Bai Ye did not know if Kermit believed him, nor did it matter anymore.
For after giving Bai Ye a resentful glance, Kermit fell to the ground, his breath immediately ceasing.
Pig-headed Emperor stood stunned, his cleaver in hand, then without hesitation, he grabbed Kermit's corpse and began to tear at it ferociously.
And then...
An incomparably terrifying aura erupted from Pig-headed Emperor's body.
This guy had evolved into the Pig-headed Demon King.
Bai Ye was too lazy to scan it with his bio-scanner computer system. The attribute boost was visible to the naked eye. Bai Ye absolutely could not defeat him, or rather, no summoned one present could.
This was a foe for Rimuru!
Over at Li Jia Yi's side, he laughed heartily at Bai Ye, "It seems I've won this round. But don't be too upset. You let me win two rounds earlier, so it's only fair that I win one back now!"
Li Jia Yi made no effort to hide his smugness. Bai Ye had disrupted the Death Amusement Park, and he'd run into him during the Twelve Great Battles and lost...
Li Jia Yi had been stifled!
Now, finally, it was his turn to disrupt Bai Ye. He felt nothing but joy!
"Die for me!"
Bai Ye's teeth itched with anger, and he directly punched towards Li Jia Yi.
Vast quantities of venom condensed at Bai Ye's fist, transforming into a venomous dragon that soared, lunging at Li Jia Yi with bared fangs and outstretched claws.
Li Jia Yi decisively leaped backward, evading the venomous dragon's attack, and casually tossed out a nearly transparent silken veil.
As the veil appeared, it transformed into gray smoke, swirling around Li Jia Yi's body.
"Let's end it here today," Li Jia Yi said with a smile. "I look forward to our next meeting."
The smoke coiling around Li Jia Yi intensified, completely enveloping his body before he vanished within it.
Bai Ye did not pursue.
Though Li Jia Yi was strong, he had not displayed the potential that Jin Xiang Chuan had after obtaining the King's Scepter.
Of course, facing an enemy with whom he had a feud, Bai Ye would choose to eliminate him if he could. However, Li Jia Yi was cunning and seemed to have many means of self-preservation.
There was the substitute puppet earlier, and now, using some unknown method, he had vanished without a trace. Killing him clearly wouldn't be easy.
As Bai Ye mused, he withdrew his gaze from where Li Jia Yi had disappeared and turned his attention to the battle between Rimuru and Pig-headed Emperor.
The surrounding pig-headed men and Rimuru's subordinates had ceased their actions.
This was now a duel between kings!
Even the summoned ones had no room to participate. Their task was to wait for the conclusion of the battle between Rimuru and Pig-headed Emperor, at which point this hidden mission would officially come to a close.
And Bai Ye's current mood...
Was: I just want to cry, I just want to cry, I just want to cry...
The mission had gone astray again!
And not only had the mission gone astray, but of the rewards for Hidden Mission Three, besides the God Stone Shards, the other two rewards were "Hungry" and "Demonic Qi"!
Bai Ye could see it all now!
"Hungry" was an ability belonging to Pig-headed Emperor. By constantly consuming, one could strengthen their own attributes, and any injuries could be instantly healed through consumption. Even if their head was severed, it could be instantly reattached.
"Demonic Qi" was Rimuru's ability. It could simultaneously enhance physical resistance, physical attack, magical resistance, and magical attack. Furthermore, it could imbue attacks with Demonic Qi, allowing physical attacks to gain additional magical attack bonuses and magical attacks to gain additional magical attack bonuses.
Both of these were divine skills!
Bai Ye felt like dying. "Hungry" might offer continuous power progression comparable to the Five Spirit Plate, and though it lacked additional Daoist techniques, it came with regenerative abilities.
"Demonic Qi" was a perfect combination of offense and defense, significantly enhancing combat capabilities and adding extra physical or magical attack effects, making attacks unpredictable.
Most importantly...
He wouldn't even have to choose; both were rewards, and he would have received them all!
Hidden missions were indeed rewarding, especially these large-scale ones.
And now, it was all gone...
However, the difficulty had indeed been high.
Though he only realized it now, and felt like he was second-guessing after the fact, Bai Ye truly understood.
The final task should have been to kill Kermit without letting Pig-headed Emperor devour Kermit's corpse, thereby preventing the birth of the Pig-headed Demon King.
The difficulty remained in...
The time limit!
The time Bai Ye had to kill Kermit was from the moment Kermit appeared until Rimuru's arrival.
Once Rimuru appeared, it meant the time limit had been reached. Kermit, being no match for Rimuru, would seek help from Pig-headed Emperor. Then Pig-headed Emperor would kill Kermit, devour him, and become the Pig-headed Demon King.
Therefore, when Li Jia Yi saw Rimuru appear, he cheerfully gave up the fight because he knew Rimuru's appearance didn't signify help for Bai Ye, but rather Bai Ye's mission was about to fail.
From Kermit's appearance to Rimuru's appearance, it was only about five minutes.
The time was extremely short!
Such a short duration naturally indicated the difficulty. However, the existence of a mission implied the possibility of completion. Kermit's weakness was too obvious; he could be killed with a single close-quarters attack. Five minutes was sufficient, but with Li Jia Yi's interference, it was another matter.
Although Bai Ye regretted it, he had to admit he was outmaneuvered.
Li Jia Yi had clearly received more information this time and understood the mission better, so he had the last laugh, and Bai Ye could only accept defeat.
"But..." Bai Ye pouted. "Life has its ups and downs, and there will always be a first day for us to meet again. Just you wait!"
Meanwhile...
As Bai Ye was thinking, Pig-headed Emperor and Rimuru had already decided the victor.
Pig-headed Emperor was strong, and the "Hungry" ability was potent!
However, Rimuru's true form was a slime, which also possessed the ability to devour. And as the Lord of Monsters, Rimuru's devouring ability surpassed that of Pig-headed Emperor.
In the end, in the contest of consumption and devouring, Rimuru emerged victorious, completely devouring Pig-headed Emperor and absorbing his power.
After this battle, Rimuru would become even stronger, no longer just the Lord of Monsters, but the evolution into a Demon King was also within reach.
Upon Rimuru's victory, all the summoned ones received notifications of mission completion or failure.
"Huh?"
Bai Ye looked at the light screen that appeared before him, showing surprise.
"What is this? Failure? Or success?"
"You killed the mastermind, the demon Kermit, but you did not prevent the birth of the Pig-headed Demon King. Mission progress: 35%."