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The battle between Ataparag and Leo raged on in the forest. Ataparag could do little but dodge and flee as Leo's relentless mud spikes pursued her. The terrain under Leo's control expanded, enabling him to summon more spikes as he chased her.
Noticing Ataparag's constant evasion, Leo paused his assault. Her speed, amplified by her crimson item, rendered his mud spikes ineffective. Yet, he remained confident of victory, as she hadn't launched a single counterattack.
"Your running is pointless," Leo taunted. "You're still human. You'll run out of energy eventually."
Ataparag knew he was right. Overusing her body, especially to numb her injuries, drained her reserves. Yet, her face showed no trace of fear. "No matter what you do, you can't win," Leo said. "But you don't seem afraid to die."
Her fearless demeanor stemmed from her history of victories. Though now in a human body, her confidence in battle remained, especially against a lesser being like Leo. She sighed, acknowledging his superior strength but clarifying that it didn't guarantee his victory.
"Your mud magic is impressive, no doubt formidable in combat," she said. "As a blacklist criminal of the Escapa, you're no easy foe. But haven't you noticed?"
Ataparag pointed out that, despite his mastery, his mud magic had limitations. "What do you mean?" Leo demanded.
"Isn't it amusing?" she continued. "Minutes have passed, yet I'm still alive, even against a Hube king like you."
Raising her right hand, she snapped her fingers. "Explode."
The surrounding mud spikes glowed and detonated one by one, crumbling into dust. "What?" Leo gasped.
"Your mud spikes require immense energy to control," Ataparag said. "Exactly what my insects crave." She gestured, challenging him. "Why don't you attack me now?"
Leo smirked, realizing she hadn't just been dodging—she'd been spreading her insects. "If that's what you want," he growled.
Unleashing a fierce aura, Leo summoned giant mud fists that surged toward her. "Mud Punishment!"
Ataparag channeled energy into her floating blades. "Furious Strike!" she shouted. Her blades shot forward, shattering the mud fists one by one.
"She's destroying my attacks with just her blades," Leo thought, stunned. "How can she unleash so much energy without tiring?"
Ataparag pressed her assault, summoning more blades from the crest at her waist. As she countered his every move, Leo had no choice but to charge, meeting her head-on.
Her speed allowed her to dodge his punch and stab his arm. Leo ignored the wound, attacking again, but she evaded and struck his leg. Their exchange continued, with over ten blades piercing Leo's body.
"She's too fast," Leo thought, "but speed is her only advantage."
He halted his attacks, reiterating that her efforts were futile. "My body is immortal. Your attacks can't kill me, while you're nearly out of energy."
He noticed Ataparag's labored breathing and slowing movements, signs of exhaustion. "Don't worry about me," she retorted. "I'll end this fight before my energy runs out."
Despite her fatigue, her face showed no fear, her conviction unwavering. Raising her right hand, she addressed Leo. "Your strength far surpasses mine, but you're mistaken about one thing. You know me as a blacklist criminal, but you have no idea who I truly am."
With a snap of her fingers, the blades embedded in Leo's body glowed. His form turned dry and chalk-like, spreading across his body. "What's happening? I can't move!" Leo gasped. "Is this a sealing technique?"
Ataparag smirked, revealing that her blades could turn objects to stone, though they typically didn't affect living beings. Leo's mud-composed body, however, was vulnerable. "A magic tool?" Leo exclaimed. "How can a human use so many with limited energy?"
"Magic tools require immense energy," Ataparag replied, "impossible for a human to wield simultaneously—unless it's a natural ability."
She explained her ability to create *kojina*, magic tools, a power inherited from her past. Leo laughed, dismissing the idea that a human could possess such abilities. Ataparag didn't clarify that these stemmed from her time as a Grand Chaos, a past she'd abandoned. Consuming countless beings had left her with multiple abilities, usable even in her human form.
"Multiple natural abilities? Nonsense," Leo scoffed.
Ataparag channeled energy into her hands, closing them. "For your information, I have five natural abilities I can use against you."
Leo laughed again, convinced she was bluffing. Her emotionless stare silenced him, her cold gaze proving her seriousness. "Are you serious? You think I'll believe—" he began.
"Hand of Taruta," Ataparag interrupted.
A massive monstrous hand materialized, seizing Leo and crushing him in its grip. He was shocked that she wielded high-level dark magic, a power humans shouldn't possess. Ataparag explained that once caught by Taruta, escape was impossible, trapping the victim in another dimension. The technique had conditions and could be broken, but Leo's chalk-like state prevented resistance, allowing her to complete the spell.
"What's wrong?" she taunted. "Didn't you say I couldn't defeat you? If this is all you've got, I'll end you now."
A terrifying door appeared behind Leo, shrouded in black aura and smoke. "Damn you!" he roared. "You think I'll let a worm like you defeat me? I'm the mightiest Prime Hube, the Mud Beast!"
Black hands emerged from the door, dragging Leo into its dark depths. The door slammed shut with a resonant boom, its aura dissipating. The mud spikes sank back into the earth, restoring the terrain.
Ataparag collapsed to her knees, gasping. "I knew that technique would drain me, but not *this* much," she panted, her energy nearly depleted. Pain from her injuries surged, but she forced herself to stand. "I can't rest until I free the hostages."
Despite the agony in her broken body, she staggered toward the town to liberate the captives. Her human form, she knew, was a weakness, limiting her full power. Yet, she preferred it, cherishing the life she'd built over her past as a Demon Beast king.
Blood dripped from her head, blurring her vision. "This body's at its limit. I can't even lift my right arm," she whispered. Unlike her former resilient form, her human body succumbed quickly to damage.
"Two Prime Hubes remain, and I can't defeat them like this," she thought, touching her earring. "I don't want to, but destroying this crimson item might give me the strength to win and save them."
As she contemplated breaking the item to reclaim her monstrous power, memories flooded her mind—moments with Nyabu, Toto, and others in the village. Her new life, filled with joy, flashed before her. Returning to her old form would change everything.
She lowered her head, her hand dropping from the earring, torn by indecision. Her dream of a normal life hung in the balance. Glancing at the bodies of victims slaughtered by the bandits, she steeled herself. "I know I can't return to being human if I do this, but this is my sworn duty."
Her face hardened with resolve as she reached for the earring again. "I'll save as many as I can." But before she could destroy it, sharp claws pierced her hand and back, emerging from the ground and lifting her off her feet.
"What?" she gasped.
Immobilized by her injuries and damaged arm, she couldn't react. Mud rose, encasing the claws and forming a towering, ten-meter-tall Leo. "Where do you think you're going?" he sneered. "We're not done here."
Ataparag's shock deepened, wondering how Leo had survived the dimension. "You mean the mud clone I fought?" he said, reading her confusion.
"Mud clone?" she whispered.
Leo revealed that she'd faced a clone created by his crimson eye, housing his core to deceive enemies. The ground softened, forming another Leo identical to the one she'd fought. "I admire your dangerous ability to trap me in that door," he said, "but it won't work. We could do this all day."
With a snap of his fingers, more mud clones rose from the earth. "I was too complacent, thinking I'd killed him," Ataparag thought, cursing herself for lowering her defenses. "I was in his territory from the start, and his real body was hidden in the mud, masking his presence."
She recalled his claim of immortality while standing on earth. Her vision blurred, blood dripping as she fought to stay conscious, her energy nearly gone. "I'm out of energy. I can't escape him now."
Leo noticed her fading aura and mocked her helplessness. "Your techniques and abilities are useless with your limited energy. Unlike me, who can hold five times a human's capacity."
He swung his arm, sending Ataparag tumbling across the ground. "Did you really think you could defeat a Prime Hube like me?" he sneered. "I've lived a hundred years, undefeated in my territory. That's why I'm the Hube king."
Ataparag struggled to move, her legs turning to earth. "What's happening? A spell?" she whispered.
Leo explained that his Mud Garden cursed the entire territory, turning those with low energy into earthen statues. In her weakened state, Ataparag couldn't resist. "I told you, an insect like you can't challenge a lion," he said.
Kneeling, gasping for breath, Ataparag lost her hearing and ability to speak as numbness spread. Staring at the sky, she accepted her fate, lamenting her failure to save the hostages or fulfill her duty to Sei. Closing her eyes, she whispered apologies to those she couldn't help, including Sei, who trusted her.
Half her body turned to earth, her arms no longer under her control. Memories of her team flashed through her mind, and tears fell. "I'm sorry… this is as far as I go… Nyabu… Toto…" she whispered, voice breaking. "Lord Nathaniel…"
As she recalled Nathaniel, her body fully transformed into a rigid earthen statue, surrounded by spikes. Leo turned away, striding from the scene.
Three hours later, at the town where the hostages were held, Eskapa soldiers arrived, surrounding the area. They engaged the remaining monsters, who resisted their advance to pursue the Black Scorpion.
The town lay in ruins, buildings destroyed, but no hostages remained.
"We're too late," Fumi muttered.
He ordered his troops to track the monsters' trail. As they scoured the area, soldiers rushed to him, shouting, "General! General!"
"What's wrong?" Fumi asked.
"General, we've found General Ataparag!"
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