45. One More Shot
Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari
----------
Although Huo Wu's attack had been neutralized by Bai Yan, she didn't feel discouraged.
Quan Yi had anticipated this outcome and had made the necessary preparations.
"Xiao Wu, stick to the plan," he whispered.
Without hesitation, Huo Wu retrieved another stone from her belt.
"Flame Bullet!"
She launched the projectile, but before it could reach its target, Bai Yan swiftly fired three Flame Feather Arrows at it, then ascended rapidly to evade any follow-up attacks.
Boom!
"Huh?"
Instead of the large-scale explosion Bai Yan had expected, the attack resulted in nothing more than a simple detonation.
Did Quan Yi make a mistake? Bai Yan wondered.
No—that was impossible.
Bai Yan refused to believe that Quan Yi would blunder at such a crucial moment.
That stone was a decoy. A feint.
A smirk formed at the corner of Bai Yan's lips. She quickly saw through Quan Yi's strategy.
By mixing in false projectiles, Quan Yi was disrupting Bai Yan's judgment while also conserving soul power, allowing them to endure longer in battle.
Such a troublesome opponent… Bai Yan mused, growing increasingly wary of Quan Yi's tactical mind.
She didn't want to expend excessive soul power—after all, once Huo Wu was dealt with, she still had to face Quan Yi.
But even just handling Huo Wu was consuming more soul power than she had expected.
It wasn't an efficient trade-off.
"Flame Feather Strike!"
Even so, Bai Yan didn't hesitate to attack again. She relied on her superior soul power, aiming to wear down Huo Wu until she was completely drained.
As long as her soul power was exhausted, their combined soul skills would be rendered useless, leaving Bai Yan free to focus solely on Quan Yi.
Under the barrage of attacks, Huo Wu remained highly focused. However, she noticed something unusual—Bai Yan's offense wasn't as aggressive as it had been yesterday.
Her instincts weren't wrong.
The difference lay in the extended attack range of her and Quan Yi's second-ejection technique, which now allowed them to directly threaten Bai Yan even from a distance.
Because of this, Bai Yan was forced to allocate some of her attention to defense, weakening her offensive pressure on Huo Wu.
Even so, the situation was still unfavorable for her and Quan Yi.
The main problem remained—Huo Wu's soul power was limited.
Both she and Bai Yan exercised extreme caution, carefully testing each other at the very edge of Flame Feather Strike's range.
Time ticked by.
Huo Wu's attacks continued to be ineffective, and her remaining soul power—and stones—were dwindling.
"Xiao Yi, I'm running out of soul power," she urged anxiously.
Quan Yi's gaze remained locked on Bai Yan, analyzing every movement.
Bai Yan hovered high above, showing no signs of descending.
She only came down to attack, but the moment she executed a soul skill, she would rise back up immediately.
'She's being extremely cautious', Quan Yi thought.
'She's deliberately guarding against Huo Wu's explosive combos.'
At this point, he calculated—Huo Wu had only two Seal of Rhinoceros stones left, and her remaining soul power would allow her to launch just two more attacks.
"Xiao Wu, get ready. Whether we win or lose depends on this final step!"
Upon hearing Quan Yi's command, Huo Wu immediately grabbed the last two stones, each infused with the Seal of Rhinoceros.
She was about to replicate yesterday's Double Flame Bullet—but this time, it would be an enhanced version, incorporating the explosive force of the Seal of Rhinoceros.
Bai Yan immediately sensed Huo Wu's plan—she realized that Huo Wu's soul power was nearly depleted, and she was preparing for an all-out final attack.
Without hesitation, Bai Yan flapped her wings rapidly, widening the distance between them.
Huo Wu's Double Flame Bullet had already been dangerous, but with Quan Yi's Seal of Rhinoceros enhancing it, the variables in this attack had multiplied significantly.
If Bai Yan were to be caught in the explosion at close range, even with her level 20 soul power, she wouldn't be able to endure it unscathed.
However, she soon noticed something peculiar—Huo Wu wasn't channeling her soul power into the attack. Instead, she simply held the two flame bullets in her hands.
She's using them as deterrents.
Like two long-range cannons, just their presence alone was enough to make Bai Yan hesitate.
Huo Wu was waiting for the moment Bai Yan would descend, and Bai Yan, having realized this, did not dare to act recklessly.
'Damn it… I can't let this drag on.'
A solemn expression appeared on Bai Yan's face as she became aware of how much time had passed. Her overly cautious approach had cost her valuable moments in this battle.
Bai Yan was confident she could nullify the first Flame Bullet with her first soul skill. However, once the explosion went off, her vision would be obstructed by the resulting debris and sparks, making it difficult to accurately target the second attack.
To make matters worse, Quan Yi's Seal of Rhinoceros was different from Huo Wu's Flame Bullets—it could be remotely detonated at will. Even if Bai Yan dodged the projectile, Quan Yi could still control the explosion timing.
A tense standoff ensued.
Huo Wu and Bai Yan both stared at each other, analyzing every movement, searching for any openings.
No…
As more time passed, Bai Yan realized she was now at a disadvantage.
This battle had a time limit—Huo Wu could afford to stall, but Bai Yan could not.
The situation had become unfavorable for her.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bai Yan made up her mind.
She dived down decisively.
"She's coming!"
Huo Wu and Quan Yi immediately tensed, their eyes locked onto Bai Yan's descending figure.
Bai Yan struck first, launching three Flame Feather Arrows.
Huo Wu poured all of her remaining soul power into her hands, flames instantly engulfing the stones, forming two glowing orange fireballs.
She fired the first Flame Bullet!
The moment the attack collided with Bai Yan's flame arrows, Quan Yi wasted no time—he detonated the Seal of Rhinoceros on impact.
Boom!
A brilliant explosion illuminated the entire sky.
The intense flash forced Bai Yan to squint her eyes. The close-range burst had blinded her momentarily.
However, this time, Bai Yan didn't need to see.
Unlike before, she didn't retreat back into the sky.
Instead, she accelerated, diving straight down!
Raising her right wing to shield her face, she let the flying sparks and stone fragments bounce harmlessly off her defenses.
At the last possible moment, Bai Yan had altered her strategy.
Flame Bullet travel in a straight line, and Quan Yi's Seal of Rhinoceros can only move forward—it can't change direction or retreat.
While the flash temporarily disoriented her, it affected everyone equally—including Huo Wu and Quan Yi.
Using that very flash to obscure her movements, Bai Yan disappeared into the blinding light.
Boom!
A second explosion erupted—this time, right behind Bai Yan's head.
There it is!
She exhaled in relief. As she had predicted, Huo Wu's combo attack was well executed but still slightly inexperienced.
No matter how refined their coordination was, Bai Yan held a vast advantage in real combat experience.
Huo Wu's tactics were good—but against someone like her, they were not enough.
Lowering her wings, Bai Yan's gaze locked onto Huo Wu, intent on confirming whether she still had any fight left in her.
But at that very moment—
A brilliant red fireball was reflected in Bai Yan's eyes.
Her pupils shrank.
Impossible!
Huo Wu shouldn't have had enough soul power left to condense another attack. According to Bai Yan's calculations, she should have been completely drained by now.
Taking a closer look, Bai Yan's eyes widened.
It wasn't Huo Wu standing behind the fireball.
It was Quan Yi.
What?!
Bai Yan's instincts screamed at her to move. She fought to control her descent, but the distance was too short, and her speed was too fast. She barely had time to react.
All she could do was instinctively raise her arms in defense once more.
And then—
A sudden realization struck her.
This… feels familiar…
It was a trap.
Quan Yi had been waiting for this very moment.
Every single one of Bai Yan's movements had been anticipated and guided by him.
"Sorry, teacher."
In Quan Yi's palm, a crimson fireball flickered—the simulated version of the Flame Bullet.
At this critical moment, he showed no hesitation.
The fireball had already been prepared.
"Flame Bullet!"
Like a blazing meteor, the red projectile streaked forward, leaving a fiery trail in its wake as it hurtled toward Bai Yan.