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Lycaon fell silent for a moment, the wolf's mouth beneath his mask twitching slightly before he finally murmured in awe:
"Such thunder… such swordsmanship… this is a Bangboo worthy of respect."
He had expected that Bangboo to struggle against the Dead End Butcher in its second phase.
Yet instead, before the monster had even finished evolving, it was split in two with a single stroke.
He hadn't underestimated the Bangboo's power at all. In fact… he had underestimated just how far Bangboo could go.
That violet Bangboo had completely shattered his long-held assumptions. He had thought Bangboo were beneath humans.
But now—no. Humans were far beneath Bangboo.
As a high-quality butler of Victoria Housekeeping, Lycaon had to admit… compared to that thunder-wielding Bangboo, he was lacking. Terribly lacking.
"It's rare to see Lord Lycaon so surprised," Rina said, smiling faintly. It had been so long since she'd seen him genuinely shaken that she couldn't even remember when the last time was.
"My apologies," Lycaon replied, regaining his composure with elegance. "Such a lapse is unbecoming of a butler."
"There's no need to blame yourself, Lord Lycaon," Rina reassured him gently. "Any citizen of New Eridu who saw that scene would have been astonished. Right, little Corin?"
Corin hugged the grip of her chainsaw tighter and nodded vigorously. "Yes! That Bangboo lady really… really left me speechless!"
"So, tell me—what kind of world are we living in," Ellen muttered, lips curling as she sighed. "Even Bangboo can become this powerful. Humans aren't even on their level anymore."
Normally lazy to the bone, she felt the stirrings of a crisis within her heart.
Bangboo were now out here cutting down Dead End Butchers, while she… was sneaking naps during her assignments.
No matter what excuse she made, she knew—she could never, ever split a Butcher in half with a single slash.
If Bangboo like this entered society, wouldn't they crush the already fragile job market for poor Sharkies like her?
And if she were replaced… she could only picture herself working at some maid café.
Should I… try harder?
No… what's the point? Even if I worked myself to death, I'd never beat that Bangboo. We Sharkies have limits.
Better to keep lying flat.
And yet… she couldn't shake the feeling that the Bangboo radiated the aura of a national leader.
Could it be… that these powerful Bangboo were plotting to rule New Eridu?
The world is broken. Let Bangboo stitch it back together.
Perhaps, just perhaps, living under Bangboo rule would be the kind of life sharkies like her actually wanted.
While Ellen drifted deeper into her ridiculous thoughts, Rina turned to Lycaon with a smile.
"Lord Lycaon, shall we go down and pay our respects to the Bangboo lady?"
"No. This is not the time," Lycaon shook his head. "As representatives of Victoria Housekeeping, to greet such a strong one, we must prepare with the utmost care."
"We must gather more intelligence, and be ready for a formal meeting in the future."
As he spoke, Lycaon's sharp eyes caught sight of another group approaching the battlefield: two female Peacekeepers, a man, and a white Bangboo.
According to his intel, that man was none other than Sol Mercer, the rising star of late.
So, this mysterious Bangboo really was connected to him.
…
Several hundred meters away, a white Bangboo with a scarf had stopped alongside one man and two women.
Led by Sol and Eous, they had arrived just in time to witness Baal's finishing strike—the most decisive slash of all.
The Dead End Butcher, bisected cleanly down the middle. A kilometer-long rift carved into the earth.
Impossible to miss. Impossible to ignore.
"By the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor above… I think my logic core and optical sensors are malfunctioning."
Qingyi rubbed her eyes, but the scene did not change.
A tiny violet Bangboo stood with her blade buried in the ground—the very same blade she had just watched cleave the Dead End Butcher in two.
No illusion. No mistake.
She had truly seen a Bangboo split the Dead End Butcher.
Zhu Yuan's rosy lips formed a round "O."
"So… Bangboo can have power like that too…"
Her worldview shattered, she couldn't help but glance toward Eous.
But the little white one was still just a round ball of fluff. Cute, yes. Deadly? Not even a little. On the way here it couldn't even run properly—Sol had to carry it.
And thinking of the Peacekeeper Bangboo she knew, even the best fighters among them were nothing like Baal.
Fine. Not every Bangboo was violet. Not every Bangboo could slay Notorious Ethereals.
"Unbelievable! A Bangboo just killed the Dead End Butcher!"
Belle, piloting Eous, couldn't help but shout her awe.
Live long enough, and you really do see everything. Today had opened her eyes.
"I told you my Bangboo would handle the Dead End Butcher."
Sol spread his hands, a little smug.
Baal had done well. She hadn't embarrassed him in the slightest.
In fact, that strike had been so overwhelming, even he had been caught off guard. Even with her natural +50% electric damage boost, the sheer destructive force had exceeded his expectations.
Clearly, while Baal wasn't one for raw physicality, her mastery of electromagnetism was something unique.
"Wait—she's your Bangboo?" Belle asked, piloting Eous as her curiosity peaked. "How on earth did you modify her?"
She wasn't going to lie. She was jealous.
A Bangboo that strong, and that cute? A perfect companion, bodyguard, and plush toy all in one.
She had already decided. She'd make Eous into one too—into a Bangboo capable of splitting Ethereals in half.
If another Bangboo could do it, then so could hers.
Eous forever! No weaker than any other Boo!
Eous: Mm? Mmm!
"She grew strong on her own," Sol replied casually. "I just like her the way she is—authentic."
If anyone wanted to know why Baal was so powerful, they'd have to ask what materials Ei had prepared for her sister, and what ridiculous abilities the System had handed out.
Because he sure didn't know.
"…Fine. Don't tell me then."
Belle sounded disappointed, piloting Eous with a pout.
In her entire life, she'd never heard of a Bangboo that could self-upgrade.
And yet, looking at Baal… it didn't feel like the work of modifications at all. Uncle Enzo definitely couldn't build something like that.
So maybe Sol was right. Maybe a Bangboo could truly grow stronger through its own will.
When they got back, she'd have Eous and Little-18 try training too.
Even a fraction of Baal's power would be more than enough.