Chapter 15: A Close Call

Gurgle~~!

The arterial blood spurting from Waka’s neck was slowing in speed and growing thicker. The sharp, metallic scent of blood in the air grew more intense.

The neatly severed wound on her left arm also bled more slowly now, with a few blood-colored bubbles rising from the exposed vessels.

Her breathing became rapid and shallow, her body convulsing uncontrollably.

This was clearly a sign of severe blood loss—death was imminent.

Waka staggered toward the direction of the monstrous clawed beast, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind her.

Reaching the remains of the beast’s body, she could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Is this where my journey ends?” she muttered, unwilling to accept her fate.

Her breath weakened swiftly until it vanished altogether.

A piercing whistle echoed.

From the thick mist on the side, a slender figure darted out.

She stopped about ten meters from Waka.

It was the white-haired beast-eared girl Waka had encountered upon entering.

She glanced distantly at Waka, but with the beast’s broken flesh scattered around, she couldn’t crush Waka’s head with a stone. Moreover, all suitably sized stones remained near Waka.

With a sharp metallic sound, a gleaming white claw extended half a meter from between her fingers, cautiously advancing toward Waka.

Step by step… slowly closing the gap.

Even though Waka had already lost so much blood and was poisoned, the girl did not relax her vigilance.

Her gaze fixed intently on Waka’s intact right hand.

She had been watching the earlier fight from afar.

She knew Waka was armed with a gun.

Though confident, she had no guarantee she could dodge bullets at close range.

Yet, as her attention remained focused on Waka, she suddenly felt her foot catch on something.

“What’s this?” she murmured, looking down.

It was Waka’s severed left hand.

She knew Waka had cut off her own hand to delay the poison’s effect.

That scene had shocked her deeply.

She thought Waka was utterly mad.

“Was this hand here just now?” she wondered, trying to recall.

‘The hand fell into the blood pool, and I clearly avoided that pool, so why is this severed hand under my foot?’

“Got you!” Suddenly, Waka’s shout came from ahead.

The white-haired beast-eared girl was startled, then saw the severed hand beneath her foot—its palm twisting with the wrist, wrapping tightly around her ankle.

She had no time to shake off the severed hand.

A greater threat loomed ahead.

She quickly looked up toward Waka’s direction.

Sure enough, Waka had rolled over, her remaining right hand raised with a gun aimed at her. Bloodied fingers were already pressing the trigger.

In that moment, alarm bells rang loud in her mind.

She bent her arm, raising it in front of her face.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

A tremendous shock and searing pain exploded through her arm, bursting a spray of blood.

The agony forced her to bare sharp canine teeth; her eyes glared fierce and wild.

Crack!

Before her ferocity could fully rise, a mechanical clinking sound came from beneath her foot.

Looking down, she saw the severed hand around her ankle was clutching a grenade.

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