Fifty: Six Ears, Two Tails

In other words, they guessed that Lilith possessed a partial non-human bloodline.

But how could that be possible?

Could this be another experiment by the Empire? Was Lilith the result of that experiment?

Feeling the life force injected by Nacita into his core diminishing, Susanoo no longer hesitated.

Time waits for no one; he absolutely couldn't waste one-third of Nacita's life force.

Having made his decision, Susanoo once again launched a storm of attacks at Lilith.

He could only gamble.

He gambled that Lilith's self-healing ability wasn't infinitely usable, that it had some kind of limit, or rather, an extreme.

However, Susanoo's attacks were not ideal.

If Lilith's attacks, which controlled water flow, were like a continuous drizzle, silent and unnoticeable, where one would find themselves with one or many bloody holes without even realizing it.

Then Lilith's attacks, wielding ice, made Susanoo feel as if he were in the frigid, extreme north.

The pervasive cold numbed and injured his hands and feet.

Moreover, as the ice spikes controlled by Lilith pierced Susanoo's body, they didn't penetrate his flesh but remained inside him.

These ice spikes, embedded within Susanoo, released the compressed cold air Lilith had packed inside them, turning each ice spike into something like a flail covered in sharp points, stuck within Susanoo's body.

If it were an ordinary person who had suffered such severe attacks, they would have long since died. Only Susanoo, a biological Imperial Arms, could still move.

Sla~

Susanoo expressionlessly tore another "flail" from within his body.

Although this process tore off a lot of flesh, it was surprisingly not very bloody.

This was because the cold had frozen Susanoo's blood.

But anyone who witnessed this scene would involuntarily shiver.

Even without any blood flowing, the cruelty was even greater.

Rows of ice spikes erupted from beneath Lilith's feet and extended outwards, forcing Susanoo to retreat.

After being hit by Lilith's attacks a few times, Susanoo discovered that her attacks carried a large amount of cold energy.

If he were hit by a small ice spike, he would at most lose a bit of flesh.

But if he were hit by a large-area attack, he would very likely be completely frozen!

"Ah, here we are."

Lilith, having forced Susanoo back, dispelled the surrounding ice, and the solid ice that had made Susanoo feel like he was in the arctic began to break.

The shattering ice, like countless stars, shimmered with a captivating light.

"Here we are? What's here?"

On the other side, Akame, who was looking for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Lilith, was startled.

She felt a familiar aura approaching, but...

Bang~

A dark figure fell from above, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Leona, Mine!"

Tatsumi rejoiced, happy to see his companions return.

"Tatsumi, don't go..."

However, Akame blocked Tatsumi's path, stopping him.

"Because..."

With Mine's assistance, Leona found it much easier to deal with Big Wolf.

Even though Big Wolf was a Special Class Dangerous Species, it didn't dare to directly take the attacks fired by Mine's Imperial Arms.

Even so, neither Leona nor Mine showed any signs of relief.

Although Mine possessed exceptional shooting talent, her close-combat ability was zero. It was already good that she wasn't a hindrance.

And Leona's condition was also continuously declining.

"Mine, create an opening for me!"

"Honestly, always making things difficult for me!"

Mine gritted her teeth and, under Leona's cover, launched another attack at Big Wolf.

But this attack, which was clearly visible, couldn't hit it, and it dodged it with ease.

Then, Big Wolf's tail whipped out, striking Leona's stomach as she had somehow appeared behind it.

"Pfft~ Hehe... Got you!"

Leona spat out a large mouthful of blood. Clearly, the Big Wolf's attack carried considerable force, but her arm was still tightly wrapped around its tail.

Big Wolf: "..."

The ferocity in the Big Wolf's eyes intensified as it bared its fangs.

Its tail could only be touched by its master!

"Awooo~"

The Big Wolf leaped high into the air. When it landed, its tail slammed heavily onto the ground.

The Big Wolf's tail was fine, but Leona, who was holding onto it, made intimate contact with the ground.

The Big Wolf's attack had injured Leona significantly. She could no longer even slow the bleeding by compressing her muscles, something she had managed with great difficulty.

Leona felt her stamina draining, her vision even starting to blur.

"Secret Technique... can't hold on much longer?"

Strictly speaking, the secret technique "Lion's Undying" of Leona's Imperial Arms, the "Lion King," was actually a special state.

This state could drastically increase Leona's vitality, even keeping her alive when she should have died.

However, it wasn't without its cost.

In fact, by the time the battle had reached this point, Leona had already lost three-quarters of her blood.

A normal person would lose consciousness after losing a quarter of their blood, and would die without timely treatment after losing half.

Even with Leona's enhanced physique after transforming, she had already begun to feel dizzy when she had lost a third of her blood.

To maintain her combat effectiveness, she could only use the "Lion King's" secret technique, "Lion's Undying"!

While she could still barely maintain "Lion's Undying," Leona bit down on the Big Wolf.

After transforming, Leona's claws and teeth were extremely sharp; her fangs could even damage some Imperial Arms.

Piercing the Big Wolf's skin was as easy as pie.

Feeling blood flowing into her mouth, Leona desperately sucked.

She greedily gulped down the Big Wolf's blood, replenishing her own.

But as the Big Wolf's blood entered Leona's body, something unexpected happened...

At first, Leona hadn't intended to use the Big Wolf's blood to replenish her own.

If it were an ordinary animal, it would be fine, but using the blood of a Special Class Dangerous Species, she couldn't guarantee her body wouldn't undergo some changes.

After all, compared to ordinary creatures, the corrosive nature of a Special Class Dangerous Species' blood was far too potent.

She didn't want to grow wolf fur all over her body, or sprout an extra wolf tail or wolf ears.

If that happened, wouldn't her transformed state then have six pairs of ears and two tails?