Chapter 117: The Battle of the Two Sisters (Part II)

"Hmph, this is no ordinary sedative. It is a special formula created by the Angel Saintess for large, ferocious beasts. A single dose is enough to knock out a full-grown tiger. It will be more than enough to keep you asleep for three days and three nights!"

Tuantuan let out a cold snort, walked to the side to retrieve her sword, and turned back to face the Exploding Man, falling into a defensive stance.

"Alright, that's one down, one to go!"

"Hey, don't—cough, cough—don't be reckless!" Xue Feifei clutched her chest, trying to catch her breath, her voice filled with worry.

Tuantuan said nothing. She simply stood silently in front of Xue Feifei, her sword raised, staring coldly at the enemy in the distance.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

A round of applause echoed from afar.

"This is truly surprising!" The Exploding Man shook his head as he clapped. "Honestly, I told her before that her arrogance would be her undoing sooner or later. And look, it’s come true!"

His tone was indifferent, as if he felt no concern for his companion's safety. Although he wore an expression of feigned helplessness, he clearly held no regard for Tuantuan, a dismissal that made her frown deeply.

"What’s the matter, little girl? You don’t actually think you can win, do you?" Noticing the look on her face, the Exploding Man crossed his arms and asked with a strange expression.

"Tch!"

Tuantuan let out a sound of annoyance, crinkled her nose, and charged at him with her sword. Thanks to her training over the past few days, her confidence was sky-high. The man before her was not an Awakened One; his physical abilities shouldn't be anything special—he merely possessed some peculiar powers. Therefore, she didn't believe she would lose.

However, the result was brutal. While she could use trickery to defeat the Raincoat Woman, she was completely helpless against the head-on, explosive combat style of this man.

"Boom!"

Amidst a violent explosion, Tuantuan was sent flying from the dust. She slammed into the ground and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

"Tuantuan!"

Xue Feifei cried out in alarm. Just as she prepared to scramble toward her, her legs went weak, and she collapsed back onto the ground with a cry of pain. At that moment, she began to loathe her own frail body.

In the distance, Tuantuan silently climbed to her feet and, without a word, charged at the man again.

"Boom!"

The outcome was the same. Tuantuan’s tied-up hair was blown into disarray, and her small face was covered in soot, a sight that broke Xue Feifei’s heart. If not for her status as an Awakened, such a violent impact would have surely killed an ordinary person. Even so, Tuantuan’s injuries were undoubtedly severe.

This time, Tuantuan could barely stand, but she insisted on using the broad blade of her sword as a crutch to slowly pull herself up. After taking two ragged breaths, she gritted her teeth and charged at the man once more.

"No, don't!"

"Boom!"

Xue Feifei’s scream coincided almost perfectly with the sound of the explosion. Out of the smoke, Tuantuan flew out like a butterfly with broken wings, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Tuantuan!"

Xue Feifei could no longer hold back. She forced herself to her feet, suppressed the cramps in her legs, and scrambled toward where Tuantuan had fallen. But while she was still on her way, she saw Tuantuan shakily standing up once again.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Fearing that Tuantuan would charge out again, Xue Feifei rushed forward and grabbed her. "We only need to stall for time until Kong Zhe returns. Why are you risking your life like this?"

"...We can't wait that long... We will be killed before he gets back... I think you’ve felt it too. The only reason they haven't finished us off yet is that they want to watch our futile struggle... If we want to buy time, the attacks cannot stop!"

Tuantuan did not look back. Her voice was weak, but it lacked its usual playfulness, sounding incredibly earnest.

"Angel Saintess... I hate you. I hate you so much. But I promised you that I would keep you safe, so..."

To Xue Feifei’s stunned gaze, Tuantuan turned back, gave her a thumbs-up, and flashed a brilliant smile. "Don't worry. Before I fall, I will never let anyone hurt you. That is a knight’s promise!"

Xue Feifei felt her mind go blank, and her eyes instantly welled up. Tuantuan was actually smiling at her? How long had it been since she had seen her smile? Xue Feifei realized, to her shock, that she couldn't remember! The last time she saw that smile must have been back in their childhood.

"Tuantuan?"

When she came to her senses, Tuantuan was already gone. Looking up, she saw that Tuantuan had already charged toward the enemy. This terrified Xue Feifei.

The enemy didn't seem in a hurry to blow Tuantuan away this time; instead, he played with her like a cat toying with a mouse. This filled Xue Feifei with rage, yet she was utterly helpless.

Every time Tuantuan attacked with all her might, she was sent crashing into the mud again and again. Her hair and clothes were covered in snow and withered, yellow leaves, making her look incredibly disheveled.

After a while, when Tuantuan was on the verge of exhaustion, the Exploding Man seemed to grow bored. He stomped his foot, causing an explosion on the ground. Using the momentum, he moved with sudden, blinding speed, appearing before Tuantuan before she could react. He extended a finger and flicked her forehead.

"Die! Hahaha!"

As the man roared with laughter, Tuantuan felt a powerful shock to her forehead. She was sent flying like a bullet, rolling her eyes and passing out mid-air. She flew further than she ever had before.

"Tuantuan!"

Xue Feifei let out a shrill scream, running toward the trajectory of Tuantuan’s fall, desperate to catch her. Unfortunately, Tuantuan had flown too far; Xue Feifei’s speed was nowhere near enough. She could only watch as Tuantuan plummeted headfirst toward the ground.

"No!"

Xue Feifei let out a pained whimper and reached out.

"Whoosh!"

A messy sound of splashing water broke the silence. To Xue Feifei’s disbelief, she saw Tuantuan being caught by something in mid-air. It was a mass of water floating in the void. A second before hitting the ground, Tuantuan was enveloped by this water, which cushioned her fall and prevented a fatal impact.

Xue Feifei felt all the strength drain from her body, and she collapsed to the ground. No matter what, Tuantuan wasn't dead—if she had been, Xue Feifei would have truly lost her mind. Then, she realized: that splash of water, that familiar water... only one person could do this. She instinctively looked toward where the Raincoat Woman had collapsed, but the spot was now empty.

"My, that really gave me a scare! You brute, she is our primary mission target! Good thing I caught her; if she’d died, you’d be the one crying!"

Where Tuantuan had landed, the puddle of water gradually took the form of the Raincoat Woman. She tucked Tuantuan under her arm and glared at the Exploding Man in the distance, complaining.

"Sorry, sorry, I got a bit carried away. But this little girl is an Awakened, so she shouldn't be that fragile... Hehe..." The Exploding Man scratched his head and laughed.

"Why..."

The water’s cleansing effect had brought Tuantuan out of her faint, but she was now incredibly weak. Her arms hung limply, devoid of any strength to resist. She could barely open her eyes, and as she looked at the figure beside her, a glimmer of despair filled her gaze. She couldn't understand how someone who had just been knocked unconscious could recover so quickly.

Like her, Xue Feifei was filled with confusion. She had created those sedative needles herself; she knew exactly how effective they were. She was certain that even Kong Zhe would be out for a long time if he were hit by one. What was going on with this woman?

The situation was already dire enough; they were helpless against the Exploding Man alone, and now there was another troublesome woman. Were they being pushed into a corner with no hope?

"Oh, hahaha! Are you confused? Little girl, I must admit, your needles were very effective. If it had been anyone else, you might have succeeded. But you’re dealing with me!"

The Raincoat Woman laughed triumphantly. In her other hand, a small glob of red liquid slowly coalesced—it was the sedative from the needle. She sneered at the liquid, flicked her finger, and the potent drug was discarded onto the snow, where it vanished into the ground.

"My body is made of water. I cannot defend against the injection of liquids, but I can condense and dilute the water within me at will."

The Raincoat Woman looked at the girl in her arms and laughed. "I was indeed negligent at first, which is how you succeeded. But as soon as I realized I’d been sabotaged, I began to dilute the drug within me. That’s why I was able to recover so quickly. Tee-hee-hee..."

"Damn it..."

Hearing the explanation, Tuantuan gritted her teeth. She had been so proud of outsmarting them, only to realize she had been in their control from the start.

If it was diluted, couldn't she just inject her again?

Tuantuan’s eyes turned cold. A syringe appeared in her left hand—the very last one she had. Since she was already in the woman’s arms, she didn't even need to find an opening. She put all her strength into her arm and stabbed the needle into the Raincoat Woman repeatedly, not caring where it landed.

But then, she frowned. It was happening again—that feeling of her attacks failing to make contact with anything solid.

"Hahaha, little girl! Did you think you could use the same trick on me twice?"

The Raincoat Woman sneered. Within her transparent body, a red vein-like structure was clearly visible, connecting to her raised right hand. The drugs Tuantuan had injected were flowing through this pipeline, gathering continuously in her palm.