The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 322: Brothers in Arms

Unfortunately, White Dew was a little too high up for him to reach with Gao Yang on his back, but that could be remedied with Gao Yang’s level 3 Teleportation, and Wang Zikai managed to grab White Dew’s ankle in three seconds.

His vise-like grip wasn’t so easy to break out of, and Wang Zikai was determined to hold onto White Dew like an ornament, refusing to let go.

Meanwhile, Gao Yang teleported again, this time to above White Dew’s head.

Hands splayed, he shot fire at the top of White Dew’s head. “Fire!”

White Dew had reacted as quickly as she could, raising her right hand to summon an umbrella of violet ice crystals, which rotated at high speed.

Boom!

Two torrents of powerful flames shot out of Gao Yang’s palms, intertwining into a blazing pillar and pouring down on White Dew. It hit the quickly rotating umbrella of ice instead and scattered in all directions. At the same time, the umbrella of ice melted under the high heat, sending countless shards loose.

A small storm of fire and ice crystals emerged on the sea.

Gao Yang hadn’t planned to defeat White Dew with his fire. He knew a Spectre wouldn’t be so easily dealt with.

His seemingly aggressive attack was nothing but a distraction.

The real ace of this fight was Wang Zikai.

One hand holding the unconscious Fresh Snow and the other hand summoning the umbrella of ice to shield them from the fire attacks, White Dew didn’t have the attention to spare for another source of attacks.

Still gripping White Dew’s ankle, Wang Zikai extended the three bone claws of his other hand.

Although he was ashamed of himself for taking advantage of the situation, there was no place for honor under the circumstances.

“Get this!”

The bone claws pierced through White Dew’s calf.

Imbued with energy, White Dew’s body was capable of defending against regular physical attacks. Facing Wang Zikai’s bone claws, which could cut steel like butter, however, her calf was as fragile as a scallion.

“Ah!”

White Dew screamed. Her calf bled from the wounds.

For the first time, fear crept up on her. Who was this young man? Why was he able to pierce through her calf? Wouldn’t her heart be his next target?

Finally feeling the threat to her life, White Dew pulled back her right hand, and the umbrella of violet ice crystals, now losing the power imbuing it, quickly dissolved under the torrent of fire. It wouldn’t last for more than two seconds.

Two seconds, nevertheless, was enough for White Dew. She held onto Fresh Snow with both hands and closed her eyes. “Water form!”

Instantly, White Dew’s body turned malleable and translucent.

It took less than two seconds for her to transform into a lump of violet liquid. Her red palace dress scattered into streams of water without form.

The ankle Wang Zikai had been holding onto, naturally, had turned into water as well.

In seven to eight lumps, the violet liquid fell onto the sea, two among which carrying the white cat along.

Losing the anchor, Wang Zikai plopped down into the water, and Gao Yang followed in three seconds.

It was dangerous for them to be in the water. Without hesitation, Gao Yang swam to Wang Zikai and held onto him from the back, teleporting in quick succession to reach the nearby island.

As soon as they were on land, they got ready for a fight.

But White Dew didn’t follow.

After about a minute, lumps of violet liquid converged toward the floating red dress in the distance.

Slowly, the water filled the dress and gradually morphed into the form of an adult woman.

White Dew reappeared after a little more than ten seconds, still holding onto the white cat, Fresh Snow.

This time, however, the sisters were both drenched by seawater, looking pitiful.

Gao Yang looked at the cat in White Dew’s arms. He felt a pang in his heart when he took note of the way Fresh Snow’s hair stuck together in strands.

He looked down to find White Dew’s right calf bleeding.

Wang Zikai’s attack had worked.

White Dew’s Water Form seemed to have drained her of most of her power. She got increasingly pale, and her chest heaved dramatically.

She had come to kill Gao Yang to vent her anger. Now that she realized that she couldn’t kill him, she didn’t hesitate to leave.

“Stay alive, Gao Yang. We’ll meet again.” She raised a hand, and following the motion, a screen of water rose from under her feet, obscuring her from their view.

When the screen fell back down, White Dew and Fresh Snow were nowhere to be seen, and the sea awash in the silver moonlight was calm again.

Gao Yang didn’t immediately relax. He quietly checked his system to make sure that the luck point bonus no longer applied. It seemed that White Dew had indeed left.

Still, he couldn’t help but worry about Fresh Snow.

In her state, she wouldn’t hold on for long. They didn’t even get to say goodbye properly.

“Whew—” Wang Zikai exhaled a long breath and looked over at the sea with his hands on his hip. “That damn woman’s the real deal.”

Wang Zikai rarely paid anyone compliments. It seemed that he recognized White Dew as a truly formidable opponent.

If Gao Yang hadn’t been here to help him tonight, and if Fresh Snow hadn’t acted against her sister at the key moment, it would’ve been a one-sided defeat on his side.

Still, Gao Yang wasn’t overly pessimistic.

White Dew was in her favorable terrain this time. Were the location different, Gao Yang and Wang Zikai should be able to match her as long as they were prepared.

In the past two months, Gao Yang had grown exponentially.

Yet it seemed insignificant compared to the rate at which the Mist World was deteriorating.

“Hey, is she really Fresh Snow’s sister?” Wang Zikai broke Gao Yang out of his thoughts.

“Yes,” Gao Yang admitted.

“What did she mean when she talked about eating you?” Wang Zikai had heard White Dew.

Gao Yang hesitated. Logically speaking, it would be safer for him to keep hiding the truth from Wang Zikai and come up with a lie.

For some reason, though, he wanted to tell his friend the truth at this moment.

He had been bothered by the matter with Fresh Snow for a long time. He needed an ear to hear him out, and at the end of the day, Wang Zikai was the best choice if he wanted to consult with someone.

“Wang Zikai, Fresh Snow is a ghost.”

“Huh?” Wang Zikai paused. “Ghost? What ghost? A spirit? A demon?”

In the next few minutes, Gao Yang told Wang Zikai all about Spectres and what set Fresh Snow apart.

Wang Zikai listened closely, his expression becoming strangely bemused.

After a good while, he knelt down and rubbed at his temples with both thumbs. “It’s a little messy. Let me think, let me think...”

Then thirty seconds later, he got back to his feet and slapped on his thigh. “I get it now. So Fresh Snow is a ghost, and she has to eat people to survive, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Fresh Snow is special. She can only eat you, and not anyone else.”

“Yeah.”

“Fresh Snow will die if she doesn’t eat you, but if she eats you, you will die.”

“Yeah.”

“Fresh Snow doesn’t want you to die, while Fresh Snow’s sister doesn’t want her to die. So Fresh Snow doesn’t want to eat you, but her sister wants her to.”

“Yeah.”

Wang Zikai surprised even himself. “Holy shit! I get all of it!”

“What would you do if you were in my place, Wang Zikai?” It was the first time Gao Yang had ever shown his helpless and lost side to Wang Zikai.

Surprised, Wang Zikai gaped and pointed at his own nose. “You’re asking for my advice, bro?”

Gao Yang noddeed.