The moment the words left Fang’s mouth, his muscles squirmed once and then... whoosh! He vanished.
One instant, he stood beneath the blood moon, and the next, the space he occupied ruptured, the rope fibers beneath his feet shredding apart from the sheer force of his launch!
The poisonous clouds exploded in a circular shockwave, the only thing most viewers managed to see.
Meanwhile, Levi’s Harmonic Spine kept up with Fang’s enhanced speed... but just barely. Levi pivoted instantly while sweeping the chained staff upward to intercept. But Fang sharply changed his trajectory and swung his terrifying claws a half step deeper into Levi’s blind angle.
It was as if he had calculated the precise point where Levi’s defensive arc thinned for a fraction of a heartbeat... It might have worked against others, but too bad.
Ting!!
Levi evaded the claw with insane flexibility, watching coldly as the claw went past his face... Then, he pulled the upper crown, causing the chains to spill out on top of Fang’s extended arm.
No hesitation, Levi went down for a leg sweep while simultaneously pulling the chains to tighten the crown around Fang’s arm.
A duo counter-attack, forcing him, in theory, to defend against only one... But it was just in theory.
Fang’s battle experience was on the high end... instinctively, he jumped a calculated couple of feet above the rope while taking hold of Levi’s chains with the other hand.
Then, he growled coldly as he pulled Levi towards him while widening his wolfish jaw, the fangs long enough that they could pierce Levi’s entire head!
But Levi was no pushover either.
’Frequency Overdrive!’
Levi’s grip tightened as he unleashed a torrent of overcharged frequencies through the chains... Fang’s arm began to vibrate at a terrifying speed as the frequencies bypassed fur and muscle, drilling straight to his internal organs and brain!
Fang’s massive frame locked mid-motion, his jaw frozen inches from Levi’s head... his heartbeat staggered a little as the harmonics struck his inner ears, disrupting the electrical signals in his brain!
For a split second... the predator halted.
Levi took advantage of the opportunity and amplified the output until the chains screamed... Then, he summoned the Soulleech Maw’s tongue to roll around Fang’s thick arm!
A normal opponent would have collapsed instantly, but Fang? The instant he felt the Soulleech Maw’s sticky tongue touch his skin, his survival instincts awakened.
The sovereign blood under the crimson moon flooded through his veins, forcibly stabilizing his disrupted nervous system.
"GRAAAH!!"
Instead of retreating or letting go of the chains, Fang ate the pain with a roar, and then he grabbed the shaking chains aggressively.
Meeting Fang’s sinister crimson gaze, Levi felt a sudden chill course down his spine... but it was already too late. With a brutal sideways yank, he broke Levi’s balance mid-motion and swiftly slapped his shoulder on Levi’s chest!
BOOM!! Thud! Thud!
The impact separated Levi away from his weapon, his fingers forced open as the torque ripped control from him... but Levi ignored the weapon and held his chest while rolling backward through the poison clouds, his mouth slightly agape.
He tried to breathe, but no air came through... the shoulder bash was powerful enough that it knocked the air out of him.
If it wasn’t for his reinforced divine bones, his rib cage would have imploded!
As for the Soulleech Maw’s tongue? It shook its tongue agitatedly at Fang, not too fond of how he treated it.
Seizing the opportunity, Fang howled into the sky while manifesting a rain of crystalized, sharp, long fangs underneath the Blood Moon’s mesmerizing glow.
"Perish, vermin!"
He lowered his arm, and the rain of fangs bombarded the Toxic Kingdom nonstop, breaking off the sticky poison that clung to the rope’s surface!
Levi swiftly rebalanced himself and summoned the chained staff... then, he activated Thunder Chant and danced around the rain of fangs, evading what he could and blocking the rest. His training under Yanhuan’s spatial blades storm left him more in tune with his flexibility and fearless against such bombardment.
Even with chest pain, his control was so fine that he was able to return some of the fangs in his enemy’s direction.
Fang used his giant hand to smash them away; his expression wasn’t so good... He believed that the moment he entered the Blood Moon Sovereign Form, it should be game over.
’I am burning through my lifeforce rapidly, and I still can’t deliver a final hit... this isn’t a good look in front of Master.’
Sure, the transformation might not be as great as the Ancestral Manifestation Drayven used in the Joker’s game... still, it also burned through Lifeforce to maintain it. In the hands of a veteran like Fang, it should be enough to deal with a brat.
Yet, Levi was still standing... and as mentioned, he hadn’t relied on Aether Flames once.
’I caught his chains with my own hands, and he still hasn’t used them... it seems like he has truly run out and was using the excuse of not needing them to throw me off.’
Fang wanted to go all out up close... however, the dread of Aether Flames was still in the back of his mind.
That’s why he tried to bait Levi into using them the first time. Yet, Levi relied on frequencies instead and ended up eating a shoulder bash.
’Screw it... I have already decided to exhaust all of this clone’s lifeforce to kill him.’
Making up his mind, Fang coated his claws in crystallized dark blood, turning them longer and sharper... then, he charged at Levi while keeping a low figure, resembling a true predator on the hunt.
But then... Fang slowed a little after noticing Levi pulling out a palm-sized, rusted black bucket etched with faint brown runes along its rim.
The runes flashed once, and then the empty bucket was filled with a thick, shifting sludge that smelled like a mass grave unearthed under summer heat or rotting flesh soaked in sour bile for months.
It was absolutely horrid... so horrid, Fang’s sensitive nose burned instantly, forcing him to halt to rethink his options.
"Why the hell did you bring such a disgusting artifact?" Fang asked with a revolted look; his nose closed shut.
The viewers were just as confused... the battle was just getting heated, and then, Levi pulled out the most vile-smelling artifact in the middle of the battle.
Even Gamemaster Envy was baffled as he figured out the artifact’s name immediately and its true application.
"Pail of the Putrid... a Grade B artifact that can corrupt any liquid or substance placed inside into the most revolting flavor conceivable to the one who consumes it." He frowned deeply as he shared with the audience, "It’s used as a torturing device, not for battles..."
Hearing this, the spectators were even more confounded... fortunately, Levi didn’t leave them confused for long.
"You’re about to find out."
Levi smiled coldly as he sank the Soulleech Maw’s tongue inside the bucket... the sight was so blasphemous, it left the Bishops, Fang, Gamemaster, and the viewing powerhouses with a sick feeling in their stomachs.
This ungrateful brat! How could he treat one of the most fearsome species in the universe like this!
This thought roamed through their minds, feeling like they were witnessing a great dishonor equal to forcing a crowned emperor to kneel before common street dogs.
Meanwhile, the Soulleech Maw couldn’t care less... it dipped its long tongue into the bucket, splashing and slurping, writhing happily like a dog playing in a filthy pool.
Before Fang could voice his outrage at such blatant blasphemy, Levi whispered under his breath, "Palate Parasitic Takeover... activate."