Chapter 698: Too Unreliable (Happy Lantern Festival!)
Chapter 698: Too Unreliable (Happy Lantern Festival!)
Qiao Sang stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down below, her feet not moving an inch.
With Lulu by her side and her own defensive strength, being targeted for an attack didn't make her feel afraid at all; instead, she felt a bit of Shadowy excitement.
It seems everyone has a lot of complaints about her, to the point where they're thinking of directly attacking her...
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy let out a cry, suggesting they should strike first and take care of these humans!
Your thoughts are dangerous... Qiao Sang said:
"We don't need to do anything. We just need to wait for them to attack us."
Her goal was credits, and credits were obtained through familiars. Attacking the Beastmaster would bring her no benefit.
If she went out to attack those familiars, it would make Fangy and the others leave her side.
Since the current target is her, if even one of Fangy and the others were missing, her safety would be compromised.
"Ya Ya..."
Fangy, hearing its Beastmaster's words, suppressed the urge to rush down and attack.
It tightly watched the humans below, who were discussing how to deal with its Beastmaster, its Flame Wings uncontrollably expanding and burning.
...
Under the eaves, the pimple-faced boy, who had suggested directly attacking the Beastmaster, suddenly shivered and instinctively glanced up at the rooftop.
At that moment, the girl beside him caught his attention with her words:
"Do you think the school buildings can be damaged?"
Everyone immediately turned their gaze toward her.
"What do you want to do?" one of the boys asked.
"Our previous battles were too restrained", the girl said calmly. "If we fight without holding back, we're not without a chance. The Frostflower Seal restricts most familiars' movements, and while we can't get to her, we can force her to leave that spot."
Everyone remained silent, gesturing for her to continue with their eyes.
The girl continued:
"A Thunder Beast or a familiar with a Weather Skill can release their Skills in the air above her, making her leave voluntarily."
"If the school buildings can be damaged, we can have Xiyuan Coco Spatial Shift to the floor below her and attack from below."
The group was hesitant.
They thought this plan would indeed increase their chances of success, but damaging school buildings would be troublesome.
They had all just enrolled and hesitated to act rashly.
Even their previous battles were arranged in open areas without buildings, and even when they were enraged, they still thought about attacking near the rooftop.
If the familiars' Skills damaged the buildings during the battle, would the school punish them?
They had finally gotten into Yulinton University and didn't want to be penalized on the first day.
In the silence, the pimple-faced boy spoke up:
"Did you forget? The evaluation area can be anywhere."
Hearing this, everyone paused, thinking it over.
They had indeed seen this information, but did "anywhere" mean they could damage school buildings at will?
Didn't it mean any Battle Arena or open area on campus?
While they were still hesitating, a senior who had come out of the building, looking to be in her early twenties, and had been watching the commotion, smiled and said:
"Go ahead and fight without restraint. In our school, familiar battles causing building damage are very common."
She pointed to the building where Qiao Sang was standing and said:
"See that building? Last semester, one of our school's Doctor's familiars lost control of its energy and used an Electric-type Skill, drilling through the entire building from top to bottom, and nothing happened."
"Our school has a dedicated maintenance department responsible for repairing damaged buildings. They fix any damage every day, so feel free to fight boldly."
"In Yulinton University, if you can't fight without restraint, what's the point?"
Worthy of being the third-ranked Top Academy in the galaxy... Everyone's eyes lit up, and they no longer hesitated. They began introducing their familiars to the girl with Xiyuan Coco, vying for the chance to be Spatial Shifted over.
...
On the rooftop.
Qiao Sang looked at the virtual Status Panel, where her credits were steadily increasing, and felt very satisfied.
Although she didn't know how many credits it would take to hire those S-Class experts, with this rate, she would definitely be the wealthiest Freshman in the Beast Mastery Department.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, several hard roots suddenly shot out of the ground, becoming soft and snakelike as they emerged, twisting and entangling toward Qiao Sang.
Qiao Sang was startled and instinctively dodged.
She took two quick steps backward.
In the next moment, a hard Root burst out of the ground behind her, swiftly wrapping around Qiao Sang's ankles.
"Whoosh!"
Just as it wrapped around her, a purple blade sliced through the air, cutting the Root in half with a whistling sound.
Immediately, Qiao Sang leaped into the air, landing on Steel Treasure's back.
Attacking from below... Qiao Sang stared at the ground on the rooftop, damaged by the Root, her nerves taut as she condensed her energy, not daring to let her guard down.
From the attack, it was clear that everyone was much more aggressive than she had anticipated, directly destroying buildings...
The Root wriggled, and seeing no target, retreated back into the ground.
"Ya Ya!"
At that moment, Fangy's claws clamped down on the Root as it was retracting.
Then, with a strong tug, Fangy pulled the Root out of the ground.
The ground cracked, and a familiar about two meters tall, with a mostly green body and Root-like claws, was dragged out.
Fangy swung it upward and then spat out a high-temperature Flame, invisible but distorting the surrounding air.
"Rooty!"
The Root-like clawed familiar screamed as it hit the ground.
"Boom!!!"
At the same time, a loud thunderclap shook the sky.
Qiao Sang looked up and saw that the sky above was dark, with yellow lightning snakes dancing, as if about to strike down at any moment. Except for the area above her head, the rest of the sky was clear.
She keenly noticed the yellow, winged figure flickering in the lightning.
"Lulu, shrink!" Qiao Sang said rapidly.
"Icechill." Lulu also sensed the danger, pressing a button on the shrinking bracelet, her body gradually shrinking.
"Thunder!"
A high-pitched cry echoed from above, and from the dark, ominous clouds, dozens of lightning bolts tore through the sky, striking down.
It's not just you who can Spatial Shift... Qiao Sang said calmly:
"Treasure Seeker."
"Xunxun~"
No specific command was given, but Treasure Seeker somehow understood its Beastmaster's intent.
Its eyes glowed blue, and it called out.
Qiao Sang and Steel Treasure vanished, reappearing outside the range of the black clouds.
Lulu, who was falling, appeared with them.
Qiao Sang reached out and caught it steadily.
Treasure Seeker's Spatial Shift is getting better and better... Qiao Sang glanced at the yellow familiar about fifty meters away, feeling a sense of admiration.
...
"Damn! Her familiar can also Spatial Shift!" A black-haired boy exclaimed, watching the scene in the sky from under the eaves.
"Her Flame Kiru is a General-Class Beast Companion; it's not surprising that it can Spatial Shift." A boy with a face full of acne looked at the tiny figure in the distant sky, took a deep breath, and said to calm everyone down.
Familiars always have a primary attribute and a secondary attribute. Familiars learn Skills of their primary attribute much more easily than those of their secondary attribute.
That Flame Kiru's fire-type trait is so obvious; its primary attribute must be fire-type. I didn't expect it to have mastered Spatial Shift, one of the most difficult Psychic-Type Advanced Skills...
"Has she changed positions? Can I summon back my Thunderstorm Bird now?" A red-haired girl asked, her tone slightly worried.
"Wait, while her attention is on your Thunderstorm Bird, let Xiyuan Coco Spatial Shift over with a familiar that can engage in aerial combat..." The acne-faced boy's voice trailed off.
The others around him also fell silent.
The red-haired girl realized something was wrong and looked up into the sky.
She saw a familiar about six meters tall, with a magnificent red coat of fur, its Flame Wings making it look as if it were on fire, viciously biting the Thunderstorm Bird.
The Thunderstorm Bird let out a scream, and the surrounding lightning went wild, darting around chaotically.
But the yellow lightning striking the Flame Kiru was like rain on its body, seemingly powerless and causing no reaction, only gripping the Thunderstorm Bird tightly.
This scene made everyone's hearts tighten.
The dispatched Thunderstorm Bird was a powerful Thunder Beast, its Thunder Destruction reaching late mastery level. Yet, such a destructive familiar could not harm the Flame Kiru.
Is the gap between an Advanced Pet and a General-Class Beast Companion really this significant...
At this moment, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.
"Bang!!!"
A loud explosion, and the Blazing Bomb was fired from Fangy's mouth. The Thunderstorm Bird, at the center of the explosion, was instantly enveloped in a red sphere of light. The terrifying flame energy caused shockwaves that surged like ocean waves, one after another.
Fangy teleported to Qiao Sang's side.
In the midst of the red shockwaves, the Thunderstorm Bird closed its eyes and plummeted downward.
So strong... Qiao Sang glanced at Fangy.
Fangy had never had a proper battle since evolving into a General-Class Beast Companion. Qiao Sang knew it was strong, but she never realized just how strong. It could withstand such powerful electric-type skills without even flinching, as if it hadn’t been struck by lightning at all...
"Ya Ya!"
At that moment, Fangy let out a cry, indicating it needed healing quickly.
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment, then noticed a yellow electric arc shimmering around it.
Qiao Sang: "..."
Well, it must have been hurt, just hiding it...
"Icechill."
Without waiting for Qiao Sang's command, Lulu's gem on her forehead glowed with a blue light, illuminating Fangy.
...
Under the eaves, the crowd watched this scene in silence.
A few seconds later, the red-haired girl, the Thunderstorm Bird's Beastmaster, sighed:
"Maybe we should just give up, we..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone knew what she meant.
"We can't win."
They couldn’t... The crowd realized this once again.
A single General-Class Beast Companion, Flame Kiru, was this strong, almost instantly defeating the Thunderstorm Bird. And Qiao Sang had another General-Class Beast Companion, Ghost Ring King.
Even when they managed to inflict some damage, her Icechill had healing skills...
The crowd's faces fell, their earlier confidence now completely shattered.
The scene of Flame Kiru withstanding the lightning and defeating the Thunderstorm Bird in a single move left them unable to believe they could win.
"I have an idea." A voice suddenly rang out.
The crowd turned to see the same person who had been suggesting ideas earlier.
"Do you have any more ideas?" the boy in the hat asked irritably.
The pimple-faced boy straightened up and said:
"We should have all our remaining familiars join the battle, but not blindly. We should split into four groups and attack her four familiars individually. If we have enough familiars, we can hold off her two General-Class Beast Companions, even if it’s just for a few seconds, giving us a chance to retaliate."
"The Steel Guardian is just an Intermediate Pet Beast, not a concern. As for Icechill, although it’s an Advanced Pet, it’s water and ice attributed, making it ineffective in aerial combat."
He emphasized his point, saying seriously:
"Let's stop sending our familiars one by one to their doom. We should all go together!"
"Look", the pimple-faced boy pointed to the now calm sky, "the Frostflower Seal is gone."
Following his finger, the crowd's hearts, which had almost given up, began to race again.
At this moment, a girl hesitated and said, "But Flame Kiru has Spatial Shift. We won’t be able to hold it back."
This statement quickly cooled the crowd's renewed hope.
The pimple-faced boy scanned the room and said seriously:
"With so many of us, can't we find at least one familiar with a skill like Shadow Step or Shadow Pin?"
The crowd's spirits lifted, and their hearts raced for the nth time.
Soon, someone shouted, "My Ghost-type Beast Companion knows Shadow Pin!"
"Mine knows Shadow Control!"
Seeing that several of them had skills that could counter Spatial Shift, the crowd decided to give it one more try.
"Alright! Let's give it one last shot!"
"Whatever, we’re already in this deep. I agree with the plan!"
"Count me in. Even though I only have one Intermediate Pet Beast left, every second counts!"
Actually, they didn’t have any major grudges against Qiao Sang. They just couldn’t back down after showing such determination earlier, or they would look like cowards.
If the initial Battle was driven by anger, now it was a matter of saving face.
...
High in the sky.
The Blue Light dissipated, and the paralysis effect on Fangy vanished.
Qiao Sang glanced at the countdown on her virtual Status Panel and saw that only twenty minutes remained.
She tapped the side of her smart glasses, and the virtual Status Panel disappeared.
Fangy had fully recovered and even showed off a bit. They probably wouldn't attack again, right? Qiao Sang thought, looking up, but then she froze.
The sky was dark with a swarm of Flying-type familiars, each carrying other attribute familiars, approaching her.
Damn! No wonder they're Yulinton University freshmen—seeing Fangy's strength and still wanting to fight her... Qiao Sang's eyes darkened with a hint of excitement.
If this large group were all frozen by Ice Blossom, Lulu's Points could skyrocket...
Qiao Sang didn't want to miss this opportunity and called out, "Frostflower Seal!"
"Icechill."
Lulu leaped onto Qiao Sang's head, raised her head slightly, and opened her mouth.
But in the next moment, Qiao Sang felt her head lighten.
She froze, reached up, and found nothing on her head.
"!!!"
Qiao Sang was bewildered.
Where's Lulu? My big Lulu?!
"Steel Guardian."
At that moment, Steel Treasure turned and called out, indicating the Third One was there.
Qiao Sang looked up sharply and saw Lulu on the claws of a round, mostly pink familiar in the distance.
Spatial Shift—this familiar must have used Spatial Shift to directly transfer Lulu... Qiao Sang quickly concluded.
She waved her hand, then froze.
Lulu couldn't be summoned back? Qiao Sang looked in the direction of the pink familiar and noticed another, mostly black familiar with a single eye on its face—a Ghost-type Beast Companion.
She looked down and saw the shadow connecting it to Lulu.
Shadow Control... Qiao Sang's heart sank.
They used Spatial Shift first, then Shadow Control—this was clearly a planned move...
"Fangy!" Qiao Sang called, but Fangy, who usually responded immediately, didn't answer.
She turned around and saw Fangy surrounded by a group of Advanced Pets, each about three meters tall, moving in a circle and releasing Skills of various attributes.
"Bang bang bang!!!"
A loud noise erupted from another direction.
Qiao Sang sensed something and looked down, seeing another group of varied familiars surrounding Treasure Seeker.
They planned to separate Fangy and the others and take them down one by one?
Just as she thought this, dozens of familiars of different sizes surrounded her.
No, their target is me... Qiao Sang's pupils dilated, and before she could speak, dozens of Skills of various attributes shot at her like colored threads, filling the sky.
At that moment, Qiao Sang had only one thought:
They're really going all out!
...
Under the eaves.
The crowd watched the scene in the sky, feeling both excitement and concern.
"Is she going to be okay?" a short-haired girl asked, somewhat worried.
Although they had all received familiar replenishment at Yulinton University, being attacked by familiars wasn't usually a big deal as long as they received timely treatment.
But the girl in the sky wasn't being attacked by one familiar but a group, and if something went wrong, the consequences would be severe.
Considering her strength, even the older students probably couldn't match her.
If she were injured in a way that couldn't be undone, the school wouldn't forgive them.
The blond boy with a buzz cut beside her said, "Don't worry. We just want to teach her a lesson. We'll have Xiyuan Coco Spatial Shift her to us at the last moment, so she knows we're not to be trifled with."
"But", the short-haired girl pointed to the sky, still worried, "why hasn't the transfer happened yet? I feel like if we don't hurry, those Skills will hit her."
The blond boy heard this and looked up at the scene in the sky.
At that moment, Steel Guardian was carrying the girl down rapidly, occasionally changing direction with its wings, while various Skills chased after them, always seeming just a second away from hitting her.
The blond boy with a short haircut's eyelid twitched, and he leaned over to whisper to the red-haired girl beside him, "Why haven't you let your Xiyuan Coco teleport her over with Spatial Shift yet?"
The red-haired girl took a deep breath and replied, "My Xiyuan Coco is being held back."
What does that mean? The blond boy was taken aback and looked in another direction.
He saw that Icechill, the familiar, had somehow cast Water Mist, creating a dense, white fog that enveloped Xiyuan Coco as well.
This is bad... The blond boy's mind went blank.
Without Xiyuan Coco's Spatial Shift, what will happen if these skills actually hit her?
She could die!
The blond boy's heart raced, and he suddenly reacted, shouting, "Hurry up! Everyone, summon your familiars back!"
Some were confused, "Why?"
"We're almost winning, don't mess this up", someone said impatiently.
"Why are you still talking about winning? Xiyuan Coco's line of sight is blocked, and she can't use Spatial Shift. If this continues, these skills will really hit her!" the blond boy exclaimed anxiously.
Everyone was stunned, looking up at the scene in the sky, hesitating in silence.
They had finally found a chance to win, and they were reluctant to stop now.
But if something really happened...
...
While everyone was hesitating.
High in the sky.
Steel Treasure was moving at high speed, its figure blurring as it dodged the attacks from behind.
Qiao Sang was hunched over, holding Steel Treasure, her eyes almost closed due to the wind.
This can't go on. Steel Treasure's Flash of Lightning is a burst skill, and it can't last long. Eventually, the attacks will catch up... Qiao Sang's mind raced.
Fangy is surrounded by a group of Advanced Pets. Even if she uses a powerful skill to take them out, it will still take time to get here. Lulu is trapped, and only Treasure Seeker has Spatial Shift, which can instantly move her and Steel Treasure to a safe place.
But Treasure Seeker is too small and is almost completely surrounded by Advanced Pets, each about three meters tall. From its height, it can't see this direction... Qiao Sang glanced at where Treasure Seeker was, took a deep breath, and shouted as loudly as she could, "Little..."
At the same time.
Steel Treasure felt its speed slowing down.
"Steel Guardian..."
Steel Treasure heard the whistling of skills slicing through the air, pursuing them. Its heart raced, and it lost its usual calm, growing anxious.
This can't go on. They will be caught.
Qiao Sang is right behind me. If the skills catch up, she will be the first to be hit.
Thinking of this, Steel Treasure's energy surged, trying to speed up.
But the whistling of the skills from behind continued to grow closer.
"Steel Guardian!"
Steel Treasure gritted its teeth.
Just then, it felt an unprecedented sense of danger.
They are about to be caught... Even though it couldn't see what was happening behind it, Steel Treasure suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
Qiao Sang... Steel Treasure thought of its Beastmaster.
It didn't have time to think. Its body reacted instinctively, spinning around and shimmering with a bright, metallic gray. It used its wings to shield Qiao Sang, switching their positions.
At that moment, Qiao Sang's call of "Treasure Seeker" was cut off by the sudden change.
Various colored skills struck Steel Treasure's body.
Flame.
Water jets.
Lightning.
Air blades...
Steel Treasure fell downward, but its wings still tightly embraced Qiao Sang.
"Steel Treasure! Steel Treasure!"
In a daze, Steel Treasure heard its Beastmaster's voice.
It struggled to open its eyes and saw Qiao Sang's anxious face, as well as the familiars behind her attempting to attack again.
"Steel Guardian..."
Steel Treasure sighed in its heart.
Fangy, Treasure Seeker, and Lulu are really unreliable...
The next second, a white light enveloped its body.
(End of Chapter)
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