The Earth Horse pulled the Earth Pig up from the floor.
The Earth Horse pulled the Earth Pig up from the floor.
The moment the Earth Pig made contact with the Earth Horse’s palm, his brows furrowed into a deep “川” shape.
The sensation he felt was indeed far too complex.
If touching the Vermilion Bird felt like touching fruit through a cloth bag, then touching the Earth Horse felt like touching a fruit basket through a cardboard box.
No… he wasn’t even sure if it was a “fruit basket”—it just felt like something resembling one.
The sensation was so peculiar that the Earth Pig held onto the Earth Horse’s hand for a long time, as if trying to confirm whether his perception was accurate.
“Are you okay?” The Earth Horse withdrew her hand and asked.
“I… I’m fine…” The Earth Pig rubbed his chest and asked doubtfully, “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“If you’re fine, then that’s good…” the Earth Pig murmured.
Although the Earth Pig had once been influenced by the Earth Horse to cause trouble for the Loss Tiger, he had never actually touched her before.
Had the Earth Horse always been this complex?
“Originally, I thought about leaving you to die,” the Earth Horse said, pointing to the wound near her heel. “After all, my injury is thanks to you.”
“I…” The Earth Pig was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.
“But since we’re a team now, it wouldn’t be right to stand by and do nothing,” the Earth Horse continued. “Go stand aside. I’ll handle this noisy chicken.”
“But your leg is injured too…” the Earth Pig thought for a moment and said, “How about you hold him off while I go find reinforcements?”
“Not necessary,” the Earth Horse shook her head. “I’ve always had a trump card—I just can’t use it unless it’s absolutely critical.”
“Absolutely critical…?”
“Don’t worry,” the Earth Horse said.
The Earth Horse dragged her injured leg step by step toward the Earth Rooster, looking down at him and the several “Human-Level” beings behind him.
She remembered this Earth Rooster. If she wasn’t mistaken, he had long since gone mad.
Day after day, he had truly convinced himself that he was a noisy, clucking chicken.
It seemed just as the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey had said—even the “Zodiacs” who retained their memories couldn’t last too long in this place.
“Big Horse!!” the Earth Rooster shrieked. “Traitor!! Kill her now!!”
But after his command, the students behind him remained completely still.
Even if the Earth Horse appeared injured, she was still an “Earth-Level” being. As “Human-Level” entities, they stood no chance against her.
Seeing that no one was listening to him, the Earth Rooster grew furious. He turned around, grabbed one of the “Human-Level” students by the collar, and hurled him directly at the Earth Horse.
The Earth Horse raised her hand and gently deflected the thrown student, sending him crashing into the wall.
“If we’re talking about ‘throwing things’… you’ve got a long way to go,” the Earth Horse said as she reached behind her waist and pulled out a fist-sized iron ball.
Before the Earth Rooster could process what was happening, the Earth Horse took a small running step and, using her less-than-agile foot for leverage, hurled the iron ball straight at him.
The Earth Rooster’s expression instantly changed. He grabbed another student and held him up as a shield. The iron ball struck the student squarely in the chest, embedding itself deeply with a clear sound of shattering bones.
Though the “Human-Level” student in his hands was clearly dead, the Earth Rooster also realized that the tall Earth Horse didn’t seem particularly strong.
A throw of this magnitude could kill a “Human-Level” being, but it shouldn’t be fatal to an “Earth-Level” one.
“You look so tall!! But you’re weak!!” the Earth Rooster shouted. “Tie her up and kill her!!”
With that, he tossed the dead “Human-Level” student to the ground and turned to look at his other students.
This was the first time these students had encountered such a situation. In the past, “Earth-Level” beings would fight among themselves, usually ending with nothing more than injuries. But this time, people were actually dying. Fearful, the students instinctively backed away, afraid that if they moved too slowly, they would be used as shields again.
“Give it to me!!” the Earth Rooster turned back and shouted. “Give me a weapon!!”
One of the students tremblingly pulled a rope and a dagger from his waist and handed them to the Earth Rooster with shaking hands.
The Earth Rooster grinned as he took the weapons. Holding the rope in his left hand and the dagger in his right, he turned back to face the Earth Horse. “Tie her up and kill her!! Once she’s tied, we’ll kill her slowly, one cut at a time!!”
The Earth Horse remained silent, her expression serious as she stared at the Earth Rooster.
She knew she had very few chances—perhaps only two.
She had originally intended to use both attacks against the Celestial Horse, but she lacked confidence. If she couldn’t use the Earth Rooster for practice first, even standing before the Celestial Horse would be suicide.
The tension between the two began to escalate, and the Earth Pig grew increasingly nervous.
The Earth Horse had been utterly defeated by the Black Sheep earlier—how could she possibly win against this mad rooster with an injured body now?
Completely disregarding the weapons in her opponent’s hands, the Earth Horse began slowly advancing.
Step by step, they entered each other’s attack range. Without a word, the Earth Rooster swung his dagger and stabbed. The Earth Horse raised her left arm to block.
The dagger plunged straight into her forearm, the tip protruding from the other side.
Unfazed by her injury, the Earth Horse raised her right hand and placed it on the Earth Rooster’s chest. The soft, seemingly weak palm strike made the Earth Rooster grin again.
“Limping Horse!! Limping Horse!!”
The Earth Horse slowly closed her eyes. Whether her “trump card” had recovered would all depend on this moment.
“One hundred ‘Earth-Level’ attacks…” she whispered.
“Limping—!”
**BOOM!!**
As soon as the words left her mouth, a deafening explosion erupted.
The Earth Pig beside them and the distant “Human-Level” students were sent stumbling by the shockwave.
The sound was swift and immense, then abruptly ceased—vanishing without a trace, not even an echo remaining. It felt unnaturally eerie.
It was as though something overwhelmingly powerful had torn through space and vanished just as quickly. The only proof that the sound hadn’t been an illusion was the pain in their eardrums.
The Earth Pig snapped back to attention and looked at the Earth Horse and Earth Rooster. They remained frozen in their previous positions.
No… to be precise, the Earth Horse’s body was trembling, while the Earth Rooster appeared unharmed.
“Dammit…” the Earth Horse cursed under her breath. “I didn’t expect the recoil to be this strong…”
She shakily retracted her right hand and looked down. Nearly all the fingers on that hand were broken, and her palm was flushed a deep, alarming red.
The Earth Pig stared in disbelief at the Earth Rooster.
Though the Earth Rooster stood motionless, there was clearly a palm-sized circular hole in his chest.
The edges of the hole were perfectly smooth, as though a high-speed bullet had pierced straight through him.
The Earth Rooster slowly lowered his head and looked at his chest. His expression gradually shifted—what kind of attack was this?
Not only was it devastatingly powerful… but he hadn’t even felt any pain.
The sensation was indeed far too complex.
If touching the Vermilion Bird felt like feeling fruit through a cloth bag, then touching the Earth Horse was like sensing a fruit basket through a cardboard box.
No… he wasn’t even sure it *was* a “fruit basket”—just something vaguely resembling one.
The sensation was so bizarre that the Earth Pig held onto the Earth Horse’s hand for a long time, as if trying to confirm whether his perception was correct.
“You alright?” the Earth Horse asked, withdrawing her hand.
“I… I’m fine…” The Earth Pig rubbed his chest, then asked doubtfully, “Are *you* alright?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Good, then…” The Earth Pig murmured softly.
Though the Earth Pig had once been swayed by the Earth Horse’s influence and gone to pick a fight with the Compensation Tiger, he had never actually touched her before.
Had her body always been this… complicated?
“Honestly, I wanted to leave you to die.” The Earth Horse pointed at the wound on her heel. “After all, this injury is thanks to you.”
“I…” The Earth Pig faltered, unsure how to respond.
“But since we’re on the same team now, letting you die wouldn’t be right.” The Earth Horse sighed. “Just stay back. I’ll handle this noisy chicken myself.”
“But your leg is injured too…” The Earth Pig thought for a moment. “How about you hold him off while I go get reinforcements?”
“No need.” The Earth Horse shook her head. “I’ve always had a trump card—I just can’t use it unless absolutely necessary.”
“Absolutely necessary…?”
“Don’t worry,” she said.
The Earth Horse limped forward step by step, dragging her injured leg, until she stood before the Earth Rooster and the few “Human-Level” beings behind him.
She recognized this Rooster. If memory served, he had long since lost his mind.
Day after day, he had truly convinced himself that he was nothing more than a noisy, clucking chicken.
Just as the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey had said—even the “Zodiacs” who retained their memories couldn’t endure this existence for too long.
“Big Horse!!” the Earth Rooster screeched. “Traitor!! Kill her now!!”
Yet despite his command, the students behind him remained frozen.
Even injured, the Earth Horse was still an “Earth-Level” entity. As mere “Human-Level” beings, they stood no chance against her.
Furious at their hesitation, the Earth Rooster grabbed one of them by the collar and hurled him straight at the Earth Horse.
With a single, effortless flick of her hand, she redirected the airborne student, sending him crashing into the wall.
“If we’re talking about *throwing things*…” She reached behind her waist and pulled out a fist-sized iron sphere. “You’re still way out of your league.”
Before the Earth Rooster could react, the Earth Horse took a quick step forward, pivoted on her less-than-agile foot, and hurled the iron ball with full force.
The Rooster’s face twisted in panic as he yanked another student in front of him as a shield. The iron ball struck the student’s chest with a sickening *crunch*, caving it inward.
Though the “Human-Level” student was undoubtedly dead, the Earth Rooster realized something—the Earth Horse’s strength wasn’t as overwhelming as he’d feared.
An attack like this could kill a “Human-Level,” but it wouldn’t be fatal to an “Earth-Level.”
“Big and tall, but weak as hell!!” the Earth Rooster crowed. “Tie her up and butcher her slowly!!”
He tossed the corpse aside and turned to his remaining students.
This was the first time they had faced such a situation. Usually, “Earth-Level” fights ended in injuries at worst—but now, people were *dying*. Fear took hold, and the students began backing away, terrified of being used as shields again.
“Give me something!!” the Earth Rooster bellowed. “Weapons!! NOW!!”
One trembling student fumbled with his belt and handed over a rope and a dagger.
The Earth Rooster grinned as he took them. Rope in his left hand, dagger in his right, he turned back to the Earth Horse. “Tie her up and carve her apart!! Slice by slice!!”
The Earth Horse remained silent, her expression grim.
She knew she had very few chances—maybe just two.
She had wanted to save both attacks for the Sky Horse, but she lacked confidence. If she couldn’t even handle the Earth Rooster, facing the Sky Horse would be suicide.
Tension thickened between them, and the Earth Pig grew nervous.
The Earth Horse had been utterly crushed by the Black Sheep earlier—how could she possibly defeat this deranged Rooster now, injured as she was?
Ignoring the dagger in the Earth Rooster’s hand, the Earth Horse began advancing slowly.
They stepped into each other’s striking range. Without hesitation, the Earth Rooster slashed forward—
The dagger plunged straight through the Earth Horse’s forearm, the tip protruding from the other side.
Unfazed, she simply raised her right hand and pressed it against the Earth Rooster’s chest. The feeble motion made him sneer.
“Limp Leg!! Limp Leg Horse!!”
The Earth Horse closed her eyes. Whether her “trump card” had truly recovered would be determined now.
“One hundred ‘Earth-Level’ attacks…” she whispered.
“Limp Le—”
***BOOM!!***
A deafening explosion erupted.
The Earth Pig and the distant “Human-Level” students were sent reeling.
The sound was instantaneous—loud, abrupt, and then utterly gone, leaving no echo. It was unnervingly unnatural, as if something had torn through reality before vanishing just as swiftly. The only proof it had happened at all was the ringing pain in their ears.
When the Earth Pig regained his bearings, he saw the Earth Horse and the Earth Rooster still frozen in place.
No—more accurately, the Earth Horse was trembling violently, while the Earth Rooster seemed completely unharmed.
“Damn it…” the Earth Horse muttered. “Didn’t expect the backlash to be this bad…”
Her right hand shook as she withdrew it. The fingers were nearly shattered, the palm a deep, angry red.
The Earth Pig stared in disbelief at the Earth Rooster.
Though the Rooster hadn’t moved, there was now a perfectly circular hole—about the size of a palm—piercing straight through his chest.
The edges were unnervely smooth, as if a high-speed projectile had cleanly punched through him.
Slowly, the Earth Rooster looked down at his chest. His expression shifted—what *was* this attack?
Not only did it have such devastating power… but he hadn’t even felt the pain yet.
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