The Nightblade Wolf's breathing was steady and deep, its tail draped over the edge of the floating island, swaying gently in the wind. It shifted positions, moving its head from one front paw to the other, and continued to sleep.
Pei Yingwu stood on his maglev skateboard, his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent.
His gaze retracted from the distant floating island, swept over Liu Yi opposite him, then over the dragon in the air, and moved away.
Did he notice Chiying's change?
No.
His gaze lingered for only a second, perhaps even less. The dragon's previous stiff demeanor was still etched in his mind; he didn't feel there was anything more to see.
Pei Yingwu yawned.
Liu Yi nodded at Chiying.
Chiying moved.
Its speed was astonishing.
It wasn't the sluggish, suppressed speed from the start of the match, but the extreme speed of a fully stacked Dragon Dance. Its dark figure traced a straight line through the air, moving so fast it was almost imperceptible.
But it didn't charge at the Nightblade Wolf.
It sharply ascended into the air, circling above the highest floating island.
The sky darkened.
Poison clouds gathered within a few short seconds.
The next second, raindrops began to fall.
Death Rain.
Pei Yingwu heard the rain and looked up.
His pupils sharply contracted.
The purplish-black poison clouds above were churning, and raindrops had already begun to fall. He instinctively looked at Liu Yi opposite him, then at the dragon in the air.
The dragon hovered beneath the poison clouds, its crimson eyes calmly observing below.
Its posture was calm and composed, its breathing steady, completely devoid of the stiffness that had been caused by the Oppression earlier.
Before Pei Yingwu's mind could fully process it, Chiying moved a second time.
It swooped down through the curtain of rain, dark golden energy condensing and compressing in its throat.
The Nightblade Wolf heard the rain.
Raindrops fell on its fur, making a faint “hissing” sound. Purplish-black raindrops left faint marks on its black fur, and a slight stinging sensation emanated from beneath its skin.
Its ears twitched.
It opened one eye.
Then, it saw the purplish-golden light.
Dragon's Breath.
A purplish-golden aura surged from Chiying's mouth, cutting a straight trajectory through the curtain of rain, blasting directly towards the Nightblade Wolf.
The Nightblade Wolf's eyes snapped open.
In the nick of time, its body rolled to the right, the purplish-golden aura grazing its left shoulder before striking the edge of the floating island behind it.
“Boom!”
The edge of the floating island, struck by the Dragon's Breath, sent shattered rocks flying and left a scorched indentation. The blast of air pushed aside the surrounding rain, revealing the mottled, corroded rock face below.
The Nightblade Wolf's left shoulder, grazed by the aura, had a patch of black fur scorched off, exposing the dark red skin beneath.
A purplish-black glow was spreading across that skin.
Potent Poison.
It wasn't ordinary poisoning; it was the Potent Poison status effect attached to Dragon's Breath.
The Nightblade Wolf lowered its head to glance at the spreading purplish-black glow on its left shoulder, then raised its head.
Its gaze landed on the dragon in the air.
The Nightblade Wolf abruptly leaped from the edge of the floating island, and the moment its four paws landed, its sharp claws gouged four deep marks into the island's surface.
Its back arched slightly, fangs bared, and a low, continuous growl rumbled in its throat.
The growl was not a warning or a deterrent, but an anger suppressed to its absolute limit.
It was enraged.
Pei Yingwu stood on his maglev skateboard, his mouth slightly agape, his pupils contracted.
He saw it.
He saw the dragon's actions just now.
It wasn't the stiffness caused by Oppression, nor was it a slow-witted novice.
The dragon had been acting the entire time.
Its trembling, stiffness, and slow reactions at the start were all an act. It used that facade to deceive the Nightblade Wolf, to deceive him, making the Nightblade Wolf drop its guard and him believe victory was assured.
Then, while the Nightblade Wolf was sleeping, it fully stacked Dragon Dance.
Then, it opened with Death Rain and applied Potent Poison with Dragon's Breath.
Every step had been calculated.
Pei Yingwu's lips moved. He wanted to shout “Shadow Claw,” he wanted to shout “Dark Pulse,” he wanted to shout the name of any skill.
But he didn't call out.
Because he knew it would be useless to shout.
The Nightblade Wolf wouldn't listen to him.
The Nightblade Wolf never listened to him.
Sure enough.
The Nightblade Wolf moved.
But not because of Pei Yingwu's command; it moved on its own.
The black giant wolf leaped fiercely from the edge of the floating island, its speed astonishing. It didn't use any skills, simply pouncing towards Chiying in the air with an almost savage force.
Sharp claws tore through the air, and fangs gleamed coldly.
Chiying dodged sideways, its dark figure tracing a fluid arc through the curtain of rain.
The extreme speed of a fully stacked Dragon Dance was fully displayed at this moment; its speed was astonishing, every change in direction perfectly timed, every ascent precisely evading the Nightblade Wolf's pouncing trajectory.
It weaved between the floating islands, constantly adjusting its height using the staggered terrain. It glided from above the highest floating island to between the central floating islands, then emerged from a gap in the central floating islands, ascending above the irregularly swaying secondary island to the right.
The Nightblade Wolf pursued relentlessly, but it always fell just a little short.
Each time its sharp claws were about to touch Chiying's scales, the dark dragon would accelerate or change direction at the last moment, causing its attacks to miss.
Once, twice, thrice... The Nightblade Wolf's breathing grew more rapid, the Potent Poison on its left shoulder persisted, and the purplish-black glow had spread to its front limbs.
Pei Yingwu stood on his maglev skateboard, his lips pressed into a thin line.
The Nightblade Wolf missed its pounce again; this time its claws grazed Chiying's tail, dislodging a few shattered scales. Chiying's body wavered slightly but quickly stabilized, continuing to weave through the curtain of rain.
It glanced back at the Nightblade Wolf.
Its crimson eyes were terrifyingly calm, devoid of fear or panic, holding only an extremely cool scrutiny. It was calculating the Nightblade Wolf's pouncing rhythm, anticipating its every change in direction.
Chiying's tail swayed gently, and the moment the Nightblade Wolf's fourth pounce missed, it sharply ascended while simultaneously flicking its tail. A glob of purplish-black venom shot from its tail tip, accurately aimed at the Nightblade Wolf's head.
The Nightblade Wolf tilted its head to dodge, the venom flying past its ear. But the instant it dodged, its body briefly lost balance, disrupting its pouncing rhythm.
Chiying seized this opportunity, sharply changing direction through the curtain of rain, gliding from the Nightblade Wolf's left side to its rear, while simultaneously condensing dark golden energy in its throat.
Dragon's Breath.
A purplish-golden aura surged from its mouth, blasting directly towards the Nightblade Wolf's back.
Rate on N.U.
