Watching the freaked-out Huohuo and Tail, Pei Guang chuckled. He helpfully shoved Huohuo's soul back into her body and pulled her to her feet. "Don't be scared. That's not the real Phantylia: it's fake. Just a memory construct, basically photoshopped. I think you can totally beat it."
Pei Guang had already assessed the strength of the transformation device. He wouldn't bet his planet, but based on the system description, it should boost Huohuo's combat abilities to somewhere around Seele's level or a normal-state March 7th.
While Pei Guang was deep in thought, Huohuo's neck creaked around like a rusty gear as she turned toward him with tearful eyes. "No matter how I look at it… I'm not going to win this!"
Pei Guang: "You can win, you can win~ It's just a weekly boss. This half-dead version of Phantylia is super weak."
Pei Guang had already tested this version of Phantylia, the one in the Echo of War, and found that anyone on the Astral Express could probably solo phase one without much trouble. With Bailu's support, even clearing all three phases wasn't out of the question.
Compared to her true self, this was a shadow. No one could solo the real Phantylia back then. Not even Pei Guang: he could only sneak in some damage from the back while Jing Yuan tanked up front.
Huohuo was finally starting to feel a bit more reassured by Pei Guang's words… until Phantylia spoke.
"Hm? Is that a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission and a fragment of a mighty Heliobus I see? How rude, you caught me before I finished my makeup~"
Huohuo nearly fell apart. "M-Mr. Guang, didn't you say she was just a memory? Then why—why does she know I'm from the Ten-Lords Commission?! And that Tail is a Heliobus?!"
Pei Guang: "Maybe the Echo of War got a buff? Added some immersion features? Who knows. Anyway, Huohuo! Don't be scared, go on! Use the transformation device and transform!"
Huohuo: "I don't want to!"
Pei Guang: "Heh! You're already here with me, and you still think you have the right to refuse? Transform!"
With tears in her eyes, Huohuo pulled out the transformation device. "Fine, I'll transform... sob sob sob..."
Normally, Tail would've pushed back. It could bully Huohuo, but others weren't allowed to. But the pressure coming from Phantylia had completely drained this Heliobus of its vitality.
This was the absolute suppression of a Great Heliobus over a regular Heliobus. In the face of Phantylia, Tail was like a moth before a flame, completely at her mercy. Even if this was just a memory projection, the oppressive presence alone rendered Tail unable to act.
Neither Huohuo nor Tail noticed that as Huohuo trembled in fear, the green gem—the transformation device—was converting her emotions into power. A green glow engulfed both her and Tail.
At the same time, in Huohuo's inner world, the real Huohuo was weeping at the sight of Phantylia in her mind.
"So scary… really so scary… is this kind of enemy really someone I can face?"
Her fear had reached its peak. If Pei Guang hadn't already taken her around to get mentally prepared, she might have fainted the moment she saw the Heliobus.
A great Lord Ravager: such a being was entirely out of reach. Even the strongest in the Ten-Lords Commission couldn't handle her. What could a mere apprentice judge like her do, other than hope to go unnoticed?
But just as her fear peaked, she sensed another presence in her inner world. Instinctively looking over, she saw Tail, and a wave of relief washed over her.
"Tail?"
Tail: "Yeah, it's me."
Tail himself wasn't sure how it ended up here, but the moment it arrived and saw Huohuo crying, it began to comfort her. "What are you crying for? Will crying fix anything?"
Huohuo: "B-but I just can't help it… and it's Phantylia… wouldn't she just eat us in one bite?"
Seeing Tail by her side gave Huohuo a sense of security.
As Huohuo calmed down, Tail became more analytical. "Her? If it were really her in the flesh, you could be the food stuck in her teeth and I'd be the toothpick. Perfect combo."
Huohuo: "Huh?"
Tail continued seriously, "That guy, Pei Guang, we haven't known him long, but so far he hasn't let us down. Think about it! With his abilities, he could roast me in one fireball. Why bother leading us to Phantylia to get stomped?"
Huohuo: "You're right, Tail…"
Tail: "Call me King or Your Majesty! Ahem! Anyway, why did we come here in the first place?"
Huohuo: "Mr. Guang said we should try out our power after transforming?"
Tail: "Exactly! And everything he's taught us so far has been useful, hasn't it?"
Huohuo: "I guess that's true…"
Tail spoke firmly, "What do you mean 'I guess'? It is true. Since he brought us here and told us to transform, that means once we do, we can beat her."
Huohuo: "But… but… I'm just scared. I don't have the confidence…"
Tail: "But what? Don't forget—he said transforming boosts your confidence! And with him here, we can at least try. Besides, if that really was the real Phantylia, we wouldn't even get a chance to run."
Huohuo: "You're right! I'll listen to you, Tail! Let's…"
Tail: "Take her on! And with those two around, we're not even in real danger. After all, it was them who handled Phantylia's real body!"
Huohuo: "You're right!"
At that moment, Huohuo and Tail became one. They triggered a special linked transformation mode, working together as a single force.
In reality, Huohuo transformed in an instant. But the moment her transformation was completed, both Pei Guang and Stelle were left speechless.
Compared to how she was before, crouched down in fear, now she was simply standing upright.
Stelle pointed at the transformed Huohuo. "Wait, that's it? That's the full transformation? Doesn't look any different…"
Pei Guang was about to question it too, when he noticed something. "It did change! And a lot! Look at her tail: it's no longer Tail the Heliobus. She has nine tails now!"
Huohuo had completed the transformation, but her clothes remained the same, and her weapon was still that familiar plunger. What was different was the faint green flames enveloping her, and the claw-like shapes formed at her hands.
The nine tails behind her weren't real: they were projections. These tails represented nine unused skill slots, now converted into pure power without special buffs.
Her claw-like eyes no longer showed fear—instead, they radiated confidence.
That's right. The moment she completed the transformation, Huohuo remembered what Pei Guang said about the confidence boost. Even if it wasn't real, under the influence of psychological suggestion and Tail's presence, she believed it.
And it felt amazing: she wasn't scared at all now!
Pei Guang, seeing this, didn't know how to even begin assessing the situation. "Damn! Nine-tail mode after transformation? Huohuo? How do you feel now?"
Huohuo: "I feel great."
The response came as a blend of Huohuo and Tail's voices. Sensing Pei Guang's doubt, Huohuo spoke again. "We've understood what this special bond means. Now, let us show you the strength of our connection!"
And right after, Pei Guang and Stelle witnessed the immense power granted by the Heliobus transformation.
Huohuo & Tail charged straight at Phantylia, and as they rushed forward, the half-buried Phantylia emerged before them.
As Huohuo charged toward Phantylia, she spoke up, "Tail, this thing… doesn't seem as scary as I imagined?"
Tail: "Of course not! Who do you think we are? Now watch and see just how amazing this king is."
Huohuo: "That's right! Let's show her what we've got!"
At that moment, a flag appeared in Huohuo's hand, with an illusion of Cirrus manifesting on it—at least, from Huohuo & Tail's perspective. From Pei Guang and Stelle's point of view, Huohuo was just charging in with a toilet plunger… with Cirrus stuck to it.
Meanwhile, inside Pei Guang's Star destroyer, a TV that had been turned off suddenly lit up. The moment it flickered on, Phantylia immediately flew over.
Ever since she was captured by Pei Guang and used as an energy source, Phantylia hadn't had a single good day. Status-wise, she was at the absolute bottom. The others came and went as they pleased, treating the place like their personal theater.
Only she was the pitiful one, potentially trapped here forever like the Heliobus aboard the Xianzhou Luofu.
Because of that, the TV that would occasionally light up and play live broadcasts had become her only form of entertainment—her only relief from the endless monotony.
But somehow, maybe because of the influence of the weirdos around her, or just from watching Pei Guang's nonsense unfold every day, Phantylia had actually come to look forward to those broadcasts.
Yet the moment the TV turned on this time, her nonexistent expression froze. And as she watched, several familiar figures gathered around her.
Seeing those figures approach, Phantylia got a very bad feeling. When she saw the contents of the screen, her expression completely froze.
"Let me go! Let me go, I don't want to watch this!"
"You think you have a choice? Hold her down and make her watch!"
That's right: the TV was broadcasting Huohuo's battle with Echo of War Phantylia!
While the transformation device Pei Guang had given Huohuo wasn't enough for her to square up against the real Lord Ravager, it was enough to let her bully the weakened Phase One version of Phantylia in the Echo of War.
If it were just a normal fight, Phantylia wouldn't have cared. Since the moment her Echo of War self had appeared, she'd known she'd be stomped and humiliated.
But watching the way Huohuo & Tail fought: that she really didn't want to see.
It was torture. Pure, unrelenting torment.
On screen, Huohuo was confidently swinging her toilet plunger, with Cirrus stuck to the end. With every strike, an illusion of Cirrus would attach itself to the memory-version of Phantylia, cackling in a deliberately annoying way and draining her energy.
That laugh, it was unbearable. Imagine Cirrus's voice mixed with Teemo's laugh from League of Legends. Just hearing it made your skin crawl!
And worse, the illusion clung to Phantylia's memory body and wouldn't come off. And it was her own memory being tormented?
At that moment, Phantylia honestly wanted to die.
She didn't want to see any more, but the enthusiastic onlookers around her cheerfully said, "Such a fine performance deserves to be enjoyed by all."