Su Yan stared at Nihilister.
Crimson hair spilled around sharp eyes of the same colour, and her smile carried the kind of confidence that didn't need permission. Black armour hugged her frame in overlapping plates, traced with ember-bright lines that pulsed like heat beneath metal.
Behind her, two massive mechanical appendages unfolded—dragon-like heads at their ends, bristling with spikes and blade-edged plating. Their cores glowed like something smouldering just out of sight.
She took a step forward.
Then another.
Not rushing.
Stalking.
Her gaze didn't just see Su Yan—it weighed him, like she was measuring something that didn't match what her eyes were telling her.
Then she leaned in close.
Close enough that Su Yan's skin prickled.
Nihilister shut her eyes and inhaled, slow and deliberate, like a beast tasting the air.
"…There's no mistaking it," she murmured.
Her eyes opened, gleaming.
"This body is wrong," she said, voice low with interest. "Too small. Too weak."
She tilted her head, studying his face like it was a mask that didn't fit.
"But that… presence." Her smile sharpened. "That scent."
Su Yan's breath hitched.
Nihilister's gaze flicked over him once more—and her certainty landed like a blade.
"You," she said. "You're the human who stood at the front. The one commanding those Nikkes."
Her grin widened, pleased.
"The one who made them fight like monsters… and still didn't flinch when I glared at you."
Su Yan's mind raced.
She wasn't recognizing his face.
Or his voice.
She was recognizing something deeper.
"…Nihilister," Su Yan said, forcing his voice steady, "what's the last thing you remember?"
Nihilister blinked, then frowned like the question annoyed her.
"Huh? What are you yammering about?"
Her expression shifted as she searched her memory—then tightened.
"The last thing I remember is…" She paused, and for the first time, something like shock flashed across her face. "…getting consumed."
Her lip curled.
"Getting absorbed by the Queen."
Outrage burned behind her eyes.
Then her head snapped up.
"Human," she growled, the word sharp. "Where are we?"
The dragon-headed appendages behind her hummed. Heat shimmered in the air around them.
Su Yan raised both hands, palms out.
"We're in another world," he said quickly. "I woke up here as a child. There are no Raptures here. No Queen. No Ark. No Nikkes."
Nihilister stared at him, hard and searching.
A long second passed.
Then another.
Su Yan could feel her appraising him, cold and precise.
Finally, her shoulders loosened—just a fraction.
"A whole new world," she repeated, tasting the words.
And then she laughed.
Slowly at first.
Then louder.
Wilder.
"Ha… hah… hahaha—!" Her voice climbed into something fierce and satisfied. "I'm finally free. Free of that leash. Free of that voice."
Her laughter broke again, sharp and breathless.
"No more chains forced on me… no more—"
She cut herself off, eyes snapping back to Su Yan.
The laughter drained away, leaving a smile that looked far too hungry.
"Now," she said softly, "what should I do with you… little human?"
She stepped closer.
Too close.
Her gaze dropped to him.
Her head dipped slightly, as if she were considering whether biting him would be amusing.
Before Su Yan could move—
"First Soul Skill—Verdant Bind!"
Green ribbons whipped forward like living vines, snapping around Nihilister's arms, legs, and throat.
Nihilister froze.
Then her eyes narrowed in pure irritation.
"What the hell is this?"
The bindings strained immediately, the ribbons creaking under pressure.
Teacher Lin stumbled into view, pain etched across her face, but she forced herself between Su Yan and Nihilister anyway.
"Little Yan—run!" Teacher Lin shouted. "Get out of here! I'll hold her back!"
Nihilister's gaze slid past Teacher Lin to Su Yan.
Then she smiled, amused.
"You really do have a habit," she said, voice almost fond—almost. "Of keeping yourself surrounded by pretty girls, don't you?"
Her eyes returned to Teacher Lin.
"You'd best move," Nihilister said, almost politely. "Otherwise… I'm afraid you're going to get burned."
The dragon-heads behind her brightened, heat pulsing.
Teacher Lin didn't budge.
"I will not," she said, voice shaking but firm. "If you want to reach my student, you'll have to go through me first."
Nihilister's grin sharpened.
"That can be arranged."
The ribbons snapped.
With a single jerk, Nihilister tore free as if the bindings were nothing but threads.
Teacher Lin's face paled.
She gathered herself.
"Second Soul Skill—Ribbon Sn—"
She didn't get to finish.
Nihilister moved first.
"Out of my way."
One of the dragon-headed appendages slammed into Teacher Lin like a battering ram.
Teacher Lin was thrown aside, crashing into the ground in a painful roll.
Su Yan's heart lurched.
"Teacher Lin!"
Nihilister had already reached Su Yan.
Her second dragon-head appendage shot forward over Su Yan's shoulder—
And clamped onto something mid-air.
A black Puma-like Soul Beast had been leaping from the shadows, jaws open, aiming straight for Su Yan's throat.
It never got there.
Nihilister yanked it down and smashed it into the earth hard enough to crack the ground.
The Puma-like Soul Beast let out a strangled cry as it hit the ground.
Nihilister's eyes blazed.
"Burn."
A torrent of fire poured from the dragon-head, swallowing the Soul Beast.
The Soul Beast scream went high, then hoarse, then small—until there was only silence and smoke.
Nihilister released the charred corpse and stared at it for a moment.
Then she frowned.
"…Tch. The flames are weaker than I remember."
She rolled her shoulder, testing her body.
The damage was still there—left behind when Chatterbox and Indivilia ripped her apart. Even consuming Indivilia hadn't been enough to fully restore her.
Her expression soured.
"Annoying."
She inhaled once, calming herself, and then looked back at Su Yan.
"I remember those Nikkes were always stronger around you," Nihilister said, matter-of-fact. "So how about we team up?"
She tilted her head, smile returning.
It was phrased like a question.
Her eyes made it clear it wasn't.
Su Yan looked up at her—and instead of fear, a bright, unmistakable spark lit his expression.
He couldn't help it.
In his previous life, she'd been a nightmare on the battlefield—beautiful, violent, unstoppable.
And now she was here.
In this world.
Right in front of him.
Su Yan's grin spread, quick and genuine.
"Alright," he said easily. "We team up."
Nihilister's brow lifted, faintly surprised at how readily he agreed.
Su Yan continued before she could change her mind, voice light but firm.
"But you've got to listen to my commands."
Nihilister's mouth twisted, reluctant.
"…Hah. Fine."
Her gaze pinned him again—sharp, intent, like she was testing whether the person she remembered was truly inside that smaller body.
"But if your commands are terrible," she added, "I'll ignore them."
"Now get over here"
She grabs Su Yan and hugs him close before taking a deep breath.
"Ahhhh, you still smell as delicious as before"
Su Yan looks up at Nihilister who had her teeth bared and her eyes had turned draconic at some point.
"haha… I'm in danger…."