re using Black Deceit Spike’s power? How can you still have the face to become a police officer?!” This rare advancement belonged exclusively to a notorious assassin organization in the western continent, infamous for orchestrating terror events.

Perhaps child-killing wasn’t Talia’s darkest past.

“What matters isn’t whether power itself is good or evil—it’s who holds the knife and who it stabs.”

Even in rampage, Talia spoke steadily.

Her semi-elemental body granted her greater control.

“Hah, you’re always right, always correct… it’s disgusting! You’re a filthy killer, yet you keep lecturing us with grand morals, saying—”

“Dina, it’s not too late. People like us still have a future. Our power can still be used for the right purpose.” She recognized her sister.

Her earlier hesitation and confusion vanished; now Talia pleaded sincerely.

She had realized it—just as Li En said—her power was hard-won, and still held value.

“Too late! It’s always too late!”

The deranged Haiya no longer cared for blades or poison; she merely lowered her head and wildly swung her claws.

“I’m a monster, a man-eater—how can I turn back? Why should I turn back?!” One claw, then another, forcing Talia to retreat step by step.

“Aaaaaaah!” Haiya grew more unhinged; her claws swelled, twisted, and her strength became uncontrollable.

“Boom!”

Finally, even Talia’s rampaged, blade-wielding arm suffered a greater physical disparity.

Her right hand was shattered by the brute force, the daggers flying from her grip.

“Boom.”

It was Talia, flung directly by Haiya’s blow.

“Smack!” She slammed hard into the wall.

The woman rolled far across the ground, while Haiya, gasping heavily, stared at her with unblinking eyes.

“Clang.”

A silver-armored knight stepped forward, sword raised before her.

Li En had arrived; the holy sword blazed with radiant holy light.

He silently raised his blade—this time, he was certain he could slay the evil Horned Adept.

“Li En.”

But his arm was seized by the woman.

He turned to see the leopard-woman’s pleading eyes.

Let it go? No—she wouldn’t do that.

“You know her…” Li En’s voice was bitter; he had seen through everything.

“Yes… she’s my sister. My best sister.”

Talia stood up, twisted her wrist with a “crack,” forcing the broken bone back into place.

She took a deep breath, picked up her twin daggers again, stepped past Li En, and walked silently toward her waiting opponent.

Li En sighed helplessly; since she didn’t want him to interfere, he could only watch.

But his sword remained gripped in his hand—he was always a bastard who prioritized results.

Throughout this, Haiya remained standing silently.

She didn’t flee, didn’t attack, not even a single beastly roar.

“I’m not Dina,” she said slowly.

“Dina… I’m sorry.”

Assassins still chose to kill each other.

Trade wounds for wounds, blood for blood.

Daggers and claws exchanged blows; both sides grew more wounded.

The female assassin became a shadow, leaping across the battlefield; the beast-fused Horned Adept swelled and regenerated, trading flesh for her opponent’s wounds.

Fatigue accumulated, blood accumulated—in this civil war of former assassin partners, both displayed behavior far from “assassin-like.”

This battle didn’t last long—or rather, this style of combat could never last.

When both reached their limits, locked gazes, and mutually agreed to unleash their final strike, the survivor emerged naturally.

The rampaged leopard-woman entered rampage once more; she and her twin blades became streaking meteors.

The ferocious horned beast answered with a roar and a lunge.

Time halted—did these bloodless kin truly intend to kill each other?

“Aaaaaaah!” Haiya’s rampaged claws were about to strike Talia’s face.

But the lethal poisoned dagger pierced Haiya’s heart first.

At that moment, shadow and poison flooded the demon’s body—the infamous Deceit Spike ability erupted.

She, the assassin Dina, Horned Adept Haiya, might soon die.

But she could still crush her sister’s skull.

In the end, the clenched fist softened into fingers gently caressing Talia’s cheek, wiping away her tears.

“Boom.”

Haiya Dina collapsed to the ground.

Compared to Heke, Haiya’s regeneration was clearly far weaker… had she not eaten enough?

Her body visibly turned to black ash—perhaps this was the fate of those who borrowed beastly power.

“Dina…” Talia knelt on the ground, tears uncontrollably falling.

Tears landed on Haiya’s cheek; the monster seemed to regain a sliver of reason.

“I’m not Dina. I’m… Ben. Big Sis… thank you for letting me go. Sorry… for making you do this painful thing.”

The monster, before death, returned to human form.

“Foolish Dina. How could a sister ever mistake her sister?”

“Foolish sister. The one calling others fools is the real fool.”

This—perhaps the ugliest smile—was also the most unforgettable.

Ashes scattered; only the weeping sister remained.

The weeping lasted only a moment; the female assassin rose again.

When all fell silent, Li En stepped first through the cave entrance.

"Let's go. It's time to end this and make these bastards pay."

(End of Chapter)