“I?!”
In Ressa’s rough yet assured voice, Ella suddenly raised her index finger and pointed at herself.
Her ear tips burned slightly.
Her heart was filled with a sense of absurdity.
She wished she could cover her ears on the spot and pretend she had heard nothing.
“That’s right! Shorty! It’s you!”
The red-skinned beastman roared in a deep, muffled voice.
His two sandbag-sized fists slammed heavily against his chest.
The dull, massive impact sounded like two heavily loaded carriages colliding, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
Ella subconsciously shrank her neck.
Her mind raced with calculations.
With the force behind that single punch, if it landed squarely on her, her petite frame would instantly turn into a soft, collapsed puddle of “Ella sauce,” leaving not even a complete shape behind.
Ya miele! Shuang Ling! Say something, quick! I’m going to get beaten! If not, let’s just forget it, okay? We can wait a few months until I save up my wages and come back!
Even as she thought this, Ella knew better than anyone that the longer they delayed, the greater the danger became.
They had been traveling in hiding all this way, treading on thin ice.
If they dragged things out for several more months, unless the alliance members were all complete idiots without brains, they would eventually follow the trail of clues and find them.
What should I do…?
Ella quickly glanced at Shuang Ling beside her.
With the strength of her successful creation, killing this simple-minded red-skinned beastman would not be difficult.
But killing him would be easy—afterward, who would pilot the ship to take them out to the deep sea?
In this remote port, this group of beastmen might be the only faction willing to ferry strangers toward the far seas.
If she severed this path, obtaining a large fish would become impossible.
Could it be… that besides fighting personally, there really is no other way?
This world is far too cruel to me!
“Tch…”
Ella could not help but click her tongue.
Her delicate cheeks puffed out, unable to conceal the frustration welling up from within.
Shuang Ling’s brows furrowed slightly.
She subconsciously raised her hand, about to speak up and refuse on Ella’s behalf, when a clear, cold voice cut in first.
“The mighty beastman only dares to bully children?”
Ressa sneered, his face full of arrogance.
“Heh, so what? I gave you a chance. No money, yet you still want to freeload a spot on the ship? Unless this little brat beats me, everything else is off the table!”
“Your Majesty…”
Shuang Ling’s voice was filled with worry.
She reached out to pull Ella back, but the other party gently avoided her grasp.
Ignoring Shuang Ling’s anxious dissuasion, Ella’s crimson pupils slowly narrowed.
She raised her head and gazed at the nearly three-meter-tall red-skinned beastman.
The other’s thick neck was even thicker than her own waist, and his bulging muscles radiated a savage sense of power.
With her current frail body, confronting him head-on would be like an egg striking a stone.
There has to be a way… There has to be a way to win…
“Fine. Let’s fight.”
Her light, casual words left everyone present stunned.
“Your Majesty?! Your body right now is simply—!” Shuang Ling’s expression changed drastically, her voice carrying a note of urgency.
Yiwen and Dieyi turned their heads in unison to look over.
Their gazes grew grave at the same time.
They were all too familiar with Ella’s current demeanor.
It was the aura of the Insect Mother who held everything in her grasp, as if all matters were already within her calculations—even though she was now merely a girl barely over one point six meters tall.
Ella calmly stepped out from behind Yiwen.
Her figure, just over one point six meters, appeared especially petite before the towering beastman.
She slowly raised a single slender finger toward the red-skinned beastman.
The surrounding beastmen were all taken aback.
They exchanged bewildered glances, completely at a loss as to what this little one’s gesture meant.
“Before I fight you, let me warm up first with one of your subordinates.”
Ressa was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
He patted his belly and mocked,
“Whoa, with those thin arms and legs of yours, you still dare talk about warming up? Sure, sure, you’ve got guts! Lads, who wants to go up there and give her a beating? Teach this overconfident little runt a lesson!”
The surrounding green-skinned beastmen immediately erupted into jeers and shouts.
They rubbed their fists and palms, their eyes filled with mockery, not taking Ella seriously in the slightest.
Ella secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Good. They aren’t treating me as a real opponent.
“I’ll go!”
A green-skinned beastman, slightly smaller in build—about the height of a teenage beastman—stepped forward.
He stared at Ella with an arrogant expression.
“Come on, little girl! You say start, and we start! I’m a beastman. What about you? I won’t fight someone who’s hiding their occupation. That’s not fair!”
Ella secretly raised an eyebrow.
These beastmen are talking about fairness now? They aren’t stupid. They know how to look out for their own interests.
She slightly raised her hand.
From beneath her black robe, a flexible tentacle slowly extended, gently swaying in the air.
“My occupation is octopus girl. There was a little accident before, so only this one tentacle remains.”
The green-skinned beastman’s eyes lit up.
He licked his lips, revealing a greedy and ferocious expression.
“Octopus girl? Never heard of it before. Come on! I want to properly enjoy the feeling of my fist smashing into that cute little face of yours! The taste of beating you until you cry!”
“Mm.”
Ella responded lightly.
I will also properly enjoy it—your flesh and blood, beastman.
In a blind spot hidden from everyone’s view, a drop of transparent liquid quietly dripped from the tip of her tentacle.
It fell soundlessly onto the ground and instantly corroded a small black spot.
Shuang Ling quietly observed Ella’s back.
Beneath her blue hair, the worry in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by undisguised worship and submission.
“Begin.”
The instant Ella’s voice fell, the green-skinned beastman let out a furious roar and charged straight toward her.
He did not even bother reaching for the giant axe or spiked mace on the weapon rack.
Relying solely on his brute strength, he believed it would be enough to crush the delicate girl before him.
His movements were wide and forceful, full of openings.
In his mind, there was probably only one thought left: one punch, and this white-haired little one would definitely be crying and begging for mercy.
“Wu!”
So fast!
Ella’s heart tightened.
The various stats of this newborn body were pitifully low.
Even though her eyesight could barely follow the opponent’s assault, her body still could not keep up with the reaction.
She could only tilt her head slightly aside.
Relying on herself alone, she could not counterattack.
The beastman’s massive fist brushed past her hair, forcefully snapping off several strands of white hair.
Ella had no way to retaliate, but fortunately, she was not alone.
Ella’s crimson pupils suddenly shrank.
The tentacle hidden beneath her black robe exerted force.
Its tip, lined with sharp, soft spines, precisely pierced into the green-skinned beastman’s abdomen.
“You bastard?! You actually dare to injure my man?! I’ll fucking kill you!”
Seeing this, Ressa flew into a rage.
He had not expected this seemingly frail girl to actually make a move and harm someone.
He values loyalty and righteousness quite a bit. Pity… it’s already too late.
“Boss! Save me!”
The green-skinned beastman emitted a shrill, miserable scream.
The muscles of one arm withered and loosened at a visible speed.
His skin instantly became covered in wrinkles, and all moisture was completely sucked dry.
In just a short instant, his entire left arm had turned into nothing but a layer of skin.
“Ergh…!”
Ressa’s eyes looked ready to burst from their sockets.
He grabbed the giant sword from the nearby rack and raised it high overhead, fiercely chopping down toward Ella.
But at the very moment the giant sword descended, an incomparably strong sense of ominous foreboding suddenly swept over him, making every hair on his body stand on end.
He did not understand where this fear came from.
He only saw that white-haired girl still standing in place, neither dodging nor panicking.
She had even raised her head.
The corner of her mouth… was she smiling?
She doesn’t fear death?!
“Come! Sleeve Sword Insect!” Ella softly called out.
Sleeve Sword Insect? What is that?
Ressa’s heart was filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
The next second, the chest of the dry corpse lying on the ground suddenly burst open.
A slender, sharp blade wreathed in steaming hot vapor tore out from within.
The high temperature instantly scorched the surrounding flesh and blood, filling the air with a pungent burnt smell.
It was a pitch-black insect with a head that had evolved into a sharp sword blade.
Its body length was nearly comparable to Ella’s arm.
With a flutter of its wings, it rapidly flew to her right arm.
Several jointed limbs firmly gripped her skin.
The hard carapace on its back unfolded, instantly forming a layer of insect armor that perfectly conformed to her arm, completely protecting her right hand.
Boom——!
Ressa’s giant sword came crashing down.
However, the instant it touched the sword blade of the Sleeve Sword Insect, it was effortlessly sliced apart by that terrifying high temperature.
The thick giant sword broke apart with a resounding crack.
Sharp fragments flew toward the surroundings.
Just as they were about to strike the nearby vendors and trigger even greater chaos, Shuang Ling’s figure flashed.
She instantly appeared in front of the fragments and raised her knee, steadily blocking them.
Ella gripped the sharp blade formed by the Sleeve Sword Insect.
She raised her gaze toward the red-skinned beastman, who stood frozen in place, and asked in a calm tone,
“Did I win?”
As she spoke, she took a slight step forward.
The high temperature from the sleeve sword approached the opponent’s neck, instantly causing the coarse, tough hairs on the beastman’s face to curl and burn.
Ressa hurriedly raised his hand to pat out the flames on his face.
The way he looked at Ella had completely changed.
From initial contempt and anger to now terror and dread.
“You’re not an octopus girl…”
His voice was dry as he spoke.
Ella paid no heed to his words.
She merely brought the sleeve sword a little closer.
“I asked you—can you set sail out to sea or not?”
A burning heat transmitted from his neck.
A shallow red mark quickly appeared.
Ressa could no longer maintain his previous arrogance.
His face turned pale, and he nodded repeatedly.
He turned around and roared fiercely at his subordinates behind him.
“Lads! Stop standing around! Prepare to set sail—now! Immediately! Right this instant!”
The noisy port instantly fell silent.
The beastman subordinates dared not delay in the slightest.
They hurriedly packed up their things in a panic, untied the mooring ropes, and prepared to raise the sails and depart.