"I'm eager to see how long your arrogance will last!"
In this swirling space of black and green, countless dark spikes emerged from every corner, attacking from all directions, including above and below.
"Boom!"
The relentless barrage of toxic thorns distorted and shattered just as they approached Zeke.
"Illusions?"
Zeke's gaze flickered while analyzing these attacks.
Generally, given Zeke's mental strength and computational power, illusions could not deceive him. However, Mobius had layered them with physical shells and applied invisibility techniques to a few genuine strikes—a cunning strategy. To the naked eye, the illusions appeared real, while the actual attacks were invisible.
"Whoosh!"
As Zeke analyzed the situation, a swirling mass of dense green mist suddenly coalesced beside him, revealing Mobius. With a sinister grin, his hand transformed into a jade-green spear and lunged forward.
However, it wasn't aimed at Zeke but at Mei.
"Hm?"
Zeke swiftly grabbed the green spear, frost creeping into his eyes.
Mobius sneered, his entire body melting like liquid and slipping effortlessly from Zeke's grasp.
Subsequently, more attacks emerged from all directions, converging on Mei.
Mei is Zeke's weakness, Mobius told himself firmly, convinced this was a rational decision rather than driven by intense resentment or even regret.
Why? Why can he protect her so easily, while I...
This fleeting thought intensified Mobius's agitation.
Energy blasts, physical spears, gene viruses, biochemical toxins, illusions... A barrage of diverse tactics overwhelmed Zeke momentarily, making him feel as if he had entered a spectacle where there was almost too much to take in.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
After a relentless series of explosive assaults, Mobius retreated into the shadows, watching Zeke brush away debris with involuntary seductive breaths escaping his lips.
As her agitated emotions from reminiscing gradually settled, Mobius reassessed her previous attacks and found no strategic errors. Zeke had already shed Sin's burden; for him now, it merely meant expanding his protective range slightly, which was negligible compared to his overall capabilities.
In terms of accumulated resources and recovery speed, Mobius couldn't compare with Zeke.
Her sole advantage lay in seizing the initiative and exploiting the favorable terrain. Thus, she needed swift and relentless assaults, aiming to rapidly exhaust him to gain time.
'Attack his weakest point; all I need is just a hint of vulnerability!'
Mobius took a deep breath, her blue eyes tinged with pink shimmering intensely—she began edging beyond reason, approaching a deeper state of Fall.
The pitch-black serpent scales reformed once more, assisting Mobius in further amplifying both Honkai Energy and her own enigmatic life energy.
"Zeke!!!" Mobius growled, directing the snake beast to thrust its lance forward.
"Boom!!!"
With a colossal explosion, the aftermath of clashing energies churned the surrounding dense, eerie green mist incessantly.
In a moment, Zeke held Sin with one arm while effortlessly grasping the tip of the snake beast's spear with his other hand. The razor-sharp, jet-black blade hovered near Sin's head but remained completely immobilized, unable to advance or retreat.
"Is it over?" Facing the motionless giant snake beast, as if time itself had halted, Zeke asked mildly.
Then he tightened his grip.
With a crack, the snake beast's lance—crafted from the pinnacle of biological materials, superior even to Soulium—broke at its tip under Zeke's strength. He casually tossed the broken piece aside.
Inside the snake beast, Mobius's pupils contracted, and the creature swiftly whipped its tail, retreating slightly.
"You've been refining some offensive tactics due to your inability to surpass genetic limitations within the Elysian Realm, haven't you? Quite flashy, at least visually impressive."
"You..."
"My patience and leniency have reached their end, Doctor," Zeke declared icily.
Manipulating Sin subtly was inconsequential; after all, Mobius still adhered to certain scientific principles. Aside from inducing her attacks on Zeke, he genuinely dedicated himself to enhancing and modifying her without any half-measures.
Even attempting to harm Zeke wasn't particularly concerning. Times had changed, and he now possessed greater tolerance. As long as someone proved useful, minor transgressions were deemed insignificant.
However, persistently refusing to relent and even resorting to threatening Sin as leverage against Zeke—Zeke was not particularly forgiving by nature; rather, he held grudges quite easily.
"Jingle!"
The Herrscher of Corruption's core began to tremble violently, the ringing sounds becoming increasingly rapid. Suddenly, the gemstone within the golden sphere vanished, and the crisp jingling ceased abruptly.
Mobius felt an eerie sensation, akin to a fish leaping onto land, its survival no longer in its control. A profound fear arose, as if the entire world had turned against her.
Her innate biological instincts continuously signaled warnings to Dr. Mobius.
"What have you done? This isn't the Herrscher of Corruption's power!"
"Dr. Mobius, everything in existence is merely the result of countless information interactions at the fundamental level of the world. Just like the World of Elysium, once I delve into its informational essence, all will dance to my command."
"Boom!"
In an instant, the sky cleared, revealing a radiant sun high above. It illuminated the floating divine temple below, casting it ablaze with fiery brilliance.
"Ahh!"
Mobius couldn't normally fear sunlight; she could effortlessly swim through lava.
However, exposed to sunlight, she reacted like a vampire—her snake-like form rapidly disintegrated and burned away.
"Ahhh!"
The once alluring figure's skin blistered under the scorching sun, large patches turning charred and peeling off. Writhing in agony, she lost her human shape entirely, becoming grotesquely terrifying.
"Boom!"
Mobius swiftly burrowed underground, escaping the sunlight, and emerged in a dark corner beneath the temple, panting heavily.
At that moment, Zeke spoke leisurely:
"Definition: Sunlight decomposes Mobius's genetic structure."
"Rumble!"
The temple began to tremble.
Hidden below, Mobius summoned her snake form again, thrusting a colossal spear through the temple's foundation directly towards Zeke's feet.
"Definition: Honkai Energy does not exist within Mobius," Zeke stated matter-of-factly.
Instantaneously, the massive spear poised to pierce the foundation vanished, along with Mobius's snake form. She plummeted helplessly towards the desert floor.
"Thud!!"
Her petite body crashed onto the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.
Zeke followed suit, descending after her.
Within the sandy pit, Mobius faced the direct sunlight once more, her body enduring renewed burning. The freshly healed skin quickly charred, cracked, and peeled off, a distressing sight.
"Ahhh!"
Mobius screamed, desperately digging with hands exposed to muscle and bone, swiftly burying herself to escape the sun's punitive rays.
Underground, Mobius' skin slowly regenerated again. In the darkness, she relied on senses like smell, hearing, and touch to pinpoint Zeke's location.
She didn't know what Zeke had done, but she realized there was no turning back; she must pursue victory with even greater madness and disregard for consequences.
A small mound rose in the sand, resembling a snake slithering beneath the loose yellow surface, rapidly approaching Zeke's feet.
"Define: Mobius cannot manipulate sand."
Instantly, the moving sand hill halted, trapping Mobius beneath it, immobilized.
"Define: Mobius requires sunlight as a survival medium."
Then, silently without any resistance, Mobius died due to the absence of sunlight needed for her life energy.
But this was not the end.
The Infinite Serpent never truly dies; instead, it perpetually cycles between life and death, endlessly repeating.
"Rumble!"
Beneath the sand, some movement stirred as the reborn Mobius prepared to shed her human form and enter the most frenzied phase of her rebirth, focused on harvesting life energy.
However, since she couldn't manipulate the sand, her shape remained confined to that of the young girl, unable to transform or move even slightly.
Once again, Mobius died—still due to the lack of sunlight's nourishment.
Then came resurrection, death, resurrection, death... Mobius continuously cycled through these stages, seemingly without end.