In the center of the battlefield, the Dead End Butcher—now in its "Four-Armed Overlord Mode"—vanished as if it had teleported. Purple-green magical circuits exploded in the air. The very next second, it materialized right in front of Tione. All four arms struck out simultaneously—not with claws, but with fists, unleashing a blistering four-hit combo.
On the first strike, Tione's pupils shrank, and with a furious roar, she crossed her twin blades in front of her to block, only to be forced back by the impact. The second punch slammed into her guard, compounding the pressure. By the third, she struggled to hold her ground, and the fourth hit landed with a bone-shaking boom.
Every single punch carried enough terrifying force to shatter mountains. Tione was blasted backward by the irresistible power, her feet plowing two deep trenches tens of meters long into the solid stone floor.
"Tione!" Seeing this, Tiona roared. Her signature double-bladed Urga swept forward, howling as it tore through the air.
Dead End Butcher abruptly spun around, its newly regenerated arms swinging out to meet the attack. Flesh clashed against the blade, yet it produced the ear-piercing screech of grinding metal! Tiona's slashing blade was caught bare-handed, the sharp edge wedged tightly in the monster's palm, unable to advance a single inch.
"What!?" Tiona paled in shock. Meanwhile, Dead End Butcher's two original arms were already hurtling down toward her head like twin siege rams.
Tiona made a split-second decision, abandoning her weapon and retreating. Those iron fists smashed heavily into the ground—BOOM!!! The earth fractured violently, and the terrifying shockwave sent her entire body flying through the air.
At that exact moment, a streak of silver cut in ferociously from the flank. It was Bete, his kick flashing like lightning straight toward the joint of Dead End Butcher's knee. Yet, as if the monster had eyes on the back of its head, one of its remaining arms shot down with lightning speed, perfectly intercepting Bete's kick. Another massive explosion echoed out, the shockwave stalling Bete's momentum mid-air.
"—Awaken!"
Ais seized this microsecond opening. With a sharp shout, Desperate, cloaked in a violent emerald tempest, slashed toward Dead End Butcher's undefended nape.
Dead End Butcher didn't even turn around. In perfect synchronization, all four of its arms swung backward at an angle that utterly defied physical laws. The blade and the four arms collided brutally, causing roaring winds and purple-green radiance to detonate violently.
Ais was also thrown backward by the peerless force. She somersaulted three times in the air, stumbling several steps backward upon landing before barely stabilizing herself. But she didn't stop. The moment her feet touched down, Ais kicked off the ground, her body shooting forward again like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Dead End Butcher's four arms swung toward her at once, sealing off all avenues of advance. Not a single ripple appeared in Ais's golden eyes. She twisted her body, the first giant arm brushing past her cheek, its gale tossing her golden hair. She ducked low, the second arm howling as it swept right over her head. She leaped lightly, the third arm barely grazing beneath her feet. Finally, Desperate, held firmly in her grasp, met the fourth arm.
Boom!
Ais was once again thrown back by the insurmountable force. But the slash she had delivered had also left a deep, bone-exposing wound on Dead End Butcher's fourth arm. Black blood dripped to the floor.
Dead End Butcher looked down at the gash on its arm, its movements pausing for the very first time. Then, it slowly raised its head. Its terrifying, twisted maw split open even wider at Ais. It was smiling. It was enjoying this battle.
"Damn monster!" Bete moved again.
The werewolf's speed was second only to Ais within the Loki Familia—no, in certain brief instances, he was even faster. The metal boots on his feet kicked off the ground with a visible shockwave. Leaving behind a trail of afterimages across dozens of meters, Bete appeared instantly at Dead End Butcher's flank.
He raised his right leg high. Infused with the total might of a Level 5 adventurer, he delivered a devastating roundhouse kick aimed straight at Dead End Butcher's waist. The collision of leg against flesh produced a deafening metallic boom. Dead End Butcher's body was infinitely tougher than it looked. Bete's full-power strike only caused it to sway slightly.
Tch, this guy's hide is even thicker than that old man Gareth's face. Bete cursed internally, but his second kick followed up like lightning.
Dead End Butcher's new pair of arms reached out simultaneously. Bete violently contorted his body mid-air, dodging the giant claws at an impossible angle. However, the third arm had already predicted his landing point and was waiting for him.
Boom!
Bete was nailed squarely by the punch, his back smashing heavily into the rock wall, cratering a human-shaped depression into the stone.
"Stinky werewolf!" Having retrieved her weapon, Tiona roared and charged back into the fray.
Dead End Butcher spun around, all four arms swinging in unison to deliver a blistering four-hit combo. On the first strike, Tiona blocked horizontally with her blade, only to be forced back three steps by the massive force. The second hit slammed into her guard, pushing her back another three steps. By the third, she gritted her teeth and took it head-on, her weapon Urga groaning under the overwhelming pressure. Then came the fourth—BOOM!!!
Tiona was blasted head-on, her weapon flying from her grasp as she was smashed deep into the rock wall.
Ais cut back in. [Ariel], full throttle. Her speed was now completely untrackable by the naked eye. Only the explosive sounds of the sweeping tempest constantly detonated through the air—Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Desperate left gash after gash on Dead End Butcher's body: shoulders, arms, waist, back. Dead End Butcher's four arms swung frantically, but it was always one step too slow.
However, it was ultimately still a peak Level 5 Floor Boss. After its back was slashed open by Ais yet again, it suddenly ceased all movement. Purple-green light pulsed wildly within its body—and then, from the top of its head, the single eye that had seemed like mere decoration snapped open, abruptly firing a devastating laser beam. It swept horizontally, from left to right.
Ais's pupils constricted as she desperately retreated. The laser grazed her nose, plowing a bottomless, charred trench into the ground. The rock instantly melted under the apocalyptic heat, flowing like magma and emitting white smoke.
The laser swept across the rock wall—BOOM!!!
The entire wall exploded, sending an avalanche of rubble raining down upon the floor. Tiona had just struggled free from the rock wall when the laser arrived right in front of her.
"Tiona!" Tione dove forward, tackling her sister to the ground. The laser swept right over their heads, melting a massive, scorched crater into the wall behind them.
The laser dissipated. Dead End Butcher slowly lowered its head. The purple-green circuits gathered at the top of its head once more. This time, it fired forward. Starting from its feet, the laser swept out in a frontal cone.
Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Bete all sprinted madly toward the flanks. The laser chased their shadows, cleaving the ground in two and melting massive fissures into the walls. Ten meters. Twenty meters. Thirty meters.
The laser faded. The four of them stood panting on opposite sides of the room. Standing in the center, Dead End Butcher slowly spread its four arms. Its vicious, grinning maw faced them, as if to say: This is only the beginning. "This won't work if we keep going like this." Tione gasped for breath, her eyes locked on Dead End Butcher. "Its attacks are too dense. We don't have any chance to counterattack."
"Then we'll create an opportunity." Bete spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "You guys distract it, and I'll strike from behind—"
Before he could finish, Dead End Butcher moved again. Purple-green circuits exploded, and it materialized in front of Tiona, all four arms shooting out. Unable to dodge in time, Tiona was caught by the shoulders by two giant claws and hoisted high into the air.
"Tiona!" Ais instantly charged forward.
Dead End Butcher's arms swept out horizontally. Ais dodged sideways, thrusting Desperate toward its arm. But the monster retracted its arm, using another to swipe at her head. Ais leaned back, the claws swiping past her eyes.
Just then, a burst of silver light detonated from the flank. Tione's twin blades cleaved simultaneously into Dead End Butcher's waist. It was the full-power strike she had been charging up.
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