Mithra assessed the figures before her.
She had initially planned to ignore them and walk past. But seeing the smallest person amongst them, completely hidden within the larger figure's clothing, changed her mind.
["Chrysalis" Arm, Sheng: Remnants of a dismembered Wandering God, residing within this body, awaiting its rebirth.]
[—It resembles a reptile, but it's not a reptile.]
Seeing the Wandering God, Mithra didn't move.
The five figures seemed reluctant to cause trouble. After whispering amongst themselves, they decided to leave. Mithra's intense gaze didn't seem to bother them.
"Take them out?"
"Don't cause trouble. Let's go. We don't need to get involved in anything more."
"Why is she staring at us? Is there something wrong with our appearance?"
"Yeah. Shouldn't we be more discreet in Dreamland?"
"Is she crazy?"
Even though they were whispering, Mithra heard them clearly.
She chose her words carefully, then approached them. "That 'Chrysalis'…"
As soon as she uttered the word "Chrysalis," the fearful atmosphere instantly changed. A chilling killing intent washed over them.
Two cold lights flashed. Mithra instantly activated Reinforce Body in her legs, dodging.
Rip!
Her shirt was torn open, revealing a crimson stain on her black undershirt.
Ignoring the wound, a tremor ran across Mithra's lips. Her eyes, however, were fixed on the two attackers. One had transformed a hand into a blade; the other, into a scythe.
[Flesh Transmutation: A Self miracle. A miracle that directly alters the body. Shape, quality, and material can be freely adjusted to a certain extent. However, it can cause mental deviations. The most important thing is to return to the original state.]
[—On the path to power, one inevitably changes.]
["Chrysalis" Curse: Ingesting fragments of the "Chrysalis" Wandering God will further enhance the power of Flesh Transmutation miracles. They can use non-self flesh to activate miracles, and returning to the original state may become less important.]
[—The "Chrysalis" marks its prey; they dance freely before their deaths.]
The scythe-hand, surprised that Mithra hadn't fallen despite being so close, pressed forward to finish the job.
But in an instant, Mithra vanished.
He froze, only snapping out of his stupor when his companion called out. In that brief moment, a pair of unlit eyes appeared.
A simple, cracked hammer struck his head.
His body quickly shifted, trying to avoid the blow like a Slime. Mithra, anticipating this, formed a Ki pattern, unleashing Ki Attraction!
A red vortex restrained the Slime, and she used Reinforce Body on her hammer and swung.
Two dull thuds echoed. Mithra felt nothing.
Even while struggling, the Slime shifted its body to lessen the impact of the hammer blows.
After the Ki Attraction ended, the Slime instantly fled.
Mithra had no chance to pursue it. Three people immediately charged at her.
Everyone except the "Sheng" had joined the attack.
Mithra was no match for these three. Two of them transformed their hands into long, flexible ropes, binding her wrists.
Even with Reinforce Body, she struggled against their strength.
The blade-hand seized the opportunity and plunged his hands, now blades, into Mithra's abdomen.
The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed.
The blade-hand froze.
He had pierced Mithra, but he was also pierced.
Four blades had been waiting silently, emerging from Mithra's abdomen as he struck.
The three attackers were stunned.
Mithra instantly counterattacked, quickly tripping the blade-hand, forcing him to kneel, then sweeping her leg into his head.
A magma pattern formed on her leg, and "Accumulate Dust" activated, sharp stones erupting from her foot.
Bang!
Blood splattered. The blade-hand was sent flying, a red mark appearing and shattering before quickly reforming.
Mithra grabbed the fleshy ropes binding her wrists.
She formed the Fire pattern, activating "Burning"!
[Burning: A fire miracle. A miracle of burning. Once unleashed, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. The heat affects everyone equally.]
Hiss—
The attackers' arms were burning, and they tried to release their grip, but Mithra didn't loosen hers.
Swish!
Despite outnumbered, the "Sheng," unable to stand by and watch, attacked.
Its body didn't seem to change, but a claw emerged from beneath its robe.
Its speed was too fast for Mithra to track.
The claw sliced across Mithra's neck!
Half of Mithra's neck was severed, blood gushing out.
The Sheng swung down again, severing the burning arms of the two bound men, freeing them.
Suddenly, a hammer smashed down from above. The Sheng quickly leaped back, performing a backflip to create distance. Its hood was pulled back, revealing a severely disfigured face.
It should have been a handsome young man, but half his face was bare, with flesh growing wildly over half his features. The grotesque scars looked like a hand was clawing at his face.
He stared at Mithra in disbelief.
How could someone survive with half their neck severed?
Mithra supported her head, preventing further disfigurement during regeneration. Her body was slightly unbalanced, but she used Reinforce Body to stabilize herself. Her spine must have been injured.
The attackers stared at her in shock.
Ding~.
She activated Stabilize.
"What's so surprising?" Mithra said, her voice raspy and strained, as the blades retreated from her abdomen.
The man she had repeatedly struck hadn't recovered yet. The two men with the burned arms were sweating profusely, their bodies shaking. The man who had been stabbed and then had his head crushed looked pale, his life lock almost gone.
Sheng, its face hidden under its hood, muttered, "Let's go. This person is incredibly dangerous."
The villain is complaining, huh?
Mithra had many thoughts.
The five figures retreated in disarray.
Mithra, her neck still regenerating, felt a bit unsteady. She wanted to pursue them, but her legs weren't responding well.
She sighed. If she had achieved Unified Sense in her torso and neck, she wouldn't have had this problem.
As it was, she didn't even know what those five had been doing.
She had only wanted to greet them and ask about the "Chrysalis" Wandering God.
But the moment she mentioned "Chrysalis," their friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by hostility.
It was probably a misunderstanding.
The name "Chrysalis" apparently shouldn't be spoken out loud.