71: Chapter 71 Gambling with Life

[Mission Triggered: The Succubus's Tease]

[Mission Objective: Defeat the Drukhari Succubus, Laelith Hesperax]

[Mission Reward: Storm Shield x1 (B-rank), Heavy Bolt Rifle x1, General Points +666, Free Attribute Points +3]

[Mission Penalty: None (In any case, you will likely die; with better luck, you'll be captured by Laelith and taken back to the Commorragh Arena)]

Fu Haoran closed the panel and gripped the handle of his Chainsword.

Beg for mercy? He'd have to fight first.

Vroom!

The Chainsword spun at high speed, emitting a piercing shriek.

Fu Haoran pushed his Powered Armor's engine to the limit, the marble beneath his feet cracking inch by inch as he charged straight at Laelith.

Laelith stood her ground, unmoving.

She watched Fu Haoran charge, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her fingertips didn't even touch the dagger at her waist; she just lightly flicked her long, fiery-red hair.

Swish!

The hair tresses, tipped with barbs, darted out like venomous snakes.

They weren't aimed at vital spots, but rather at the gaps in the Powered Armor.

Crisp cracking sounds rang out one after another; the sensors on Fu Haoran's shoulder armor were shredded, and the armor's alarm blared instantly.

Fu Haoran whipped out a dagger and slashed diagonally without looking back.

Laelith simply stepped aside, dodging with ease.

"Little monkey, you're far from good enough."

To the Aeldari, with tens of millions of years of history, humans were nothing more than a bunch of monkeys.

Laelith flicked her long hair again; the strands instantly stiffened, and the barbed hair ties stabbed toward Fu Haoran's limbs.

Fu Haoran turned to parry but was still half a beat too slow.

The barbed hair ties pierced through the armor's gaps and into his arms and thighs.

Instantly, a searing, burning pain surged through his veins and across his entire body.

It wasn't a fatal wound, but the neurotoxin took effect immediately, amplifying the pain more than tenfold.

A tiny wound hurt as if his entire arm were being sawn off alive.

Fu Haoran let out a muffled groan, his knees buckling uncontrollably for a moment before he forced himself to stand firm.

He knew all too well.

The Drukhari before him wasn't trying to kill him yet.

She was toying with him.

[System Prompt: Host is under the influence of neurotoxins; pain is amplified 10x, Strength and Agility temporarily decreased by 20%!]

Fu Haoran gritted his teeth against the pain, his gaze locked onto Laelith's movements, intentionally or unintentionally herding her into a trap.

From the first moment the battle began, Fu Haoran hadn't expected to win a head-on fight against this ruthless character who could go toe-to-toe with a Space Marine Champion.

He had only one goal: to pull this greatest variable into his own home turf.

But it was easier said than done.

The Drukhari was extremely agile; Fu Haoran had no chance to force her into the predetermined position.

"In that case, I'll have to use Plan B."

Fu Haoran suddenly retreated and pulled out a shotgun used by the Adeptus Arbites.

The moment the shot was fired, it turned into countless small pellets flying toward the Drukhari, sealing off her evasion space to the left and right, forcing her to charge forward.

"Oh? Is the little monkey getting desperate already?"

However, in the next second, Laelith suddenly looked back as bursts of explosions lit up.

Before the banquet began, Fu Haoran had Sean and his men hide Claymore Mines, disassembled into miniature modules, inside the banquet hall's pillars, under the tables, and within the crystal chandelier brackets.

The detonation angle of every mine ensured the explosions would form a containment net.

Faced with unavoidable explosive shocks, the only safe place was to retreat along with Fu Haoran.

"Blow them!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of continuous explosions rang out instantly.

The fragments of the Claymore Mines burst in fan shapes, sealing off all of Laelith's evasion routes—front, back, left, and right.

The crystal chandeliers were shattered, glass shards falling like rain; the dining tables were blown to pieces, and smoke and dust instantly filled half the banquet hall.

Laelith's brow furrowed.

She could withstand the explosions, but she didn't want to get her clothes and hair dirty.

The only evasion route was directly ahead, where Fu Haoran stood.

She pushed off with her toes, her figure turning into a red blur, instantly flashing in front of Fu Haoran.

Now!

Fu Haoran had been waiting for this exact moment!

A Concussion Grenade detonated; for the unarmored Laelith, it only caused less than a second of daze.

But that half-second was enough for Fu Haoran.

He lunged forward and tightly wrapped his arms around Laelith's waist.

Laelith was stunned for a moment.

Not out of anger, but out of surprise.

Having lived for countless millennia, this was the first time she had been touched by a human in such a posture.

She looked at Fu Haoran and suddenly smiled.

"Interesting. You're the first one who dared to touch me with such a move."

Her laughter was sweet and cloying, but the chill in her eyes was deeper than before.

"I originally planned to play with you a bit longer, but now, I've changed my mind."

This headbutt slammed solidly into the side of Fu Haoran's helmet.

The Powered Armor's buckles let out a piercing snap, and the helmet flew off, rolling several times on the floor.

Fu Haoran's head was ringing, and half his face was covered in blood.

Obviously, during the initial design, Ivan and the others hadn't considered this situation.

Fu Haoran hadn't expected that Laelith's seemingly fragile body possessed such terrifying strength.

But how could a man back down!

Fu Haoran headbutted back, following her example.

Laelith instinctively dodged backward.

But she didn't succeed!

Laelith only managed to pull back a small distance, and this gap was just enough to accommodate half a head.

Fu Haoran's entire face was buried firmly into the sponge-like padding.

An amazing elasticity was felt instantly; it didn't hurt at all.

Fu Haoran was happy, but someone else was not.

"Interesting." Laelith's voice was as light as a feather, yet it made the surrounding air freeze.

"The prey I've killed in the Commorragh Arena are piled higher than mountains; I've been blasted by bolters, hit by psychic explosions, smashed by power fists..."

"But being taken advantage of by a human in this posture is a first."

Laelith's voice was still sweet, but every word was laced with poison.

"I'm going to take you back to Commorragh, lock you in the lowest level of the arena, and let those thirsty Wyches 'entertain' you every day until you beg me to kill you."

"And then I will refuse you, making you continue to endure the torture!"

Fu Haoran, who was nearly suffocating, finally recovered. Suppressing the urge to have a nosebleed, he looked up and said, "I'm more generous; I'll just tie you up and have you bear me many little monkeys."

Laelith smiled, more brilliantly than before, but the chill in her eyes almost turned solid.

However, in the next moment, a blinding white light erupted from Fu Haoran's chest, instantly enveloping both him and Laelith.

Spatial fluctuations spread wildly, and the air in the entire banquet hall began to distort.

Laelith's expression changed drastically.

It was a cross-spatial teleportation!

She exerted force to break free, but Fu Haoran's Powered Armor locking mechanism held her tight. Even though he was riddled with holes from her hair and toxins surged through his body, he didn't loosen his grip in the slightest.

"Let go of me! You despicable monkey!"

For the first time, Laelith's voice carried anger, but it was too late.

The white light flared, instantly swallowing both their figures.

Only a few scattered red hairs and a mess remained on the spot.

In the banquet hall downstairs, Ronan had already led the soldiers to control all the nobles.

Sean stepped on Baron Klaus's back, his alloy rod pressed against the back of the Baron's head, his eyes full of ruthlessness.

On the second-floor viewing platform, Lucifer leaned against a pillar, twirling a Phase Sword at her fingertips. She looked at the spot where the white light vanished, her lips curling up.

The twelve Drukhari in the shadows, seeing their master teleported away, panicked instantly. Just as they were about to rush forward, Lucifer didn't even turn her head; she simply flicked the Phase Sword, and the ghostly blue blade instantly blocked the Drukhari's path.

"Don't move. This is between them."