The Creatures that We Are

Meanwhile, Qingyang Bridge

Qilin's eyes twitched. Puppet Azure Dragon had suddenly teleported to the riverbank—still within his level 7 Puppeteer range, but distant enough to concern him.

Qilin strengthened his control over the puppet, sharing its vision. Through ink-green eyes, he saw War Tiger descending with his Dragonslaying Giantsword aimed at "him."

Beside him, Surnamed Li noticed his divided attention.

"Car incoming from the bridge entrance!" Rewind's shout cut through the night.

Those not yet engaged in battle looked over. Those with keen vision could faintly make out a large truck. Its headlights were off, and with the night serving as its cover, it quickly hurtled toward the members of the Ocean River Union at bridge center.

Rewind's Clairvoyance pierced the truck's exterior. "Ke Yo driving. Green Snake on top. Cargo is... metal beams!"

Surnamed Li's eyes closed briefly. "Everyone, move at your discretion."

No fatal danger in the next ten seconds, everyone understood.

"First unit, engage Green Snake," Colorless commanded. "Others, guard formation around the commander. Support as needed, but don't be reckless."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Most of them circled Qilin and Surnamed Li at once while keeping a distance. Although Qilin was mainly focused on controlling Puppet Azure Dragon, he could quickly shift his attention with Surnamed Li’s warning. It would be suicide to get into his a hundred-meter radius. Thus, the Union members weren’t too concerned.

The truck thundered forward. Ke Yo kicked the door open and leapt clear.

Above, Qing Ling stood like a storm goddess. Her four blades—two Black Gold, two Butterfly Twin—orbited her form as violet light sparked in her eyes. Her hair whipped in the wind.

"Rise!"

Her arms lifted.

Clink. Clang.

Hundreds of steel beams erupted from the truck's cargo hold, arranging themselves into a massive spear formation.

"Go!"

Qing Ling's arms swept forward. The beams rained down like a metal storm. She danced between them, using each as a stepping stone, closing distance while evading the fire coming from Old Seven, Small Luo, and oher ranged attackers.

"Let's go!"

Amon led the first unit's charge, Harvest Song and Lin Fu flanking her. She wove through the first wave of ground-piercing beams, found her opening, and pivoted. Her giant boomerang launched skyward—like a golden disk trailing energy—straight at Qing Ling.

Qing Ling simply jumped aside.

Lin Fu's black Daoist robe fluttered as he raised his peach wood sword. The wooden box on his back erupted—hundreds of yellow talismans streaming forth like golden sparrows, weaving through the steel beam storm toward Qing Ling.

Her fingers curled in response. Black Gold Tang Dao, Xiu Dao, Butterfly Twin Blades, and Black Gold darts danced around her in lethal orbits, shredding any talisman that drew too close. But the paper storm was endless, threatening to overwhelm her defenses.

"Cawk—cawk—"

Black wings filled the night. Crows materialized from nowhere, hurling themselves through the steel beam maze. They dove at the talismans with suicidal determination—some managing to pierce the enchanted paper with their beaks, others becoming victims themselves. The spelled birds went rigid, pupils blown wide, before plummeting toward the bridge and river below.

A tapestry formed above the Qingyang Bridge: yellow talismans, shredded paper, falling crows, and black feathers swirled through forests of steel. At the heart of this chaos, a black-haired girl leaped between razor edges, each movement precise, each slash purposeful as she closed in on the bridge's center.

Suddenly, a batch of steel beams sped up suddenly and came down upon the Ocean River Union, targeting Qilin and Surnamed Li.

"Zero Gravity!”

Musashi stepped forward, trading her usual seductive style for formal elegance—a black nightgown adorned with lace gloves and pearl earrings, two red curls framing her face beneath an elaborate updo. Her hands spread wide, channeling the second Talent she acquired a week ago.

A hemisphere of weightlessness formed around her. Dozens of steel beams froze mid-flight, suspended in her artificial void along with Musashi.

Qing Ling landed on a beam, Nine Frost's Avian King keeping Lin Fu's remaining talismans at bay. Her hands came together with deliberate force, level 6 Metal surging through her.

The scattered steel beams responded. Hundreds of pieces flowed together, melting, twisting, combining. They formed a single massive missile, three meters wide and twenty meters long; its target was clear: Musashi.

Level 3 Gravity crumpled before level 6 Metal. The projectile tore through Musashi's weightless field like paper and crashed into her.

"Ah!"

Musashi hung suspended above the bridge—too far from her allies, too exposed, meaning she couldn’t get any support from her teammates and had no time to dodge out of the way. She could only watch as the unreasonably large projectile hurtled toward her like the train of death.

In that final moment, as wind and shadow engulfed her, time stretched. She was back in her ex-boyfriend's car on that lazy afternoon drive to the suburban ranch. Soft music played. Through half-closed eyes, she watched orange tunnel lights dance across the dashboard. Contentment filled her as she dozed, the white light at the tunnel's end promising another perfect moment...

Now, a different white light beckoned.

The missile struck. No impact sound—just instant obliteration. Musashi's body exploded into pieces, even the lingering crimson mist of her blood dispersed in the projectile's wake.

"Musashi!” Colorless's cry held equal measures of anguish and fury.

Wandering Tune's face drained of color as level 6 Metal's devastating power registered. The missile continued its path toward them, flanked by dozens more steel beams. Raw survival instinct ignited his potential—Portal surged to level 6.

"Portal!”

Two seconds. That was all he had to manifest a portal that resembled the blue screen used in movie production. No time to calculate the exit point; he simply opened the other portal beneath the bridge.

Swoosh—swish swish, swish—

The steel missile and its smaller escorts punched through the luminous portal, emerging below to crash into the river. The impact sent a tall splash into the night.

Above, Qing Ling scowled from her perch on one of the steel beams. She hadn't expected to kill Qilin and Surnamed Li outright, but for them to not even move—that stung her pride.

Amon's boomerang curved back. With fewer beams to control now, Qing Ling could focus on this nuisance. Her hands splayed, calling her Tang Dao and Xiu Dao to her grip. The blades crossed, launching perpendicular arcs of energy at the approaching boomerang.

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