Do You Think You Can... Kill Me!!!

After shouting, the boss raised his shield to brace for the attack. Saria frowned.

It seemed the other side was not a mindless monster.

The boss did not sit around waiting to die either. He tried to control the searing power within his body.

Explosive flames burst from the cracks in his magma body and swept toward Saria.

Saria's gaze sharpened. Her Originium Arts activated, instantly condensing a massive white crystalline shield before her.

The flames split around it, and the steel-plated floor gradually melted.

Seeing this, the security personnel immediately attacked the boss. Yet before the bullets could get close, they melted in the flames.

Feeling the scorching heat against her palm, Saria knew she could not remain passive. She pushed the shield forward and charged straight at him.

The boss was startled. She was charging through the flames?

Saria was incredibly fast. Before the boss could recover from his panic, she had already rammed into him together with her shield.

The boss inevitably let out a pained cry.

The voices of his brothers instantly rang out, filled with concern.

[Second Brother: Boss! How are you?]

[Third Brother: Boss, are you hurt?!]

[Fourth Brother: Fuck! Boss, put up your shield! What about your skill?!]

The violent impact made the boss feel as though he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck. Even his heavy magma body staggered backward several meters against his will.

Saria's charging force far exceeded his expectations.

[I'm fine!] the boss replied urgently through the mental link, struggling to steady himself.

[She's strong, but I can still take it!]

A trace of gravity flashed through Saria's eyes in reality. She had not held back at all with that charge, yet this magma monster had merely taken a few steps back?

"Intruder, are you from Kazdel? What is your purpose in opposing Rhine Lab?"

She questioned him again, attempting to gather information. At the same time, she did not pause her movements. The instant the crystalline shield vanished, a powerful straight punch was already hurtling toward the boss's chest and abdomen.

[Fourth Brother: Boss, hurry up and talk to Saria! This character is pretty reasonable!]

[Boss: You think I don't want to? I can't speak at all!]

"[Unidentified Flame Demon roar]"

Saria said nothing and simply kept throwing punches.

The boss groaned inwardly. Faced with Saria's swift, wind-like jabs, all he could do was force his shield downward.

Clang—!

A dull, thunderous crash echoed through the ruins. A solid impact struck the shield, followed by a scorching recoil that traveled back through it.

In a flash of inspiration, the boss tried to guide the surging flame energy inside him.

Boom!

A burst of flame exploded across the shield's surface, attempting to force Saria back.

Saria reacted with extraordinary speed. She had already withdrawn the instant her fist landed, and the flames only licked at the wind from her punch.

She looked at the scorch marks on her calcified gauntlet, then at the opponent's seemingly clumsy yet actually agile movements. Her expression grew even more solemn.

It seemed to be rapidly adapting to and improving its use of its own abilities.

"Unable to communicate. Possesses a high degree of threat and growth potential..." Saria murmured into her earpiece, her gaze turning sharp.

"Commence suppression operations!"

The Rhine Lab security personnel waiting nearby immediately opened fire. Dense Originium grenades and etched bullets poured down like rain.

[Second Brother: Explosions? They have explosives too!]

[Third Brother: What do we do, what do we do?! Boss, run!]

[Fourth Brother: Run? Where would he run? Boss, don't be scared! It's time to test your skills!]

[Boss: I don't know how to use them!]

The boss roared and slammed his massive shield heavily into the ground, crouching behind it with his magma-like body.

A transparent blue barrier instantly unfolded, blocking all bullets and firepower outside.

[Boss: Fuck! The shield actually works!]

[Fourth Brother: It works? Then Boss, can you feel any mana drain?]

[Boss: Not yet. It should hold for a long time.]

[Second Brother: Boss, be careful! That shield can't block melee attacks!]

Bang—!

Just as Second Brother's warning rang out, an irresistible force came from the shield in front of him.

Saria planted her feet firmly, drew back her right fist, and unleashed a calcified-crystal-covered heavy blow like a cannonball from its barrel, smashing brutally into the Energy Shield.

Boom!!!

The blue Energy Shield shattered on impact. The boss only felt an immense force slam into him, sending him flying backward before he crashed heavily into the broken metal wreckage behind him.

"Open fire." The cold command was given.

The surrounding security personnel did not hesitate to pour fire into the smoke and dust. Originium grenades and etched bullets shot into it like a violent storm.

However, most of the bullets could only throw up scattered sparks against the dark magma carapace, not even enough to make the boss feel pain.

Roar—!

A low growl, suppressing rage, came from the smoke. The boss pushed himself up, fury churning in his chest.

As his emotions surged, the magma veins across his body suddenly lit up, and violent flames burst uncontrollably from within him.

The ruins around him melted rapidly. Crimson magma flowed by his feet, and the air warped from the intense heat.

[Boss! I figured it out!]

Second Brother's urgent voice rang through the link.

[To use a skill, you have to shout its name! Thinking it works too, but you need a strong intent to use it!]

[Got it!]

The boss swung his magma-covered arm, conjuring a blazing curtain of fire out of thin air and detonating several incoming high-explosive Originium grenades in midair.

He was just about to follow the instruction and shout the name of his defensive skill when, at the edge of his vision, a ghastly white shadow tore through the smoke at astonishing speed with a shrieking howl!

It was a gigantic calcified crystal spike condensed by Saria's Originium Arts, thicker than a person.

Fuck!

The boss only had time to cry out inwardly. He had no time at all to mount an effective defense.

Boom—!!

The crystal spike struck squarely between his chest and abdomen. The terrifying impact carried him through several ruined walls behind him before finally pinning him tightly into a pile of twisted steel.

"Cough... urgh..."

This time, the pain was so clear and intense, far beyond any previous impact.

The boss lowered his head with difficulty and looked at the white crystal spike that had nearly pierced through him. The magma carapace around its edges had shattered, exposing flesh beneath that seemed to be made of burning energy.

It was constantly trying to heal, yet the energy clinging to the crystal spike kept preventing it.

The genuine threat of death was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, instantly dispersing much of the heat born of his rage.

Once again, he realized with absolute clarity—this was not a game, nor was it a dream!

She was serious. She intended to capture him, or even kill him!

The boss struggled desperately to pull out the crystal spike, but Saria would not give him the chance.

She charged again, her fists and feet coated in white calcified crystals. Every strike carried enough force to split stone and shatter monuments, smashing heavily into the boss's magma body.

Bang! Bang! Thud!

The heavy impacts came without end. The boss's entire body shook violently as chunks of magma flew everywhere.

He tried to counterattack, sweeping out with his burning arm, but Saria always evaded calmly and struck him hard whenever he tried to retaliate.

[Boss: No! I can't keep up with her speed! At this rate, she'll wear me down to death!]

The boss could feel the magma composing his body trembling. The threat of death stimulated his nerves.

The boss released a curtain of fire to block the attacks, only to find Saria's fist halted in midair, her brow slightly furrowed.

A researcher's scream immediately came through her earpiece:

"Stop! Saria! Stop now! Don't kill it! You should capture it!"

Taking advantage of the moment Saria stopped, the boss asked urgently.

[Boss: Fourth Brother! What are Saria's weaknesses?!]

[Fourth Brother: Weaknesses? She's fucking an all-rounder! If I had to say... she's better at dealing with large units and fighting at mid-to-long range. Close-quarters combat? No, wait, she's insanely strong in melee too!]

[Boss: Stop talking nonsense at a time like this!!!]

Saria ended the call and began walking toward him again. The boss no longer paid attention to the shouting in the group chat.

This can't go on...

Fear and rage intertwined, ultimately becoming a ruthless resolve.

[Chinese profanity!]

A tiger that doesn't show its might gets mistaken for Hello Kitty!!!

Enduring the agonizing pain, he erupted with flames and forced Saria back once more.

With a roar mixed with pain and determination, his fists repeatedly clawed at his waist and abdomen.

Magma splattered everywhere as the boss actually tore a hollow into his own waist and abdomen.

Saria's gaze sharpened, and she condensed another crystal spike.

"Energy Shield!"

[Paladin Skill 1—Energy Shield]

[Effect: Activates Energy Shield, absorbing all damage. Absorbed damage is converted into energy.]

A crimson magma field instantly spread out. The temperature within its boundaries soared, and steel rapidly turned into molten iron.

Not only that, but the massive wound in the boss's waist and abdomen healed at incredible speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Saria's eyes narrowed, and she immediately hurled the crystal spike.

However, the crystal spike that had previously pierced through the boss was instantly erased the moment it touched the edge of the field.

(Soul Knight bullet erasure)

Feeling the energy within him increase once more, the boss raised his palm toward Saria as furious flames gathered in it.

"Do you think you can..."

"Kill me!!!"