A Somewhat Bizarre Battle

In all the time he had been in this world, this was Lin Wei's first proper "Boss Fight."

He knew that compared to the battle-hardened powerhouses of this world, his own self-taught, unorthodox methods meant competing in raw strength, skill, or stats was definitely playing to their strengths, not his.

Therefore, Lin Wei had always been extremely cautious about combat, especially against formidable enemies. This was why, in every confrontation and against every opponent he'd faced before, Lin Wei always tried his best to immediately control the tempo, keeping it within his comfort zone.

If we can settle things with willpower, intelligence, or information asymmetry, why resort to throwing punches and kicks!

The few fights he had been in, aside from some inconsequential "trash mobs," were mostly just means to conceal his true objectives or achieve secondary goals, never the primary objective itself.

The idea of "fighting for fighting's sake" was a first for Lin Wei. In a way, it was a novel experience for him.

At the same time, Lin Wei understood a fundamental truth—in this world, there would inevitably be situations and enemies that could only be overcome through combat, with no other alternative.

In a world constantly entangled with the Honkai, such extreme predicaments and foes were bound to appear sooner or later. It was unavoidable.

Precisely because of this, Lin Wei felt a faint sense of gratitude towards Mobius. It was she who was allowing him to experience a simulation of such a dire scenario before the real thing happened. It was, in a way, valuable early experience...

"As payback, Mobius, I'll just have to beat you until you're begging for mercy on the ground!"

Of course, there was no way Lin Wei would dare say that out loud. Better to just think it.

Otherwise, how embarrassing would it be if things went south?

Naturally, it wasn't like Mobius intended to let him off the hook anyway.

Suddenly, the shadows behind Lin Wei began to boil violently. Mobius emerged from the bubbling darkness like liquid, coalescing into an unspeakable form. Her unique voice echoed with laughter:

"Little guinea pig, did you think hiding in the corner meant I couldn't find you?"

As she spoke, she made a grasping motion with her hand. Instantly, dozens of shadow spikes materialized, shrieking as they tore through the air, converging on Lin Wei from all directions like a fatal rain aimed straight for his heart!

Swish! Slash! Slash!

At that moment, Yuno, having "escaped" from Mobius only to rush too far ahead, couldn't immediately retreat to help. Seeing Lin Wei under attack, anxiety flared within her.

The next second, a phantom-green, illusory giant snake erupted with a roar, swallowing the momentarily distracted Yuno whole!

"Kekeke, little guinea pig..." Mobius chuckled, pleased with her repeated tactic. "If you're just going to charge recklessly like a wild beast, then be prepared to fall into the snake's trap~"

She felt a surge of satisfaction at her successful maneuver. But the very next moment, her attack on the other side of the battlefield surprisingly failed.

Surrounding Lin Wei, who seemed doomed to be pierced by countless arrows, dark light flared. The shadow spikes all missed him by a hair's breadth, swerving past his body as if deliberately guided away.

Tch, you're quite the clever little thing, aren't you!

Mobius "tsked" in annoyance. Of course, she hadn't held back—at least, not that obviously.

She saw clearly that in that split second, Lin Wei had skillfully used the Ninth Divine Key (Star of Eden) to manipulate the gravity around his body, subtly warping the surrounding space. This caused the trajectories of the shadow spikes to deviate just enough, allowing him to narrowly dodge the assault.

Though insignificant in the grand scheme, such quick thinking did indeed earn her grudging respect.

"....."

In the following second, Yae Sakura, having just sliced the two ELFs into pieces, returned to Lin Wei's side. She cautiously remained vigilant against Mobius, not daring to attack recklessly again.

This was Mobius's home turf. Here, she moved like a phantom, incredibly elusive and bizarre. Despite having a three-on-one advantage, their initial clash almost resulted in them being picked off one by one, a miserable defeat.

Is this really the kind of power and tactics a scientist should possess?

Yae Sakura fumed inwardly. Being suppressed and constantly on the defensive felt terrible, making her feel as though all her recent intense training had been for naught.

"Phew, thankfully, even though my body can't keep up with the pace of this fight, my eyes and mind can. As long as my mind keeps up, the Divine Key can too."

Lin Wei wiped away cold sweat, looking genuinely shaken.

"This Divine Key Eden gave me really suits my current situation, but the stamina drain seems pretty significant. I probably won't last long if this drags on..."

As the saying goes, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Having stumbled into this Herrscher-level battle, Lin Wei felt utterly useless, like a husky thrown into a wolf pack. His only apparent function here seemed to be providing Mobius with a convenient weak point to target...

Luckily, unlike Divine Keys that needed their blades or muzzles aimed directly at the enemy to be effective, the Star of Eden, specializing in gravity manipulation, was much more flexible. It allowed a novice like Lin Wei, accidentally thrown into a "high-tier match," to possess some measure of self-preservation.

"Oh? And that makes you satisfied?" Mobius sneered dismissively. "What an unambitious little..."

Before she could finish, a sharp "Szzzt!" sound erupted in the distance. Yuno tore through the vast shadow swamp, breaking free from the serpent's belly formed by Mobius's power.

"Oh? Quite the tenacious little one, aren't you?" Mobius eyed Yuno from afar. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked rather worn out. Mobius appraised her with interest. "A little guinea pig with such vibrant life force like yours would surely be very popular in the lab!"

"It's better not to get distracted, Dr. Mobius."

Seeing her teammate just escape a trap and still looking unsteady, Yae Sakura unhesitatingly leaped forward, slashing towards Dr. Mobius. Her tone was cold as she declared, "Your opponent is me!"

Mobius merely spared Sakura a disdainful glance in response to her challenge. Then, she began employing her old trick once more, her form slowly sinking into the shadows beneath her feet.

However, the ignored Yae Sakura showed no anger. Instead, a faint, sly smile touched her lips. The force behind her strike didn't falter. The blade, wreathed in lightning, swung down along its intended arc, but instead of aiming for Mobius, it carved out a raging wall of fire in the empty air.

Then, with a nimble flick of her wrist, the blade, now simultaneously crackling with arcs of electricity and flickering flames, danced in a dazzling display.

As the sword moved, the fire wall rapidly formed a circle. The constantly leaping flames seared into the ubiquitous shadows, forcibly carving out a scorching hot gladiatorial arena upon the sickly green ground.

Mobius, whose body had already half-dissolved into the shadows within the circle, frowned upon seeing this. She abandoned her original plan.

With the connected shadow space reduced to such a small area, there was no point in continuing the charade.

"Little one regarded so highly by 'that person,' you truly surprise me!" Mobius's serpentine eyes studied the fox-eared swordswoman, who was now also enclosed within the fire wall. She felt genuinely surprised— This isn't a tactic I'd expect from her!

"Just showing my humble skills," Yae Sakura replied softly, satisfied that her strike had worked as intended as she sheathed her blade gracefully. "Back when I was in the village, besides my duties as a Miko, I often moonlighted as a hunter," she countered evenly, subtly implying: Traps? You're not the only one who knows how to set them!

"....."

Mobius's expression darkened instantly. She, of course, understood the hidden meaning.

This naive little girl who doesn't know her place has a much sharper tongue than that viper!

"Alright, time is limited. Let's end this quickly."

The wall of fire Yae Sakura had unexpectedly created was visibly weakening and fading. The "gladiatorial arena" wouldn't last long. Sakura wasted no more words, slightly bending her knees and waist. Then, pushing off the ground, she shot towards the nearby Mobius like an arrow released from its bow, sword slashing.

It wasn't just Mobius whose expression soured; Sakura wasn't pleased either—she couldn't even remember the last time someone had toyed with her like this!

Clang!

The toolbox rose, blocking the blow. Mobius tried to retreat, wanting to escape the confining fire circle, but Yae Sakura pressed her advantage relentlessly. Changing direction, she thrusted straight forward, using an utterly unreasonable sword style to force Mobius back. The two were once again locked in close-quarters combat.

Outside the fire wall, Lin Wei watched with fascination. Ever since her first sparring session with the Elysian Realm Sakura, Yae Sakura hadn't used her own self-taught "wild style" much. Using it occasionally now certainly had an element of surprise.

Lin Wei himself wasn't in a hurry to join the fight. After all, Yae Sakura's goal was clearly to stall for time, waiting for Yuno to return from the distance. That way, they could coordinate better and wouldn't be so easily picked off one by one.

And that was precisely why Lin Wei wasn't rushing in—he suspected Yuno wouldn't cooperate with Sakura's strategy quite so obediently...

Meanwhile, Yuno, having just escaped, looked pale and drained, clearly having taken some damage.

Then, with a muffled grunt, several long, vine-like tendrils extended from her side. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed them tightly in her hands. Her expression hardened. With a fierce roar, she brutally ripped them all off!

The sound of the tendrils snapping made even Lin Wei's scalp tingle—those vines were part of Yuno's body! Tearing them off like that... how much must that hurt?

Also, why is she doing that?

Lin Wei watched thoughtfully, then suddenly understood. He saw that the tendrils Yuno had ripped off were dripping a foul-smelling, dark green fluid from the broken ends. However, the parts still connected to her body only oozed purplish-red blood and were visibly healing at a rapid pace, with new tendrils already sprouting from the breaks.

He'd almost forgotten – Mobius might be a slippery snake, but she was also venomous!

Still, Yuno's method of detoxification was a bit too brutal. Relying on her extraordinary self-healing ability to resort to such near self-mutilation... her mental state was genuinely worrying.

...

After purging the snake venom, the pallor visibly receded from Yuno's face, replaced by a healthy flush. Seeing Lin Wei safe and sound from afar, she relaxed slightly. Her gaze shifted towards the fire circle, now mostly extinguished, and the two figures locked in close combat within. With a cold snort, she charged in that direction.

Well, for now at least, things seem to be going according to Yae Sakura's plan... right?

Yuno leaped over the dying fire wall, forcefully entering the fray. But the next second, Yae Sakura let out an angry cry as a thick vine wrapped around her waist and flung her far out of the circle. She landed somewhat heavily beside Lin Wei.

"What are you doing?!"

Yae Sakura was furious. Who attacks their own teammate like that?!

Without even a warning?!

But Yuno didn't even glance at her. She had simply tossed Sakura out of the fire circle. Then, turning to the equally surprised Mobius, she declared fiercely, "Your opponent is me!"

As she spoke, she threw a heavy punch straight at Mobius's face. Dozens of vines erupted from around her body. Some spread out far, dividing the entire "combat zone" haphazardly. Others extended into the fading fire circle, causing the nearly extinguished flames to flare up momentarily.

Hidden amongst them were over twenty finer tendrils, striking like venomous spears from various angles, launching sneak attacks at Mobius.

Mobius met this with utter disdain.

"Just some insignificant appendages. They only make you look more ignorant and ridiculous!"

As she spoke, countless shadow spears instantly shot out from the shadows cast by the vines, piercing through every single tendril extending from Yuno. Under Mobius's contemptuous gaze, the vines were pinned firmly to the ground.

"You're... no better yourself!"

Yuno, however, seemed completely oblivious to the pain. Severing the pinned vines without a second glance, she kept only a few wrapped around her like extra limbs and lunged at Mobius once more. Mobius easily deflected her attack, and Yuno found herself firmly pinned to the ground by shadow spears, unable to move!

Not good!

Outside the vine entanglement, Yae Sakura saw Yuno about to be swiftly defeated. Forgetting her earlier resentment, she grew anxious and immediately moved to help, but Lin Wei firmly gripped her shoulder, stopping her.

"Wait, Sakura." Lin Wei seemed to have noticed something. Frowning, he not only stopped Yae Sakura but also pulled her further back several steps.

Sakura didn't understand why, but she never questioned Lin Wei's decisions. Suppressing her confusion, she obediently stayed beside him.

"Hm?"

On the other side, Mobius also sensed something was amiss. Her expression flickered with surprise and uncertainty before changing.

"Hahahaha... How does it feel?"

Yuno, pinned to the ground, ripped out the shadow spear piercing her chest. Completely ignoring the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she started laughing maniacally.

"Venom? I have that too!"