Chapter 322 Badass II

Vanessa, Ann, and Kelly stepped back slowly.

They didn’t need to be told. The moment Lilith took one quiet step forward, the space became hers.

Vanessa crossed her arms and leaned back against a rusted pillar. Ann folded her arms too, covering her mouth slightly, still trying to block out the smell of the place. Kelly stayed alert, her hand resting loosely on her hip, eyes never leaving the four men now circling Lilith.

Lilith flexed her fingers. A few joints popped. Her eyes scanned them calmly.

They each held small knives—jagged, old blades pulled from pockets or belts, stained from God-knows-what. No one looked trained. But desperation made people dangerous.

The first man lunged.

Lilith didn’t even blink. She stepped in with him, her timing perfect. As his hand came forward, aiming a thrust straight toward her gut, she slapped his wrist sideways with the back of her palm, sending the blade veering uselessly off course.

Before he could correct, her leg snapped out with precision—bam!—a kick straight to his ribs. The man let out a grunt and stumbled sideways, nearly falling.

Ann blinked. "Damn."

Another one was already moving in.

Lilith ducked low, fluid and fast, the man’s knife slicing through the space her head used to be. She reached up with one hand, grabbed his exposed arm near the wrist, and twisted.

CRACK!

A sickening, bone-snapping sound echoed through the warehouse.

The guy’s mouth opened wide—no sound at first. Just disbelief. Then, a second later—

"EEEEEEEEEEAAHHHHH!"

A blood-curdling scream tore from his throat. His knees buckled, and he tried to backpedal, but Lilith had already raised her leg again. This time, her boot slammed into his chest.

He flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing into a stack of dusty crates that collapsed with him. His body didn’t move.

Vanessa winced slightly. "That had to hurt."

Ann was speechless for a moment. "Okay... when did Lilith turn into a damn war machine?"

"She’s always been one," Vanessa replied without missing a beat. "You just haven’t seen it up close."

Kelly smirked. "Remind me never to piss her off."

That left three men standing.

Or rather, pretending to stand confidently. Two of them looked like they were about to drop their knives and bolt. Their hands were visibly trembling. One had even taken a subtle step back, hoping no one would notice.

But the third—the leader—wasn’t having it.

He turned to his men with fury on his face. "What the fuck is this?" he snapped. "You little bitches scared now? She’s just one woman!"

Neither of them answered.

He shoved one in the back, pushing him forward. "Fucking do something!"

The other hesitated too long. He got shoved too.

That was all Lilith needed.

She launched forward. One leg struck the ground with force, and she used it to propel herself straight into the air. Her body spun mid-flight, rotating like a top.

The girls all gasped.

In the same motion, her heel came down hard onto one of the men’s heads.

THWACK!

His eyes rolled back before he even hit the floor. He dropped face-first, unmoving.

No one could tell if he was alive.

Ann’s mouth hung slightly open. "What... the hell..."

She looked at Vanessa. "No human should be able to lift themselves that high without momentum. Or spin like that in the air."

Vanessa chuckled. "That’s another perk that comes with powers. It’s not just flashy elements. It strengthens everything—bones, muscles, reflexes."

Kelly shook her head slowly. "You girls are one lucky set of brats."

Ann shot her a look. "They didn’t exactly win the lottery. Lilith nearly died getting hers."

Kelly shrugged. "Still counts."

Back in the circle, Lilith landed smoothly, her boots barely making a sound.

The two men still standing looked like they were ready to piss themselves. One of them backed up half a step, and Lilith tracked him with her eyes.

"You can still walk," she said simply. "Leave now and I won’t chase you."

Neither moved.

She took another step forward.

Then another.

They stepped back together.

Vanessa spoke casually from behind. "She’s giving you a choice, idiots."

The leader growled and pulled a second knife from his belt. "You wanna play with blades? Fine."

But his voice cracked midway through the sentence. He was scared. Everyone could hear it.

Lilith stopped.

She cracked her neck once and raised her hand again. This time, a thin mist of frost was beginning to form around her knuckles.

The temperature dropped. Fast.

The men didn’t notice it at first. But the mist creeping across the floor was real.

Vanessa leaned to the side, watching carefully. "She’s getting serious."

Ann adjusted her stance and whispered, "Should we step in if it gets bad?"

"No," Kelly said quickly. "She’s not in danger. They are."

Lilith let her fingers slide open slowly as the cold grew thicker, then pointed one finger at the leader.

"You’ve had your fun."

Her voice was calm. Final.

The leader was about to reply when his teeth started to chatter.

He looked down. Ice was forming under his shoes. Thin, web-like frost was creeping up the blade of his knife. He cursed and tried to shake it off, but it clung like glue.

Then his friend screamed.

"My hand! I can’t feel my fucking hand!"

The blade had stuck to his palm. The cold burned so fast it had frozen his sweat and skin together with the metal.

Lilith stepped forward again.

He didn’t wait anymore.

He dropped his knife and bolted out of the warehouse, pushing past the crates and metal frames. He tripped and got up limping.

Only the leader remained.

His eyes were burning now. Focused. His lips curled in anger as he took one slow step forward.

"You forced my hand," he hissed, voice shaking with rage. "I’ll make sure you bitches regret this."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"

Something was different.

The confidence in his tone wasn’t empty this time. It didn’t match the broken coward who had been moments from fleeing. Her instincts kicked in, something was off.

Vanessa’s hand hovered near her sidearm. "He’s bluffing."

But he wasn’t.

From inside his coat, the man reached into a torn inner pocket and pulled out a small glass vial. It glinted under the warehouse lights. Sealed tight. The serum.

Lilith’s eyes widened instantly. "Stop him!"

But it was too late.

He popped the seal with a flick of his thumb and poured the entire contents into his mouth before anyone could close the distance. He swallowed it in one gulp.

The man let the vial fall to the ground, shattering with a sharp crack!.

All four girls stared.

His eyes rolled back as he staggered, knees slamming to the floor. He groaned loudly, loud enough to echo in the silence.

Then it began.

His neck bulged. Thick veins rose across his throat like ropes, pushing violently through his skin. His body jerked once. Then again. He doubled over, gripping his chest as his back arched like something was trying to claw its way out from inside him.

"Shit," Kelly muttered.

"He’s changing," Vanessa said, stepping forward now, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lilith. Her voice dropped. "This isn’t just a street thug anymore. It’s serious now."

Ann said nothing, but her fingers were clenched. Her eyes locked on the man’s trembling frame.

Lilith didn’t wait.

She shot forward, not giving him time to complete whatever transformation was happening. She knew too well what these serums could do. Even if the new ones were diluted, they were unpredictable.

The man was still hunched over, but she moved fast. With a sudden leap, she sprang into the air and twisted her body mid-flight.

Her heel came flying down toward his neck with full force—sharp, brutal, and meant to put him out cold before he could finish changing.

Bang!

Her leg struck.

But something was wrong.

The girls all leaned forward, expecting to see him flat on his face.

Instead, there was a different sound. Not a thud—more like the sound of skin slapping skin.

He had caught her.

Lilith blinked in shock.

He wasn’t on the floor. He was crouched—but stable. One knee down, one foot planted firm, and one hand wrapped tightly around her leg.

Her leg.

He held her by the calf like she weighed nothing. His grip didn’t tremble. His face had veins pulsing around his jaw and eyes, and his teeth had clenched hard enough to slightly chip one of them. But what shocked them more was that he didn’t even look like he was straining.

Lilith tried to pull back, instinct kicking in.

But her leg didn’t budge.

His fingers were locked like iron clamps around her shin.

Ann’s eyes widened. "What the hell...?"

Kelly took a step forward, knife ready again. "Is he... holding her like she’s a doll?"

Vanessa’s face darkened. "That serum..."

She glanced to the side, speaking mostly to herself. "It might be weaker, but it’s more... focused. Controlled."

Lilith narrowed her eyes as she hovered slightly in the air, her foot still caught.

"Let go," she said coldly.

The man looked up, grin spreading slowly. "Nah."

She twisted her body again, using her free leg to try and knee him in the face. But he ducked just enough, and the attack brushed over the top of his head.

His other hand came up fast, slamming into her waist and dragging her downward with sudden weight.

Lilith grunted as she hit the floor, but she rolled immediately and pushed herself free. He didn’t chase. He stood instead, slowly rising.

Now they saw it.

His body wasn’t burning like those other serum freaks from three days ago. No flames. No aura. But his veins were still glowing slightly. And his muscles had grown—subtly but noticeably. He wasn’t bulky, but his frame was tighter, more defined. The look in his eyes wasn’t animalistic like the others—they were focused. Controlled. Calculated.

He cracked his neck once and rolled his shoulder. "Much better."

Lilith got to her feet, brushing dust from her shoulder. Her face was calm, but inside she was calculating fast. That grab wasn’t luck. He’d already adapted.

Ann looked at her. "What do we do?"

"We keep it tight," Vanessa replied, stepping forward. "No solo moves now."

Kelly still kept her knife forward, pointing it steadily at the man. "Anyone else noticing how smug this bastard is?"

Lilith wiped a smear of blood from her lip—just a scratch, but enough to piss her off. She turned toward the others.

"I’ll draw his attention. We need him alive."

"Alive?" Kelly raised a brow. "Seriously?"

"We need to know where he got that serum," Vanessa answered for her. "It could lead us to the Crimson Hand."

"Fine," Kelly muttered. "But if he lays another hand on me, I’m stabbing him in the balls."

The man grinned, hearing every word. "You can try."

Lilith stepped forward again. "You talk too much."