The frenzied Mantis was gradually drawn into Ikenouchi Maki's attack rhythm by the rational Ikenouchi Maki.
Although she had many new wounds on her body, all of them were superficial and could be slightly alleviated and her strength recovered using Ripple.
It seemed things were getting better and better, but as Mantis accumulated more and more wounds, she suddenly regained some of her sanity...
This was definitely not the way to go; she would never be able to catch this inferior loach.
And so, Mantis, having regained some of her sanity, began her offensive...
She charged forward again, a claw attack as always, and Ikenouchi Maki dodged as always, then predicted and struck with a single slash.
But this time, just as the blade was about to land on her, Mantis suddenly twisted her body, and from the side, a claw slammed into Ikenouchi Maki's abdomen.
The sharp claw strike and powerful thrust applied to Ikenouchi Maki's abdomen almost made her vomit her dinner.
Using this force, Ikenouchi Maki quickly retreated, intending to create distance, but she bumped into a tree, stopped, and a little blood oozed from her head.
Her scalp was broken.
Before she could recover, she saw Mantis create an afterimage in front of her, charging rapidly again.
In a moment of desperation, Ikenouchi Maki, her face pale, squatted down, avoiding Mantis's critical hit that would have snapped a tree in half.
Seeing Ikenouchi Maki squat down to avoid the blow, Mantis felt another surge of anger and fiercely kicked out, sending Ikenouchi Maki flying, rolling helplessly on the ground.
"Inferior! If I couldn't lock onto you, you would have been drowned in my wrath long ago! Do you really think an inferior like you can contend with me? You sour radish, don't eat it!"
Ikenouchi Maki struggled to stand up, but before she could straighten her body, Mantis chased after her again and kicked out, sending Ikenouchi Maki flying again, landing five or six meters away on the ground, twitching.
So painful... So painful...
Pain swept through Ikenouchi Maki's body, making her involuntarily curl up, but she knew it wasn't the time.
Looking at Mantis approaching, she endured the pain and rolled over, coincidentally dodging Mantis's kick again.
This made Mantis even more infuriated, and she rushed over and kicked Ikenouchi Maki heavily in the chest again.
This kick was heavier and more frenzied than before.
"Inferior is inferior... How could... How could..."
Walking forward, Mantis grabbed Ikenouchi Maki's hair with one hand and lifted her into the air.
The pain in her scalp made Ikenouchi Maki's face twitch involuntarily, but Mantis quickly slapped her face.
Her face, already wounded, was now covered in blood.
Pain and humiliation filled Ikenouchi Maki; despair and unwillingness were brewing.
But above that was anger.
Anger at the inhumanity of the person before her, anger at the person before her calling others 'meat pigs' and 'inferior'...
Anger at the person before her for not treating people as people.
Mantis did not stop, slapping Ikenouchi Maki's face repeatedly, cursing incessantly, her mouth full of vulgarities...
Ikenouchi Maki understood that Mantis was venting, unleashing her anger like a madwoman.
She was also very angry, but she had to endure...
She wasn't a madwoman; to survive, and even more to punish this person, Ikenouchi Maki silently endured this humiliation and pain, using the gaps between slaps to adjust her breathing and recover her Ripple energy.
The sword in her hand had not fallen; she held it tightly, just like her other hand, which was already bulging with veins, filled with rage.
Mantis's frenzied venting seemed to tire her out.
Looking at the young girl she was holding in the air, who showed no signs of movement, although her eyes were still open, she couldn't feel any life force in her hand.
She understood that this girl had been tortured to death, just like those before her...
Angrily throwing Ikenouchi Maki to the ground, spitting on her, Mantis grumbled and prepared to leave.
And Ikenouchi Maki, her wide eyes fixed on Mantis's turning back, had been waiting for this moment for a long, long, long time.
Ripple, fueled by her anger, spread throughout her body and onto her sword.
Silver, red, and golden three-colored Ripple adhered to the blade, perfectly harmonized, as if Ripple was always meant to be these colors.
Quickly getting up, without fear of making a sound, Ikenouchi Maki, filled with rage, stabbed Mantis through the chest, giving her a chilling pierce.
Mantis never expected that this person was still alive and had given her such a vicious stab...
But, she hadn't pierced her heart.
This would be the biggest mistake she had ever made in her life.
Mantis's face quickly became frenzied, and she turned around to strike Ikenouchi Maki, but it led to a critical hit.
Ikenouchi Maki kicked Mantis, gripping the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands.
This kick not only pushed Mantis back but also pulled the sword out, allowing her to catch her breath.
She had used all three types of Ripple just now, which was her limit, and combined with the sneak attack, Mantis couldn't dodge this strike.
But at the moment the strike landed, she hesitated for a moment, and this extremely brief, momentary hesitation caused her strike to go awry, not piercing directly into the heart, but just stabbing to the side.
Many people, even when truly pushed to their limit and thinking of killing, when the person is truly in front of them and they can truly kill that person, would they still act as cleanly as they imagined?
That strike caused no small amount of damage to Mantis; the three-colored Ripple transmitted wildly within her body, the sensation of cutting and burning making her wish for death, screaming and twitching wildly on the ground.
Ikenouchi Maki held the sword down, pressing Mantis firmly beneath her, watching Mantis roll wildly on the ground, wailing in pain, only breathing heavily, but remaining silent.
Gradually, Mantis stopped struggling, lying on the ground, the anger on her face stiffened, her eyes slowly closed, and she was motionless.
Dead? She's dead...
Ikenouchi Maki pulled out the sword and looked up at the moonlight... It was a bit cold, just like her hands, stained with blood, seemingly unable to be washed clean.
She killed someone... She killed someone...
She didn't react as she had imagined, nor did she show the reactions of killers in novels and stories...
She had thought that after killing someone she might vomit, repent, or panic, but none of that happened.
Instead, her mind was still somewhat calm, her thoughts quite clear, and her emotions were slowly subsiding...
Only, for some reason, her heart felt a little flustered.
Sighing deeply, Ikenouchi Maki was about to sit down and regulate her breathing, using Ripple to heal her injuries, when she noticed movement from Mantis beneath her feet.
She suddenly opened her eyes, her entire skin began to turn red, her hair began to turn wine red, her face was filled with frenzy, and she let out a super high-pitched roar that directly ruptured Ikenouchi Maki's eardrums, causing her head to buzz instantly.
She couldn't help but cover her ears and retreat, while also becoming wary of Mantis, who had suddenly come back to life.
Blood flowed from her ears; Ikenouchi Maki's ears were buzzing, tinnitus and ear pain began to appear, but she still retained faint hearing.
To protect herself, despite feeling dizzy, Ikenouchi Maki unhesitatingly struck out with her sword, directly cutting Mantis.
Mantis had already stood up and charged towards Ikenouchi Maki; now, she was less like a human... and more like a terrifying demon.
"You inferior!!!"