It wasn’t a guard... but a thief!
A thief, just like him!
He quickly ducked into a corner. Soon enough, he saw the thief—and it was a woman!
’What the hell? Isn’t that the foreign girl from earlier today?’ Li Xiang was astonished. ’How did she manage to sneak in here in the middle of the night, too? Is she like me, here to steal... no, to *retrieve* her own family’s artifacts?’
Thanks to his Night Vision Superpower, Li Xiang easily recognized the figure. Although she had changed into a skin-tight combat suit, wore a sexy butterfly mask, and had her face covered by a filigreed black veil that obscured her features, Li Xiang knew instantly it was the blonde, blue-eyed girl from that day.
For one, her Spiritual Power signature was too obvious for him to miss. For another, she had a physical disability—she was a cripple!
At that moment, Erin de Merovingian was limping her way through the Louvre Museum. Despite her limp, as a Tier Two Transcendent, she was still remarkably agile.
An agile cripple.
Erin de Merovingian stared at the completely empty exhibition hall, dumbfounded.
’My God, where are the artifacts?’
’Was my plan leaked? Did the Louvre Museum hide all the artifacts before nightfall? That’s impossible! With so many pieces, it would take days just to move them all!’
’I’ve always lived alone. I’m single. No one could have known my plan.’
Erin de Merovingian was frantic. She hurried toward the exhibition area she had staked out during the day. She could let the other artifacts go, but that one absolutely could not be lost.
"Bitch! Scum! Bastard! Where the hell is it! Who stole my ancestor’s crown!" Unable to find the treasure she had cased during the day, Erin de Merovingian was so overcome with rage that she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Li Xiang watched, stunned. ’Seriously? It’s just one artifact. Is it really worth coughing up blood over?’
Then, a strange transformation occurred. Gothic-style Runes, seeming to breathe as if alive, materialized all over Erin de Merovingian’s body. An Iris pattern bloomed within her cobalt-blue pupils, instantly covering her entire eyes.
"Argh..." Erin de Merovingian let out a pained groan. Her body was mutating—her left hand began turning into metal. Unable to bear the pain, she slammed her hand against the wall, lost her footing, and fell to the ground.
Because her feet were turning to metal, too.
Pressure sensors were embedded in the floor of the area where she fell. Li Xiang had precisely avoided them earlier, but Erin de Merovingian had collapsed right on top of one. The sensor’s red light flashed on instantly.
In the security room, the guards were instantly alerted. At the same time, the Louvre Museum’s newly upgraded defense system automatically activated.
"Merde!" Erin de Merovingian cursed in pain. She tore off her butterfly mask and threw it at the approaching laser grid. The moment her long, wavy blonde hair brushed against an alarm button, thirty laser bars hummed to life like the strings of a harp, closing in around her.
At the critical moment, she attempted a tactical roll. However, with her left hand and both legs now metallic, she was no longer so agile. Her metallic right leg got stuck in a ventilation grate, and she couldn’t pull it free.
Then, her right hand also began showing signs of turning to metal.
ZZZT— The riot control robot’s taser spear struck like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance in an instant. Knowing she couldn’t dodge, Erin de Merovingian fell into despair.
’Is the last trace of the Melovanga Clan’s bloodline, its final rose, about to wither? From this day forward, will the Melovanga Clan be erased from the river of history...?’
In the blink of an eye, just as the taser spear was a mere ten centimeters from Erin de Merovingian, Li Xiang moved. At an Extreme Speed of Mach 12—a velocity Erin could neither comprehend nor perceive—he appeared as if from thin air. With a flick of his finger, the taser spear shattered into pieces.
With another flick, the charging riot robot flew backward and slammed violently into the wall.
’Such monstrous strength!’ Erin de Merovingian’s jaw dropped. She realized Li Xiang hadn’t used any Extraordinary Elemental Power—it was pure physical force. The robot hadn’t just been sent flying; its entire steel head was crushed beyond recognition.
Li Xiang scooped up Erin de Merovingian by her slender waist, tucked her under his arm, and dashed toward the two remaining storerooms. Moving at top speed, he plundered every last artifact. As he went, none of the Louvre Museum’s security systems—not even the laser grids—could harm him in the slightest.
That was because whenever a laser grid swept toward them, a halo of golden light would erupt from Li Xiang’s body.
His Golden Light Shield Superpower, which grew stronger as his Realm increased, enveloped both him and Erin de Merovingian.
If it had just been Li Xiang alone, the defense of his Giant Whale Saint Armor would have been enough to withstand the laser grids. But he was carrying a foreign girl, wasn’t he?
’Oh, no. A *tall* foreign girl, I should say.’
It was only after tucking her under his arm that Li Xiang realized how tall she was. She was all long limbs, especially her legs. Out of her 1.8-meter height, her legs had to be at least 1.2 meters long.
With the storerooms cleaned out and not a single artifact left behind, an earthy-yellow light bloomed from Li Xiang’s body. He sank deep into the ground and vanished without a trace.
The security guards who rushed to the scene could only stare at each other in bewilderment.
Because Erin de Merovingian’s legs were so long, her feet were dragging along the ground as he held her under his arm. Partway through their escape, Li Xiang switched to a more comfortable position for the tall girl, shifting her into a princess carry.
And it was only then that Li Xiang realized the tall girl didn’t have a prosthetic limb. It wasn’t that at all. Rather, both of her legs, and both of her hands, were in the process of turning into metal.