Book 3 Chapter 37 – Mythical Beast Ya Yu

　　A man stood on the surface of the lake as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Streams of cold air spread out from where he touched the water, and the liquid beneath his feet crystallized at a perceptible speed. It was not long before a layer of ice covered the entire surface of the lake. Four other men were waiting on the sh.o.r.e, one wielding axe, two others with katanas, while the last one had a portable cannon on his shoulders. All of them seemed relaxed and confident in their imminent victory.

　　"Don't overdo it. It'll be a pain to blow it open if the ice is too thick. I don't think that animal's going to be able to do much after taking the VN219," one of the men who held a katana spoke out coldly. His voice sounded like someone scratching at gla.s.s with nails.

　　"We should stay on our guard. It's a mythical beast after all." The man with the cannon on his shoulders reminded his friends, but his expression indicated otherwise.

　　"So this is the infamous Bai Xi? She must be quite the beauty, I presume? I haven't had a taste of a mythical beast yet. Don't kill it right away, okay? Let me have some fun," The first man said with a lewd smile, without minding the warning from his friend.

　　The other men stayed quiet: it seemed like they were used to their friend's decadence. Suddenly, the man who was above the lake smiled contemptuously and dashed to the side. A flower made purely of ice appeared where he landed. The ice beneath where he stood a moment ago suddenly shattered, and a slender silver silhouette emerged from the lake and chased after him.

　　"Risking it all, huh?" The man performed a hand-seal. A wall made of ice appeared and blocked off Bai Xi's desperate attack.

　　"I've waited long enough." The other man with a katana, who stayed quiet the entire time, darted toward Bai Xi and swung down at her with his weapon.

　　"Wait! Don't kill her right away!" The lewd man of the gang rushed toward Bai Xi with his weapon. He found her irresistibly charming, despite her having a long tail instead of legs. 'Ah, I love out of the ordinary things!'

　　Bai Xi, who was caught in the air, struggled to dodge the blows directed at her. Green blood gushed out from her fresh wound and caused her to shriek in pain.

　　"A focus discharge? You think that you can do anything under the effect of VN219? Look at this barrier, we're one step ahead of you." The vulgar man walked forward with a smile. A thin, almost transparent veil of light hovered above his head; this was a s.h.i.+eld to protect him against focus based attacks.

　　The man's arrogance angered Bai Xi. 'If I still had my inner pill, you think this pitiful drug and barrier of yours would be enough to stop me?'

　　The next moment, Bai Xi sustained another blow that almost cut part of her tail off. She fell down to the ground and writhed in pain. The lewd man picked up his katana on the backhand and impaled Bai Xi's right shoulder, nailing her to the ground.

　　"Do you guys want to try her out too? It's a mythical beast! Look at this body. Oh oh oh, I can't wait anymore. If you're going to stand around, then I'll be the first!" The lewd man said in an exaggerated voice. He ripped his own s.h.i.+rt off, revealing a lean, muscular torso.

　　"Careful!" The man with the cannon on his shoulder suddenly yelled out. He jumped into a bush nearby and sought cover.

　　The palms of the man who could control ice lit up with a white light, and his ice wall, which had just disappeared a moment ago, appeared in front of him. However, the sense of security provided by his wall was short-lived; the man sensed an oncoming danger and craned his neck. The next second, a rainbow-colored arrow pierced through the ice wall, grazing his ear as it flew through the layer of ice on the surface of the lake, leaving behind a wide gaping hole.