Deep in the Living
Chapter 311 - 299: Heavy Pressure

Chapter 311: Chapter 299: Heavy Pressure

Five minutes earlier.

After escaping from the Underground chamber and setting a trap at the entrance, Luo Di hid ten meters away and exchanged a silent understanding with the newly arrived Agatha through eye contact.

If their plan went smoothly,

the enemy would step on the trap and Agatha’s prepared full-power strike would be enough to instantly crush a Demon of the same rank—it would be the best outcome of such tactics and coordination.

But Luo Di also had to consider the worst-case scenario,

that even if the enemy took the bait and triggered all the traps, they would still survive unscathed. Should that happen, it would mean Kuleon possessed the power to kill the both of them.

And the Bounty Order, being of substantial value, called for such cautious forethought.

However,

Luo Di had another piece on the board, a mysterious piece, the nature of which even he wasn’t entirely clear.

"Calen, this guy can’t really chop you down?"

The reason Luo Di had deliberately exposed his back to the enemy in the Underground chamber was because he had communicated with Calen, who had volunteered to try and block the slashes.

"The Great Monastery once directly stated that my body is very hard, much harder than that of an average tumor citizen."

"Your hardness might assist in the upcoming battle.

If Agatha can’t kill in one blow, we’ll have to continue fighting.

This Wanted Criminal has speed, strength, and reflexes superior to mine; armed with only a small knife you gave me, I might easily get dismembered or even beheaded.

Is it possible for you to attach part of your body to mine?

If not, can you create some kind of body armor for me, like you did with the Slaughter Knife weapons before?"

Calen replied, "The crystals on my body are limited, and those hard enough to block slashes even more so; I can only make a small prop for parrying at most.

Also, I suggest that Mr. Di try to ambush the opponent if possible. This is the tumor citizen’s sewer, and I can help you hide."

"Alright, let’s first see how Agatha performs."

Bang!

Seeing Kuleon knocked away in pursuit, Luo Di’s eyes darkened.

"Dragon..."

Seeing the enemy’s Open Spine form reminded Luo Di of creatures from Myth stories.

An unusual oppressive feeling swept over him; the last time he encountered similar danger must have been on the vacation island.

Using the time the enemy took to slaughter the tumor citizen guards, Luo Di pressed his body against the wall of the sewer.

Hum! A green fluorescence enveloped him,

and Luo Di truly began to merge with the tumor-like hard lumps between the walls, without any obstruction, even able to move inside just like swimming, similar to the sensation when he fell into the swamp before.

"Calen, just wait inside till the fight’s over~ I’m going to Open Spine next and can’t carry you on my back. If I die, go back to the lighthouse and continue with your former life."

"Okay."

...

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The continuous clanging of metal echoed through the sewers.

Even with her combat skills as the Iron Pillar Nun, Agatha was still unable to withstand it.

Her iron rod could only block some of the attacks; the enemy’s black knife always managed to slash at her flesh with even greater speed.

Fortunately, she had a body tempered by a thousand trials as a nun, and the protection provided by the Monk’s leather clothes allowed her to hold on for a while, not easily killed in a short amount of time.

"This black knife, is it the weapon of some Insect? The destructiveness is moderate, but it can inject some kind of nerve toxin that gradually lowers my nerve sensitivity. Even a Monk’s body can be affected, and my movements are getting slower."

In the span of several seconds,

Agatha’s body incurred more than ten cuts of varying depths, with the deepest one on her right side cut all the way inside, allowing a view of her internal structure.

Thin metal tubes attached to the surface of each organ cluster, with some blood vessels even appearing tubular.

As the Great Monastery’s core combat force, an Iron Pillar Nun possesses not only tremendous destructive capabilities but also an indestructible physical essence, with specialized training for their bodies within the Monastery.

Agatha continued to resist fiercely,

She had yet to unleash her full power, she had not manifested her Sin yet, waiting for the opportunity... From the earlier attacks, she knew that directly manifesting her Sin would still not be enough to kill this person; she must wait for the right moment.

"Damn it!"

Hum!

A strange sensation suddenly came over her; even though the enemy hadn’t swung his blade yet, Agatha could almost see herself being beheaded and instinctively raised her arms to protect her neck in a reflexive action.

However, the expected beheading didn’t immediately follow. Instead, two slashes targeted her arms first.

Swoosh!

As tendons snapped,

the hands that were meant to block the beheading went limp and drooped, leaving the neck with seven breathing tubes completely exposed.

Ding ding ding~ The metal inside Agatha’s body began to collide at high speed, preparing to manifest her Sin.

At the critical moment,

Agatha saw another person,

She saw Luo Di who had already closed in, silent and unnoticed, standing right behind the Wanted Criminal.

"Luo Di!"

Before Agatha could be beheaded,

a crystal blade Slaughter Knife slashed towards Kuleon’s back with even greater speed.

The blade cut through the furrows of his brain-like back, slicing into the dragon-scaled Spine, but just as it had cut halfway through... clang!

The crystal Slaughter Knife in Luo Di’s hand was directly repelled and sent flying.

Kuleon actually managed to spin on his heels, completing a body turn in an instant, and also knocked away the opponent’s weapon.

His reaction speed was unbelievably swift, all his movements completed with minimal amplitude, finely tuned, incredibly efficient. And he was always on guard against Luo Di, who had not yet shown himself.

Of course,

the half-severed Spine still inflicted a serious injury on Kuleon, some strange crystal plague lingering within, as if something bright was radiating from within, causing the surrounding flesh to rot and mutate.

Kuleon gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain from his spine, his pitch-black eye sockets staring intently at Luo Di!

"You’re even more treacherous than those quietly creeping insects."

"Isn’t that what you said? Never expose your back to the enemy... Next, let us begin a fight to the death, Mr. Kuleon."

The ambush was effective,

Luo Di no longer opted for stealth attacks and concealment; instead, he prepared for a head-on collision.

"Open Spine!"

The Monk’s leather coat was torn open by the rapid rotation of the Metallic Spine, the roar of an electric saw echoing in the sewer.

Even though Kuleon had nothing but contempt for the Spine community, upon seeing such an Open Spine form, he couldn’t help but pause, "Your Spine Type is so much more perfect than those wastes... I must savor your spinal cord thoroughly!"

Decapitation!

The same Consciousness strike aimed at Luo Di’s brain.

But this time, Luo Di was unaffected; the pituitary of the Moon’s structure had already grown dense tentacles, enveloping his entire brain.

"Hmm! Consciousness protection, your brain is quite strange!"

Seeing Luo Di unaffected, Kuleon wasn’t the least bit panicked, especially since his opponent’s weapon had been knocked away,

as there is an insurmountable high wall between being armed and unarmed,

and Luo Di’s physical fitness didn’t come close to that of the Iron Pillar Nun; it would only take a few moves to cut him into shreds.

Slash!

The black blade in Kuleon’s hand was like a slithering snake,

fast, precise, and lethal.

Even with his Spine open, Luo Di couldn’t keep up at all, any lapse in defense would surely lead to a hit, slicing into the flesh – whether it be amputation, internal organ damage, or a beheading.

The pitch-black blade was rapidly closing in on Luo Di’s throat while also blocking any possible escape route; no matter how he dodged, he would be cut.

However,

Luo Di was not at all panicked.

He had anticipated this situation, or rather, the loss of his weapon was intentional... He wanted to give Kuleon the confidence of a certain kill.

Faced with the incoming black blade,

Luo Di’s left arm quickly reached behind, pulling out something that had been sticking to the back of his clothing.

What should have been two people with no gap between them suddenly found a crystal barrier in the middle! On closer inspection, it was a crystal shield tower.

Seeing the crystal tower shield, Kuleon suddenly recalled the object that had blocked his slashing attack.

"Where did this come from?"

"A friend gave it..."

The shield could block all the slashing trajectories,

but Luo Di didn’t use it to block; he wielded it as a weapon.

Exerting all his strength to swing the shield,

clang!

It not only deflected the curved knife but also forcefully slammed into Kuleon, sending him flying.

The impact from the shield left Kuleon’s head somewhat dazed, but his body quickly adjusted autonomously, righting himself midair to land steadily!

Kuleon had already devised a plan to bypass the shield and execute a killing blow.

Just as he was ready to charge again... whoosh!

A heavy pressure descended.

Or rather, the gravity in the entire sewer area intensified, with Kuleon experiencing the greatest pressure! It was as if a massive weight of steel fell upon him.

He tasted the air with his mouth, tasting a strong metallic scent; the opponent was right beside him.

"Monk’s supernatural manifestation!"

Just as Kuleon was about to move, crack! A metallic palm had already gripped his neck.

Boom!

His body was forcefully pressed against the ground, making a human-shaped crater.

At the same time, something heavy slammed down.