Flora Bloom suddenly appeared behind the man in white, swinging the axe in her hand straight for the back of his neck. With a bizarre flicker, the man’s figure reappeared behind her, and he casually draped an arm over her shoulder.
"Little beauty, I’m finding I like you more and more. You know you can’t kill me, yet you insist on trying to chop me with a little toy like this. How can you be... so adorable?"
"I know I’m adorable. But you’re a pervert, and I’m guessing you don’t even realize it."
Flora Bloom said, extending her hand toward him, "Give Vert back to me!"
With a casual flick of his finger, the man in white tossed Vert onto the ground. Flora Bloom crouched down and, the moment she touched Vert, sent it directly into the Spatial Spirit River.
She looked inward, breathing a sigh of relief only after seeing Vert gradually recover within the Spirit River.
Flora Bloom wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but after she withdrew her focus from her inner space, the man in white’s expression seemed to have changed.
’Just a moment ago, he had a cold, twisted, aggressive aura, but now he’s suddenly trying to act... intentionally familiar?’
The word "familiar" echoed in Flora Bloom’s mind, sending a shiver down her spine. This was not a good sign. It felt as if her secret had been exposed, as if he had found something on her he could profit from. If she relaxed her vigilance, she would be manipulated and trapped.
"See, little beauty? I’m a man of my word. I returned your little pet to you. So, how about it? Come with me."
Flora Bloom gritted her teeth, saying nothing. Just as she was about to retreat into her space again, a palm-sized ant appeared in the man’s hand.
The ant was pitch-black, its two antennae crossing over each other and emitting an electric CRACKLE. Hearing that sound, Flora Bloom was suddenly filled with a strange sense of unease.
Sure enough, three seconds after the black ant let out another CRACKLE, a SKITTERING sound arose from the distance. It was like the sound of something crawling across a wooden floor in a dead-silent room, the soft tap of countless little limbs.
Flora Bloom turned her head and saw a vast sheet of black steadily covering the open ground in front of the base.
Anyone looking down from above would be horrified to discover the black mass was spreading in a circle, closing in from the outside.
Flora Bloom stared intently. That wasn’t just a patch of black—it was an army of ants, swarming over the land, poised to wipe out any species in their path.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
"Can’t you tell? I told you. You wouldn’t be able to bear watching your own kind die."
The ants were pitch-black, somewhat resembling black scorpions, but different. They didn’t seem much larger than before the apocalypse; the biggest among them was only half the size of a palm.
Flora Bloom glanced at the black ant in the man’s palm, then at the ever-thickening swarm surrounding them, and a plan began to form. ’These ants must be controlled by the big one in his hand. If I can snatch it, toss it into my space, and have my space brand it, couldn’t I take control of this swarm myself?’
’It’s the only way I can turn the tables and break free from his threats.’
To lower his guard, she said, "If I go with you, where are you planning to take me?"
"Take a guess." The corners of the man’s lips curved higher. It seemed this human woman was ready to compromise.
"I can’t guess! But how can you guarantee you’ll spare the people in the base once I’m with you? What if I leave with you, and you just turn around and have the ant swarm destroy the base anyway? My going with you would be meaningless."
The man chuckled. "You’re right, I can’t guarantee that. So how about this? I’ll swear a deadly oath."
Flora Bloom blinked. "If deadly oaths actually worked, a pervert like you would’ve been struck by lightning ages ago!"
"Exactly. Which means you have no choice but to come with me."
Flora Bloom observed the man’s expression. The more confident he was, the more relaxed and casual their conversation became.
Seeing her opportunity, Flora Bloom lunged at his arm like a wolf pouncing on its prey. Pinning it down, she snatched the black ant from his hand and immediately tossed it into her space.
Stunned by her lunge, the man froze in place. An abyss opened within his deceptively clear, wolf-like eyes. The smile on his lips twisted into a strange curve he himself didn’t seem to perceive.
"And here I thought you were different from other human women. So that’s how it is."
Flora Bloom hadn’t yet processed what he meant. She had achieved her goal and was about to stand up when she found an arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
"Let go!"
"Let go? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? Throwing yourself into my embrace? Not bad, human. Your ’playing hard to get’ performance earlier was quite convincing. It won me over. Seeing how much effort you put in, I suppose I can accept you for now!"
Flora Bloom’s eyes flew open as she realized the compromising position she was in. She struggled to push him away, only to find she was once again completely immobile!
’This damned spatial confinement! He used it on me again!’
"Who’s playing hard to get? You don’t actually think I’m interested in you, do you? I’m fucking human! How could I possibly fall for some non-human pervert like you? Let go!"
Suddenly, just outside the visible barrier of the spatial confinement, a massive bolt of lightning let out a deafening CRACK as it slammed into the invisible wall, causing the entire construct around her to shudder violently.
Just as she was about to exploit the barrier’s instability and escape into her own internal space, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Woman. I’m gone for a little while, and you’ve already lined up a replacement?"
Overjoyed, Flora Bloom spun toward the source of the voice.
Lex Cross emerged from the deep shadows, his body crackling with furious lightning. His gaze, fixed on her, was a mixture of surprise and profound displeasure. His handsome face was so dark it looked like it could drip ink, and his thin lips were glacial as he spoke.
’Lined up a replacement? Can’t he see I don’t have a choice in the matter?’
The moment the man in white saw Lex Cross, his expression stiffened. ’Not him again!’
Being close, Flora Bloom naturally heard him. She glanced at Lex Cross in confusion. ’Do they know each other?’ she wondered, then quickly shouted, "If I were looking for a replacement, would I come back to a godforsaken place like Argent to do it? Can’t you see I’m trapped in this damned spatial confinement!"
CRACK! Another bolt of lightning struck, and the spatial confinement shattered. The pressure around Flora Bloom vanished, and she immediately ran toward Lex Cross, only to be stopped when the man in white grabbed her by the wrist.
"Get over here!"
With a swing of her axe, Flora Bloom unleashed a blast of True Sun Fire that struck the man’s outstretched hand.
"Die!"
A deep gash was torn open on the man’s hand. It should have healed almost instantly, but instead, it was immediately engulfed by an explosive burst of flame.
Hissing, he glanced at the wound on his wrist as a stream of black energy poured into it. The flames were quickly extinguished by this dark aura.
Dark clouds blotted out the starless, moonless sky as dark energy raged. Flora Bloom could sense that Lex Cross was now much more powerful than he had been a month ago.
With a grim expression, Lex Cross melted into the shadows. When he reappeared, a torrent of black Dark Element energy, laced with lightning, shot toward the man in white like the thunder of a thousand armies.
"You again! What did I ever do to you? You’ve been chasing me for half a month!"
"Hand over the item!"