Chapter 204
Facing the oncoming "giant python," Efnir remained calm, effortlessly flipping off the hilt of her spear. At the same time, she drew her spear and thrust it upwards, sending dirt flying as the spear tip flew. The blade easily cleaved the blood-red "giant python" in two, black blood splattering in the air and being swept into a dark mist by the wind pressure.
This "black blood" is neither gray blood like Dregs, nor the sap of plant roots and stems. It has no pungent smell, but rather has characteristics similar to Erosion Entity.
The putrid, fishy smell in the air seemed to be merely the odor of the dried, rotting flesh on the surface of this strange plant, rather than its own stench.
Efnir calmly observed the black python's reaction, while noting down some of its characteristics.
The battle began with the duel between Efnir and the "Black Python." The moment Efnir launched her counterattack, the giant python seemed to be enraged by its failed attack and injury. A sharp shriek came from not far away, and at the same time, countless shrieks of varying sizes echoed across the grassland.
Efnir gripped the spear in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly.
--This number appears to be more than expected.
These things are nothing to Efnir; they can be easily wiped out in a short time. But for the soldiers, these things will undoubtedly pose a huge threat.
Efnir no longer held back her power. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and with her next strike, she gripped her spear, raised it from behind her waist, and as silver light flashed beneath her feet and the ground collapsed, she unleashed a blinding silver beam as her body spun. In the next instant, a beam of light suddenly slashed through the vacuum between Efnir and the direction from which the sound came out, instantly detonating the air. The shockwave swept away the linear area within several meters that the beam had invaded, along with countless weeds and the several "black python" vines coiled on the ground, all of which were devoured and shredded in this single strike.
"Pretty."
Suddenly, Lapith's praising voice came through the headset. Lapith and Anilas arrived just outside the grassy area behind Efnir. Apart from them, most of the people from the Main Sequence Star, the Muses, and the Funeral Bird Squad had come here.
They had all witnessed the impact of Efnir's attack, and their expressions varied. The members of the Main Sequence Star and the Muses were naturally used to it, while Lapith showed appreciation and approval, along with a hint of "I knew it," while the others from the Funeral Bird were a mix of astonishment and amazement.
As they leaped into the air, they clearly saw the power of Efnir's attack—a striking Trace was abruptly drawn across the grass from Efnir's point of attack, as if a crease had been forcefully pressed into a green sheet of paper. To them, such an attack was terrifying.
Lapith glanced back at the team members meaningfully, noticing a serious and solemn expression on their faces.
"You all better perform well in the upcoming battles."
"Yes!"
As a support team that joined the battle later, the Funeral Bird Squad did not encounter any fierce battles. Moreover, after traveling hundreds of miles by waterway from the Human Federation's orders, they inevitably developed some resistance and also looked down on Xijing City, a mid-sized city. This sentiment also extended to their attitude towards the Xijing City agents.
No one wants to work for free, especially agents whose duty is to protect their own city. Most of them are unwilling to abandon their city to join the battle in other cities.
This scene put them under pressure—if an agent of Efnir's caliber was seriously injured in the previous battle, just how powerful were the enemies these agents from Xijing City had faced before their arrival?
At least from the perspective of a sense of crisis, Lapith's gaze made these agents calm down.
At the same time, as warriors who have emerged from countless bloody battles, their competitive spirit is awakened at this moment, and they can't help but feel a little competitive.
"Efnir, are you alright? Did you find something again?"
Anilas dressed and carrying a pistol and a dagger, flipped over and appeared beside Efnir.
At this moment, the crimson "giant python" attacked again from another direction. Anilas deftly slid to the side, using her elbows and knees to avoid the head-on impact of the crimson vines as they attacked, while simultaneously clamping them down. She fired several shots in quick succession, and her dagger nimbly cut the vines in two.
Unlike Efnir, who swept across the battlefield with sweeping, sweeping attacks, Anilas, as the Second-Generation Agent and user of the "sniper rifle," relied more on skill in combat. Similarly, the other members of the Muses were also like this, except for Iris, who was assigned to the Main Sequence Star and was more adept at this situation.
"I'm fine, but these things are strange. You all need to be careful and not let your guard down."
Efnir and Anilas briefly explained their findings and speculations.
"In that case, I'll lead Muses to surround them from the outside."
"Well, it's the perfect time to hand over control of the battlefield to you. I'll lead the Main Sequence Star Squad to advance inwards from here."
The Second-Generation Agent's forte was firepower suppression and mid-range support attacks, so Efnir and Anilas naturally divided the tasks.
"In that case, the Funeral Bird Squad will lend you their assistance."
The members of the Funeral Bird are all First-Generation Agent. Since none of them have a role like Fifina who is responsible for long-range support, they are naturally more suitable to carry out operations together with the Main Sequence Star Squad.
Thank you.
Without any hesitation, Efnir assigned tasks and immediately began cleaning the lawn.
In an instant, several incendiary bombs exploded in the grass, and clouds of fire rose into the sky. The next moment, countless shrieks echoed through the sky, vines sprang up, and gunfire roared. Anilas led the Muse Squad to begin suppressive fire from the outside.
Meanwhile, the Main Sequence Star Squad led by Efnir and the Funeral Bird Squad led by Lapith each took charge of one side and launched an attack on these "Mutated Entity".
Apart from the wounded, including Canary, and a few agents who remained at the base, all the other agents were ordered to come here. The large-scale mobilization of agents brought about not just a quantitative accumulation, but a qualitative change—even the army could not confront such a small team head-on, let alone those "Mutated Entity".
In an instant, battle erupted. The troublesome Mutated Entity were like child's play to the agents. The agents' Combat Instinct were impeccable. Their long-term battles with the Erosion Entity had honed their terrifying composure and extremely high combat skills. They swiftly uprooted the gathered "Mutated Entity," and soon the real "Mutated Entity" appeared before everyone's eyes, only to be instantly killed the next second. They could not stop the agents' advance in the slightest.
97. The desire for revenge
The battle in the grassland had reached a fever pitch.
"Surround them!"
"These 'Mutated Entity' don't seem to be intelligent enough. Let's Whale and leave them with nowhere to escape."
"It's up to you guys, Lapith."
Don't worry.
The Muse Squad surrounded the enemy from the outside, while the Main Sequence Star Squad and the Funeral Bird Squad, led by Efnir and Lapith, charged left and right, dividing the battlefield.
The battle intensified.
The soldiers' equipment was discovered one by one during the battle, buried in the grass, covered under the vines, and mixed together with piles of corpses and flesh. Efnir also found the bloody remains of the missing soldiers among a pile of wriggling roots.
The bloody scene made even the battle-hardened Efnir frown and feel a discomfort in her chest—a primal, physiological resistance.
Clearly, these people had already met with misfortune before Efnir arrived.
For the soldiers, the places where these "Mutated Entity" gathered were extremely deadly. They used the grass as cover to launch surprise attacks, and the soldiers, caught off guard, were powerless to resist.
However, these "Mutated Entity" pose no threat to the agents at all—compared to the Erosion Entity, these Mutated Entity are child's play as long as they don't gather in large groups, and can be easily eliminated.
Agents symbolize the limits of individual human power. Apart from Efnir and Lapith, the others also demonstrated combat skills with ease when facing the attacks of the "Mutated Entity". Overall, the members of the Funeral Bird Squad are much stronger on average than those on the Main Sequence Star. Each of them is at a level comparable to Canary, and is much stronger than Furan.
Among the First-Generation Agent in Xijing City, Canary was the most capable agent besides Efnir and Qinglan and Flying Swallow who became Angel. She was also a representative figure of the new generation of agents after Efnir. However, compared to the large city of Suzuda City, the second-ranked agent in Xijing City could only be ranked in the middle in terms of strength.
Not to mention that Suzuda City has several Agent Squad besides the Funeral Bird, many of which are even more powerful than Canary. This is the difference between a large city and a medium-sized city.
Gunfire erupted, and incendiary bombs reduced large swathes of grass to ashes. As the fire died down and the smoke cleared, the Mutated Entity hiding within were exposed to everyone. Anilas's every shot precisely struck the Mutated Entity's heart, piercing and shattering the "parasitic" roots growing there. Meanwhile, Herul and the other members of the Muse Squad relentlessly suppressed the Mutated Entity attacking them with a barrage of Mutated Entity, reaping their lives every moment.
Anilas, and inexplicably recalled a scene from her training in the Central Province.
--A combat exercise between Second-Generation Agent squad and the regular army.
The final result was that the Agent Squad achieved a great victory with minimal losses. Once this extraordinary individual power was brought together, a violent chemical reaction would occur. Each person was fearless in the face of gunfire, launching surprise attacks on the enemy with amazing combat skills and speed and strength far beyond that of ordinary people. Even a well-trained army would be defeated in an instant.
On the other side, the Main Sequence Star Squad and the Funeral Bird Squad launched a combined attack on the Mutated Entity. Efnir and Lepis led the attack, with Ayse and Lapith close behind. With a single thrust of their spears, like the roar of a dragon from the sea, they swept the spears across the blood-red pythons, repelling them. Then, they swung their spears horizontally, using the shaft to pull the "pythons" back, dragging the Mutated Entity right in front of Efnir. Efnir kicked the mutants a hundred meters away, their chests already ripped open. The mutants twitched a few times on the ground before dying completely.
Ayse and Yuan each displayed their skills, one wielding a straight sword and the other a samurai sword, slicing and scraping horizontally. Like a meat grinder, the two forcefully carved a huge gap in the midst of the countless giant vines attacking them, rushing forward and beheading one Mutated Entity after another.
The members of the Funeral Bird demonstrated the formidable power of the Suzuda City agents to the fullest. Vice-Captain Trilice wielded a massive, long-handled scythe, its blade swirling and dancing, effortlessly slicing through any vines that came near. Rin, wielding a spiked hammer as sharp as an eagle's beak, smashed through the chest of Mutated Entity, turning it into minced meat. Krilina, wielding a two-handed greatsword, swung it with wide, sweeping strokes, the heavy, sharp, narrow blade shattering all the attacking crimson pythons; the Mutated Entity couldn't even slow her down.
Each of them is a more powerful and experienced agent than Canary. Lapith has even served for more than four years and is a well-deserved veteran. Even Qinglan would have to call her a senior here.
Compared to them, Lapith's fighting momentum was the most ferocious.
Efnir and Lapith, as captains of their respective squads and the most powerful agents in their squads, as well as the chiefs of their cities, possess completely different fighting styles. Efnir's spear is imbued with immense power, its penetrating force unmatched, each strike extremely sharp and impossible to withstand head-on. Lapith, on the other hand, wields fists with the speed of the wind and the force of a thousand pounds, her powerful and decisive punches always deadly. Agile and highly aggressive, she sweeps away any enemy that approaches her like a siege engine. Her silver-black arm armor and gauntlets are particularly eye-catching, each punch causing the air to explode, and any vines struck by her are invariably pulverized by her immense power.
This scene, witnessed by Anilas on the periphery, left her both shocked and slightly moved.
Lapith and Efnir were equally fast at killing enemies, and their strength was also comparable. Anilas believed that she could never defeat Efnir in a head-on battle, and now it seemed that she could not defeat Lapith either.
If enough distance is maintained between Anilas and Lapith, Anilas can still put up a fight. Anilas excels in ranged attacks and combat support, and her unique visual enhancements perfectly suit her role. At a certain distance, Anilas is the absolute queen. If Lapith cannot deflect Anilas's attacks like Efnir did, then Lapith's chances of winning are extremely low.
However, if the terrain becomes more complex, it will negate Anilas's advantage and give Lapith the opportunity to get close, at Anilas will undoubtedly be defeated.
Anilas was not good at one-on-one combat and close-quarters fighting, so losing was understandable. However, as an Agent Squad as Efnir and Lapith, this situation, which made her feel like a weak link and a drag on the team, was undoubtedly unpleasant for her, who had always been far ahead of the others.
When the Central Province sent her to Xijing City, Anilas herself did not expect that an agent of Efnir's caliber would appear in a mid-sized city like Xijing City.
By the standards of Lapith, Efnir is undoubtedly in a class of its own, even in large cities.
This seems somewhat illogical from an empirical standpoint, but it's not entirely impossible, so Anilas didn't pay too much attention to it.
She silently resolved in her heart to work hard to improve herself and not let Efnir leave her too far behind.
Efnir is undoubtedly a very good target to pursue.
She was never satisfied with the status quo and constantly improved herself; only in this way could she possibly avenge her best friend.
98. Master
This planting area is the size of two football fields, and it harbors more than forty Mutated Entity.
The battle lasted for half an hour, ending with Anilas's confirmation signal.
"The battlefield has been cleared, the mission is complete. There are no more traces of the Mutated Entity here. The rest of the work can be handed over to the soldier squad. I will report the situation here to the commander."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
With Anilas' enhanced vision, nothing in this planting area could escape her eyes; everything was clearly displayed before her.
"Commander, this is Anilas..."
She quickly confirmed that all the Mutated Entity had been eliminated, and then began reporting the situation to the temporary base.
Efnir also gave the order, "The rest of you search the surrounding area again. Report anything unusual immediately."
Ayse came to Efnir's side.
"Senior, do we need to take these things back with us?"
Ayse pointed to the pile of Mutated Entity on the ground, intentionally or unintentionally covering her mouth and nose.
The ground was covered with blood, entrails, and various indescribable chunks and bits of flesh. The stench of decay was nauseating, and even the agent could not easily ignore the physical disgust. However, Ayse saw that Efnir's expression did not show any discomfort.
"Just leave a small sample."
Efnir looked around, as if searching for something.
"Clean up the rest and have someone burn them."
"Um."
Ayse didn't think too much about it and just nodded.
At this moment, the members of the Funeral Bird Squad slowly searched and approached from a distance. The leader came to Efnir's side; it was none other than the Funeral Bird Squad's captain, Lapith.
"Major General Efnir of Xijing City."
"Colonel Lapith"
The two exchanged brief greetings. Lapith instructed the rest of the Funeral Bird to continue their search mission, while she went to Efnir's side, glancing at the mountain of Mutated Entity corpses without even frowning.
"Major General Efnir, I don't know if you've noticed, but there seem to be some strange creatures appearing among the Mutated Entity."
"Yes, you mean those individuals with a higher degree of mutation? The Main Sequence Star Squad encountered two such individuals. Compared to ordinary individuals, those individuals are indeed special and much more difficult to deal with."
"So you did encounter them too. In fact, we found at least three of those things here."
The degree of "mutation" varies among the Mutated Entity. Some Mutated Entity still largely retain their human appearance, and their skin surface is less "Dregsification." These Mutated Entity are generally less threatening, and the blood-red vines they control are relatively thin and few in number, making them easy to deal with.
At the same time, some Mutated Entity have reached 100% complete Dregsification. Their chest roots are thick and hard, and their human appearance has also undergone extensive Mutation, presenting a bizarre state. They are withered and thin, yet they exhibit extraordinary power, far more threatening than Dregs. They exhibit characteristics similar to the Mutated Entity Dregsification of Eligible, far surpassing ordinary humans in strength and agility, and their physical strength is far beyond that of ordinary Dregs.
The existence of these Mutated Entity was the direct culprit that led to the annihilation of the entire soldier squad. However, they no longer had the means to run rampant and kill in front of the agents. Although their strength was formidable, it was still far from enough against the agents.
The large number of Mutated Entity in this planting area were quickly wiped out by the combined efforts of the three Agent Squad.
But Efnir and Lapith clearly didn't notice this.
"Did you notice? Those guys and the Dregs seem different, not just in appearance, but this place is different too."
Lapith pointed to her head, her beautiful gray hair fluttering gently.
Efnir nodded.
Efnir naturally noticed the phenomenon that Lapith described—those individuals were more "intelligent."
Perhaps this is a bit vague, but in fact, those Mutated Entity are extremely frenzied and bloodthirsty, showing an unusual obsession with living beings, recklessly pouncing on and attacking the agents without any skill whatsoever.
Those special individuals with a higher degree of Mutation exhibited some "selectivity" and "skill." They no longer launched attacks without any skill, but instead chose to ambush, hide, and cover themselves—a monster with a certain degree of strategic thinking. This undoubtedly increased their threat level exponentially.
Even if this level of threat is insignificant to the agents, the squads of soldiers on duty cannot afford to ignore it, and that is what worries Efnir.
"This is the first time I've ever seen something like this. The Beyond the Boundary really does have all sorts of things."
This wasn't the first time Mutated Entity had appeared, so Lapith felt more novelty than surprise at this previously unseen individual.