As Mommy's energy sword was lost, she had to pull out a new one from her pack—a white-tier energy sword. Seeing the downgraded gear, Edward couldn't help but notice its diminished power.
"No matter," Mommy growled. "I'll show him the true meaning of death today." She produced a small, blue glass vial that looked like some kind of liquid supplement. Edward recognized it instantly. "What kind of potion is that?" he asked.
With a determined look, Mommy gritted her teeth. "It's my survival gene. I was saving it for a boss fight, but it's time to pull out all the stops."
Gene warriors relied on genetically-enhanced potions produced by the Federation's chemical factories. These potions came in two forms: permanent, which gave lifelong boosts but were rare and valuable, and temporary, which provided rapid mutation and power surges for a limited time.
As she downed the survival gene potion, Mommy's face turned an eerie blue, her features contorting into something monstrous. Her HP surged from 3,000 to 6,000, enough for 15 minutes of raw, unbridled strength. She was preparing to tank the damage head-on.
Malagobi's face twisted in shock at the sight. "That bitch drugged herself! Shameless!"
He raised his hands, summoning the elements to trigger more magma eruptions.
On the cliffside, Hot Girl's MP5 wasn't idle anymore. Flames spat from the barrel as bullets pinged against Malagobi's shield. Though the impact was minimal, the protective red aura of his shield was weakening steadily under the relentless barrage. Hot Girl had plenty of ammo and wasn't afraid of running out—just that the shield wouldn't break in time.
Mommy launched herself onto the stone bridge again, moving at a measured pace. Malagobi, hands waving, sent waves of magma flooding the bridge. The spectacle was as deadly as it was beautiful, but this time, Mommy activated her charge skill, absorbing some of the impact and avoiding being swept away like before.
Now it was Malagobi's turn to panic. His health potions were gone from the earlier chase, and he was relying solely on his shield to hold off his attackers. Mommy's combination attack followed—a furious sequence of skills: Heaven and Earth Cross Slash, Wind Slash Sevenfold, and Wolf Fang Burst Slash—all devastating 20+ level abilities. Her sword danced in the air, creating dazzling arcs of steel. The clashing sounds of metal and energy reverberated across the battlefield.
"That combo's dealing at least 2,000 points of damage per strike. His shield can't last much longer," Edward observed calmly.
Sure enough, with a final slash, the ground shattered as Mommy's last attack hit. The shield vanished, and Malagobi staggered backward.
But he wasn't giving up. Twin jets of lava surged toward Mommy's midsection. His precision, boosted by his Elemental Specialization, was deadly accurate.
Mommy's furious attack had a three-second cooldown, and Malagobi took full advantage. The lava slammed into her, engulfing her body.
In the red glow of the magma, a white data stream rose from Mommy's body, slowly dissolving into the air.
"Second Sister!" Oath's scream broke through the silence, her voice choked with devastation. Mommy was dead. The overwhelming fire damage, combined with the lava's relentless assault, had torn through her 6,000 HP far too quickly.
Malagobi had indeed pushed his limits to trigger the magma.
The Controller cackled madly. "You thought you could outsmart me, you whores?"
Hot Girl glanced at her watch—1 minute and 56 seconds left before the 24-hour mark. They were running out of time.
Fury coursed through her veins as she watched her comrade fall. She grabbed a blood vial and smashed it against her thigh, refilling her health bar. With her MP5 in hand, she sprinted across the bridge.
"Sis!" Oath cried, knowing full well that when Hot Girl was enraged, there was no stopping her. But she quickly quieted. Her sister's temper was infamous, and nothing could pull her back when she was in this state.
Hot Girl's situation was even worse than Mommy's. The scorching stone beneath her feet caused her HP to tick down rapidly. Still, her steely expression and sheer determination showed she was ready for an all-or-nothing fight.
Malagobi, not wanting to waste time, sent another two jets of magma her way. Unlike Mommy, Hot Girl dropped to the ground and rolled, barely dodging the bulk of the attack. However, the edge of the lava still seared her back, leaving a charred patch on her combat suit. Her HP dropped by 414 points.
"Be careful!" Oath's heart was racing, her hand clutched to her chest. Hot Girl's build focused on agility and ranged combat, but even she couldn't withstand more than a few hits from those lava blasts.
But she wasn't backing down. Her MP5 sprayed a rain of bullets at Malagobi, each one chipping away at his now-exposed health bar. Blood splattered as red damage numbers flickered above his head: -33, -38, -50, -57…
Edward's eyes sharpened as he noticed something crucial. "Her bullets are getting stronger. The closer she gets, the more damage she's dealing."
More numbers floated up as Hot Girl closed the distance: -80, -88, -90...
Suddenly, a -200 appeared in bright green, marking a critical hit. Edward's mind raced. "That's his weak spot—the navel!"
However, Hot Girl made a mistake. Out of habit, she went for headshots. Malagobi's helmet blocked most of the damage, capping it around -60, but she was still doing significant damage—600 points in a matter of seconds.
"Die, you bitch!" Malagobi roared, swinging his energy staff upward. The entire magma pool erupted, sending eight massive jets of lava onto the bridge, turning it into a fiery inferno.
Hot Girl cursed under her breath, "Shit."
A white light ascended from the flames—Hot Girl was dead.
"Ha—ha! The biggest whore is down! Serves you right!" Malagobi bellowed between gasps of breath.
On the other side of the bridge, Edward silently stored his sensor device back into his pack. His face was cold, expressionless. "Heal me."
Oath, overwhelmed with grief, nearly threw her entire medkit at his head. She couldn't understand how he could be so calm.
Malagobi, seeing Edward's stance with the Mauser in hand, suddenly called out, "Wait! You're not from Blue Ocean Corporation, are you?"
Edward paused, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know?"