Retreat

Squelch!

The tip of Sisi's sickle claw, with a bundle of silk wrapped around it, passed through a gap in the small forelimb.

The hooked tip stabbed into the Seltas Queen's mouthparts, and a mass of thick green fluid gushed out.

Not expecting a counterattack, the Seltas Queen's pillar-like legs paused briefly.

When it tried to step forward again, it suddenly discovered that its opponent's other sickle claw had extended sideways and braced against its leg.

Although the searing pain intensified as its body rammed forward.

Such an act of overestimating oneself, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Instead further stoked the Seltas Queen's desire to trample its opponent into shattered limbs and fragments.

Boom! Boom! ...

Its steps instantly quickened, sending out a string of dull, ground-shaking thuds.

Crack!

The expected collision and crushing never came.

Instead, a brittle crack and a stab of pain traveled up its pillar-like leg together.

The Seltas Queen discovered in horror that not only had the thick outer shell of its leg been crushed and pierced by the mantis-like sickle claw blocking it.

The smaller insect before it was also sliding backward more slowly.

Scrape! Scrape...

Once Sisi's leg joints had sunk into the soil and its body was firmly braced.

The terrifying charge that had plowed a broad trench through the ground came to an abrupt halt.

The Seltas Queen could not understand.

Normally, external shells were attached and worn to protect a fragile body.

The insect before it was precisely the opposite: the external shell it wore could not withstand a single blow.

Yet its own limb strength and shell hardness were absurdly high.

"Sisi! The binder arrowhead, meow!"

Hearing Kaluo's shouted reminder.

Squelch!

The sickle claw stabbed into the mouthparts pulled free.

A great quantity of green slime spurted out, followed by a bundle of silk flashing with red light.

With such a tremendous quantity of red extract drawn from deep inside its body all at once, the Seltas Queen's compound eyes went dark.

Sisi passed the huge mass of extract backward and hung it on the other sickle claw.

Sisi's silk stuck to the end of the silk line Kaluo handed over.

"It's all yours, meow!"

A diving leap, a drop to the ground, paws over the head.

Kaluo completed the evasive movements in one fluid sequence.

Whoosh-whoosh! ...

Hearing the powerful rush of wind, the Seltas Queen abruptly snapped awake.

It noticed that the insect before it was swinging its sickle claw back, whirling the arrowhead at high speed.

Now, it no longer dared attack rashly, yet it seemed too late to retreat.

In a flash, drawing on its many years roaming the wild, the Seltas Queen felt that move should work.

And the current distance was just right for unleashing it.

Hiss, hiss-hiss!

Rearing up and briefly gathering strength, the Seltas Queen abruptly released four jets of dark yellow gas beneath its abdominal shell.

Sisi did not know what this gas was.

Curious, it opened its mouthparts slightly, wanting to try a taste.

But the instant it made contact, it realized something was wrong.

Clang!

The whirling arrowhead was tossed aside, and Sisi turned and retreated at once.

"Bleurgh, meow..."

Kaluo, whose eyes were stung shut by the yellow fog, also fled swiftly while dry-heaving.

Hiss! Hiss!

Sisi continuously released its fragrance, seemingly trying to cover up and remove the hideously foul pheromones from its body as quickly as possible.

The Seltas Queen took the opportunity to put some distance between them, but the foul yellow fog still erupted intermittently beneath its abdomen.

"Sisi, hang in there! I'm coming!"

Li Le's shout came from above.

Sisi looked up and saw that he was now within suitable range.

With a swing, it hurled the silk bundle containing the enormous quantity of red extract toward him.

Such a huge lump, and red extract from a Seltas Queen at that...

Then let me get a proper taste of it.

Li Le raised his arm and closed his eyes.

Splat!

The silk bundle plastered itself onto the silk bindings, and the potent red extract rapidly flowed in.

"Uh... why does this extract stink..."

Just as confusion arose in Li Le, his gaze suddenly changed, and his entire body began trembling uncontrollably.

Countless web-like blood vessels bulged across the whites of his eyes.

His rapidly swelling muscles stretched his previously well-fitting hunter armor until it looked somewhat bulky.

His heart was like a mechanical engine switched on, roaring amid violent tremors.

"Hahahaha! Seltas Queen! That packs a punch!"

Power surged through Li Le's entire body, and a monster-like urge to destroy and attack rushed straight into his mind.

"Bug Brother! Dive down... cough, cough!"

Li Le pointed at the Seltas Queen and was about to launch an attack when the rising stench choked him back to his senses.

Director Sara's daily teachings echoed in his ears.

"No! I need to calm down!"

Li Le slapped his cheeks hard with both hands. The dense blood vessels in his eyes receded, and his gaze became clear.

"Support Sisi!"

Bug Brother had been unwilling to approach the Seltas Queen in the first place. Seeing Li Le point toward Sisi now, he immediately dove that way.

At that moment, red light surged within Sisi's compound eyes.

After its fragrance mixed with the foul pheromones, the resulting irritation to Sisi was even stronger, driving it somewhat frantic.

The Seltas Queen did not seize the opportunity to attack, as though waiting for some turning point.

"Sisi! Look over here!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Sisi turned around.

Li Le tossed down a deodorant ball.

Crack!

The ball shattered against Sisi's head crest, releasing a cloud of blue-green smoke.

Sisi froze, discovering that the foul pheromones clinging to its body had actually been eliminated that easily.

"Injuries to both the small forelimbs and the mouthparts. Excellent!"

Li Le landed and offered encouragement.

Sisi was happy for a moment, but upon seeing Old Bones shattered into countless pieces on the ground, it sank back into dejection.

Bzzzz! ...

At that moment, Bug Brother kept shifting about in midair, looking extremely uneasy.

Li Le looked over and realized that the Seltas Queen's gaze was locked onto Bug Brother.

Snap! Snap!

Its crescent tail snapped shut twice in the air, as though making some sort of threat.

"Bug Brother isn't going back with you. Besides, you're not short of Seltas, so why won't you leave him alone?"

The Seltas Queen had been fine while Li Le kept quiet, but the moment he spoke, it slammed both forelegs into the ground.

Gas poured from its mouthparts as it entered an enraged state once more.

"Huh? Bug Brother, I never thought you..."

Li Le turned to look back, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"What does that mean, meow?"

Kaluo asked anxiously.

"There are Felynes who are especially popular with everyone too, right?"

"Uh... yes, meow."

"Bug Brother is... focus on the fight. Be careful not to get caught in it."

As they watched each other in the standoff, the thoroughly enraged Seltas Queen nevertheless did not launch an attack.

Its abnormal behavior puzzled Li Le.

Had it sensed Sisi's strength and been intimidated?

The sensation of being infused with the potent red extract had made Li Le clearly understand just how strong the Seltas Queen's urge to attack was.

Could the Seltas Queen be forcibly suppressing its urge to attack because it was waiting for something...?

Hiss, hiss...

Noticing the foul gas still hissing intermittently beneath its abdomen, Li Le understood.

"It's attracting a Seltas to help it fight!"

The urge to attack that Li Le had suppressed with reason surged up again.

Calm down!

If those two insects really combined, we would probably have to abandon the wagon to ensure everyone could retreat safely.

But it's covered in my scent, Sisi's, and Bug Brother's.

The Seltas Queen would definitely crush and destroy it to vent its anger.

We only came to make money, but now we're going to lose the wagon and supplies instead...

Might as well fight the Seltas Queen to the death!

No! Calm down!

While suppressing his urge to fight, he also had to think rationally about the situation.

This put tremendous pressure on Li Le, who wanted to minimize their losses.

Bzzzz...

Before long, the buzzing of a Seltas's wings came from the mountain woods.

Forget it. For everyone's safety, we should abandon the wagon...

When the time came to make a choice, Li Le still decided to put safety first.

"Listen up! Sisi and I will first... huh?"

Seeing the Seltas fly out from behind the rock wall, the human, the cat, and both insects all froze.

Most of the pointed horn atop this Seltas's head had been sliced off.

Its two pairs of transparent wings were full of gaps and cracks, and it seemed to maintain flight only barely by beating them more rapidly.

Its fluid-leaking abdomen was covered in slashing wounds.

"Who went that hard on it..."

As Li Le marveled, a human figure appeared on the high cliff.

With an Elite Blade on his back and hunter armor on his body, the man crouched to observe what was below.

It was Disi, the hunter hired by the caravan leader.

Li Le immediately understood why the Seltas was so badly injured.

"Everyone! What monster is that down there? Do you need help?"

Disi called down from the cliff.

"Don't come near it! This Seltas Queen is too strong!"

Li Le gave him a warning.

"Thanks! Understood!"

With that, Disi took out a telescope and lay down on the cliff to watch.

As the buzzing wings drew closer, the Seltas Queen slammed its legs into the ground, growing increasingly agitated.

But when it actually saw the severely wounded Seltas wobbling through the air, its body stiffened.

The Seltas, drawn over by the pheromones, noticed that something was wrong with the situation.

It abruptly turned its head, trying to fly away.

Snap!

The extending crescent tail clamped precisely between its thorax and abdomen, forcibly hauling it back.

Crunch!

After a crisp cracking sound, the Seltas was forcibly pressed onto the Seltas Queen's back shell.

The brutal sight made Bug Brother involuntarily back away.

And the Seltas, its head lowered in defeat, seemed to have resigned itself to its fate.

It struggled to raise its body and lifted a pair of badly damaged sickle claws.

Stimulated by the intensely foul-smelling pheromones, its compound eyes glimmered faintly.

"It... it can't fight at all anymore, meow!"

Kaluo exclaimed.

"The Seltas Queen won't care about that... Sisi, don't you dare learn from it!"

Seeing Sisi studying him, Li Le immediately had a bad feeling.

Sisi's compound eyes dimmed, as though a fascinating new idea had been rejected by Li Le before it could even take shape.

"But this is a good opportunity for the team to get the cart away."

Li Le glanced back at the rugged mountain road.

The Seltas Queen's charge was terrifying, but it certainly wasn't on the level of Dah'ren Mohran smashing through mountains.

To catch the cart as it traveled up the rising mountain road, having the Seltas carry it through the air was undoubtedly the best option.

That was also why Li Le had previously concluded that it would be hard to save the cart once the two insects combined.

But this dying Seltas clearly no longer had the strength to cooperate.

"I'll pedal the cart. Bug Brother, come with me! Sisi! You handle the front."

Sisi was just about to raise her sickle claws in agreement.

Suddenly, she looked at the Seltas Queen ahead with some distaste.

Clearly, she wasn't particularly keen on fighting it again, especially at close quarters.

Li Le took the two deodorant balls off his harness and handed them to Kaluo.

"Don't worry. Kaluo will get rid of the smell for you right away."

Sisi considered for a moment, then shot out silk and pulled Kaluo straight onto her back.

The Seltas Queen began moving as well.

Taking aim at Sisi's position, it lowered its head, preparing for a ground-plowing charge.

The Seltas lowered its body in tandem, extending its broken horn outward from atop the back shell.

Thud! Thud!...

Amid rapid, thunderous footfalls, the Seltas Queen charged straight at her.

The broken end of the horn wasn't sharp.

But as it hurtled forward, faint currents of air actually appeared around its edges.

Sisi first shot a strand of silk behind her, wrapping it around a thick tree.

Then she crossed her sickle claws in an X before her, her legs sinking into the soil.

Crash!

Sisi slid backward.

With its momentum unspent, the Seltas Queen seized the chance to close in.

Psssh~

Seeing yellow mist pour out from beneath its abdomen, Sisi pushed off with all four legs at once and leaped.

Her silk-wrapped sickle claws pulled sharply.

As the thick tree toppled, Sisi used the pull of her silk to retreat swiftly, avoiding contact with the intensely foul-smelling pheromones.

Kaluo, who had one paw over his nose and a deodorant ball raised in the other, was delighted.

"Great job, Sisi, meow!"

Creak! Creak!...

On the other side, Li Le climbed onto the cart and pedaled hard toward the rock face.

The Seltas Queen saw that it couldn't land an effective attack on Sisi.

At the same time, its hatred for Li Le was clearly greater, so it changed the direction of its charge.

"It's heading your way, meow!"

"Got it! You're up, Bug Brother!"

Bug Brother descended, hooked all four legs tightly onto the cargo bed's railing, and lifted the cart away.

Crash!

Amid the dust stirred up by the violent collision, Bug Brother hauled the cart onto the mountain road above.

Having rammed headfirst into the rock face, the Seltas Queen backed away and looked around.

It immediately released a heavy burst of intensely foul-smelling pheromones, signaling the Seltas to pursue by air.

Bzzzz!...

The Seltas beat its wings furiously for a moment and actually lifted the enormous Seltas Queen off the ground.

"You've got to be kidding! It can still do that in this condition?"

Li Le couldn't believe it.

Although its flight path wavered and it rose slowly.

The Seltas still struggled to hold on.

"I admire your tenacity, but for the sake of our team's cart..."

As Li Le spoke, he took his bone staff to the cliff's edge beside the mountain road.

Inflicting any effective injury on the Seltas Queen to stop it from reaching the road.

That was still beyond Li Le, but while the effects of the enormous amount of extract had yet to fade.

It would be easy enough to land a heavy blow on the dying Seltas and send it falling.

Sensing a shadow approaching from above, the Seltas raised its head.

Its gaze lingered briefly on Li Le, then turned toward Bug Brother, a fellow Seltas.

The two insects looked at each other for a moment, and its wingbeats suddenly slowed.

Sensing that it was steadily falling, the Seltas Queen abruptly swung its crescent tail upward and clamped down hard on it.

Crack~

A cracking sound rang out.

Yet the gravely wounded Seltas merely lowered its head, offering no reaction.

Thud!

The Seltas Queen returned to the ground, beside itself with rage.

Its crescent tail squeezed hard, and the Seltas was severed in two.

Then it picked up the remains in its pincers and brought them to its mouth.

At the sight of this gruesome scene, Bug Brother showed no fear, merely staring blankly.

"You escaped its control. It must have really envied you, Bug Brother."

Li Le sighed.

On the rock face on the other side, Sisi also hoisted herself up by her silk, bringing Kaluo onto the mountain road.

Li Le felt that although the mountain road was rather narrow, once the Seltas Queen went berserk, it might still be able to catch up, so he pedaled at full speed, hoping to get away as quickly as possible.

Atop a distant cliff, Disi lowered his binoculars and remarked, "So that's Sisi, the powerful Ahtal-Ka Kinsect from the rumors... Hunter Li Le's tactical arrangements are full of wisdom, too. He can even cooperate with another Seltas. It's just a pity about my hunting target..."