Chapter 183
The surrounding scenery was changing so rapidly that her thoughts hadn't even had time to process it all, but right now she only knew one thing...
Get Liz out of here right now!
Who knows what will happen here next!?
Thinking of this, she subconsciously turned her head, wanting to see the battle between the Confessors and the madwoman who had barged in. However, the moment she turned around, her mouth and nose were filled with a strong smell of blood that was so strong it could make her kneel down and vomit up her stomach acid!
In just a few minutes, the Confessors who rushed forward had already transformed into girls and stepped over the scattered limbs on the road. The latter showed no sign of slowing down and swung her saw directly at "Theresa" who was lying on the ground.
At that moment, the white-haired Confessors seemed to recall the words that the different "Theresa" had roared at Kuisatushta. Almost subconsciously, she raised the longsword that was being used as a staff and used her remaining Originium Arts to release a pale white glow towards the princess lying on the ground.
The latter's minor injuries were healed as a result. As long as those old wounds stopped draining away its already limited life force, Zuo Jian's consciousness was able to take control of the restored body once again.
"Oh no... they'll find out..."
The white-haired Confessors knew something was wrong, and then quickly carried Liz away, running towards the passage where only half of the gate remained.
However, her worries were clearly unfounded. At this moment, the girl, blinded by rage, only had Theresa lying on the ground before her!
!!!!
Bang!!!
Then, there was everything Zuo Jian saw after waking up.
The menacing Circular Saw landed right next to his head, almost causing... no, almost causing Theresa's delicate face to burst open.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!! Laurentina, wait, wait, wait!! It's me! It's me----"
He was only halfway through his sentence when the other person suddenly exerted force with their wrist, forcibly twisting the Circular Saw that was vertically cutting into the rock next to him by ninety degrees, then turning the saw teeth horizontally to the Zuo Jian, and then, along with the surrounding rubble, whistling as it spun and attacked!
!!!!
Damn it!!!
In an instant, Zuo Jian could only manipulate the surrounding flesh and blood to quickly gather into a hardened shield in front of Theresa, and then, after taking the force of Laurentina, which was like splitting the tide, he was sent flying backward!
Call out!!
He quickly adjusted his posture in mid-air, then realized that Theresa's body still couldn't be controlled as freely as a normal person's... after all, it was an extremely weak body to begin with!
With no other option, he mobilized all the flesh and blood he could control around him and gathered it behind Theresa, like a ghost haunting someone else, forming a crimson monster with only its upper body.
The fleshy body behind Theresa opened its eyes, which resembled a "demon's" head, and nervously stared at Laurentina not far away.
Zuo Jian manipulated the condensed half of his body directly in mid-air, using his claws to sink into the surrounding walls, and then tried to land gently.
"Laurentina! Calm down! I'm okay! Really—"
"How dare you..."
"How dare you... How dare you..."
"How dare you manipulate me like this—"
Zuo Jian's attempt to explain was drowned out by the terrifying aura emanating from the other party. The bloodlust in Laurentina's eyes seemed to intensify as she stared blankly at the half-formed "monster" behind Theresa.
"Zuo Jian!!!!"
"Hello... Laurentina..."
He tried to explain further, but Laurentina charged forward again, this time with an attack far more ferocious than before! Both its power and speed were many times greater than before, like a relentless downpour!
Damn it, this girl won't listen to him at all now!
The other person's behavior clearly indicates that they have nothing to do with so-called "rationality"!
Damn it...
If things continued like this... he didn't want the body of this woman named Theresa to suffer irreversible damage because of Laurentina's momentary impulse...
Moreover, Theresa's current condition cannot be considered "dead".
If she destroys the body, Zuo Jian can probably indeed return to her side, but does that mean she's killing Theresa?
Looking Zuo Jian, Laurentina's blood-covered body meant. He also knew that because of her own experiences, Laurentina would show no mercy to cults like the Church of the Deep. He could understand what these actions meant.
But that doesn't mean he could just stand by and watch Laurentina kill the innocent person in front of her, or rather, one of the victims Theresa!
If possible, Zuo Jian didn't want Laurentina to be stained with blood, but the nature of this land was clearly Zuo Jian his expectations. It was impossible for Laurentina to be completely immune to killing as he had hoped... Ultimately, such foolish expectations shouldn't have been placed on Laurentina, who was originally Abyssal Hunters...
But... but...
Laurentina was his family; how could he not wish that his "family," who had accompanied him on this land, could be far away from these horrific sights?
However, he couldn't do that. He couldn't get Laurentina to lay down her arms against these guys after all that she had gone through, and to offer some kind of foolish, overly compassionate pity.
Bah! Indiscriminate kindness only fuels evil! To show even a shred of sympathy for these scum is to desecrate the souls of those who died at their hands!
Therefore, Zuo Jian only hoped to take on these responsibilities before Laurentina... but he couldn't be by her side right now...
But at least... he had to prevent Laurentina from making an irreversible mistake.
Just like children always grow up... Even if he didn't expect it, when Laurentina got her hands dirty trying to eliminate those who deserved to be dragged to hell, he would be there to help in any way he could.
But in situations like this, where Laurentina might come into contact with the blood of innocent people, or victims, due to certain special circumstances... he would do anything to stop it!
It wasn't just about protecting the woman Theresa who got involved.
It's also for...
.
Laurentina... is actually a very good girl...
What would happen to her if she knew she had mistakenly killed an innocent person in a moment of loss of control?
"I will not let my family... make such a wrong decision that they will regret and blame themselves for... Absolutely not!!"
Just like he said.
The demonic torso behind Theresa blocked Laurentina's near-mad attack, and then she slowly spoke.
"I will not give up either Laurentina's or Ms. Theresa's life."
The pink-clad princess's pupils seemed to have changed slightly, a touch of pale pink tinging into her blue eyes.
Unnoticed by Zuo Jian... black, thread-like spells flickered around him.
Chapter 18: Skadi! Use Water Splash Leap!
In the dimly lit cave, a figure with a somewhat strange outline was moving swiftly through it.
With each step, Skadi felt something sticky and wet clinging to the soles of her shoes, giving her a nauseating sensation somewhere between that of a human corpse and the remains of Seaborn.
The cave passageways were littered with incomplete corpses, some of them belonging to the black-robed Sarkaz, but most of them were those bizarrely shaped, twisted monsters.
If Salus were here, she would definitely recognize these as the Chimeras she had been trying to recall.
However, a little earlier, these modified creatures were reduced to pieces before they could even make a sound of resistance.
The Doctor, carried on Skadi's back, squinted slightly as he looked at the messy yet familiar cuts scattered among the surrounding corpses.
"It was Laurentina who caused the wound; she's really fast..."
"However, these bloodstains can actually serve as road signs, it's just that the smell is really..."
She covered her mouth and nose, trying her best not to smell the bloody stench in the air... She had a feeling that she had experienced a similar scene somewhere before.
Blood was smeared on the ground, and as far as the eye could see, there were corpses wrapped in black robes...
"Doctor?"
In a daze, her thoughts were pulled back by Skadi's call, who looked at the woman behind her with some concern.
After all... Skadi knew the Doctor was a very capable person; she had a certain intuition about people in that regard. However, on the other hand, the Doctor's physical condition was the worst of everyone Skadi had ever seen, which made her worry that this might have some negative impact on him.
Because when the plan was being made, she heard that the Doctor's role was indispensable... but now it seems that he's not following the plan at all.
"Don't worry about me, Skadi, I'm not that fragile..." The Doctor shook his head, wondering if he would be shocked or disbelieving if he told Skadi that he had survived alone in the wilderness in this state.
"Don't let my appearance fool you, actually... wait... Skadi!" She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, then looked seriously at the corner of the corridor in front of her.
"Someone's there."
She whispered her speculation to Skadi...
"Understood, hold on tight to me, Doctor."
To everyone's surprise, Skadi showed no sign of slowing down after hearing this; in fact, she even increased her speed a bit after gripping the former tightly.
Before the Doctor even realized what was happening, the suspicious corner appeared before them in the next moment. Then, as their speed increased, Skadi's side passed the corner, and sure enough, a golden mask emerged from the darkness.
The man in the black robe and gold mask lurked in the shadows. He had already noticed Skadi and the others, and realizing that they were very likely to run into them, he decided to strike first!
Just moments ago, they were severely injured in the tomb by Princess Theresa, who had been resurrected, and the humanoid monster that had suddenly barged in. He realized something was wrong almost instantly. The so-called creed of the Confessors only existed in his mind for a few seconds before reason prevailed, and he chose to run away without any hesitation!
However... I never expected to run into a new intruder during my escape...
He observed the other person's appearance... The white-haired girl was carrying another hooded person who was completely wrapped up...
If things continue like this, the two sides will inevitably run into each other. He doesn't think the two groups can just greet each other and go their separate ways.
A head-on confrontation... to be honest, he didn't intend to do that, especially in the current situation. So, after a few seconds of thought, he stared at Skadi carrying the Doctor, a sinister expression appearing on his face.
The opponent is currently carrying a hooded person as a burden, so he certainly cannot exert his full strength in the moment of encounter, and that moment is his opportunity.
The weak and seemingly cumbersome hooded man was not his primary target; he planned to lie in wait in the shadows, plunging his dagger into the man's neck the moment he passed by.
During his time as a mercenary, he had done this countless times, whether to enemies or to his so-called "comrades-in-arms."
"And that's why he's been able to survive on this cannibalistic land until now."
Perhaps he had genuinely longed for the new world described by the Confessors and joined them, but without a doubt, when Kuisatushta was obliterated before his eyes by the resurrected princess, he realized that his previous thoughts were complete nonsense.
What kind of new world is this? This land is still the same old lousy place!
He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, as if he were trying to recapture the version of himself who had fought to survive on the battlefield at all costs.
The moment he heard footsteps approaching, he took off his mask and lunged forward as if intending to overlap with his past self!
However, the next moment, he saw no surprise on the white-haired girl's face. She was as calm as a flying insect, and didn't even seem to have the intention of lowering the hooded figure behind her to engage the enemy!
This... isn't right, is it?
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on his back. The close observation of Princess Theresa and the intruder wielding the saw had left an indelible impression on him. The terrifying aura they exuded made him believe that all so-called "strong" people should naturally adopt that kind of demeanor.
This led the former mercenary to make a serious misjudgment of the woman he was encountering...
The other party was certainly not some monster that could make him stand still and not dare to move with just a glance. The other party was just... an ordinary being below the level of a monster who could kill him in an instant.
Skadi had no idea what a complex inner world was going through beneath that fleeting change in expression; all she knew was that the moment he lunged forward, he pointed his weapon directly at her throat.
Without a doubt, she couldn't hold back against such a threat. Skadi stopped instantly, then used half her body and one leg as her center of gravity, gathering her strength in the leg she was about to unleash, and then, with her back to the Doctor, tilted her entire body and delivered a powerful kick!!!
Ulpian once told her that if you lose your weapons, then your limbs are your last weapon, and kicking is the most powerful of all the ways to attack!
Therefore, this captain, who was not good at expressing himself but hoped that his team members would not lose their lives on the battlefield someday, had a basic training requirement for Skadi in kicking—an attack method used when weapons are lost and in a desperate situation—that was...
Fast, and... ruthless!
Skadi never lost her weapon, so she rarely found herself unarmed, but Ulpian never lowered his standards and expectations of her because of it.
For example... any whip kick executed at any moment must be able to instantly destroy the white chitinous carapace covering the Seaborn's exterior! And, completely destroy it!
"Boom!!!!"
In that instant, the situation was completely changed.
Embedded in the wall, the body, gradually buried by the surrounding rubble, belonged to someone who never realized why this had happened until the moment of their death.
Clearly... the other party wasn't one of those "monsters" at all.
Clearly... she didn't give him the same feeling as the terrifying being he had just witnessed, so why... was he completely powerless to resist?
Ha... so I'm at the very bottom of this pyramid of power?
The Confessors's consciousness gradually dissipated. All the bones in his body had been shattered in that instant. The fact that he was still able to leave with a complete corpse after crashing into the surrounding walls was a result of Skadi's slight restraint in fear of damaging the cave's structure.
However, the same person who was shocked was not only the deceased Confessors, but also the Doctor standing nearby.
The latter was stunned. Although she had anticipated that Skadi's physical abilities would far surpass hers, she hadn't expected that she wouldn't even be a fraction of Skadi's...
What exactly is the source of energy for such terrifying power?
Did she rely on the few compressed biscuits she fed Skadi before the operation?
"Damn... how can a body that can be fed on a few compressed biscuits perform such a shotgun kick? Are all Terra superhuman?"