Chapter 146: Beads in the Head
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"Ah!"
Kurome's face contorted in pain.
When a puppet is destroyed, the backlash hits her hard, and in this case, the pain was over ten times greater.
"The numbers are dwindling," Aoki muttered.
He couldn't afford to delay any longer and rushed forward once more.
Aside from Desutaguru, none of the remaining black-eyed puppets stood a chance against the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
To defeat this beast, they had to maximize everyone's strength. They couldn't let the puppets die in vain.
Even with Aoki's assistance, the puppets continued to fall, but they managed to inflict more injuries on the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Boom!
A cloud of flames erupted, engulfing a puppet and reducing it to a charred husk.
Aoki dodged the Tyrannosaurus Rex's claws, distanced himself, and took a quick glance around.
"Only three puppets left," he noted grimly.
Though these three were the strongest, including the still-standing Desutaguru, they were all injured.
In fact, Desutaguru had taken the most hits but had managed to recover each time.
"If this keeps up…" Aoki turned his gaze back to the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Despite its many wounds, none were fatal.
This can't go on!
Even if they couldn't kill it, they needed to deal a truly crippling blow.
Roar!
The Tyrannosaurus Rex opened its mouth, spewing a massive ball of red energy that splintered into fireballs the size of basketballs.
Boom boom boom!
The fireballs rained down, expanding rapidly, like a hundred cannons firing at once.
Aoki's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating, he charged forward.
Though the attack seemed terrifying, it posed little threat to him. As long as he wasn't at the center of the explosions, the flames wouldn't hurt him.
After releasing such a powerful attack, the Tyrannosaurus Rex would inevitably need a moment to catch its breath.
This was the opportunity Aoki had been waiting for!
He quickly closed in on the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex didn't ignore Aoki. It had already realized that among its foes, this small figure was the most dangerous.
It turned slightly, sweeping its thick tail toward Aoki with a sharp whistle.
Despite its massive size and lack of agility, the Tyrannosaurus Rex had excellent combat skills and could fully utilize every part of its body.
The muscles of ancient creatures like Tyrande had been crafted into imperial weapons, enduring for thousands of years.
These extremely dangerous species had lived for who knows how long and were highly experienced in battle.
Aoki had witnessed the destructive power of the Tyrannosaurus Rex's tail before, so he wasn't about to take it head-on. He prepared to dodge.
Just then, another figure suddenly rushed out, its body covered in burns, and threw itself at the Tyrannosaurus Rex's tail without hesitation.
Aoki recognized it as one of Kurome's most cherished puppets, a companion from her childhood who had been with her and her sister Akame for years.
Bang!
The puppet's arms shattered, and its sternum collapsed entirely as it collided with the massive tail.
However, the impact managed to slow the Tyrannosaurus Rex's tail just enough.
Aoki didn't waste this precious opportunity. He bent his knees slightly, and with a powerful burst, his body soared into the sky.
Bat wings are not useful in close combat.
Although Bat Wings provide a degree of flexibility, they fall short of Aoki's natural agility. Moreover, their large size only serves to increase his vulnerability to attacks.
Aoki stepped on the Tyrannosaurus Rex's body, using it as leverage to rapidly ascend until he was level with the beast's head in the blink of an eye.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex's head was riddled with wounds, two of which were so deep they had pierced through its skull.
These were Aoki's handiwork.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Eight whips shot out, piercing into the Tyrannosaurus Rex's head, but none managed to penetrate deep enough to reach the bone.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex opened its mouth.
A glint of madness flashed in Aoki's eyes.
It had been a long time since he felt truly threatened, but when it came to battle, he never lacked courage.
His spirit seemed to sharpen, and a surge of strength flowed into every part of his body from nowhere.
Unyielding Will!
This was the first time the skill had activated since he learned it.
Even Muzan Kibutsuji hadn't pressured him enough to trigger it.
Boom!
The red energy struck him, erupting into a massive flame that engulfed Aoki.
But the next moment, he burst out of the flames, his skin charred black.
His skin was completely burned, the flames had seared through his muscles and into his body, scorching his internal organs.
Aoki didn't even flinch. He kept his focus on the Tyrannosaurus Rex, his body tense and ready.
The bone whip sliced through the air, and with a whoosh, the bone blade sank into one of the deepest wounds on the
Tyrannosaurus Rex's head, carving a gash several dozen centimeters long.
Through the wound, Aoki could see the white of the brain and a silver bead nestled inside.
"Beads? What are those?"
Aoki was momentarily stunned, but his movements didn't falter. The whips danced and pierced into the brain of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Roar!
The Tyrannosaurus Rex let out an earth-shattering roar, shook its head violently, and lunged at Aoki with its bloody jaws wide open.
The bat wings spread wide, and Aoki swiftly ascended higher. The whip retracted from the Tyrannosaurus Rex's head, wrapping around the silver bead.
Ignoring the foul brain matter, Aoki grasped the silver bead, and his eyes widened slightly.
"Could this be…?"
Whoosh!
Before he could process the thought, a sharp whistling sound reached his ears. He looked up to see a giant creature, shaped like a pterosaur with a wingspan of more than 50 meters, rapidly approaching.
Aoki frowned.
He had been meticulous in controlling himself, ensuring he never crossed the line, not even coming close.
So, the answer was obvious.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex had no sense of martial ethics and would call for help when it couldn't win a fight.
Aoki immediately realized that the roar from the Tyrannosaurus Rex earlier was a signal for assistance.
He had assumed that the three dangerous species had clearly divided territories, but now it was clear that this was only a superficial appearance.
Aoki glanced at the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Even though its head had been pierced, and the whip had scrambled its brain, the beast was still alive and didn't appear to be dying at all.
Aoki wasn't particularly surprised by this.
Tyrande's muscles could live for thousands of years—how could a super-dangerous species die so easily?
However, he was certain that, although the Tyrannosaurus Rex was not dead, it was seriously injured. The key was that it had a massive vital point.
If he continued to fight, he was confident he could kill it.
But...
After a quick glance at the rapidly approaching super pterosaur, Aoki made a decisive choice and flew toward Kurome.
Another fully intact super-dangerous species was on the way, and more could join the fray at any moment.
Their side had suffered heavy casualties, and only two puppets remained capable of fighting.
This team battle was no longer winnable.
They had to retreat.
Crash!
A sharp whistle sounded behind him, and Aoki glanced back, his expression shifting slightly.
Huge wind blades were hurtling toward him at high speed.
They were too fast!
Though the blades wouldn't be fatal, they would certainly slow him down.
Moreover...
Aoki looked at the silver bead in his hand.
If he lost it, there was no guarantee he'd get another chance to retrieve it.
What to do?
At that moment...
A tall shadow suddenly appeared, standing behind Aoki.
Desutaguru opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of blue energy, venting its power with abandon.
The wind blades were obliterated instantly, and the entire sky turned blue.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex took a few steps back, and the pterosaur halted its dive.
Both super-dangerous species stopped their attacks simultaneously.
But after just a few seconds, Desutaguru's energy plummeted.
Without hesitation, Aoki rushed toward Kurome and picked her up, and quickly fled into the jungle.
"What should we do now?"
Kurome's usually Beautiful face was now drained of all color.
The plan to hunt the super-dangerous species had failed, and she had nearly lost all of her puppets.
Would they still have a chance to escape?
Aoki didn't respond but instead looked back first.
Good!
The super pterosaur hadn't followed them.
Its enormous size made it unsuitable for navigating the forest, but its speed and attack power were terrifying. If it had caught up with them, it could have caused serious trouble.
Aoki then looked down at the silver bead in his hand.
The bead was the size of an egg, warm to the touch, perfectly spherical, and had a smooth surface with no markings—resembling a massive pearl.
From the moment he saw it, he could feel it: this silver bead emitted strong spatial fluctuations.
This was most likely the culprit interfering with his "space travel"!
For the past few days, he had been searching for the source of the space fluctuation interference but had found nothing. No wonder—if it had been hidden in the head of a super-dangerous species, it would have been impossible to find.
If his guess was correct, destroying this silver bead should be enough to eliminate the interference with space fluctuations.
Without that interference, he could use his "space imprint shuttle" to leave immediately.
This was why he had abandoned the fight without hesitation.
Aoki moved his fingers.
Although no one knew exactly what this silver bead was, it was undoubtedly a space-related treasure.
Such treasures were incredibly rare, and none of them could be considered insignificant.
Aoki clenched his palm.
Snap!
The silver bead shattered into pieces.
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T/N: There is a Patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early chapters.
Patreon link:- Patreon.com/ANelite
And also:
Imperial weapon = Teigu
Teigu = Imperial weapon