The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 379: Pursuit

Lilia’s elemental attacks almost crawled to a stop like video in slow motion, while Gao Yang and Alcoholic moved at regular speed, allowing them to easily dodge the elemental attacks and escape the siege of the red light beams.

Two seconds later, countless deadly rays rained down on where Gao Yang and Alcoholic had been a moment before.

However, Alcoholic had gone up to Lilia’s side and was charging at her. Lilia twisted around to face her, moving so quickly that it looked like she had teleported. Her arms, having morphed into sharp blades wrapped in red elements, swung toward Alcoholic’s neck.

Alcoholic’s lips quirked up.

Time-Space Spirit, activate!

Two seconds later, Lilia’s time slowed by three times.

Alcoholic dropped down and dodged Lilia’s slash, putting her hands on the ground.

Space gap, open!

Suddenly, four gray blue walls of space-time rose from Lilia’s feet like a phone booth from another world, locking Lilia inside.

Then the phone booth distorted quickly and shrunk into a black dot in the blink of an eye, vanishing with a swoosh.

Alcoholic panted, beads of sweat popping out of her forehead.

The move took her a large amount of energy, but she knew that it was their only choice.

She shouted at Gao Yang. “I can only keep her locked up for two minutes!”

Gao Yang knew what she meant: they must kill X in two minutes, or they would lose for sure.

By then, X had already extended his right hand at Alcoholic.

When Alcoholic imprisoned Lilia in the space gap, X’s poisonous wind had quietly converged around Alcoholic.

Gao Yang teleported Alcoholic away.

X stood where he was, his eyes twitching.

Poison of Hell had exhausted a large amount of his energy, and it wasn’t a once and done deal; he was still actively using the skill.

It would take another five minutes for him to drain the awakeners of all their energy. Then X had to use the Poison Rune Circuit again to summon the four black coffins and close the lids to finish the move.

If X died in the next five minutes, however, the ritual would halt prematurely, and the poison inside the awakeners’ bodies would stop devouring their energy, rendering the whole ordeal a failure.

X had little effort to spare for a fight, and losing Lilia, a powerful ally, while the opponent gained Alcoholic, a formidable enemy, X knew that he couldn’t keep up. He wouldn’t even last two minutes, let alone five.

X cursed under his breath. Who would’ve thought that on his first day in pursuit of godhood, he would find himself in such a pickle?

He closed his eyes and opened his arms, muttering to himself, “Come.”

A second later, X’s body bulged and writhed and distorted, quickly breaking his shirt and turning two times stronger, covered in stringy, deep purple muscles.

A bowl-sized purple eye appeared on his chest. Like an insidious bug, it shifted all over X’s upper body, making gurgling sounds. Sometimes it popped up on his left chest, sometimes his right abdomen, and other times his arms.

The purple eye ended up on X’s right palm.

It blinked, shooting a thin yet deadly purple ray at Gao Yang and Alcoholic.

Alcoholic and Gao Yang jumped at the same time, dodging the deadly ray that could cut even metal in half.

Meanwhile, X bolted.

Gao Yang and Alcoholic were both taken aback. They hadn’t expected X to flee.

But on second thought, that was the most reasonable plan. X didn’t even have to escape successfully; he only needed to buy two minutes for Lilia to be released, and he would win.

“Let’s go!”

Gao Yang and Alcoholic ran after him at the same time.

Having surrendered his body to the freerider, X had become strong and agile. He ran for tens of meters and leapt with both feet onto a three-story building, breaking through a window.

Alcoholic had a troubled look on her face. Although her physical abilities were decent as a whole, she was neither the fighter type nor the agile hero type, and she couldn’t jump three floors at once. While she could move to a specific space with her Talent, she didn’t know where X would run to; thus, that wasn’t an option.

Gao Yang had considered her difficulty. He could catch up to X, but he needed Alcoholic’s help to ensure victory. Slowing down as he ran, he turned his back to Alcoholic. “Get up!”

Alcoholic paused. As expected of Teacher Qi Ying. Although I’m now ten years older than you are, I still admire you so much!

She jumped onto Gao Yang’s back and wrapped her arms around Gao Yang tightly.

With her on his back, Gao Yang jumped onto the condenser unit on the second floor before teleporting to the third floor.

Inside the building was a mall, and X was running for his life.

While dashing at full speed, Gao Yang shortened their distance with consecutive uses of Teleportation.

Sensing the enemy’s approach, X sent the purple eye on his chest to his back, making gurgling sounds. Then a second later, he fired five to six deadly rays that shot out in distorted curves like slim snakes.

Gao Yang had been fully focused on catching up to X, and caught off guard, he didn’t leave enough room to dodge the sudden attacks.

It was then the time in the area slowed, so did the deadly rays.

With Alcoholic on his back, Gao Yang zigzagged around with ease to dodge the attacks.

Rumble!

Two seconds later, the passage of time went back to normal, and the ground behind Gao Yang blew up.

X hadn’t expected the enemies to be this difficult to deal with. With a sharp turn, he threw himself through the window. Gao Yang quickly followed with Alcoholic on his back.

Before landing, X shot a deadly ray at their heads.

Having been ready for it this time, Gao Yang teleported midair and easily dodged the attack.

X rolled when he landed. He was going to rush across the street, but as soon as he reached the sidewalk, Gao Yang was already there to block his way.

X jumped. How were they so quick?!

In truth, it wasn’t that Gao Yang had become quicker, but that X had become slower.

When Gao Yang got closer to X, Alcoholic had immediately hit him with Time-Space Spirit, shrouding him with her forcefield and slowing him down by three times.

To X, Gao Yang had thus become three times quicker. X couldn’t keep up at all. He couldn’t even see the motion of Gao Yang swinging his fist.

The heavy punch landed on X’s lower abdomen.

X was thrown off his feet. Then he felt a dull pain in his abdomen.

While he was still midair, Gao Yang teleported again and punched him in the face. X continued to fly backward, knocking a streetlamp awry before falling on the ground.

X’s purple eye had shifted to his left shoulder.

Swish.

The deadly ray shot at Gao Yang, but it was too late.

Alcoholic had climbed down from Gao Yang’s back, keeping close to him to activate Time-Space Spirit at any time.

Gao Yang easily dodged it and teleported to X.

Sensing the great threat, the purple eye on X’s shoulder attempted to run on instinct. However, it could only move within the constraint of X’s upper body.

As soon as it shifted to X’s chest, Gao Yang grabbed it with bare hand, fingers piercing into his flesh. The eye was X’s real heart.

Without hesitation, Gao Yang clenched his fist to crush the eye, but to his surprise, it was sturdier than he had expected.

“Fire!”

Change of plan. Gao Yang opted to activate Fire.

Flames burst out of Gao Yang’s palms, burning inside X’s chest before spreading to other parts of his body.

“Aghhhhh—”

X cried out in pain, struggling with all he had. To Gao Yang, though, his struggle was in slow motion, and his shout dragged and lingered like it was played at lower speed.

With the blazing fire burning him, X looked like a joke.