She was indeed quite capable, and the hidden force behind her was very likely from a second-tier power on the continent, possibly even stronger than the Blood Garment Tower. Maybe even a first-tier force.
But knowing all this wouldn't help him in the slightest with the disadvantage he was currently facing.
Forced into such a corner, Number Fifteen from the Heaven Ranking could no longer hold back any of his strength.
With all his might, he swept away the poisonous hidden weapons around him. In an instant, a strangely shaped bone flute appeared in his palm, though no one knew when it had shown up.
"You're able to control so many kinds of poisonous creatures. But I have some of my own."
As soon as his deep voice fell, he blew into the bone flute.
The next second, a dense swarm of poisonous scorpions surged out from underground.
To squeeze into the top fifteen of the Heaven Ranking under a second-tier force like Blood Garment Tower meant Number Fifteen not only had powerful internal energy and rich assassination techniques, but also possessed a unique skill of his own, Scorpion Control.
Within Blood Garment Tower, every assassin who ranked in the top twenty-five of the Heaven Ranking all had a unique skill in addition to their strong combat strength.
Otherwise, with how fierce and prosperous the assassin world on the continent had become, they wouldn't be able to maintain such high rankings and enjoy the best resources and wealth within the organization.
Unfortunately, if Number Fifteen's skill had been anything other than beast control, it might have been effective against Elara.
But ever since she sacrificed five hundred days of her lifespan to forcibly seize the ability of the Puppet Sacred Gu, and that ability was then enhanced by the awakened Holy Spirit Blood in her body, Elara's living puppet beast control technique had already become top-level in this world.
Unless she encountered another monster like Master Gu, no one else could hope to surpass her in beast or Gu control.
The poisonous scorpions summoned by Number Fifteen looked terrifying as they appeared in large numbers.
Over the years, these scorpions had helped him complete many difficult assassinations. His fifteenth place ranking was also partly earned through the power of these venomous creatures.
But now, as soon as the scorpions appeared, they suddenly seemed to sense some kind of threat. They shrank back together in fear, refusing to advance.
Their tails stood stiffly upright, like fur bristling in alarm.
The next second, a loud eagle cry rang through the sky.
A flock of eagles, hawks, and other birds that fed on poisonous scorpions flew in from the forest in large numbers.
On the ground, the hissing of snakes sounded without end. All kinds of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes slithered out from the cracks in the rocks, opening their mouths and charging toward the cluster of scorpions.
These snakes fought with the birds in the air over this delicious feast.
The scorpions in the middle tried their best to fight back.
But under the siege of so many natural enemies, within seconds, the poisonous scorpions that Number Fifteen had just summoned and hadn't even fully deployed yet were crushed and scattered by Elara's many living puppets.
Many of Elara's living puppets had been raised along this journey using the medicine crafted by Oswyn.
After being modified by Oswyn, the Gu insects posed little to no threat to the living puppets. Once they became her puppets, they developed various forms of toxin resistance inside their bodies.
Although Number Fifteen's scorpions were poisonous, they were truly no match for her puppets.
Not far away, Unit Fifteen could already sense the rapid defeat of the scorpion swarm. The venomous scorpions he had just summoned were so quickly wiped out that the loss was devastating.
His expression grew darker and more severe.
But what shocked him even more was that even after summoning so many types of beasts, Elara still had a constant stream of poisonous creatures emerging around her. They seemed endless as they cooperated with her to launch fierce attacks toward him.
With the coordinated use of hidden weapons, venomous snakes, and poison, her offense became increasingly smooth, faster, and braver.
He was gradually falling into a more passive and disadvantageous position.
Although the suppressive poisonous mist in his body could no longer reduce his strength, it still restricted the recovery of his internal energy and stamina. His energy was being drained at a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person.
So, after barely holding on for less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the situation on the battlefield reversed again.
The wounds he had inflicted on Elara earlier were now all returned to him, doubled.
A thick scent of blood emanated from him. His originally black assassin uniform was soaked in even darker blood as wounds increased all over his body.
The venomous scorpions he had summoned had now basically become food for her controlled beasts.
Unit Fifteen panted heavily, retreating while defending himself, his hand gripping the dagger swiftly reaching behind his waist during a gap in defense.
But just as he was about to retrieve something from his waist, Elara had already seen through his movement.
A sharp dagger, filled with what seemed like her endless internal power, stabbed toward his waist and abdomen.
After Unit Fifteen dodged instantly, Elara's long sword, spear, and occasionally fired silver-needle earrings took turns launching relentless and dense attacks at him.
But Unit Fifteen had seen these weapons many times already and had grown familiar with them.
He quickly dodged through the gaps between each weapon and hidden tool. In his state of rapidly draining energy and continuous blood loss, he managed to dodge her attacks in a very miserable state.
Just as he thought he had escaped that wave and was about to catch his breath, he saw that Elara, having exhausted all her techniques, was still charging at him without pause.
He was startled and staggered back again, only to see her suddenly raise her palm. Inside it appeared something even thinner and sharper than a dagger.
It was a hairpin.
Unit Fifteen immediately raised his dagger to block.
But the moment he blocked the hairpin, a sharp metal clashing sound rang out, and the piercing sound of flesh being stabbed accompanied by blood spraying wildly shot through his eardrums.
The left side of his face and his left eye were instantly covered in thick blood, making it almost impossible for him to see what was in front of him.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Until Elara pulled out the hairpin with a "pfft" sound and flashed back ten meters away. Only then did Unit Fifteen dazedly notice that the hairpin in her hand was actually a mechanical hidden weapon. Inside the long thin body of the pin, a slender blade longer than a human palm had sprung out.
At this moment, that thin blade had been completely dyed red with blood. Streams of crimson blood slowly dripped down the sharp point of the blade.
With a "thud," Unit Fifteen fell to his knees. He then realized that the blood spraying all over his face and eyes came from his own neck, which had been pierced through.
"You... Tiangong... cough..."
Unit Fifteen tightly clutched his neck, but still couldn't stop the blood gushing out after his artery was ruptured.
He stared hard at Elara. His eyes, slowly losing their light, remained fixed in her direction until the last moment. When the blood in his neck was nearly drained and his body began to grow cold, Unit Fifteen's swaying figure finally collapsed in a pool of blood.
"Thud!"
In the distance, Elara, still gripping the hairpin dagger, finally relaxed her tense body slightly and let out a low breath.