NIP Chapter 51 Scythe Mantis
Chapter 51 Scythe Mantis
Anning City Examination Affairs Center.
Suddenly, a line of red text popped up on the big screen, bolded and enlarged, like a bomb thrown into the crowd.
[Candidate Song Chen has applied to challenge a Tier 3 alien beast.]
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Some people didn't react immediately: "Challenge a Tier 3 beast?"
"Aren't there only second-tier beasts in the examination hall?"
Someone explained, "It's that hidden project, those third-tier alien beasts kept underground, which the examination committee specially prepared for those geniuses."
"Third tier? How much health does he have? Going to fight a third tier opponent?"
"This is insane, absolutely insane."
On the other side, Song Chen had already arrived at an open space, guided by the drone.
The ground trembled, a crack slowly opened, and a huge alloy cage rose from the ground.
The cage was surrounded by thick energy bars on all four sides, and the top was sealed shut. Inside, the sounds of dragging chains and clanging metal could be heard.
A green blade emerged from the darkness, its edge gleaming with a faint blue light under the lamp.
Song Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
Mutant mantis, a third-tier mutated sickle-blade mantis.
When it emerged completely from the darkness, a collective gasp filled the examination center.
It is over five meters long and covered with dark green carapace, like it is wearing a suit of armor.
Its head is triangular, and its two compound eyes are like dark red gems, reflecting Song Chen's figure.
The most terrifying thing was the pair of blade arms, each two meters long, with blades as thin as cicada wings and gleaming with a blue light, clearly carrying deadly poison.
Its belly was swollen, its six legs gripped the ground firmly, and its wings fluttered gently behind it, emitting a tooth-grinding buzzing sound.
On the big screen, the data of the mutated mantis popped up.
The cage door opened.
Song Chen walked in, and the door behind him slammed shut.
He stood in the cage, less than ten meters away from the praying mantis. He could smell the rotten stench on its body and see his own reflection in its compound eyes.
Its forelimbs were slightly bent, its hind legs were taut, and the frequency of its wing fluttering was increasing.
It's time to take action.
Song Chen gripped his battle sword tightly, activating his True Sight at full power.
A pale golden light shimmered in his eyes, and he could see clearly the movement of every joint and muscle of the mantis.
Its left foreleg is tauter than its right foreleg, indicating that the first cut will come from the left.
Its abdomen is contracting; it is storing up energy.
The mantis moved.
It was so fast that it left only a green afterimage.
The Eye of True Sight caught its trajectory, slashing in from the left, the blade arm sweeping horizontally, aiming for his neck.
Song Chen parried with his sword, but the immense force sent him staggering back three steps. Even with his master-level force-dissipating skills, the impact left his hands numb and he almost lost his grip on the sword.
Before he could even steady himself, the second blade was already slashing at him.
Song Chen dodged to the side, his blade grazing the edge of his armor.
The third strike followed immediately, faster and more powerful.
Song Chen weaved through the flashing blades, his Gale Wings fully extended, pushing his speed to the limit, but he still couldn't keep up with the mantis's pace.
That's too fast. His Gale Wings is only at the Master level, so the speed boost is limited, while the mantis's speed is innate.
Just as the mantis swung its fourth blade, two short blades suddenly sprang out from its chest.
It is only half a meter long, but it is more flexible and more concealed.
This is the scythe mantis's killing move. Its two short, blade-like arms lash out like venomous snakes, aiming straight for his abdomen.
There's no escaping it.
Song Chen gritted his teeth and unleashed the full power of the Sky-Splitting Thunder.
Purple lightning exploded from his body, transforming into an electric net that enveloped him.
The moment the short, razor-like arm pierced the electric grid, blue-purple lightning crackled across the mantis's carapace.
Its body stiffened for a moment. Just a moment.
Instead of retreating, Song Chen advanced, lightning flashing on his Thunderclap Blade, and slashed at the mantis's head.
The mantis tilted its head slightly, and the blade grazed its left compound eye.
Green fluid gushed out. The mantis let out a sharp hiss and frantically swung its claw-like arms.
Song Chen was forced back, and a wound appeared on his arm, with blood dripping down his wrist.
The two faced off again.
The mantis had lost an eye, its green fluid smeared half its face, and its breathing became heavy and rapid. But its remaining compound eye became even more frenzied, staring intently at Song Chen.
Song Chen was panting heavily, his back soaked with sweat.
The third tier is indeed different.
Inside the examination center, everyone held their breath.
"He's injured," someone whispered.
"The mantis's venom... within a minute, his left arm will lose sensation. He must end the fight within that minute."
Song Chen gripped the knife handle tightly and closed his eyes.
During his time in the Cangmang Mountains, he learned one thing: when you are slower than your opponent, don't chase after their speed; let your opponent chase you.
He opened his eyes, and his True Sight Eyes activated at full power.
Every breath and every muscle contraction of the praying mantis was magnified in his eyes.
Its right foreleg is gathering strength, its abdomen is contracting, and its wings are accelerating; it's coming.
The mantis pounced.
This time it was faster and more ruthless, with all four pairs of blades swinging simultaneously, like a meat grinder.
The main arm slashes horizontally, the short sword thrusts straight forward, each strike aimed directly at a vital point.
Song Chen did not dodge; he stood still, staring at the knife arm.
The first cut: He turned to the side, the blade grazing his chest.
The second strike: lower your body, and the blade sweeps over your head.
The third strike was parried horizontally, using the recoil to spin.
The fourth cut grazed his back. He weaved through the gaps in the blade's edge, each step a hair's breadth away from the target.
It's not about speed, it's about anticipation.
The True Sight Eyes saw every minute movement of the mantis's muscles: the tightening of the shoulder joints meant the main arm was about to sweep horizontally, and the contraction of the abdomen meant the short knife was about to thrust out.
He already knew the direction before the blade was swung out.
The mantis grew faster and faster, its bladed arms becoming denser and denser, but Song Chen's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
The mantis's attacks became increasingly frantic, but its weaknesses also grew larger.
It's blind in one eye, and its left side is a blind spot.
Song Chen dodged to the left each time, forcing it to turn around and expose its belly.
It is consuming energy, its speed is decreasing, and the blade arm is slowing down.
Song Chen could feel the numbness spreading in his left arm, from his wrist to his elbow, and almost to his shoulder.
time is limited.
He needed a decisive blow, so he deliberately slowed down.
The mantis seized this opening, using all six legs to propel its entire body into the air, its four pairs of blade-like arms spreading out in the air, betting all its power on this one strike.
Song Chen did not back down; he went to meet him.
The moment the blade arm falls, slide down, turn sideways, and pass through the gap in the blade arm to the underside of the mantis's abdomen.
That's where the shell is thinnest.
With a full-force strike and the burst of B-level lightning, the blade pierced the mantis's abdomen, going from bottom to top and penetrating its entire body.
Green bodily fluids cascaded over him like a waterfall.
The mantis's bladed arms swung weakly twice in the air before falling back down, its massive body crashing to the ground.
[A Tier 3 mutated mantis has been killed, granting 600 kill points.]
Song Chen knelt on one knee, his whole body soaked in green fluid, panting heavily.
On the big screen, the score jumped.
Challenge successful. Bonus: 35000 points. Current total score: 651330 points.
Dead silence.
No one spoke in the examination center.
Everyone stared at that figure.
He knelt beside the mantis's corpse, his body soaked in green fluid, breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling slightly.
But he was smiling, the corners of his mouth turned up, with a hint of weariness, a hint of relief, and a touch of pride.
In the viewing area of Anning City No. 3 Martial Arts High School, Li Guohua slumped back into his chair, his whole body limp.
Song Zhengye sat in the family quarters, slowly loosening his grip on the handrail.
He looked down at his palms, which were covered in sweat.
Li Xiuying had been staring at the screen, at the figure covered in blood.
Zhou Hongshan, the master of Shenlong Martial Arts School, leaned back in his chair, a glimmer of light in his cloudy old eyes.
"Eighteen years old, early stage of the second tier, single-handedly killing a third-tier opponent. I've lived for sixty years and never seen such a monster."