The present Mantis no longer resembled a human.
Her entire skin had turned purplish-red, her hair had changed from golden to wine-red, a pair of vertical eyes grew on both sides of her cheeks, filled with brutality and resentment, the teeth in her mouth had become incomparably sharp shark teeth, her two hands had transformed into four, and her fingers had become extremely sharp claws, making her even more lethal; she had even grown considerably sturdier all over her body.
She looked incredibly strong, more like a tyrannical demon than a human.
But... everything comes at a price. The second stage Mantis unleashed brought with it a drastically reduced lifespan and the exposure of a fatal weakness.
Her heart was now exposed on her body surface, beating violently and seemingly full of vitality.
Forced to activate such a repulsive and ugly form, not to mention... being beaten into such a sorry state by a filthy lowly species, Mantis was consumed by rage, losing her rationality. She stomped on the ground, creating a spiderweb-like crack, and charged towards Ikenouchi Maki like a whirlwind, smashing out with both fists on one side.
Ikenouchi Maki hadn't recovered yet; she only managed to hastily raise her Fu Chen Blade to block before being sent flying by the blow, crashing heavily to the ground, looking even more disheveled and in greater pain. Her Fu Chen Blade also let out a cry, seemingly overwhelmed, with some cracks appearing on its blade.
Struggling to get up, Ikenouchi Maki immediately rolled to the side, dodging a punch from Mantis, then swung her blade, striking Mantis's hand squarely.
However, unlike before, where it would leave a wound, this strike produced a sound of metal clashing, causing Ikenouchi Maki to widen her eyes.
The blade was stuck, leaving only a shallow cut, unable to cause damage.
Mantis shrieked skyward, her cry filled with anger and mockery, and once again, she smashed both fists down, fiercely sending Ikenouchi Maki flying.
Clutching her blade tightly, Ikenouchi Maki was sent flying by the blow, a large mouthful of fresh blood gushing from her mouth. She fell to the ground, panting heavily... Fortunately, her blade came out with her.
No... no...
Looking at the approaching Mantis, Ikenouchi Maki forced herself to stand, pulled out some items from her spatial bracelet, and slammed them onto the ground.
Instantly, an intensely thick smoke billowed up, completely obscuring Mantis's vision. Mantis's incoming kick also heavily struck the ground, creating a deep pit, but Ikenouchi Maki's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Where did she go?
At this moment, Ikenouchi Maki, after a quick leap away, was now frantically panting in a corner of the dense fog, recovering her breathing rhythm, and using Ripple to alleviate her body's pain and injuries.
Such a formidable enemy... such severe injuries... so... close to death...
Mantis was roaring frantically within the dense fog, flailing her four limbs at the unsettling, sightless thick fog around her, as if trying to disperse the smoke.
"Bastard! Bitch! Inferior species! Come out! Coward!!"
Within the dense smoke, there was no response, making Mantis even angrier. But she suddenly remembered that she possessed perception, so she forced herself to calm down and began to meticulously perceive everything within the dense smoke, hoping to find Ikenouchi Maki. Then... she swore she would disembowel this inferior species and brutally torture her to death!!!
She had completely forgotten that she couldn't perceive Ikenouchi Maki when she first met her.
With all four eyes closed, perceiving meticulously, Mantis's vision was pitch black, but her heart was clear. Her spiritual power expanded, clearly seeing through the dense smoke that could only obscure vision, even seeing the grass on the ground and the insects hidden within.
But she couldn't perceive anyone in the dense smoke; besides her, there was no one else.
She ran? She ran... She ran!!!!!
Mantis let out a terrifying roar skyward, her anger having completely consumed her rationality.
"Coward!!!"
Mantis's roar echoed through the forest, but no one responded to her. The only thing that responded to her was...
The wind.
A gentle breeze softly brushed against her body, caressing every corner of her, then transmitted this information to another gentle breeze, letting it slowly carry it into the dense fog.
Ikenouchi Maki in the dense smoke was calmer than ever before. Under the threat of death, she had no choice but to try to save herself... These smoke bombs were merely a delaying tactic.
Taking a deep breath, Ikenouchi Maki began to recall her master's past teachings... The wind, so gentle, yet so sharp. It could make people feel warm, yet it could also tear people apart.
The wind, it was so beautiful, the wind, it was so kind, and the wind, it was so... powerful.
A gentle breeze slowly appeared out of nowhere around Ikenouchi Maki, swirling around her body, but Ikenouchi Maki still kept her eyes tightly closed, seemingly unaware of the wind's appearance.
Her hearing was severely damaged, making it difficult to clearly hear Mantis's roars in the dense fog. Her only way out now was the swift wind.
Wind... respond to me...
As if hearing her plea, she felt a gentle breeze land on her face, softly caressing her wound, her blood-stained face... So cool, yet so warm...
Suddenly, she entered a profound and mysterious state. Although her eyes were closed, she suddenly saw scenery... She saw countless birds in the forest, countless blades of grass under her feet, and the demon roaring in the dense smoke.
She even heard the whispers of the wind, and heard the wind telling her Mantis's roars.
A slight smile touched her lips, and Ikenouchi Maki knew she had won.
"You... kept saying that those people were just breeding pigs, just inferior species..."
Ikenouchi Maki's voice suddenly appeared, causing the enraged Mantis to instantly freeze, somewhat flustered... Impossible, she clearly... couldn't perceive her...
"You, kept saying that the people here were inherently base, deserving to become the mud beneath your feet, to become points in your mouth."
"What's wrong with that?! What's wrong with that!"
"You are greatly mistaken."
Ikenouchi Maki's voice made it impossible to pinpoint her exact location; her voice came from all directions, seemingly moving rapidly, yet with an ethereal quality, making her distance and direction unfathomable.
Ikenouchi Maki's voice was transmitted to Mantis's ears through the wind, but she, having lost her rationality, was completely unaware.
"In my opinion, everyone is so lovely, so beautiful, and every life has its value.
They have joys and sorrows, they have their own lives, their own thoughts, and their own souls.
They have family, companions, and most importantly, themselves. Everyone is like this, everyone has their own dreams and lives.
Because in my eyes, they are people, living, breathing people."
Mantis's mouth was twisted in a smile, yet she was also furious; the two emotions combined made her face incredibly ugly.
"They! Are just! Breeding pigs! They deserve... they deserve to die and become a part of our strength, it's their honor!!"
Ikenouchi Maki suddenly fell silent, anger once again sweeping through her body. The gentle breeze circling her instantly grew, gradually becoming a gale, instantly dispersing the dense smoke.
As the dense smoke cleared, Mantis and Ikenouchi Maki met each other's gaze, deep anger hidden in both their eyes. A fierce gale wildly swirled around Ikenouchi Maki, forming a terrifying wind vortex, so sharp, so powerful, that it stung Mantis.
Ikenouchi Maki raised her blade high, the gale gathering on the blade, poised to strike.
"You... are not worthy of being human...
What do you take life for?!!"
Face the swift wind!!!
With a furious roar from Ikenouchi Maki, she fiercely brought down the long blade in her hand, and a terrifying tornado swept out, rushing towards Mantis.
The gale was extremely violent; every gust of wind was so sharp, so powerful, that she perceived death within this wind.
She wanted to escape, but the terrifying wind pressure pinned her in place, unable to move.
Captain... Where is the Captain?!
In this moment between life and death, she remembered her reliable captain. She hastily opened her panel to check, only to see three black avatars, including the captain's.
The captain died...
In endless terror, Mantis was swept into the sky by the tornado, spinning high in the air. The gale tore at her body, and the violent wind completely shredded her exposed heart, finally turning her into a lifeless, utterly broken corpse, falling to the ground like a tattered sack.
Mantis was truly dead.
Ikenouchi Maki looked at Mantis, who had fallen to the ground and was no longer recognizable as human. Her vision went black, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.