Death King Tree was sent tumbling uncontrollably backward.
Her stylish leather outfit now had four holes, revealing patches of reddish human skin beneath.
Almost simultaneously, the close-combat robot retracted its foot from the web. As Death King Tree reeled from the hits, she suddenly unleashed countless rapidly extending vines, stabbing toward Ye Zhongmingâs position.
Pfftâ A faint wisp of blue smoke erupted from the robotâs back. The machine, which had been hovering mid-air as if seated, suddenly shot forward, dodging the incoming vines. At the same time, one of its hands slid down its leg and retrieved a daggerâat least 1.2 meters longâfrom a hidden compartment.
Using its remaining momentum, the robot lunged, slashing horizontally at Death King Treeâs neck.
The vines, missing their initial target, abruptly changed trajectory, thrusting toward the robot. If both attacks connected, the two would form a closed loop in mid-air.
The robotâs legs, now fully retracted, swung backward, knees bending until its feet faced directly behind. Then, the lowest layer of metal plating on its feet peeled away, as if shedding skin.
The two detached metal plates immediately began spinning wildly, positioning themselves above and below the robotâs back, intercepting the pursuing vines.
Death King Treeâs vines extended from her hands. As Ye Zhongmingâs dagger slashed toward her, she tilted her headâand two beams of light shot from her eyes, forming a green mist in front of her body.
The dagger pierced the mist but stopped after penetrating only a short distance.
But this "dagger" (which would be a full-sized sword for anyone else) wasnât the robotâs only weapon.
Its other arm had already swung around, aiming a devastating punch at Death King Treeâs head.
The sheer size of the close-combat robot gave it an overwhelming advantage in reach.
Death King Treeâs foot-tendrils whipped upward, weaving another fine, delicate net above her. The robotâs fist struck the web but failed to break through.
Yet the assault didnât stop. The robotâs massive footânow "shed"âswung back around. Though Death King Treeâs small frame made direct hits difficult, the foot suddenly launched several hidden projectiles from its surface.
The projectiles streaked through the air, leaving blue trails before striking the Death King Treeâs unprotected lower body.
Then, small explosions erupted.
Brilliant blue energy, shaped like tadpoles, burst from the impact points, rapidly spreading across Death King Treeâs body as if trying to encase her entirely.
By now, Death King Tree had been hit multiple times in this short exchange. What had started as mild irritation was now boiling into genuine fury.
Her eyes glowed green. Her leather outfit strained against her expanding form, exposing the parts of her body that hadnât fully humanized.
She was about to go all out.
The sky, once clear and blue, began tinting green. Cloud Peak veterans who had fought Death King Tree in the haunted city recognized thisâthe prelude to her ultimate skill, "World Nature."
But thenâ
The gathering green haze scattered inexplicably, vanishing without a sound.
Even Death King Tree froze in confusion.
Skill activation was a smooth energy-release process. Disrupting it always carried backlash. Death King Tree was no exceptionâthe abrupt cancellation of World Nature sent a ripple of disruption through her body.
The effect was minuscule, but against an opponent like Ye Zhongming, even that split-second falter created an opening.
The green mist blocking the dagger thinned instantly. The blade pierced through, its razor edge slicing across Death King Treeâs face, leaving a 15-centimeter gash.
The wound wasnât deep, not even bleeding, but the fact that it could easily cut a level-nine lifeformâs skin spoke volumes about the daggerâs sharpness.
Meanwhile, the blue "tadpoles" clinging to Death King Treeâs body suddenly contracted, adhering tightly to her. A series of pained grunts escaped her lipsâher Xinjiang-accented voice strained.
The spectators below had no idea what was happening, still stunned by the dizzying exchange of attacks and counters. In mere seconds, two beingsâneither capable of true flightâhad executed an aerial duel of staggering complexity.
And the tide had turned unexpectedly fast. Cloud Peakâs fighters had faith in their king, but none expected him to suppress a level-nine lifeform so effortlessly.
Only Le DĂ yuan watched with feverish excitement, ordering data collection while explaining to the others:
"The pilotâs neural fusion enhances combat performance exponentially. Every strikeâfist or footâexceeds Zhongmingâs natural capabilities. At his current eight-star level, the robotâs body can fully unleash his power!"
"Thatâs a hydrogen-powered rocket booster. Meant for limited flight, but repurposed for mid-air dashes? Brilliant!"
"Hah! The foot shieldsâghost-gold composite with engraved magic crystal circuits. Designed for defense, but offensively? Even better."
"Four micro-explosives. Merit-system ordnance. Underwhelming against level-nines, but theyâd shred level-eights."
"Now this is nastyââBlue Sea Ghost Mines.â Penetrate first, then release energy projectiles that inflict paralysis, agony, and maddening itchiness. Best part? They disrupt the targetâs internal energy flow! Thatâs why âWorld Natureâ fizzled!"
"And that âsimpleâ dagger? Zhongming forged it specifically for this robot before leaving. Purple-grade. Minimal skillsâall focused on piercing and sharpness. Perfect fit!"
After gushing over his creationâs performance, Le DĂ yuan paused, frowning.
"But⊠somethingâs off. Even caught by surprise, Death King Treeâs counterattacks feel⊠sluggish. Weak. You see it too, right?"
No one answered. They were too busy watching the sky, where Ye Zhongming, piloting the close-combat robot, was now overwhelming the level-nine Death King Tree with a barrage of ruthless strikes.