Chapter 90 - 89: Treat It to Poison Potatoes

Seth Jennings suffered a backlash from her Ability, spewing a mouthful of blood! Worse yet, the mutant armadillo’s tongue shot out like lightning, whipping straight toward her waist. Seth could only barely raise her Triangular Spike, thrusting it at the long appendage. Sly as a fox, the tongue easily dodged her weapon and continued to wrap around her.

Just as Seth thought she couldn’t evade it and prepared to risk overdrawing her Ability to summon an Earth Spike to save herself, the young man fighting alongside her unleashed several Wind Blades at close range! Compared to other attributes, Wind Blades were much better suited for sneak attacks. The Wind Ability blended easily with the surroundings, often mistaken for a passing breeze. It wouldn’t attract attention even if one was just walking down the street, let alone in the midst of a fierce battle.

The mutant armadillo evidently ignored this gentle breeze. By the time it realized something was wrong, the Wind Blades had already sliced across the base of its tongue. The Wind Blades were incredibly fast, striking the exact same spot time and time again. Like a meat cleaver chopping through bone, they were unerringly accurate. Even though the mutant armadillo was a Third Tier Mutant Beast and its tongue was as tough and flexible as rubber, it couldn’t withstand the repeated slashing on the exact same wound.

By the time it snapped back to reality and tried to dodge, a neat, one-inch-deep gash had already been carved into the base of its tongue. Blood instantly splattered everywhere as the armadillo belatedly registered the agonizing, heart-tearing pain.

"SCREECH!" A piercing, highly penetrating shriek erupted from its mouth, nearly shattering the eardrums of everyone present.

Seth’s eyes widened in shock, wondering if this man actually possessed a Dual Ability. He looked barely in his early twenties yet was remarkably composed. In the heat of battle, he had seized the perfect opportunity to successfully ambush a Third Tier Mutant Beast using only a Second Tier Ability. Though she had heard of Dual Abilities before, she had never seen one. Even among the eighty-eight Ability users in her regiment, there wasn’t a single Dual Ability user. She only knew that they were the absolute elite; if they wanted to, they could leave District Nine at any time and head to a safe zone with much better conditions.

But this was a battlefield, and she had no time to overthink. Taking advantage of the armadillo’s panic after being wounded, she seized the opening, sliding on her knees right between its front claws. Gripping the Triangular Spike, she plunged it viciously into its underbelly—the softest part of its entire body.

She had spent half her savings to forge this Triangular Spike out of B Level alloy. If it had struck the mutant armadillo’s armored carapace, it would have left a mere scratch at best. But right now, it was aimed directly at its belly, and she drove it in with all her might. The blade sank a full foot deep.

Seth was highly skilled with the Triangular Spike. Before the mutant armadillo could even register the intense pain, she violently twisted the handle. In an instant, the weapon became a meat grinder, churning its guts and intestines into a bloody mess!

Agonized by the pain, the mutant armadillo instinctively raised its front claws and swiped viciously at her, trying to tear her apart. If that strike had landed, Seth would have been disemboweled on the spot.

In the nick of time, the young man raised his hand and summoned a Metal Shield, blocking right in front of Seth’s chest. Seizing this window, Seth shot backward, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.

However, the young man was only at the Second Tier. There was no way a Metal Shield could withstand the frenzied tearing of a Third Tier armadillo. The Golden Shield was instantly ripped in half. Suffering the backlash of his Ability, the young man felt as if his chest had been struck by a sledgehammer. He swayed on his feet, his face turning as pale as a sheet. Fortunately, Seth’s Fire Ability teammate fired off two Fireballs just in time, forcing the maddened armadillo to dodge sideways. Only then did Seth and the young Dual Ability user escape its lethal rampage.

The space here was simply too narrow. The rest of the group who had followed along didn’t dare use their Abilities recklessly for fear of friendly fire. They could only wait while Seth and the other two engaged in a fierce battle, quietly circling around to the mutant armadillo’s flanks to form a fan-shaped perimeter. Now that the two main attackers were injured, the others simultaneously unleashed their Skills on the creature.

A Water Ability User conjured a water prison to temporarily trap it, while a Wood Ability User summoned thorny vines to execute an Entanglement. Under this double restraint, although they couldn’t completely lock it down, they managed to briefly impede its movements. A Fire Ability User took the opportunity to unleash his ultimate move—Magma Flood—scalding it so badly it hopped frantically! A Spirit Ability User cast his Skill—Dream Illusion. Unfortunately, he hadn’t yet broken through to the Second Tier, so he could only take advantage of its panic to scramble its thoughts and judgment. Finally, a Second Tier Power Type fiercely hurled a spear at the mutant armadillo’s eyes. Enhanced by his raw strength, the B Level alloy spearhead completely blinded one of its eyes.

Pushed to the brink, the mutant armadillo disregarded everything and fought like a cornered beast. With a vicious surge of strength, it used its front claws to tear apart the bindings of the thorny vines and the water prison. Kicking off with its hind legs, its body launched like a projectile, smashing violently toward its primary attackers: Seth and the young man in the black leather trench coat. The two of them scrambled and rolled to opposite sides, barely dodging the impact.

At that exact moment, a harsh, metallic clattering echoed from behind the mutant armadillo. It subconsciously turned its head, only to see several dark brown, stone-like objects flying right at its face. It opened its massive maw, swallowed all these "stones," and gulped them straight down into its stomach.

A mutant armadillo’s digestive system was extraordinarily powerful, capable of dissolving even granite. The "stones" were instantly corroded and dissolved by its stomach acid, converting entirely into "nutrients" that circulated throughout its body via its fluids.

The ones who had thrown these "stones" were none other than Hayden Hanson and Sev Steele. They had been hiding in the bushes, watching helplessly as the mutant armadillo ate people, not daring to move a muscle. If this had been Hayden before his genetic collapse, he would have rushed out to fight it long ago. Unfortunately, since he could no longer use his Ability, he was forced to cower on the sidelines.

After waiting for quite a while, they had confirmed it was temporarily safe and planned to sneak back to their heavy truck, only to hear the sounds of fighting on the path.

Hayden said sternly, "Sev, get back in the truck first. I have to stay and lend them a hand; otherwise, Seth’s group might get wiped out!"

Sev knew he still had one Ice Crystal Core left—enough to power his weapon, The Frozen King, for a single shot. Previously, when they fought off the horde of Mutant Rats together at the Seven Steele House, he had planned to fire this life-saving shot. But since Sev had concocted a poison, they hadn’t been pushed to a dead end, so he never had the chance to fire it.

This time, however, they were up against a Third Tier mutant armadillo, a creature renowned for its defensive capabilities. He had to take that shot, and he had to find the most opportune moment. Otherwise, even if he fired it, it wouldn’t do much good.

Seeing that Hayden was staying to help, Sev naturally couldn’t just save herself and leave him behind. Her mind raced, and then she remembered the Poison Potatoes stashed inside Hayden’s backpack. Since the mutant armadillo had a habit of swallowing things whole, she might as well feed it some Poison Potatoes!