The Creatures that We Are

“Ah!”

White hot pain dragged a scream out of Yellow Butterfly. The moment of opening didn’t escape Gao Yang’s notice. He grabbed the broken bone sting and stabbed it at Yellow Butterfly’s heart.

Unfortunately, her scale was hardy and slimy, and opting for swiftness over accuracy, Gao Yang ended up missing the mark by a hair.

Splat. The bone sting wedged in between scales and thrust into Yellow Butterfly’s chest.

She threw up a mouthful of blood.

Suffering a heavy blow, the bone stings of her two hands reverted back into fingers, and the one penetrating through Gao Yang’s shoulder retracted as well.

A small stream of blood gushed out. Gao Yang pushed aside the pain and raised his hands, grabbing Yellow Butterfly’s head and digging his fingers into her hair, finding purchase on her scalp.

You’re not getting away this time!

“Fire!”

Fire burst out of his hands and spread from Yellow Butterfly’s head to the other parts of her body. In an instant, a pillar of bright, blazing flame enveloped her and Gao Yang’s two arms, illuminating the rooftop of the teaching building and the sky above them, so bright that it looked as if someone had dropped a bomb.

“Ahhhh!”

Yellow Butterfly howled in pain amid the fire. Pain occupied all her attention and robbed her of the ability to think. She couldn’t turn her fingers into stings to attack Gao Yang now.

Gao Yang thought victory was imminent, that Yellow Butterfly couldn’t possibly put up a fight further, that she could only scream as she met the fate of getting burned to charcoal.

But he had underestimated a half-human.

From the pillar of fire, Yellow Butterfly extended her charred hands toward Gao Yang’s chest. A second later, she used up all her strength and pushed Gao Yang toward the water tank behind him.

Gao Yang was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected her to still have so much strength in her.

No, the closer to death she was, the greater the potential she could tap into. That was something not even fire, a form of attack that brought about great pain, could suppress.

Bam!

Gao Yang’s back hit the concrete wall of the water tank, crushing it. He felt as if his bones had fallen apart, and he saw stars in his blackened vision.

Splash!

The cold water inside the water tank broke through the cracked wall; the violent waves swept the two of them away for two to three meters. They grappled and fought amid the rushing streams, during which Gao Yang’s fire momentarily died down. Without the protection of his fire, it was dangerous for him to be this close to Yellow Butterfly. ℞ΑℕȮʙÈ𐌔

Without hesitation, he kicked her away, rolling to a stop and quickly standing up to get into a fighting stance.

Charred all over, Yellow Butterfly slowly rose to her feet as well. Over half of her scales had melted under the intense heat. Her flesh fused with her flesh, and bubbles of dark blood oozed.

Her beautiful hair had been burned off as well. Her now bald head was topped with a dark brown mess of gore.

Gao Yang frowned. What a shame. She would’ve died if I managed to burn her for another seven seconds.

Still, she shouldn’t be his match in this state. He simply had to avoid her bone stings and seized an opening to activate Fire again.

But then he realized to his shock that Yellow Butterfly was muttering something. He could make out the words.

“O omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Godbearer, the great and merciful overlord of all…”

Yellow Butterfly was a member of the Godbearer Cult as well!

Shit!

Gao Yang dashed at Yellow Butterfly. He had to stop her!

Swish, swish, swish!

Three bone stings shot out to intercept Gao Yang. At the same time, the scales covering Yellow Butterfly’s right collarbone writhed and retracted to the sides, revealing a human collarbone, on which rested a small vial of black solution.

Gao Yang attempted to charge at Yellow Butterfly again, but she didn’t give him a chance. Hands morphed into bone stings, she intercepted him while crushing the vial with her other hand, swallowing the shards of glass and the solution in one go.

It came into effect quicker than expected.

In less than three seconds, the scales covering her body fell off at rapid speed, and strange black spots took over, swimming along her body like a school of living fish and converging at her chest.

“Ah!”

Yellow Butterfly cried out as her chest caved in. A strange, blackened heart burst out, breaking through her collarbones and flesh and skin. It pounded strongly, connected to thick blood vessels.

There was the familiar smell again, the thick, insidious fragrance.

Thump, thump, thump.

[Warning, Luck acquisition rate increases to 5000 times.]

Gao Yang felt a chill from the soles of his feet.

He dared not initiate an attack now. Concentrating energy in his hands, he stared at Yellow Butterfly with his full focus. He couldn’t afford a moment of distraction.

Yellow Butterfly sped up her chanting.

“Forgive my ignorance and purify my blood…”

“Human…”

“Save me from this weakness and these sins of mine. Grant me the sacred blood and great power…”

“Human.”

“I swear to forever follow you submit to you devote myself to you…”

“Human, humanhuman…”

“Humanhumanhumanhumanhuman!”

In the end, she wasn’t able to finish her prayer.

What had been Yellow Butterfly died.

Both her human side and the monster side vanished. At this moment, she was nothing but a twisted, mutated abomination, pathetic and horrifying.

She looked up with empty eyes at the prey before her: Gao Yang.

The air stilled for a second.

Swoosh!

Yellow Butterfly reached Gao Yang so quickly it almost seemed like she teleported, her stomp breaking the concrete floor and sending broken shards flying. Gao Yang barely dodged it by jumping with his Agility of 500.

But that was all he could do.

Instantly, Yellow Butterfly whirled around at impossible speed and made a powerful stomp with her heel, leaping toward Gao Yang, who was still in the air, sending up a scattering of concrete in her wake.

Clang!

For some reason, Yellow Butterfly seemed unable to fully control her rampaging power. Like a cue ball sent flying astray, she hurtled into Gao Yang, and the two of them broke through the metal railing at the edge of the rooftop, falling off together.

Two seconds later, Gao Yang and Yellow Butterfly landed on the grass-covered flower bed before the teaching building. Gao Yang hurt all over, and he was momentarily dazed.

He was glad that he had raised his Constitution and Endurance, or a fall from such height would’ve shattered all his internal organs even with the grass cushioning his fall.

Still, he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Jaw clenched, he rolled to the side.

A fist shot into the ground where he had been.

If he had been a little slower, Yellow Butterfly would’ve punched through his heart.

Gao Yang quickly got to his feet and raised his hands to activate Fire. Sensing the danger, Yellow Butterfly pulled her fist out of the ground and was about to jump.

Thud.

A thick rebar penetrated through her back, stopping her short. The man responsible was holding the rebar with both hands, and he stepped on her back with both feet.

Under the moonlight, Gao Yang got a good look at him.

Lithe Snake!

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