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At first Kai blurred. In that instant, he ceased to be a blur. He beca a storm. A living armored tempest sweeping through the battlefield like fate uncoiled. His movents didn’t follow a pattern—they carved their own rhythm into the air. One step forward, and ti itself seed to stall.
The frogkin formation had seconds, no, fractions of seconds—to react.
The chain-tongue frog snapped his head forward, eyes gleaming with the certainty of a kill. A serrated blade shot from his throat on a mucus slick chain, slicing the air toward Kai’s limbs. The chain scread through the mist—
And cut through nothing.
"Too slow."
The voice ca from behind. Then...
CRACK—!
Kai’s foot drove into the frog’s spine like a battering ram. The crack of bone echoed like war drums. The frogkin hurtled forward like a sack of broken at—straight into the poison sacs of his teammate.
POP—!
Then...
HISSSSSHH—!
A burst of sickly yellow mist exploded in all directions. The air instantly reeked of rot and venom. Small grass like trees warped. A stone bubbled from corrosion. The poison frog scread, blinded and flailing, stumbling backward into the tattooed caster.
The formation fell apart.
"Is this it?" Kai muttered coldly, stepping through the fog as if it didn’t exist. His internal system of his four star rank limbs filtered the air automatically.
The shield bearer frog growled, stepping forward with a defiant roar. His massive swamp-iron arms locked before him like a fortress wall.
Kai didn’t slow down. Didn’t flinch. He moved with surgical grace.
A pivot. A twist. He slid under the wide guard like oil over heated steel. His fist glowed red with crackling aura—
BOOOM—!
The punch detonated into the frog’s gut. Both swamp-forged arms snapped backward, they beca useless. His jaw shattered with a delayed crunch. He collapsed on the ground but Kai wasn’t done.
The Ant Monarch’s hands plunged into the beast’s chest. Not aiming for the heart. Not for the lungs. But deeper—toward the trembling heat at the center of power.
[Ding! System notifications- Star Core Detected — 4★ Rank
Devourer Trait: Auto-Consu — Engaged
Extracting essence on hands...]
The frogkin shuddered, croaked once, then slumped. Kai yanked out a glowing red core pulsing with essence.
Without any hesitation. He bit down.
CRUNCH.
[4★ Core Consud — Aura 430
Current Aura: 850 — Stats 4 ]
Steam hissed from his armored skin as the core’s heat surged through his limbs. His muscles pulsed. Blood retracted from his gauntlets in a spiral of red mist. Beneath his feet, the muck hissed and curled.
Only three frogs remained. Three quivering silhouettes waiting for their demise.
On the sidelines, chaos reigned in the ant assassin ranks.
"He took down two four-stars like... like frogs in a stewpot!" Vel gasped.
Naaro trembled. "He’s not just fast... He’s impossible. I didn’t even see the punch land."
Akayoroi rose slowly, her vision sharpening. Her thigh–legs still leaked fluid, her breaths ragged, but her eyes... burned.
"No," she whispered. "He’s not impossible. He’s... perfect. Like a charming prince. Strong and handso."
Another ant, even the rational one, scowled. "Queen, you’re bleeding! Sit down before you faint!"
"Let admire him in peace," Akayoroi said softly.
She wasn’t joking...
Her gaze locked on Kai’s manly man silhouette. Steam curled around him like a mantle. His obsidian black body armor caught glints of sunlight through the swamp haze. Every breath he took seed to bend the battlefield in his favor.
"Hey! Beautiful lady." Her imagination: "Co fight with . I will hold you in my arms. Beat all of your enemies."
Akayoroi blinked. "He’s calling for ..."
"What?" Vel snapped. "Queen—he’s in the middle of that! When did he call for you? We didn’t hear anything."
Akayoroi didn’t reply. She leapt into motion.
"Why am I daydreaming about him?" she whispered.
"Queen, let’s move to a safer location." Narrow said.
Back in the cratered battlefield—
The Frog-Man’s lips peeled back in outrage.
"You’ve killed two of mine."
Kai turned slightly, steam curling around his shoulders. Blood dripped in lazy spirals from his hand. He licked it once, lazily, like a predator tasting victory.
"I’m just warming up. Your turn will co soon."
The three remaining frogs circled warily, their muscles tight, eyes darting. Their confidence was gone, replaced by primal fear. But fear made beasts stupid.
Kai could feel their panic like warmth radiating from wet stone. He rolled his neck left and right, and his voice carried like a blade of thunder:
"Co on. You called crunchy. At least try to bite back."
"You monster!" croaked one. The poison-sac frog still dripped venom. His voice trembled with every word. "You’ll pay—"
Kai raised a finger and pointed at him like a Hunter choosing a prey.
"You’re next. You talk too much like the G-frog."
The frogkin instinctively stepped back, swallowing.
[Target Locked: Poison-Tongue Class.
Aura Reserve: 850
Active Skills: Reflex Mode (2m left), Tiny Tank (2m left)]
Kai’s pupils narrowed into slits. His exoskeleton shimred faintly red. Energy and aura surged along his fra in a low hum.
He didn’t roar. He didn’t scream. He just charged.
The poison frog squealed. "NO—! Fight others. Don’t co here. Spare . I am sor..."
"Too late." Kai replied.
WHAM!
The first strike shattered the frog’s kneecap.
He dropped instantly, ribbiting in terror but Kai was already spinning, elbow smashing across his jaw, dislocating it with a sickening pop.
Kai grabbed his tongue mid-flop and pulled it.
"Want your poison back?" he growled.
He slamd the frog’s own bloated tongue down his throat and punched it through his spine.
[4★ Core Destroyed and absorbed a portion — Residual Aura Harvested 190
Current Aura: 1,040]
The body slumped in half, tongue still coiled like a noose.
"Damn it, I punched too hard. The core got wasted."
Azhara finally arrived at Kai’s location. By landing a few ters from the edge of the crater. She stared down with wide eyes, stunned, silent.
Blood. Corpses. Steam. Aura sparks in the air like fireflies.
And Kai... stood at the center of death.
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