The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 875: War Hammer

Lin Fu stumbled forward, sweat covering his face and hair running down. His truncated black hat tumbled away, his cherry wood sword long gone. With trembling hands pressed together, he summoned the last of his energy and his remaining enchanted talismans. They burst from their wooden case, dancing around Dead Pig like yellow butterflies.

Dead Pig continued to charge while swatting at them, but the talismans darted and weaved around his massive arms. He looked like an ox trying to catch mosquitoes, each movement too slow, too clumsy.

Flap. Flap. Flap. One by one, the yellow talismans found their marks, adhering to Dead Pig's monstrous form.

"Explode!" Lin Fu's fingers formed a flurry of gestures, golden light blazing in his eyes.

Boom, boom, boom! Dozens of talismans exploded at the same time, turning the air into fire. Through the inferno sliced Amon's boomerang, a silver arc spinning at killing velocity. Her frown deepened as the weapon stuck fast instead of cleaving through.

The smoke cleared. Dead Pig stood transformed into a grotesque sight—a burned and bleeding colossus with a boomerang buried in his abdomen like a toy fork in a roasted pig. But he didn't just survive—he barely seemed to notice the wounds that would have killed anyone else.

Level 7 Self Recovery kicked in. Charred skin sloughed off like old bark, fresh flesh knitting underneath. He yanked out the boomerang, tossing it aside with casual nonchalance.

Boom! His fists cratered the ground. Then his transformation deepened—humanity giving way to pure beast. His fangs doubled in size as he dropped to all fours. He charged at the crowd.

Despite his bulky appearance and giant size, he was far from slow. In the blink of an eye, he was upon Lin Fu.

Blanking, Lin Fu couldn’t get out of the way in time.

"Watch out!" Amon slammed into Lin Fu, both of them rolling clear as the concrete pillar behind them shattered like sugar glass.

Huff... huff... Red mist plumed from Dead Pig's maw as he wheeled for another charge. He'd traded rationality for raw power, his human mind submerged beneath bestial fury. His enhanced form with greater power, defense, and agility shrugged off everything—Old Seven's ranged attacks, Crimson Bee's venom, Bumblebee's Decaying Particle.

Dead Pig rampaged through the Union members without discerning who his targets were, turning the chaotic battlefield into pure mayhem. If they couldn't stop him soon, the Union would be torn apart.

Thirty meters from the chaos, Qilin made his move. While Puppet Azure Dragon battled War Tiger, he seized a precious second to shift half his Willpower to his physical form. His eyes flared purple for a heartbeat before returning to their serpentine green as control flowed back to the puppet.

One second was enough. Dead Pig's rampage stuttered to a halt, his massive form frozen mid-stride.

The wild boar's face twisted into an uncanny mask of human grief. His crimson eyes grew misty, broken. Through massive fangs, he mumbled a single name.

Little Ba.

The illusion shattered his bestial rage. His humanity resurged as he crashed to his knees, tears streaming down his monstrous face. "Don't leave me, Little Ba! I'm sorry. It's my fault. It's all my fault..."

"Great—War—Hammer!"

Small Luo seized her chance. Despite her exhaustion from making countless attacks, she pulled a toy hammer from her bag. Her remaining energy transformed it into a golden construct twice the size of a wrecking ball.

Golden light wreathed her small frame as she gripped the toy, her features contorted with effort. "Die!"

She hurled the hammer like a bowling ball. The giant golden construct followed, launching Dead Pig off his feet. Like a struck golf ball, he arced off the bridge and plunged into the river below with a tremendous splash.

While Dead Pig fell off the bridge, Jing Ke, First Firelord, Nomad, and Harvest Song caught up with Zhong He before others, intercepting him at the end of the bridge. Compared to Harvest Song, an assassin-type, and Jing Ke, a fighter-type, Zhong He’s speed was lackluster as a hybrid of spellcaster and assassin.

Harvest Song struck first, launching a dart before using Mirror Man to overtake him. She materialized in his path, triangular blade thrust forward.

Zhong He's Phantom armor—a shield of pure shadow that made him look like a villain from Elementary School Grim Reaper[1]—caught the blade. Instead of penetrating, the strike merely scattered a few shadow wisps.

Surprise flickered across Harvest Song's face at Phantom's impenetrable defense. Shadow stings erupted from Zhong He's hands, forcing her into two quick backflips to avoid the barrage of protrusion from the ground.

She retreated to a safe distance, reassessing her former colleague. Phantom's reputation as second to only the top twelve Talents was well-earned—its perfect blend of offense and defense made it formidable. Yet Zhong He had weaknesses: limited battle experience and mediocre close combat skills that limited his use of Phantom. In Harvest Song's or Jing Ke's hands, Phantom would have been devastating at close range.

Zhong He knew his limitations. He charged straight at the woman blocking his path, hoping to force an opening.

"Seal Six Senses!"

1. A reference to Detective Conan. ☜