Chapter 196: Chapter 184: What a Big Snake Tail

At Annelise Locke’s behest, the venomous snake in Flora Bloom’s hand bit down on her wrist. At the same time, Flora picked out two Second-level Zombie Crystal Cores and placed them in Annelise’s palm.

Flora Bloom didn’t know if this snake’s venom was the kind Annelise needed. She’d heard that a Serpent Woman’s evolution required absorbing venom from different types of snakes. If it was from a type she’d already absorbed, it would have no effect.

The fang marks on Annelise Locke’s arm vanished in an instant. Beneath the skin, however, the dark venom spread outward like two blots of ink blooming on paper.

Annelise Locke endured the feeling of her body being torn apart, her back arching into a grotesque curve.

The horrifying sound of bones cracking and resetting—CRACK, SNAP, POP—filled the air, making the five onlookers’ ears ache.

"Flora, is she... really going to be okay?"

"I don’t know either! The Serpent Woman’s evolution is incredibly brutal and painful. But if she can get through it, she’ll become extremely powerful."

Suddenly, a loud CRACK of breaking bone echoed from Annelise Locke’s body.

Flora Bloom and the others turned toward the sound, only to see Annelise’s lower leg bone bent backward at a grotesque angle, completely snapped.

"AARGH!"

Annelise Locke’s screams were unending. With a series of sickening CRACKS, the bones in her legs—both thighs and calves—shattered one by one, grinding into splinters.

The entire ordeal lasted for over half an hour before Annelise Locke’s screams finally stopped, replaced by coarse, heavy gasps.

"Annelise, are you... are you okay?" Cynthia Grant asked, her voice trembling. She was too frightened to approach.

Who wouldn’t be scared? Seeing a living person—never mind one covered in snake scales—whose legs had just grotesquely broken themselves apart. They now lay on the deck like two boneless sacks of skin.

Flora Bloom condensed a ball of Space Spirit Water, guiding it into Annelise Locke’s mouth.

Annelise Locke seemed to regain a bit of strength. She had just looked up at Flora Bloom, the corner of her mouth twitching in gratitude, when she suddenly rolled over and let out a savage roar.

Her legs were melting from the inside out. The molten flesh and bone flowed together, fusing the two limbs into one solid mass from top to bottom.

"AARGH!"

Even Flora Bloom couldn’t bear to watch. ’The Serpent Woman’s evolution is too painful, too brutal. I want to help her, but I don’t know how.’

"Annelise, tell me! How can I help ease your pain?"

"Hhh... hhh... SSSSS..." Annelise Locke’s snake-like eyes flickered. She could no longer form human words, only ragged breaths and the hissing sound of a serpent.

"Stay... away..."

Before the five of them could process her words, her fused legs suddenly began to lengthen, slowly taking the shape of a snake’s tail. Moments later, green scales burst forth, piercing through her flesh to cover every inch of her new lower body.

Before they could even react, the place where her legs had been was now a thick, powerful snake tail, completely covered in green scales.

"This... this is..."

Annelise Locke looked as if she’d been drained of all strength. After the snake tail was fully formed, the green scales began to creep up from her waist, stopping once they had covered her abdomen.

The scales continued to spread over her upper body until only one arm and parts of her cheeks retained human skin. Eighty percent of her was now covered in green scales.

Annelise Locke lay motionless on the deck, only the rise and fall of her abdomen showing she was still breathing. A short time later, her mutated snake eyes reverted to their normal, human appearance.

The scales covering her body, however, did not recede.

"Flora, Annelise... did her evolution succeed?" Cynthia Grant asked in a small voice, tears welling in her eyes.

Flora Bloom felt a heaviness in her own heart. ’But judging by Annelise’s current state, the evolution must have been a success! She broke through to the Middle Level and has become a Middle-level Beast Type Superpower User. A Middle-level Beast Type’s power is immense.’

"She must have succeeded."

Cynthia Grant ran to Annelise Locke’s side, intending to carry her to a room to rest. Annelise, now a serpent-woman with a massive tail, looked heavy. Even so, Cynthia was surprised to find that, as a Second-level Superpower User, she struggled to even lift her.

Flora Bloom shook her head helplessly. "Just let her stay on the deck for now. I think she might need some time to get used to her new body when she wakes up."

Annelise Locke didn’t stir until after Flora Bloom and the others had eaten lunch and rested for the afternoon. Irvin Holden was in the cockpit, monitoring their route. They were nearing their destination, so he needed to find a suitable place to dock beforehand.

Flora Bloom and Cynthia Grant kept watch over Annelise Locke on the deck. The Crown Prince and the Leopard Cat were also standing by. For those two, their boss’s orders were absolute. Barring when Flora Bloom was sleeping or using the restroom, they were essentially by her side around the clock.

Annelise Locke opened her eyes to see Flora Bloom and Cynthia Grant beside her. She tried to sit up but discovered she couldn’t control her own body.

Especially when she tried to stand; the moment she exerted any force, her "legs" thrashed wildly as if they had a mind of their own, completely beyond her control.

Then she realized—she didn’t have legs anymore. As she struggled to rise, a massive, green serpentine tail thrashed spastically, whipping toward Flora Bloom and Cynthia Grant.

Seeing this, The Crown Prince and the Leopard Cat instantly moved to shield Flora Bloom. But just an instant before the tail could connect, Annelise Locke used every ounce of her strength to flip over, slamming her body hard against the deck.

The impact made her cry out in pain. It felt as if her violent thrashing had twisted something in her spine, and the agony was so intense that her tail went limp.

"Annelise, are you okay?" Flora Bloom walked over to check on her, seeing the scales on Annelise’s pained face ripple and contract.

Sure enough, a vertebra was protruding from her back. ’She must have injured her spine with that violent twist.’

"Cynthia, quick, take a look at Annelise," Flora Bloom said, handing her a bottle of spiritual water.

After probing Annelise’s back for a moment, Cynthia Grant said helplessly, "Um, Annelise’s current physiology is beyond my medical knowledge. It seems like a spinal sprain... ahem. For a human, an injury like this could lead to a herniated disc and a host of other problems. But for a snake... I assume it will heal on its own after some rest, as long as she’s careful, right?"

After drinking the spiritual water, Annelise Locke felt the pain in her spine gradually fade. She thanked Flora Bloom and considered trying to get up again, but the memory of her tail’s uncontrollable thrashing made her slump back onto the deck in defeat.

"I... maybe I should just stay still?" She glanced back at her thick, seven-to-ten-foot-long snake tail, and her expression grew bleak.

Flora Bloom smiled and patted her on the shoulder. The green scales there were slick and glossy, and cool to the touch.

"Don’t be discouraged," Flora said. "Your evolution was painful, but at least you survived. Trust me. Once you reach the High-level, you’ll be able to regain your human form."

Hearing that she could one day regain her human form, a spark of hope ignited in Annelise Locke’s eyes.

"Really? I can turn back into a human?"

"You’re still human right now. It’s just that your superpower is unique and causes some physical changes. There’s no reason to be so heartbroken." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Annelise Locke was lost in thought for a long moment. When she looked up, her eyes held a sincere expression that had been carefully hidden until now.

"I’m sorry, Flora Bloom. I lied to you before. That Sea Serpent wasn’t for me."

Flora Bloom’s expression didn’t flicker, a clear sign she had already suspected something.

"It was for your brother, wasn’t it? Your brother needs the Sea Serpent, right?"