Lila immediately brought up her sidearm and opened fire on the morphus. Some bullets grazed its body, but most slammed into its chest, exploding on impact. Unsurprisingly, they dealt little to no damage to the mutant’s tough exterior. The bullets she fired chipped away at its armor, but otherwise caused no significant harm. Small arms didn’t seem to pose a threat to this creature at all, not even enchanted ones.
The morphus charged at her without bothering to dodge her shots. She aimed higher, hoping for a headshot. The first several bullets missed, with one grazing the side of its head. However, as the mutant closed in, it became easier to hit her target. The next bullet she fired struck the mutant squarely in the middle of its forehead.
It blew a small chunk of obsidian-like flesh out of its tough exterior, creating a small crater. The morphus didn’t seem concerned, continuing to sprint toward her and quickly closing the distance. Lila thought that if she hit one of its large eyes, perhaps it wouldn’t be able to shrug it off so easily. She adjusted her aim and squeezed the trigger once more.
However, the morphus didn’t seem eager to be hit in the head again, as it jerked its head aside, and the bullet passed by without making contact. Swearing under her breath, Lila squeezed the trigger again, but it emitted a dry click. Only then did she notice the slide was locked back. There was no time to reload her weapon, as the mutant was almost on top of her.
Just as the morphus made a grabbing motion with its hand, she employed her main ability, which had just cooled down, teleporting several yards behind the enemy. She quickly located her shortswords and dove for them. She immediately turned toward the morphus, who had already spun to face her and was moving in her direction.
Lila knew that running wasn’t an option, as there was no way to outrun the morphus. Her only choice was to fight. She might get killed, but it was definitely a better outcome than being dragged to the mutant’s lair.
The morphus lunged, trying to grab her once more, but her agility-enhancing power suit helped her avoid its claws again. That’s when she realized the mutant was not only unwilling to kill her but was actively trying not to harm her for some unknown reason. There was no time to contemplate what that might mean, but one thing was for sure: since the morphus was going easy on her, it was her chance to defeat it.
Lila swung one of her swords at the mutant, but the morphus easily sidestepped the blow. Undeterred, she swung her other blade, missing again but not letting it discourage her. She swiped at the enemy with her blades over and over again. The morphus was moving so annoyingly fast, successfully dodging every strike.
Lila was beginning to realize there was no way she could defeat the morphus on her own, even though it wasn’t fighting at full strength. Come to think of it, none of her now-dead teammates would have been able to kill the morphus without the help of the others. They had been meant to act as a cohesive unit. Their strength had lain in their unity and the diversity of their abilities. Only together could they have defeated the morphus. But now that she was all alone, there was no hope of killing the mutant.
Suddenly, one of her strikes landed, the blade sinking half an inch into the mutant’s left shoulder. For a brief moment, Lila and the morphus froze, both caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. However, her successful strike didn’t inflict any real damage on the mutant.
She tried to pull her sword back, but it was firmly embedded in the mutant’s hardened exterior. Suddenly, the mutant raised its right hand, prompting Lila to let go of her sword and leap back, unsure of her opponent’s intentions.
The morphus grasped the blade with its hand and effortlessly yanked it from its shoulder. Then, it snapped the sword in half with just its fingers. Fortunately, Lila still had her other sword. She then realized her ultimate ability was ready. She instantly activated it, teleporting behind her opponent.
She knew her next strike would be incredibly powerful. If only she were able to land it! She swung her sword at the mutant. Even though it couldn’t see her, it must have sensed her presence behind its back. Without glancing over its shoulder, the mutant dashed aside with incredible speed and agility.
Her sword skimmed across its back, creating a slash that oozed bluish mana. Still, she could see the wound was superficial and not life-threatening. If the mutant hadn’t been so annoyingly fast, the strike would have dealt with it right then and there.
The morphus spun toward her, and just as she swung her sword again, it intercepted her strike with its right hand. With a powerful yank, the mutant wrenched the sword from her grip and snapped it in half. Dropping the two halves of the blade, the mutant turned its attention back to her.
Lila knew she had lost the fight. She had no weapons, and if she tried to run, the morphus could easily catch up with her. Lila was scared out of her mind, but she wasn’t going to show it. She refused to give her enemy the satisfaction of hearing her beg to spare her life.
A quick death was all she wanted. She lifted her chin and said with defiance in her voice, “Okay, you win. Now kill me.”
The morphus didn’t make a single move, though. It continued to stare at her with its large, emotionless eyes. To her own surprise, Lila felt a surge of anger.
“What are you waiting for?” she cried out. “Let’s end this!”
The morphus shook its head, then gestured as if writing. It dawned on her what it sought.
“You want to say something to me?”
The morphus nodded in response.
Lila’s heart started to beat harder in excitement.
Perhaps she would be able to get out of this alive after all! But she immediately stifled her excitement. She still didn’t know what it wanted from her exactly, so she couldn’t allow her hopes to rise.
Lila reached behind her back to the small of her power suit, where her PDA was secured. Retrieving the device, she held it out to the morphus.