Changed: Outbreak

Chapter 30: Saint's Dying Roar

[Lui's pov]

Before me stood the Saint, clutching a White Latex rod in his right paw. He panted heavily as he channeled more and more Latex into a massive ball of mass floating in the sky. Despite his closed eyes, the Saint glared at me with intensity. "Violating Executive Order 45 by attempting to connect to the voice box module. Connection failed," he declared in a robotic voice, which was soon replaced by a nearly human-like voice. "This should suffice. I can now communicate with the cosmic voices. Lui, surrender now and we can make this painless for you. Your Malware nearly succeeded in ascending me, but alas, it had other plans that led us to this confrontation. I can't help but wonder if this was all a test of my abilities to ensure a smooth transfer to me. Regardless, Lui, prepare to meet your demise."

I assumed my combat posture, readying myself for the Saint's imminent attack. With a blur of speed, the Saint vanished before my eyes only to reappear in front of me. In a quick reflex, I lunged forward with my sharp claws, hoping to land a strike on the Saint, but my efforts were thwarted. Suddenly, I found myself trapped within a cocoon of White Latex, rendering me immobile and vulnerable. The Saint then drove the rod firmly into my right arm, causing me to wince in agony. To my surprise, a voice, mechanical and foreign, resonated in my ears.

"Do not underestimate the Saint's use of White Latex. Remember that you come from the legendary Prima, and must harness the power of Black Latex to gain the upper hand," warned the Malware, its voice echoing through my mind. Gazing up at the massive swirl of Black and White Latex, I concentrated intensely and was able to manipulate the Black Latex to my advantage. Suddenly, a Black Latex spike surged up from the ground, aimed directly at the Saint. Though he managed to evade the attack by leaping backwards, I quickly broke free from the White Latex cocoon and tore off the Black Latex spike before sprinting towards my opponent with unwavering determination.

This is my message to my master.

In a moment of panic, the Saint made a gesture with his left paw and summoned a pack of White Latex wolves from the pool of viscous fluid at his feet. The wolves lunged towards me with ferocity, but I swiftly evaded their attack and sliced them in half with precision. As the mutilated creatures dissolved back into the pool of White Latex, I charged towards the Saint. He tried to conjure up more White Latex wolves with his left paw, but my swift reflexes allowed me to thwart his attempt. I summoned a pair of Black Latex tentacles with my own left paw, and they ensnared the Saint with ease, pinning him to the ground in a swift and decisive manner.

This is a fight you cannot win.

As the Saint lay pinned to the ground by my Black Latex tentacles, I took the opportunity to strike back with a brutal blow. I thrust the sharp Black Latex spike clutched in my paw into his own, eliciting a robotic pained groan from his voice box. Not wasting any time, I straddled his chest and began pummeling his visor with a series of powerful punches. Despite my efforts, the Saint slowly began to regain his composure, causing my strikes to become less effective. Suddenly, he seized his chance and freed himself from my grasp, pulling me towards him and unleashing a fierce kick that sent me hurtling towards the wall of the tower with bone-jarring force.

I think that past your great disasters,

As I landed and collided with the wall, waves of excruciating pain wracked my body and I couldn't help but cry out. My back throbbed and my abdomen burned with searing discomfort. Despite the agony, I fought to regain my composure and stand on my own two feet, pressing my back against the hard surface for support. Suddenly, a sharp, slender White Latex rod impaled my chest, causing me to convulse violently and spew out crimson blood. The warm liquid oozed from my mouth and dribbled down my visor. Acting on instinct, I hastily wiped away the bloody residue, inadvertently coating my right paw in the same sanguine fluid. Seizing the opportunity, I employed a practiced motion to manifest a blade from the red liquid soaking my paw.