Chapter 885: Had Enough of Playing Mahjong
Lin Sanjiu immediately jumped up from the flames, and at the same time she signaled Bohemia and herself to silently retreat into the darkness of the corridor of the church, "Pure Touch" also spread its tentacles in all directions. However, in the air currents captured by Pure Touch, there was no sign of anyone nearby.
Amidst the dizziness and throbbing in her head caused by the severe cold, she quietly waited for a few seconds and finally looked up with some confusion.
"Wait," Puppeteer showed no intention of hiding his presence. The cold words echoed in the dim church.
How did he know someone was coming?
Lin Sanjiu and Bohemia exchanged glances, seeing the same doubt in each other's eyes.
She gestured to Bohemia to stay put while she slowly approached the entrance of the church. The remaining large door was slightly ajar, allowing a stream of icy cold night wind to flow in. Looking out through the crack, she could only see pitch-black, shape-shifting shadows, but there was no sign of anyone's movement.
She was absolutely certain that she hadn't made a sound, yet as she reached out to push open the church door, her spirit suddenly froze—she was just a step too late in realizing it. When she became aware that there was indeed a silent and almost melted "presence" on the other side of the door, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew open the door.
All her senses and consciousness were struck head-on by the force of the wind. Lin Sanjiu couldn't remember the last time she had been so frightened. In that moment, it felt as if her soul was being carried away by the opposing wind—it happened too quickly for her to even scream. She quickly pushed off the ground, using her 【Tornado Whip】 in her hand to sweep the floor, riding on the wind she had created in haste, and leaped high into the air.
Amidst the turbulent collision of the two winds, the orange glow in the bonfire was instantly extinguished, plunging the church back into deep darkness.
The sudden enveloping darkness temporarily blinded both Lin Sanjiu, who had just landed, and the person who had rushed through the door. Before their eyes could adjust to the darkness, they instinctively froze in their movements. It was the right decision, but unfortunately, it was of no help to Lin Sanjiu—she happened to feel a sour and itchy sensation in her nose at that moment. Before she could even think "oh no" in her mind, she sneezed heavily.
When she sniffed and opened her eyes again, the person's ferocious attack had already reached her.
"How useless."
Amidst the flying sand and rolling smoke in the dark night, Puppeteer's cold voice cut through like an icy blade. He remained motionless, sitting securely in his web, not even throwing out a single plague monster.
Lin Sanjiu couldn't spare any anger towards the instigator anymore.
It had been a long time since she had encountered such a powerful and precise opponent, one that made her feel pushed to the brink. Under the overwhelming force of the wind unleashed by her opponent, she felt like a puppet strung together with straw ropes, ready to disintegrate and shatter with a single blow.
In a moment of desperation, Lin Sanjiu took a step back, and as if her body remembered it instinctively, she subconsciously swung her arm—she suddenly unleashed the vortex she had learned from Hei Zeji. In the dark night, it opened its jaws and tore apart the wind the person had conjured, intercepting his path. The person seemed surprised and abruptly halted his movement, leaping backward just as the vortex engulfed him, narrowly avoiding its grasp.
Lin Sanjiu felt a mix of regret and fear. Taking two steps back, she used 【Adaptation to Circumstances】 and squeezed a hoarse voice out of her swollen and sore throat, "Who are you?"
She could barely recognize her own voice.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, a faintly tall figure gradually emerged in front of her. The person seemed to have no intention of engaging in conversation, merely casually moving his shoulders and neck. His piercing gaze was fixed directly on the spot where Lin Sanjiu stood. Even when the vortex disappeared not far from him, he wasn't distracted.
In the past, Lin Sanjiu might have been provoked by a sense of competitiveness, but now her mind was a mess, making her unsuited to confront such a dangerous individual.
"Puppeteer," she called with a heavy nasal voice, "Aren't you going to make a move?"
Before her words could fully sink in, the tall figure on the other side suddenly tilted his head.
"I'm injured."
...Who knows what goes on inside this person's mind.
Lin Sanjiu cursed inwardly and stared intently at the person in front of her, when suddenly, an idea struck her.
Perhaps she did have a chance to catch the person off guard... if everything went smoothly.
She forcefully sniffed her nose and, with a push from her foot, swiftly pounced towards the figure. Faced with such a straightforward attack, the person seemed indifferent. Instead of dodging, he raised his hand and a sound of a gun being cocked echoed through the dark night.
Lin Sanjiu swiftly lowered her body, and as the fake 【Ability Polishing Agent】 flew towards her waist, a series of fierce flames tore through the night from above her head. Half of the church was instantly illuminated by the continuously spewing flames. Amidst the flickering light and shadows, she rolled on the ground and stepped into the extinguished bonfire, narrowly evading the gunfire.
Taking advantage of the pause in gunfire, Lin Sanjiu looked up and saw the person turning to avoid the shining small bottle. However, she had already twisted off the cap when she threw the bottle out—the silver paint inside splattered in all directions, dotting the person's back.
That was equivalent to leaving a mark.
"Bohemia!" Lin Sanjiu shouted loudly, "Web!"
Don't be fooled by Bohemia's usual appearance. When it mattered, he was extremely responsive. Before her words even finished, a burst of starlight suddenly appeared in mid-air. The brilliance of the silver web instantly illuminated half of the church, as well as the person beneath the web. For a moment, the golden radiance of his hair seemed to take away one's breath.
Lin Sanjiu leaped up in disbelief, almost suspecting that her severe cold had caused her hallucinations.
...How could this be such a coincidence?
Just a moment before striking, Silvan seemed to have realized as well. He abruptly turned his head, and from his pair of emerald eyes resembling deep forest lakes, stars flickered suddenly. When he unleashed a gust of wind towards the silver web above his head, his golden hair scattered in the wind, like a handful of midsummer sunlight pouring into the dark night.