Rest in Peace! (Continued)

But...

Their bodies then neatly split into three segments!

This...

What's this?!

The monster suddenly paused.

Its flesh and blood rapidly repaired itself as it attempted to halt its charging body.

But Maria refused to give them a chance to regroup.

She took another step forward, turned around, and swung her sword twice more.

The incredibly swift attack merely traced thin lines in the air.

Many people couldn't even see the white light clearly before they saw the monster's body split into dozens of pieces!

"Aww--"

This time, even those who only knew how to kill monsters began to hesitate.

It began to doubt whether it had chosen the wrong opponent...

But seeing Maria preparing to attack again, it also became anxious and uneasy.

The tentacles above his head were rapidly converging again.

They spun and intertwined, eventually transforming into a giant drill that suddenly hurtled towards Maria!

Maria wasn't afraid of these strange, inhuman creatures. She simply took a few steps back to create some space before keeping her eyes fixed on the tentacles in front of her.

The biggest difference between these mutated beasts and the enemies that ordinary people face is that their attack methods are far too bizarre.

When facing a wolf, people can tell what its claws and teeth are; when facing a snake, people will notice its slender body and its terrifying venom.

Even the most complex person can roughly guess the source and origin of the attack.

But these mutated monsters are different.

Each of them is a twisted and unique individual, with outstretched arms, sharp claws, illogical joint movements, and various seemingly harmless yet deadly things...

These are the most troublesome aspects of the mutated monsters.

Because normal people cannot learn how to deal with these monsters from dealing with a mutated monster.

Each of them has a different appearance, which means that every battle the Hunter faces is entirely new.

Once a hunter falls into a habitual pattern of thinking, he is not far from death.

The most frightening thing is that no one can maintain a high level of mental concentration for an extended period of time... it's a biological instinct.

Given the chance, they would prefer to relax rather than keep walking a tightrope with no end in sight...

But... Maria is different.

As Yharnam's most legendary Hunter, her combat skills are already extraordinary!

She was already used to facing enemies with all sorts of unpredictable attack methods, and she was also used to fighting under high pressure.

Faced with such a powerful attack from the monster, she showed no emotion; in her eyes, only the purest hunting instinct remained.

Sidestep, dodge...

Maria wanted to use this attack to sever all of the monster's tentacles!

But just as the two were about to collide, the tentacles that had been twisted into a single rope suddenly unfurled!

In an instant, all the tentacles expanded, attacking Maria from all directions!

No matter how powerful Maria is, she couldn't possibly dodge so many tentacles!

Once a hit is landed, the monster will have another chance to counterattack!

But... clearly, this twisted mutated creature still far underestimated the value of a legendary Hunter.

Faced with the sudden attack that enveloped her, Maria did not hesitate for a moment.

With a single step, she slashed at the tentacle in front of her.

Before the other attacks could land, that ghostly figure rushed out again.

He drew his sword, turned, and swung it!

Before the mutated monster could react, Maria was already prepared.

One cut...

Slash!

Sulfone--!

The sharp sword energy slashed out a pure expanse, Maria's eyes remained calm, showing no surprise.

The monster was suddenly beheaded!

Despite such a fatal wound, the monster showed no fear whatsoever; instead, its face displayed only an increasingly terrifying madness and hostility.

With a low growl, its separated head and body actually began to move simultaneously!

Tentacles shot out from its head, and its twisted body roared as it tried to pounce.

It's not dead yet!

But Maria seemed unperturbed by this.

She silently raised the Blades, twirled it beautifully, and quietly sheathed it at her waist.

A few drops of blood oozed from the Blades.

"Thump..."

The mutated monster collapsed and couldn't get up...

The head fell to the ground and remained motionless.

It died... died silently.

The bright moon still hung high in the sky. Maria reached out and gently straightened her tricorn hat, then looked around.

She didn't speak, but the Blades lurking in the shadows already understood the hunter's meaning.

They no longer hid, but emerged step by step from the black mist.

"Hunter..."

There were four figures in total, all dressed in military uniforms similar to the monster from before, wearing terrifying masks, their eyes fixed on Maria.

But unlike their companions who had just been killed by Maria, they showed almost no signs of physical mutation.

Maria glanced at it briefly before lowering her hat brim again.

"Where... did you obtain this power?"

Maria could sense that these people also carried the same nauseating aura as the mutated monster from before.

Judging from their attire, Maria could clearly deduce that someone in this world was systematically researching the power of these monsters.

Just like the academies within Yharnam.

"This is none of your business, Hunter."

The leader of the Blades spoke in a deep, muffled voice, his tone both suppressed and terrifying.

"You just... killed our colleague."

"... so?"

"... So, we can give you a chance."

The Blades didn't pursue Maria's idea of killing her colleague; after a moment of silence, they uttered a somewhat contradictory statement.

Maria just killed one of their fellow villagers, and now they want to recruit Maria?

Don't these people care about their companion?

The words seemed strange and somewhat contradictory, but Maria gleaned some ideas from the other person's attitude.

"So, even if I didn't intervene, you would still kill your colleague?"

Only in this situation would these Hunter disregard Maria's recent actions.

Since they would also kill their own companion, and an outsider intervened at that point, there was no need to pursue the matter further.

The Blades did not reply.

As Ursus's most powerful fighting force, Blades only needs five people to wipe out a city!

But even a powerful nation, selecting the best of the best and choosing the elite among the elite, could not achieve such a feat.

Therefore, they were acutely aware of the price they would pay for their terrifying strength.

Each of them has the potential to become Daemon; it's just a matter of time.

Typically, they can feel their bodies being taken over... For the honor of the empire, they often choose suicide... Even if they don't have time, their companions will hunt them down.

Now that their companion has become alienated, they are surprised, but not entirely at a loss.

They were going to kill him anyway.

As for Maria's actions, they didn't really care.

What they cared more about was the terrifying strength Maria had just displayed.

It should be noted that the mutated Daemon was considered to be of above-average strength within their team.

After such a mutation, the power he would gain would be absolutely terrifying.

Even so, Maria still managed to kill him single-handedly!

This instilled in them a sense of awe and longing for Maria.

"Your strength surpasses that of the vast majority of commoners... You are worthy to serve a great empire!"

The leader of the Blades spoke, his gaze fixed intently on Maria.

In his view, how could such a powerful person be wandering around in such a place?

She deserves to serve a powerful, great empire that will one day rise to the pinnacle of all races!

Ursus is such an empire!

"Thank you, but please allow me to decline."

Maria ignored the other party's attempts to win her over and simply declined the invitation in a calm and collected manner.

She had long since lost that desire for glory.

She was Maria, just a Hunter.

The Blades did not respond to Maria's refusal.

They simply enveloped Maria silently, without saying a word.

Clearly, they had already discussed everything beforehand.

But Maria simply found it laughable.

"You think... you can kill me?"

"... You are already injured."

The Blades, which had just spoken, spoke again.

He looked at Maria in front of him, his voice calm.

They wanted to win over Maria, a powerful figure, but they also knew that sometimes, some people simply couldn't be invited.

There's only one way to deal with this kind of person...

As for Maria's formidable fighting prowess, they were not worried.

Although Maria had just single-handedly killed their comrades, there were many other factors involved.

At this time, there were four of them, fully armed and in good condition.

Maria had just fought a mutated companion, and her strength had not been recovered; she was also injured.