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That's right—the thing that ambushed Wu Liuqi and the others was a humanoid praying mantis over three meters tall, looking uncannily like Kha'Zix from League of Legends.
Well…
The difference being, Kha'Zix is purple.
This one?
Green.
Yes. That shade of green. The "forgive me" kind.
Still, its body was covered in intricate patterns that almost made it look elegant—if you ignored the murderous aura and the scythe-like forearms.
"The fact that it knocked Nine-Tails flying without any resistance… it's probably at least Tier Six," Elsa said after glancing at Nine-Tails, who had just climbed back to his feet in the distance.
"Tier Six?"
Wu Liuqi scratched his head calmly for about half a second—then suddenly grabbed his temples and started shaking his head like he'd lost his mind.
"AHHH! Tier Six?! That's guild president level!!!"
"It's over, it's over. Ji Dabao… I'm never making it back to see you…"
Wu Liuqi : "∑(O_O;)"
Elsa and Liu Erlong: "…"
Hey. Focus, please?
Stop roleplaying reaction images in the middle of a boss fight.
"ROAR—!"
Nine-Tails reverted to his true form and surged forward in a flash, closing the distance instantly.
For once—miraculously—he thought of the weaker ones behind him. Instead of going for a flashy attack, he clamped his jaws down on the mantis' shoulder and hurled it in the opposite direction of Wu Liuqi and the others.
Good thing he let go fast.
If he'd hesitated even a second longer, those scythe-arms would've carved into him.
"What even is that thing?" Liu Erlong muttered, staring at the mantis trading earth-shattering blows with Nine-Tails. Every strike between them carried terrifying destructive force.
Damn it. It's not even using soul power!
She'd realized long ago that Sam and the others weren't using soul power either. But after Sam casually changed the subject back then, she hadn't pressed further.
She might have a short fuse, but she wasn't ungrateful. She wasn't the type to turn suspicious over nothing.
Still…
She was really curious.
"Seriously? Another one? And it's this damn strong?!"
On the other side, Sam cursed under his breath. Distracted for just a moment, the spatial rift widened slightly.
"Robin… so you're unreliable too."
After silently accusing her, Sam called up his personal cheat—Wisdom King.
"Activate auto-battle mode. Close the spatial rift."
"Yes."
His eyes instantly turned crimson. The tension vanished from his face, replaced by cold composure.
He handed control over because he knew something very clearly—Wisdom King was simply better at this than he was.
The method to deal with spatial rifts had been analyzed by it in the first place. If anyone knew how to shut it down efficiently, it was Wisdom King.
Sure enough, the moment it took over, the closing speed increased dramatically.
Of course, the mantis had no intention of watching its power source get cut off. It kept trying to break past Nine-Tails and interrupt Sam.
But Nine-Tails had gone all in.
Tailed Beast Bombs flew like they were on clearance sale, detonating one after another around the mantis.
With Elsa and the others supporting from the side, the mantis was actually held in place—for now.
Nine-Tails had noticed something important: the mantis' combat experience didn't seem particularly rich. Honestly, it felt about as green as Sam.
That was the only reason he dared to push this hard—buy time until the rift was sealed.
Tier Six was on par with Uchiha Madara.
There was no way he'd win head-on.
But stall?
That he could manage.
Especially with backup.
Even if… combined, that backup probably still wasn't enough to beat it outright.
"Waaah! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die—!"
Wu Liuqi got kicked flying again. Even while scrambling to dodge, he couldn't stop the nonstop commentary.
"Can you shut up for two seconds?" Elsa snapped, exasperated. His constant screaming was making her lose focus.
"I really almost died just now!" Wu Liuqi protested innocently.
Liu Erlong: "…"
You can fight like this?
Mid-combat stand-up routine?
BOOM—!
A Tailed Beast Bomb exploded not far from them.
"I'm begging you, Nine-Tails—can you aim better?!" Wu Liuqi shrieked, full panic mode unlocked. "You almost blew us up!"
"If I could actually blow you up, I might finally get some peace!" Nine-Tails shot back through gritted teeth.
He was genuinely starting to lose patience with Wu Liuqi's absurd energy.
Reading him in a manga?
Funny.
Experiencing him in live combat?
…
Let's just say it hits different.
"This thing is way too hard to deal with," Liu Erlong said, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. She was already seriously injured. "I clearly wounded it earlier. How did the injury disappear in the blink of an eye?"
"Probably some kind of super-regeneration," Elsa said grimly. "Its recovery speed is insane. Any damage we deal gets healed almost instantly."
"…Damn it," Liu Erlong muttered.
How are we supposed to fight that?
The other side is obviously running hacks!
"Just hang in there," Elsa said, eyes still locked on the battlefield. "Once the president finishes sealing the rift, this gets a lot easier."
"....."