Sheng, suppressing his surprise, gritted his teeth and lashed out again with his whip-like blades.
Bang!
A sharp sound, and Mithra vanished, reappearing closer to Sheng, her greatsword and straight sword a blur of motion as she attacked relentlessly.
The simple yet precise attacks forced Sheng to retreat, his agile movements and whip-like blades unable to keep up, almost tangling themselves.
More importantly, the occasional invisible sword energy forced him to focus on defense, lest he be severely injured.
Each cut from the sword tormented him, slicing through his flesh.
If he could just grab Mithra, he could crush her, but it seemed he wouldn't get the chance.
His whip-like blades formed a deadly net, but Mithra effortlessly dodged, her movements unpredictable. Sheng lashed out with his numerous arms, but they grasped nothing.
Sword energy flashed again, and despite the layers of fleshy armor, deep wounds appeared.
Mithra's form flickered around Sheng, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, sometimes to the sides.
Bang!
Whenever Sheng heard that sound, he instinctively looked around, even though Mithra sometimes just tapped her weapons together without using "Enlightened Step."
Suddenly, Sheng broke away from the fight and charged towards the edge of the wall, leaping off.
Mithra followed without hesitation, leaping from the wall.
Below them was the newly opened teleportation point. He had retreated towards this location during his fight with Nino and Mithra.
He wasn't giving up; this was his true mission.
As they fell, Sheng's whip-like blades lashed out, piercing Mithra. She tilted her head, avoiding a fatal blow, but her body was still pierced.
Seizing this rare opportunity, Sheng didn't hesitate.
A whip-like blade swept across, ripping off Mithra's jaw. Then, a curved blade sliced out, severing her tongue!
Sheng expected to see panic, but Mithra remained calm. Just as he was about to crush her, Mithra reached out.
The Ki pattern formed. Control Object!
A rain of severed, now-inert, fleshy blades fell from the sky, striking Sheng.
They grappled in mid-air, then crashed to the ground.
Thud! Thud!
Two heavy impacts, followed by the clatter of debris.
After a moment of silence, Sheng was the first to reform, pulling himself together and crawling towards the teleportation point.
The inert flesh wasn't useless, but reabsorbing it was energy-consuming, far less efficient than fresh flesh.
Just as he reached the teleportation point...
"Did I say you could run, insect?" a cold voice echoed, stopping Sheng in his tracks.
[Price: You have lost your tongue.]
[Compensation Received: Mocking Tongue.]
[Ambato's signature: Losing your tongue? I've got just the thing.]
Mithra slowly emerged from the bushes. The maw had cushioned her fall; she was unharmed. Her jaw hadn't regenerated yet. A bluish, corpse-like tongue, with a twisted, grinning mouth pattern, had replaced her original tongue.
Like the newest signature, Mithra was surprised that even a tongue counted.
But if her patrons offered it, she would use it.
The mocking tongue, too large to be contained within her mouth, moved like a snake, testing the environment.
Unlike the Abyssal Hand and the Miracle Prosthetic, although it possessed its own consciousness, it wasn't as active. It mainly moved on its own and could speak. It wasn't capable of independent action.
It didn't directly increase her combat ability, either.
It was meant for taunting, using language to manipulate emotions and provoke reactions, hindering escapes. It enhanced the psychological impact of her words.
For now, this was its only use. Perhaps there were others, but this was enough.
She hadn't expected compensation for a severed tongue. Her patrons were thorough.
Lost in thought, she saw Sheng had turned to face her, his eyes bloodshot.
Her tongue regenerated quickly. The mocking tongue would soon disappear.
Before it vanished, Mithra used it. "Help me cut off this one too," she said.
The simple words, amplified by the mocking tongue, pierced Sheng's mind, fueling his rage. He ignored the nearby teleportation point.
Sheng abandoned all defenses, his flesh transforming into a flurry of whip-like blades.
The blades were almost invisible.
The maw quickly unleashed its tongues, but even the Many-Armed Monster could hold its own against them. It couldn't handle Sheng's furious onslaught.
[Your tongue has regenerated. Mocking Tongue has departed.]
[Ambato: Feel free to cut your tongue off whenever you like.]
Thanks, but no thanks, Mithra thought.
The Mocking Tongue's effect had been significant. Sheng's enraged state was even harder to deal with, and several of the maw's tongues were instantly severed.
And she couldn't find an opening to use Enlightened Step.
Sheng's whips were even faster than before!
Taunting him had backfired.
But it wasn't a problem.
No matter how powerful the burst, the total amount of power was finite. This unrestrained outburst was just a final, desperate gambit.
Mithra activated Stabilize and slowly approached, deflecting the whips. She sustained occasional injuries, but they quickly regenerated.
When Sheng's outburst subsided, he would be able to reach the teleportation point.
Mithra didn't have much time.
Closer, a little closer.
A dark energy emanated from Mithra, her eyes becoming vacant.
Finally, Sheng realized something was wrong.
Why had he lost control because of her taunts?! He had wasted too much flesh; he had to escape!
He left some of his whips to attack Mithra and turned towards the teleportation point.
At that moment…
Mithra transformed into the Stranger. A terrifying shriek erupted as she smashed through the whips and charged towards Sheng.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before Sheng, having teleported!
It was Leo Duncan!
Leo Duncan's eyes shone. Water patterns appeared in his pupils. His hands manipulated the flowing water, activating and transforming his miracle.
[Startling Torrent: A Water miracle. Creates a torrent of water with the force of a waterfall. Its sound and momentum can amplify its power, a fusion of force and fluidity.]
[—Waterfalls don't always flow downwards.]
Water Transformation, Wrath of the River!
The Startling Torrent's power increased several times as Leo Duncan unleashed it, a massive wave crashing against Sheng.
With the Stranger's arrival, Sheng's hopes of escaping were dashed. And now, this attack, although not fatal, completely crushed any remaining hope.
"Damn you!" Sheng's rage exploded. One of his arms suddenly extended, piercing Leo Duncan's abdomen and throwing him back.
Leo Duncan, like a rag doll, was flung against the wall.
Sheng was torn apart.
Mithra was progressing. Her Stranger form was also progressing. Every small improvement in her human form was amplified several times in her Stranger form.
The Stranger, holding its swords, slowly spread its arms like a chef displaying their knives. The freshly butchered flesh hadn't even landed yet, scattering in the air.
Sheng's last remaining eye met the empty sockets of the slender corpse.
The fear of an unknown, powerful entity was etched into his mind as he finally died.