The most shameless alchemist in history

As Dure exposed that Winry was not the gentle and considerate young lady they were escorting, but rather a person disguised as black smoke, the surrounding scenery changed. They, who should have been in the woods, suddenly had their vision blurred, and when they could see their surroundings clearly, they had become a barren and desolate wilderness.

The black smoke still retained Winry's outline, and she drifted in the air, her form constantly changing. But this was not the most deadly thing. What was deadly was that dozens of black arrows spread out from her body and flew towards Durei, Kotetsu and his group. Every time a black arrow hit the ground, the ground began to crack!

"Don't think you can defeat us with such tricks. Impersonating Miss Winry is an unforgivable crime. You will pay for this heinous act. Watch me... What?" Leopard Tail advanced instead of retreating as the black arrows fell, preparing to parry them.

In fact, he was very confident about this, and it should have been a sure thing. But when he parried it, he found a problem. He should have easily defeated the black arrow, but he was unable to cut it. Instead, the black arrow pierced his left shoulder, and blood splattered out instantly.

"Leopard Tail, are you alright?" Bee Sting didn't choose to confront Black Arrow head-on. After nimbly dodging him, she saw Leopard Tail fall to the ground and immediately came over to check on him. Although she and Leopard Tail had many disagreements, they were, after all, comrades who had fought side by side many times.

"I'm fine. What happened? My strength... is so much weaker than I imagined?" Leopard Tail stood up unsteadily, clutching the wound on his left shoulder where blood was splattering. He shook his head to indicate that he was alright. He looked at his hand in disbelief, then at the black smoke.

"Hehehe, don't overestimate your strength. But you did a pretty good job dodging that attack. So what's next? Will you be able to dodge it again? Or are you going to be foolish enough to try and take my attack?" The black smoke laughed wildly.

Although she still wore Winry's appearance, her hideous and ugly smile made her look particularly terrifying.

"Be careful, don't confront her head-on!" Kotetsu solemnly warned. He had tried to fight the black smoke head-on for a moment, but he seemed to sense something just as the black arrow was about to hit him, and immediately chose to retreat, thus avoiding the same fate as Leopard Tail.

"What on earth is going on? Why is my power only one-third of what it was before? No, it should only be one-fifth. What happened?" Although Leopard Tail was very unwilling, he could only choose to retreat in the face of this situation.

After a head-on clash, he finally realized where his problem lay: his power was being severely restricted!

"Do you feel the same way?" While parrying the black arrow attack, Bee Sting retreated to Leopard Tail's side, echoing his words. Hearing Leopard Tail's words, she was not surprised at all, but rather felt a sense of empathy.

"Bee Sting, do you mean your power has also been weakened?" Leopard Tail originally thought it was just his problem, but now it seems that's not the case. At the same time, he looked at Kotetsu next to him. Kotetsu was the most powerful one in the guard team. Under normal circumstances, he could easily beat up Black Smoke.

On this point, Leopard Tail was quite confident in Kotetsu, but after a few exchanges, Kotetsu retreated unilaterally. His movements were much slower than usual, which gave Leopard Tail a bad feeling. That was, not only him and Bee Sting, but Kotetsu had also been caught off guard!

"It seems that all of our strength has been weakened, by more than half. Although I don't know how, fighting her head-on now is not a wise choice." Bee Sting was also surprised by the current situation, which was really unbelievable.

But she quickly adjusted her strategy and calmly dodged the oncoming black arrows.

"Hehehe, why did you all run away? This isn't fun at all. Did you think you could get away like this? Here, you're all sitting ducks, and none of you can escape." The black smoke remained in mid-air, looking down at everyone from above.

From her angle, she could clearly see where Kotetsu and Hyo-o were hiding. Dozens of black arrows were all connected to her dark, shadow-like body, speeding up and crashing towards the target like a storm, scattering rocks across the ground.

"Damn it, these black arrows are getting faster and faster, while we're getting slower and slower. We can't defeat her by just retreating like this. We have to think of a way... Bee Sting, you cover me, I'll find a chance to close the distance and attack her!" Leopard Tail was being chased by the black arrows and was exhausted.

He didn't want to be chased and beaten like this. With his rich combat experience, he had also found opportunities to turn the tide when he was at a disadvantage. But right now, he couldn't turn the tide of the battle by himself, so he sought help from Bee Sting.

"I understand. You only have one chance, so you must seize it!" Bee Sting knew Leopard Tail's characteristics. Leopard Tail was the type that either didn't make a move at all, or it would defeat the enemy with a single blow. In some ways, Leopard Tail's attack power was second to none in the guard team.

Even though the power of Leopard Tail has been weakened for some unknown reason, she still has faith in it.

"Huh? You've finally decided to confront me head-on? That'll make things more interesting. Let me take you down from the front. Only a complete crushing defeat can make you despair... Huh, what's going on?" Black Smoke noticed the unusual behavior of Leopard Tail and Bee Sting.

Driven by her confidence, she did not choose to defeat Leopard Tail and his group one by one, but instead waited for Leopard Tail to charge at her.

She originally thought she could easily block the leopard tail attack. She really enjoyed the feeling of completely destroying her opponent head-on. But in this situation, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Because its strength should have been severely weakened, with only less than one-fifth of its normal level, the leopard tail suddenly surged in power the moment it charged forward. Not only did it return to its normal level, but it even showed signs of being strengthened, which surprised the black smoke.

"Did you notice? But it's too late now, so pay the price for your carelessness, die!" Leopard Tail chuckled, and under the cover of the bee sting, he closed the distance, leaping high and extending his claws toward the black smoke.

He was confident that this strike would completely destroy the black smoke!

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393. Mentally confused

The reason why Leopard Tail looks down on people like Du Lei who sneaked into the guard team is because of his unparalleled confidence. He got into the guard team with his real skills, which is not only reflected in his nine-star steel-rank strength, but also in the fact that there were people with higher ranks than him when they were recruiting.

Yet he still managed to surpass everyone else and stand out from the crowd. This was because he had a hidden skill that could be put to great use at crucial moments. He had used this skill to defeat people who were more powerful than him countless times when he was in dire straits.

Facing the black smoke, this was undoubtedly a situation of going against the tide. Du Lei, who had been observing the battle from the sidelines, saw Leopard Tail going against the current and confronting the black smoke head-on. This startled Du Lei, because he knew very well that even subtle changes in the battle could lead to the collapse of the entire situation!

"Don't be impulsive...wait, what's going on? Leopard Tail's power was clearly weakened, yet...he injured her?" Du Lei originally wanted to remind Leopard Tail not to act rashly, and he was prepared to rush over to support Leopard Tail to prevent him from being completely defeated.

However, things didn't go as Du Lei expected. The leopard tail, which he thought would be blown away by the black arrows, actually used its sharp iron claws to shatter several black arrows in succession. It pounced towards the black smoke with unstoppable momentum, closing the distance almost instantly and aiming straight for her vitals.

"This is Leopard Tail's signature move. He can concentrate all his magical energy into his iron claws and unleash it in a short time, dispelling all his negative status effects and delivering a double blow. Countless people have already fallen victim to him before this," explained Kotetsu beside him.

Of course, Kotetsu didn't become a commentator. He hovered around the battlefield, ready to attack the black smoke at any time. However, he didn't feel relieved by the successful attack of the leopard tail. Instead, Dure saw unease in him, which puzzled Dure.

"Is that how it is? Doesn't that give us a better chance of winning?" Du Lei saw Leopard Tail reverse the situation and launch a fierce counterattack against the black smoke. The black smoke controlled more than a dozen black arrows to shoot out, trying to hinder Leopard Tail's advance, but they were all defeated by Leopard Tail, which was advancing triumphantly.

“If the opponent were someone else, there might indeed be a chance of winning, but the opponent is…” Kotetsu shook his head, with deep worry.

"What's wrong with the opponent?" Du Lei didn't understand why Kotetsu would react this way; it went against common sense.

"The opponent is using Winry's face, and Leopard Tail won't be able to make a move at the crucial moment." Kotetsu knows his team members too well. Whether it's Leopard Tail or Bee Sting, a captain is someone who knows his team members inside and out and can bring out their strengths based on their specialties.

"What?" Du Lei was taken aback, not expecting such an answer, and stared blankly at the battle not far away.

But at least for now, Leopard Tail still has the upper hand. He is killing Black Smoke and forcing him to retreat step by step. His fierce claw strikes easily dismember the thick tree trunks. The broken trees crash down, raising clouds of dust. Black Smoke, who was originally high above, is now in a very sorry state.

"Kid, not bad, you actually have such skills. But... hehehehe, so that's how it is? I understand now. As expected, you deliberately avoided fatal wounds. Mr. Leopard Tail, are you really going to kill me? I am Winry." Black Smoke suddenly realized something.

She noticed that although Leopard Tail was fierce, his eyes always flickered and hesitated for a moment when he faced her head-on. She keenly caught this and immediately transformed into Winry's full form. She put away her black smoke body and landed on the ground on her feet.

At this moment, Leopard Tail was already swinging his iron claws, only inches away from her throat. However, faced with Wenli's pitiful appearance, he hesitated. Even though he only needed to move his iron claws forward an inch to defeat Black Smoke and turn the tide, he simply did not do so!

“Miss Winry? This…” Leopard Tail stood there, somewhat at a loss.

"Leopard Tail, what are you standing there for? That's fake, she's not the real Winry. Hurry up and finish her off, don't hesitate, hurry up!" Bee Sting, who had been supporting him, was getting anxious when she saw Leopard Tail's behavior and urged him loudly.

She tried to rush over and get rid of the black smoke for Leopard Tail, but black arrows attacked her fiercely, suppressing her and making it impossible for her to get close. Not far away, Kotetsu encountered the same situation. It was their restraint that gave Leopard Tail the opportunity to get close.

"No, you are not Miss Winry. Don't try to fool me like this. As long as I kill you, Miss Winry will come back..." Leopard Tail shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He raised his iron claws again, ready to attack.

"Yes, it's me, Mr. Leopard Tail. Don't you recognize me? I was just kidnapped. I was so scared. I've been waiting for you to come and save me. Your image is all I can think about. Now I've finally seen you. It's so wonderful to see you. It makes me feel so safe."

The fake Winry in front of Leopard Tail spoke pitifully, with black smoke drifting in the air, making the scene distorted and unreal.

"You...you really are Miss Winry? I'm so sorry, Miss Winry, it was all my negligence that frightened you. Please rest assured, I...I'll bring you back to life right now." After a brief moment of bewilderment, Leopard Tail began to feel somewhat guilty.

He gradually lowered his iron claws, walked towards the fake Winry, and reached out to help her up.

"Leopard Tail, Leopard Tail! Oh no, we're shrouded in black mist ahead, we can't see anything. What's wrong with that guy? Has he lost his mind?" Bee Sting shouted Leopard Tail's name, but the latter remained unmoved, and his vision was gradually being taken away by the mist.

“It’s alright, it’s really alright. It’s so good to see you again, Mr. Leopard Tail. I’m so cold, please come a little closer, come a little closer…” In the misty black fog, the pitiful Wenli gestured for Leopard Tail to come closer.

The latter stared blankly, seemingly unaware that he had been bewitched.

“Miss Wenli, please wait a moment. I’m coming right now and I’ll get you out of here. I promise you, I will never let you go through something like this again.” Leopard Tail approached Wenli, and the two were less than two meters apart.

"Mr. Leopard Tail, it's so good to have you here. Come a little closer, a little closer, that's right, just like that, so I can kill you!" The originally pitiful "Winley" suddenly changed her expression, raising dozens of black arrows with her most ferocious and twisted face.

She had already silently laid a deadly trap in Leopard Tail's lair. The black mist that enveloped them transformed into countless black arrows, forming a cage with numerous poisonous spikes, aiming to kill Leopard Tail, who was imprisoned within, on the spot!

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394 In Hell

At this moment, Bee Sting and Kotetsu, who were being entangled by the black arrow, watched helplessly as the opportunity slipped away from Hyo-o's grasp. He could have clearly killed Black Smoke cleanly and efficiently, but because Black Smoke transformed into Winry, Hyo-o couldn't bring himself to do it, causing the chance to turn the tide to vanish in an instant.

The price of losing the opportunity for Leopard Tail is not only losing the situation, but also losing his own life. Hundreds of black arrows form a cage, trying to strangle him in the boundless darkness. Although Tiger Che, Bee Sting, and Ape Arm are anxious, they have no time to care about anything else. It is clear that the black arrows are about to pierce Leopard Tail's chest!

"Hehehe, you couldn't bring yourself to do it because you acted like you cared about someone, letting a great opportunity slip through your fingers and costing you your life. You're such a fool. Although your performance just now was surprising, it's all over now."

Black Smoke stood atop the cage, looking down at Leopard Tail and mocking the guy who had almost caused her trouble. She also noticed that Leopard Tail's magical energy was rapidly receding. Although Leopard Tail's power had not only fully recovered but had also increased significantly in a short period of time, it was ultimately limited.

Once this time limit is exceeded, he will suffer severe side effects. Not to mention being strangled by the black arrow, even an ordinary person could easily take him down. He collapsed to the ground, powerless, and could only wait for the judgment of fate to come, to be completely buried in this desolate wilderness.

"Is it over? Not necessarily." Just when everyone thought the tide had turned and victory would surely be in Black Smoke's hands, someone said casually. His voice was soft and not loud, but it did reach everyone's ears.

In the dim light, you can see a boy not far to the right opening the large crossbow on his back. He had already loaded the crossbow with bolts at some point. He aimed at the black smoke and, taking it by surprise, decisively pulled the trigger. The bolt flew past with a whoosh of wind!

"Who is it? Pfft... It's you?" Just as Black Smoke was about to kill Leopard Tail, an arrow pierced his abdomen.

She fell from a great height, her body enveloped in a cloud of smoke. She struggled to her feet and scrutinized the man who had fired the crossbow bolt.

"Du Lei? What's going on? You actually... succeeded?" Bee Sting looked at this scene in astonishment; she had thought Leopard Tail was doomed.

Although she didn't look down on Dure like Leopard Tail did, she didn't expect the kid to make any contributions. He had already exceeded expectations by being able to see through the illusion and recognize that Winry was in disguise. She didn't expect him to pull this stunt at this time.

What shocked Bee Sting even more was that the black smoke, which they had tried their best to deal with but failed, fell to the ground like a kite with a broken string after being hit by Du Lei's arrow. Judging from its appearance, the black smoke had obviously suffered injuries.

"Go check on Leopard Tail first," Tiger Cutter scolded Bee Sting, who immediately ran towards Leopard Tail.

With the black smoke taking that arrow, the black arrows that had formed a cage and were trying to strangle the leopard's tail all collapsed. The black arrows that were fighting with Hu Che and the others also retreated. It was clear that the black smoke had suffered a heavy blow and was no longer able to control the black arrows. The situation had tilted again.

"Understood, Leopard Tail. Hey, wake up, are you alright?" Bee Sting knew that curiosity was secondary in the current situation; solving the immediate problem was the top priority. She struggled to help Leopard Tail up. The latter's body was limp, and it took several seconds before she slowly opened her eyes.

"Where is Miss Winry? How is she?" Leopard Tail struggled to lift his head and looked around, trying to find Winry's whereabouts.

“Miss Wenli, she…she’s alright. You should rest for a bit. Don’t worry about her.” Wenli helped Leopard Tail to the side.

Not far away, Hu Che and Du Lei walked towards the black smoke. The latter kept retreating, and the smoke around her changed different shapes to intimidate them, trying to force the two men back. She looked extremely fierce, but this could not frighten the two men, who pressed forward step by step.

“You’ve already lost. Where is Miss Winry now?” Dure stopped in front of the black smoke, still holding the crossbow in his hand.

"No, this is impossible. How could I lose to someone like you? This area is all within my barrier. Anyone who enters the barrier has their abilities greatly weakened, so none of them are my match. You should have been weakened too, this is impossible..."

Black Smoke kept shaking her head, unable to believe that she had failed like this, especially by the opponent she despised the most.

“Now that it’s happened, there’s no such thing as impossible. Tell me where Miss Winry is. I won’t be fooled by your false illusions, or I can’t guarantee you won’t suffer any better fate.” Dure’s only concern now was Winry’s whereabouts.

Since the Winry they had seen before was just a transformation of the black smoke in front of them, the real Winry must still be hiding somewhere.

"Fine, if I tell you where that woman is, you'll let me go, right?" Black Smoke was already starting to show weakness.

"Yes, Miss Winry is indeed..." Kotetsu nodded in agreement, as he had the authority to do so as the captain of the guard.

"Come closer, and I'll tell you, she's right here... in hell! Hahahaha." After closing the distance between himself and Du Lei and Hu Che, the black smoke suddenly released a large amount of smoke, which enveloped the two men. Du Lei and Hu Che sensed something was wrong and immediately waved their hands to disperse it.

But when they finally cleared away the smoke and looked ahead, there was nothing there, only the laughter of the black smoke.

"Damn it, did she escape? I was so careless." Du Lei chased after her for a few steps, but couldn't find any trace of the black smoke, which made him very annoyed.

“Don’t blame yourself. If it weren’t for you, we would have been in a very bad situation just now. Let’s go back and check on Leopard Tail. Miss Winry is definitely safe now.” Kotetsu waved his hand, indicating that Dure should go back and rest for the time being.

After the series of events that had just transpired, even he felt a deep sense of exhaustion.

“Leopard Tail, don’t worry too much. Miss Winry will definitely be alright. She’s probably still hiding on this mountain.” Another voice reassured him sarcastically.

"I'm fine. That damned guy dared to impersonate Miss Winry to deceive me. It's unforgivable..." Leopard Tail coughed. He was no longer the spirited guy he used to be and looked very weak.

But his listless expression was secondary; the deep sense of disappointment lingered on his face.

For a fleeting moment, he mistakenly thought, "How wonderful it would be if that really was Miss Winry..."

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