"So you're that Lei! The genius from the Eastern Division of the task force? One of Shike's two wolf dogs?"
The man in black across from him spoke with a hint of mockery.
"You're looking to die!"
Leilin's eyes snapped open, as though twin flames shot straight out from within.
Whoosh! His entire body transformed into a streak of fire, plunging straight through the man's forehead and out the back of his skull, before coalescing back into a human silhouette.
Boom! The black-clad man who had just been spouting insults stood frozen, face blank. A few seconds later, his entire body ignited into a blazing torch.
"Wulf! Wulf!" The other black-clad figure was clearly stunned for a moment, then screamed out, the voice high-pitched and delicate — unmistakably a woman's.
"You dare… you dare kill him…"
The woman across from him raised her head, staring at Leilin with eyes full of hatred, as though she wanted to tear him apart piece by piece.
But Leilin merely gave a cold snort, not the least bit concerned. If looks and resentment could kill, why would anyone need strength?
These two leaders might have possessed Sky-level power, but it was obvious they had forced their way up with some kind of secret potion or forbidden technique. The aura around them was extremely unstable — at best equivalent to the peak of Earth-level. Any expert at the eighth layer of the Fire Feather Technique could probably dispatch them with ease.
Of course, this was understandable. After all, if the Three Serpent Cult really had been founded by three Grand Dukes, then given the difference in time flow between the Magma World and the Wizard World, they simply hadn't had enough time to gather subordinates or help them grow. Taking some shortcut measures was a necessity.
"Activate the berserker army!"
The woman didn't charge forward in a suicidal attack right away. Instead, she shouted orders into some kind of communicator in her hand.
Click! Click! The steel gates inside the base swung open, and a large number of Fire Feather Clan members with blank, vacant expressions filed out.
Their eyes were a mixture of indifference and blood-red, and strange runes covered their bodies. Even certain body parts had clearly been enhanced or modified. Many of the Fire Feather Clan members were so altered that the task force members barely recognized them.
"Howl…" Once released, these Fire Feather Clan members' eyes went momentarily blank, then a savage light gathered within them with increasing intensity, and they let out bestial roars.
Smack! A researcher who had gotten too close was immediately beaten into a shower of bloody mist.
Countless drops of crimson rain splattered onto the berserker army, making them appear even more grotesque and terrifying.
The maddened army began a indiscriminate rampage, attacking task force members and their own people alike. And because of the disparity in numbers, this berserker army dealt the heaviest blow to the Three Serpent Cult members inside the base. Watching this scene, Leilin couldn't help but shake his head. This woman had clearly taken these not-yet-fully-controlled bloodline-modified humans as her trump card and her weapon of vengeance.
"Ah haha… Wulf is dead, and I want every last one of you to be buried with him…" The woman across from him shrieked in frenzy, her piercing laughter nearly enough to rupture eardrums.
"This woman has gone mad! Or rather, her mind was never quite right to begin with!" Leilin shook his head.
He gave her one last glance of faint pity, but showed no mercy. The massive Fire Phoenix soared overhead, its enormous wings sweeping wide, and the woman was immediately sent flying, blood spraying from her mouth.
"Boss! What do we do?" Misi looked at the other berserker squads, noting the obvious Fire Feather Clan features on their bodies, his face clearly showing conflict.
These berserker warriors were not only shockingly powerful and frenzied — they were also members of their own clan. Misi still couldn't bring himself to attack.
"It's fine! I'll handle it! Their blood may be contagious — be careful not to let it touch you!"
Leilin's voice drifted over calmly, but it suddenly gave Misi a sinking feeling: "Boss! You're not planning to…"
But it was already too late. Misi looked up and saw Leilin's figure merge into a streak of golden light, seemingly fusing with the phoenix projection behind him.
And the phoenix's cry grew even more piercing, nearly splitting the clouds. A surge of crimson-gold flame radiated from the phoenix's body.
In the blink of an eye, the earlier phoenix projection had transformed into a titanic bird of living fire!
"The pinnacle of the Fire Feather Technique — the Undying Bird!!!" Misi's eyes went wide as he murmured the words.
He had only ever heard of this pinnacle technique in legends. According to the rumors, only those who had pushed the Fire Feather Technique to Sky-level or above, with bloodline purity of the highest degree — members of the Fire Feather Royal Family themselves — could possibly execute this ultimate skill!
"Could it be… that Lei is also a member of the most noble Fire Feather Royal Family?"
Staring at the flaming Undying Bird high in the sky, Misi felt his mind go rather blank.
"Boom!" The great fire bird shook its wings, scattering countless crimson sparks. A single ember landed on the shoulder of one member of the berserker army, and it immediately began to blaze, turning the figure into a torch.
With a resounding cry, the colossal Undying Bird in the sky dove savagely toward the ground!
"Get back! Take cover! Get down!!!" The strained, almost cracking voices of several other task force members reached Misi's ears, but he could no longer register them.
All he could do was stare, transfixed, at the scene before him.
A terrifying great bird of flame had plummeted to the earth like a falling star, unleashing a devastating wave of fire. The only thing Misi could do was clasp his hands over his head and crouch as low as he could against the ground.