Chapter 197: Three

The little mink knew that all this wasn't normal. There were beasts on this island that had Force Strengthening Deviations as well, but they had still never been able to hurt it. The only explanation was that this place, while restricting the control these three had, was also amplifying their strength as well.

It wasn't as though the little mink's thoughts were so intricate. It mostly worked on instinct, having the intelligence of a three year old child at best.

But, what it did know was that if the abilities of its enemies were amplified... so were its.

The little mink brandished its small claw, swiping at the air.

A scythe of black manifested, tearing through the fearsome momentum. In the blink of an eye, it was already several times larger than the little mink that had cast it out. However, it's power had also been spread out just as well.

Despite this, the expressions of the three warriors still changed.

Three took the vanguard, roaring as he slashed downward. Four rapidly retreated and Two brandished her whip like a cyclone, creating a barrier of sharp winds and clanging metal.

The three were forced into a furious retreat.

Looking toward the enraged little mink, apprehension colored their expressions. That attack had been greatly diluted, yet it still took the three of them working together to dispel it. Just what was going on with this little mink?

Beasts this powerful shouldn't be on this island. According to the ranking system set out by the Slayer Legion, such a beast could only appear on an A Sector Project Hunt Island. Why would it appear on a B Sector island?

One had to know that these regulations were tightly controlled. Project Hunt provided a great opportunity, but it could also pose a great threat to Earth as well. They were essentially raising powerful enemies for themselves. So, how could these islands not be tightly monitored?

The only explanation for this was either that this little mink had only recently evolved to have this level of strength or that it was simply too good at escaping... It might very well be both...

Realizing this, the three grew serious. Though each of them was confident in taking on this little mink alone, they were on a time line. The Young Lord had already said he wanted Seven to last for 10 minutes. With how demanding the Young Lord was, one could deduce that lasting for this period of time was definitely difficult.

Now that the Formation had actually been damaged, it was likely that he would last for even less time. If that was the case, Seven would have to be swapped out. But, Seven's abilities were the most suited to being the core of the Formation!

In that case, they had to end it as quickly as possible.

Four was the first to react. Her body began to morph, her long, slender legs growing in size as large pink wings appeared to her back. Her nose grew in size as well, becoming slightly more hooked in nature as she shot into the skies, brandishing her bow and arrows time and time again as though she couldn't tire.

Three reacted swiftly as well. His body grew half a meter in size, his back becoming somewhat hunched over. Muscles bulged along his arms and a patch of dense hair burst out from his chest.

Two was the last and experienced the least changes. However, if one looked more closely, it was possible to see that her nails had gained a metallic hue and grown about an inch. In addition to this, her pupils grew just a slight bit more narrowed as though she was a feline prepared to pounce.

From Four to Two, each seemed more human than the last. But it became very clear, very quickly, that this only made them more powerful.

Three's speed was completely unlike what it had been before. With Four raining down flaming arrows from all sides, the paths of retreat the little mink had were completely limited.

The little mink dodged time and time again, trying to find an opening to lash out, but its intelligence was still too lacking.

It wanted to get rid of the annoying man in front of it, but it would fall into a rage whenever Four shot an arrow at it. Like this, it kept bouncing back and forth between wanting to attack Four and Three, causing it to end up threatening neither of them.

Two didn't attack at all. It was clear that she was content to observe the situation, stalking her prey.

The 'yips' of the little mink filled the space. Even with the noise nullifying effects of the space, its enraged calls traveled far.

It jumped about wildly, sometimes using the ground and even sometimes using the air as a platform. But, it seemed to be getting nowhere.

In the distance, Leonel couldn't help but sigh. 'This little bastard is so useless. You gave me all this trouble yet you can't take down even one of them?'

Though Leonel was shaking his head, he knew it wasn't because the little guy was weak, but because it didn't know how to use its strength. Usually beasts could make up for their lack of intelligence with strong physiques and large bodies, but the little guy had neither.

Leonel suspected that the little guy's ability was great, but it was also highly dependent on how it was used. In Leonel's hands, he would likely be undefeatable of Earth with it. Unfortunately, it wasn't his ability, nor did he have the means to control beasts.

The little mink finally couldn't take it anymore.

It charged ahead recklessly, its deep black eyes holding a hint of red.

Two's gaze narrowed as her forearm flexed. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. Even Simeon's lip curled into a sneer.

"Don't kill it, it will have its uses."

Two nodded in acknowledgment, but her whip had already pierced forward. It shot out like an arrow, leaving a streak of black and silver in the air.

However, the little mink's burst of speed was out of all of their expectations.

It appeared before Three, baring its teeth. Its hair stood on end as though trying to make itself seem far bigger than it was.

Three, though caught off guard, was still a veteran of many battles.

He sunk into a practiced stance, using this momentum to slide a small distance away. Knowing that his sword was too large to be used at such a close distance, his left hand dropped from the hilt and pulled a knife from his hip, slashing out toward the little mink.

However, what he couldn't have expected was for the little mink to completely vanish.

Seeing such a scene, Leonel finally grinned. He was wondering why this little guy hadn't used this ability yet. It used it all the time against him. He almost felt like the little mink was playing favorites.

The knife slash completely missed.

Three's eyes widened in horror, but it was already too late. The little mink's claws tore his Force Skin to pieces, tearing out a piece of his neck.

Unfortunately for the little mink, Two's whip also arrived at that time. With her metal control, she could adjust her strike even while it was in the air. How could she not react appropriately?

BANG!

The little mink was sent flying, its torso completely ripped through, leaking out a black, foggy aura along with dripping crimson blood.