Chapter 268: Hard to Break
Mantis''s battle against Ca who has transformed into her Arthropleura form is still going on. Both of them still can''t inflict significant injury to their opponents. Mantis can evade Ca''s attacks while Ca''s carapaces are too hard for Mantis to break.
They keep attacking each other while trying to find a way to win. Ca is confident that she can defeat Mantis instantly as long as she can hit Mantis. But Mantis is just too fast and agile for her as she is too slow.
''Damn, this gigantic body bes a very big disadvantage against someone as fast as her,'' thinks Ca.
Ca suddenly stops her attack and moves back a little. It makes Mantis confused but then Mantis realizes Ca''s intention. Ca''s body suddenly shrinks and bes quite small.
Ca transforms into her hybrid form which looks like thebination of an Arthropleura and a human. She is like a Lamia but with the lower body of an Arthropleura instead of a snake. But because she is smaller & shorter than her full Arthropleura form, she has fewer legs too.
Her upper human body also has carapaces that cover her whole body including her face. She looks like she is wearing a mask made of steel. Her arms are also shaped like Arthropleura''s legs without any finger.
"Wow, this look suits you more than your human form," says Mantis sarcastically.
"Tch, that''s why I don''t like this form. But with this, you won''t have any chance to win anymore," says Ca.
"I wonder about that. Your carapaces should be less sturdy than before now because they''re thinner. It will be easier for me to break them," says Mantis.
"Hmph, in your dream," says Ca before she rushes at Mantis.
Ca reaches Mantis''s location very fast and it surprises Mantis. She swings her de-like right arm at Mantis at high speed. Mantis barely blocks it with her staff and gets flung far enough to the back.
That attack isn''t just fast but also strong although not as strong as Ca''s attack when she was in her full Arthropleura form. But it is still strong and now Ca''s speed increases tremendously because her body is lighter and she has a high strength to move fast.
Mantis hasn''t regained her bnce yet when Ca attacks again. She can''t face Ca''s attack so Mantis rolls back using the remaining force when she gets flung just now. Then she quickly gets away because Ca is still chasing her.
She also stands immediately to face Ca''s attack. Ca keeps chasing Mantis while swinging her de-like arms continuously. Mantis tries to block and evade Ca''s attack but she still gets shed a few times.
Mantis seeds to avoid fatal attacks but it will be bad if she keeps getting hit. Ca doesn''t give Mantis any chance to attack and keeps chasing her when she gets away. It makes Mantis doesn''t have time to catch a breath.
Magnus who helps their men fight the enemy''s men sees Mantis having a hard time. He is full of injuries after fighting King but he still can defeat the enemy''s cannon fodders easily. Seeing Mantis having a hard time, Magnus decides to help her.
"That doesn''t look good. I need to help her without meddling too much in her fight. She won''t like it if I take over her fight, after all," says Magnus while looking at Mantis''s fight.
He catches 6 enemies with his left hand and throws them at Ca. The 6 guys fly toward Ca as if they are some small sticks. They hit Ca and stop her pace, making Mantis has time to catch a breath.
"Dammit, what the heck!?" curses Ca after the thrown men hit her.
Mantis is surprised but then she sees Magnus gives her a thumb up. She smiles and gives him a thumb up too to show her gratitude. They might fight one-on-one but this is still a war and they need to help each other.
Ca doesn''t get disturbed for long though and she rushes at Mantis again. But the short break gives Mantis time to prepare herself to face Ca now. She waits for Ca to reach her after she gets ready.
Mantis now can see Ca''s attack clearly and she acts ordingly. Now Mantis can block and evade Ca''s attack easier than before. The short break has broken Ca''s attack pace and now her attacks aren''t too difficult to defend as before.
But it also doesn''t mean that it''s easy for Mantis to attack Ca. It''s hard enough for her to defend against Ca''s fast attacks so she doesn''t get any chance to attack. So she keeps blocking & evading while looking for an opening to strike.
"Hahaha, what''s this? You still keep defending now. Where''s your big mouth from earlier?" asks Ca to mock Mantis.
"When did I have a big mouth? Isn''t it you who have a big mouth before? It''s almost a meter too so it''s not just big, it''s huge," says Mantis calmly.
"Damn, you idiot! I don''t mean the real mouth," says Ca angrily.
"I know, I just mess with you," says Mantis while grinning.
Ca gets pissed and starts to attack Mantis faster. But because she is angry, her attacks be simpler and easier to read. So Mantis can see her attacks easily and defend against Ca''s attacks better than before.
Mantis then sees a chance when Ca uses her de-like arms for a pincer attack. Mantis crouches to avoid it then immediately swings her staff at Ca''s stomach. It hits Ca and the impact is quite big.
Ca''s upper human body gets flung back but her lower Arthropleura''s legs are holding onto the ground so she doesn''t fall back. She immediately moves her upper body forward and swings her de-like arms to attack Mantis from above.
But a big attack like that is easy to predict and evade. Mantis jumps back a little and she can avoid it easily. She then jumps forward after Ca''s de-like arms hit the floor.
While grinning, Mantis swings her staff from her left side toward Ca''s head. Surprisingly, Ca evades it narrowly by lowering her body. Then Ca immediately spins her upper body to attack Mantis who is still above her.
But instead of hitting Mantis, Ca gets her upper body gets mmed to the floor. Mantis acrobatically flips midair and kicks Ca with both of her feet. She coated her feet with A-Haki and kicked as strong as she can to break Ca''s carapaces.
Mantisnds on Ca''s body then she feels Ca shakes. Ca is about to move and Mantis knows that. She also knows that this is her chance while looking at Ca''s armored back.
Doesn''t want to waste a chance, Mantis raises one leg and stomps it to Ca''s back. Ca grunts painfully but Mantis keeps stomping her very fast. Now is her chance to pay back all Ca''s attacks before.
The relentless stompings make Ca very pissed and she stands up again. She tries to shake Mantis so that Mantis will fall. But Mantis jumps to Ca''s Arthropleura lower body''s back.
Mantis immediately runs on Ca''s lower body''s back toward Ca''s upper human body. She prepares her staff on his left while she runs. Then when she reached Ca''s upper body, Mantis swings her haki-coated staff strongly toward Ca''s back.
Nothing happens and Ca starts tough. But then herughter stops when the carapaces on her back start to crack and even break. She looks at Mantis with a puzzled but shocked expression because Mantis has arrived in front of them.
Ca is back to her sense when Mantis hits her stomach with staff again. Just like before, Ca is sent fling back but now Mantis chases her upper body. Mantis keeps hitting Ca''s stomach while at it.
Then when Ca finally can stop Mantis''s attack, her front carapaces have been broken too. They are weaker than the carapaces on her back, so it''s easier for Mantis to break. Now with her carapaces broken, Ca starts to sense a crisis.
She starts to attack Mantis again but now Mantis Mantis has anticipated this. So Mantis keeps attacking the parts that aren''t covered by carapaces. The damage to Ca''s body is big and then suddenly Mantis''s staff pierces through Ca''s upper body.
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