“Is this a joke?”
Mu’en looked at the man before him, who stood upright for the first time in front of him, and couldn’t help but twitch slightly at the corners of his mouth.
Before he came, he had already made many preparations and had mentally braced for the worst possible outcome.
So he didn’t hesitate at all and rushed towards Eluka at the fastest speed, aiming for a quick resolution.
He was almost about to succeed.
But the development of the situation was still beyond Mu’en’s expectations.
He didn’t anticipate that this man, who had already been swallowed by Eluka, could split out again from that grotesque mass of flesh and stand in front of him.
It appeared that he hadn’t become one of those hundreds of faces.
Most importantly, the man seemed very strong.
Indeed, just from that previous move, Mu’en could tell that unlike his own hasty training, the man before him was a powerful warrior forged through real battles and tempering.
And this kind of person was exactly the one Mu’en feared the most.
“Hey, big brother, could you step aside? I need to have a private chat with your wife.”
Mu’en rubbed his hands and tried to smile at the man, saying tentatively:
“Don’t worry, it’s just some healthy topics about world peace and life ideals, it won’t affect your harmonious relationship as a couple, so can you let me have a moment alone with your wife?”
“…” The man remained silent, and Mu’en couldn’t even tell if those lifeless eyes were looking at him, but he showed no sign of moving aside.
“Hehe, did you think I wouldn’t notice your little gestures, Mr. Mu’en?”
Eluka, who was fiercely battling with An, suddenly threw a mocking glance his way, laughing:
“Although I don’t know what your intentions are, my intuition tells me you can’t be allowed to run rampant, so why don’t you stay here and play with my husband? By the way, my husband is a bona fide B-rank adventurer, and one at the pinnacle at that.”
“B-rank.”
Mu’en’s heart sank suddenly.
According to the classification, a B-rank adventurer is at least a third-tier warrior, perhaps even stronger.
Because those who can climb up the ranks as adventurers are no weaklings!
However, here he was, a fresh second-tier against a seasoned third-tier. Shouldn’t this level of battling monsters be a special service reserved for the protagonist?
Where’s the protagonist? Come save me!
“How is that possible… to save me,” Mu’en scoffed self-deprecatingly.
Based on current timing, the protagonist Ariel was probably still in the midst of rigorous yet blissful training, guided by the remnant soul of her elder sister in the ring, aiming to amaze everyone at St. Maria Academy.
So he couldn’t rely on anyone; he could only rely on himself.
Since he made that choice, there was no turning back.
Moreover…
“I don’t believe—you’re still in an invincible state now!”
Mu’en shouted, suddenly springing up like a hunting cheetah, pouncing towards the man.
Strike first!
The two daggers in his hands slashed towards the man’s vital areas from sudden angles.
Mu’en was aware of the strength gap, so right from the start, he launched an all-out surprise attack!
“Die!”
The glint of the blades was as swift as shadows, roaring like thunder.
At this moment, the man finally reacted.
His gaze shifted slightly, seemingly locking onto Mu’en.
Faced with the two blades aimed at his vital points, the man’s expression didn’t change.
He seemed to sink slightly.
Then Mu’en felt a flash of disorientation.
It was as if a video suddenly dropped frames, two entirely different scenes awkwardly merging into one.
In the previous moment, the man hadn’t moved at all.
In the next, he was right in front of Mu’en.
So close.
Close enough that the two strikes that Mu’en thrust out completely missed, and instead, his wrist smashed heavily into the man’s shoulder.
A wrist wouldn’t cause much damage.
The man merely thrust forward.
Mu’en’s hands felt a sharp ache, nearly dropping his daggers.
“What—”
Mu’en’s eyes widened in shock as he gazed at the man standing mere inches away.
The man quietly stared back, and in his dull, lifeless pupils, something flickered for just an instant.
—In that moment.
Mu’en had no time to react.
One dagger struck out, right in the phase where old force was yet to dissipate and new force had not yet built up.
His painful, throbbing wrist made it impossible for him to pull back his hands in time to defend himself.
So, his defenses were wide open.
The man extended a hand, lightly resting it on Mu’en’s abdomen.
Fingers clenched tightly into a fist!
Boom!
Even though the fist didn’t even swing out, a deafening blast suddenly erupted beside Mu’en’s ear.
Mu’en instinctively lowered his head.
He looked down at his abdomen, which visibly caved in.
It formed a clean half-circle indentation.
Then, immense pain surged.
But before he could even fully process that pain, Mu’en felt the world spinning around him.
The man caught his other shoulder, twisted at his waist and abdomen, and with a powerful throw, Mu’en was tossed like a ragdoll.
“Young Master!”
An, who had been paying attention to this side, suddenly turned red-eyed, entirely disregarding any further engagement with Eluka, as all the metal around her surged and crashed towards Mu’en.
“Hehe, Master, did you think I would let you have your way?”
Eluka sneered coldly.
No longer focusing on Mu’en’s side.
Because in her eyes, Mu’en didn’t even stand a chance of winning.
So she just needed to focus on dealing with her master.
Thus, the offense and defense exchanged roles.
An manipulated the metal, wildly surging towards Mu’en, trying to save her Young Master.
Meanwhile, Eluka placed all her attention here, her grotesque limbs writhing, hundreds of faces moaning in unison as they crashed into the steel jungle again and again.
…
“Cough, cough.”
Mu’en struggled to prop himself up, feeling as if a storm was raging inside him, his organs felt as if they had just undergone a full-body massage with extreme soreness.
He coughed a few times, trying to cough something out, but only managed to spit out a pile of foul-smelling sour water.
“Damn, how strong is he?”
Mu’en murmured in disbelief.
He originally thought that after being a dog for these last few days, the man’s strength shouldn’t be in an invincible state; he might have had a slim chance.
Now it seemed…
He really had overestimated himself.
Even if the man was truly off his game, he was still not someone a half-baked fighter like himself could clash with.
“I need to think of another way.”
“I still can’t confront him directly; I have to utilize the mobility of Shadow Step.”
“Even if he can break Shadow Step, that move should still have a range.”
“I can circle around, using the metal pathways constructed by An; perhaps I can bypass him.”
“But that means achieving a quick resolution is out of the question, especially after being thrown this far.”
With the distance between him and Eluka widened again, Mu’en’s hope for a quick resolution was dashed.
This meant it would be much harder to approach Eluka again.
“Damn it, how can it be so different? In the end, I’m still so weak!”
Mu’en clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground in frustration.
Given his current strength, he couldn’t even bring Eluka any form of salvation; if the ground hadn’t been soft enough, that last throw might have left him with serious injuries.
Not like now…
Hmm?
Wait a minute.
The ground… is soft?
Something felt wrong.
If the man had thrown him out, he should have landed directly on the ground or towards those distant metal bridges far from Eluka.
But how could the ground or the metal possibly be considered soft?
Could it be…
Mu’en stared blankly at the “ground” beneath him.
It was slick, exuding a disgusting slime.
Under its translucent skin, black veins and writhing flesh could be seen.
Of course, it was very soft.
This was extremely close to the body of a monster; it was one of its largest limbs.
