So to speak, it is 'Gyo' with the power of 'Ko'. It was possible precisely because of the state of 'Stack', which draws offensive and defensive power from the Main Body. It was a rough technique finally completed by overlapping the elements of the constitution that can repair wounds with Quinn's aura and the simultaneous exercise of techniques via 'Thought Calculation (Multitask)'.
The right arm swung at maximum speed can no longer be captured even by my own eyes. On that right hand, the Main Body solidifies defense with a full-power 'Ken' to prepare for impact. Furthermore, centrifugal force was added to the punch swung from the side in an arc, matching the rotation of the shoulder, waist, and toes.
--Stack Ko: Right Hook!
A red trajectory describing a curve flashed. Quinn's fist pierced into the steel shell that seemed impossible to be chitin, and a high-pitched sound like striking a bell echoed.
No exaggeration, it is a blow with my whole soul. Taking that, the enemy's armor got off with damage to the extent of cracking. Conversely, Quinn's right arm is twisted and bent to the point where the position of the joints is unknown. The Main Body, which had solidified its defense, also had its internal organs shaken and ended up in a state like a mild concussion.
There was a tactile response enough to make me think that if it were a forest insect, this single blow would have damaged even its internal organs. What hardness. This is the defense power of crustaceans.
However, even if only slightly, I was able to put a crack in that armor.
'Cyst Shot!'
From the pierced right arm, the Main Body fired a bullet toward the interior of the wound. The two-stage attack devours the enemy's defense. The embedded seed sprouts within the enemy's body, fattens, and blooms. The iron wall of armor that protects the body from external enemies embraces the expanding pathogen inside, turning into a cage with no escape and tormenting the owner.
Or so it seemed. In front of me, convinced of victory, the left cheliped into which I had shot the bullet fell off with a plop. Only the claw is separated from the body.
It is autotomy. It refers to the behavior where an organism voluntarily separates a part of its body, like a lizard cutting its tail to escape while attracting the enemy's attention. Many crustaceans also perform autotomy.
The enemy sensed the abnormality of the left cheliped that received the attack and immediately cut it off. Bad, the Cyst Shot I went to the trouble of shooting was wasted. I didn't expect the infection outbreak to be prevented by such means.
The enemy, which had been staying in that spot until then, moves greatly. It stood up from its hunkered posture and began to move its legs busily. Each step is the movement of a pillar kicking up sand. I dodge with steps so as not to be trampled.
Watching that state, I understood. The enemy is trying to run. Autotomy is a self-defense measure mainly performed by organisms attacked by natural enemies to increase the probability of escape. The action of autotomy itself expressed a loss of will to fight. This crab is feeling a threat from Quinn, who launched an incomprehensible attack.
Will I let it get away?
If the enemy had cut off its arm and still had the intention to continue fighting, the outcome of the match would have been unknown. It would have been a difficult battle for me. That is the best move for it.
However, at the point it entered into an escape, the victory or defeat was decided. The enemy is equivalent to having thrown away its own advantage. No matter the difference in ability, a strong one without the will to fight has their feet swept out from under them easily.
Eat or be eaten; that relationship is surprisingly ambiguous, and momentary reversals are commonplace.
Quinn, clinging to the enemy, fired 'Cyst Shots' from the Main Body. They land on the cut surface of the autotomized left cheliped. Toxins invade from the exposed meat part without armor, and the crab stopped moving.
It was quite strong. Despite saying things like 'Could it be that this crab isn't that strong?', I was almost killed normally.
If I may make an excuse, if looking at strength itself, there are any number of guys who are more dangerous. The compatibility was bad. The 'Cyst Shot', which can pour in poison if it bites into flesh even a little, is a powerful weapon that can defeat even superior enemies at times. However, it is hard to use against an opponent whose whole body is solidified with armor like this.
For that reason, I had devised the combo of shooting a bullet from Stack Ko. I had the speculation that this enemy was just right as a practice partner for that, so I tried colliding from the front, but I was made to realize that there are still points that must be improved for full-scale practical application. As expected, there are many things one does not understand without trying in actual combat.
Thus, the battle with the crab just now was greatly useful for the verification of techniques. However, there is just one inexplicable point. The situation when we first encountered it.
First, I felt an unnatural tinnitus and performed enemy detection with 'Resonance'. Immediately after judging there was no abnormality with that, the enemy suddenly appeared right in front of my eyes. It was a sudden entrance as if it had been there from the beginning. No matter how good it might be at Zetsu, there is no way I would overlook an object that conspicuous at that distance.
'Resonance' is a technique that requires high mental concentration, and I cannot keep using it frequently like 'Gyo'. However, the accuracy of that detection is the highest among the techniques I possess, and there has never been a case where I overlooked an enemy after using this.
If limited to that single point of stealth, it can be said that the crab was undoubtedly a Calamity-class threat. It had that much absurdity. If I had let such a thing live and escape, I wouldn't be able to explore around here with peace of mind in the future. In that sense, it was a stroke of luck that I could kill it.
However, the doubt remains. If it could perform that hiding which seemed to erase recognition itself, there was no need to purposely reveal its form before me and then shift to attack. If it had attacked while I was unaware, I would likely have been done in without being able to do anything.
Something sticks in my mind. How was it acting at the time it revealed its form? Was there anything suspicious?
Thinking about it didn't produce an answer. Just in case, taking safety into account, I walk at a point distanced from the previous place. I pay attention more than usual and diligently perform detection with 'Resonance' as well. Precision drops if I use it too much in the short term, but it can't be helped.
Enduring a worsening headache, I massage my temples while walking on the sandy beach. When I crossed an exceptionally large sand dune, I saw the blue ocean beyond it.