"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The sound of the drum spinning and firing blended with the echo of my ragged breathing.
With each shot, the MG-Tyrant 001 spat bullets with the intent to tear Brenda apart, but all it managed to do was ricochet against the invisible barrier protecting her.
On impulse, I rembered the potions I had stolen from Kirkou, and with a swift motion, I pulled one of the fire potions from my belt.
The small bottle was hot to the touch, and its bright red liquid pulsed with explosive power.
Without a second thought, I hurled the potion toward Brenda, hoping that, sohow, it would penetrate the barrier.
"Boom~~"
The explosion was deafening.
A wave of fire filled the air, and for a mont, I thought I might have actually hit her.
However, when I looked again, I saw Brenda standing in the center of the explosion, her form engulfed in flas but completely unscathed.
She looked like a goddess in the middle of the blaze, utterly unhard, and I realized that the barrier was truly indestructible.
My heart tightened.
What else could I do?
Suddenly, Brenda raised her hands toward .
["Move your head to the left..."]
That was all I needed.
Space had shattered before .
—Shit!" I exhaled, cold sweat dripping down my forehead. I looked at Brenda, and then everything made sense. She controlled space and shadow.
I knew what that ant.
Brenda wasn’t just able to create these spatial rifts—she could manipulate the space around her.
She was a peak-level tier 3 acolyte, making her one of the most powerful in her field.
I remained silent, watching the distortion in the air, thinking about how the biochip had saved once again.
If it weren’t for it, I would already be dead.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Then, I realized that my weapon was beginning to overheat.
I couldn’t keep shooting like this, not without a better strategy.
If I didn’t act now, I’d end up killing myself with my own weapon.
In a desperate move, I stopped firing and turned around, running as fast as my armor would allow.
—You can’t run from , worm!"
Behind , Brenda attacks intensified.
I could feel space distorting, the air around bending in impossible ways.
["Lower your arm!"]
But.
Whenever her spatial attacks got close, my biochip already knew what was coming.
["Jump to the side"]
Without thinking, I pushed myself to move even faster, making a sharp turn at the last second, dodging just in ti.
Brenda seed to catch on, and her frustration was becoming palpable.
Every failed attempt to catch only fueled her rage.
She knew sothing was off, and now she was sure that I wasn’t just lucky.
I had so kind of ability—an ability she couldn’t fully comprehend but one that made her want to destroy even more.
No ordinary enemy could dodge her attacks, let alone a tier 2 acolyte like .
.
.
.
I ran like a leopard, every muscle in my body burning with effort.
Steam hissed from the springs of my armor, now heating up from overuse.
My chest rose and fell frantically, air rushing in and out of my lungs as if I were breathing fire.
But I couldn’t stop. Not while that damned woman was still behind .
Brenda still floated above, pursuing relentlessly. Every ti I tried to evade her, she simply adjusted her trajectory, following like a hawk chasing a rat.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to shake her off.
She was too fast, and her spatial rifts shortened any distance in an instant.
I also wouldn’t make it to the Tower of Mount Sol before she caught up to .
If I kept running like this, sooner or later, she would get .
Then, in the midst of my desperation, an idea surfaced.
A dangerous plan.
But it was my only chance.
With a sudden realization, I abruptly changed direction, veering to the right and sprinting straight into the depths of the forest.
The tal of my boots slamd against the damp earth, and branches cracked against my reinforced armor as I forced my way through the dense foliage.
I knew exactly where I was heading.
The habitat of the Mud Phantom.
This part of the forest was unlike any other.
The putrid stench of sludge and stagnant water clung to the air, making it difficult even to breathe for ordinary people.
The ground beneath my tal boots grew wetter, sinking slightly with every step I took.
Thick mud mixed with decomposing debris, while tufts of grass sprouted chaotically as if trying to escape the rot.
The murky water moved slowly, with half-rotted branches floating on the surface, occasionally sinking as if sothing were pulling them under.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
The wails.
The sound coming from that swamp was sothing... wrong.
Low, distorted moans echoed through the air, like the cries of condemned souls trapped there for eternity.
It was a sound that chilled the bones, that could make even the bravest hesitate.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine, and I had to muster all my willpower to keep moving forward.
Within this swampy area, which stretched for nearly thirty square miles, lived many different groups of Mud Phantoms.
Smaller groups consisted of only seven or eight mbers and usually resided in the more remote regions.
anwhile, larger groups could number up to a hundred and occupied the central part of the swamp forest.
As demons, Mud Phantoms possessed only basic intelligence.
They were usually ford from humans who had accidentally drowned in the swamp.
Although they had once been human, their minds were now consud with intense hatred and resentnt toward all of humanity.
For months or even years, they lingered on the swamp’s shores.
The mont a living human drew near, they would lunge, biting into their prey’s flesh and dragging them into the depths to drown them.
Through this thod, they ensured their population continued to grow.
Their appearance closely resembled that of a gaunt human woman.
However, most of their muscles were missing, and their skin had turned pale from constant imrsion in the murky water.
Add to that their decayed, mold-covered bones, and they looked like walking corpses.
While most were naked, those who had lived better lives as humans might still wear a tattered dress, though always so faded that it was impossible to tell its original appearance or even its color.
Disheveled, filthy hair; twisted, pitch-black claws; razor-sharp fangs—these were all typical features of a Mud Phantom.
On land, their combat ability was weaker than that of giant scorpions, but in the swamp’s muddy waters, their combat power doubled, making them capable of going toe-to-toe with venomous land sharks.
Furthermore, within certain larger populations of Mud Phantoms, those that had survived for a long ti could even develop a leader who had mastered certain elental abilities.
These unique Mud Phantoms possessed intelligence on par with Apprentice Acolytes.
Put simply, if mages were willing to grant these Mud Phantom Leaders their freedom, it was possible for them to give birth to a new breed of Mud Phantom Acolytes.
But, unfortunately for them, this was a world ruled by mages, where sorcerers had seized absolute dominance.
Thus, the evolution and developnt of almost all other species were reduced to nothing.
So, no matter how intelligent or wise a Mud Phantom Leader beca, when faced with a mage in a superior position, they were nothing more than precious experintal subjects or material sources to be slaughtered without hesitation.
Today, the peace of the Mud Phantom’s habitat was shattered—by and by Brenda.
I was the first to enter. Anyone could see that I was an engineer.
My impressive steam armor made that clear, but beyond that, the magical aura rippling from my body exposed my identity without a shadow of a doubt.
Panting, I recklessly shouted as I ran for my life.
—Luxiria!... You miserable bitch! Hiding in the mud like a rat... Co out already! Luxiria... You pathetic slug... You spineless monster..."
....
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