Just a few minutes ago,
A group of five female cultivators was attacking Slashy, surrounding him as he struggled to dodge and defend himself. Their movements were sharp and coordinated, a relentless ring closing in around him.
Even though Slashy's Blade Intent slashes tore apart any attacks directed at him, fighting against five cultivators at once was disadvantageous. Not only did he have to deal with their martial skills, he also had to be aware of spiritual pressure attacks.
Thankfully, Slashy had undergone enough spiritual pressure training with Leyvi that time that he had developed a countermeasure against spiritual pressure attacks.
With his keen instincts, he sensed the split-second change in the atmosphere before the spiritual pressure pressed the area and evaded with lightning-fast movement. His sleek form darted like a shadow, a blur of defiance against their assault.
However, as time passed, the attacks became more and more intense, and the cultivators began including fake spiritual pressure attacks in the mix. In the end, Slashy finally failed to avoid the real spiritual pressure directed at him, receiving the full force.
The female cultivators stopped their attacks because they thought they had successfully captured the mantis, but to their surprise, the scene where the Demonic Dragon Mantis fell to the ground didn't happen.
Instead, the mantis stood his ground proudly, making clicking sounds, as if mocking their pathetic attempt.
"You call this spiritual pressure? Too weak. My mistress's husband has spiritual pressure way stronger than this. We all got flattened to the ground easily under his spiritual pressure. This one was nothing," Slashy said to them. But of course, they couldn't understand him in the slightest. His mandibles clicked sharply, a smug little taunt lost on their human ears.
He could've mocked them in human language by sending sound transmission, but he didn't do it because that would expose his status as a spirit beast. Slashy didn't want to be used to lure out his mistress.
"Saloma, what's going on? Not only does the mantis seem to know when your spiritual pressure is going to hit, but now, even under the pressure, it didn't affect the mantis much. Are you a fake Spiritual Cultivator?" one of them questioned.
"Shut up, Lumine! This mantis is so stubborn. It can resist falling down for some reason, but I've already caught it, and my spiritual touch has restrained its movement! It's just acting tough," Saloma retorted. Her jaw clenched, irritation flaring as she wrestled with the mantis's defiance.
"Is that so? Then, Megumin, go ahead and tame this mantis. A demonic beast that can use Blade Intent—it must be an extraordinary demonic beast. It will be a big help for us. Hehe," Lumine said, grinning.
"But… I still haven't found my spirit beasts… how can I tame a new one without their approval? If they saw me with a new spirit beast, they'll be disappointed in me, scorn me, and might not want to talk to me anymore… oh, what a dilemma…" Megumin's reaction was quite dramatic. The others didn't know whether she was serious or not. Her hands flailed as she spoke, her voice rising into a theatrical wail.
"Yaa… Megumin, are you the beast tamer or are they? It sounds like you take orders from your spirit beasts. That's embarrassing, yaa!" another lady said.
"Now… what do you know about the bond between a tamer and their spirit beasts, Ayaya? It's about mutual respect, okay?" Megumin retorted. She puffed out her chest, defending her honor with a huff.
"Ya, ya, sure," Ayaya replied.
"Quick, Megumin, this guy is strong. I don't want my mental energy to be drained too much. I don't like headaches," Saloma urged. Her voice tightened, a faint strain creeping in as she held her focus on the mantis.
"Sigh… sorry, my spirit beasts, wherever you guys are… these cold-hearted women are forcing me to do this. Don't blame me when we reunite later. I have no power to disobey them," Megumin continued acting dramatic. Her head tilted back, a hand pressed to her forehead as if she were on a stage.
"Hurry up, you dramatic woman!" Saloma scolded.
"Everyone, alert. Someone is charging at us," the last of the five women spoke, warning them in a stoic tone. Her voice cut through the chatter, calm and steady like a still pond.
Lumine, Ayaya, and Megumin quickly spread their spiritual senses to see who it was, except for Saloma, who was busy restraining Slashy.
"Ya? Finally, another human. But why does she look angry? Did we offend her?" Ayaya was curious. Her brows lifted, a puzzled frown tugging at her lips.
"Oh no… she might be an assassin who was sent to kill me! I've always heard many women say they would kill to have a shapely ass like mine, so this must be it. Ah… goodbye, my spirit beasts… Megumin will see you guys again in the next life," Megumin wailed.
"Ziana, get ready to clash with her. The rest of us can't meet head-on with that huge broadsword," Lumine instructed.
"Sure," Ziana replied, still showing no emotion. "Hmmm. Ironwoman, come forth."
With a flip of her hand, an armored suit appeared in front of her. Ziana touched the armored suit and channeled metal Qi into it. Her fingers brushed the surface, a faint shimmer rippling outward.
The suit shuddered to life, its plates snapping open like a waking beast. With a series of swift, metallic clanks, it enveloped Ziana—first clamping around her legs, then sliding up to encase her torso, the chest piece locking with a solid thud. Her arms slipped into the gauntlets as they sealed shut, and finally, the helmet folded over her head, visor glinting as it clicked into place.
The transformation was seamless, her form now a towering figure of unyielding steel, radiating quiet power.
Immediately, Armored Ziana burst forward to intercept the charging Valenia, who wielded the majestic broadsword in her hand, glowing with immense metal Qi, ready to clash. The air hummed with the power radiating from her blade, a storm of fury about to break.
"Get lost!" Valenia roared, the majestic broadsword swinging with astonishing power.
Ziana's thick gauntlets also shone with Qi as they tried to capture Valenia's big blade mid-slash, hinting at her confidence in the armored suit's capability. Her metal-clad hands reached out, steady and sure, braced for the impact.
Clang!
The gauntlets caught the blade flawlessly, but she underestimated the power behind Valenia's attack. Ziana's armored suit caught the full force of the Qi-charged slash and was sent flying hundreds of meters away. A straight line of cloud of dust rose to where she fell. The ground trembled faintly, the crash echoing like a thunderclap.
"Ziana!" the other ladies exclaimed, caught off guard. They didn't expect her to lose the exchange. Their eyes widened, a mix of shock and worry flashing across their faces.
They were preparing to engage in battle as well, but then saw Valenia stop her charge.
"Let go of Slashy, or I'll make sure each of your corpses is headless!" Valenia roared again. Her voice cut through the dust, sharp and unyielding, her grip tightening on the broadsword.
The ladies looked at each other, and then their gaze fell on the Demonic Dragon Mantis under Saloma's restraint.
"Yaaa… Excuse me, red-haired sword lady, are you this mantis's tamer?" Ayaya asked. Her tone softened, curiosity nudging out her earlier tension.
"That's right! Let go of him now! Don't make me go all out!" Valenia replied, not letting her guard down.
"Dammit! You guys really made me waste my energy. All this time, we were trying to tame someone else's spirit beast? Megumin, can't you tell if a demonic beast has been tamed? Argh! So annoying!" Saloma stomped in frustration as she released the bind of her spiritual touch on Slashy. Her foot kicked up a puff of dirt, her patience fraying like a worn thread.
"Oh lord… now my comrade is pinning the crime on innocent me to get away from blame. Will I forever be surrounded by people like this? Sigh… only my spirit beasts won't ever betray me," Megumin acted dramatically as usual. She pressed a hand to her chest, her head tilting back in mock despair.
"By the way, my spirit beasts all have accessories on them to distinguish them from wild demonic beasts. You can only blame that red-haired lady for not making it obvious," she finally answered Saloma's question.
Meanwhile, Slashy went and reunited with Valenia.
"Are you alright, Slashy? Any injuries?" Valenia asked with a healing elixir already prepared in her hand. Her eyes scanned him quickly, worry creasing her brow as she held the vial ready.
"Don't worry, Mistress. I'm not hurt. They wanted to tame me, so they didn't use any lethal force," Slashy replied via mental connection. His voice echoed in her mind, calm and steady, easing her tension.
"Is that so? Then, no need to kill them." While Slashy used telepathy to communicate, Valenia didn't, so the ladies heard her.
"Ahem, redhead, do you think you can take on all of us alone? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?" Lumine felt provoked. Her chin lifted, a spark of indignation flaring in her eyes.
"Who says I'm alone? My Slashy is with me now. Even a hundred of you wouldn't stand a chance!" Valenia didn't back down. Her grip tightened on her broadsword, a fierce grin tugging at her lips.