One person still had a problem to deal with.
With Dravik gone—killed by that monstrous stage 6 frog—Gwen was basically next on the menu.
But she wasn't about to wait for it.
Her whip cracked first, slicing across the frog's face. The hit made it croak violently, spitting out half-digested remains. Its bulging eyes turned straight to her.
The frog's tongue shot out like a cannonball.
Gwen reacted fast. She swung her whip sideways, deflecting the tongue mid-air. It slammed into the ground beside her, leaving a deep smoking crater. Acidic spit hissed on the dirt, melting it instantly.
'No doubt about it. That tongue's laced with poison. If it doesn't kill me in one go, the venom will,' Gwen thought, her pulse hammering.
The frog yanked its tongue back, but Gwen wasn't letting it go that easy. Midway, she snapped her wrist again—her whip coiled around the slimy appendage.
The pull almost lifted her clean off her feet. Her boots dug deep into the ground as she held her stance, veins straining in her neck.
Her strength was nothing compared to a stage 6 beast. But her whip wasn't just leather—it was supernatural. A low hum built up along its length.
She'd activated the electric pulse.
The electric pulse jolted through the frog's tongue, making the beast twitch violently. It loosened its pull for just a split second—exactly what Gwen needed.
She seized the chance and yanked the whip with both hands, pulling the frog off balance. With a fierce twist, she swung it sideways.
The massive creature slammed into a nearby building, shattering stone and shaking dust loose from the walls.
Without hesitation, Gwen switched the whip's mode. Sparks flared as the coils heated, turning red-hot. The Cutting Whip mode was active.
She cracked it again. The searing tip burned deep into the frog's tongue, smoke hissing as flesh cooked. Gwen didn't stop there.
With one hand gripping the handle, she gathered her Qi into her free palm and swung—a sharp blade of energy shot out, slicing through the beast's tongue cleanly.
'That's more like it,' Gwen thought, pulling the whip back with a satisfied smirk.
The severed tongue flopped onto the ground in front of her, steaming and twitching.
The frog roared, its croak echoing through the ruined street. Black blood gushed from its mouth, the smell sharp and metallic.
Then—suddenly—it leapt.
Gwen's eyes widened. She dove and rolled to the side just as the beast crashed down.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the pavement, leaving a crater where she'd been standing. Gwen exhaled sharply, her heart pounding. If that thing had landed on her, she would've been paste.
But there was no time to breathe. The spikes on the frog's back began to tremble—then fired off in her direction like spears.
Three of them. All aimed straight for her.
Gwen flicked her wrist, the whip cracking through the air as she smacked the flying spikes aside. Each impact echoed like steel on bone.
But it wasn't over.
More spikes began to grow along the frog's back, pushing out wetly before launching again. The monster fired them off in volleys, the air slicing around Gwen as she spun her whip in defense, deflecting what she could.
Sparks and shards flew with every hit.
Then the frog lunged—massive, fast, and furious.
The ground quaked under its weight as it shot forward.
Gwen's eyes narrowed. Her hand moved instinctively.
Her figure blurred, vanishing from where she'd stood just as the beast crashed down, crushing the stone road beneath it. Dust exploded outward in a wave.
Reappearing at its flank, Gwen swung her whip with a sharp snap.
The strike connected.
A deep red mark burned across the frog's side, smoke rising from the impact. The creature croaked violently, twisting to face her again.
It leapt.
And this time, Gwen didn't dodge right away. She was studying it—the rhythm of its jumps, the way it recoiled after every hit.
'No regeneration…' she thought quickly. 'That means if I keep hammering the same spot, I can tear this thing open.'
The plan formed in seconds. Gwen dashed sideways, dodging another impact, then cracked her whip again. The weapon glowed faintly, the electric veins inside it pulsing with Qi.
She struck the same spot. Then again. And again.
Each hit drew darker blood, sizzling as it splashed across the broken ground. The frog's movements turned frantic, but Gwen didn't let up.
Her arms burned, her breath quickened, but she pressed harder.
Finally, with one last swing—CRACK!—the whip split open the wound.
A burst of thick, black blood gushed out, steaming as it hit the air.
Gwen didn't hesitate. She reached behind her and drew her Qi Cannon, the barrel humming as energy surged through it.
Gwen switched the whip's mode with a flick of her wrist, the metal coils sparking alive with blue arcs of electricity.
The frog roared and lunged straight at her.
But Gwen didn't dodge.
Instead, she sprinted forward—right beneath the beast as it sailed overhead. Her movements were sharp, reckless, calculated.
She swung her whip upward, letting it coil tightly around the frog's leg midair.
"Tie down!" Gwen shouted.
The whip responded instantly, tightening like a living serpent.
The moment the creature hit the ground, the whip's electric current flared—crackling, sizzling, pouring raw voltage through its body.
The frog convulsed violently, limbs twitching as smoke rose from its skin.
Gwen didn't waste the opening. She raised her Qi Cannon, aimed directly at the open wound she'd carved earlier, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
BOOM!
The blast tore through the air, shaking nearby walls. The shot struck home, widening the gash along the frog's side. Its blood—thick, black, and steaming—splattered across the ground, hissing as it met the dirt.
The beast screeched, writhing in agony, its body quivering under the strain.
But Gwen knew better. This wasn't enough to kill a Stage 6 monster.
Not yet.
She steadied her breathing and began channeling Qi again. Her cannon hummed louder, the barrel glowing faintly as energy gathered within.
The frog, sensing death creeping closer, struggled to rise. Its legs buckled once, then pushed harder. Slowly, it began to lift its massive frame.
"Not happening," Gwen muttered.
She gripped the whip and yanked it with all her strength, Reflecting her Qi through the weapon.
The whip pulsed—BOOM!—and the beast was hurled sideways, smashing through a line of abandoned cars and crumbling walls.
Metal bent. Stone shattered. Dust filled the air.
And Gwen stood her ground, cannon still charging, eyes locked on her target.
At that moment, her cannon was finally charged—its inner rings humming with raw energy.
Gwen darted forward, her boots cracking the broken asphalt beneath her feet.
The frog, still tangled by the electrified whip, turned its massive head toward her. Its throat bulged, the deep croak vibrating through the air. Then its mouth opened wide—dark, wet, and furious.
From inside, Gwen spotted movement. A new tongue?
The beast had already begun regenerating one.
She didn't stop. Not for a second.
The tongue shot out like a spear, fast and glistening with slime. Gwen kicked off the ground—
Her body arced high, twisting midair. The tongue snapped past her and slammed into the ground, shattering stone.
She aimed down.
"Eat this," she hissed.
BOOM!
The cannon fired, a blinding flash of blue qi exploding straight into the beast's mouth.
The detonation tore through its jaw—flesh and blood flying like shards of rain. The tongue was shredded instantly, its pieces sizzling from the blast's heat.
The frog let out a deafening cry as it collapsed. Its massive body slammed into the cracked street, dust rising like fog.
Gwen landed behind it, one knee hitting the ground before she pushed herself up. She flicked her wrist, and the whip uncoiled from the beast's leg with a hiss, snapping back into her hand.
She turned, watching. The frog's body twitched. Its cries grew weaker, fading into shallow, guttural groans. Each breath made its chest rise, then fall slower… slower…
Gwen narrowed her eyes. Not dead yet.
The beast's wounds glowed faintly—its body working overtime to heal. She knew the pattern well. Stage 6 beasts weren't invincible, but they didn't die easy. Even in agony, their qi would pull their life force inward, trying to knit flesh back together.
Still, this one was done for. Its regeneration wasn't that of a full mutant type, and even its stage couldn't save it from the cannon's direct hit.
"Try healing that," Gwen muttered under her breath, watching blood pool beneath its body.
Gwen knew she had to finish the beast off. One more shot. Just one.
But before she could act, a strange glow pulsed from beneath the frog's massive body.
The ground shimmered. Symbols burned into existence—a web of summoning runes lighting up in eerie blue.
Then came the pull.
A dark hole spiraled open right under the beast, sucking air, dust, and blood into its center.
Gwen skidded to a stop, eyes widening.
'Ah, damn it...' she thought.
The vortex deepened, and before she could even react, the giant frog was gone—swallowed whole by the dark portal.
"I forgot this thing was summoned," she muttered, dragging a hand down her face.
That was the problem with summoned beasts. No matter how hard you hit them, if they were linked to a summoner, they could always vanish before death—escaping right back to wherever they came from.
'There goes my stage six crystal,' she thought bitterly. 'And here I was already dreaming of upgrading my whip to its next stage.'
She sighed, flicking the blood off her whip as the last trace of the portal faded.
Then the sky flashed red.
The light was so sudden, so fierce, it painted the whole street in shades of fire. Gwen froze for half a breath before turning her gaze upward.
'Oh, hell no... Tamsin!'