"Clear!"
The crowd responded.
Their attacks resumed immediately.
Shen Heng stomped his foot on the ground and once again moved closer to Shadow Erosion.
"Boom! Boom! Clang!..."
Explosions, crashes, and the clanging of metal echoed wildly through the seafood market.
"Whoosh--!"
Shen Heng constantly weaved through the dense tentacle attacks.
With each trembling swing of the longsword, it precisely severed a tentacle.
However, Shadow Erosion, relying on its own abilities, did not retract its tentacles even after they were severed.
Instead, it wriggled and extended, trying to retract its severed tentacles.
Shen Heng tried to stop them, but the tentacles that followed forced him to abandon the idea.
Overall, however, the process went smoothly.
As time goes by.
Shen Heng and Wang Hai are getting closer and closer to Shadow Erosion.
However, as the distance closes, the attacks they face become increasingly rapid.
From having enough time to react at the beginning, to now...
Almost the instant the tentacles turned toward him, he had to decide his next move.
Otherwise, they might be met with a tentacle already at their face.
"Whoosh--"
Shen Heng raised his sword and severed another tentacle.
"Although their defenses are far inferior to those of the Dragon Armor Beast, there isn't a significant difference in their attack power and speed."
"At most, due to its form, a single attack from Shadow Erosion is no match for a single claw strike from Dragon Armor Beast, but..."
Shen Heng turned his head and looked at the Shadow Erosion more than ten meters away, as well as the several tentacles shooting towards him.
"With this quantity, even if its individual attack power is inferior, it doesn't diminish its threat to other creatures!"
"Boom! Boom!"
Han Ling and Le Gu Nan's attacks collided with the tentacles, knocking away the tentacles that were originally aimed at Shen Heng.
Taking this opportunity, Shen Heng closed in by a few meters.
"Captain," Shen Heng called out to Wang Hai, who was still a few meters in front of him.
Wang Hai did not respond, but his actions spoke volumes.
His fists were covered with a thick layer of Origin Power, and each swing was as heavy as a cannonball, tearing a gap in the encirclement of tentacles.
Then the figure rushed straight towards Shadow Erosion.
Noticing Wang Hai's actions, Shadow Erosion tried to use its scattered tentacles to intercept him, but...
"Boom--!"
Bullets, cone-shaped contraptions, and fireballs once again blocked its tentacles.
Wang Hai then seized this opportunity to quickly close the distance between the two sides, and then...
"Tread!"
A heavy thud echoed.
Wang Hai suddenly leaped towards the direction of Shadow Erosion's head.
"Buzz--"
Shadow Erosion roared, and the two tentacles beside it began to move.
Not far away, Shen Heng raised his long sword.
A third sound wave was superimposed on top.
"Sound Overlap · Thousand Waves!"
The long sword swung down.
The sonic waves attached to the longsword were instantly slashed away.
The next moment, Shadow Erosion's oval head shook as if it had been hit by something, and the tentacles that were originally stretched out in mid-air paused.
Then.
" Tiger Piercing!"
A sharp shout suddenly rang out.
Wang Hai raised his fist, which was covered in dense Origin Power, and slammed it fiercely towards Shadow Erosion.
As everyone watched the scene unfold before them, a hint of joy couldn't help but appear in their eyes.
However, the next moment...
"Clang--"
A crisp, metallic clang rang out.
Two whip-like shadows suddenly appeared in front of Wang Hai.
Wang Hai's expression darkened as he looked at the two tentacles blocking his way.
He exerted force with his right arm again, pressing his fist down towards Shadow Erosion's body.
Shadow Erosion also exerted its strength, but two of its blades were not enough to stop Wang Hai's fist.
The fist sank deeper and deeper into Shadow Erosion's body, but the speed gradually decreased until it finally stopped.
The two sides remained deadlocked for a while.
Then, accompanied by a 'bang'.
Shadow Erosion's body slammed backward against the wall, while Wang Hai's figure flew backward in another direction.
Shen Heng frowned, pondered for a moment, then lightly touched the ground with his toes and quickly retreated.
"Captain, are you alright?" Han Ling ran to Wang Hai's side with some concern.
"It's nothing!" Wang Hai shook his head, got up from the ground, and frowned as he looked at the Shadow Erosion in the distance.
"No, what the hell? Why can I still move after being hit by Shen Heng's sonic attack?" Wu Cheng asked, somewhat bewildered.
They were at a distance and had a better view of the whole situation.
After being hit by Shen Heng's sonic wave, Shadow Erosion only paused slightly, perhaps for less than 0.1 seconds.
Then, the two tentacles moved again, blocking Wang Hai's fist.
This... this is the first time they've encountered a situation like this.
"Has this Calamity Beast been protecting its head with Origin Power all along?" Han Ling looked at Shen Heng with some confusion.
"No, not at all." Shen Heng replied with a slight frown, his gaze fixed on the Shadow Erosion, which had already risen to its upright position in the distance, deep in thought.
"What happened?" Han Ling asked, frowning.
"Boom--"
The tentacle crashed to the ground, and the crowd scattered.
However, the conversation continued through the headset.
"Could it be that this Calamity Beast's brain is naturally more resilient and resistant to sonic impacts?" Wu Cheng speculated from the side.
"No, its tentacles paused for a moment just now, which means the sonic impact was effective," Shen Heng replied calmly.
"Why is that?" Wu Cheng asked, somewhat perplexed.
"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's right." Le Gu Nan's voice suddenly came through the earpiece.
Shen Heng turned his head and glanced at Le Gu Nan in the distance, "What are you thinking?"
Le Gu Nan said softly:
"I've read about this in biology encyclopedias before."
"Not all living things have a central brain like humans, responsible for thinking and decision-making."
"What they have is the ability to make complex and sophisticated decisions with their brains."
However, the limbs themselves also have a rich network of neurons, enabling them to independently perform simple grasping, entanglement, and evasion maneuvers.
Le Gu Nan stared at the Shadow Erosion, his voice soft yet clear:
"Like an octopus similar to Shadow Erosion."
"Some have no brain at all; neurons are distributed throughout the body, forming a network of nervous systems."
Even if their bodies are severed and disconnected, their limbs can still perform some simple movements on their own.
Le Gu Nan paused here, and said:
"While we can't simply replicate Shadow Erosion's current performance, there should be some things we can refer to."
Shen Heng recalled the signal transmitted back after the sonic shock.
"It's more likely the second one. No tissue was found inside Shadow Erosion's body; there was only a pitch-black liquid like its exterior."
Le Gu Nan nodded slightly. "If it's the second type, attacking only one part of it won't work; you need to attack its entire body to effectively stop its movement."
Shen Heng nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the Shadow Erosion in the distance.
This was the first time he had encountered a situation where his abilities failed him; were his nerves scattered throughout his body...?
"Boom--"
"The problem is, what do we do now?" Wu Cheng's voice came through the earpiece.
No one answered; instead, they looked at Wang Hai.
Wang Hai looked at Shadow Erosion and said in a deep voice:
"Just kill them!"