"So, you're the Mabeast User then."
Natsuki Subaru glanced at the several Mabeasts surrounding Meili, secretly calculating their numbers and possible attack patterns.
The eyes of these Mabeasts glowed with an eerie red light, clearly completely controlled by Meili, the Mabeast User.
The number of Mabeasts here is ten... no, eleven...
Damn it, even though I've strengthened my power attribute by completing daily tasks through the system these past few days.
But facing this number of Mabeasts alone is still too much for me.
"Meili Portroute, that's my full name, you know." Meili suddenly announced her name solemnly, then pouted her lips, speaking like a sulking girl,
"Big Brother, don't call me by such an unladylike name, I'm a cute girl, you know～"
"Cute?" Hearing this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but sneer, "A killer who attacks innocent people with curses and Mabeasts, dares to talk about cute?"
"I hate it when my plans are disrupted, they were just dealt with incidentally." Meili said nonchalantly, twirling her deep blue pigtail,
"Because from the beginning, if Big Brother had just obediently let Gray bite him, it wouldn't be so troublesome now."
"So, your target is me then."
Natsuki Subaru wasn't surprised by this; he had known all along that Meili's target was him.
"Big Brother finally understands..." Meili skipped and twirled, her skirt flying, "But it's too late to know now~"
"Since your target is me." Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath, his expression solemn as he looked directly at Meili, "Then let them go. In my opinion, there's absolutely no need to harm them."
"Big Brother is really kind." Meili tilted her head, then raised her index finger and gently shook it, "But no, this isn't a trade, nor is it a question of whether it's worth it or not, it's just... the mission wasn't completed cleanly enough."
As expected.
For a cold-blooded assassin like Meili, she wouldn't care at all about implicating innocent people.
Rem, Petra, and the others, in her eyes, were probably just items on a task list waiting to be crossed off.
Although he had anticipated this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but clench his fists, glaring at Meili:
"What kind of joke is this! Treating people's lives... like a game?!"
"Oh my, don't be angry, Big Brother. Speaking of which, that Petra child is really unbearable～" Meili's gaze swept over the unconscious Rem and Petra behind Natsuki Subaru, a malicious smile appearing on her lips,
"To run into such a dangerous forest just to save a puppy, it's so foolish."
"Shut up!"
Natsuki Subaru's brows furrowed tightly.
"Don't worry, since we're friends, I only let them bite once and it was over."
Meili clasped her hands together, revealing an innocent smile, as if bestowing some kind of favor.
"You... you're really despicable!"
Natsuki Subaru clenched his fists, forcefully suppressing his anger and maintaining his rationality.
Although he knew Meili had grown up in a dog-eat-dog environment and was long accustomed to killing, hearing her speak so casually about human lives still made him feel incredibly furious.
"Oh my, does Big Brother want to make a move?" Meili tilted her head, feigning an innocent look, and asked.
"Right now, I just want to beat you up severely!"
Looking at the petite and cute l0l! before him, whose heart was ruthless and cruel, Natsuki Subaru hardened.
His fist hardened!
Natsuki Subaru knew very well the abilities Meili possessed as a Mabeast User.
He knew Meili had the ability to control and command Mabeasts. Although the number and strength of Mabeasts she could control simultaneously had a limit, with Meili's abilities, controlling hundreds of Mabeasts at the same time was not difficult.
His current self couldn't handle such a situation at all.
Furthermore, Rem, Petra, and the others were cursed and in urgent need of treatment; he couldn't delay any longer.
So—
Since I can't solve the problem for now, then I'll just directly solve the person creating the problem.
That's right, as long as Meili is dealt with, this crisis will naturally be resolved.
Actually, when facing an enemy, mastering intelligence is crucial, and for Natsuki Subaru, who was familiar with the plot, this was precisely the easiest thing to do.
Meili's trickiness lay only in her ability to control Mabeasts; her own strength wasn't particularly formidable.
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru suddenly shouted:
"Elsa!"
"—Eh?!" Meili was clearly startled, her sweet smile instantly freezing.
Now is the chance!
Natsuki Subaru seized this fleeting opportunity, his leg muscles tensing explosively, and like an arrow released from a bow, he charged towards Meili.
However, suddenly a shadow loomed over him.
"Roar—"
A dog-shaped Mabeast charged forward, blocking his path.
"Get out of the way!!"
Natsuki Subaru poured all his strength into his right fist and threw a vicious punch.
Bang—!!!
With a dull thud, the Mabeast's sternum made a "crackling" sound of shattering, its massive body flying backward, breaking two small trees before heavily stopping.
But by this time, Meili had already recovered.
"Big Brother, you're really a mean person..." Meili's voice was still sweet, but her emerald green eyes already revealed a dangerous light,
"Although I don't know how you know Sister Elsa, that's not important anymore, anyway, you'll soon be a dead person."
"Damn it!"
Natsuki Subaru felt a wave of frustration, knowing that this chance for a surprise attack had already passed.
"Ah~ Big Brother, I'm leaving now~"
Meili's sweet voice echoed through the forest as she retreated step by step, her blue pigtails swaying gently with her movements.
At the same time, two dog-shaped Mabeasts, as large as adult horses, slowly approached from the left and right sides, their crimson eyes locked tightly on Natsuki Subaru, their sharp claws plowing deep furrows in the mud.
"Damn it!"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes were fixed on the Mabeasts, his body involuntarily tensing up.
"Big Brother, just have fun playing with these naughty little animals~"
As the last syllable fell, Meili's figure had already lightly retreated into the shadows of the forest, disappearing in an instant.
"Roar—!"
The two Mabeasts also pounced simultaneously, their sharp claws and teeth glinting with a cold light.
"My reaction speed is still too slow."
Natsuki Subaru narrowly dodged the Mabeast's pounce. Only now did he belatedly realize that when he had been adding points in the system these past few days, he had focused entirely on strength.
"If I had known, I should have developed more evenly."
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, another Mabeast's claws had already torn Natsuki Subaru's sleeve, leaving three deep bloody gashes on his arm.
Warm blood slowly trickled down his arm, but Natsuki Subaru couldn't care less about it now.
___
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