The sheer scale of the giant python defied description; the moment it materialized, it swallowed the entire star-filled sky, plunging everything into darkness.

"Watch out!"

An unseen pressure crushed the air from Lin Luo's lungs, but fortunately, Mikoto had been on guard. The instant the colossal serpent appeared, she snatched Lin Luo and retreated at breakneck speed.

BOOM!

Following a deafening crash, the giant python plummeted to the ground, shaking the earth so violently it almost knocked them off their feet.

"Heavens, what is that!" Mikoto gasped. Before her stood an impossibly huge snake, rearing up to a height of at least ten meters, not even counting the coils of its body resting on the ground. Most terrifying was its head—so enormous it chilled the heart—its gaping maw large enough to swallow an elephant whole!

Lin Luo was stunned, for he realized this behemoth was not flesh and blood; its entire form was composed of rock.

What kind of monster was this?

"Hahaha, tremble, Lin Luo! This is the power of the Beast Taming Codex! Summoning and commanding strange beasts from fantasy worlds. Lin Luo, aren't you familiar with this Rock Python? Let me tell you, its true form is Onix! Hahahaha, you must know it!"

Onix? From Pokémon? Good grief, where was Pikachu when you needed him!

"This is a joke! How can Onix be this big!"

"Haha, of course, you wouldn't know. Once the Beast Taming Codex levels up to LV2, you can enhance the summoned beasts' strength. I've boosted this Onix's power fivefold, and its size naturally followed. In fact, it's not just the Beast Taming Codex; all Core Tomes can strengthen what they control, including your own Contract Tome... But none of that matters to you! Onix, crush them!"

At Liu Ziwen's command, the massive body of the Onix charged toward the pair once more, its momentum overwhelmingly dominant. The ferocious sonic howl rushing toward them was enough to make any soul tremble!

"Railgun!" With Lin Luo’s current strength, he stood no chance against this super-python, enhanced manifold, and could only rely on Mikoto.

"I know, I know, ahhhhh!" Blue-white electricity surged from Mikoto’s entire body, instantly forming a Lightning Spear within her bangs, which shot through the air and arrived before the Onix in a flash.

RUMBLE!

The Onix’s forward momentum was halted, and Mikoto used the opportunity to quickly pull Lin Luo back. She was no melee combatant; a single careless brush from the Onix’s colossal body could mean never rising again. Of course, the more crucial factor was that having Lin Luo nearby hampered her ability to fight freely.

The current Lin Luo was nothing more than a Level 5 weakling.

"Hahahaha, run, run! Let me savor your pathetic scramble a bit longer. The game gets boring if it ends too quickly!"

Breaking through the Lightning Spear, the Onix burst from the electrical discharge, completely unharmed.

Lin Luo was deeply shocked. Mikoto’s Lightning Spear rivaled a real lightning strike! He had never heard that Onix was immune to electricity—how could it be unscathed? Was ‘Biri-biri’ holding back again?

Mikoto herself froze for a beat. "Electric attack ineffective?"

"An Electric-type ability user? Quite a fine power, I admit. But alas, this Onix, after my enhancement, is completely immune to electrical attacks! Hahaha!" Liu Ziwen roared, his face contorted. "Lin Luo, I hope you don't die too quickly. I want you to watch firsthand as I rip her heart out of your contractor, to experience that absolute despair!"

"Rip out my heart? What kind of joke are you playing!" Before Lin Luo could speak, Mikoto howled in response. Her shoulders were trembling, not from fear, but from rage!

Liu Ziwen kept repeating the phrase—rip out her heart—as if she were just a doll to be manipulated at his whim. This reminded her of the tragic fate of her many cloned sisters, pushing the already short-tempered Electric Princess past the limit of her meager patience. She could tolerate it no longer!

"I am a Level 5 Railgun!!"

Accompanied by a ferocious roar, sparks erupted from the strands of Mikoto's bangs. It seemed the immense electric power within her body could no longer be contained; the overflowing blue-white currents struck the ground, kicking up massive sprays of gravel and dirt.

"Behave... yourself!"

With a sharp cry, Mikoto swung her right hand, sending the Lightning Spear slamming into the Onix's head again... ZZZZT!

"That move again? No matter how powerful your electricity is, to my summoned beast, it’s just..." Liu Ziwen sneered, but immediately sensed something was wrong, his expression shifting. "What is this..."

Mikoto's Lightning Spear didn't terminate briefly. Striking the Onix was merely the point of contact; she maintained a continuous output of electrical energy, weaving it into a massive electric net that enveloped the serpent.

Indeed, the Onix, enhanced by Liu Ziwen, had developed near-immunity to simple electrical shocks. But that didn't mean it was immune to other energies, such as—thermal energy!

And the ultimate Electric User, the Railgun, wouldn't only discharge electricity. The instant the Lightning Spear struck, she ceased a direct assault, instead forming an attractive force field to forcefully convert the electrical energy into thermal energy.

Brilliant radiance illuminated this small patch of the night sky, turning darkness into daylight. Mikoto’s short hair flew wildly, her body flickering with white light, completely bathed in surging current as immense power poured out, output, output...

"Aaaaooo..."

The Onix let out a miserable shriek. Although its body was formed of rock, it was not mere stone, but a living creature. The heat covering its surface was now well over ten thousand degrees—a temperature far exceeding its tolerance limit. The outer layer of its body sloughed off like magma, meeting the electric net with a hiss, instantly vaporizing into gas.

"How can this be? How can someone she hasn't even signed a contract with be this powerful?" Liu Ziwen watched the scene unfold in disbelief. The girl's strength far surpassed his expectations; with this level of power, he currently stood no chance of victory.

...Turns out he didn't recognize the proud, tsundere Railgun Queen revered throughout the otaku world.

"Damn it, I underestimated her!" Liu Ziwen gritted his teeth, his face twisting with malice, but he had no intention of quitting now. He would obtain the Heart of the World, no matter the cost.

So powerful, truly powerful! As expected of a true form possessed by the Heart of the World, this might completely surpasses the power I currently wield. If you were an ordinary person, I might have to flee in disarray right now... Unfortunately, possessed by the Heart of the World, you are ultimately nothing to fear!

...Though doing this will severely drain my vitality, once this girl is defeated, that fool Lin Luo... Hmph. As long as you two haven't signed a contract, you will forever remain prey.

Liu Ziwen glared venomously at the girl in the fray and opened the Beast Taming Codex.

(Seeking recommendations, seeking collection!!)