The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

In the shadows at the top of the clock tower, the figure in the metal bodysuit remained motionless.

The muzzle of X's revolver was still smoking. Angel half-crouched at his feet, the icicles on her fingertips still unmelted. Her blue eyes were fixed on the clock tower.

"Master, it, it, it's here again." Angel's voice trembled.

Ax looked up. In the rain, the figure was suspended on the tower's exterior wall in an unconventional posture.

Its legs were bent into a bow, and the springs on the soles of its feet gleamed in the rain. A white, oilcloth-like bodysuit clung to its skin, and a metal claw was embedded in the wall.

He was looking at X in the position of the Hanged Man.

"It should be dead..."

"But it's not dead!" Angel exclaimed anxiously. "What do we do, Master?"

Since the full resurrection state has ended, X has now returned to his lukewarm corpse state.

Therefore, X regained complete... corpse-level calm.

The "door" is located just below the tower. Getting close will inevitably lead to battle.

"Prepare for battle. Same old method, I'll draw its attention, you use the light."

"good!"

X pretended to be alive, took a deep breath, and then stepped forward.

Just as they approached the tower, Spring-Heeled Jack leaped off the clock tower.

It's not a jump. It's a catapult launch.

Its body traced an arc through the air, its sharp claws aimed straight for Angel's throat. It moved with the speed of a bullet.

X's revolver clicked. As usual, it didn't break through the defenses. The opponent didn't even flinch.

Ex began to sense that something was wrong.

Angel had already used the ice flowers to block the impact and took the opportunity to run towards the sunlight.

X fired frantically, trying to draw the aliens' attention.

During this process, Ax noticed some problems.

For example, X could see it very clearly. Spring-Heeled Jack's movements were more coordinated. No longer that mechanical, stiff movement, but as fluid as a human's. No, even more fluid.

Is it...changing...becoming stronger?

Spring-Heeled Jack leaped again. But this time, it wasn't a straight dash. It was a zigzag. Constantly changing direction in the air, like an enraged wasp, its claws drawing silver zigzag trails in the rain.

X was, after all, a transmigrator. Even if the original owner had some basic shooting skills, he would have no chance against a truly fast-moving target.

Three shots were fired. All missed. The silver bullets didn't even hit Jack's bodysuit.

However, while shooting, X also kept an eye on the cover around him.

As Jack approached, he immediately climbed over the low wall and moved to a different position while his view was obscured.

boom!

The dilapidated low wall collapsed, and Spring-Heeled Jack, seeing no one, suspiciously scanned his surroundings.

In his blind spot, X hunched over, frantically searching for a solution.

Just keep stalling. Just keep stalling until the angel reflects sunlight...

Click.

Very close by, I heard the sound of dry branches being crushed underfoot.

Ax knew he was in trouble and rolled away, barely dodging Jack's claws.

Wait, how did it learn to stealth?

But before X could retaliate, Jack suddenly turned to look into the distance. There, Angel was about to reach the sunlight.

Oh no, we have to hold it off!

X raised his hand and fired.

Jack raised his claws to cover his eyes. With a clang, the bullet was deflected.

But Ax did not relax.

He could see it clearly. The red light was still flashing through the gaps between Jack's fingers that were covering his eyes. And that red light... seemed even brighter.

Then Spring-Heeled Jack slowly stood up.

It lowered its hand that was protecting its eyes. The red light in its right eye hadn't diminished at all; on the contrary, there seemed to be a hint of...wisdom in that red light?

"Something's not right," Ex murmured.

Spring-Heeled Jack suddenly laughed, revealing two rows of sharp teeth.

Then it did something that sent chills down X's spine—it raised its index finger, put it to its lips, and made a "shh" gesture.

Does it understand this gesture?

No, it really is... smarter!

X recalled his player experience: the tension of being pressured by extremely difficult enemies during the highest difficulty challenge.

It used to be just a game.

But when it all becomes a reality... that feeling intensifies exponentially.

It's not fear. It's something worse than fear—the realization that the opponent has transcended animal instincts and begun to possess intelligence.

Spring-Heeled Jack clearly already knew what he was afraid of.

"Watch out!" X shouted sharply at Angel, "Watch out for a sneak attack!"

But Spring-Leg Jack wasn't going to give Angel a chance. It pushed off the ground with its hind legs, launching itself forward like a cannonball. Another super jump.

They didn't rush towards X, but towards Angel.

boom!

The ruins collapsed.

The flying debris and shockwave pushed Angel away, preventing her from getting close to the sunlight beams.

Angel looked up and saw Spring-Heeled Jack slowly approaching. His metal claws left long trails in the rain. His red eyes stared at them like they were looking at mice in a cage.

"...Can you hear me...?"

Suddenly, a distant sound came from the rain.

It wasn't very clear, but you could tell it was Samuel's voice.

The voice of the black-robed butler, which was originally terrifying, sounded like heavenly music to X!

"The interference has been dealt with. I'll cover you."

Samuel's voice had barely faded when the beam of light vanished.

The next moment, Spring-Heeled Jack twisted his body in a bizarre way and retreated rapidly.

Then a beam of light fell on its original spot.

Ax's spirits lifted.

With Samuel's support, taking down Jack is no longer a problem.

"...You still need to be careful. This light isn't so easy to control," Samuel's voice came again.

"Are you even capable, Samuel?" Ax thought to himself.

But Spring-Heeled Jack suddenly laughed. Then it spoke. Its voice was hoarse, like a rusty gear turning.

"Little trick."

Angel screamed and ran quickly towards her master.

And Ex frowned. It had learned to talk?

"It's evolving," X concluded.

It's... becoming more and more like a real person.

It's already indestructible, and it can even evolve—that's just too unfair!

"I am coming."

Jack lunged at Angel again.

However, it suddenly stopped again halfway through, quietly watching the beam of light hit the ground in front of it.

Jack chuckled, as if mocking Samuel's incompetence.

X has already reunited with Angel.

However, the two were still some distance from the "door".

If Jack can continue to evolve, then a swift victory is necessary. X felt immense pressure.

And at that very moment—

"Are you sure you can handle this, steward?" A girl's voice came from through the rain.

"How did you get in? This is church grounds..."

"Instead of stopping a professional detective like me," she said, "shouldn't you be focusing on fighting monsters? Besides, things look pretty bad."

"you……"

"The priest let me in, don't worry. Now I'm going to rush in; saving lives is the priority."

From the distant rain curtain, Samuel's conversation with the stranger could be heard.

"It's very dangerous, you might not come back."

"Are you still going to have unnecessary concerns about fairies? If you're really worried, make sure we can come back."

Spring-Heeled Jack was also listening to this conversation in the rain.

He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then suddenly charged at Ex again.

At that very moment, the "door" rippled, and the figure of a fairy girl rushed out.

"Alien, wait a minute!"

A crisp sound rang out, attracting Jack's attention.

She was a fairy girl. Her emerald-green, side-parted skirt fluttered in the breeze, and a small flower was pinned to her pointed ears. Most striking was the badge on her chest—a cheap copper plate glued on with theatrical prop glue, its edges curled up.

The girl coughed.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Detective Elena. Alien, you're now surrounded by me all by myself!"