Chapter 127

The voice from the armor was dull and somewhat mechanical.

This sudden speech made Su Xiao freeze. He looked suspiciously at the armor, immediately noticing the blood-red glow in its eye sockets.

"What is this?"

Eto looked at the armor in astonishment.

Under their watchful eyes, the armor trembled, and its arm gradually reached toward the "Source."

*Clack, clack... *

The sound of grinding steel echoed. The armor's iron hand grasped the "Source," and the faceplate opened, seemingly intending to swallow it.

"Stop it!"

Kirishima Arata roared and charged forward, with Eto and Arima Kishou close behind.

Su Xiao and the Priest remained where they were. Su Xiao didn't move because he sensed that the armor was extremely dangerous; he even felt a chill running down his spine.

The armor's iron hand loosened, and the "Source" fell into its faceplate.

*Bang. *

The faceplate closed, and the iron armor stood motionless.

Kirishima Arata, who had charged to the front, covered his hands with his Kagune, forming two blue-black claws that glinted with a cold light, looking exceptionally sharp.

Kirishima Arata lunged forward, one hand clawing at the armor's head.

*Screech—* The claws raked across the surface of the armor, making a sound like a blade on glass. The armor's head didn't break; it was simply knocked flying by Kirishima Arata.

The armor rolled several times after landing, seemingly turning back into a lifeless object.

*Whoosh! *

A pale red flame rose on the surface of the armor, making it look like a warrior of fire.

The armor stood up slowly. Its appearance had changed drastically; if it had looked like a dead object before, now the entire suit seemed to have come alive.

A faint red light shone from within the armor, as if it were filled with some gelatinous substance.

"Haa..."

The armor tilted its head and exhaled a cloud of blood-red mist. It clenched its fists, and fine cracks appeared in the stone platform beneath its feet.

Just by clenching its fists, the armor had caused cracks in the ground. This was terrifying strength.

Su Xiao looked at the armor before him, a chill rising from his heels to his head. He suddenly had the urge to turn and run.

"Who... am... I?"

The armor said these words, syllable by syllable. Kirishima Arata and the others, who were rushing toward it, stopped in their tracks; they also felt the armor's terror.

After a few seconds, the armor seemed to recall something.

"Hmm? Experimental Subject Type 3? And there's an even better Type 4."

The armor first looked at Eto, then at Kirishima Arata.

"The Type 4 tastes sweeter."

After saying this, the armor kicked off the ground.

*Boom! *

Stone chips flew, and a crater about a meter in diameter appeared where the armor had been standing. It had vanished from its original spot.

"How is this possible?"

Kirishima Arata's pupils constricted. He jumped backward with all his might, because the armor had already appeared before him.

Before Kirishima Arata could jump far, the armor had blurred into a shadow and appeared before him again, its blood-red eye sockets seemingly locked onto him.

The armor's arm, as thick as a thigh, raised up and punched at Kirishima Arata's head. The fist, as large as a sandbag, struck with a blur.

*Thwack! *

Kirishima Arata's head exploded like a watermelon, red and white liquid splattering everywhere.

Kirishima Arata had been killed in one hit!

The remaining four felt their hearts sink as they witnessed this. What on earth was this armor? It was terrifying.

The armor crouched down, its iron hand easily piercing Kirishima Arata's chest, as if it were piercing tofu.

*Gurgle, gurgle. *

Kirishima Arata's body withered, finally turning into a headless, dried-up corpse.

"Delicious. Heh heh heh..."

The armor let out a dull, strange laugh and turned its gaze toward the four of them.

There was no need for reminders; the Priest and the others immediately moved closer to Su Xiao. The four of them stood in a row, staring fixedly at the armor.

This thing was too terrifying. If they didn't join forces, they wouldn't stand a chance. Kirishima Arata's death was a bloody lesson. To survive, they had to temporarily cast aside their selfishness and cooperate sincerely.

Su Xiao activated 【Basic Detection】 to obtain the armor's data.

【10 Mana points consumed. Basic Detection successful. Data obtained.】

Name: Ma Ma Ersi (The First Ghoul in History)

Strength: 30 (World Limit)

Agility: 24

Stamina: 26

Intelligence: 15

Charisma: 10

Skill 1, First Generation Ghoul (Passive): Strength +15, Agility +10.

Skill 2, Source Radiation (Passive): HP recovery speed increased by 200%.

Skill 3, First Generation RC Cell Carrier (Passive): No fatal weaknesses, immune to mental control skills.

Skill 4, Erudite (Passive): Expired.

Skill 5, Primitive Absorption (Active): Absorbs RC cells from Ghouls to restore HP based on the amount absorbed.

Skill 6, Earthshaker (Active): Stomps the ground to create a high-intensity shockwave, causing stun and vibration effects to enemies.

Skill 7:???

Seeing the data for this armor, Ma Ma Ersi, Su Xiao gasped.

The python Blood Eye he had encountered before also had 30 Strength, but there was a fundamental difference. Blood Eye's strength came from its massive size.

Ma Ma Ersi, however, had such strength at only three meters tall, and its Agility and Stamina were not low either. Every attribute was in the double digits.

Just now, it had moved so fast it left a blur, though this was also related to Su Xiao's dynamic vision not being strong enough.

"Let's cooperate sincerely, otherwise we'll all die."

Eto's Kagune surged as she transformed into her Kakuja state.

"That's my thought as well. I don't know what kind of creature this is, but after it 'came alive,' the vitality of the RC cells in my body began to drop."

The Priest's fake smile vanished, his face solemn as he stared at Ma Ma Ersi.

"You guys try to drag him down, I'll take care of the flank."

Su Xiao had no choice but to cooperate with the three of them; otherwise, there was no hope of victory.

Eto blocked the front; her Kakuja state was more durable. Arima Kishou waited on the flank for an opportunity, the Priest stood on Eto's other side, and Su Xiao was responsible for finding a chance to deal a heavy blow to Ma Ma Ersi.

"Who gave you permission to trespass here? Did you have Hou Jue Boken's permission?"

Ma Ma Ersi spoke, but his words left everyone present confused.

Hou Jue Boken? What era was this guy from? No, this guy was no longer human; only that suit of armor kept him in human form.

"It seems you're trespassing rats from an enemy country, trying to steal our Holy Fish again."

Ma Ma Ersi muttered to himself. His brain didn't seem to be working very well; he hadn't even remembered who he was just a moment ago.

"Go!"

Eto rushed toward Ma Ma Ersi, and Arima Kishou pressed the button on his Quinque case, revealing a sword-shaped Quinque.

The sword-shaped Quinque had a very thin tip, but the hilt was as thick as an arm, and the handle was very long.

This was the SSS-rated Quinque "Owl," the strongest Quinque ever created by the CCG.

The Priest, seeing the other two move, didn't hesitate to charge forward. He didn't dare to have any other thoughts now. The monster before them might not be defeatable even if the four of them joined forces. Kirishima Arata's death was a bloody lesson; to live, they had to temporarily cast aside their selfishness and cooperate sincerely.

Su Xiao didn't join the three of them; he ran to the side, his path forming a semicircle, intending to get behind Ma Ma Ersi.

This was a very wise choice. If all four of them fought Ma Ma Ersi head-on, it would be nothing short of foolish. ===== CHAPTER 128 =====