Chapter 328 Monster

Lilith, Vanessa, and Kelly stopped just a few steps before the guards and the solid door Ann had gone through. The hallway here was quiet, dimly lit, and dead serious. Only the faint beat of music reached this part of the building. It felt like the place was intentionally sectioned off.

Four men stood at the door, all of them armed, all of them looking rough around the edges. Security, but not in any professional sense. These guys were bouncers with criminal records and itchy tempers. They didn’t wear uniforms. No radios. Just hoods, mean faces, and guns holstered at their waists.

The moment the girls stopped, all four guards tensed slightly. Their eyes narrowed. The way the three women carried themselves didn’t sit right. Something felt off. Too calm.

One of the guards stepped forward. His eyes were locked on Lilith. He didn’t reach for his weapon, but his hand slid toward it casually, fingers resting just above the grip. He was already on alert.

"Turn around," he said, his voice flat. "This area’s off-limits. Party’s back that way."

Lilith tilted her head slightly. Her golden-blonde hair shifted, catching the dull hallway light. Her expression was blank for a second, then she blinked and smiled. She looked around like she was confused.

"Oh?" she said, voice soft. "I thought the toilet was this way..."

She even added a little laugh under her breath, acting like she was embarrassed.

The guard didn’t buy it.

His eyes hardened. His expression dropped. The humor vanished from his voice.

"Don’t fuck around," he said sharply. "You’re stepping on fire. Get the hell away from here."

Lilith stared at him for another second. Then she sighed. It was long, deliberate. Her smile faded as her eyes locked on him.

"Tch," she clicked her tongue.

Then her face changed completely.

"You’re no fun."

Before he could even react, Lilith’s fist drove straight into his chest.

The sound was sharp, like someone being hit with a hammer.

The man’s feet left the ground.

His entire body was lifted and launched backward into the three other guards standing behind him. All of them stumbled from the impact as he crashed into their chests like a bowling ball knocking over pins.

But what none of them saw—what not even Kelly or Vanessa caught clearly—was the moment just before Lilith’s punch landed.

Her knuckles had been coated in a thin layer of white-blue ice. It shimmered for less than half a second, invisible to the naked eye unless you were staring directly at her hand.

The three guards scrambled to stay on their feet. They caught their flying comrade and looked down at him.

He was out cold.

His eyes were half-open, barely moving. His mouth twitched like he wanted to speak but couldn’t.

They looked up at Lilith in shock.

A woman with soft, bare shoulders and arms that looked more like a model than a fighter had just floored a grown man with one punch.

They didn’t waste time.

Hands went immediately for their guns.

Or they tried to.

Their fingers tapped empty holsters.

The guns were gone.

"What the hell?" one of them muttered, eyes darting around.

"Looking for these?" a voice purred beside them.

All three turned.

Vanessa stood there like she had just walked out of a dream. Calm, soft smile. Head tilted playfully. She held all four guns in her hands—two in each, the barrels hanging loose like she didn’t even care they were weapons.

She giggled softly.

Then she tossed them over her shoulder, letting the firearms clatter against the hallway floor behind her.

"Oops," she said, still smiling like a schoolgirl.

They had no idea how she’d taken them. She wasn’t close enough. None of them had seen her move. And yet here she was, disarming them without breaking a sweat.

The confusion quickly turned to rage.

"You think this is a joke?" one of them barked.

He didn’t wait for an answer.

He stormed toward Vanessa, fists clenched.

Meanwhile, the other two split off and surrounded Lilith from opposite angles, both coming in slow, watching her hands now, trying not to underestimate her again.

Kelly stood back, arms crossed, staying silent. Her job wasn’t to fight unless it was necessary. Not yet.

Vanessa didn’t flinch.

The man coming at her was twice her size, covered in tattoos, and clearly didn’t mind hitting women.

But Vanessa wasn’t backing up.

She kept the same innocent expression, even as he closed the distance.

Lilith, on the other hand, didn’t wait for the other two to make the first move. Her eyes scanned between them, and her lips curled into a cold smile.

——

The man charged Vanessa without hesitation. He wasn’t there to play games. One solid blow to the head was all it would take, and he was going to end this fast.

He raised his fist high and brought it down like a hammer, aiming straight for her skull.

But the moment it came down, Vanessa vanished.

Gone. Just like that.

His fist slammed into empty air.

"The fuck?" he muttered, confused. His eyes darted left, right. "She’s a serum user too?"

His voice had a sudden edge of panic.

He turned, trying to scan every angle of the hallway. But she was nowhere. Not in front. Not behind. The air around him felt still, but something was wrong. His instincts screamed at him.

Then he heard it.

"Up here, big boy."

His eyes shot upward just in time to see Vanessa hanging upside down, her legs wrapped tightly around the metal beam of the overhead light. Her body was hanging like a gymnast, graceful and still, her expression as playful as ever.

"Poke."

She jabbed both her fingers directly into his eyes.

"AHHHHHH!" he roared, stumbling backward, palms clutching his face. His vision turned to black spots as his eyes throbbed violently.

Vanessa dropped cleanly to the floor, landing with a smooth crouch. She popped up fast and didn’t wait for him to recover.

She slammed a boot into his chest.

The impact sent him back another step, almost making him lose his balance. But he didn’t fall.

Vanessa’s brow twitched. That kick should’ve taken him down.

"How strong is this bastard?" she muttered, more annoyed than anything. She wasn’t holding back.

She grabbed a fistful of his shirt before he could respond, yanked him close, her eyes narrow and calm.

"Let’s go for a ride," she said coldly.

And then they vanished.

Gone in a flash.

No trace. No sound. Just a blink—and they were gone from the hallway.

—

At the same time, Lilith wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

She was in a standoff with the other two guards. They had decided to double-team her, but it wasn’t helping.

One lunged forward, throwing a fast punch.

Lilith stepped to the side, caught his fist with her left hand.

Her palm locked around his knuckles, and a second later, frost bloomed from her fingertips. It spread like wildfire up his forearm, past his elbow, and stopped just at his shoulder.

His entire arm turned blue, crackling with ice.

The second guard didn’t waste the opportunity. He saw her distracted and went in with a sharp spinning kick.

But Lilith saw it.

She stepped back lightly.

The kick missed her and slammed into the frozen arm of his comrade.

CRACK!

It shattered.

Not just a fracture. The whole damn thing came apart like glass. Ice shards scattered across the floor, and the man whose arm had been frozen stood frozen again, staring in horror at where his limb used to be.

His entire shoulder and bicep were now just bloody shards and jagged ice, falling piece by piece to the ground.

"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed. "Oh my God! For fuck’s sake—SHE CRIPPLED ME! THAT BITCH CRIPPLED ME!"

He stumbled backward, staring at the hole where his arm used to be. His mind couldn’t process it.

There was no pain. His nerves had frozen solid before the break. But the shock of losing an entire limb in one second was enough to break his brain.

His eyes rolled back.

Then he dropped like a dead weight.

Out cold.

The other guy who had kicked his own teammate stood frozen, mouth open.

He stared at Lilith.

He wasn’t seeing a woman anymore.

He was seeing a demon.

"Monster..." he whispered.

Lilith didn’t blink. She tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes watching him like he was just a fly in her path.

The man didn’t even try to fight anymore.

He turned and bolted. Full sprint. No hesitation.

He ran so fast, he nearly tripped over himself.

Didn’t check on his comrades.

Didn’t stop to say anything.

Just ran.

Kelly had been standing back the whole time, waiting to maybe assist, but she hadn’t needed to do a thing.

Now, she couldn’t hold it in.

She burst out laughing.

Full-blown stomach laughter. She clutched her sides, gasping for air as she leaned against the wall.

"Oh my God," she said between laughs. "Did you see that? Man ran like his soul was being chased out of his ass."

She laughed harder, tears forming in her eyes.

Lilith turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised, but even she looked mildly amused.

Kelly shook her head, trying to calm herself down, but every time she remembered the guy’s terrified face, she laughed even more.

"I can’t... I actually can’t breathe," she choked, trying to wipe her eyes.

In the middle of all the chaos, she had completely forgotten that they were here for Ann.

That Ann had just been led straight into the heart of the beast’s den.

It took her another few seconds before she straightened up and caught her breath again.

Reality was about to hit.

But for that one moment, watching a fully grown man run for his life after accidentally crippling his own teammate... it was too much.

She couldn’t help it.