Chapter 46 of 100

Chapter 46

15 min read3,690 words

The mantis is an extremely fierce and brutal carnivorous seventh-rank soldier, with a slender body, green in color and capable of changing color. Ambush is its forte, and it is known as the "Lightning Killer."

Its head is triangular and highly mobile, with prominent compound eyes, long filamentous antennae, and a chewing mouthpart with a strong upper jaw. The prothorax is particularly elongated, and the forelegs are shaped like sickles, often folded against the femur. When extended, the forelegs can reach a length equal to or greater than the body. The femur and tibia are equipped with backward-facing spines, which can be used for capturing prey and also form a weapon similar to a saw blade, effective for slashing.

The mantis has obvious advantages, but it also has several disadvantages. As an insect soldier, the mantis can fly, but its flight speed is not fast, nor is it capable of long-distance flight. Its hind legs are not as robust as those of a grasshopper, which are good for jumping; they are only suitable for walking, so its ground speed is also not fast. Moreover, the mantis's slender body is well-defended from the front, but if attacked from two sides or ambushed from the front and back, it has almost no defense from the rear. Additionally, the mantis does not possess any magical powers; its strength mainly comes from its powerful body. After advancing, the mantis is called a giant mantis, with a large body and immense strength. The term "giant" primarily refers to its large, sickle-like forelegs.

The mantis's reputation mainly comes from its attack methods and its pair of sickle-shaped forelegs. Its attack methods include camouflage and ambush, and the speed at which its sickle-shaped forelegs swing is extremely fast, like a blur, making it difficult for even true melee experts to see the movement.

Considering the mantis's strengths and weaknesses, Liu Siyi lowered his altitude to about a hundred meters above the treetops. This distance is sufficient to lure the mantis into an ambush while giving them enough time to react. With the speed and agility of the thunder eagles and thunder birds, they can definitely dodge.

The three riders were highly tense, staring intently at the forest below. After all, they were facing a seventh-rank soldier known as the "Lightning Killer." If ambushed successfully, there would be no chance of survival. Liu Siyi also cast a speed enhancement spell on everyone, allowing them to dodge quickly in case of a sudden attack.

Staring intently at the forest below to prevent an ambush is a tiring task, but there is no choice. Only with effort can there be a reward; otherwise, they might even lose their lives.

"Clang!" A loud metallic sound suddenly came from behind, and the three riders immediately ascended and turned to look back.

They saw that the second of the three Baimons had fallen to the ground, one arm supporting the ground and the other covering a massive wound on his chest and abdomen. The wound extended from his chest to his thigh, and blood was flowing down his body. In front of him, a green mantis was waving its forelegs, preparing to pounce again.

How could this be? Seeing this, Liu Siyi was very skeptical. Even if ambushed, how could a mantis of the same rank severely injure a Baimon?

In his heart, he had always considered the mantis to be the weakest. However, at this moment, a seemingly weak mantis had successfully inflicted a severe injury on the powerful second Baimon, completely changing his perception of the mantis as a soldier.

However, he then frowned.

The distance between the three Baimon brothers was no more than twenty to thirty meters, and the distance from the Baimon giant to the third Baimon was about fifty to sixty meters. As soon as the Baimon giant was attacked, he immediately turned and leaped towards the ambushing mantis. The second Baimon also turned and stood beside the third Baimon.

The fifty to sixty meters distance was not a problem for the Baimon giant, who leaped very high and accurately. If the mantis did not dodge, the Baimon giant could land directly on it. Forced to retreat, the mantis stopped its attack.

During the leap, the Baimon giant's sharp claws were ready. As he approached, he quickly slashed downward, forcing the mantis to retreat again. While retreating, the mantis's forelegs swung to meet the Baimon giant, who had not yet landed.

"Bang!" It seemed that both sides were evenly matched, but the Baimon giant, attacking from above, forcefully pushed back the mantis's seemingly fast forelegs. At this moment, the Baimon giant's powerful melee ability became evident. After pushing back the forelegs, he immediately twisted and stirred, and his sharp claws caught the mantis's forelegs at the protruding spines.

The mantis's main attack and defense rely on the swinging of its sickle-shaped forelegs. Once caught, it had no other means of attack and was at a clear disadvantage.

"Crack!" Using its immense strength, the Baimon giant pressed down and then twisted its claws upward, immediately breaking the mantis's forelegs. The crisp sound of bones breaking was heard, and it was clear that both forelegs were completely disabled.

"Zzz..." The mantis let out a miserable cry.

It turns out that mantises can make sounds. The sound of a palm-sized mantis is almost inaudible, but the sound of a mantis over ten meters long was clearly heard. However, the sharp cry immediately caused a sense of irritability.

Fortunately, the cry was cut short.

The Baimon giant, standing upright, was twenty-two meters tall, while the mantis, though over ten meters long, was only as tall as the Baimon giant's thigh. The two giants were very asymmetrical.

Despite this, the Baimon giant lifted its foot and kicked the mantis's head. Although the mantis tried to dodge, it was still hit by the foot, instantly forming two large wounds on its triangular head, with green blood gushing out. The mantis, struck by the powerful blow, flew backward and rolled on the ground, convulsing and spitting out large amounts of green foam.

In one move, just one move, the Baimon giant instantly killed the mantis that had successfully ambushed it. It wasn't that the mantis was too weak, but that the Baimon giant was too powerful.

Majestic and formidable! The Baimon giant's aura immediately rose several levels.

A good opportunity! Seeing the mantis, which was still alive but with a severely deformed head and forelegs, Liu Siyi immediately activated the sealing array in the fourth-rank treasure, the Sealing Crystal. A brilliant golden light shone from the crystal, instantly expanding into a large golden sealing array that enveloped the dying mantis.

Who is stronger, the Baimon or the mantis? From the previous scene, it was clear that although the mantis had ambushed and severely injured the second Baimon, who was strong even among his peers, in a direct confrontation, the mantis was instantly killed by the Baimon giant. Whether in terms of strength, combat awareness, or combat skills, the Baimon giant was superior. However, the key was that the Baimon giant first used its strength to push back the mantis's forelegs. Could an ordinary Baimon do the same? If the Baimon giant faced an evolved giant mantis, would it still be able to instantly kill it? Perhaps it would still be strong in melee, but it would be impossible to instantly kill a mantis of the same rank.

However, Liu Siyi did not have time to think about it. He instinctively activated the Sealing Crystal to seal the mantis. Fortunately, after severely injuring the mantis, the Baimon giant did not pursue it but turned to protect the other two Baimons, watching Liu Siyi's actions coldly.

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