Artificial Core of Existence (Thirty-Seven)
Using the unfolding process as a shield, then attacking the instant it was fully deployed—taking advantage of the opponent's possible desire to save the hostage to secure the greatest possible advantage.
It was a textbook case of making full use of everything, and it suited this one's intelligence perfectly.
The only comforting thing was that it hadn't been naive enough to simply walk away. Otherwise, the scene before him wouldn't have been nearly as cooperative.
Amid a crisp chime, the supernatural-repelling effect of Eternal Clarity of Thought took hold, and the massive body of the dragon that kept its head tucked in froze on the spot.
Clearly, for a being like it, this was a completely novel experience.
The ringing wasn't enough to make it vanish outright, though. Instead, its body—which clearly wasn't like that of a normal living creature—suddenly became as fragile as flesh and blood, as if it had degenerated into a beast.
A beast even more robust than himself.
Unfortunately, it couldn't recognize this advantage.
Its sudden halt in the middle of its attack, followed by its retreat in a rather awkward manner, spoke volumes about what it was thinking.
Fu Qian's almost simultaneous movement only strengthened its confidence in a certain guess.
Then it discovered that its opponent's fingers were sharp as knives. They carved a deep wound across its chest and abdomen, then plunged in and tore something out.
Though almost as soon as it happened, that unprecedented feeling of weakness quickly faded.
"You've been misleading me all along!"
Its arms and claws lashed out in an instinctive counterattack. It failed to wound its opponent, but did manage to drive him back.
The one it was "staring" at really did stand there, smiling. A voice rumbled from within its enormous