[HeLa Cell] was sent flying by a heavy kick and slammed into a large tree, making it shake violently.
"Where did this mad dog come from?!" The red-haired girl threw down her hammer and pulled a gleaming silver straight blade from her travel bag, ready to charge at [HeLa Cell].
"Wait!" The captain held out a hand to stop her.
"Why?" The red-haired girl turned and looked at the captain in confusion.
The captain, meanwhile, looked grimly at the man's forearm, where a chunk of flesh had been bitten away and blood was flowing steadily.
"That's no ordinary dog. Even a wolf couldn't have such terrifying bite force!"
"That's right. And I put all my strength into that kick just now. If an ordinary person had been kicked into a tree like that, they would have died on the spot.
"But look, it's already back on its feet." The bitten man gritted his teeth and stared at [HeLa Cell], which had already climbed off the ground.
"This is a variant! I reckon it's only 'Beast King' level, but we still can't let our guard down." The man made a preliminary judgment.
[HeLa Cell] climbed off the ground, its head still a little dazed.
Why is this one so strong? Aren't they the same species? But they look the same?
[HeLa Cell] also kept its eyes fixed on the people opposite it, then swallowed the bloody chunk of meat in its mouth.
As soon as it reached its stomach, it felt the powerful energy within. It contained more energy than anything it had eaten before; that one mouthful alone was worth a substantial fraction of the energy in that girl from before.
[HeLa Cell] understood. This individual was so strong because he had a great deal of energy, while the girl from before had been so weak because she had too little.
It seemed the difficulty of a hunt was proportional to its rewards.
Without any further hesitation, [HeLa Cell] lunged fiercely at the group again. This time, they easily dodged and spread out.
"I thought it was some formidable variant. Judging by that speed, it probably really is just a lowest-tier 'Beast King.'" The red-haired girl held her straight blade, a flicker of disdain passing through her eyes, then called to another girl behind her.
"Xiaoxiao, bandage the vice captain first, then move farther away!"
The girl nodded like a chick pecking at grain, then immediately bandaged the bite wound of the man who had retreated to her side.
The captain went to the travel backpack and likewise drew a straight blade from it, pointing it at [HeLa Cell].
[HeLa Cell] showed no fear. It opened its mouth again and charged straight at the captain.
The straight blade in the captain's hand flashed coldly. Holding it at his right side, he thrust his whole body forward at extreme speed, slashing straight at [HeLa Cell]'s gaping maw.
In the next instant, the blade flashed past, slicing off half of [HeLa Cell]'s head and sending it tumbling to the ground. Everything before [HeLa Cell] immediately went black.
"Yeah! That's our captain! He killed it in one hit!" The red-haired girl gazed in admiration at the captain, who had slain the monster so stylishly.
"Something's wrong! It's not over yet." The man, a bandage wrapped around his right hand, noticed something was amiss.
Following his gaze, the red-haired girl looked away from the captain and back at [HeLa Cell]. Her pupils instantly contracted.
Though half its head was gone, [HeLa Cell] was staggering toward the severed half, trying to retrieve it and put it back on.
The man reached to his waist and drew a pistol engraved with a star pattern. He aimed at [HeLa Cell] and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang-!
Bang-!
Bang-!
All three shots hit, leaving three horrifying bloody holes in [HeLa Cell]'s body and making it falter.
The captain also spun around and swung his blade at [HeLa Cell] again, striking its neck this time.
The remaining half of [HeLa Cell]'s head was mercilessly severed as well.
So sharp. Are those teeth? No, they must be something like a mantis's forelegs, but the speed and killing power are far, far greater than a mantis's. And those three stone-like things in my body somehow injured me, but that only happened after a sound came from the man I bit. Was it him?
[HeLa Cell] steadied itself. The wounds on its body began to squirm, then healed in an instant at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even its severed head grew back.
The four of them were startled by the sight.
"Is that... regeneration?" the red-haired girl asked doubtfully.
"So it seems. But it's rather weak. Getting rid of it will just take a little time." Gripping his blade in both hands, the captain once again charged at [HeLa Cell] and slashed.
Facing the oncoming blade, [HeLa Cell] charged forward again, its maw wide open.
This time, the blade struck [HeLa Cell]'s neck, aiming to cut its head off again.
But when the blade had cut halfway through, it became stuck. The captain froze. He could feel that [HeLa Cell]'s neck was much tougher than before, so the same amount of force had failed to cut its head off this time.
With the blade lodged in its neck, [HeLa Cell] acted as though it felt no pain and raked its claws across the captain's face.
The captain winced in pain and swung the blade hard, both hands gripping it. The powerful slash traced a silver arc through the air, and a head flew off once again.
"I was careless." The captain retreated to open some distance and looked at the back of his blade. Its smooth surface reflected the vicious wound on his face.
Bang-!
Another gunshot rang out. Though [HeLa Cell] had been decapitated and should by rights have lost its senses, it reacted the instant the shot rang out, its body darting backward.
The bullet, which should have struck its chest, merely broke its skin.
The man frowned, unable to understand how [HeLa Cell] had noticed and dodged it.
"Captain, are you all right?!" The red-haired girl, who had been standing to the side, hurried over to help when she saw the captain was hurt.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch. As long as my eye wasn't hurt, it's all right." The captain wiped the blood from his face, then shook his head and spoke indifferently.
Looking at the wound on his face, the red-haired girl felt as though it hurt her own heart. Then she turned and stared coldly at [HeLa Cell], which had already regrown its head.
[HeLa Cell] raised a paw and licked the bloodstains left on it. The skin broken by the bullet immediately healed.
[HeLa Cell]'s paws were different from those of other dogs. Having modified them itself, it no longer had paws like an ordinary dog's, which could only be used for running. Instead, they were more like the more agile forepaws of a feline, which was why it had been able to scratch the captain's face.
Before [HeLa Cell] could make a move, the captain, who was four or five meters away, suddenly extended his left hand and grasped hard at empty air.
Several transparent threads like spider silk suddenly emerged from beneath the ground, all of them winding toward [HeLa Cell].