Nie Hong couldn't see as much information, but the Ki emanating from this creature was unmistakable.
It was an opponent far beyond his current abilities!
"Mithra!" Nie Hong turned and saw Mithra staring at the creature.
Following Mithra's gaze, Nie Hong's eyes widened.
The silver pendant!
It was encased within one of the boils, a small portion visible as it swayed with the monster's movements.
"Wait! This thing is dangerous! Let's think about this!" Nie Hong reached out to stop Mithra.
But all he heard was a crisp "Ding." The glow of Stabilize flashed, and before he could grab her, Mithra charged towards the monster, hammer in hand.
Bang!
The hammer struck one of the seemingly frail limbs.
But the massive figure only swayed slightly, then suddenly swiped at Mithra with its claws.
Mithra raised her hammer to block, but she was still sent flying, blood spraying from her mouth.
The frail appearance was a deception. A creature that could support such a massive neck and head couldn't be weak.
As soon as Mithra landed, Erik lunged, letting out a guttural moan, its large claws blocking Mithra's vision completely.
Mithra spat out a mouthful of blood and swung her hammer repeatedly, not giving an inch.
But after only a few exchanges, sharp claws pierced her chest. Her Reinforce Body was completely ineffective against them.
Lifted into the air, Erik's other hand slammed down on Mithra's head, as if trying to rip her in half!
Swish!
But before it could exert any force, four Night Worship Swords erupted from Mithra's body, piercing the claws holding her.
Mithra used Control Object to violently manipulate the four swords, twisting her body!
Her body spun, the swords severing Erik's fingers and freeing her. She landed without pausing, her hand brushing against the hammer, activating Ignite. She brought it down hard on Erik.
Bang! Squish!
The hammer struck the swollen neck, but there wasn't much feedback. Mithra's hammer and arm sank into the flesh.
Mithra: ?
The flames were extinguished by the disgusting fluids. As Mithra tried to pull back, a human face suddenly appeared on the nearest boil, solidifying into a screaming face that bit down on the corner of Mithra's mouth.
Rip!
Half of Mithra's left cheek was torn off!
The screaming face devoured Mithra's flesh, letting out a shriek. It was hard to tell who was screaming.
It wasn't over. Following the appearance of that face, more faces appeared on the layers of boils. The hall was filled with screams and wails.
The boils pulsed, and the nearby faces lunged at Mithra.
Just as black energy began to emanate from Mithra's body, a flash of red light. Nie Hong, using Control Object, manipulated a Night Worship Sword to sever Mithra's right arm, which was trapped within the boils!
Blood sprayed. Mithra quickly retreated, escaping the grasping boils.
Nie Hong rushed to Mithra's side. "Are you okay?! Don't be reckless at a time like this..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Seeing Mithra's regenerating face, the remaining wound combined with a twisted, pained smile, he didn't know what to say.
Safin's pendant was as important to Mithra as it was to Safin.
Nie Hong couldn't understand Mithra's mindset, but he could accept this extreme, almost manic obsession.
After all, it was part of what he admired about her.
So he changed his words. "I'll cover you. Prioritize the pendant. If we get it, we retreat."
"Not bad. You're getting more decisive."
Mithra stood up and looked at Erik.
And then, her right arm started.
Surrounding rocks, wood, metal objects... all kinds of things were pulled towards Mithra's twitching, regenerating right arm.
[Price: You have lost your right arm.]
[Compensation Received: Miracle Prosthetic (Right).]
[Ringer's signature: Hope the craftsmanship hasn't declined.]
A prosthetic arm made of various materials formed on Mithra's right arm.
Hiss—
Mithra's body twitched. The nerves in her severed arm connected with the prosthetic, and for a moment, it felt like a part of her body had been taken over, but perhaps it was just an illusion?
She looked at the arm, its functions appearing in her mind.
Nie Hong was no longer surprised by Mithra's miraculous displays. He activated Stabilize with one hand and, with the other, used Control Object, summoning four Night Worship Swords to hover around them. One of the swords was grabbed by the prosthetic arm as it passed by Mithra.
"Creepy sword number two, hammer bro is in trouble, we're going to save him," Mithra said, gently stroking the sword with her left hand.
Despite the urgency, Nie Hong still wanted to comment on how Mithra numbered these swords. He held back. Mithra charged forward again.
The miracle prosthetic also seemed to have its own independent consciousness.
Compared to the Abyssal Hand from the same source, the prosthetic was much calmer, like an external brain, a computer.
It calmly analyzed the situation and relayed its conclusions to Mithra.
Using Mithra's brain, it integrated all her combat experience and put it into practice.
A series of swishing sounds. The writhing boils were sliced apart before they could reach her.
Erik's severed fingers had regenerated, and its claws swiped at Mithra.
Three throwing knives, imbued with powerful force, struck Erik's arm, momentarily restraining it.
The other claw still came crashing down. Mithra's prosthetic suddenly retracted.
Swish—
Ignite was activated by the prosthetic. Sparks flew as it thrust forward, piercing Erik's claw and sinking deep into its flesh.
The prosthetic quickly released the sword, its wrist twisting before suddenly stabbing into Erik's body.
After a moment of churning, it activated Ignite internally, then forcefully pulled back.
Bang!
Blood and fluids splattered. Erik was thrown backward. Mithra's prosthetic raised the stone hammer, using Ignite to clean the hammer and her arm. Resisting the urge to kiss the hammer, Mithra turned and caught creepy sword number two with her left hand.
Erik rolled on the ground, clutching its wounds and moaning.
The limbs emerging from its neck began to grow, supporting its body as it stood up again. But this time, it was upside down.
Mithra and Nie Hong were familiar with this form. It was just like the collective spider monsters they had dealt with so many times.
It was completely different from the vaguely humanoid form it had before.
[Your right arm has regenerated. Miracle Prosthetic (Right) has departed.]
[Ringer's signature: Looking forward to our next collaboration.]
You could just say you're looking forward to my next broken arm, Mithra thought.
The miracle prosthetic disassembled, revealing the newly regenerated right arm beneath.
Mithra swayed, almost falling, but managed to steady herself.
"Mithra, what's wrong?!" Nie Hong asked, alarmed.
Mithra gasped, shaking her head, and without a word, stood up again.
While using the Abyssal Hand, her mind was plagued by prayers and whispers, and the miracle prosthetic burned her flesh through her nerves as it operated.
Fortunately, Lebaance's regeneration could handle the physical damage, but the prosthetic's toll was significant. The moment it departed, the nausea, dizziness, and weakness, combined with Lebaance's regeneration, almost made her collapse.
Ding.
She quickly activated Stabilize.
Mithra slowly retreated to Nie Hong's side, considering how to deal with Erik, who had clearly entered phase two.
She had originally planned to activate "Stranger," but thanks to Nie Hong's decisive intervention, she had unlocked prosthetic.
Truly fortunate.
After so much fighting today, the toll from the prosthetic, combined with everything else, left Mithra feeling unusually weak.
It was probably time to let her "other self" test the waters.
As she thought about this, she noticed the harmonica in Nie Hong's hand.
Hmm?
[Hokuten Family Heirloom Harmonica: Just an ordinary harmonica, good material, average craftsmanship, but imbued with time and heartfelt wishes. It's a shame the entire Hokuten family is dead. It's a relief that the last member wasn't a coward.]
[—Did you know? Miracles are about balance. Grand aspirations and dark hatred are intertwined and inseparable.]
As Erik started crawling towards them, Mithra suddenly pulled Nie Hong back, creating distance.
Nie Hong was surprised by Mithra's sudden insight when he heard her ask, "Can you play the harmonica?"
"I, I learned a little!" Nie Hong quickly replied.
"Play it."
Nie Hong looked at the harmonica in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he put it to his lips, his expression serious.
A clear melody echoed through the hall.
Clumsy and unfamiliar, the tune was simple, with missed notes and off-key sounds.
But under this melody, the ferocious Erik suddenly froze.
"Waaah... waah..." A face on one of the boils suddenly started crying.
And then, all the faces on the boils began to whimper and sob, eventually escalating into wails.
"Ugh? Why...? What's happening...?" Erik's eyes were vacant as it spoke in a human voice, its body surrounded by arms.
Suddenly, one of the arms struck Erik's face.
Another arm let go of the grotesque body, reaching out to gouge at Erik's eyes.
One by one, the arms stopped their frenzy, abandoning their grotesque movements and turning on Erik, attacking him. Self-destruction.
"No... you... you can't do this... You're all bastard too... you have no right to judge me... Ah! We're all the same! All of us! Why are you only blaming me?!"
Erik seemed to regain some lucidity amidst the melody and the attacking arms.
But it couldn't accept its monstrous form, the target of the attacks.
It didn't understand!
Mithra slowly approached, her dark eyes coldly staring at Erik.
Because Erik was upside down in its phase two form, and its neck-arms were gone, it was pinned beneath its bulky body. As Mithra approached, she looked down at it.
"Don't look at me like that... don't look at me with those terrifying eyes... I did nothing wrong... There's no right or wrong in this world... right? I wanted a big house, hot soup every day, my own portrait, a good life... I just worked hard to get what I wanted..." Erik's voice trembled.
Mithra raised the hammer.
Swish!
The power of Reinforce Body briefly extended to the hammer, covering it in a thin white layer.
She hadn't had time to understand the Miracle Prosthetic, but it had helped her understand the technique for extending Reinforce Body, which she now employed.
The hammer fell mercilessly, crushing the contorted face, again and again, until blood splattered and bones shattered.
Bang! Splat—
The head burst like a water balloon. The ground beneath it caved in slightly, spreading cracks like a spiderweb, accompanied by spurts of blood.
When Erik's head was crushed, the surrounding boils slowly stopped moving.
The limbs fell limply to the ground. Everything gradually became silent.
The crying faces on the boils dissipated. Their souls couldn't find peace, but at least they had vented their resentment before losing their power, instead of being consumed by it and becoming accomplices.
Mithra bent down, picked up the silver pendant from among the gore, and stood up, her expression unchanged.
"Too much nonsense," she said calmly.
Nie Hong stopped playing the harmonica, let out a sigh of relief, and looked at Mithra's towering figure with admiration.
They had won!
Suddenly, he seemed to hear a sound. He looked towards Hundr's body in the corner of the hall.
The corpse's eyes were now closed.