“Ice-type against Water-type inherently deals half damage, and now their speed is doubled… How can we fight this?”
On the screen, the Torrent Hound in the rain showed a clear transformation.
Its fur became smoother and slicker, and its limb movements grew incredibly fluid, each step and turn carrying a water-like flexibility.
Its speed was increasing, not just by a little, but visibly more than double.
It moved in a small area along the floating island's edge, so fast it almost left afterimages.
Ziyue stood at the edge of the central main island, rainwater hitting her fur and sliding off the silver-blue tips. She squinted slightly, pressing her ears back, clearly uncomfortable with the environment.
Liu Yi stood on her maglev skateboard, the rain blocked by an energy shield, but her vision remained clear. She quickly scanned the Torrent Hound's position, its movement trajectory, and the secondary island approaching from the left.
Its speed was indeed faster.
But it wasn't yet uncontrollable.
“Torrent Hound, Water Gun Barrage!”
Fang Mingming initiated the attack.
The Torrent Hound opened its mouth and spewed a high-pressure water jet, but this was no ordinary water gun; amplified by the rain, the jet's firing speed and power were noticeably boosted.
And it wasn't just one shot, but three, fired at Ziyue from different angles!
Ziyue dodged sideways along the Frost Path; the first water jet grazed her left shoulder, the second passed beneath her belly, and the third blasted straight at her front.
She leaped sharply on the ice path, and the third water jet whistled past beneath her feet.
But the Torrent Hound's attack didn't stop.
“Bubble!”
Fang Mingming gave the order the moment Ziyue leaped.
The Torrent Hound opened its mouth and sprayed a dense cluster of bubbles. These bubbles expanded exceptionally fast in the rain, forming a large cloud of foam that enveloped Ziyue in mid-air in the blink of an eye.
Ziyue couldn't change direction in mid-air and was hit head-on by the foam cloud.
The bubbles burst on her, and while they caused no damage, their sticky feel and faint paralyzing effect caused her movements to slow for a moment.
Even more troublesome, the bubbles' additional effect triggered, reducing her speed by 10%.
Fang Mingming's eyes lit up. “Good! High-Pressure Water Cannon!”
The Torrent Hound powerfully pushed off with all four limbs, transforming into a dark blue streak in the rain, moving so fast its trajectory was almost invisible.
It leaped from the floating island's edge, spun once in the air, its tail concentrating a high-pressure water current, like a massive aquamarine hammer, and smashed it fiercely towards Ziyue!
This was a combination technique of Aqua Tail and High-Pressure Water Cannon.
Fang Mingming knew clearly that the Torrent Hound's burst power wasn't enough for a one-hit knockout, but if it landed, it could reduce the opponent's defense.
The subsequent battle would be much easier.
Ziyue had just recovered from the bubbles' slowing effect when the Torrent Hound's Aqua Tail was already upon her.
“Ice Armor, concentrate on the right side.”
Liu Yi's voice came from above.
Ziyue's Ice Armor instantly condensed around her, the energy on the ice armor's surface flowing to the right like a living thing, forming a noticeably thicker layer of protection at the point of impact.
“Boom!”
The Aqua Tail slammed hard into Ziyue's right flank, sending water splashing and ice flakes scattering.
Ziyue was sent flying by the immense impact force, tumbling twice on the Frost Path before barely regaining her balance.
A deep crack appeared on the right side of her Ice Armor, but it didn't shatter.
After landing, the Torrent Hound immediately retreated, not pressing its advantage.
It fell back to the edge of the floating island, crouching low again in the rain. Its dark blue fur became even slicker under the downpour, and its speed advantage remained evident.
A slight smile played on Fang Mingming's lips.
Effective.
Although that strike didn't break through the Ice Armor, Ziyue's defense clearly dropped a bit.
Aqua Tail's additional effect triggered, reducing defense by 10%.
More importantly, that last strike established momentum.
The Silver Snow Fox on the other side was not invincible.
Liu Yi's gaze lingered on Ziyue for a moment.
The crack in the Ice Armor was slowly mending, but the defense reduction effect persisted.
Ziyue's breathing was a little more hurried than at the start of the match. Her silver-blue fur was soaked by the rain, clinging to her body, making her look a bit disheveled.
But her purple eyes were still bright.
She glanced back at Liu Yi and let out a cry.
“Bingbing.”
It's fine.
Liu Yi nodded slightly, her gaze returning to the Torrent Hound.
This Torrent Hound was indeed much tougher to deal with than the Balloon Sheep. Its speed was already high, and it doubled in the rain, making it difficult for Ziyue's Ice Blades to lock onto it. Moreover, Water-type attacks against Ice-type deal half damage, so Ziyue's attacks posed limited threat to it.
But it wasn't without weaknesses.
Liu Yi noticed that when the Torrent Hound moved at high speed, its trajectory actually followed a pattern. It habitually changed direction left, then turned back right, and then sprinted in a straight line. This habit wasn't obvious in the rain, but after observing a few rounds, the pattern became clearer and clearer.
Furthermore, while the Rain skill was powerful, it consumed a significant amount of energy to maintain. The Torrent Hound couldn't keep up this speed indefinitely.
“Ziyue, Ice Blade probe, scatter shot.”
Ziyue condensed twelve Ice Blades, but this time, she didn't fire them all at the Torrent Hound. Six sealed off the left, and six sealed off the right, blocking all of the Torrent Hound's possible movement routes.
Fang Mingming scoffed, “This level?”
“Torrent Hound, Turbid Flow!”
The Torrent Hound didn't dodge; instead, it opened its mouth and spewed a turbid stream of water.
It wasn't ordinary water, but a turbid current laden with mud and impurities, spreading rapidly in the rain to form a murky water curtain in the blink of an eye.
The Ice Blades shot into the turbid flow, their speed plummeting and their power greatly diminished.
A few barely pierced the water curtain, hitting the Torrent Hound but only splashing a few drops of water, not even harming its fur.
Fang Mingming seized the opportunity. “Water Pulse!”
The Torrent Hound slammed its paws on the ground, and a circular energy wave spread out from beneath its feet, scattering rainwater in all directions. The wave surged towards Ziyue with extreme speed and vast range, making evasion impossible.
Ziyue was hit head-on by the Water Pulse, her entire body sent flying to crash heavily against the edge of the floating island behind her.
“Bingbing…” She let out a muffled grunt, struggling to stand. Her fur was soaked and matted against her body, making her look somewhat disheveled.
Liu Yi's brow furrowed slightly.
The Torrent Hound's tactics were clear: use the rain to boost speed, leverage Water-type's resistance to Ice-type to tank Ziyue's attacks, then find an opportunity for a burst attack.
Though simple, this approach was indeed effective.
Ziyue's Ice Blades and Ice Spikes dealt half damage, and with the Torrent Hound's high speed, most attacks could be dodged. Even if occasionally hit, it wasn't fundamentally harmed.
Meanwhile, each of the Torrent Hound's counterattacks posed a significant threat to Ziyue.
If this continued, it would be disadvantageous for Ziyue.
“Ziyue, Frost Path, create distance.”
Ziyue quickly ascended along the Frost Path, widening the distance from the Torrent Hound. She stabilized herself in the air, shook off the rainwater, and her breathing became more rapid than before.
Liu Yi quickly analyzed the situation.
Rate on N.U.
