Near the giant ship. The battle between Yang Yi and the Brain Eater continued, though the commotion gradually subsided, giving way to an eerie calm.
Initially, Yang Yi’s reckless "injury-for-injury" tactics caused significant trouble for the Brain Eater.
But as he lost control of his body bit by bit, he could no longer resist.
Only his right leg remained under his control. Lying on the ground, he was utterly helpless.
He deeply regretted not practicing high kicks earlier — otherwise, he might’ve blown the monster’s head off his shoulder! (1)
On the other hand, the Brain Eater wasn’t in great shape either. After taking a severe beating from Yang Yi, her face was swollen like a pig’s.
"If you’d behaved earlier, you wouldn’t be in this mess!" she spat, though her words slurred due to several missing teeth — courtesy of Yang Yi’s punches.
Both her eyes were swollen, resembling ripe peaches, making it impossible for her to open them.
Yet, she was the undeniable victor.
Though she looked worse than Yang Yi, the fact remained — she had won.
"What’s with that look?" the Brain Eater sneered, annoyed by Yang Yi’s defiant glare.
Yang Yi turned his head slightly, staring at her with his two vastly different eyes which brimmed with malice.
In truth, Yang Yi was bluffing.
He couldn’t see a thing because his vision had gone dark.
The time limit on his three-eyed mode had expired, and his brain had shut off visual signal transmission again.
Yet, he didn’t want the Brain Eater to know he was blind.
So, he glared fiercely, feigning sight while fresh blood trickled from his nostrils, making him appear even more menacing.
Seconds ticked by.
Yang Yi could feel a tendril sliding along the back of his neck, creeping down his spine, aiming to burrow into his brain.
Oddly, it didn’t hurt — in fact, it felt strangely pleasant, almost as if he welcomed it.
It was likely the effect of the Brain Eater’s secretions, designed to erode the host’s resistance.
In less than a minute — maybe even sooner — that tendril would pierce his brain.
At that point, whether it seized control, destroyed, or consumed his brain, the outcome would be irreversible.
And from what the Brain Eater hinted, she didn’t plan to kill Yang Yi. Instead, she intended to imprison him in a meticulously crafted dream, trapping him in eternal bliss cut off from reality.
"You’re surprisingly resilient," she mused smugly. "That other woman lasted barely ten seconds!"
It was unclear whether she was praising or mocking him, but her tone was condescending.
"You think you’ve won?" Yang Yi retorted coldly.
"Of course! What, you think you can still turn the tables?"
Yang Yi didn’t bother explaining. Deep within, a daring plan began to take shape — he would use magic.
First up: Limb Restoration Spell!
The target? The Brain Eater herself.
Anyone well-versed would understand that every creature is composed of three parts: the core, the vessel, and the limbs.
The core is the seat of consciousness, typically the brain for humans.
The vessel refers to the body, which connects and houses the core and limbs.
The limbs encompass everything else — organs, appendages, and yes, even another’s head.
So, Yang Yi could use the Limb Restoration Spell to attach the Brain Eater directly to his shoulder!
Just like in the nightmare!
It seemed that not all nightmares were bad omens. Sometimes, they could reveal a way out.
Resolute, Yang Yi’s expression turned maniacal as he grinned and sneered:
"You want my body, right? Then let’s make our bond even more...complete!"
"What?"
The crazed look on Yang Yi’s face filled the Brain Eater with dread.
In the next moment, the Limb Restoration Spell activated.
Since Yang Yi had fully studied the Book of Spider Limbs, he didn’t need any incantation to cast it.
Strange symbols began to glow on Yang Yi’s right shoulder — markings he had seen in the book.
The symbols quickly spread, crawling onto the Brain Eater’s cheeks.
"W-what is this?"
The Brain Eater was terrified and tried to flee, but she couldn’t!
In trapping Yang Yi, she had also inadvertently trapped herself.
Her tendrils were already deeply embedded in Yang Yi’s body, making escape impossible in such a short time.
Besides, she didn’t want to ruin her precious "experiment."
Helpless, the Brain Eater could only watch as the spell took effect.
The glowing symbols began to transform, sprouting tiny legs and turning into small spiders.
They worked together, spinning silk like tailors, slowly stitching the Brain Eater’s head onto Yang Yi’s shoulder.
Even the chainmail between them was dismantled by the spiders.
Seconds later, the symbols disappeared.
The Brain Eater’s head became fully fused with Yang Yi’s shoulder — blood and flesh intertwined, making separation impossible.
At the same time, Yang Yi gained control over the Brain Eater’s body, including her tendrils.
A new battle began!
To her shock, the Brain Eater realised her tendrils were no longer under her control. It was as if they had developed a will of their own!
In reality, Yang Yi was the one manipulating them.
The two started vying for control over the tendrils, each gaining and losing ground.
"What did you do?!"
For the first time, panic appeared on the Brain Eater’s face as she experienced what it felt like to be controlled.
The tendrils left outside her body had gone rogue, lashing back, and leaving deep purple whip marks on the Brain Eater herself.
The silent battle between the two continued, though to an outsider, it might look incomprehensible.
Only they knew the true danger within.
Minutes later, Yang Yi began to fall behind again — fatigue setting in.
He realised his nerve reflexes, or perhaps his thought speed, couldn’t keep up with the Brain Eater.
As she regained her composure, Yang Yi found himself losing more ground, his control dwindling.
The tendril at the back of his neck resumed its advance.
“Damn it! If I had more magic essence, I’d use Limb Explosion and blow us both up!” Yang Yi cursed inwardly.
His thoughts, carried through neural signals, reached the Brain Eater.
"Limb Explosion? Are you a cultist of the Limb Spider Sect?!" she snapped.
The Limb Spider Sect was an infamous secret cult that worshipped the deity known as the Mother of Spiders.
Its followers were obsessed with limbs, grafting all sorts of grotesque appendages onto themselves, turning into unrecognisable monstrosities. They claimed it was "evolution" or "transcendence."
The Brain Eater had heard of the cult but never expected to encounter one of its members here.
Fortunately, she was confident in her superior skills.
She would win.
He was out of magic essence — there was no way he could use Limb Explosion.
But Yang Yi’s next thought chilled her to the core.
“Damn it! I really can’t hold on! If worse comes to worst…”
"Worse comes to worst?"
"If worse comes to worst, I’ll have no choice but to invoke the Summoning Ritual of the Mother...and offer this monster to her!"
“You’re insane!!!!”
That thought struck terror into the Brain Eater’s very soul.