Chapter 132

“After avoiding the venomous storm, White Fang retreated to a place with relatively dense shadows, his gaze fixed firmly on Vibres in mid-air.

“Total Eclipse Impact,” Mu Huiyue said.

Dark energy gathered in large amounts in the Frost Night Wolf’s mouth, and White Fang knew this was a skill used to cover for Senior Ellen’s attack. He adjusted the output angle, reducing some of the skill’s power while trying to expand the range of the shockwave.

The dark energy, resembling an eclipse, blasted into the air, directly piercing through the web above.

Vibres moved unbelievably fast within the web. Its tail shot out a thread, sticking to another position, and its massive body swung mid-air, just managing to avoid the range of the Total Eclipse Impact.

“Bone Blade Thrust!” Mu Huiyue wasn’t surprised that the opponent dodged the Total Eclipse Impact; it was originally a feint designed to force movement.

The special skill [Fusion of Form] has both advantages and disadvantages in double battles. While the Type One exoskeleton provides great benefits to allies, it also requires merging with them as a single entity.

At least Mu Huiyue didn’t need to split her attention to monitor the movements of the other beast, allowing her to focus entirely on the battle tactics involving this mechanical-limbed white spider.”

“In the shadow where Vibres landed, the figure of the Bone Fang soldier surged upward with the black mist, its bone blade, burning with eerie blue flames, intercepting the opponent who was swaying mid-air.

Attacking from this position, Vibres had no way to dodge.

Just as the Bone Blade Thrust was about to strike the white spider, Lin Fei spoke up: “Type One Exoskeleton, One Slash!”

Without hesitation, Vibres abandoned the thread from its tail, losing the support of its inertia. Its massive body rapidly descended, and sharp metallic gleams appeared on all eight of its spider legs, with the front two transformed into scythe-like appendages.

These changes occurred in the blink of an eye. Ellen, who had originally aimed at the position Vibres was propelled toward, saw the opponent’s swift movement, avoiding the moment perfectly. The scythe-like front limbs slashed out with a sharp cross, using the force of the descent to heavily strike the Bone Fang soldier.

The situation for both sides instantly flipped, and this time, it was the Bone Fang soldier, in an attacking stance, who had no way to dodge.

The sound of two sharp blades cutting through heavy objects rang out, and the bone-clad skeleton holding the bone blade shattered on the spot, scattering into nearly irreparable dust.

Mu Huiyue felt Ellen return to the shadow below, and in that split second, he swapped positions with the skeleton created by [Necromancy].”

“Both [Necromancy] and [Shadow Hunt] are skills that can create avatars, but the difference lies in the timing of their use. The Moonshadow Avatars are difficult to maintain for long periods, so they are typically used instantaneously on the battlefield, whereas [Necromancy] allows for the pre-assembly of various skeletal undead, hidden within the shadow space.

Each time a shadowed skeleton emerges, it could either be a skeletal undead or Ellen himself. Until the final moment of the confrontation, no one will know where Ellen truly is.

Vibres, still falling, once again spat out a thread of spider silk, sticking it to the web in mid-air and stabilizing itself by clinging to the higher ground.

“Spider Silk Shot!” Lin Fei had no intention of stopping.

Vibres swung its tail around, aiming at the web below, and began spitting out short bursts of spider silk in rapid succession, like a machine gun.

These spider silks were thin and flexible, yet as strong as steel, easily piercing through the [Frost Blessing Armor] that White Fang had created using the Moonshadow Avatars.

Mu Huiyue quickly reacted: “Ellen, use the Netherfire, White Fang, [Shadow Hunt]!”

The pale-white skeleton emerged from the shadows, snapped its fingers in the direction where the spider silk was falling, and the swirling eerie blue flames surged upward, burning away the troublesome threads.

Taking advantage of this opening, the Frost Night Wolf leaped up, and five Moonshadow Avatars appeared in mid-air, blocking off all possible escape routes for the opponent.”

Lin Fei on the battlefield raised his head, gazing at the Frost Night Wolf charging fearlessly toward Vibres, enveloped in eerie blue flames.

“Just a little more… Type One Exoskeleton…” he murmured, his gaze seemingly transcending countless moments and spaces, landing on a focus point far beyond reach.

The Moonshadow Avatars were difficult to distinguish; until the very last moment, it was impossible to determine the true location of the Frost Night Wolf’s real body.

Vibres remained motionless, allowing the Netherfire to envelop it as it arrived first. Then, it seemed to sense something ahead of time, raising its scythe-like front limbs high.

“Now’s the time, Type One Exoskeleton, One Slash!” Lin Fei’s command rang out almost simultaneously.

The metal-limbed appendage swung down heavily, but it didn’t target the Frost Night Wolf; instead, it aimed at the nearby web that had become stuck together.

A corner of the [Web Weaving] domain that covered the battlefield shattered, and the shape of the falling shadow changed accordingly. The Frost Night Wolf, accelerated by [Shadow Hunt], was forced to alter its trajectory, and Lin Fei aimed precisely at this shift.

Swish—

The One Slash swung out again, hitting White Fang with pinpoint accuracy, slicing through its entire abdomen horizontally.

“White Fang!” Mu Huiyue instinctively clenched her fist.

The Frost Night Wolf fell to the ground from mid-air, letting out an agonizing whine.

“Use Moonlight!”

The starry light gathered on White Fang’s abdomen, and with the ongoing effects of [Eternal Night’s Echo] on the battlefield, [Moonlight] quickly healed the large wound.

This was the most serious skill injury White Fang had suffered after experiencing [Reversed Space]. Since mastering [Moonshadow], it hadn’t been hit directly for a long time.

Mu Huiyue exhaled softly, forcing herself to calm down.

The audience in the stands was in an uproar, all discussing the recent exchange, confused about why Vibres was able to hit the Frost Night Wolf.

But Mu Huiyue understood.

The soul-affecting [Netherfire] had no effect on Vibres, indicating that neither the projection of the Cloud Dreaming Bear nor the Type One Exoskeleton merged with [Fusion of Form] could use hidden energy to sense the existence of a soul.

Lin Fei clearly knew this, which was why he had Vibres stop moving, directly taking the brunt of the Netherfire’s assault.

Then, he used the first One Slash to tear through the webbing of [Web Weaving], altering the shape of the falling shadows. In the accelerated state of [Shadow Hunt], White Fang was forced to adjust its direction due to the change in the shadows.

The changes in position and shape, as well as the adjusted direction, were perhaps all deliberately designed.

Through this slight alteration, Lin Fei pinpointed White Fang’s true body and used the second [One Slash] to deal a heavy blow to it.

Every action was executed with incredible precision and skill. The audience couldn’t even tell what had happened, and only Mu Huiyue, who was on the battlefield and possessed exceptional insight, could understand it immediately.

Throughout the entire exchange, Lin Fei only issued a single command for [One Slash], yet he had carried out this intricate and interconnected tactic.

Mu Huiyue felt a subtle sense of familiarity.

This tactical style was exactly what she excelled at.

Or rather, this is the tactical style that would naturally emerge from a beastmaster with rich knowledge of beast mastery, unparalleled battlefield insight, and a deep bond and understanding with their beast.

Mu Huiyue once again felt the subtle misalignment in Lin Fei, something Wen Li had mentioned to her before the battle, and which she herself had sensed during the observation.

Her control over the battlefield far exceeded that of her peers, and even higher-tier beastmasters, a result of daily meditation feedback from the [Training Ground], extensive combat experience, and the perceptual enhancement brought by her innate beastmaster talent. But what, then, was the source of Lin Fei’s changes?

His synergy with Vibres wasn’t just demonstrated through battlefield insight. The deliberate cutting of the web to alter the shadow’s shape, in order to pinpoint White Fang’s true body—this wasn’t something that could be done through improvisation alone.

They must have gone through countless similar situations, designing a tactical system that reversely utilizes the changes in shadows, targeting the characteristics of dark-type beasts.

At this thought, Mu Huiyue paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that, except for the initial [Somnambulism], every command Lin Fei issued afterward was directed toward the [Type One Exoskeleton].

The [Vibres] projected by the Cloud Dreaming Bear was not the real body. The true core manipulating White Fang to release skills and execute various tactics was the [Type One Exoskeleton] as the outer armor.

The later-contracted [Type One Exoskeleton] had a higher rank than the previously contracted Cloud Dreaming Bear, and this subtle anomaly had already started to reveal itself. Lin Fei and it shared an eerily high level of tacit understanding and battle experience, as though they had fought side by side for decades, enduring countless battles together.

Mu Huiyue’s mind raced, and in the blink of an eye, she had figured out the reason for her previous setback and the direction she might take to break through.

Her insight on the battlefield and her beast’s synergy formed the foundation of her tactical strategies, but the reason Mu Huiyue won battle after battle wasn’t just because of these.

She also possessed an imagination that defied common sense, as well as the decisiveness and caution to execute those tactical plans.

No matter what secret Lin Fei and [Type One Exoskeleton] shared, even if they suddenly became more experienced and powerful, this was still a doubles match.

Even a beast with the intellect attribute, like [Shape Fusion], could never fully replace the position of a partner and fight two against one.

The breakthrough to victory lay with the Cloud Dreaming Bear.

Mu Huiyue looked ahead. The projection of Vibres still hung on the high spiderweb, while White Fang had already healed its wounds through [Moonlight] and stood up again.

“Ellen, White Fang,” she smiled slightly and said, “Let’s have a more lively concert.”

Click.

The skeleton opened its jaw and once again sank into the shadows.

White Fang scratched its claws and immediately understood the beastmaster’s intentions.

“Awwoo!”

It remembered the last time it faced this projection of the Cloud Dreaming Bear and the cool soul tremor that Senior Ellen performed!

This time, with an upgraded howl, it could join the performers as well!

“Nonsense.” Lin Fei, witnessing the scene, furrowed his brows slightly.

After severely injuring the Frost Night Wolf during the confrontation, Lin Fei had expected Mu Huiyue to show more panic and surprise, as it would be the only fitting reaction to his meticulously designed, high-risk strategy.

However, Mu Huiyue seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as if she had found a direction.

What had she found? What had she figured out?

An inexplicable feeling of anxiety stirred in Lin Fei’s heart. No matter what Mu Huiyue planned to do, she could never be a match for [Type One Limb]!

This was the only answer that [Gabriel] had provided among countless possibilities!

“White Fang, another Shadow Hunt!”

“[Type One Limb], one-word slash!”

Both beastmasters issued their commands simultaneously. The Frost Night Wolf leaped into the air, stepping through the shadows again, while Vibres raised its scythe-like limbs, the sharp blade gleaming with a piercing metallic light in the shadows.