“You look so pathetic, Lin Han, just like a filthy little dog covered in dirt.”

The Devil with the appearance of a young girl chuckled and repeated herself.

Lin Han didn’t speak; he merely gazed quietly at the girl in front of him.

Although it wasn’t his first time seeing her, and he had even operated under her guise twice before, this was indeed Lin Han’s first time carefully examining her features.

The girl’s figure was slender and petite. At first glance, she looked like a girl of fourteen or fifteen. Her silver-white hair hung down to her waist, soft and fine, while the loose strands before her forehead fell naturally, making that face appear even smaller. Her features were so beautiful they were almost impossible to fault, giving off a sense of exquisite unreality, like a carefully carved doll.

Beautiful.

That was the only feeling left in his heart. It was like dazzling sunlight piercing into his eyes, causing every other thought to melt away into the radiance.

“Hmm? Why aren’t you talking? Did I kill the mood?”

The girl asked in confusion, waving at Lin Han from the air. Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like silver bells.

“It’s pretty awkward making me perform a one-woman show all by myself, you know. Could you at least respond to me? The travel expenses for me to come all the way from hell to the mortal world are very expensive, okay?”

As she spoke, the girl puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Lin Han quietly watched the girl, whose exaggerated manner was like an actress on stage, and finally spoke.

“Where is this?”

The dissatisfaction vanished instantly, and the girl, having received a response, broke into a bright smile. She immediately replied with an upward inflection in her tone:

“Oh ho, so you can talk after all? I almost thought you were captivated by my beauty. But that wouldn’t be good, you know, because that might be considered another form of narcissism.”

As she spoke, Phil laughed out loud, as if she had told a very funny joke.

“Ah, right, right, I almost got sidetracked~”

Phil clapped her hands, as if she had just remembered the main topic, and carefully considered Lin Han’s question:

“You’re asking where this is… Hmm… That’s a good question. Maybe this is deep within your consciousness? Or perhaps you’re just dreaming right now. How does the saying go? ‘Dreams are the continuation of reality, and reality is the end of dreams’…”

“But this could also be a place like King’s Cross Station in H*rry Potter, the intersection between life and death. Could it be?”

The girl chattered on, her voice seeming to carry a kind of magic that allowed one to feel the joy in her heart through her words.

Expressions, voice, eyes, movements, everything seemed designed, perfectly showcasing the girl’s happiness. And people always subconsciously draw closer to happy things.

This feeling was very familiar to Lin Han.

Because the “Phildeia” he tried to roleplay while playing the game was exactly this kind of image.

Is this how I look in Monica’s eyes? Lin Han thought.

“So what is it? A life flashing before your eyes? Or are you actually already dead?”

Phil continued talking, but she was only proposing hypotheses, never providing answers.

Then, she changed the subject:

“So, what do you think? Where exactly is this place?”

Me?

Lin Han was stunned.

Isn’t it absurd to ask me where this is?

How would he know where this is?

But unexpectedly, the simple answer of “I don’t know” didn’t slip out of his mouth.

Right, he actually knew the answer, didn’t he.

It was so obvious…

“This is… inside the game.”

This place looked exactly like the pitch-black hall he had entered after logging into Devil Incarnation.

“Is that so?”

Phil still seemed indifferent to this answer.

“Then who are you?”

“Eh, don’t you understand? You are me, and I am you; I am another possibility of you.”

“Are you saying I’ve gone crazy, developed split personalities, and have been talking to myself this whole time?”

“Maybe.”

“Enough with these riddles.”

Phil shrugged.

“Actually, none of this matters. What matters is…”

“You have no power.”

Power…

Power again.

This word had been appearing a bit too frequently lately.

Lin Han wanted to say something, perhaps just an instinctive retort, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything at all.

Even someone completely unwilling to face reality had to admit that the girl was right.

He couldn’t do anything.

Without waiting for Lin Han to respond, Phil continued with a smile:

“But the good news is, I do. As you’ve already experienced, I have the power that you lack. So, let’s make a deal…”

“A… deal?”

“After all, I am a Devil, and Devils don’t do something as degrading as giving things away for free.”

“You’ll give me power, right?”

“Mhm, exactly. I’m just that kind-hearted of a Devil. As long as you want it, I’m even willing to sell something as precious as power~”

“…Then, let’s make a deal.”

Phil feigned a look of surprise.

“Huh? Are you not even going to ask about the price?”

“If you were really me, you wouldn’t ask such a question.”

“Alright, alright, I actually understand…”

Phil walked toward Lin Han step by step, her crimson eyes flickering with an emotion Lin Han couldn’t comprehend.

“Any price is fine, as long as it gives you the power to save that Magical Girl who might be Jiang Wanfeng. Am I right?”

“…”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be a price you can’t accept.”

The distance between Lin Han and Phil grew closer and closer, so close that Lin Han could clearly see the strands of Phil’s hair.

“After all, I really am you…”

Lin Han snapped back to reality. Phil had vanished at some point, replaced by that familiar light screen—

Within the light screen, only Phil’s figure was reflected…

The Mutant’s claws had already descended, stopping less than an inch from Lin Han’s throat.

But in that split second, Lin Han suddenly vanished.

The Mutant’s claws struck empty air, smashing heavily into the ground.

It looked up in bewilderment.

The next moment, the Mutant’s body silently split apart.

Bones and flesh were casually crushed by some invisible hand, then scattered across the ground.

In midair, Veil Weaver’s smug smile suddenly froze on her face. As if sensing something, she began to look around in all directions.

The sensation of being stared at made her hair stand on end, even giving her the sudden urge to flee the area immediately.

A drop of cold sweat slid down her forehead.

Veil Weaver began searching from the air for the Magical Girl she had just shot down.

The ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger. Veil Weaver chose to believe in her intuition, which had been enhanced after she became a Mutant—

“Rust Jaw, there’s a change of plans. I think we should end this quick…”

Veil Weaver suddenly couldn’t continue.

A bloody line appeared on her neck, causing her pupils to shrink violently. At the same time, she bent over in pain, clutching her neck.

When…

She coughed up mouthfuls of fresh blood, and countless cutting wounds appeared all over her body. Her previous graceful demeanor instantly vanished without a trace.

In the corner of her eye, a white shadow appeared in front of her.

“You…”

Veil Weaver stared in absolute horror at the beautiful girl who had suddenly intruded into the battlefield, looking like a princess stepping straight out of a fairy tale.

The Magical Girl she was supposed to have shot down was impressively being held in a princess carry by this uninvited guest.

“You’re having a lot of fun, aren’t you.”

Phil smiled, but there was not a trace of a smile in her eyes.

“Now it’s my turn to play a game.”

“You better make sure I have a little fun too.”