Molting the Mortal Coil

Chapter 912: Off Guard

The whole base went on full alert, trying to track down the killer that had just struck down two of their highest leaders. Though this distinction was not as stark as other places given that only about a hundred people had free will. Even so, this was still many more than most of the other bases of the Yi Yang Group. While they were a somewhat large organization with many personnel it was quite misleading as the majority of them were just mind controlled drones. Groups of the troops were scouring every inch of the base. Very quickly they found the trail of bodies that had been left in the killers wake, but the importance of who had been killed didnt have the chance to be analyzed by those in charge.

That unseen killer had never left at all.

After having their lives targeted they were obviously at high alert and on edge. Healing Pills were rapidly fed to the injured attendant, but a strange poison defied their attempts at removal. The most they could do was to halt the spread through her body. The room was flooded with guards as they were rightly concerned with the killer only faking an escape. After a few minutes the most tense period passed, but that was plenty of time for the hitman whod never left the room to move into position above the cloaked man who had been the most vigilant earlier. The poor fellow was singled out from the other two, but perhaps it could be considered a mercy. Unlike the two women, the man died instantly just as he started to feel relaxed once again.

The cloaked woman and her attendant had to suffer quite a bit more. Just as they started to feel relieved, slowing the poison and starting to feel that their enemy had truly left, they were horrified to see a torrent of blood suddenly spill from beneath the chin of their companion. They couldnt see the blade stabbing through the crown of his skull and jutting out under his chin. All they could see was the rush of blood when that blade was twisted and then pulled free, clearing the way for a rush of gore to spill out. It was also the moment when the terror that had just left them returned in full force. They had to face off against the invisible killer once more. Worse yet, this killer came at them head on.

Having already ambushed them twice, the killer wasnt going to rely on the same trick again. Instead the vague outline of a person rushed directly towards the pair, lowering their center of gravity down towards the ground and pushing their way between the guards. Muscling aside two shield wielding guards, the unseen person entered the core of the group of defenders. This meant theyd already passed the most powerful defense of the guards, but the close quarters would greatly reduce the effectiveness of their invisibility. If they could get a physical hold upon this foe, then there would no longer be a meaning to remaining unseen.

Unfortunately, they had no idea who they were really facing off against. The cloaked womans eyes glowed, relaying a command to the guards surrounding their foe. Those nearby guards threw down their weapons and dove upon the hidden killer, grabbing hold of them and locking their limbs, using their own bodies as shackles to pin the enemy down. Other guards carrying spears arranged themselves, moving rapidly so they could finish off the now trapped enemy. The trapped enemy had no intention of receiving a body full of spears and those trying to hold them down were helpless against the sudden change in size and shape of their foe.

The previously hidden enemy suddenly appeared. A glowing symbol appeared on the forehead of a woman whose body was rapidly shifting colors. Once that mess of color didnt perfectly match her surroundings it stopped hiding her and instead made her more obvious. She only appeared for a short moment before her body suddenly changed. The Human Seal was released and the body of a truck-sized Mantis took her place. The coloration of its body was shifting and swirling, yet not fast enough to keep up with her sudden movement. Most of the guards lost hold of her from the mere change in shape and size, but a few still clung to the thin part of her long spindly limbs. She rushed forward pushing through a few spear-wielding guards and reaching the core of their formation where the cloaked woman and her attendant were located. The huge insects two forelimbs shot forward with lightning speed and clamped around the cloaked womans body. The blade-like hand snapped tight against its forearm, pinning the womans arms to her sides and lifting her up into the air.

A few spears and sabers clanged against the huge mantids back and legs, but those sounds were drowned out by a loud crunch. The mandibles of the huge mantis ground together, mashing the flesh and bone between them into a horrifying mess. Half of the cloaked womans face was gone along with the skull it was attached to. On the plus side there was only one witness to this nightmarish spectacle, the poisoned woman screaming soundlessly, frozen in terror where she was laying upon the ground. She was just too close to this monster that those primal instincts urged her to freeze in the hopes she would be overlooked. She was already struggling to keep the poison in her body contained, and if she tried to flee it might only draw more attention to her.

She turned out to be right as the giant mantis didnt care about her at all. Unfortunately, she was instead forced to be front row to the horror show of watching an immense insect slowly chew up the head of her former friend and commander. The guards weapons clashed against the bugs body, each strike only leaving a shallow mark on its hard carapace. Once the gruesome deed was done and all four of the cloak wearing commanders of this base were eliminated the mantis charged through the remaining guards in the room. It charged down the hall, ramming its way through the mass of troops rushing to provide reinforcement. Blood finally started to spill down its hide from the wounds it accumulated along the way, but as soon as it made its way to the outer door of the building it leapt into the air. A huge set of wings unfurled and it took flight. Somehow it made no noise this whole time even with its rapidly flapping wings, only the sound of moving air giving it away. Once it reached a few hundred feet in the air it disappeared once again, the chameleon-like nature finally able to work more flawlessly at great distance. The motion of its wings and injured body weakened its stealth ability, but once it was far enough away it was enough to hide it once more.

The bows of the Yi Yang Group could only do so much to the huge insect before it flew out of range. The assassination of their highest leaders put the whole place into disarray. This was especially the case when those still remaining found out the killer came back a second time to finish the job. When they went to contact their higher-ups it was even more confusing to hear all the Messaging Jades filled with cries for help. This location was only just below the Yi Yang Group headquarters and acted as a command and dispatch area. With the loss of communications at this key point as well as the loss of these high level commanders how could they react properly to the Lang Clans simultaneous strikes upon so many locations. The key link between the hidden bases and the public bases was severed at the most opportune moment.