Ziyue's current condition wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. The cracks in her Ice Armor had been repaired, but the defense reduction effect still lingered. Both her stamina and energy had been considerably depleted, though they remained within a controllable range. The key was the rain.
As long as the rain continued, the Torrent Hound's speed advantage would persist. Ziyue's attacks dealt half damage, while the Torrent Hound's attacks grew increasingly fierce. They had to find a way to solve this problem.
Liu Yi's gaze settled on the Torrent Hound. The dark blue canine pet was moving rapidly through the curtain of rain, its speed still astonishing. However, before each change in direction, it would have a tiny pause, and its tail would first wag towards the intended direction. This habit was almost impossible to detect during high-speed movement. But Liu Yi had observed it for so long that the pattern was now etched clearly in her mind.
“Ziyue, Ice Spike, three meters to the left.”
Ziyue tilted her head back and let out a clear cry. Twelve massive Ice Spikes appeared out of thin air three meters to the Torrent Hound's left, not aimed at it directly, but blocking its impending change of direction. Fang Mingming froze for a moment. “What?”
The Torrent Hound instinctively shifted left, its tail first swinging to the left. Then it crashed into the Ice Spikes. Not just one, but three, completely blocking all its possible movement routes. The Torrent Hound could only brake abruptly, its entire body sliding two meters across the slippery floating island surface before coming to a halt. “Beautiful!” In the waiting zone, Bai Lu couldn't help but cheer softly.
She understood.
Liu Yi wasn't attacking randomly; she was predicting. Not predicting the Torrent Hound's current position, but where it would appear in the next second.
Fang Mingming's expression changed. He had just felt victory was assured, but now he suddenly realized a terrifying truth: the first-year new student opposite him had been observing the Torrent Hound's movement habits the entire time. She wasn't attacking blindly; she was waiting for the Torrent Hound to walk into her trap. “Torrent Hound, don't stop! High-Speed Movement!” he shouted urgently.
The Torrent Hound shook its head and accelerated again. This time, its movement trajectory was more varied, no longer confined to its previous habits, but deliberately disrupting its rhythm. But Liu Yi gave it no chance to breathe. “Ice Blades, four to the left, four to the right, four to the front.” Twelve Ice Blades shot out from different angles, sealing off all possible movement routes for the Torrent Hound. The Torrent Hound was forced to slow down, dodging left and right through the gaps in the Ice Blades. Fang Mingming gritted his teeth. “Water Pulse, continuous release!”
The Torrent Hound continuously slammed its paws on the ground, sending wave after wave of Water Pulse surging towards Ziyue. The waves grew larger and faster with each successive attack. Ziyue dodged left and right along the Frost Path, but the Water Pulse's range was too vast for her to completely evade. When struck for the third time, her body visibly staggered, and several more cracks appeared on her Ice Armor.
Liu Yi's brow furrowed even deeper. The Torrent Hound's stamina consumption was also significant, but it clearly possessed the “Damp Skin” trait, allowing it to slowly recover stamina in the rain. Although the recovery rate wasn't fast, it was enough to sustain it through a war of attrition. Meanwhile, Ziyue's “Eternal Heart” trait only allowed for a slight stamina recovery after using Ice-type skills, and only when it wasn't snowing. She couldn't recover continuously at all times.
They couldn't drag this out any longer. Liu Yi's gaze fell upon the heavy rain cloud above the Torrent Hound's head. The Rain skill's duration wasn't short, but it wasn't infinite either. Once the rain stopped, the Torrent Hound's speed would return to normal, and the recovery effect of Damp Skin would vanish. But the question was, could Ziyue last until then?
She quickly scanned Ziyue's condition. The Silver Snow Fox was breathing heavily, her fur soaked and clinging to her body, and her Ice Armor was covered in fine cracks. Although her eyes were still bright, her stamina and energy consumption were clearly evident. There was no need to take this risk; Ziyue still had two more tricks up her sleeve.
As Liu Yi made her assessment, she also made a decision.
“Ziyue, Snowfall.”
Her voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.
Ziyue tilted her head back and let out a clear cry.
The sound pierced through the curtain of rain, echoing between the floating islands.
Then.
The rain stopped.
It didn't gradually cease; it was forcefully suppressed. The cold aura around Ziyue erupted fiercely, and silver-blue light circulated over her body, spreading outwards as if corporeal. The heavy rain cloud above was struck by this cold energy, instantly dispersing and replaced by a layer of ice-blue clouds. Snowflakes began to fall. It wasn't a delicate, almost imperceptible snow, but large, dense flakes, imbued with an ice-blue glow. The snowflakes spun and danced in the air, enveloping the entire Arena 1 in District F in a blanket of silver-white.
Fang Mingming's pupils sharply contracted.
“This is… the A-rank skill, Snowfall?!”
His Torrent Hound's Rain was only a B-rank skill; its ability to increase speed and continuously recover stamina was entirely due to combining it with two traits. But Snowfall was different; the skill itself came with damage-boosting and defense-boosting effects. How could this Silver Snow Fox have another A-rank skill?
This snow came too fiercely. The Torrent Hound's speed visibly slowed. Its “Free and Easy” trait could only be activated in the rain, and once the rain stopped, its speed returned to normal. Not only that, while the Snowfall environment didn't directly harm Water-type pets, the biting cold made its movements stiff, and tiny ice crystals began to form on its fur.
Fang Mingming gritted his teeth, but quickly regained his composure. So what if the rain stopped? The Torrent Hound still had stamina; it could still fight. As for that Silver Snow Fox, it had expended considerable energy just now, and now it had unleashed such a powerful weather skill. How much energy could it possibly have left?
“Torrent Hound, Turbid Flow!”
The Torrent Hound opened its mouth and spewed a turbid stream of water, carving an arc through the snowy curtain as it surged towards Ziyue.
Ziyue easily dodged it, moving along the Frost Path.
Liu Yi gave the Torrent Hound no chance to breathe.
“Extreme Cold Storm.”
Her voice was quiet, but to Fang Mingming, it sounded like a bomb.
What?!
Fang Mingming almost thought he'd misheard. Extreme Cold Storm? This Silver Snow Fox had just unleashed Snowfall; how could it still use Extreme Cold Storm now?
He didn't have time to think, because Ziyue had already moved.
The Silver Snow Fox took a deep breath, and the cold aura around her erupted violently.
It wasn't a slow, gradual drop in temperature, but an instantaneous, explosive burst of extreme cold.
The temperature of the entire Arena 1 in District F plummeted.
Rate on N.U.
