Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 565 - 555: Blood Crystal Battle Armor

Iron Jaw’s form in the water was exceptionally agile and swift. The serpent tail suddenly swayed, and even before the whirlpool it created could fully form, the claws covered with dense, hard scales had already approached Louisa, aiming ruthlessly for the gaps in her armor between her throat and waist.

He couldn’t understand why this Blood Race chose such a flashy yet impractical armor. If it had any merits, it was that the material was extraordinarily tough; even his full-force attack barely left a white mark.

However, this defensive advantage seemed pointless in front of the large exposed gaps of the armor.

If he saw this armor in another setting, Iron Jaw would have thought it was some sort of special event costume.

Although he was puzzled, it did not prevent Iron Jaw from precisely concentrating all his attacks on these "weak spots" in the armor.

However, the skill of this Blood Race was not to be underestimated either.

Despite the many gaps in the armor, her movements were incredibly fast, able to block, deflect, or even clash head-on with the cunning attacks using manipulated blood with minimum effort, neutralizing them all.

One must know, he was a Snake-man, naturally having certain advantages in underwater combat.

To block his storm-like series of attacks so effortlessly, it was clear that the opponent was also a true powerhouse who had stepped into the Palace Level domain.

This was something he had anticipated before the fight, so it did not surprise Iron Jaw.

"Aren’t you going to use that huge sword on your back?" During a break in the battle, Iron Jaw asked.

"Then you’ll have to try harder."

"Hmph! Arrogant fool!"

After failing to break through for a long time, Iron Jaw’s eyes flashed with a dark light, and he immediately resorted to a devious trick.

From his fangs, strands of dark green venom quietly seeped out. In the high-speed skirmish, these venoms were cleverly spread into the surrounding water, quickly staining it.

Some Snake-men’s poison talents, in fact, are quite limited on land; how many chances do you get to bite your opponent or spray poison at their face in battle?

But in the water, the practicality of this ability increased dramatically.

The venom spread with the water, finding no gap it couldn’t penetrate.

Now, as long as he entangled this Blood Race, allowing the venom to accumulate in her body...

...

Louisa felt a bit disappointed.

She intended to take this opportunity to thoroughly test the extreme performance of her new armor in actual combat.

But the pressure brought by this Palace Level Snake-man opponent... seemed somewhat lacking.

Even without using the armor, she felt she could handle it.

This was thanks to the "Water of Life" and other resources regularly distributed by Lin Jun; Louisa’s level had quietly risen to Level 58.

Though still apparently at the Diamond Tier on the surface, with the various skills Lin Jun continually added, her real combat power had long since stepped into the Palace Level domain in advance.

Although the Snake-man’s attacks were indeed fierce, with the currents carried by his claws sharp enough to easily cut through the Rock Armor Puki tens of meters away if caught by it, it never truly posed a crisis for Louisa.

As for the poison?

Louisa wasn’t blind; she had long noticed the dark green that quietly spread in the water.

The Snake-man might think his storm-like attack had ensnared her, preventing her from leaving the poisoned area. In reality, Louisa simply didn’t care.

[Poison Resistance Level 9]

Top skills from the boss were always prioritized with passive and resistance capabilities.

This poison wasn’t completely ineffective, but for it to accumulate enough to affect her actions, it would probably take at least half a day of continuous soaking.

Although the opponent didn’t reach the expected test intensity, she couldn’t find a better sparring partner at the moment either.

Armor...

Activate!

In an instant, those A Level Demon Crystals that had long been embedded in the armor simultaneously emitted a purple halo!

Magic Power was forcibly siphoned and gathered from the surrounding water, even forming several small Magic Power vortexes around Louisa; the chaotic energy collided with each other, even causing minor Magic Bursts!

Iron Jaw’s instincts screamed in warning!

Without much thought, he whipped his serpent tail strongly, retreating several dozen meters in an instant, looking in shock and uncertainty at the figure enveloped by the explosive Magic Power.

"What in the world is that thing?!" His hoarse voice carried an unmistakable tone of horror.

In the reflection of his narrowed vertical pupils, Louisa slowly spread her arms, her body slightly trembling from some extreme stimulus, a drawn-out low moan of mixed pain and pleasure escaping her throat: "Ah—"

Immediately afterward, those originally menacing metal spikes on the armor seemed to suddenly come to life, becoming supple.

Without impeding joint movement, they bent and split like living creatures, their sharp ends tore into the flesh beneath the skin, like countless greedy roots, extending deep into her body.

Only now did Iron Jaw realize that this piece of equipment was practically half a torture device.

Watching the Blood Race seem to find joy in pain, yet her aura becoming exponentially more dangerous, Iron Jaw couldn’t help but squeeze out a low curse through his teeth:

"Pervert!"

Blood was drawn out through the barbs embedded deep in the flesh, flowing through the grooves and gaps of the armor, finally condensing and solidifying, wrapping Louisa tightly in a layer of translucent dark red blood crystal, leaving only her pale yet excited face exposed.

An alarm bell rang in Iron Jaw’s mind. He unleashed all his power and twisted his body, swinging his claw, the torrent he created wasn’t just simple waves of water, but four crescent-shaped sharp water blades, tearing through the sea water and interlocking towards Louisa!

Louisa did not dodge or evade.

Two of the water blades grazed past her blood crystal-covered side, slashing violently into the rock wall behind her, leaving two cuts over ten meters deep, causing rubble to crumble and fall.

However, the other two water blades that hit her body head-on shattered completely like waves crashing against a reef with a dull explosion, the turbulent flow quickly calming down, all force dissipated into thin air.

Not even a single trace was left behind!

Such astonishing defense left Iron Jaw utterly shocked, leaving no mark meant that he might find it difficult to break through the armor even with his strongest attacks, let alone deal a fatal blow.

And Louisa finally took down the giant sword that she had carried on her back all this time, her blood also climbed up the sword, turning the blade into a crimson hue.

"Didn’t you want to try this sword?" Louisa’s voice was somewhat ethereal, as her considerable amount of blood was used in the battle, she sank into a semi-dazed state, yet under the influence of the armor it didn’t affect her combat movements.

She just swung casually.

The blood clinging to the blade detached, forming a strike as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet fast beyond the limits of vision, slicing through the seawater and sweeping past Iron Jaw’s position in an instant!

Iron Jaw only felt a chill on his right arm, turning in shock to see a fine blood line silently and gradually appearing at the junction of his arm and shoulder.

He instinctively made a slight motion, the entire scaly right arm, severed at the shoulder, slowly detached from his body, sinking toward the dark depths of the water.

And at the end of the slash’s trajectory, a Snake-man Mercenary who had been watching from behind a distant rock pillar was suddenly stupefied.

A blood line stretched straight down from his brow, subsequently, his body silently split into two even halves, drifting apart to the sides.

"Couldn’t even react?" Louisa murmured disappointedly to herself, raising the crimson giant sword once again.

Fear gripped his mind, Iron Jaw forced himself not to scream, not daring to hold back anymore, he suddenly opened his mouth, spitting out the second and final bead storing the rift from his throat.

Louisa didn’t know what it was but still cut down with her sword.

The second bead sealing the rift was broken by the blood blade, prematurely activating!

An unstable fissure, as wide as a finger, appeared between them, unleashing terrifying suction in an instant!

Louisa, being the closest, was pulled over by the irresistible suction, her left arm lifted, the armor hooking onto the irregular edge of the rift!

The terrifying suction acted on the blood crystal arm guard, and for the first time, dense cracks appeared on the indestructible surface, with tiny blood crystal fragments chipping away and being devoured by the rift.

However, the barbs buried within the armor were reactivated, Louisa groaned, more blood forcibly drawn, streaming along the barbs toward the arm guard.

The cracks were being repaired and filled by newly formed blood crystal at a speed visible to the naked eye, though the repair was slightly slower than the damage, it still brute-forced against the continuous tearing of the rift!

Iron Jaw was astonished to see Louisa’s armor being this sturdy, and he also realized that this might be his last chance!

Muscles bulging on Iron Jaw’s sole remaining left arm, his snake tail accelerated to the limit, using the suction force, he turned into a blurred afterimage, charging straight for Louisa’s exposed face beyond the blood crystal!

The situation was dire, even Lin Jun prepared to step in to maintain the fairness and justice of this duel.

However, just when his sharp claws were about to reach, Louisa’s crimson eyes suddenly lost all color, turning pale!

[Petrification Beam]

Iron Jaw’s ferocious charge came to an abrupt halt, from his chest and abdomen, gray-white lines spread outward, and his hard scales rapidly lost luster, turning to stone.

Though only a part of the body was affected, it caused a momentary stiffness in his movements.

Louisa didn’t even move her trapped left hand.

She, wielding the giant sword with one hand, struck Iron Jaw’s horrified face sideways.

Like smacking a large watermelon, the surrounding water became even murkier.

Iron Jaw’s headless body kept its forward momentum, brushing past Louisa, then utterly lost all its strength, slowly sinking toward the dark abyss below.

Afterward, the rift continued to hold Louisa for a brief moment before it could no longer be maintained, gradually closing and disappearing.

Louisa retracted her left arm, entirely covered once again by blood crystal, her pale eyes regaining their crimson hue, as she gazed in the direction of Iron Jaw’s body sinking: "The final choice... some worth seeing, after all."

A Knight Puki floated lightly to Little Pig’s head, its tendrils sliding along her cheeks.

"You had your thrill, and what about me? Such a grand Palace Level, you killed it so casually?!"

A crisis exceeding the earlier battle loomed over Little Pig!